C 105

Natasha took the global box office statistics for Cyborg and prepared to report them to Anton.

Walking to the door, she thought back to the events of last night, her expression complicated.

Clearly, her identity had been exposed—perhaps from the very moment she set foot in the company, even when she submitted her resume. 

It was obvious now that her secrets were never truly hidden from Anton.

This realization made her feel like a fool. Every interaction she had with Anton, every carefully planned maneuver, seemed like a performance for his amusement. 

Especially after these past few days of working closely with him, she realized she might never truly understand what kind of person Anton was.

Still, Coulson had ordered her to stay in D.C. and gather as much intel as possible. Since Anton didn't seem to care about her true identity, Natasha decided there was no harm in maintaining the charade—so long as he didn't dismiss her. 

A silent agreement between them would suffice.

Knock knock knock!

Natasha knocked on the door and entered the office.

"Good morning, Natasha!" Anton greeted her with a bright smile.

"It's almost noon, boss," Natasha replied with a shrug and a calm expression. She handed him a stack of documents. "Here are the box office statistics for Cyborg. The results are great—our company's had another big success."

"This was inevitable," Anton said smugly, not bothering to hide his self-satisfaction. He then asked, "Has Jim reported on the progress of Superman and Batman: The Dark Knight?"

"They're almost done filming," Natasha said. "Jim mentioned Quentin needs to start on the post-production effects as soon as possible."

"Good." Anton nodded. "I'll have Quentin lead the team and join them early."

At the moment, Cyborg was the priority. The system panel's fan value tracker showed the Cyborg fan value had already reached 14 million—just 6 million away from the target needed.

While The Dark Knight wasn't as critical, it remained an important project for DC's development. The second Batman film would undoubtedly attract a large number of fans and generate significant revenue. 

That profit would help sustain future investments in the company, including expanding DC's portfolio of heroes, novels, comics, and other media.

But the real challenge was Superman.

The current fan value for Superman was disappointing—just a few million, far from the 100 million target.

Anton had tempered his expectations, so he wasn't particularly anxious. Given the current situation, Superman wasn't a pressing concern. 

There was no immediate crisis that required the hero to save the day. As long as Thanos didn't arrive on Earth ahead of schedule, Superman's presence could wait.

Even in the broader multiverse, threats like Dormammu—ruler of the Dark Dimension—were the domain of the Sorcerer Supreme and Doctor Strange. 

And honestly, even if Superman were to step in, his usual abilities would be nearly useless against Dormammu without some form of magic resistance.

That was the key.

All in all, Anton currently had Batman, Arrow, and Cyborg ready for immediate deployment. His combat power was already formidable.

Coupled with his avatar skills, which allowed him to engage in multiple battles simultaneously, Anton's forces were growing stronger. 

Add to that the members of the Justice League he was assembling: Spider-Man, Venom, Daredevil, the Ninja Turtles, and even the ambitious Phil Urich, who had taken on the mantle of Hobgoblin.

With such a team, Anton was confident they could hold their own against the Chitauri in combat.

At the very least, the Justice League he was about to establish was no weaker than the first-generation Avengers.

"You can leave now," Anton said, waving a hand at Natasha. He gave her a casual glance before standing and leaving the DC company offices. He headed upstairs to the Daily Bugle.

Natasha hesitated as she watched him go. She considered revealing her true identity but decided against it for now. She didn't want to risk provoking Anton's ire.

Soon after, Anton found Eddie on the move.

"How's Phil doing these days?" Anton asked. It had been nearly ten days since their last meeting. Phil had eagerly taken on his task: pretending to be a villain under the guise of Hobgoblin.

"He's doing well," Eddie replied with a grin. "Phil tracked down Dr. Stockman and, using his Hobgoblin persona, managed to earn Stockman's initial trust."

"How did he pull that off?" Anton raised an eyebrow.

Eddie laughed. "Phil told Stockman that he was under the Green Goblin and wanted to avenge him. He claimed he needed Stockman's teleportation technology to rescue the Green Goblin, who's currently being held by Batman."

"Stockman didn't suspect anything?" Anton asked, curious.

"Phil's suit and flying skateboard were modified," Eddie explained. "Stockman's no fool—he's a competent scientist. If he's ever seen footage of the Green Goblin causing chaos, he'd recognize the similarities in Phil's equipment and assume they share the same origins."

Eddie continued, "Besides, if Stockman truly works for Shredder, he wouldn't doubt Phil. After all, Batman was the one who sent Shredder to prison in the first place. Stockman and Phil both share a common enemy. For all we know, they probably sit around every day badmouthing Batman together."

"It sounds like Phil's doing a great job," Anton said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Tell him to act as soon as possible. That teleportation technology will be incredibly valuable to us."

Eddie nodded, clearly intrigued. "This kind of advanced tech—it's hard to believe it even exists until you see it in action."

"Phil might already be blown away by it," Anton replied with a smirk. Then, changing the subject, he added, "The public experiment for the artificial sun is about to begin. Stark Industries and OckTech are working on it together. You should've received an invitation."

"I did," Eddie confirmed. "Why? Is there something I should be aware of?"

"Obadiah might have plans of his own tied to the artificial sun. Don't let your guard down. That event might turn out to be... eventful for us," Anton said, giving a pointed reminder.

Eddie blinked, momentarily startled. He had long since stopped questioning Anton's sources of information. In all the time he'd known him, Anton had never been wrong in his predictions.

"Are you saying something's going to happen during the artificial sun experiment?" Eddie asked, his curiosity piqued. He rubbed his hands together, his journalist instincts kicking in. This had the makings of a big story.

"It's hard to say," Anton replied, shaking his head. "I hope there won't be, but..."

His voice trailed off, leaving the implication hanging in the air.

...

On the other side, Phil watched in astonishment as a stone, under the operation of Stockman, disappeared and reappeared in another location. His face beneath the mask reflected utter shock.

'It actually worked!'

Swallowing hard, Phil couldn't hide his excitement as he turned to Stockman.

"Success!" Phil exclaimed. "Quickly, Dr. Stockman, it's time to act!"

"No!" Stockman shook his head, raising a hand to stop the eager Hobgoblin in front of him. "The teleportation technology isn't fully stable. The success rate is still limited. For all we know, it could accidentally send something to a random corner of space far beyond Earth. What you just witnessed was a rare success!"

Phil frowned, but his mind raced. Remembering Eddie's advice, he quickly composed himself, a sly smile spreading beneath his mask. "Dr. Stockman," he said, his tone meaningful, "have you ever considered that your teleportation device might not be entirely... complete?"

"Hm?"

Stockman froze, turning sharply to stare at the masked figure before him. His expression faltered, and beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead. 

He remained silent for a long moment, as if Phil's words had touched upon a secret he had worked hard to bury.

….

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