At 4:20 PM, in the NYPD headquarters, Commissioner George Stacy was overwhelmed by the reports flooding in from his subordinates.
"Commissioner, his men have already reached Brooklyn! The Big Gun Gang's stronghold has been completely wiped out!"
"The gunfire in Hell's Kitchen stopped after less than an hour. Has Hell's Kitchen truly been unified?"
"Informants report that countless body bags and trash bins were hauled out of that building. What was supposed to be a New York gang gathering seems to have turned into a massacre!"
"They're heading to the last two gangs in Queens now. They're so professional—they don't look like thugs at all. They're more like the CIA!"
"Damn it…!!!"
At that moment, Commissioner George Stacy, who had been staring at the city's surveillance feed, couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
He immediately paused a feed and pointed at a figure on the screen.
"This… this son of a bitch was one of my men! He was transferred to S.H.I.E.L.D., wasn't he? Why is he working as a thug for that guy now?!"
Saying this, Commissioner George furrowed his brow and angrily shut off the monitor.
Then, he stood up and began pacing around the police station.
After a long pause, Commissioner George helplessly said to his subordinates,
"City Hall keeps emphasizing that our city has turned into something out of a comic book!
But I think that's bullshit!
It's not like that guy is Superman come to life.
He's more like a manic version of Marlon Brando!
No, a crazed version of Vito Corleone—the Godfather! It's clearly the Godfather unifying the American mafia!!!"
After speaking, he slammed the desk in frustration and complained to the officers around him,
"I have to tell our ambitious mayor and his damn campaign team that this is no opponent we can handle!
He wants me to go up against that guy? Has he thought about my family, my wife, and my adorable daughter? My daughter's only eight this year!
Maybe I should just resign. If I keep this up, I'll eventually run into that guy!
Serving as a police commissioner under his authority is a farce. I'd rather drive my daughter to elementary school. At least that won't lead to him shining a Superman-style Bat Signal at me in the middle of the night!"
*Bang!*
At the end, the frustrated and resentful Commissioner George slammed the desk decisively.
Without another glance at the infuriating yet utterly unmanageable surveillance screen, he left the police station and headed toward New York City Hall.
…
Meanwhile, at Heisenberg's nightclub, Barbara was drinking with Jessica, trying to outdo her.
But she was clearly no match for the security chief. Within two minutes, she was stumbling into the bathroom.
Inside, after throwing up, Barbara took out her communicator and contacted her current direct superior—Miss Hill, the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Moments later, the connection was established, and Hill's exasperated voice came through.
"You always like contacting me from right under his nose, don't you?"
Hearing Hill's words, Barbara shrugged helplessly and replied,
"Believe me, it's at least a sign of respect for him. And the key issue is, I suspect that even if I went to Washington to contact you, he'd probably still hear it.
So it's better to chat right under his nose. At least I'm not doing anything to harm him—I'm just reporting some trivial details."
As she spoke, Barbara couldn't help but glance at the ceiling, as if Heisenberg were watching her through the walls from the rooftop at that very moment.
And at that moment, Heisenberg…
He rolled over on his lounge chair.
Did this woman think he'd spy on the women's bathroom? What a joke—he wasn't that kind of scumbag!
Inside the bathroom, Hill, having accepted Barbara's decision, listened to her report.
"That guy's mood today doesn't seem great, or maybe he cheered up because of what he just did.
Nineteen leaders and their deputies from seventeen gangs in New York are all dead in that building. Not a single survivor.
His men aren't just Kingpin's former thugs—there are also many of our former colleagues. It's clear he's slowly absorbing Hydra's legacy, and the one pulling the strings is Rumlow, who I've reported on before.
Don't ask how I know. That guy doesn't hide this kind of thing, and his unstoppable power proves he doesn't need to sneak around.
Rumlow is his man, Sitwell is his man, so I can safely guess that our former boss, the ex-director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra's biggest sleeper agent—Alexander Pierce—is probably already dead at his hands.
That's all I have to say. Even I'm starting to think about joining them. At least then my safety would be truly guaranteed.
Anyway, Director Hill, good luck. Nick's mess has caused you way too much trouble!"
Saying this, Barbara helplessly ended the call.
…
On the rooftop, Heisenberg smiled in satisfaction.
Just as he'd predicted, the U.S. government and S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't dare counter his and his men's actions.
