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Chapter 283: A Matter of Trust?
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Orin Vale once again patted his chest and made a firm guarantee. He found that after wearing so many pseudonyms, his skill in making things up on the spot seemed to have improved considerably. Lines about sacrificing his life to pledge loyalty now rolled off his tongue effortlessly.
Oh, he just had to be a bit careful not to mix up his lines. If he had a slip of the tongue while facing Amanda Waller and started pledging allegiance to the great Trigon and so on, that would be a real joke.
And so, emerging from Amanda Waller's office, Orin Vale had transformed. He now bore the additional titles of Justice League Liaison and head of the special Anti-Ultraman division.
This path of an undercover agent was becoming more and more surreal. Sometimes, Orin Vale felt as if he had unknowingly jumped into a runaway dump truck, hurtling along with sparks and lightning, with no idea where it would drift to in the end.
But it was also a good thing. Whether it was monitoring the Justice League or being Anti-Ultraman, someone had to be responsible for these tasks anyway. It might as well be him, ensuring everything remained under his control.
Conversely, if necessary, even the Justice League and he himself could play along with "Agent Mike Williams." When the situation allowed, they could help Agent Williams rack up more achievements, adding to his legendary resume.
Once his resume was sufficiently padded, it wouldn't be impossible for a day to come when someone declared, "If Waller can have the Commissioner's seat, so can our legendary captain."
This was even more surreal. But one had to have dreams, right? You never know.
That evening, Agent Mike Williams, now officially introduced as the liaison, held his first press conference interview. As for the reporters at the conference, let's just say their enthusiasm was somewhat unexpected.
Ever since the Justice League was founded and had repelled the deities of Apokolips, they had become something akin to nationwide celebrities—no, it was even more exaggerated. Many people even regarded them as gods.
In their eyes, gods had no daily lives, no superfluous emotions or desires. They were perfect, never made mistakes; they saved the world, gave people hope, and never failed.
This could be seen directly from the reporters' questions.
"The Justice League saved the world again! They did the job you couldn't do."
"A lot of people want to know, sir. A.R.G.U.S.'s operations waste a ton of taxpayer money, but it never manages to get the job done, does it? So why not just disband it and leave all the work to the Justice League?"
Orin Vale looked at the aggressive, overweight reporter and chuckled inwardly.
*What a coincidence, I think so too. Keep talking, I like what I'm hearing.*
But on the surface, he kept a straight face and recited the official line: "A.R.G.U.S. is fully capable of handling crises, and we provide assistance to the Justice League as well..."
"Also, many people say the government has never been able to handle problems properly," someone else shouted. "The populace now feels that if the Justice League took over the government's job, they would do everything perfectly!
"Because they're the Justice League, and they never fail!"
"That's right! Damn it, maybe my unemployed nephew could finally get a job!"
"They could eliminate the fiscal deficit!"
"They wouldn't be full of lies and schemes like today's politicians. They're friends who tell each other everything. They could surely fix everything!"
"Excuse me, is it possible for A.R.G.U.S. to contact Ultraman? If he became president, with the Justice League forming the Council, I bet everything would get better!"
Orin Vale: "..."
To be honest, this was something even he hadn't quite expected. But if one were to browse the Internet now, they would find that this kind of fanaticism actually seemed to be the mainstream opinion.
This fanatical worship had even taken on the flavor of a fandom. Their adoration for Ultraman and the League had reached a point that even the subjects of their worship couldn't control. Now, if anyone dared to say even half a bad word about the League online, they would be immediately swarmed by hordes of fans, their only fate to be drowned in a sea of verbal abuse.
However, this was an inevitable phase, and this period of fanaticism would sooner or later pass. Sooner or later, people would discover that the objects of their worship were not so perfect. Perhaps some would be disappointed, but at the same time, more people would realize that the value of these guardians' existence wasn't to bring salvation, but to bring hope, to let everyone carry Light in their hearts and to become better people.
But in the end, people couldn't rely on them to handle everything and solve all their problems.
In the end, you have to walk your own path.
And in stark contrast to the people, those in power felt the pressure.
"We need to go up to the Watchtower and take a look," a politician clamored. "The Justice League needs to be supervised! They need to register!"
Another politician said: "We're considering introducing a Superhuman Registration Act, starting with the Justice League. They're like a bunch of walking nuclear weapons. No private individual should possess such immense power. They must allow us access to the Watchtower. This is a matter of trust!"
Orin Vale was amused.
"Alright, then I'll report it just as you've said—that you don't trust them. Maybe you'll get what you want, but you might want to be careful from now on.
