The seasoned host flattered Bella with a couple of compliments before getting to the main topic of the day. "What does Miss Swan think of the fellow the military has named the Hulk?"
A rather blurry green figure appeared on the screen. It was footage of Hulk eating noodles, apparently recorded by someone on a cell phone.
Bella looked toward the camera, seemingly weighing her words. After a moment, she said, "First, we should strongly condemn this behavior. It is an act of hegemony carried out by someone relying on brute force. Second, throughout this incident, our police and government reacted far too slowly. Where were they while New York City was being destroyed? Our police force must also take real responsibility—be ready at critical moments, provide real assistance, and actually be useful. Our government should also make its procedures transparent, simplify administrative processes, optimize workflows, and improve efficiency..."
She went on and on for five minutes. The core message amounted to one thing: this administration was no good!
She was not actually lying, either. If Charlie were the one in charge right now, there would never have been a scene that came close to reducing Manhattan to a wasteland. Even if Hulk and Abomination started causing trouble, it would not be difficult for her to rush over, cast Teleportation, and dump both of them on Titan. So after all was said and done, the conclusion was still the same: this administration was no good! No excuses.
The host also had ties to the Democratic Party and immediately agreed with her. The two then spent a while discussing such perennial topics as establishing a new police force and improving government efficiency. They were universal talking points; you could say almost anything about them and be fine.
After that, they moved on to Wall Street. Wall Street had really gotten the worst of it!
A large photograph appeared on the screen. Two huge holes had been smashed through the side of the New York Stock Exchange by hellish catapults, while two-thirds of the front had collapsed under Bruticus's barrage. The NYSE now looked like the bombed-out ruins of an ancient Iraqi city. Of its three walls, only most of the northernmost one remained, along with a few lonely columns.
The host pointed at one curved breach, where scorch marks could still be seen, and asked curiously, "Miss Swan is a famous historian. Several experts said yesterday that this was caused by a catapult. What do you think?"
Of course it was. That was exactly what a hellish catapult had done! Bella obviously could not tell the truth. She nodded. "Let me guess. That was Professor George's opinion, right? I don't agree. A catapult? Heh. That's a little hard to imagine. Professor George must have gotten drunk again and started talking nonsense. What era are catapults from? Who in the modern world uses those things?"
She gave a faintly mocking smile, projecting the image of someone talented, attractive, wealthy, and aggressively outspoken. America's younger generation loved that sort of persona.
The television interview was basically just idle chatter. Outsiders assumed she was using the opportunity to ride the publicity wave and build momentum for her own father. They had no idea that the guest herself was the chief culprit...
Catapults, ancient Native Americans invading—public attention was diverted in no time. As for Wall Street's victims? The fighting had indeed been fierce, but very few ordinary people had actually died. Who went to Wall Street in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?
People in the other states were basically spectators eating popcorn. What did it matter to us how miserable New York was? Watch the spectacle, have a laugh, and move on.
Still, some people genuinely cared.
The New York Police Department was extremely confused. By every indication, a great many people had died in the fighting that night, yet when they tried to identify the dead, they found one case after another of "no such person." What was going on? There were countless signs of smashing, looting, and fighting, while spent shell casings lay in mountains at the scene. Judging from the intensity of the battle, the death toll should have been in the thousands. Yet in the end, the NYPD could not even find anyone coming forward as a victim.
The NYPD contacted informants in the gangs, but not a single one dared reveal what had happened. The most they would say was that the police should stop investigating, along with a warning that the waters ran very deep.
Several detectives felt the case raised serious unanswered questions and wanted to keep digging. Then the department's leadership came under joint pressure from both Democrats and Republicans, while the business community and the military also wanted the investigation stopped. The pressure became overwhelming. Even though the police department did not answer to any of them directly, it did not try to force the issue. In the end, the entire incident simply faded away without resolution.
The blood-soaked month of March finally came to an end. Weyland acquired an enormous amount of wealth from the vampires. The artwork, collectibles, and bearer bonds would have to be sold off gradually, but gold and currencies from various countries could be put to use immediately.
With that infusion of capital, Weyland's operations sped up by thirty percent almost at once.
Its first scientific achievement related to extraterrestrial colonization and space exploration was officially unveiled to the public: Weyland introduced an atmospheric processing plant capable of building an atmosphere on a planet's surface.
The technology was hugely significant. With atmospheric processing plants, humanity would eventually be able to transform the atmospheres of otherwise uninhabitable worlds. Build enough plants and keep them running continuously for twenty or thirty years, and the air on a colony world's surface could be made suitable for human habitation.
It could be said that atmospheric processing was no less important than faster-than-light engines for spacecraft.
"Our atmospheric processors have already been installed in both Antarctica and the Arctic. The twenty million tons of Freon in the atmosphere will soon be dealt with. We expect to repair the ozone layer within two years. In other words, global warming is no longer a problem!" 006 spoke confidently at the press conference. By now, he was thoroughly accustomed to occasions like this.
Weyland signed patent agreements for atmospheric processing plants with multiple countries, with protection periods ranging from twenty to thirty years. From the perspective of human survival or global warming, the atmospheric processing plant was unquestionably the greatest scientific achievement of the century so far. From an ordinary person's perspective, however, nothing had changed. It had nothing to do with daily life at all.
At present, the technology could only solve the problem of global warming. Its other uses were not yet visible. Countries around the world remained doubtful about Weyland's decision to leave the solar system. Only the five permanent members of the UN Security Council were extremely cautious, insisting on a strict twenty-year limit on patent protection.
Bella stood off in the distance watching as though she were just another bystander when Nick Fury appeared mysteriously on her left.
He asked quietly, "How is development of your pulse rifle coming along?"
Bella glanced at him. She was not surprised that Nick Fury knew about her relationship with Weyland. Anyone who looked closely enough could certainly find clues.
"We're still modifying the M4A1 for now. Lithium battery, ninety-nine rounds of continuous fire, 10×24 mm caseless ammunition, and a fully loaded weight of 4.9 kilograms (about 10.8 pounds)."
She gave him a rough rundown of the weapons Weyland had prepared for the Pandora survey team. None of those specifications were secret inside Weyland.