I'll Be There

"Boss, you were right." Reporter Hodge Lavis stood before Richard's desk and said mysteriously, "There really is something wrong with that Ross."

Well, obviously I was right. Did you really need to tell me that? Richard sat back in his chair with his legs crossed and gestured for him to continue.

"I've spent the past few days specifically looking into General Thaddeus Ross, and I think I found quite a lot." Hodge fought down his excitement. "Remember those laboratories under General Ross's jurisdiction that I mentioned before? The military allocated enormous sums of money to them every year, but their research projects were never made public. Yet after the monster rampage in New York, all of those labs were declared shut down."

"You think there's a connection?"

"There has to be, Boss!" Hodge said excitedly. "I also looked into it and found that several years ago, Dr. Bruce Banner, a leading physicist in the country, was recruited into General Ross's laboratory. After that, he vanished without a trace. But guess what I've found now? Witnesses at New York State University said that just a few days before that monster caused trouble, they saw Banner in New York! The real Banner!"

"Oh." Compared to Hodge's excitement, Richard remained utterly unfazed.

Seeing that none of this had impressed his boss, Hodge did not lose heart and continued, "That's not all, Boss. I dug up something even bigger. I found several eyewitnesses who told me that a week before the New York incident, a similar event had actually happened at the state university. They said there was a huge green Bigfoot, along with a bunch of lunatics who brought armored vehicles and cannons onto campus. The military tried to capture that Bigfoot, but failed. I think there's a ninety percent chance that unit was General Ross's troops. And that Bigfoot must have been something Ross cooked up too, just like the monster in the New York incident."

After saying that, he waited expectantly for his boss's reaction, only to be disappointed again.

To put it without the slightest exaggeration, Richard had known everything Hodge had said in his previous life. Wasn't this just the plot of The Incredible Hulk 2? How could a transmigrator possibly not know?

But... where was the evidence?

He had not sent these reporters out to investigate rumors he had already heard. What he needed was evidence that could be printed in the paper.

Hodge took a deep breath. "Think about it, Boss. Who knows how many more things like this the military has? What exactly have they been spending all that funding on? Don't the public deserve to know the truth?"

"Mm, you make a good point." Richard nodded. "So, do you have any video footage of this 'college Bigfoot versus the military' story?"

"No."

"Photos?"

"No."

"The informants' names?"

"I can't reveal them."

Richard spread his hands. "Then what exactly do you expect me to print in the newspaper? Readers need facts, not speculation. You're not a rookie anymore, Hodge. I thought you understood that."

"Of course I do, Boss." Hodge looked troubled. "But this Ross... he really isn't easy to deal with. That old man is incredibly sly. There's simply no opening to exploit..."

"Stop beating around the bush. Just say it." Richard waved a hand, cutting him off. "If you truly had no solution, you'd be outside trying to find one instead of coming into my office to complain. Tell me your plan, and tell me what you want."

"Well, it's like this, Boss. I made a few calls and used some connections to... get in touch with some people in the military. Someone agreed to make an introduction, so I can meet a few people in important positions who don't agree with General Ross's views. If I'm lucky, maybe someone will be willing to reveal something..."

"You mean military secrets." Richard laid it bare.

"Isn't that my job, sir?" Hodge said.

Richard gave a slight nod.

Whatever that old man Ross called "military secrets," it certainly could not be anything good. From what Richard knew of Ross, the man might not have been especially good at defending the country, but he was absolutely first-rate at causing disasters. If Ross were allowed to continue unchecked, who knew when he might cook up a Red Hulk, Yellow Hulk, Blue Hulk, Green Hulk, or something else in his lab. Before long, he could assemble an entire Hulk squad.

If a mere claim of military secrets could brush him off, Hodge would not be a Daily Planet reporter.

"I need to go to Washington for a few days, sir." Hodge finally said it outright.

So after all that, this had been his real goal all along—getting his plane ticket reimbursed.

Richard crossed one leg over the other. "Economy class."

"How about business class, Boss?"

Richard said nothing, merely looking at him with a cold smile.

"Fine, Boss. Economy class it is."

After sending Hodge away, secretary Stephanie came into the boss's office right afterward. She placed the black tea Richard had asked for on the desk and reminded him, "You have a dinner invitation tonight, sir."

"Oh? With whom?" Richard took a sip of tea.

It was nothing unusual. Once a person's fame and social influence reached a certain level, they naturally had to deal with all kinds of social engagements.

"With Mr. Wilson Fisk," Stephanie said.

Richard froze.

Wilson Fisk? Which Fisk? The crime kingpin of New York City?

Others might not know the truth, but as a transmigrator, Richard knew it perfectly well. On the surface, Wilson Fisk was a successful businessman and philanthropist, but in reality, he was one of New York's biggest crime lords at this stage, known as the Kingpin. According to the original storyline, Fisk might even sweep aside all his rivals in the future and become the true sole ruler of New York's underworld.

Of course, at the moment, only a select few people trusted by Fisk knew who was behind the name Kingpin. To most citizens, he was still merely a kind and friendly entrepreneur, a successful man with absolutely nothing to do with the criminal world.

"Why am I having dinner with Fisk?" Richard frowned. "Find an excuse and turn it down. Tell him I'm busy and have something extremely important to do."

"Mr. Fisk just made a very large donation to our newspaper," Stephanie reminded him. "A very large one."

Richard sat up straight.

"Tell me the time and place for dinner. Tell Mr. Fisk that I'll definitely be there on time."