Marvel: The Sole Player

Early the next morning, Darian was all packed and ready to set off for Metropolis.

When Selina heard the news, she immediately expressed her desire to tag along.

Because she had been operating too frequently in Gotham lately, almost all the wealthy people in Gotham knew about the existence of this little cat burglar. They had all cranked their security systems to the highest level and moved their valuables to more hidden locations.

Selina had come up empty-handed several times in a row, not even making a million, and was feeling quite depressed.

Seeing that there was no more profit to be squeezed out of Gotham for the time being, Selina set her sights on neighboring Metropolis.

She had already inquired; the number of wealthy people in Metropolis was no less than in Gotham.

Especially a bald guy named Rex Luthor, who was said to have immense financial resources.

The RexCorp he founded covered cutting-edge fields like aerospace, defense, and genetic editing. Just like Bruce Wayne, he consistently ranked at the top of the Forbes list year after year.

It was just a question of who had more zeros in their bank account when comparing the two.

For such a big fish, Selina was, of course, drooling with desire.

And she had a lot of confidence in herself.

After all, she was a thief who could even pull a million from the home of Bruce Wayne, the Batman. No matter how rich Rex Luthor was, he was just an ordinary person. Fleecing him should be a piece of cake.

Darian’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch after listening to her ambitious declaration.

I have to say, Selina’s eye for targets was truly impressive.

First she stole from his home, then she stole from Bruce’s home, and now she was actually targeting Luthor.

You have to know, Luthor was Superman’s nemesis, a supervillain who had pushed Superman to the brink more than once.

You Catwoman only target the high-end games, huh?

To prevent Selina from actually going off to court death, Darian rejected her request to accompany him on the spot, pressed her to stay home and watch the house, and strictly ordered her not to take a single step out of Gotham.

If she dared to sneak out, the spider-man suit would pack her up and send her to Arkham Asylum.

She wouldn’t be let out until she managed to steal the Joker’s underwear.

The effect of this threat was immediate.

Selina instantly abandoned the idea of courting death and obediently stayed home.

Gotham and Metropolis were separated only by Delaware Bay. The two cities faced each other across the sea, so they were also known as the Twin Cities.

Driving from Gotham to Metropolis, you just had to cross the bridge over the bay, and the whole trip took no more than an hour or two.

Darian didn’t choose the more convenient train; instead, he decided to drive over himself.

As for his ride, it was naturally that HYDRA Schmidt.

The elongated body, six-wheel configuration, and double-door design made the entire car’s flamboyance rival even Bruce’s Batmobile. Driving it on the street would turn at least 90% of heads.

As for the license plate and various paperwork, he had long since had Ultron handle them in advance. Everything was legal and compliant, so even if he were pulled over by traffic police for verification, they wouldn’t be able to find any faults.

Metropolis and Gotham, which was covered in clouds year-round, were completely different in style.

Here, the sun was bright, and even the air smelled a bit fresher; there was absolutely none of that darkness that filled Gotham.

Darian couldn’t help but sigh: "No wonder Superman likes it here so much; truly, a place shapes its people."

In a gloomy place like Gotham, normal people would get sick after staying for too long. You could tell from the fact that all the supervillains were lunatics. Only a guy like Batman, who wasn’t exactly normal himself, could stand it.

The first stop on Darian’s trip was none other than the Daily Planet.

That was a teleportation activation point and also Superman’s spawn point.

No one would ever think that the Superman who could play with Earth like a marble was actually an ordinary reporter at the Daily Planet.

Darian had always been very puzzled by this.

Did this bunch of Superheroes have some kind of special complex? They all loved to run off and become reporters.

Superman was like this, and Spider-Man was like this too.

Their brains were clearly not bad, yet they chose such a job with low pay that kept them running around all day.

As one of the most influential newspapers in Metropolis, the Daily Planet usually didn’t allow outsiders to enter or leave at will.

But Darian was an exception; he had an appointment.

The title of Gotham Gun God had long since spread, and many news agencies from out of town wanted to do an exclusive interview with him, including the Daily Planet.

Darian didn’t hesitate much before agreeing.

The newspaper was very happy and immediately offered to send a reporter to Gotham to interview him, but Darian rejected it flat out, choosing to come to the Daily Planet himself.

