The day of the press conference was a rainy one. The rain in Forward York City was different from Gotham. The previous night, an unbeatable thunderstorm and torrential rain descended together, soaking the entire city. The next morning, glimpses of Gotham's melancholy were barely visible; as soon as the sun came out, everything was bathed in its gleaming light.
Thick clouds obscured most of the sunlight, but the temperature barely dropped. Instead, the moisture evaporating from the ground made everyone feel sticky all over. Wearing a suit in such weather felt like torture. However, the entrance of the Rebirth Alliance Headquarters was still packed with journalists in suits.
The Rebirth Alliance invited only a few journalists — just the official reporters from major national and local newspapers had entry tickets. But that didn't mean that reporters from smaller publications and paparazzi couldn't wait at the entrance to capture the arrival of major figures. Their target today wasn't Thunder God Thor or Loki, but rather Tony Stark, whom Wall Street was always interested in.
Recently, Tony Stark was exposed to having mental health issues, causing significant fluctuations in Stark Group's stock price, which had recently stabilized slightly. But since Stark had long been absent from the public eye, the trend remained unfavorable, making related interest groups highly anxious.
But Tony Stark was not an ordinary boss. If he wanted to hide his whereabouts, no one could find him. Previously, disappearing for ten days or half a month into the lab was normal, but now he urgently needs to come out to stabilize people's hearts; he can no longer hide. After all, every second he delays his appearance, it's like real money flowing down the drain.
Countless eyes stared at the entrance of the Rebirth Alliance Headquarters; everyone was anxiously waiting for news. Tony Stark can't miss such a big event; he will definitely make an appearance.
A car slowly stopped at the main entrance. The reporters anxiously looked over, but only saw the silhouette of Thomas Wayne. As one of the investors in the Rebirth Alliance, he also had to attend such occasions. Though not the Stark they most wanted to see, such a big shot was naturally worth interviewing.
"Hello, Mr. Wayne. Do you know anything about Mr. Stark's current situation? Is it true that he has mental health issues?"
"Will Tony Stark's mental health issue affect his inventive capabilities? What's your view on this?"
"How do you think the competition relationship between Stark Group and Wayne Enterprises will change? Do you have any predictions?"
Thomas kept a stern face and answered nothing. The bodyguards quickly cleared a path and he swiftly walked inside.
Just as the reporters surged towards the entrance, another car arrived. Shoes stepped onto the rain-soaked red carpet, a gleam flashed beneath sunglasses on his blue eyes. As he stepped out of the car, the crowd seemed to explode, the shock quite intense.
"Mr. Stark! You're finally willing to make an appearance. Could you comment on your previous mental health issues..."
"Shh..." Iron Man made a gesture for silence, "Now is not the right time for an interview. Once the press conference is over, you'll know."
After saying that, the bodyguards also cleared a path for him, and he strode into the headquarters' hall, disappearing from the reporters' view.
Meanwhile, two figures stood on the rooftop edge of the hall, looking down. Spiderman Bruce wore his uniform, while the former Amazing Spiderman wore a suit.
"I believe you," Peter said, "I don't think it was because you provoked him that he attacked you. This Tony Stark is dangerous."
"It's all in the past," Spiderman said, "Now I'm worried he might pull some stunts at the press conference. I don't believe he has truly given up managing Stark Group, he must still want to do something."
"You're right, we have to keep an eye on him," Peter said, "He could have not appeared, but he did, possibly with some purpose."
"Thomas told me yesterday that Stark Group has been silent for a long time. About two days ago, around when we decided to hold the press conference, they made some business moves."
"Not surprising," Peter said, "Stark won't give up on the Rebirth Alliance. He must have planted an insider here. He knows everything we're doing clearly."
"That's terrifying," Spiderman said, frowning, "It means the entire Rebirth Alliance has no secrets at all."
"I heard they've hired someone for the Security Department, a powerful electronic lifeform. No matter how strong Tony's technology is, he can't be more specialized than electronic life in this field. Things might improve soon."
"Too late," Spiderman shook his head, "Something will definitely happen at today's press conference. I'll take another look at the evacuation map."
After saying that, he turned towards the rooftop door, while Peter watched his figure. This young Bruce Wayne had indeed improved a lot. The Civil War was not entirely a bad thing; at least it allowed young heroes like him to grow quickly.
Peter lowered his head to look at his palm, where a hint of magic glow appeared. He had become quite adept at being a magician, though he still adhered to his principles from his Spider Man days — never misuse superpowers unless absolutely necessary. After all, the danger and destructive power of magic are much greater than Spider power, he must be even more cautious.
Peter felt a bit worried at heart. He knew the Rebirth Alliance must have made preparations, but he didn't know the specific details, nor could he guess what Iron Man, who had been hidden for so many days, wanted to do showing up here. He needed more information.
Peter walked directly to the other side of the rooftop and flew down, landing on a balcony on the second floor. He knocked on the window, and Shiller, who was adjusting his tie, turned around and nodded to him.
