You're Fired

The mysterious hero Ultraman appeared once again, striking at a human trafficking ring!

Cathy got the headline she had wished for—and it was the headline of the century! This was an opportunity even an intern reporter would not dare dream of. She woke up at her desk that morning and could not help pinching herself hard to make sure she was not having some unrealistic dream.

It was real! She was about to become famous!

Society erupted once again. For a time, the word Ultraman seemed to grow wings and fly through every street and alley of New York. Children racing about in the streets, old ladies strolling in the park, ordinary white-collar workers in offices, powerful figures in politics and business, and even top-secret organizations lurking in the shadows...

The entire world's attention was truly focused on this report.

So the giant who had appeared that night had not merely been passing by. It looked like he intended to settle down for the long term?

This was undoubtedly a tremendous shock to the entire world, with both good and bad aspects. Later, someone even began spreading claims like, "Humanity has committed too much evil; even the gods can no longer stand it," saying that the gods had finally decided to descend into the mortal world in person and punish all injustice. They said every sinner could wash their necks and wait, because divine punishment might fall at any moment.

It was said that this later even developed into some kind of new faith... but that was a story for another time.

As the person truly involved, Richard was rather helpless in the face of the public's intense reaction.

Honestly, as the very god who was becoming the center of everyone's attention, he even wanted to step forward and say, Everyone, go home. This nonsense about divine punishment is complete bullshit. If he had to run all over the world punishing evil every day, would he even get to live his own life?

Besides, while it was true that he was powerful, using his power too much left him drained. How could he possibly be like that red-caped guy next door, flying around all day and sticking his nose into every little matter?

But surprisingly, some people actually bought it—especially criminals who considered themselves sinners. Some criminals were genuinely frightened by the idea. Some went to churches to confess and decided to turn over a new leaf for the rest of their lives. The priests had been run ragged these past few days, with people constantly coming to confess, and each story was more outrageous than the last. Some said they had murdered and robbed while remaining at large, some said they had pimped and stolen, and some said they had cuckolded their own brother-in-law...

There were even criminals who had been wanted for years and went straight to the police station to turn themselves in, saying things like, "I had no choice before, but from now on, I want to be a good person"...

All in all, the result did not seem too bad. Richard thought it was fine for this little misunderstanding to continue, because...

...the newspapers had sold out again!

Stewart rushed into the boss's office that morning, beaming as he said, "Boss, every newspaper we printed today has already been snatched up!"

Richard leisurely sipped his tea. "Calm down, calm down. We still have a long way to go."

In a good mood, the editor-in-chief made a grand gesture. Not only did he end Cathy's internship early, but after making her a full employee, he promoted her two levels in a row. Editor-in-Chief Stewart happily said, "You did an outstanding job this time, and your report was pretty good too. How about you handle interviews related to Ultraman from now on? I have a feeling Ultraman definitely will not disappear just like that. Any related news from now on will be entirely your responsibility."

Cathy was overjoyed. Ultraman's assigned reporter! Even veteran reporters with established reputations had not received treatment like this, yet it had fallen into the lap of a rookie reporter like her. The young woman had nearly been so excited that she picked up the editor-in-chief and kissed him hard.

Nearly!

If Editor-in-Chief Stewart had just a little more hair and a slightly smaller belly, he might have received that honor.

Later, it was said that the editor-in-chief wanted to turn Ultraman into the Daily Planet's signature figure, something like the Daily Planet's Superman next door and the Daily Bugle's Spider-Man in the original work. Richard could not help breaking out in a cold sweat when he heard that—no, I know because I am Ultraman himself, but before I have even said anything, how do you, you old bastard, know that only our paper can get photos of Ultraman?

In fact, Richard had considered this issue before his first public appearance as Ultraman. If he had to appear in the papers every time he showed up, then rather than let other newspapers profit from it, it was naturally better to keep all the benefits in-house.

As the saying went, good water should not flow into other people's fields. Didn't Spider-Man often stage photos of himself to earn extra cash? Even an upright gentleman as noble and righteous as Superman not only allowed only his own newspaper to cover him, but even insisted that his own wife interview him.

Richard was sitting in his office when he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

"Stephanie, what is going on out there?" Richard asked his secretary.

The secretary went out to take a look.

"Oh, it's a new reporter who started this morning," the secretary said. "She seems to be arguing with Rudy, the janitor."

Richard decided to go take a look.

By then, a circle of people had gathered outside, surrounding the new reporter and the chubby janitor.

The new reporter was quite a beautiful woman. She wore a black leather jacket, had smooth black hair, and long, well-proportioned legs wrapped in bright blue jeans.

If her looks were rated out of one hundred, she could at least score an eighty. Her only flaw was that her aura was a little too fierce, and her appearance leaned somewhat masculine.

At that moment, she had one hand clamped around the janitor's wrist, squeezing until the fat man's hand had turned red. He mumbled and shouted as he struggled desperately, but the reporter's grip was like a pair of pliers. He seemed to use all his strength, yet she remained completely unmoved.

Richard stepped closer and asked, "What's going on?"

"This guy stole my lunch," the reporter said angrily. "And he refuses to admit it."

Rudy's chubby face had twisted from the pain, but he stubbornly insisted, "Who ate your food? You crazy woman, don't... Ow, that hurts, that hurts! Loosen your grip..."

"Oh, really?" the reporter sneered. "Then how about I punch you in the stomach and see if you throw it up?"

Rudy's face instantly went pale. He might not have been afraid of someone else, but he was genuinely intimidated by this monstrously strong woman. Not only did she have a violent temper, but she was incredibly strong. Rudy reckoned that if they came to blows, three of him might not be enough for this girl...

Rudy silently committed it to memory: this newcomer belonged in the category of people he absolutely could not provoke. It was only because she had just arrived today and he did not understand the situation that he had assumed she looked like the kind of person who was easy to bully, so he had brazenly swiped the hot dog and sandwich she had brought for lunch. Who knew she was actually a powder keg that exploded at the slightest touch?

He would never do it again. Forget stealing her lunch—Rudy had already decided that he would take a detour whenever he saw her in the future...

But in truth, he no longer had the chance.

Richard felt that he had roughly understood the situation. He looked at Rudy expressionlessly. "You're fired. Don't come to work tomorrow."