Chapter 208 HYDRA Makes a Move!

Back in New York, Anton enjoyed a few relatively peaceful days before receiving a meeting request from Jim.

Jim wanted to discuss the next television series.

With The Flash nearing the end of its production, Jim planned to reassign the crew to the next project, Smallville.

At the same time, he was preparing to start work on Batman v Superman.

Since the release of the Cyborg movie, DC Studios had no shortage of funds.

From its inception, every project DC had undertaken had been profitable. The company was no longer in the precarious financial position it had been at the start.

Now, even advancing several projects simultaneously was effortless.

Still, Jim intended to allocate a portion of the investment to external sources for strategic collaborations, such as advertising and promotional campaigns.

Anton, however, wasn't particularly interested in the details.

Though he was the company boss, the nitty-gritty work was handled by Jim and his assistant, Betty.

Anton primarily focused on overarching strategies and ensuring the content aligned with his vision.

After confirming the plans with Jim, the latter left.

Next came Browning, the former star writer who was now head of DC scriptwriting department.

To Anton surprise, Browning brought up something about the Daily Bugle DC segment.

In an earlier meeting, the company had discussed spinning off the Daily Bugle novel section into a standalone platform that would host novels, comics, audiobooks, and other entertainment-focused content.

Essentially, it was a Marvel-world version of a web novel platform akin to "Qidian."

Thanks to the writers, artists, and other creators recruited by DC, the segment had already garnered significant traffic and a lot of buzz.

After all, heroes like Batman, Cyborg, and Green Arrow—real-life figures in this world—had skyrocketed in popularity, rivaling Hollywood biggest stars.

Browning volunteered to lead this "Qidian-style" initiative.

Anton, after some thought, neither agreed nor refused, telling Browning to prepare a proposal for the next company meeting.

If there were no objections then, he'd formalize Browning appointment.

After wrapping up these company matters, Anton went upstairs to check in on the Daily Bugle.

That when he ran into Eddie and heard some startling news.

"Electro, Max Dillon, has disappeared from prison!"

Eddie said gravely,

"I just got off the phone with NYPD Captain George Stacy. He knows we've had encounters with Max at the Expo and is worried he might come after us for revenge. He warned us to stay vigilant."

"The ones who should be careful aren't us," Anton replied dismissively. He then asked curiously, "But how did Electro suddenly vanish from prison?"

"George said there a mole in the system. The NYPD is investigating," Eddie explained. "

Oh, and he asked me to reach out to Batman. They might need his help if things escalate."

"George Stacy asking Batman for help? Things must be serious," Anton said, raising an eyebrow.

From what he remembered, George Stacy was pragmatic and rarely requested outside assistance unless the situation was truly dire.

Especially considering the NYPD now had the four turtles on their special task force.

These mutant turtles were not only the city mascots but also formidable fighters in their own right.

Anton found it odd. Electro escaping was one thing, but even with a hidden mastermind pulling the strings, the turtles should have been able to uncover the truth.

"Because the escapee isn't just Electro," Eddie added, his tone grave.

Eddie rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

As he spoke, he used the office projector to pull up a map of New York, highlighting an area on the outskirts of the city. With a shrug, he said,

"Before my call with George, I got some breaking news… There was a massive riot at a prison on the outskirts of New York.

The facility systems failed, leading to a large-scale breakout. If I'm not mistaken, Electro was being held in that prison."

"That definitely big news," Anton said, realizing the gravity of the situation. "Looks like New York crime rate is about to skyrocket again."

"George asked us to hold off on publishing the story for a day to give them some breathing room," Eddie said.

"They're trying to avoid widespread panic, especially since the prison is so close to the city. If the escapees flood into urban areas, it could lead to chaos."

"Do whatever you think is best," Anton replied nonchalantly.

To him, this kind of situation wasn't particularly alarming. Most escapees were likely low-risk criminals who wouldn't pose a significant threat to society.

In America, where almost everyone owned a gun, people could usually handle themselves if needed.

As for the truly dangerous ones, like Electro and other high-risk individuals, the NYPD would have to step up.

Despite the public perception that the NYPD was often cleaning up after disasters, they were actually quite capable—especially now, with the Ninja Turtles assisting them.

As long as public panic was contained, this could easily be turned from a major problem into a minor issue.

After wrapping up his conversation with Eddie, Anton glanced at the fading daylight and left the Daily Bugle.

At home, his adoptive father, John Jameson, was reading the newspaper.

Since taking a break from work, John had entered full-on vacation mode. He kept a strict routine of jogging and exercising daily but otherwise spent his time at home.

However, John had recently mentioned considering resigning from his job.

Being an astronaut had been his lifelong dream, but after achieving it, he seemed to have lost his drive.

These days, he was more interested in business and had hinted at joining Wayne Enterprises to help grow the family corporate ventures.

"Finished with work?" John asked, glancing up.

"Yeah. Where the old man?" Anton replied, noticing that the eldest member of the family was absent.

John shrugged. "Tonight, he headed to Washington with Harry Osborn from Oscorp.

Apparently, Wayne Enterprises finalized a deal with the military, and they're attending a banquet hosted by the brass."

Ring, ring!

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing.

Anton pulled out his phone and looked at the caller ID, his expression slightly surprised. He answered the call.

"Coulson?" he said, a mix of curiosity and exasperation in his tone. "Don't tell me you're calling me for another favor."

"No, I'm calling to apologize," Coulson replied.

Coulson tone was serious.

"What going on?"

Anton frowned, sensing something was off from Coulson voice.

"Kingpin has escaped," Coulson said grimly.

"We've searched repeatedly, but there no sign of him on the island known as the Raft.

Someone disabled the surveillance systems we installed and broke him out."

"Well, that surprising. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. makes mistakes?"

Anton tone remained calm.

Kingpin escape wasn't a major issue in Anton eyes.

While Kingpin had once been hailed as the emperor of the criminal underworld, his capture had long since led to his territory being divided among other factions, with the High Table benefiting the most from his downfall.

Even if Kingpin had escaped, Anton didn't see him as a significant threat.

What did catch his attention, however, was the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. had made such a glaring error.

Letting a relatively small-time figure like Kingpin escape didn't align with the highly competent S.H.I.E.L.D. Anton knew.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has encountered a significant internal issue, one that I believe you and Batman may already be aware of," Coulson said.

"Regarding Kingpin escape, I hope you'll convey our apologies to Batman. We're working hard to rectify the situation.

Based on the intelligence we've just received, Kingpin has likely already returned to New York.

He will undoubtedly seek revenge against Batman. Given your close relationship with him, you must be cautious."

"So you know who broke him out?" Anton asked.

"We have suspicions," Coulson replied.

"The faction embedded within S.H.I.E.L.D. seems aware of our suspicions, and from the current evidence, their target is… Batman."

Beep, beep!

After their brief exchange, Anton hung up, a slight frown on his face.

Coulson call had revealed several key pieces of information.

The most critical revelation was that an internal faction within S.H.I.E.L.D. appeared to have set their sights on Batman.

"So…"

Anton narrowed his eyes, recalling the earlier news from Eddie about the large-scale prison riot on the outskirts of New York and Electro disappearance.

"It HYDRA making a move…"