Chapter 41: Two Headlines, and Kingpin Knows the Truth

Two newcomers had joined the chat group. And Carl already knew exactly who they were. One was Tsukasa Kadoya, the protagonist of Kamen Rider Decade, often called by fans the "Kamen Rider Emperor" or Hokama Yukio. The other was Shiho Miyano from Detective Conan, known more famously by her alias, Haibara Ai, after taking the drug APTX-4869. After confirming their identities, Carl didn't bother replying to the group anymore. Because right then, Erika had woken up. The two shared a quiet moment, and Carl watched as Erika washed up and got dressed. Then, the two headed out for breakfast. ... Today was anything but normal for the American public. Breaking news erupted across every channel. Obadiah Stane was dead. Within just an hour of Carl taking him out, news outlets across the country were already reporting on it. The average American, upon seeing the headline, was thoroughly confused. 『Online Commenter A』: Huh? 『Online Commenter B』: Who even is this guy? 『Online Commenter C』: Why is he front-page news when nobody's even heard of him? But as the reports came in and the details surfaced, people started to understand. So... he was a top executive at Stark Industries? A major shareholder, even? 『Online Commenter D』: Oh, so he was rich. 『Online Commenter E』: What a shame. I wonder if he even got to spend all that money... Yet the most attention-grabbing part wasn't his identity, It was how he died. According to the reports, Obadiah had been killed by a barrage of gunfire. Forensics showed that the bullets matched those fired by his own bodyguards. Even the number of bullets matched the ammunition capacity of their weapons. Naturally, speculation exploded: 『Conspiracy Theorist A』: The bodyguards turned on him, had to be money. 『Conspiracy Theorist B』: Nah, I bet a rival paid them off to betray him. But there was one puzzle that no one could explain, Why were the bodyguards dead too? It looked like they'd all... committed suicide? 『Conspiracy Theorist C』: Maybe it was some cult? 『Conspiracy Theorist D』: Mind control, maybe? Wild theories ran rampant. But across the entire country, Only one man, upon seeing the headline, immediately knew the truth. That man was Wilson Fisk. The Kingpin. America's underground emperor. When Kingpin saw the headline, he was momentarily stunned. His thoughts were immediate: "Wasn't I just negotiating a deal with Obadiah earlier today?" "Tch. The old bastard really picked a fight with someone he shouldn't have." "Now, because of him, my money-making plans are in ruins." "And he didn't even live long enough to feel the consequences." Then, a flash of realization struck him. Carl. Obadiah. Dead. Could it have been Carl? Kingpin froze. Carl could fly. He could fire lasers. His strength was monstrous. Obadiah hadn't been vaporized, though, just shot. But still... Kingpin's instinct screamed at him. It had to be Carl. There was no logic. No evidence. Only a gut feeling. And he trusted it. Then, another memory resurfaced. Didn't today's mess start because Obadiah's son offended Carl? Sure, Kingpin had sided with Carl in the end. He'd personally crippled Obadiah to show his support. But Carl hadn't said anything since. What if he hadn't been satisfied? What if he'd taken matters into his own hands? Not to mention, The news also reported that Obadiah's son had gone missing. Possibly kidnapped. Or worse... Vaporized by that blazing red laser? Kingpin had seen it with his own eyes, Carl disintegrating Bullseye with one single shot. Wouldn't be surprising if he did the same to Obadiah's kid. Then again, maybe he didn't kill him... Maybe he just abducted him to torture. The more Kingpin thought about it, The more certain he became. This was Carl's doing. And with that certainty came a sick sort of thrill. That giddy, almost perverse pleasure of being the only one in the world who knew the truth. And yet... Beneath that smug satisfaction, Was fear. What if Carl didn't like people knowing too much? Kingpin shivered. He'd better shut up. Pretend he knew nothing. After all, technically, He hadn't seen anything. ... If the death of Obadiah Stane stirred confusion and dread, Then the news that dropped in the afternoon? It shattered the nation. Tony Stark, billionaire. Playboy. Global icon. Had gone missing. Due to the distance involved, there'd been a delay in communication. But by mid-afternoon, the story had swept across the country. Suddenly, Obadiah's death was no longer on anyone's radar. Now, every headline screamed: "Where is Tony Stark?" The public was riveted. Tony wasn't just some executive. He was Tony Stark. Genius. Charmer. Wild card. Every move he made was gossip gold. But this time, It wasn't some affair or scandal. This was real. Obadiah? Forgotten. Just like that. Even Stark Industries' stock reflected the change. Tony's disappearance caused the market to plummet. Obadiah's death? Only a slight dip, barely outside normal fluctuations. That was the brutal truth. Obadiah had spent years scheming to seize power within Stark Industries. But not even in death could he rival Tony Stark's presence. ... Elsewhere, Erika's father, Nicholas, was also a wealthy businessman. He had done business with Kingpin in the past. Together, they'd made quite a bit of money. His own company was moderately successful. After attending the gala last night, Nicholas had worked all day. Now finally home, He collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. He flipped on the TV... Only to hear breaking news. 『News Anchor』: Tony Stark... missing in the Middle East. 『Nicholas』: Huh. That part of the world? Wonder if he'll make it out alive. 『Nicholas』: Lived like a king, maybe karma's caught up with him. He chuckled to himself, half mocking, half intrigued. As a fellow businessman, Nicholas certainly recognized Tony Stark. But Tony had no idea who he was. They lived in completely different worlds. Nicholas could only look up from below. He flipped through several channels. Every single one, Tony Stark. Tony Stark. Tony Stark. Nicholas didn't care about the details. He just wanted something relaxing to watch. Eventually, He landed on a channel that wasn't talking about Stark. It was reporting Obadiah's death instead. Nicholas frowned. 『Nicholas』: He's dead? I just saw him earlier today... He stared at the screen, trying to make sense of it. Then, the broadcast abruptly switched back to coverage of Tony Stark. ... A long time passed. Then suddenly, Nicholas remembered something from last night's gala. 『Nicholas』: Wait... Obadiah's death... could it have something to do with Carl? The gala had caused quite the stir. Word had already gotten around among high society: Kingpin had broken Obadiah's leg, on behalf of a mysterious young man. 『Nicholas』: No way Carl did it himself, right? Maybe he asked Kingpin? Nicholas rubbed his chin in thought. His best guess? Kingpin did the job. Whether or not Carl was directly involved? Probably. Yeah. Most likely. Nicholas leaned back into his sofa, muttering to himself: 『Nicholas』: Looks like Carl's a lot more dangerous than I thought... 『Nicholas』: To get Kingpin to kill Obadiah for him... that's terrifying.