C 31

When Anton saw this, he put down his phone contentedly and felt happy. However, in terms of wealth, Bruce Wayne of Gotham City is indeed at another level—Anton is far from it. A man who defines his superpowers as simply being "rich" is terrifying! 

In the Marvel world, with such an enviable form of power, only Tony Stark and the future king of Wakanda can touch this threshold. One is a wealthy businessman, while the other is a ruler of a nation. The latter is ruthless in this regard; he truly is a king.

"This is a great opportunity; I have to seize it and follow this man with Eddie!" Venom thought to himself watching Anton's demeanour, while Eddie echoed the sentiment with a sigh of awe.

"Do you still need to ask?" Eddie retorted instinctively.

After saying this, he noticed that all three people present were staring at him, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into. He forced an awkward smile.

"Let's get back to the discussion! Where did we leave off? Oh right, we were talking about the symbiote's weaknesses—sound and flame…" Eddie hurriedly resumed the topic, hoping to steer the conversation away from the embarrassing moment.

Meanwhile, a little girl was walking out of San Francisco Airport. She broke free from her mother's hand and disappeared into the crowd. Ten minutes later, while her mother anxiously searched for her daughter at the airport, the girl surprisingly appeared on the Golden Gate Bridge. 

It usually takes about half an hour to travel from the airport to the Golden Gate Bridge, yet the little girl managed to get there in ten minutes. This was a miraculous phenomenon.

Some passersby noticed the pale, dull little girl and were curious about her presence. Despite their shouts, she ignored them entirely and walked toward the experimental base of the Life Foundation, located near the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge. Only the little girl knew that the person she was seeking was there, and she had her own companion. For the creature residing within her, the world was enchanting, yet it also stirred a desire to destroy it.

"Stop right there, little one! Where did you come from?" The security guard at the entrance noticed the little girl, frowned, and approached her with an impatient tone. "Your mother is not here. If you're lost, I can call 911 for you."

"Ok?" The little girl stopped and looked at the tall man with a grin.

"What kind of expression is that?" The man felt a chill run down his spine, sensing something was off.

Boom!

The little girl suddenly transformed into a monstrous figure. Although she was only the size of an adult and appeared to be weaker, her sharp teeth and gaping mouth immediately reminded him of someone.

"No, not again…"

The next moment, the security guard was pierced through the chest by the little girl's arm, which had transformed into a sharp blade. He was then thrown back violently. The man had not anticipated this; he had narrowly escaped an earlier attack from Eddie, but today, he wasn't so lucky.

There is reincarnation in the way of heaven—who can escape its grasp?

Toot toot!

The sirens blared again at the Life Foundation Experimental Base. Everyone was thrown into a panic, fearing that another incident like Eddie's would unfold. The terrifying monster struck fear into the hearts of the employees. Many researchers who had only witnessed the horrifying footage of the previous attack felt their heart rates spike and their scalps prickle with dread.

That creature devoured a man alive!

Boom!

Security personnel quickly assembled and headed toward the alarm's location. When they arrived at the scene, they saw a monster about the size of an adult, strikingly similar to Eddie before his transformation. A wave of relief washed over them.

"Thank goodness this one doesn't look as fierce!"

Little did they know that the creature was merely a manifestation of a little girl. In terms of combat effectiveness, Riot was undoubtedly stronger than Venom.

On the other side, the discussion between Anton and the three others did not last long; it was essentially a planning session. Once Riot appeared, they would take advantage of its contact with Carlton Drake to eliminate both threats simultaneously—saving time and energy.

It wasn't that they couldn't take a shot at Drake in advance; the key was that if Riot did not show itself, it would always remain a hidden danger. The best strategy was to wait for these two individuals to reveal themselves together. At that moment, they could kill two birds with one stone and avoid future complications.

"By the way, Anton, when will our ally arrive?" Eddie asked curiously, unable to suppress his eagerness.

"The news in New York has been tumultuous lately. I read that the Life Foundation dispatched someone to deal with the Daily Bugle. How's the situation there?" Eddie paused before continuing, "I know what the Continental Hotel is. Don't forget, I worked for the Daily Globe in New York for a long time. Our ally should be the one who recently emerged victorious—the one who knocked out all the assassins in the Continental Hotel. Batman, right?"

Annie and Lewis exchanged glances. The two, who were somewhat unfamiliar with New York and the Continental Hotel, couldn't grasp Eddie's point. However, they quickly understood the topic of "Batman." 

Batman was currently a hot topic on the Internet. The photo of Batman that surfaced in Manhattan, New York, the night before had become a viral sensation, and some people had even turned it into a series of emojis.

"Want to learn to ride a motorcycle? I'll teach you!"

After two days of social media buzz, the most captivating images of Batman attracted countless fans. Older generations loved cool boys. If Batman wasn't cool enough, then no one could be considered cool in this world!

As for Tony Stark, he was not cool—he was more of a show-off.

In addition, the gossip that spread rapidly on the Internet, combined with the film Batman Begins created by Anton, led many people to regard Bruce Wayne as a real person. Some even speculated that Anton himself was Batman and that Bruce Wayne was merely a fictional character to hide his true identity.

Numerous reasons contributed to this perception. It is undeniable that the concept of Batman was first introduced by Anton. Secondly, Tony Stark and Anton are "friends"—of course, the term "friends" is used loosely.

In any case, by using Tony Stark as a prototype, Anton created the Wayne Group and Bruce Wayne, a character depicted as wealthy and powerful in the film. Isn't this just Stark Industries and Tony Stark in real life?

With Tony Stark's genius intellect and Stark Industries' technological prowess, creating Batman's suit would not be a difficult task.

The most significant improbability lies in everyone's perception. In reality, Tony Stark has no chance of becoming Batman. Batman and Tony Stark exist in completely different realms; they are not only individuals from separate worlds but also embodiments of contrasting concepts.

Thus, when it comes down to choosing one, Anton is Batman.

In fact, Anton had seen this speculation circulating online. He had considered leaving a comment beneath the post—"You are so wrong."

But enough about that.

There was another point that could not be denied regarding the speculation of netizens: Batman dealt with the assassins sent by the Life Foundation to target the Daily Bugle. Wasn't that concrete evidence?

As for those who refused to admit Anton was Batman, their reasoning was equally sound and plausible. Anton's life story had been scrutinized. Countless individuals had summarized and concluded: he was merely a lucky prodigal son.

In the process of growing up, he had achieved nothing remarkable and had a somewhat dubious resume—picking up girls didn't count. Anyone with enough money could do that.

Yet, this same prodigal son had suddenly created an outstanding film, developed a superhero, and achieved great success in the process.

These individuals generally believed that Anton's success was aided by the "Bruce Wayne" behind him. Otherwise, how could a wayward son suddenly become a talented director?

As long as someone is supporting them, even a pig can find a way to soar!

The arguments from both sides were fierce, a tit-for-tat battle of words, with no one conceding ground.

Annie and Lewis had also been paying attention to the Daily Bugle due to their connection with Eddie, so they were no strangers to the man behind it—Anton.

This topic piqued their interest.

When Anton noticed their curiosity, he smiled and replied lightly, "Batman? He has arrived, and he is sitting right in front of you."

…

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