As soon as he finished speaking, the whole place was in an uproar!
No, it wasn't just the scene.
Through the television signals, Peter's statement—which could be described as an extreme theory—shot through the screens like a bullet, piercing the hearts of every American watching TV.
In an instant, the entire country's public opinion exploded.
"Is he crazy? He actually expects us to take money out of our own pockets to build defense measures so that those trash can survive?"
In a luxury penthouse in Manhattan, New York, a financial tycoon who had just made a fortune through short-selling smashed his wine glass against the massive floor-to-ceiling window in a fit of rage:
"Is this guy an idiot? I'd rather spend tens of millions of dollars building an all-alloy safe room than spend a cent to help those poor bastards stay alive!"
In an ordinary household in Queens, the head of the family slammed the remote onto the coffee table with a loud thud, knocking the family portrait frame on the low table askew.
"Fuck! Does that son of a bitch really know what he's saying? We work ourselves to death every day, and the money we earn is barely enough to make ends meet.
And now he wants to raise taxes with just one sentence? On what grounds! Has he ever saved me? He's the God of Brooklyn! What does that have to do with me in Queens!"
His wife hesitated to speak; she had once been saved by Ghost-Spider, so she had a very favorable impression of superheroes.
But... a tax hike was indeed a lethal noose for a family like theirs, which was living right on the edge.
Similar scenes were playing out in countless households.
The public was full of complaints about the tax hike suggestion, and the capitalists wished these masked monsters who wanted to squeeze them for money would just drop dead.
As a result, social media was completely ignited, and for a time, the entire online World was flooded with the following hashtags:
"#Arbitrator Get Out of New York#"
"#Say No to Tax Hikes#"
"#Superheroes? Money-Making Tools!#"
One inflammatory headline after another, paired with screenshots of Peter saying "Either pay up, or lose your life" on TV, frantically provoked the sensitive nerves of the masses.
The American 'happy education' system ensured that the lower classes lacked the ability to think critically, let alone learn how to prepare for a rainy day.
They only knew that if aliens came, they *might* die, but if the government raised taxes to establish a defense organization, they would *definitely* die next month!
Thus, this group of people—who could be convinced that drinking disinfectant could cure diseases with just one word from the President—could easily change their inner convictions because of the overwhelming rhetoric on the internet.
In just over ten minutes, the government petition platform was overwhelmed and crashed.
Following that, angry crowds spontaneously took to the streets, forming large-scale protests, chanting in unison to boycott the tax hike and boycott Arbitrator!
Except for Brooklyn, which remained relatively calm, the rest of the United States was almost completely swallowed by such waves of sound.
...
The White House, the Oval Office.
Looking at the overwhelming negative comments on the screen and the angry crowds spontaneously protesting in the streets on the television programs.
Four-star General Mike laughed so hard his mouth almost reached his ears. He slapped his thigh and nearly fell to the floor from leaning back too far:
"Did that fool really think he could do whatever he wanted just because he has a little power?"
"He really walked right into the crosshairs this time," an official from the Department of Defense echoed, a reserved smile on his lips. "Just a kid who doesn't understand politics, actually thinking everyone would obey his every command?"
After the brief excitement, everyone turned their gaze toward the President.
The meaning was more than obvious: it was time to propose the "registration act"!
...
The White House, which had often appeared incredibly sluggish when facing turbulent public opinion in the past, acted with unprecedented speed this time.
While the angry crowds were loudly protesting against the tax hike and against Arbitrator in the streets,
The giant screens in Times Square lit up, and the President's face appeared before the public, beginning to recite the relevant rhetoric that had long been prepared.
The general content of the entire speech was very simple.
The money for the defense facilities would be funded by the government; the government would not impose mandatory taxes.
But the prerequisite was that superheroes must pass the registration act, becoming registered heroes under 24-hour government supervision and responsible for disclosing all their information to the public.
This speech was like pouring a ladle of ice water into a boiling pot of oil.
The angry masses instantly found an outlet for their frustration, feeling they had finally found a perfect solution to "solve the problem" without having to pay a cent or bear any cost.
"Yes! That's how it should be!"
"Support the registration act! Why should those superpowered individuals be allowed to do whatever they want while hiding their faces?"
"Want us to believe in the crisis you mentioned? Fine, take off your mask first! Let us see who you really are!"
"If they don't register, I won't pay a single cent more in taxes! Anyway, if the sky falls, those tall guys will be the ones to hold it up!"
Out of fear of tax hikes and an irrepressible curiosity about the true identities of superheroes, almost over ninety percent of the public clearly expressed their support for the superhuman registration act.
A massive storm, ignited by Peter himself and fueled by the high-level government officials, had already taken shape.
As the one who actively provoked this storm, Peter looked at the protesting crowds outside the floor-to-ceiling window. Not only did he lack any sense of worry, but he leisurely began drinking an Ice Cola.
There was even a relaxed smile on his face.
It wasn't a bitter smile, nor was it a cold sneer.
Rather, it was a confident smile of "I predicted your prediction."
Watching various experts on TV eloquently analyzing how the "registration act" had a hundred benefits and not a single harm for the public, Peter even felt like sending them a commemorative banner—'The Best Assist, Who Else but You'.
...
While Peter was leisurely drinking his Ice Cola and marveling at how "obedient and useful" these tools were, Tony and Captain America once again couldn't sit still.
"Damn it, Peter, you were right. Those politicians would actually go to such lengths!"
The expression on Captain America's face was complex to the extreme.
He never imagined that after dedicating almost everything he had to this country, he would end up facing such a conclusion.
They worked themselves to the bone to protect the public, only to have to endure the public feeling entitled to trample on their right to privacy?
Compared to Captain America's disappointment with the high-level government,
Tony, who had long seen through the faces of those politicians, was only curious about what Peter's next step would be.
"Buddy, this powder keg you've ignited this time won't be so easy to extinguish."
"Once things develop to a point that none of us can control... what do you plan to do then?"
"Are we really going to split into two teams and have a real fight with real weapons in front of the cameras like the Joker said?"
"It certainly won't develop to that extent."
Peter's voice was still relaxed, his tone full of the confidence of having everything under control:
"Remember 'The Inheritors' I told you to prepare to resist from the very beginning? They will help us settle all the opposing voices!"