"For instance, when you lock some of your unsavory little secrets in a safe, remember to remind yourself that someone who can see you from the other side of the Earth might be watching.
"For instance, when you're holding someone you shouldn't be, sleeping in a bed you shouldn't be in, perhaps someone is taking a stroll right in front of you at sub-light speed, only you can't see them.
"And whenever night falls, when you see any patch of darkness, even the most inconspicuous shadow, you'll be on edge.
"Or for example, sometimes you might just mutter something to yourself, a wicked little thought popping into your head for a moment—I bet most of you have moments like that often, right? Ha, who knows? Maybe someone can hear that too?
"Of course, ninety percent of the time, it's probably just you scaring yourselves. Ninety percent of the time, there's probably no one beside you, no one watching you from the other side of the Earth, no one who cares about your boring little secrets.
"But you'll never be able to stop thinking about it. You'll be forever on edge. And why is that?
"Because you will always remember that you raised a ridiculous 'matter of trust' with the most powerful people on this planet."
After a pause, Agent Mike gave a slight smile.
"Of course, I'm completely on your side. I'm just pointing out the potential problems you might face. If you still insist, then I'll go to the Watchtower and convey your message to them exactly as you've stated."
The politicians looked at each other in dismay.
After a long silence, one politician finally gave a hollow laugh and said dryly, "Ah... hahaha, Agent Williams, you seem to have misunderstood us. When we said 'supervision,' that was a... broad term.
"What we meant was... a more friendly, more harmonious cooperative relationship. A way of expressing intimacy, based on friendship, to engage in dialogue without affecting our friendship and long-term cooperative relations, for the purpose of mutual supervision and mutual progress..."
Orin Vale raised an eyebrow. "Meaning, you're not planning to go up there anymore?"
The politician chuckled, "No, no, we're not going up. It's quite nice down here, very nice. Just send our regards to the League for us. Oh, and ask them if they have enough supplies. If not, we can send some food..."
He wore a politician's smile, but written all over that smile, one way or another, seemed to be a single word.
Cowardice.
And so, Agent Mike also gave a polite nod.
"Don't worry, I'll pass it on."
Thanks to Big Shot HuoYanYanYi K for sponsoring as an Alliance Lord!
(end of chapter)
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Orin Vale once again patted his chest and made a firm guarantee. He found that after wearing so many pseudonyms, his skill in making things up on the spot seemed to have improved considerably. Lines about sacrificing his life to pledge loyalty now rolled off his tongue effortlessly.
Oh, he just had to be a bit careful not to mix up his lines. If he had a slip of the tongue while facing Amanda Waller and started pledging allegiance to the great Trigon and so on, that would be a real joke.
And so, emerging from Amanda Waller's office, Orin Vale had transformed. He now bore the additional titles of Justice League Liaison and head of the special Anti-Ultraman division.
This path of an undercover agent was becoming more and more surreal. Sometimes, Orin Vale felt as if he had unknowingly jumped into a runaway dump truck, hurtling along with sparks and lightning, with no idea where it would drift to in the end.
But it was also a good thing. Whether it was monitoring the Justice League or being Anti-Ultraman, someone had to be responsible for these tasks anyway. It might as well be him, ensuring everything remained under his control.
Conversely, if necessary, even the Justice League and he himself could play along with "Agent Mike Williams." When the situation allowed, they could help Agent Williams rack up more achievements, adding to his legendary resume.
Once his resume was sufficiently padded, it wouldn't be impossible for a day to come when someone declared, "If Waller can have the Commissioner's seat, so can our legendary captain."
This was even more surreal. But one had to have dreams, right? You never know.
That evening, Agent Mike Williams, now officially introduced as the liaison, held his first press conference interview. As for the reporters at the conference, let's just say their enthusiasm was somewhat unexpected.
Ever since the Justice League was founded and had repelled the deities of Apokolips, they had become something akin to nationwide celebrities—no, it was even more exaggerated. Many people even regarded them as gods.
In their eyes, gods had no daily lives, no superfluous emotions or desires. They were perfect, never made mistakes; they saved the world, gave people hope, and never failed.
This could be seen directly from the reporters' questions.
"The Justice League saved the world again! They did the job you couldn't do."
"A lot of people want to know, sir. A.R.G.U.S.'s operations waste a ton of taxpayer money, but it never manages to get the job done, does it? So why not just disband it and leave all the work to the Justice League?"
Orin Vale looked at the aggressive, overweight reporter and chuckled inwardly.
