Verification Successful, the Fun-Seeker Plan Officially Put on the Agenda

Although [Prestige Points] did not indicate their source during collection and were simply measured by numerical growth,

Carl had recently found a way to distinguish them through meticulous observation.

Under normal circumstances,

[Prestige Points] generated by different events were displayed separately.

Moreover, due to various external factors such as how quickly an event spread, its scope, and the scale of its impact, the growth rates of the related [Prestige Points] also varied.

So long as one observed carefully, it was easy to tell them apart.

This time, the reason Carl had Frank record the entire revenge process was actually to test a suspicion of his...

Could he collect the corresponding [Prestige Points] through the influence generated by subordinates who had sworn loyalty to him?

To a certain extent, the result of this test would directly affect the direction of Carl's future plans.

Originally, he had wanted to ask the system directly.

But that emotionless damned system chose silence whenever faced with questions unrelated to its core functions.

Its intelligence was not even as good as Xiao Ai's...

So Carl could only settle for testing it on Zemo.

But the earlier interference from The Daily Bugle's advance exposé

had made it impossible for him to determine whether Zemo had collected any [Prestige Points] at the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

And judging by the current situation,

even though Frank had caused an enormous sensation and impact without revealing his identity, he had still failed to help Carl collect any [Prestige Points].

However, Carl was not in a hurry.

There were still many variables that could affect the results waiting to be tested!!

Very soon,

the sun set in the west.

Another breaking news report interrupted the television broadcast.

"According to information just received by our station's reporter, William Rawlins, the current director of the CIA, was found dead in his New York home half an hour ago.

According to informed sources, William Rawlins suffered extremely cruel torture before his death...

At present, multiple departments, including the CIA and FBI, have joined the investigation. It cannot yet be ruled out that this was meticulously orchestrated by hostile foreign forces..."

Maria, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen, said worriedly, "That's terrifying. When did New York's public safety become this bad?"

Carl could not help laughing.

Come on.

When had New York's public safety ever been good?

He then looked back at the light screen and found that [Prestige Points] still had not changed.

At that moment, he already had his answer.

"I'm back."

Just then, Frank pushed open the front door and walked in.

He first gave his wife Maria a deep hug, then waved the expensive bottle of red wine in his hand at Carl and said,

"Boss, sorry to keep you waiting. The gift has been delivered to The Daily Bugle as planned."

The gift Frank referred to was naturally the video Carl had ordered him to film.

As he said this, his face was full of gratitude.

Now that his great revenge had been fulfilled,

his family would no longer be threatened by death.

From now on,

the only thing Frank needed to consider was how to repay Carl's kindness.

The latter nodded in satisfaction, and there was a little more appreciation in his eyes!

Dinner came to an end amid an exceptionally cheerful atmosphere.

During the meal, Frank, normally a man of few words, seemed to have opened a floodgate.

He went on and on, telling Carl every little detail about how he and his wife had met and fallen in love.

It was clear to see.

This iron-blooded tough guy, merciless toward his enemies, treasured his family immensely.

It could even be said that he lived for his family...

Carl also explained the generous terms Warp Group had offered Frank to Maria, easing her concerns.

Afterward, Carl got into a car and returned to the hotel amid the warm farewells of Frank and Maria.

"Dad, Dad, come look... Doesn't this superhero look like Big Brother Carl?!"

The moment Frank had closed the door, he heard his eldest daughter calling from the second floor.

He hurried upstairs.

There, he found the little girl watching a video on an iPad.

In the video, a man radiating golden light from head to toe was fighting six superpowered individuals...

Whether it was his face, build, or bearing, he looked almost exactly like Carl.

Gasp...

Could Boss really be a dimensional demon god?!!

[Prestige Points +1, +1, +1...]

When Carl returned to the hotel, he happened to notice new growth in the [Prestige Points] on the light screen, and a delighted smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Looks like The Daily Bugle has already started moving!"

