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Starting in 'The Boys' to Become the Ultimate Lifeform_chapter_0400_en
Chapter 400
Chapter 400: Big News! Newspapers Sold Out!
"One of the members? Does that mean there are other mutants in their Club?"
Mystique's mood was extremely complex at this moment. She had originally thought that after the government's hunt, there were only a handful of mutants left in the world, and had even pessimistically believed that mutants were nearing extinction.
Especially after learning about the government's Sentinel Program, this premonition grew stronger, which was why she risked capture to assassinate Dr. Trask. She knew that if the Sentinel Program proceeded smoothly, more mutants would be captured and killed in the future! Therefore, to save the future of mutants, she resolutely chose to kill Dr. Trask, attempting to eliminate future troubles permanently. But unexpectedly, events unfolded differently than she had predicted.
After being captured, the government did not kill her but conducted various human experiments on her, all related to Sentinel robots. It was then she knew she had failed to stop the Sentinel Program and had instead become its accomplice.
A hint of self-reproach flashed in Mystique's eyes as she thought about how her impulsive action had nearly ruined the future of mutants.
"Thank you for saving me. May I know your name?"
Mystique looked at Xia Shang and asked sincerely.
To be honest, she truly hadn't expected that the United States still hid an unknown group of mutants, and that they had exposed themselves to save her.
"Billy, you can also call me Butcher."
Xia Shang smiled slightly.
"Butcher, I've never heard of the Vought Club before. How did you know about me?" Mystique asked, puzzled. Before assassinating Dr. Trask, she had infiltrated Trask Industries and looked through the information about the Sentinel Program, learning that besides Magneto, Charles, and Hank, all other mutants from that time had been killed.
Logically, apart from these three, no one should know her identity, let alone risk so much to rescue her from the government.
"A-Train, get me a newspaper from 1973," Xia Shang said to A-Train.
"Just a moment."
A-Train's figure instantly vanished from the noisy bar, followed by gasps from the many patrons. They seemed to feel a gale sweep past them, and some ladies' skirts were even blown up.
In the blink of an eye, A-Train reappeared in his original spot with the newspaper.
"So fast!" Mystique felt as if A-Train hadn't moved at all, yet a newspaper had suddenly appeared in his hand.
"There's a dedicated spot for newspapers in the bar, that's why he was so fast."
Xia Shang took the newspaper from his clone and handed it to the astonished Mystique.
"Assassinating Trask in public, you were quite famous back then. Not just mutants, but many ordinary humans knew about you."
Looking at the newspaper in her hand, Mystique first furrowed her brow, then exclaimed in horror, "The public actually sees us mutants as demons, dangerous terrorists!"
"As you can see, after you killed Dr. Trask, public opinion completely spiraled out of control. All mutants, regardless of good or evil, were painted with the same brush and completely became public enemies." Compared to Mystique, Xia Shang's reaction seemed very calm. "You can find out what happened during this period yourself. I have something else to do. If you have any questions, you can ask A-Train." With that, he got up and walked out of the bar.
Mystique flipped through the newspaper two or three times, feeling a wave of regret. Perhaps her action back then was a huge mistake. If she hadn't killed Trask, mutants might not have been completely pushed to stand against humanity.
"Where are the other newspapers? Can you take me there?"
"Follow me."
...
As expected, the news of the mutant attack on the White House spread throughout the United States like a virus. Upon learning that mutants had nearly killed the President, public opinion across the United States was in an uproar.
Meanwhile, The Providence Journal, which fully recorded the entire process and included images, sold out within just a few hours of its release. It could even be said that it was practically impossible to find a copy on the market.
Furthermore, this time the US Government did not suppress The Providence Journal; instead, they pushed it from behind the scenes.
Seeing how popular The Providence Journal was, newspaper agencies like The Washington Post looked on with envious eyes, as if they had caught pink eye.
At this moment, the Club President's Office at Weiss Newspaper Agency was extremely lively. Editors-in-chief and bosses from other newspaper agencies constantly came to visit Xia Shang. Some wanted to get some material from Xia Shang, while others even offered large sums of US dollars, attempting to acquire Weiss Newspaper Agency.
After all, the major families behind those newspaper agencies were not fools. With their extensive connections, they had already sensed the shift in the wind.
Originally, the US Government's attitude towards mutants was very firm. Any newspaper that dared to write about mutants would immediately receive a warning or be shut down. But now it was different; the US Government's attitude seemed to have undergone a subtle change.
This meant that Weiss Newspaper Agency, which owned Mutant Weekly, would be the first newspaper agency to "eat the crab," thus possessing unimaginable commercial value.
"Mr. Jervis, this price is quite high. Thirty-five million US dollars, and we only want 49% of your shares. As a recently rising newspaper agency, my boss, Warren Buffett, is showing considerable sincerity."
Haka, a Manager from Hathaway Company, sat on the sofa opposite Xia Shang, holding a document in his hand.
"Sorry, let alone 49% of the shares, I don't want to sell even 1%."
It must be said that the financial tycoon's business sense was truly strong, and his speed of action was also very fast. It had only been three days since the White House incident, and he had already sent someone to find Xia Shang.
"Would you reconsider?" Haka showed a professional smile. After all, thirty-five million US dollars was not a small sum. He didn't believe the other party wasn't tempted at all.
"When I have time, I will personally visit Mr. Buffett. We can discuss it in detail then."
Buffett was eyeing Xia Shang's Weiss Newspaper Agency, but Xia Shang was also eyeing The Washington Post in his hands.
"That's truly good news. I believe Mr. Buffett will definitely want to meet you, this rising star in the newspaper industry." Although the other party did not sign the acquisition agreement on the spot, Haka was already very satisfied with this result. In his opinion, Xia Shang had a high probability of agreeing in his heart, but just wanted to raise the price further.