Or rather, as long as Heisenberg didn't seek more territory and kept his power confined to New York…
They'd continue to tacitly accept his rule over the city.
Especially since Heisenberg, amidst his business ventures, was still paying his taxes!
So…
Heisenberg rubbed his forehead.
Starting today, New York is completely under my control. I'm sure the city government will back down in front of me.
They can't handle me, so they'll have to temporarily accept me. This will continue until they develop a weapon they're confident can deal with me.
At this thought, Heisenberg chuckled. If the poor U.S. government thinks they can develop a weapon to deal with him…
He'd be happy to teach them what a Kryptonian is capable of.
As for expanding his influence beyond New York to other cities…
Heisenberg did have a plan, but he had to admit he didn't have enough men yet.
What was the plan?
Simply put, while elevating himself, he'd undermine the U.S. government's credibility among its citizens, who so desperately craved freedom!
And undermining the U.S. government's credibility…?
They didn't have much left to begin with, did they?
Since the Hydra incident, the U.S. government had never truly recovered, had it?
From Heisenberg's perspective, within the Marvel universe, America's international standing…
To put it bluntly, this poor little country was being steadily cornered by China's Divine Spear Bureau!
Did they even have the time or energy to come after him?
At this thought, Heisenberg rolled over, exposing his back to the sun.
Life was best like this. As a Kryptonian, what was wrong with being a sunbathing salted fish?!!
…
Leaving Heisenberg's well-laid plans aside…
At S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Pegasus Base, Dr. Banner and Dr. Selvig were gathered, discussing the continuously leaking jump-start energy from the Cosmic Cube.
Beside them, in addition to the fifty-plus lead scientists involved in the Pegasus Project, several special assistants had joined the effort.
For instance, the two young women taking notes beside Professor Selvig.
These two were also recent additions to the Pegasus Project, famous for their connections, having joined the project alongside Dr. Banner.
One was Jane Foster, the other Daisy Louise.
Both were former students and assistants of Professor Selvig.
Mentioning them inevitably brought up Thor, far away in Asgard.
…
Asgard, the Realm Eternal…
After the Bifröst's light flashed once more…
Well, the Bifröst was one step closer to being fully repaired.
As for the culprit behind the Bifröst's shattering—our Prince Thor…
"Damn it, Heimdall! Have you found any news about Loki? He's Loki—there's no way he's dead!"
Thor, as always, clutched a keg of mead, pestering Heimdall for news of Loki.
Listening to Thor's incessant questioning, Heimdall shoved him away in annoyance.
This jerk had just pressed his greasy, pig-leg-covered hands onto his pristine armor!
Looking at the drunk, greasy mess before him, Heimdall sighed helplessly.
Odin above, was this really Asgard's future leader?
Well, at least he now possessed compassion and kindness—qualities crucial for Asgard's current need for recovery!
As he pondered, Thor didn't stop his questioning.
Thor, unfazed by Heimdall's shove, leaned in and slung an arm around his shoulders, saying mysteriously,
"Buddy, set Loki aside for now. I've got something serious to ask you!"
But before he could finish, Heimdall sighed helplessly.
"This is the twenty-second time you've asked me this 'serious' question, Thor.
The Bifröst isn't fully repaired yet. If you want to go to Midgard, His Majesty will have to personally manipulate the Bifröst with his divine power. You need to ask Odin yourself!"
"That's terrible!"
Thor let out a dejected groan.
"You know I only go to Midgard to find my brother. Believe me, but let's set that aside for now. I'm off to drink with Fandral!"
At the mention of Odin, Thor sobered up instantly.
He turned and headed toward the palace.
But Heimdall knew this wasn't over—Thor still had at least one more thing to say.
Sure enough, Thor turned back.
"Emmm, Heimdall, don't tell my dad about me wanting to go to Earth. If it weren't for missing my brother so much, I wouldn't want to go to that damn place where you can't even slam your cup while drinking!"
Watching Thor's retreating figure, Heimdall felt like smacking him with his sword hilt.
Are you sure you're going to Midgard to find your brother?
Are you sure you really miss your brother?
Then why haven't you once asked why I can't find Loki?
I suspect the reason I can't observe him is because he's been transported near one of the Infinity Stones.
Only those things can partially block my divine observation of the universe.
And you, this brother-loving jerk, haven't even asked about something so important…
Heimdall sighed deeply.
Fortunately, Loki was an even bigger jerk. Otherwise, he'd genuinely worry about Thor's poor brother.