In the spring of 2008 in this universe, several major events took place in America.
First, a San Francisco police officer shooting a Black pilot sparked another nationwide uproar over racial discrimination. Then, before the controversy had even died down, two major incidents suddenly erupted in New York.
The day after Tony Stark left for Afghanistan, Wall Street received insider news before the market opened: Tony Stark, head of Stark Industries, genius weapons designer, and playboy, had been kidnapped by armed militants!
For a moment, capital began to stir.
"Gold-medal brokers" with access to the news began frantically contacting investors, especially the wealthy backers holding Stark Industries stock, urging them to sell as soon as the market opened.
At a time like this, the faster one ran, the less one lost.
When Alber Ellis got the news, he froze for a moment before regretting it bitterly.
Why had he managed to restrain himself and not followed along this time?!
He immediately called the god of wealth to report the good news.
"Mr. Lin, you're going to make a fortune!"
Five million dollars with tenfold leverage—this trade was going to make a killing!
Based on the information available so far, Tony Stark was probably in grave danger. Stark Industries' stock price would most likely plunge to rock bottom.
The further it fell, the more Lin Hao would earn.
The more faith investors had once placed in Tony Stark's talent, the more panicked they would be now.
"Tony Stark has been kidnapped by armed militants!" Alber Ellis eagerly delivered the good news to Lin Hao.
But the god of wealth's reaction was flat, as though he had expected it all along.
"Oh."
Could Mr. Lin have known in advance that something would happen to Tony Stark?
That was right. Stark Industries' stock price had been rising steadily for the past six months, yet this man had suddenly placed a massive short position.
Could it be... that he had something to do with the kidnapping?
Alber Ellis's thoughts spiraled, and the more he thought, the more possibilities came to mind.
Then Lin Hao's next question interrupted his train of thought.
"By the way, you don't have a habit of hooking up with married women, do you?"
Adam Smith was on his way with a sword. If Alber had also waded through Mrs. Smith's sewer, Lin Hao would probably lose this gunman too.
He had spent five years cultivating this skilled tool. It would be such a waste to lose him for such a ridiculous reason.
That casual question completely stunned Alber Ellis, who had been letting his imagination run wild.
What the hell?
I'm talking stocks with you, and you're asking whether I've slept with someone else's wife?
If you want to talk about that, then I... am getting pretty excited!
He had originally wanted to discuss the pleasures of cuckolding with the god of wealth, but then remembered that he was Eastern. The cultural atmosphere over there did not seem to support such universally beloved pursuits, so he quickly changed his tune.
"No, absolutely not!"
Alber Ellis declared righteously, "Mr. Lin, you have to trust my character. Even if I paid for a call girl, I would never touch another man's wife!"
He had to leave a good impression on the god of wealth. Otherwise, he would never have a chance to get closer to him.
Who wanted to be friends with a cuckold?
Unless he married a stunningly beautiful wife first.
"Fine." Lin Hao hung up.
If Alber Ellis really got killed, he could only replace him with another gunman. In any case, he had plenty of identities and plenty of gunmen.
Once Wall Street officially opened, Stark Industries was immediately flooded with sell orders. At first, some poorly informed retail investors eagerly bought them up, but as the sell orders piled higher and higher, veteran investors quickly realized something was wrong.
Sure enough, news that Tony Stark had been kidnapped by armed militants soon spread from the major investors downward. The wealthy backers trying to control the information so they could escape their positions discovered that only a small portion of their sell orders had been taken. The news inevitably leaked.
The stock market had always been the place where news traveled fastest.
After noticing the abnormal movement in Stark Industries stock, a large number of reporters rushed to Stark Tower, hoping for confirmation.
Just when they thought this would be the biggest story of the day, Adam Smith, dressed in red and carrying a sword at his waist, swaggered into Wall Street.
He first killed people inside a securities company office building, then ran into the stock exchange hall and murdered people in public. His methods were exceptionally brutal.
Even veteran roast duck chefs would not have been confident they could strip meat from bone that cleanly.
"Billy is next..." After swinging his sword and severing Mr. Porter's head, Adam Smith looked around for his next target.
Because Tony Stark had been unexpectedly kidnapped, Wall Street was extremely busy that morning. Many traders did not even have time to slack off and were all gathered in the trading hall.
So Adam quickly found his next target.
His figure flashed, his red robes becoming a blur. In the blink of an eye, he rushed before Mr. Billy.