*What a coincidence, I think so too. Keep talking, I like what I'm hearing.*
But on the surface, he kept a straight face and recited the official line: "A.R.G.U.S. is fully capable of handling crises, and we provide assistance to the Justice League as well..."
"Also, many people say the government has never been able to handle problems properly," someone else shouted. "The populace now feels that if the Justice League took over the government's job, they would do everything perfectly!
"Because they're the Justice League, and they never fail!"
"That's right! Damn it, maybe my unemployed nephew could finally get a job!"
"They could eliminate the fiscal deficit!"
"They wouldn't be full of lies and schemes like today's politicians. They're friends who tell each other everything. They could surely fix everything!"
"Excuse me, is it possible for A.R.G.U.S. to contact Ultraman? If he became president, with the Justice League forming the Council, I bet everything would get better!"
Orin Vale: "..."
To be honest, this was something even he hadn't quite expected. But if one were to browse the Internet now, they would find that this kind of fanaticism actually seemed to be the mainstream opinion.
This fanatical worship had even taken on the flavor of a fandom. Their adoration for Ultraman and the League had reached a point that even the subjects of their worship couldn't control. Now, if anyone dared to say even half a bad word about the League online, they would be immediately swarmed by hordes of fans, their only fate to be drowned in a sea of verbal abuse.
However, this was an inevitable phase, and this period of fanaticism would sooner or later pass. Sooner or later, people would discover that the objects of their worship were not so perfect. Perhaps some would be disappointed, but at the same time, more people would realize that the value of these guardians' existence wasn't to bring salvation, but to bring hope, to let everyone carry Light in their hearts and to become better people.
But in the end, people couldn't rely on them to handle everything and solve all their problems.
In the end, you have to walk your own path.
And in stark contrast to the people, those in power felt the pressure.
"We need to go up to the Watchtower and take a look," a politician clamored. "The Justice League needs to be supervised! They need to register!"
Another politician said: "We're considering introducing a Superhuman Registration Act, starting with the Justice League. They're like a bunch of walking nuclear weapons. No private individual should possess such immense power. They must allow us access to the Watchtower. This is a matter of trust!"
Orin Vale was amused.
"Alright, then I'll report it just as you've said—that you don't trust them. Maybe you'll get what you want, but you might want to be careful from now on.
"For instance, when you lock some of your unsavory little secrets in a safe, remember to remind yourself that someone who can see you from the other side of the Earth might be watching.
"For instance, when you're holding someone you shouldn't be, sleeping in a bed you shouldn't be in, perhaps someone is taking a stroll right in front of you at sub-light speed, only you can't see them.
"And whenever night falls, when you see any patch of darkness, even the most inconspicuous shadow, you'll be on edge.
"Or for example, sometimes you might just mutter something to yourself, a wicked little thought popping into your head for a moment—I bet most of you have moments like that often, right? Ha, who knows? Maybe someone can hear that too?
"Of course, ninety percent of the time, it's probably just you scaring yourselves. Ninety percent of the time, there's probably no one beside you, no one watching you from the other side of the Earth, no one who cares about your boring little secrets.
"But you'll never be able to stop thinking about it. You'll be forever on edge. And why is that?
"Because you will always remember that you raised a ridiculous 'matter of trust' with the most powerful people on this planet."
After a pause, Agent Mike gave a slight smile.
"Of course, I'm completely on your side. I'm just pointing out the potential problems you might face. If you still insist, then I'll go to the Watchtower and convey your message to them exactly as you've stated."
The politicians looked at each other in dismay.
After a long silence, one politician finally gave a hollow laugh and said dryly, "Ah... hahaha, Agent Williams, you seem to have misunderstood us. When we said 'supervision,' that was a... broad term.
"What we meant was... a more friendly, more harmonious cooperative relationship. A way of expressing intimacy, based on friendship, to engage in dialogue without affecting our friendship and long-term cooperative relations, for the purpose of mutual supervision and mutual progress..."
Orin Vale raised an eyebrow. "Meaning, you're not planning to go up there anymore?"
The politician chuckled, "No, no, we're not going up. It's quite nice down here, very nice. Just send our regards to the League for us. Oh, and ask them if they have enough supplies. If not, we can send some food..."
He wore a politician's smile, but written all over that smile, one way or another, seemed to be a single word.
Cowardice.
And so, Agent Mike also gave a polite nod.
"Don't worry, I'll pass it on."
Thanks to Big Shot HuoYanYanYi K for sponsoring as an Alliance Lord!
(end of chapter)
