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Ch. 68 Superhero Serum
🕑 Added 2023-10-11 16:02:00 +0000 UTCInside the car sat four robbers, groaning in agony, their faces covered in blood.
Glancing at them, Russell didn't hesitate. White tendrils emerged from his right hand, forcibly pulling them out of the car.
Due to his somewhat rough actions, their injuries worsened, aggravating their already harmed states.
However, he paid no heed to this matter.
After extracting the four robbers from the car, he controlled the Symbiote to envelop them, providing some minor treatment to their injuries.
If he was Traveler now, he would've simply put a bullet through each of them and sent them on their way.
However, as the present superhero persona, he couldn't do that.
He not only couldn't send these four fellows to their demise, but he also couldn't cause them significant harm.
The cameras on the news helicopter were squarely focused on him, broadcasting his actions live.
For the sake of so-called political correctness and human rights, even if these four were robbers, he had to ensure their safety.
At least until they were handed over to the police, he had to ensure they remained alive.
The four robbers were astonished that after forcefully stopping them, Russell was now treating them.
The Symbiote's possession facilitated a rapid recovery of their injuries.
Russell didn't completely heal their injuries.
When their injuries were reduced to minor ones, he used his white tendrils, like threads of silk, to bind the four of them.
Not long after, the police arrived, surrounding and escorting away these unfortunate individuals.
Once the police had handcuffed the robbers, Russell removed the white tendrils from their bodies.
Though the white tendrils he currently employed resembled Gwen's silk threads, they were fundamentally different.
Gwen's silk threads could disintegrate on their own, regardless of whether they were reclaimed.
However, the white tendrils he used wouldn't vanish without a trace.
He didn't want these Symbiotes to fall into the hands of certain government agencies.
Such as S.H.I.E.L.D.
As the robbers were taken away, the leading police chief quickly approached Russell and expressed gratitude.
Though the police chief didn't know who Russell was, he was certain of one thing—Russell wasn't a bad guy.
This marked the fifth day of Russell's Superhero Whitewashing Plan.
Over the past five days, he had assisted the police in capturing criminals on numerous occasions.
Just today, he had engaged in three heroic activities.
Rescuing people trapped in a fire, preventing a car accident, and aiding in capturing bank robbers—all in a day's work.
After thanking the police chief, he began to direct his subordinates to gather evidence at the scene.
Normally, he should have left the scene now and let the police handle it.
But he didn't.
The reason was simple: he was currently being interviewed.
Doing good without leaving a trace!
In a horticultural home, that was a traditional virtue.
However, in America, doing good without leaving a trace wasn't a virtue.
Especially for someone like Russell, who was playing the role of a superhero, doing good had to be accompanied by recognition.
Of course, this recognition didn't involve disclosing his true identity but rather leaving behind his hero alias.
Over the past five days, though his heroic deeds had received coverage from some news media, until now, the people of New York still didn't know the name of this new hero.
Though Russell hadn't been a superhero before, he wasn't unfamiliar with how to be one.
He wasn't following the approach of the Fantastic Four or Gwen and others. Instead, he took inspiration from a heroic team from a certain universe—the Justice League!
Compared to superheroes from the Marvel and DC universes, the Justice League was the epitome of superhero economic value.
"Hello, sir, I'm Christina, a reporter from the Daily Bugle. I'd like to ask, what motivated you to step forward to uphold justice and help the weak? How do you view superheroes like the Fantastic Four and Spider-Woman? And how would you like people to address you?"
It had to be said that American reporters were quite efficient.
The police's backup hadn't even arrived at the scene, but Christina and her fellow reporters were already there.
Apart from Christina, Russell noticed other reporters swiftly approaching him, eager not to miss out on the opportunity for an interview.
"Miss Christina, hello."
"As for why I stepped forward to uphold justice and help the weak, the reason is quite simple: people need assistance, and I happen to have the ability to help them."
"Someone once said, 'With great power comes great responsibility!' As a resident of New York, New York is our home. When crimes and disasters occur in New York, I believe we have a duty to protect this city, especially when we possess the ability to do so."
"As for my view on heroes like the Fantastic Four and Spider-Woman, I consider them role models to learn from. I genuinely respect and support them, hoping that one day I can be as outstanding as they are."
"As for what to call me, if everyone likes it, you can call me Serum, like the kind of serum used to treat diseases and poisoning."
After answering Christina's questions, Russell expressed apologies to the reporters who had arrived later.
Subsequently, under the gaze of the public, he shot out white tendrils toward a nearby building. Similar to Spider-Woman Gwen, the tendrils propelled him into the air, swiftly disappearing from view.
Over half an hour later, having reverted from his "Serum" form, he returned to the laboratory.
Upon entering his office, he took out a bottle of Scottish whiskey from the cabinet and poured himself a glass.
Then, he turned on the television to watch the news.
As he expected, after his appearance capturing the robbers and being interviewed by Christina, the focus of the news swiftly shifted from the robbers to him.
Though he had only answered Christina's questions, other reporters had also heard his responses.
Now, several news channels conducting live broadcasts had displayed similar headlines:
"A New Hero Emerges! Serum!"
"New York Welcomes a New Superhero—Serum!"
As he sipped his whiskey, he watched the hosts and guests discussing various perspectives.
The most-discussed topic, of course, was his true identity.
There were all kinds of speculations.
Some said he was a secret agent of the government, some said he was a retired veteran from the military, and others said he was a police officer who had awakened superpowers.
The main basis for these speculations was his white combat suit.
Though his combat suit was a result of Symbiote transformation, in terms of style, it was strikingly similar to those used by government agencies.
Apart from guessing he was affiliated with a government agency, another speculation had garnered considerable support.
The boyfriend of Spider-Woman!
His combat suit and Spider-Woman's uniform shared black and white as their primary colors. Moreover, his departure from the scene was remarkably similar to how Spider-Woman operated.
Though his "webbing" appeared somewhat different, in terms of appearance, his white tendrils and Gwen's webbing were virtually identical.
As a result, the speculation that he was Spider-Woman's boyfriend had naturally emerged.