He was nowhere near as ghostly as Invincible East, but he was still terrifying in the eyes of ordinary people.
"Ad—"
His sword struck. Sword light surged, bone and flesh separated, and blood splattered.
"Ahhh!"
"Murder!"
"Call the police! Hurry, call the police!"
The investors and traders, who had been focused solely on the information displays, finally reacted when Adam Smith brutally killed the second person.
"Good. Thor is still left."
To be honest, Adam Smith was not even sure how many men his wife had hooked up with over the years. The people he had killed today were all men who had gotten their way and then deliberately come before him to flaunt it.
This time, officers from the Manhattan Police Department and reporters arrived at the scene at the same time!
First, the NYPD was the best police force in America, with the finest equipment, the most ample funding, and the fastest response times.
After all, the area they maintained order in was home to some of the wealthiest people in America—and indeed, the world. The Manhattan Police Department in particular was the ace among aces.
Wall Street, the heart of capital, was the apple of the Manhattan Police Department's eye. Not even the slightest disturbance could be tolerated there, or the commissioner's seat would immediately change hands.
Second, news of Tony Stark's kidnapping had broken earlier that day, and a huge number of New York reporters were currently gathered near Stark Tower.
New York simply did not have enough reporters today!
"Get back! Move back!"
The Manhattan Police Department commissioner personally led the team. The moment he arrived, he ordered a cordon set up and had citizens who were watching the spectacle without fear of death driven away.
"Bastard, how dare he cause trouble here!" The commissioner's expression was extremely grim.
People had died on Wall Street before, but they had all jumped from buildings themselves. Now someone actually dared to murder people openly here—and had killed several of them at that. It was a blatant disregard for the New York police.
"Stay sharp! We have to take the criminal down on the spot!"
The Manhattan Police Department surrounded the trading hall, fully prepared. Every officer carried a submachine gun, wore body armor and a steel helmet, and the front row even held the highest-quality riot shields.
The heavily armored police vehicles even had machine guns mounted on them, firing bullets over ten millimeters in diameter.
That was right, those were still guns, definitely not cannons!
A figure in red shot out of the trading hall like lightning. After killing the several confirmed online buddies, Adam Smith knew it was time to run.
His current strength was nowhere near that of Invincible East in the movie. He could not cut down an entire fleet with his sword.
"Fire!" The Manhattan commissioner did not even want to waste words.
Countless bullets came flying.
Adam Smith's pupils contracted. Instead of retreating, he charged forward without hesitation.
Perhaps it was the viciousness from having just killed people. Perhaps he had been influenced by Invincible East's boldness in always advancing against any enemy in the movie.
Sword light flashed wildly, knocking down bullet after bullet. But there were too many bullets, and Adam Smith's Inner Force was still weak. He could barely protect his chest and face, while numerous wounds were left across his body.
His red robes were stained with blood.
In less than two seconds, Adam Smith split open the riot shield with his sword and charged into the officers' formation.
In an instant, offense and defense switched positions.
The officers could not fire at their own comrades, and the machine gunners on the armored police vehicles dared not pull the trigger at the crowd.
Dying at a criminal's hands was one thing. Dying at the hands of their own people was another. The officers who fired would receive anything but commendations afterward. Countless "public interest organizations" would mobilize their families to make trouble. At best, the officers would be reassigned to desk jobs; more likely, they would be fired or even held financially liable.
The officers were tied down, while Adam Smith slaughtered without restraint.
His blade, wrapped in Inner Force, kept slicing through the surrounding officers. Blood splashed everywhere, and severed limbs flew through the air.
Fortunately, he still retained his reason. After carving out enough space, he used his footwork to leap out of the encirclement, stepping across the roofs of police cars as he fled into the distance.
Behind him, officers lay dead and wounded everywhere.
"Chief, the criminal got away. Should we chase him?"
"Why are you asking me? Ask the commissioner!"
"Commissioner! Commissioner?"
"Where's the commissioner?"
"Oh no! The commissioner's neck has been cut through..."
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Don't worry, everyone. The Evil-Warding Swordplay plotline is only being set up for now. I will not keep writing about it forever, or it will become tiresome.
As for how it will spread, there will be new developments later.
The main Marvel storyline has not begun yet. The world is still safe, and ordinary people do not feel an urgent need to grow stronger. For now, he is merely using these tools to advertise. Once Director Lin turns America into a living hell, more people will be willing to take the cut.
Before you continue