Carl quickly turned on the television and switched to The Daily Bugle's dedicated channel.

Sure enough,

it was playing footage of Frank interrogating CIA Director William Rawlins.

The entire video was shot from a first-person perspective.

Although the camera shook with Frank's every movement, it was incredibly immersive.

The bloody images struck directly at every viewer's nerves.

The visceral thrill sent adrenaline surging, making it far more intense than any AAA game.

And as the interrogation continued,

William Rawlins was soon unable to hold out.

He confessed everything about the dirty deeds he had secretly carried out in Kandahar over the years.

In the end, Frank, burning with rage, roared that classic line: "You're guilty, so you die!"

He then ended the scumbag's sin-stained life in the cruelest manner possible—by slitting his throat.

Anyone with eyes could tell that the footage had obviously been edited and post-processed.

Every piece of information that could identify Frank had been altered afterward, making any investigation impossible.

This was also the order Carl had given John Jameson in advance in order to protect Frank.

"...Viewers, after watching this video, I have only one feeling: I cannot sit still, I feel thorns in my back, and I have a lump in my throat!!!"

"It is hard to imagine such filthy dealings taking place within our sacred military, and that the esteemed director of the CIA was secretly using the bodies of fallen soldiers to smuggle drugs.

Such utterly immoral conduct is the greatest insult to every soldier and a ruthless trampling of our nation's honor."

"But that is not what I want to talk about today..."

Just as everyone thought John Jameson would continue elaborating on William Rawlins's crimes,

who would have thought that he would suddenly change the subject?

"Through this matter, I have reached one conclusion: when justice is defiled, when the law is wantonly manipulated, when the truth is buried deep underground by those in power,

we need someone like the Punisher in that video—someone who dares to confront darkness and fight violence with violence—to step forward and seek justice for those victims who suffered unfairly..."

Carl did not continue watching and casually turned off the television.

He had considerable faith in John Jameson's ability to grasp the secret to driving traffic.

He then focused all his attention on the light screen.

The exceptionally encouraging growth rate of [Prestige Points] was enough to confirm his earlier hypothesis.

That was...

Without Carl directly intervening, the influence generated purely by subordinates loyal to him could also be converted into his [Prestige Points].

But the prerequisite was that they had to be loyal to him, and it would only work after their identities were "revealed."

The best proof was that after Frank killed Billy Russo and William Rawlins, he had caused an enormous stir.

Major news outlets, the CIA, the FBI, and every police officer in New York were searching for him.

Yet Carl had not gained any [Prestige Points] because of it.

Instead, when John Jameson followed his instructions and deliberately called Frank the Punisher during the news broadcast, [Prestige Points] began soaring!

This undoubtedly brought Carl an unexpected surprise.

Because from now on, all he needed to do was recruit more loyal and capable subordinates like Zemo and Frank,

and he could easily collect massive amounts of [Prestige Points].

Coincidentally,

this was exactly the same as the Fun-Seeker Plan Carl had envisioned before.

The only difference was...

now, even without abandoning his fleshly body and returning to the Warp Dimension, he could still accomplish it!

Although Carl had yet to figure out

why he could use this exclusive "authority," something dimensional demon gods could only use within their own dimensions, in the real world—or rather, the physical universe—

if he looked at the matter from another angle,

weren't these subordinates loyal to him also "believers" in a certain sense?

And could their face-to-face oaths of loyalty be considered a kind of contract?!!

No matter what,

things were moving in Carl's favor.

"Very good. Looks like it won't be long before I can live a carefree life of early retirement!"

In truth, Carl did not particularly enjoy acting too high-profile or flamboyant.

He only wanted to throw wild parties... ah, no, to savor sweet and innocent love!

But before, he had no choice.

And now...

he finally had a better option!!!

Thanks to Taiyang for the monthly pass!!!

It's Tuesday today. Please keep reading in support of my two updates in a row, or I really won't make it...