Without waiting for the three to respond, Finnian spoke to himself.
"To fight crime? To seek justice? To help the poor who can't afford lawyers?"
"But have you ever thought about this— even if the three of you work day and night, how many people can you actually help?"
"Ten? A hundred? A thousand?"
"There are millions in New York alone. Can you help them all?"
"You can't."
"That's why I want to be the president."
Finnian chose to be honest with his brother, though he concealed the real reasons.
You can't exactly say: Brother, I want to be the President because people in charge are more corrupt and greedier.
If he said that out loud, Matt would be the first to object.
Marvel's superheroes are written far too idealistically anyway. Honestly, A-Zu from next door is more realistic.
If a man is ordinary, he won't do anything too extraordinary. But once you've gained power that surpasses everyone else, not eating steak anymore is basically inevitable.
Superman? Yeah, Superman's a traitor.
Finnian's words shocked Matt and his two companions.
"Brother… are you serious?"
"I'm serious."
After a pause, Karen Page, the long-legged secretary, was the first to speak up. "King, go for it. I support you."
Matt's best friend and law partner, the round and affable Foggy Nelson, chimed in next. "Me too. I've got your back."
If this had been three days ago, neither of them would have said that. They probably would've laughed him off and told him to give up on such a ridiculous idea.
Being the one in charge is something ordinary people don't even dare dream about. That game is reserved for the rich and powerful.
But after last night's battle on the streets of New York… everything changed.
Finnian Murdock suddenly became a superhero known across America. His simple line—I love this land deeply—hit home, especially for blue-collar Americans.
Tall, handsome, pure-blooded, powerful as a god…
This guy looked every bit like the chosen one to lead.
With both friends on board, Matt couldn't exactly object as an older brother.
"What are you planning to do next?" he asked.
Finnian took a deep breath before laying it out.
"Since I'm not old enough yet to run for office, I'll be a superhero for a while. That way I can build popularity, shape a strong public image, and make it easier to win over voters later."
"Right. Let's reintroduce myself properly."
"Standing before you now is King Murdock, Level 8 Agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division—S.H.I.E.L.D.—and Deputy Captain of the Rapid Reaction Special Forces."
"...S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Matt frowned.
As Daredevil, Matt knew enough about that secretive government outfit to be suspicious. Agents? Dangerous business.
But whatever—this was his little brother. He'd keep supporting him anyway.
Karen and Foggy, on the other hand, had no clue.
"King, what exactly is this Security Bureau?" Karen asked.
"Something like MI6," Finnian explained. "We're agents. Connected to the World Security Council."
"An agent?" Karen's eyes widened with worry. "Will that hurt your chances at running for office someday?"
"Don't worry. It won't."
He wasn't about to explain further. Hell, if an actor can become president, what's the problem with a federal agent?
Even emperors had once been spies.
Karen let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. Then we'll work hard too—we can't drag you down."
"How could you be a burden?" Finnian said warmly. "From now on, the legal counsel for my campaign team is in your hands."
The three before him—his brother Matt, future sister-in-law Karen, and best friend Foggy—were all family to him. They knew each other inside out.
Finnian's plan was to build his campaign team around these three as the core framework.
As for campaign funds? That was a conversation for later with his top-tier backer, Tony Stark.
[Dog system, you better have a good eye on this one.]
"To celebrate the three of you joining me," Finnian grinned, "let's eat. My treat."
This time, instead of heading to Chinatown, they found a restaurant in Hell's Kitchen.
It was deliberate—he wanted to send a message to Wilson Fisk. This law firm is under my protection. Don't even think about stepping out of line, or I'll slap you down.
No matter how powerful Fisk was, could he top the Abomination?
Finnian could hypnotize that big bastard if he wanted to.
Sure enough, not long after, Fisk got word of it.
Thinking about Finnian's terrifying godlike strength, Fisk swallowed hard. "Spread the word—stay away from that law firm. Don't cause trouble."
Some people just weren't worth the headache. Better to go enjoy a nice dinner date instead.
—
Later that evening, during dinner, the Murdock brothers called their father Jack to report they were safe.
Afterward, they drove home.
Staring at the traffic jam ahead, Finnian muttered, "Time to ditch this secondhand Mazda."
Sure, his white battle armor was still stashed at Tony's place, but he couldn't fly or teleport yet. For now, cars were all he had.
While waiting, Finnian whispered a prayer. Brother System, give me something good, and opened the mall interface.
[Item: Phantom. Short on cash? Sell me, I'll come back! Price: $2 million.]
"Pfft—"
Seeing the first item, Finnian almost choked. "Phantom? Like the Transformers Phantom?"
It could create clones to confuse opponents… and also transform into Porsche 911s, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Formula 1 racers, garbage trucks—you name it.
He still remembered Phantom's silky-smooth transformations.
"Two million? I'll make that back just selling it a few times."
Buy. Absolutely buy.
Sure, this was Marvel where thugs were everywhere, and raw strength was essential.
But being handsome? That was for life.
For someone like Finnian, who loved showing off, the Phantom was a no-brainer. Maximum emotional value, minimum price.
"Buy Phantom."
[Ding! Purchase successful. Vehicle stored in Hyde Garden Villa No. 1 garage. All ownership and registration paperwork completed.]
"Not bad." Finnian's mood lifted as he kept browsing the day's refresh.
[Skill: Mozambique Drill. Price: $100,000.]
"...Oh damn."
The Mozambique Drill was infamous—two shots to the chest, one to the head. Even gods had trouble walking away from that.
"Already bought."
Once again, he silently praised Tony Stark.
Without the top-tier support of Big Brother Tony, Finnian wouldn't have the luxury of shopping sprees like this.
Brother System, keep the good stuff coming.