This decision surprised the newspaper, but they quickly replied that it was no problem and they would be ready to receive him at any time.

Darian parked the car in a parking lot near the Daily Planet building and got out.

He walked into the building, stated his purpose to the front desk, and someone led him inside.

Just a few steps into the lobby, a woman walked towards him.

[NPC: Lois Lane]

[Affinity: 20]

[Evaluation: Journalist Hero, wife of Superman, Superman’s corruption button, a mortal body resisting gods]

Lois smiled kindly and reached out her hand: "Hello, Mr. Darian, I am Lois Lane, the reporter interviewing you this time."

Darian was a bit surprised; he hadn’t expected the person interviewing him to be the Journalist Hero.

In the DC Universe, Lois’s status was pivotal.

She was not only Superman’s lover but also his spiritual anchor.

It was no exaggeration to say that if anything happened to Lois, the entire Justice League would be scared to death.

Darian shook her hand and said cheerfully: "Hello, Reporter Lane, I’ve heard so much about you."

Lois withdrew her hand and said with a smile: "Thank you for coming all this way yourself. I was originally planning to go to Gotham to find you, and perhaps do some special reports on the local area while I was at it. I’ve always heard a little about Gotham’s affairs and am quite interested in that city."

Darian nodded, his expression sincere: "Gotham is indeed a good place, with simple folk customs and a wealth of talent."

Lois: "..."

Are you sure you’re talking about Gotham?

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Lois led Darian to her office.

This interview didn’t require showing his face; it was just a standard written interview.

Lois poured Darian a glass of water, entered professional mode, opened her notebook, and began the interview.

She threw out a few simple questions first to warm up, and Darian answered them all one by one.

But soon, Lois’s questions gradually became sharper. She said seriously: "As far as I know, many criminals have died at your hands. Many people believe this has exceeded the boundaries of normal law enforcement. What is your take on this?"

"Slander, pure slander!"

Darian looked indignant: "Every time I face criminals, I fire a warning shot first and never fire a second. According to standard law enforcement procedures, officers have the right to empty their magazines. I strictly limit myself to a single shot; this is already a very restrained approach. Besides, the criminals themselves didn’t say anything."

He did indeed only fire one shot, but the bullet hit the criminal in the head.

Lois continued to ask: "There are rumors that a riot occurred at Arkham Asylum a while ago, and the prisoners held there suffered heavy casualties, which basically all had to do with you. Do you admit to this?"

Darian remained calm: "Still slander. I was just stopping the riot. Under my patient persuasion, the prisoners were deeply moved and voluntarily returned to their cells, successfully maintaining peace and stability in Gotham."

"I heard that because of this, you were put on a long administrative leave, with the leave lasting until the end of this year."

"Slan... uh, that part is actually true, but I believe justice resides in people’s hearts. Soon I will be able to prove my innocence and return to my post."

Lois was very professional and didn’t dwell too much on these sensitive issues, stopping after making her point.

The interview went smoothly, and the atmosphere was very relaxed.

After chatting about Darian’s personal matters, the topic naturally turned to other issues.

Lois asked curiously: "I heard there are two very active Superheroes in Gotham recently, namely Batman and Spider-Man. What is your opinion of them?"

Darian didn’t even think about it and said right away: "Spider-Man is approachable, witty, humorous, brave, and righteous. He often mingles with the masses. If I were a woman, I would definitely fall in love with him. As for Batman, he is quite generous; he gave me a bunch of gifts when we met."

"What gifts?"

Lois immediately perked up.

Batman bribing an officer—that was a big news story.

Darian said cheerfully: "Once, when I brushed past him, I ended up with a dozen pounds of surveillance equipment and a grappling gun on me."

Lois: "..."

That’s not a gift; that’s clearly an intention to monitor you!

She was a bit puzzled: "Surveillance equipment is one thing, but why a grappling gun?"

"I don’t know, maybe he thought I was handsome."

About twenty minutes later, Lois closed her notebook and turned off her voice recorder.

"Mr. Darian, thank you for your cooperation. We chatted about a lot of interesting content today."

"You’re welcome."

Darian smiled: "By the way, I have a small request. Could you show me around the Daily Planet? I’m quite curious about the work environment of your newspaper."

