Identity Exposed? Damn Airline!

Anton and Eddie, heartless as they were, finally remembered Phil Urich, who shared a name with Phil Coulson.

After saying goodbye to Anne and Lewis, the two left the hotel and got in touch with the forgotten Phil.

"Boss, Chief, you two were incredible!"

When Phil Urich saw them, he was wildly excited. "Your video has spread all over the internet! Screenshots of both of you are everywhere! Especially the part where you, Boss, jumped down from the Sky Chariot to save people. Countless people are calling it the craziest footage of the year. That video blogger must have made a fortune off it!"

"What?"

Anton looked at Phil in surprise and brazenly denied it. "What are you talking about? Me jumping down from the Sky Chariot? You've got the wrong person."

"Impossible! Boss, you're Batman. You can't fool me!"

Having worked undercover in San Francisco for so long and stayed in regular two-way contact with Anton and Eddie, Phil had long realized that Anton was no ordinary man. His expectations for Anton were extremely high.

To some extent, after Anton had crossed over, Phil was actually the person who understood him best.

As someone involved, Phil was capable of telling truth from lies in all the rumors spreading online.

Combined with his extraordinary intuition, he was certain Anton was Batman.

"You can't just say things like that. You'll mislead people."

Anton offered a weak rebuttal, then patted Phil on the shoulder with a smile. "Phil, you played a part in successfully taking down the Life Foundation this time. When we get back, you'll be Eddie's assistant. And this bonus will have you counting money until your hands cramp."

"Thank you, Boss."

Phil was overjoyed, but then carefully asked, "Boss, don't worry. I won't casually tell anyone about Batman. But could you give me an autograph? Just write Batman. Bruce Wayne would work too. I'm your—ah, no, Batman's biggest fan."

Anton was helpless.

"Also, one of the two monsters fighting on the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday was Carlton Drake. Then the other one..."

Phil swallowed, feeling as though he had missed far too much.

He looked at Eddie. "Chief, that monster wasn't you, was it?"

"It's not called a monster. It has a name."

The more Eddie listened, the more unpleasant it sounded. He had originally considered privately giving Phil some of his ten million as a bonus, but that thought vanished without a trace. "Its name is Venom. It's an alien life-form. You can also call it a symbiote."

"I have to say, your appearance is a little unusual... Uh, how should I put it? It's like God was creating humans, sneezed by accident, and used too much force."

Phil, a natural chatterbox, could not stop himself, though he thought he had put it very tactfully.

Eddie's mouth twitched.

"I don't like him."

Venom's voice boomed through Eddie's mind. "He said I'm ugly. I'm going to eat this brat! He must be one of the bad guys you mentioned when we made those three rules!"

"No, he's just got a filthy mouth!"

Eddie gritted his teeth and lowered his voice.

"Chief, what are you talking about?"

Phil looked at Eddie curiously.

"I'm talking to the monster you mentioned. It's currently living inside my body." Eddie said darkly, "You just angered him by saying he was ugly. He says he wants to eat you..."

"Huh?"

Phil's face turned deathly pale as he hurriedly explained, "No, no, no, I didn't say it was ugly. I just... just think he looks a little too... unrefined! Yes, unrefined!"

Eddie was speechless.

Wasn't that still another way of saying ugly?

"Alright, I have things to handle back in New York, so I won't waste any more time. Eddie, do you want to come back with me?"

Anton interrupted them.

"No, I'm planning to stay another two days."

Eddie shook his head.

At once, Anton thought of Anne, then Lewis. He felt that the color above Lewis's head had become even greener, before finally looking at Phil.

Phil did not really want to return to New York immediately. He had wanted to catch up with Eddie, but when he thought of the monster inside Eddie's body, he shuddered and said firmly, "Boss, of course I'm leaving with you."

Anton nodded and said goodbye to Eddie. "I'll wait for you in New York."

"Alright."

Eddie watched the two leave.

"Boss, is this your private jet?"

For the first time, Phil experienced the private jet of a wealthy family, his eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Anton had booked a ticket when he came, but for convenience on the return trip, he had Jameson send over the family jet after he arrived in San Francisco.

"This is amazing!"

Phil looked blissful. Thinking about the bonus he was about to receive made the trip feel even more worthwhile.

"Sir, the plane is about to take off. Please fasten your seatbelt."

A beautiful flight attendant swayed over, giving off a pleasant fragrance as she smiled at Phil.

Phil's eyes went wide.

Anton, on the other hand, was already used to it and simply closed his eyes to rest.

Several hours later, the plane arrived in New York. The two walked out of the airport, where Betty had already been waiting outside.

"Miss Betty."

Phil chuckled when he saw her. "Long time no see."

"Phil."

Betty greeted him, then looked at Anton. "Something happened."

"What?"

Anton was stunned. "What could have happened?"

"It's about Batman's identity."

Betty spoke pointedly. "A lot of people now think you're Batman. Netizens are practically ready to declare it a fact."

"How is that possible?"

Anton spread his hands. "They don't have any evidence!"

Betty's heart stirred. Anton had not denied being Batman.

"Don't forget, you flew to San Francisco, and then Batman appeared in San Francisco. He also took down the Life Foundation's founder, Carlton Drake. He's the Daily Bugle's sworn enemy," Betty continued.

"How did netizens know I was in San Francisco?" Anton frowned deeply.

"Don't overestimate airlines' principles."

Betty wore a disdainful expression, clearly taking pleasure in his misfortune. "Anyway, you should start thinking about how you'll deal with the media's questions."

"Shit! Damn airline!"

Anton's face darkened.

It was not that Batman's identity absolutely could not be exposed. The problem was that he was not Tony Stark. He was not good at high-profile publicity, nor had he prepared to become high-profile.

"Don't respond to the online discussions for now."

After thinking for a moment, Anton said with a sour expression, "I don't want to accept interviews from any media outlets right now, including the Daily Bugle."

"Understood."

Betty shrugged. "Also, Batman has passed four hundred million at the box office. Overseas box office has reached two hundred million as well, for a global total of six hundred million. Congratulations, genius director."

"It's not over yet. There are still nearly two weeks left in its theatrical run."

Anton finally heard some good news and smiled. "My target is one billion worldwide."

"Oh, right. Jim hasn't been able to reach you lately. He asked me to tell you that he wants to throw a party to celebrate Batman Begins passing six hundred million worldwide."

Betty added, "I think it's an opportunity to announce that the Jameson family has officially entered the entertainment industry."

"That makes sense."

Anton replied, "Tell Jim I agree."