Seven days after the Battle of New York, at Baishan Cemetery.
Compared to Samira, who looked sad, Luca's face was much calmer.
Because his father, Hermann, had half Chinese ancestry, Luca ultimately chose Baishan Cemetery for his father's burial plot, a place rumored to have excellent feng shui and where many famous Chinese figures were interred.
With guests coming and going around him, Luca quietly stared at the tombstone, lost in thought.
A heavy, sorrowful atmosphere permeated the surroundings.
Perhaps out of sympathy for the young man, even guests familiar with Luca's parents chose not to disturb him at this moment, with only an occasional nod of acknowledgment when someone stepped forward to lay flowers.
However, Luca's thoughts were not on the funeral at this moment.
Although no specific numbers were disclosed for this Battle of New York, the actual death toll was not small, so even though this was already a high-end cemetery, there were still many families holding funerals at this time.
After all, the Chitauri's guns and cannons didn't distinguish between high and low status.
A week has passed, and everything seems to have returned to normal.
But in reality, New York, or rather the areas primarily in Midtown and Upper Manhattan, is still in chaos.
Street protests, prayers from various politicians and public welfare organizations, disinfection and reconstruction work in disaster areas, treatment of the injured, burial of the dead—all sorts of ongoing issues stemming from the Battle of New York are still continuing.
Reality is far from how it's portrayed in movies, where everything is fine after the heroes repel the enemy.
In fact, the most 'comical' things these days belong to post-disaster reconstruction and compensation.
And the core point of contention, the main topic of various TV media, street protests, and congressional hearings these days, all centered on whether this event was a war loss, a natural disaster, or a terrorist attack.
That's right, seven days have passed, and the point of contention still remains at the most basic definition.
The Military is desperately trying to define this Chitauri invasion as an 'alien war,' intending to expand Military influence through the Defense Production Act; although the Department of Defense would have to bear some compensation, according to emergency response measures, the Military could also take full control of alien technology debris.
Some capitalists, led by several major insurance giants and bankers, hope to define the invasion as an 'alien terrorist attack,' as terrorism has been excluded from all insurance coverage since 2001.
While avoiding compensation liability, they could also reasonably refuse the government's desire to provide low-interest loans to small businesses and individuals, directing funds instead to 'beneficial loans' for other large companies.
The government's side is even more complex; although both the federal government and state government believe this incident should be defined as a 'natural disaster,' which would help appease the public, win over voters, and secure international support.
However, according to the Stafford Act, for a national-level natural disaster, the federal government needs to fund 90% of post-disaster reconstruction costs, while for a state-level natural disaster, only 75% is required. The New York State Government and the federal government are unyielding in their dispute over this.
In short, currently Congress, the Military, Agents, capitalists, and even news media...
Those wanting to shift blame, those wanting to gain prestige and fame, those wanting to take over alien debris.
Regardless of whether they are related to this Battle of New York, everyone seems to want to get involved.
Aside from the initial disaster relief efforts, it was Stark Industries' personal funds and materials, and aid from external international sources, that arrived first.
As for the rest, even some individuals or small, unsavory groups have set their minds on smuggling alien weapons.
Hmm, in fact, news has been circulating in recent days about people robbing banks with alien weapons.
Well, even Luca himself has secretly hidden some Chitauri weapons.
Luca might eventually give these weapons to the company's weapon research and development department for private study, to see if there's any usable technology.
However, all arms companies are doing this; as long as it's not brought into the open and used directly in public, even S.H.I.E.L.D. won't actively cause trouble.
It's just that the company's weapon research and development department was originally led by his father, Hermann; now that Hermann is gone, it's hard to say how capable the R&D department still is.
Moreover, Luca currently doesn't have much say in his own company; everything will have to wait.
"Young Master Luca..."
Watching Luca stare blankly at the tombstone, Samira hesitated several times before finally reminding him softly.
Luca snapped back a little, then stepped forward two paces and placed the flowers in his hand.
His father's death perhaps brought a touch of sadness due to the surrounding environment; in essence, Luca was more concerned about his own future.
Just as Luca placed the flowers down and was about to stand up.
A hoarse, short-breathed, unpleasant voice came from behind him, quite ill-timed.
"Heh heh~ Luca! Such a big event as my brother-in-law's funeral, and you didn't even inform me, that really hurts my feelings, doesn't it?"
Everyone, including Luca, looked over at the sound.
They saw a middle-aged man in a black suit with somewhat disheveled hair walking towards them.
The newcomer's appearance bore a three-point resemblance to Luca's mother, Gina.
But compared to Gina's decisive and capable elite demeanor, this man in front of them was slightly stooped, his posture stiff, and his steps unsteady; even though his attire was clearly well-dressed, he still gave off the impression of a monkey in a cap.
Especially his somewhat pale and sickly face, with sunken eyes that were unfocused yet greedy, like a rat that had been starving in a gutter for a long time.
"Who is this person?"
"He seems to be Ms. Orange's younger brother? I saw him at the company before."
"I've never heard of this person before?"
Most of the guests who had begun to gradually leave stopped and whispered among themselves.
A few who were very close to the Orange Family family wanted to step forward but were held back by others, temporarily stopping.
Of course, these people weren't entirely cold-hearted, wanting to see a spectacle.
It's just that while the newcomer seemed ill-intentioned, listening to others' discussions, this seemed to be a family matter of the Orange Family family, and it wasn't really appropriate for outsiders to rashly interfere.
As the middle-aged man in the suit approached.
Luca's nostrils flared slightly, and a deep look of disgust flashed in his eyes.
Luca had seen too many people like this in his previous life; he was simply too familiar with them.
Of course, he didn't even need knowledge from his previous life; although his original body was young and didn't have a comprehensive understanding of this person, there was still general information about him in his memories.
Dragan Orange.
Luca's mother Gina's biological younger brother, which is Luca's uncle.
A hopeless gambler!