Once the window opened, the humid air rushed in with Peter. Thankfully, the Amazing Spiderman seemed slightly mature; if it were the Central Universe's Peter or other Little Spiders, the dialog box would fill up the room before a person even came in.
"Professor," Peter shouted, "I just saw Iron Man at the door, the one from our universe."
"He showed up, as expected." Shiller continued adjusting his tie in front of the mirror, first straightening the slightly tilted Windsor knot and then attaching the tie clip.
"Bruce just told me that Stark Group is making some moves right after we decided to hold a press conference. This indicates that someone within the Rebirth Alliance has indeed leaked information to him."
"It might not be a person," Shiller gently shook his head, "Stark is an elder of the Rebirth Alliance, and with his technology, it's too normal for him to leave some backdoors at headquarters. JARVIS is already investigating."
"But the press conference is about to start, and even if something is uncovered, it's too late," Peter sighed as he sat down on the nearby chair, "I just hope nothing goes wrong."
"You know that's impossible." Shiller finished adjusting his tie, tugged at the hem of his clothes, turned around, and looked at Peter, "If something happens, all you need to do is evacuate the journalists."
Peter steadied his heart; since Shiller said this, he must have been prepared for today's events and has a countermeasure, so all he needs to do is ensure the safety of ordinary people.
"Can I ask..." Peter, still wanting to inquire about the specific plan, chose not to upon considering it might lead to a leak.
As the press conference was ten minutes away from starting, everyone was seated, all dressed in suits with work badges hanging around their necks. But Shiller did not sit with the Rebirth Alliance employees; he moved to the reporters' section.
The journalists assumed he was from another newspaper since Shiller didn't look like a superhero, much less an agent. Though somewhat overly refined, calling him a reporter made sense.
Shiller did not have any photographing equipment in hand, which was normal. Reporters and photographers differ; often, reporters are not responsible for capturing images; they focus on asking questions and recording, while photography is the domain of photographers.
As Shiller sat down, Eddie, who had been writing something with his head down, looked up and froze.
"What are you doing here?"
"What about you?" Shiller retorted.
"I am a legitimate reporter." Eddie pulled out his press pass, even though it wasn't from this universe, he said, "I feel something will happen today, so I came. You're probably here for the same reason."
Shiller didn't answer, so Eddie continued on his own, "I can't think of a reason for them to hold a press conference. If it's to clarify for Thor, this face-to-face approach isn't ideal."
"In your opinion, what should they do?"
"One principle of public opinion is to bully the weak," Eddie unabashedly remarked, "As long as the media you control outnumbers the others, it's better to have a unified narrative and bombard one-sidedly. The Rebirth Alliance can influence too many official media; just have all media personnel release a unified message, and the public opinion can be quickly reversed."
"However, holding a press conference, letting Thor directly face the press, if something goes wrong and the journalists get solid evidence, it won't be easy to retract." Eddie was well-versed in this; after all, when lacking information, they follow official direction to avoid trouble for themselves, but with information in hand, it may not be clear whose trouble it is.
"Superheroes are uncontrollable," he continued, "They don't understand the stakes in the arena of public opinion and prefer to follow their instincts. Even if prompted to memorize a script, they may not stick to it. Say the wrong thing, and if journalists catch it, clarifying the public opinion afterward would be too costly. I really don't understand why they chose to do it this way."
"Things happen for a reason," Shiller said, "You're only seeing the battle in the arena of public opinion; there might be other factors."
"Precisely because I know it's more than just a battle in public opinion, I came," Eddie said, "I wouldn't assume to understand better than the professionals in the Rebirth Alliance. Since they chose to do this, there must be a necessity. Perhaps causing a commotion is their goal. I hope it doesn't escalate."
"Why?" Shiller asked.
"I've considered moving here," Eddie dropped his gaze, "My situation in the original universe is dire, even maintaining a livelihood is problematic. The adversary to Venom is also formidable, and if I can't stabilize and enhance my strength, it's too perilous."
"Looks like you've communicated," Shiller observed.
Eddie nodded, "After that day, we shared memories. I think we're temporarily unsuitable to return, better to rejuvenate here. Once we harmonize well, the opponents in the original universe won't be a threat."
"The Rebirth Alliance would also want me to stay," Eddie said, "They're actually short of people and wish to recruit superheroes from other universes. If I can help them resolve some issues at the press conference, future cooperation will be easier to negotiate."
Shiller nodded, understanding Eddie's motive. He wanted to stay, naturally needing to showcase his abilities, or at least his attitude. While today's occasion was relatively safe, with so many superheroes present, it wouldn't be overly dangerous for Eddie and Venom, whose strength was still lacking, but it did provide them with an arena for demonstration. It might not necessarily be in terms of force; Eddie was also accomplished in the field of journalism, which served as a decent token of allegiance.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a lady approached and sat right next to him. Shiller lifted his gaze, seeing a head of dark, thick black hair and a pair of slightly mischievous green eyes.