Aftermath

The terrorist attack at the carnival shocked all of America. Videos of the Green Goblin and Spider-Man's battle spread wildly online, garnering millions of views. Many people were startled to realize that, besides mutants, other superpowered beings existed in their midst.

The White House found this equally headache-inducing. The Green Goblin's malicious incident had a broad impact and heavy casualties. Beyond the heated discussion about Spider-Man, public opinion strongly condemned the national security agencies for inaction, calling it another terrorist attack after 9/11 and a trampling of America's spirit of freedom, urging the government to catch the culprit quickly.

But if anyone felt the most aggrieved, it was probably the mutants hidden in human society. At first, people saw Spider-Man and the Green Goblin in the videos and assumed they were mutants too. The Mutant Registration Act, which had just cooled down, was dragged back into the spotlight. It wasn't until some congressman stepped forward to deny that Spider-Man and the Green Goblin were mutants that the matter subsided. Still, those mutants in Westchester must have felt pretty frustrated—no matter how you look at it, taking the fall isn't a pleasant feeling.

Because of the Green Goblin and Spider-Man's flashy appearance at the carnival, superpowered individuals drew widespread attention from all sectors of society. Everyone was buzzing about it. Spider-Man, with his heroic performance in driving back the vicious Green Goblin, won the affection of New Yorkers. Aside from the Daily Bugle, other newspapers praised this mysterious superhero, calling him "New York's Friendly Neighborhood Hero."

It wasn't just the mutants who got stuck with the blame for no reason; Osborn Industries suffered too. Under the manipulation of those with ulterior motives, this rising industrial giant was exposed in news reports about the murder of its chief scientist and the theft of its own developed products. A helpful hint was also attached, noting that the Green Goblin's equipment all came from Osborn Industries.

This sparked a wave of public outcry. Osborn Industries' stock plummeted, and this massive conglomerate spanning multiple fields suddenly plunged into a huge crisis, sliding toward the abyss. At this critical moment, Chairman Norman Osborn failed to step up and take charge, leading the outside world to uniformly write off Osborn Industries.

These were the aftermath ripples following the carnival's end. But none of this had anything to do with Sean, because he was busy dealing with another problem.

"You're saying that on your first day of school, you got into a fight and beat two bullies so badly their own parents wouldn't recognize them?!"

Sean was almost losing it. After just one day of school, he'd gotten a call from the dean to come handle a serious brawl.

"They were bullying Rachel!" the little girl, who'd been getting lectured the whole way, defended herself. "Those two jerks were pulling her skirt, and I only used a little force."

"Who's Rachel?" Sean asked, puzzled, before resuming his scolding: "And Mindy, if you're going to throw a punch, you can beat them until their faces are a mess, but... don't kick them in the groin. That's too cruel, especially for boys."

"Rachel is my first friend at school! She's so pitiful—those bullies pick on her every day, and everyone refuses to play with her because she's from Hell's Kitchen."

Mindy pouted, looking a bit wronged. In her mind, she'd just done a good deed by helping a friend, yet everyone was blaming her.

Sean paused, then patted the little girl's head and said softly, "Mindy, you can't keep living the way you used to. Helping a friend being bullied by bad guys is a good thing, but you need to watch your methods—you can teach them a lesson with your fists, but don't let the teacher catch any evidence! Because if you do, you might get expelled, and then your friend will still be bullied by those people, maybe even worse."

"You mean next time I can sneakily hit them from behind?" The little girl looked up at Sean with a confused expression.

"...Something like that, I guess." Sean's head ached. Clearly, he wasn't suited for this kind of guidance.

Turning Mindy, who was steeped in the idea that "violence solves everything," into a normal girl was a huge, complicated project that would take time.

"Why are those two so cocky at your school?" Sean couldn't help but wonder. That school was a famous private institution in New York, where most kids came from well-off families with respectable, high-end jobs. How could they let their children get bullied there?

"They said their dad works for someone named Kingpin." Mindy thought for a moment, then asked curiously, "Who's Kingpin?"

Sean narrowed his eyes. Was this the rhythm of just settling Frank D'Amico and now moving into Hell's Kitchen?

Compared to the name Kingpin, New Yorkers were more familiar with Wilson Fisk—a real estate tycoon born in Hell's Kitchen, a philanthropist, and a respected socialite. But Sean knew that was just a hypocritical facade. The real Wilson Fisk, besides being a successful businessman, was also the Black Emperor ruling New York's underworld. Starting as a small-time thug, he'd climbed his way up through murder, robbery, and every evil deed imaginable, finally seizing the throne of the crime syndicate.

Yet that didn't satisfy his ambition. Wilson, with his sharp mind and overwhelming strength, kept swallowing up other gangs' territories. Anyone who refused to submit was wiped out clean. In the end, he firmly controlled the entire American mafia, building a vast and terrifying criminal empire rooted in the chaotic, impoverished Hell's Kitchen.

After becoming New York's top crime boss, he rebranded himself as a successful real estate mogul, seamlessly joining the ranks of high society, chatting amiably with prosecutors and the Police Chief. He recruited a large number of Russian Mafia and The Irish from Hell's Kitchen as enforcers, gradually dominating the entire New York underworld.

Those in the criminal world called Wilson "Kingpin," meaning "the mastermind." From then on, that name became a terrifying presence that made everyone in the underworld tremble.

"He's just a big bad guy who leads a bunch of thugs." Sean said flatly, a glint of thoughtful light flickering in his eyes.

Perhaps that Black Emperor ruling New York's underground could make a small contribution to his first step of primitive accumulation. After all, Hell's Kitchen was a prime spot everyone wanted.

He took the little girl's hand to head home. The school brawl eventually ended with a hefty stack of cash as a fierce offensive. The dean, who had principles, decided to go easy, using the excuse that Mindy was "still just a kid" to veto the other teachers' suggestion of expulsion.

And so the storm quietly subsided. Mindy went back to school and, with that one fight, became a legendary big sister figure, gathering a crowd of adoring little fans.

Of course, this was just a small episode in Sean's ordinary life. In this era before superheroes filled the skies, he enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere—no need to worry about alien invasions or some Evil Villain destroying the world. Everything was so nice.

It also gave him the calm mindset to slowly build up his strength, without fretting too much about the dangers of being weak. After all, even Tony Stark was still drowning in his debauched, pleasure-seeking lifestyle, not yet the soaring Iron Man.

Superheroes slept in their cradles, not yet awakened; the Cosmic Overlord coveting the six Infinity Stones hadn't yet turned his gaze toward this blue planet. None of the stories had begun.

"There will be bread, and there will be milk..." Sean gazed at the setting sun on the horizon, his eyes shimmering with hope for the future.

PS: Sweat... forgot there was another chapter today -_-||

I'm so diligent, Esteemed Readers, won't you toss some votes my way?