Chapter 141: Extensive Coverage
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
"What? Batman's real identity is a wealthy tycoon!"
Looking at the copy of *The Messenger*, readers saw that Bruce Wayne, who lived in a magnificent castle, was actually Batman, the crime-fighter who worked alongside Superman.
The readers couldn't help but cry out in astonishment.
They had imagined all sorts of identities for Batman, including that he was an alien being just like Superman, but they had never expected this. Batman was a native-born, wealthy tycoon from Gotham City.
Furthermore, the serialized comic specifically noted that Bruce Wayne was a famous playboy in Gotham City, who had always lived a lavish and extravagant life.
Why would a rich man like him transform into Batman to fight the evil and crime in Gotham City?
For a moment, the readers were filled with immense curiosity about Batman's past.
The latest serialized *Superman* comic, while answering some of their questions, had also sparked even more new curiosities.
Some readers, driven by curiosity, began to flip through the newspaper in their hands again, attempting to find some subtle clues within its pages.
But more readers turned past the serialized story and looked at the news reports on the next page.
In the serialized *Superman* comic, Batman and Superman worked together to uncover a corruption case in Gotham City.
And in reality, *The Messenger Newspaper* had also published a story about the New York Mayor's bribery scandal in this very issue. It would be hard to believe there was no connection between the two.
On the society page following the serialized story, *The Messenger Newspaper* carefully published Little John's investigation results.
"...Recently, *The Messenger Newspaper* received a tip that a businessman who should have been imprisoned was released by the police. After a reporter launched an investigation, it was unexpectedly discovered that this businessman has intricate ties with high-level officials in the New York City Government. This has led to a scandal involving high-ranking police officials and multiple officers suspected of accepting bribes from this businessman. The bribes include improper acceptance of football tickets and luxurious overseas trips..."
"Furthermore, the investigation also found that the current Mayor of New York, Jimmy Walker, is inextricably linked to this case."
"In the reporter's subsequent investigation, it was discovered that this was not the only instance of corruption involving high-level City Government officials. In fact, they have been involved in many corrupt dealings, including the previous streetlight replacement plan and road maintenance projects, all of which involved improper corruption and cronyism."
The newspaper meticulously listed the various instances of corruption within the New York City Government.
Reading this, even the readers who had originally bought the newspaper for *Superman* couldn't help but voice their dissatisfaction.
In fact, the content of the serialized story resonated even more deeply with them.
"Why isn't there a Batman or a Superman in the real New York City to just shoot these corrupt bastards!"
Hit by the Great Depression, people's incomes had generally shrunk.
It was for this very reason that they reacted with even greater indignation upon seeing these high-level government officials using corrupt means to gain more illicit income.
These scoundrels, instead of thinking about helping the citizens who had fallen into poverty, were stuffing wads of cash into their own pockets.
...
"Where exactly did our money go?!"
That evening, on a radio program, a host in charge of current affairs news posed this very question.
And the report he was reading on the radio was precisely the mayor's bribery scandal published by *The Messenger*.
"LaGuardia, look at the news!"
Meanwhile, within the Republican Party.
LaGuardia also received a copy of *The Messenger* from a fellow party member.
"This is an opportunity!"
Looking at the content published in *The Messenger*, LaGuardia immediately made a judgment.
"Wait a minute?!"
"*The Messenger Newspaper*? Collin Roper!"
Then, as he looked at the newspaper in his hands, Colin's image immediately surfaced in his mind.
In a later conversation with Hughes, LaGuardia had learned about the connection between Colin and *The Messenger Newspaper*; Colin happened to be the owner of this Newspaper Agency.
"So, is this your source of confidence?"
Clutching the newspaper, LaGuardia murmured in a voice no one could hear.
Then, he quickly collected his thoughts.
Regardless of the reason, for LaGuardia, who planned to run in the New York Mayoral Election, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Soon, Republican Party members, led by LaGuardia, began to question New York Mayor Jimmy Walker.
Under the Republican Party's orchestration, Jimmy Walker's bribery scandal quickly became a national issue, and they further questioned his election campaign.
Facing the targeted reports from *The Messenger* and the aggressive attitude of LaGuardia and his associates, New York Mayor Jimmy Walker immediately fought back, denying any involvement in the bribery.
Subsequently, other newspapers in New York also raised doubts about Colin's *The Messenger Newspaper*, believing the paper's impartiality was questionable.
"We all know that the news in *The Messenger* holds no weight. In fact, many in the newspaper industry call it a comic newspaper."
In response to the accusations, *The Messenger* reacted swiftly.
Two days later, on Friday, *The Messenger* released a Special Issue.
In it, they accused Locke, a newspaper publisher who had questioned *The Messenger*, of providing a $246,000 bribe during Mayor Jimmy Walker's campaign.
Although Locke immediately denied that he had donated the money with any expectation of a return, the public clearly did not believe such a claim.
Due to the more concrete news published by *The Messenger* and pressure from Washington, this series of rumors about municipal corruption prompted the state legislature to establish the Hofstadter Special Investigation Committee.
New York State Governor Franklin Roosevelt, who was currently vying for his party's support, had no choice but to step forward and respond.
This was a difficult problem for Roosevelt. If he failed to handle the Jimmy Walker issue properly, he would not be able to persuade the public to vote for him, even if he won the party's primary.
Therefore, facing the New York Mayor's bribery scandal, Roosevelt immediately summoned Jimmy Walker to Albany to account for his financial sources. According to media reports, the Governor also took a stern tone, demanding he be removed from office pending investigation.
When Colin saw the media reports about the removal from office, he knew he had succeeded.
Roosevelt had already cut his ties. Considering the upcoming Presidential Election, the Democratic Party would clearly not go to great lengths to protect Jimmy Walker, to avoid the matter impacting the subsequent election results.
(end of chapter)
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