Then, the Penguin Man realized he had made a grave mistake.
The people in the cabin had indeed called for more people, and in less than an afternoon, over 50 people had gathered on the street, with many more on their way.
Penguin Man hoped to gather over 200 people to protest outside of the Gotham Police Department, demanding the withdrawal of the arrest warrant, then the city government and the State Council's issue would be next. And, of course, the companies of the upper class who targeted him were not to be spared.
But the problem was, as the crowd grew, so did the conflicts. The squabble in the cabin was a condensed version of the chaos — after their ranks swelled to 50, they split into several factions and started fiercely attacking each other.
Even more terrifying was the scene of the short-haired girl leading a group of environmentalists, accusing the people of Hell's Kitchen of recklessly pouring dirty water into the river, even using chemical detergents for washing clothes upstream. She then led her group to beat up those who stood by the river.
The transgender group led by Big Waves felt that the other people in the group discriminated against them. They demanded an immediate apology and threatened to call a lawyer for legal proceedings if not provided.
The band led by the tattooed man seemed to get into a fistfight with another rock band due to differences in musical opinion. Someone even got their front teeth knocked out.
The African-American woman organized a group of African-Americans and engaged in fierce verbal confrontation with the whites from the other side. It almost escalated into physical confrontation.
The gamer boy hung out with Gonzalez's street boys. They were not aggressive, but planned to go to the nearby electronic waste treatment plant to scavenge for some equipment to play video games.
"I warn you guys again, you damn transgender sissies, what gives you the right to deny our taste in music?!"
"Say that again. I recorded that word just now, I'll have my lawyer sue you into bankruptcy!"
"You guys didn't grasp what we're doing at all! We're fighting for our legal rights, you goddamn loser! This is why you're a failure!"
"Quiet down, can't we just talk it out?"
"Who wants to talk with these bunch of..."
Bang!!!
At the instant the gunshot was heard, everyone was stunned. The short-haired girl was the first to scream, tremulously looking at Big Waves, whose chest now bore a bloody hole.
Peter quickly pulled the people around him back. Everyone scattered, screaming, and it was only when the crowd dispersed that Peter saw that the man in the duckbill cap was holding a gun.
Bang!!
Another shot hit an abandoned metal barrel nearby. The bullet ricocheted and hit a man's shin. He yelled in agony, shouting at the crowd in front of him: "No, I've been shot, he's trying to kill me, he's trying to kill me!"
The man in the duckbill cap began to fire indiscriminately. Peter quickly circled behind the small house, picked up a piece of sheet metal and flung it at the man's head with all his strength.
As the angle was from his rear oblique direction and within his blind spot, he didn't notice, and with a thud, the man in the duckbill cap was knocked down.
Gonzalez and some others, including Peter, quickly rushed over to subdue him, and the police arrived shortly after. The man in the duckbill cap was taken away in a police car.
Then it was revealed that he was an accomplice in a school shooting three days ago. His suspicion was minimal, possibly just an informer, so he was sentenced to community service.
But now it seems likely that he framed others. He was the real shooter, and he had no other criminal motives other than simply seeking revenge on society.
This finally subdued the rowdy crowd. They could finally settle down a bit and listen to the Penguin Man reasoning.
Just when Penguin Man thought there was a turn for the better and began to assign tasks to them according to the plan, he realized that it was not the end, but the beginning.
The short-haired girl agreed with Penguin Man's idea of protesting but insisted that the protest parade could not use signs made of cardboard and plastic. Instead, they must use recycled pulp-made environmental cardboard signs.
Otherwise, they would not only refuse to participate in the parade, but also hold a new environmental protest right here, protesting against the unenvironmental behavior of the people in Hell's Kitchen.
Although Big Waves, who was shot, was sent to the hospital, other members of the transgender group demanded that since their group was part of the parade, their symbol must be included. They insisted on incorporating rainbow elements in the parade. Otherwise, they would not only refuse to participate in the parade but also protest against the discrimination towards the transgender groups here.
The music group represented by the tattooed man believed they must incorporate rock elements into the parade, perhaps including some musical instruments and car sound systems, and demanded that the streets of their parade repeal the noise regulation policy.
The group of African-Americans led by the African-American woman demanded that Penguin Man must defend African-Americans because although Andrewkin, the victim, was not African-American, there were two car accidents at the crossroads after he fell, and there were two African-Americans in one of the overturned buses.
Everyone demanded to voice their demands in the parade, insisting that their demands be prioritized. No matter how the Penguin Man pleaded, all their speeches opened with "Although you are a hero, we...", followed by a series of radical ideological views.
Penguin Man finally concluded that heroes were not important to them, but they were important to themselves.
Then Penguin Man identified something even more horrifying - he couldn't run away anymore.
This was no longer the situation where everyone would obediently go home as soon as he stopped them. The topic of the heroic mayor, Penguin Man, got hotter as the arguments fermented. Every ideologue who came wanted to jump onto the bandwagon. They wanted Penguin Man to take their side and express their demands.
Soon, Penguin Man began to face a series of unanswerable questions.
"Mr. Mayor, why don't you answer my question directly, don't you think the environmental issues in the Brooklyn Area are of importance?"
"I didn't say..."
"Answer my question directly, Mr. Kopot, why can you ignore the damage suffered by the transgender group? She was even shot! She's dying! Yet you're indifferent, can't you see how society persecutes us!"
"I also did not..."
"I have to stress again, Mr. Mayor, during your tenure, the employment rate of African-Americans did not improve. This shows that we're still facing a serious discrimination problem. You need to provide us with an explanation."
"I am not..."
"Why don't you allow subcultural art hobby groups to exist? The strange looks we face are the terrible consequences of lack in education! We need space to survive! Don't you think so?!"
"I..."
Looking at the surrounded, squeezed crowd and the red-faced Penguin Man who couldn't utter a word, Peter wanted to say that he was professionally trained, and he generally wouldn't laugh unless he couldn't hold it back.
Peter couldn't hold it back. Neither could Bruce. Both of them laughed like huskies romping in the snow.