Chapter 121: Interview #121
Gotham's General Hospital
"Well, here goes nothing..." I muttered to myself as I exited the hospital, and the news-hungry journalists immediately swamped me, almost causing me to go blind with their camera flashes.
Everything was going as planned so far. I personally contacted editors from the Gotham Gazette and Daily planet news agencies, and they were quick to respond, immediately swarming the hospital after I sent them some shallow information about the situation.
I also contacted Deborah, and though skeptical, she owed me too much to gloss over my words, so she obliged and was the first to show up at the scene.
Amanda Waller might have more recourses, people, and connections all over the country, but there was little she could do about the current situation now that I've blown it out of proportion.
Gotham was an ecosystem on its own and had a unique set of rules that governed over every aspect, whether it be politics, organized crime, and everything in between.
Amanda Waller as an outsider had a limited influence here and wouldn't be able to twist the situation to her advantage. Meanwhile, I had a police captain on my side and dirt on everyone that mattered in this city, and I wasn't afraid to use it to my advantage.
I had the home field advantage, and it wouldn't be difficult for me to win over the public opinion thanks to my Computers skill. The internet was one convenient tool for propaganda if you knew your way around it.
In any case, I had other plans to win over public opinion, but why tell when I can show?
The reporters immediately began barraging me with questions while keeping their distance. I surveyed the area, located the ones from the agencies I called, and gestured for them to come closer.
"I still have work to do, so please make your question brief and to the point," I said, gesturing to the side as I looked at the female reporter who quickly approached me.
"When you contacted the daily planet, you said you stumbled upon the secret basement while investigating a missing persons case... would you care to elaborate?" the reporter asked, moving the microphone closer to me.
"It's no secret that multiple villains have gone missing in the past couple of days, including those already in confinement," I replied, nodding at the reporter.
"I decided to investigate the matter. Eventually, my investigations led me here..." I added, trailing off to indicate the end of my reply as I waited for the reporter's next question.
"Investigating missing criminals? Wouldn't you say there are more worthwhile endeavors to spend your time on as a vigilante?" The reporter asked, raising an eyebrow, to which I could only smile.
'This woman...' I mused, holding back a chuckle at the questions that may have sounded disrespectful and needlessly aggressive to most people. I was not most people and understood the reporter's intention.
She was giving me a chance to overrule such doubts and nib them in the bud before they even formed, likely her way of thanking me for giving her such an opportunity to improve her career prospects.
And if my reply and the reason I gave for my action weren't compelling or reasonable enough, she'd still be one of the few journalists who managed to embarrass a vigilante on live television. It was a win-win situation for her.
"Maybe there were better things to do with my time, but those people, though they've made wrong choices..." I said, trailing off as I gestured towards Deadshot and the other villains in chains and cuffs, accompanied to police cars by officers.
"Are still people with rights, and make no mistake here, they are the victim here, and as such more than worthy of my time," I added as I watched the police officers load the villains into the police cars and drive away.
"No one deserves to be enslaved, especially not in such a way. Such acts go against every principle our civilized and free society stands for and must not be tolerated under any circumstances." I concluded, crossing my arms and going quiet as I waited for her next question, satisfied with my answer.
"Well said. However, you must be certain of your words to accuse a distinguished political like Mrs. Waller of orchestrating this Suicide Squad of villains as you call it," the reporter questioningly said.
"I'm more than sure of my words, and I intend to stand by them to the very end. I have solid proof of Waller's involvement in this matter," I replied, nodding my head.
"I will not be sharing any as of now as that would give her time to maneuver and twist the truth, but you can be sure I'll be taking it to court when the time comes," I added, shrugging my shoulders.
"But you realize that as a masked vigilante, your words and the evidence you present might not hold much credibility in the court of law?" the reporter asked, genuinely confused at my words.
"I understand. However, it won't be Wraith, the masked vigilante, that will go to the court," I said, smiling as I reached for my riot headgear with my hands.
"It will be Grayson Whitlock, a seventeen-year-old kid born and raised in Gotham," I concluded, maintaining my smile as I turned to the camera and instantly felt a weight falling off my shoulders.
...
Gray's hideout
"You little demon..." I sighed as I threw myself on the new couch, too tired to even care about Soot tearing it apart with his claws while looking me in the eye as if to assert his dominance.
Though tired, I was in a noticeably good mood. My improvised plan went smoothly, flaunting the precious principles of freedom, equality, and justice that people loved dearly, creating bots that filled social media with posts riling up the people.
Despite all that, there were still people speaking up against me, which was understandable as many of those people have suffered greatly at the hands of super villains and were more than happy to see them enslaved and sent to their deaths.
Either way, making everyone agree with me is impossible, so I didn't bother. However, making them have doubts and second thoughts was very much possible, and that's what I achieved by unmasking myself.
Though surprised by my young age, the reporter kept the questions coming after a brief silence, like why I go out of my way to fight crime despite being so young.
I immediately narrated a bullshit backstory about how the trauma from my first encounter with Firefly and the helplessness I felt drove me to put on a mask and go out there, risking my life. How I met him again and spared his life was the main selling point for my propaganda.
If a 17-year-old kid can forgive and spare the life of the villains who traumatized him enough to become a vigilante, then why can't a bunch of adults do the same?
Many people will still speak against me, but I've already given a positive example to follow, so, even more will show up to defend my case, which was all I needed.
I didn't need everyone to be on my side: only the majority of those willing to speak up and drown the voices of others. That's social media propaganda 101 for you.
'It's been a while since I checked on the system... might as well...' I mused as I brought up my system's interface to see what new notifications have accumulated over time.
[+2 levels to the Brawling skill]
[Brawling (level 49)]
[+3 levels to the Crime skill]
[Crime (level 44)]
[+3 levels to the Acrobatics skill]
[Acrobatics (level 30)]
[+5 levels to the Computers skill]
[Computers (level 45)]
[+2 levels to the Gun Mastery skill]
[Gun Mastery (level 27)]
[+3 levels to the Medieval Weapons Mastery Skill]
[Medieval Weapons Mastery (14)]
[+8 levels to the Mechanics skill]
[Mechanics (level 44)]
[+7 levels to the Scholar class]
[Scholar (level MAX)]
[+21 stat points]
[+8 accumulated class levels]
[You have reached the maximum level for your current class. Would you like to select a new one now?]
'My skill levels are looking a bit more decent right now, the important ones at least...' I mused as I browsed my available classes, which were only Archetype-specific ones, other than the Linguist.
Technically, I was ready to take my next Mad Scientist class, but I wouldn't be able to do much with it since I'll be busy dealing with Waller in the coming days.
'Might as well...' I shrugged as I selected the only remaining common class.
[You have gained a new class: Linguist]
[You have gained the skill: Language]
[Language (1): If you want hablar Español, sound good ordering at a French restaurant, or read the Old Church Latin edition of the Necronomicon, you need to learn a few languages. This skill covers any language other than one's native tongue]
[+8 levels to the Linguist class]
[+24 stat points]
...
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