(End of Chapter)
"One of the members? Does that mean there are other mutants in their Club?"
Mystique's mood was extremely complex at this moment. She had originally thought that after the government's hunt, there were only a handful of mutants left in the world, and had even pessimistically believed that mutants were nearing extinction.
Especially after learning about the government's Sentinel Program, this premonition grew stronger, which was why she risked capture to assassinate Dr. Trask. She knew that if the Sentinel Program proceeded smoothly, more mutants would be captured and killed in the future! Therefore, to save the future of mutants, she resolutely chose to kill Dr. Trask, attempting to eliminate future troubles permanently. But unexpectedly, events unfolded differently than she had predicted.
After being captured, the government did not kill her but conducted various human experiments on her, all related to Sentinel robots. It was then she knew she had failed to stop the Sentinel Program and had instead become its accomplice.
A hint of self-reproach flashed in Mystique's eyes as she thought about how her impulsive action had nearly ruined the future of mutants.
"Thank you for saving me. May I know your name?"
Mystique looked at Xia Shang and asked sincerely.
To be honest, she truly hadn't expected that the United States still hid an unknown group of mutants, and that they had exposed themselves to save her.
"Billy, you can also call me Butcher."
Xia Shang smiled slightly.
"Butcher, I've never heard of the Vought Club before. How did you know about me?" Mystique asked, puzzled. Before assassinating Dr. Trask, she had infiltrated Trask Industries and looked through the information about the Sentinel Program, learning that besides Magneto, Charles, and Hank, all other mutants from that time had been killed.
Logically, apart from these three, no one should know her identity, let alone risk so much to rescue her from the government.
"A-Train, get me a newspaper from 1973," Xia Shang said to A-Train.
"Just a moment."
A-Train's figure instantly vanished from the noisy bar, followed by gasps from the many patrons. They seemed to feel a gale sweep past them, and some ladies' skirts were even blown up.
In the blink of an eye, A-Train reappeared in his original spot with the newspaper.
"So fast!" Mystique felt as if A-Train hadn't moved at all, yet a newspaper had suddenly appeared in his hand.
"There's a dedicated spot for newspapers in the bar, that's why he was so fast."
Xia Shang took the newspaper from his clone and handed it to the astonished Mystique.
"Assassinating Trask in public, you were quite famous back then. Not just mutants, but many ordinary humans knew about you."
Looking at the newspaper in her hand, Mystique first furrowed her brow, then exclaimed in horror, "The public actually sees us mutants as demons, dangerous terrorists!"
"As you can see, after you killed Dr. Trask, public opinion completely spiraled out of control. All mutants, regardless of good or evil, were painted with the same brush and completely became public enemies." Compared to Mystique, Xia Shang's reaction seemed very calm. "You can find out what happened during this period yourself. I have something else to do. If you have any questions, you can ask A-Train." With that, he got up and walked out of the bar.
Mystique flipped through the newspaper two or three times, feeling a wave of regret. Perhaps her action back then was a huge mistake. If she hadn't killed Trask, mutants might not have been completely pushed to stand against humanity.
"Where are the other newspapers? Can you take me there?"
"Follow me."
...
As expected, the news of the mutant attack on the White House spread throughout the United States like a virus. Upon learning that mutants had nearly killed the President, public opinion across the United States was in an uproar.
Meanwhile, The Providence Journal, which fully recorded the entire process and included images, sold out within just a few hours of its release. It could even be said that it was practically impossible to find a copy on the market.
Furthermore, this time the US Government did not suppress The Providence Journal; instead, they pushed it from behind the scenes.
Seeing how popular The Providence Journal was, newspaper agencies like The Washington Post looked on with envious eyes, as if they had caught pink eye.
At this moment, the Club President's Office at Weiss Newspaper Agency was extremely lively. Editors-in-chief and bosses from other newspaper agencies constantly came to visit Xia Shang. Some wanted to get some material from Xia Shang, while others even offered large sums of US dollars, attempting to acquire Weiss Newspaper Agency.
After all, the major families behind those newspaper agencies were not fools. With their extensive connections, they had already sensed the shift in the wind.
Originally, the US Government's attitude towards mutants was very firm. Any newspaper that dared to write about mutants would immediately receive a warning or be shut down. But now it was different; the US Government's attitude seemed to have undergone a subtle change.
This meant that Weiss Newspaper Agency, which owned Mutant Weekly, would be the first newspaper agency to "eat the crab," thus possessing unimaginable commercial value.
"Mr. Jervis, this price is quite high. Thirty-five million US dollars, and we only want 49% of your shares. As a recently rising newspaper agency, my boss, Warren Buffett, is showing considerable sincerity."
Haka, a Manager from Hathaway Company, sat on the sofa opposite Xia Shang, holding a document in his hand.
"Sorry, let alone 49% of the shares, I don't want to sell even 1%."
It must be said that the financial tycoon's business sense was truly strong, and his speed of action was also very fast. It had only been three days since the White House incident, and he had already sent someone to find Xia Shang.
"Would you reconsider?" Haka showed a professional smile. After all, thirty-five million US dollars was not a small sum. He didn't believe the other party wasn't tempted at all.
"When I have time, I will personally visit Mr. Buffett. We can discuss it in detail then."
Buffett was eyeing Xia Shang's Weiss Newspaper Agency, but Xia Shang was also eyeing The Washington Post in his hands.
"That's truly good news. I believe Mr. Buffett will definitely want to meet you, this rising star in the newspaper industry." Although the other party did not sign the acquisition agreement on the spot, Haka was already very satisfied with this result. In his opinion, Xia Shang had a high probability of agreeing in his heart, but just wanted to raise the price further.
(End of Chapter)
