Prelude to War

Was the monster that wreaked havoc in New York not the only one? Might the military be responsible?

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Daily Planet reporters David and Hodge, a hidden ambition finally surfaced. General Thaddeus E. Ross was named and publicly exposed in the weekend papers, and this ambitious American general became a major sensation.

Richard had handed this story to David and Hodge because he recognized their abilities, and the duo truly did not disappoint him. Though no one knew what methods they had used, they had indeed brought back some explosive material. They had managed to obtain photos of failed subjects who had clearly undergone human experimentation—their appearance was truly too horrific to describe. They had also obtained incomplete blood data from General Ross's shuttered laboratory. A biology professor at a renowned university determined that the blood likely belonged to some powerful creature far beyond human beings.

Then there were the rumors of a green Bigfoot spotted in various places, along with evidence of an accident in the gamma ray project at the laboratory Ross had previously overseen... Put together, it all resembled a puzzle gradually revealing its true form, presenting the public with a horrifying truth.

The monster named "Abomination," which had rampaged through New York, claimed countless lives, and caused immeasurable property damage, was very likely a demon created by the military with taxpayers' money.

It was an easy conclusion to reach. Everyone knew that since the end of World War II, the government had never abandoned plans to restart the "Super Soldier" program. Relevant government departments had even publicly solicited bids from leading domestic corporations, hoping someone could develop a substitute for the "Super Soldier."

Clearly, they had not progressed smoothly down this path. Abomination might have been one of those many failed products.

And that was not all. There was even evidence that after making such a colossal mess with Abomination, the military still had no intention of stopping. Worse still, after certain people in higher departments saw Abomination withstand Ross's army head-on without a scratch, they actually regarded the monster as a successful case—as though the disaster in New York had been a showcase performance proving its worth.

So the government's final response to the Abomination incident was to do nothing. No one was willing to step forward and take responsibility. Every involved party merely pretended to know nothing and remained silent. By all rights, after causing such an enormous disaster, General Ross's career should have been over. But he was lucky. Even more powerful figures above him had taken notice of the potential of the project he oversaw and protected him.

Once the storm passed, General Ross, the chief culprit, would not only get away without so much as a scratch—if his enhanced human project proved successful enough, he might even rise through the ranks and become Secretary of State or something.

In a movie universe, the old man might really have stumbled into that kind of luck. But given the current situation... If he did not end up before a military tribunal, then either the old man would drop dead from rage first, or Ross's ancestors must have worked some divine magic to protect him. Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain it.

Thaddeus E. Ross—overnight, that name became famous. The old man woke up, utterly bewildered to find his name had somehow been pushed to the top of the trending charts. When he clicked in to take a look, he nearly burst a lung with rage and almost called the Daily Planet to unleash a stream of curses.

But in the end, he suppressed the impulse. Ross could not have risen to the rank of general by relying solely on brute force; he had at least some brains.

He would accept this loss for now. At this stage, he needed to endure it and find a way to weather the period first. As for the Daily Planet... Ross would remember this grudge for the time being. One day, he would make that ignorant little newspaper pay the price.

For the entire following week, General Ross remained firmly at the top of the trending charts, becoming the figure most fiercely discussed by public opinion. It was not until a week later, when an explosion in the early hours of the morning opened the curtain on a war in New York City, that the public's attention finally began to shift.

The war began with a bombing in Manhattan. The explosion left five people lightly injured, three seriously injured, and one dead. The sole unfortunate soul sent to meet the King of Hell was named Jack Hunter—one of New York City's most powerful crime bosses.

A revenge killing caused by some gang conflict?

No, it was not that simple.

That bomb was like the boom of a cannon declaring war. In that instant, New York's entire underworld was shaken. Every kidnapper and every boss received the sudden message loud and clear—

—War!

Everyone knew this was a war started by Kingpin, because under the current circumstances, only he possessed the potential and courage to break the existing balance. After years of building his strength and expanding his territory, Kingpin had finally made every necessary preparation.

He was already one of the people at the pinnacle of this city's underworld, but he was not satisfied.

Now, he intended to erase the words "one of."

He would become New York's one and only ruler.

The old, deeply entrenched crime families of New York panicked. Everyone had long guessed that Kingpin would not be content with the status quo, but no one expected he would actually dare to act so decisively, utterly regardless of the consequences. Under the current circumstances, most people had grown accustomed to the existing order and were completely unprepared for war. Kingpin's aggressive move caught them off guard.

The family bosses swiftly convened an emergency meeting, clinging to the faint hope that the matter could still be resolved through negotiations. However, neither Kingpin nor any of his representatives attended the meeting. Through their actions, they silently told everyone that they no longer intended to play by the rules. They would shatter the existing order and establish new rules that belonged solely to them.

After fierce arguments and debate, the bosses temporarily formed a united front out of fear of Kingpin's power. And Silver Mane—the old man who had once been New York's greatest overlord—was naturally chosen as the temporary leader of their fragile alliance on account of his former prestige.

A war was about to begin. And what none of those drawn into it expected was that George Stacy, commissioner of the New York Police Department, would lead the police into the fight as well...