Anton returned to New York, and after a few fairly easy days, he received a meeting request from Jim.
Jim wanted to discuss the next TV series with him.
The filming of the "Flash" TV series had just wrapped up, and Jim wanted to mobilize the filming team for the next project: the production of The Flash.
At the same time, preparations were underway for the shooting of Batman v Superman.
Since the release of Man of Steel, DC had no shortage of funds. With every project proving profitable since its inception, the company had long overcome its initial financial struggles.
Now, advancing multiple projects simultaneously was practically effortless.
However, Jim still intended to allocate investment shares and attract external funding to facilitate resource management, such as follow-up promotions and collaborations.
Anton wasn't particularly interested in these details. Although he was the boss, the day-to-day operations of the company were handled by Jim and his assistant, Betty.
Anton's role was to oversee the company's general direction and exercise creative control over its content.
After laying out the next steps, Jim left.
Shortly afterward, Toby, the former gold-medal screenwriter and now head of DC's screenwriting department, arrived.
To Anton's surprise, Toby wanted to discuss "the DC section of the Daily Bugle."
In a previous meeting, the company had proposed splitting the novel section of the Daily Bugle into a standalone website.
The new platform would host novels, comics, audiobooks, and other entertainment—essentially a new starting point in the Marvel world.
Thanks to the writers, cartoonists, and content creators recruited by DC, this section had already gained significant traction and high traffic. Its popularity was no small matter.
After all, superheroes like Batman, Cyborg, and Arrow—characters active in the real world—had become household names, rivaling the fame of Hollywood superstars.
Toby volunteered to become the head of this new "starting point."
Anton thought it over but neither refused nor agreed immediately. He instructed Toby to prepare a proposal and present it at the next company meeting.
If no one raised objections, the position would be his.
After handling these company affairs, Anton went upstairs to check in on the latest work at the Daily Bugle.
What he didn't expect, however, was to be greeted by shocking news from Eddie as soon as they met.
"Electro—Max Dillon—has escaped from prison!"
Eddie spoke solemnly: "Just now, New York Police Captain George Stacy called me. He knows we fought Max at the expo before. He's concerned Max might come after us for revenge. He advised us to stay vigilant and be prepared for a potential attack."
"It's not us who should be careful."
Anton waved his hand dismissively, clearly unconcerned, and curiously asked, "But how could Electro suddenly disappear from prison?"
"George said there's a leak in the prison, and the New York Police Department is investigating."
Eddie added, "By the way, he asked me to contact Batman—just in case they need his help."
"George actually asked Batman for help? Is the situation that serious?"
Anton was surprised.
In his experience, George Stacy had always been a level-headed man. If the NYPD was reaching out to Batman, it meant the situation was more difficult than usual.
Besides, the four ninja turtles were now part of the New York Police Department. As a special task force—and even the mascots of New York City—their abilities were not to be underestimated.
Anton found it strange. Electro's escape alone shouldn't be enough to overwhelm the turtles, even if someone was behind the breakout. Couldn't they track down whoever was pulling the strings?
"It's because Electro isn't the only one who escaped."
Eddie stroked his chin thoughtfully.
While speaking, he opened a map of New York on the office projector and shrugged.
"Before George called me, I got some breaking news. There was a major riot at a prison in the suburbs of New York. The facility malfunctioned, and there was a mass prison break. If I'm not mistaken, Electro was being held there."
"This is serious news," Anton said, suddenly understanding. "It seems New York's crime rate is about to spike."
"George asked us to hold off on announcing the news until tomorrow to give the police some time. They don't want to cause widespread panic," Eddie explained. "That prison is right on the outskirts of New York, close to the city. If the escaped prisoners make it into the city, it could lead to chaos."
"Handle it as you see fit," Anton replied, still unconcerned.
To him, this kind of situation was both serious and not. Most escaped prisoners weren't particularly dangerous and didn't pose much of a threat to society.
After all, many civilians owned firearms, so the danger was manageable.
As for high-level criminals like Electro or other terrorists, dealing with them would fall to the NYPD. Despite public perception, the department was not as ineffective as it seemed.
Now that they had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on their side, they were even better equipped.
As long as public opinion could be controlled and widespread panic avoided, this big problem could likely be reduced to a minor issue.
After finishing his conversation with Eddie, Anton glanced at the sky outside the window and left the Daily Bugle.
When he got home from work, his father, John Jameson, was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper.
Since retiring, John had been on vacation, though he rarely went anywhere. He stuck to a routine: going out for runs and workouts at fixed times and spending the rest of his day at home.
However, Anton had recently overheard John talking about resigning altogether.
John's job as an astronaut had once been his dream, but after achieving it, he seemed to lose his motivation. Now, his focus had shifted, and he was brimming with ideas for running the company.
In other words, it seemed likely that John would soon join Wayne Enterprises and work with the "old man" to grow the family business.
"Finished with work?" John asked.
"Yeah. Where's the old man?" Anton replied, glancing around and noticing his absence.
John shrugged. "He went to Washington tonight with Harry Osborn from Oscorp. Apparently, Wayne Enterprises has finalized its cooperation with the military. They're attending a dinner hosted by the military to celebrate."
Ring!
The sudden sound of Anton's phone interrupted their conversation.
He glanced at the caller ID, a faint look of surprise crossing his face.
"Coulson?" he answered, sounding mildly exasperated. "Don't tell me you need my help again."
"No, I'm calling to apologize," Coulson replied solemnly.
"What's going on?" Anton asked, frowning. He could tell from Coulson's tone that something was wrong.
"Kingpin escaped," Coulson said in a grave voice. "We've conducted multiple searches, but Wilson Fisk is no longer on Purgatory Island. Someone hacked our surveillance systems and rescued him."
"Well, that's unexpected. I didn't think S.H.I.E.L.D. made these kinds of mistakes," Anton replied calmly.
Although Fisk's escape was surprising, Anton didn't see it as a major issue. Kingpin was no longer just a gang boss; his time as the emperor of the underworld was long over.
With his arrest, his empire had been carved up by other factions. The biggest beneficiary of this shift was the High Table, who were more than happy to cooperate with Anton.
In short, even if Fisk was free again, Anton wasn't too concerned.
What did surprise him, however, was that S.H.I.E.L.D. had allowed such an error to happen. Letting someone like Kingpin escape wasn't typical of the organization he knew.
"There's a serious problem inside S.H.I.E.L.D.," Coulson admitted. "And honestly, you and Batman probably know more about it than we do.
"Regarding Kingpin's escape, we hope you'll convey our apologies to Batman. We're doing everything we can to make amends. According to the intel we've just received, Fisk has likely already returned to New York. He'll almost certainly seek revenge on Batman. Given your connection to him, I advise you to be extremely careful."
"So, do you know who rescued him?" Anton asked.
"Just a guess," Coulson replied. "The forces hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D. seem to be aware that we're onto them. And based on the current situation, their target appears to be... Batman."
Beep!
The call ended abruptly. Anton hung up, his expression darkening as he frowned slightly.
Coulson's call had revealed a lot of information.
The most critical revelation was the existence of a faction within S.H.I.E.L.D. seemingly focused on targeting Batman.
"So..."
Anton narrowed his eyes, recalling what Eddie had told him earlier about the large-scale prison break outside New York and Electro's disappearance.
"Hydra is making moves…"
…
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