"Of course."

Lois readily agreed.

Her status at the Daily Planet was not small, and no one would stop her from showing someone around.

Darian looked around but didn’t find a reporter named Clark Kent. It seems Superman hadn’t joined the Daily Planet yet at this time.

He wasn’t disappointed and directly activated the teleportation point at the Daily Planet.

After the tour, Lois and Darian exchanged contact information.

Lois said seriously: "Mr. Darian, I am indeed very interested in Gotham. If I have the chance, I will go there, and I might need your help then, since I’m not familiar with that place."

"No problem."

Darian didn’t refuse and sighed: "However, you really are passionate about this profession."

Everyone else avoided Gotham like the plague, but only Lois dared to step into that kind of place voluntarily. She truly lived up to the name Journalist Hero.

"This is all part of a journalist’s professional ethics."

Lois smiled: "Then it’s a deal. I’m going to the North Pole tomorrow; there’s a big news story waiting for me there. Let’s have dinner after I get back."

Only Lois could do this; if it were an ordinary person setting such a flag, they probably wouldn’t come back.

"Fine."

Darian nodded.

After saying goodbye to Lois, he drove to other teleportation activation points and spent most of the day activating most of them one by one.

Interestingly, one of the teleportation activation points was actually at a church in the suburbs.

This church had been around for some years; its outer walls were mottled and peeling, and the cross at the entrance had a patch of paint missing. It was empty inside, with only rows of empty chairs, and he didn’t even see a priest.

Darian didn’t care and wandered around the church on his own, lighting up the black fog on the map that represented unexplored areas piece by piece.

When he returned to the main hall and was just activating the teleportation point, a man rushed in in a panic.

Seeing Darian, he rushed over as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

"Hello, are you the priest?" the man asked, panting heavily.

Darian raised an eyebrow and held up his right hand, which was covered in rings, the gems on them sparkling.

"Do you think I look like one?"

Looking at these expensive rings, the man decisively shook his head.

Compared to a priest, he felt Darian looked more like a Godfather.

He quickly changed his words: "Then do you know where the priest is? I have an urgent matter for him, a very urgent matter!"

Darian was about to say he didn’t know, when he suddenly sensed something and looked the man in front of him up and down.

"What do you need the priest for?"

The man had a look of pain on his face: "My daughter is possessed by a demon. She started acting strange when she came back from school three days ago. She locks herself in her room all day, says things no one can understand, has terrifying strength, and bangs her head against the wall; we can’t stop her."

"Someone told me this means she’s been entangled by a demon, so I came here to ask the priest for help with an exorcism."

"A demon?"

Darian narrowed his eyes.

He didn’t doubt the man’s words because he did indeed sense a faint aura of evil from him, very similar to the feeling of the Black Sky.

[NPC: Jack Carter has issued a new quest to you]

[Quest: Exorcise, Young Man]

[Objective: Exorcise the demon possessing Lily Carter]

[Reward: EXP +1500, Anchor Shard * 1, Random Item * 1]

Darian patted Jack on the shoulder and said solemnly: "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely help with this."

Jack was stunned: "But you’re not a priest."

"I am now."

Darian took off the row of dazzling gem rings on his hand, took out a cross necklace and hung it around his neck, held a thick Bible in his hands, and instantly put on a holy, compassionate expression.

Jack: "..."

Do you think just changing gear makes you a priest?

Jack was on the verge of tears: "You’re not a priest at all."

Darian was unhappy: "I’m the only one in this church. If I’m not the priest, who is?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man wearing a black priest’s robe and a white clerical collar walked into the church, holding a roll of toilet paper.

He saw the two people in the church, paused, and then smiled gently: "Excuse me, I just went out for a moment. Do you two need anything? I am the priest h..."

Bang!

Before he could finish, a Bible flew over and precisely slammed into his forehead.

The priest’s eyes rolled back, and he fell straight to the ground.

Darian snorted coldly, "Where did this demon come from, daring to impersonate my identity? Fortunately, my Bible has been blessed and can identify all evil. You don’t need to be afraid; this demon has been defeated by my divine power."

Jack: "..."

Bullshit, he was clearly just knocked out by you.

***************************

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