Nick Fury sent a message: "Hill, add the Patriot to the Insight Program. I want to know what brand of toothpaste this Anthony Starr uses."
After leaving, Marcus Lee didn't immediately return to his apartment.
He hovered over the city.
He could feel his name everywhere.
In Times Square, giant screens looped footage of him lifting the nuclear bomb, rushing through the portal, and ultimately saving hundreds of children.
Tonight, we witnessed a miracle! A mysterious hero calling himself "The Patriot" saved Manhattan!
Sources suggest that the real identity of "The Patriot" could be Anthony Starr, a Columbia University student who went missing in a shipwreck a year ago!
Although the Avengers are strong, tonight's true MVP is the Patriot! He single-handedly turned the tide of battle!
Oh my God, he's so handsome! I want to have his children!
Ding! Popularity +120
Ding! Popularity +88
Ding! Popularity +205
Though the system notifications no longer exploded like before, the numbers steadily climbed.
Marcus landed at a busy intersection. Immediately, the crowd swarmed around him, shouting his name.
He smiled, shook hands, hugged crying citizens, and kissed children on the forehead.
"Do not be afraid. It is over now."
"As long as I'm here, New York is safe."
He savored every moment, every worshipful gaze. Then, a news broadcast began on the giant screen.
...Program interruption. Our reporter brings you a discovery from the battlefield ruins.
A reporter stood in front of a partially collapsed luxury apartment building.
"Here, the fighting was fiercest. A nine-year-old girl named Kate was trapped. Her father… unfortunately perished."
The camera shifted to the little girl.
She was thin, wrapped in a blanket, covered in dust, but her wide eyes glimmered with an otherworldly light.
The reporter handed her the microphone. "Were you scared, child?"
Kate nodded, then shook her head.
"I… I thought I was going to die. An alien… it was going to kill me…"
"What happened?"
Kate's eyes lit up. "It was… the Patriot! He… he flew down from the sky, and… his eyes were glowing! Hiss! That bad guy… he shattered into pieces!"
He saved you?
"Yes!" Kate nodded vigorously. "He… he was so tall. He smiled at me, and then… he flew away! To save more people!"
In the video, Kate clutched a half-burned Superman comic.
"He… he is a real hero."
Marcus Lee didn't hear this small scene unfold.
After basking in the cheers for an hour, he finally shook off the enthusiastic crowd and flew to the apartment address SHIELD had provided.
The apartment was near Columbia University.
He landed on the fire escape and scanned the surroundings with his X-ray vision.
"Empty. Full of dust."
He pushed open the door.
A long-sealed scent wafted out.
This had once been Anthony Starr's home.
A guitar, a basketball, scattered textbooks, and… a photo.
In the picture, Anthony Starr hugged his parents, smiling carefree and bright.
"Anthony… Anthony…" Marcus picked up the frame and stared at his own reflection in the mirror.
"Your life… has been miserable."
He tossed the frame aside casually.
It did not matter.
He walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and gazed over the city he had just saved.
"Your life… is mine now."
The next month became one of the most comfortable periods of Marcus Lee's life.
In his previous life as a movie star, he had worked tirelessly, planned meticulously, and yet was nothing more than a tool of capital.
Now, he was the capital.
The Starr Group was a historic New York conglomerate, with holdings in real estate, energy, and biotechnology.
Anthony's parents, Edward and Martha, had died in a plane crash three years ago, leaving the entire inheritance and trust fund to their only son.
Now, this "resurrected" heir returned as the heroic Patriot. His life story had become textbook-level drama.
The Starr family's penthouse in Manhattan's Upper East Side spanned three floors, complete with a helipad and an outdoor pool.
Marcus Lee stood at the towering floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Central Park bathed in morning light. He wore only an expensive silk robe and held a glass of Romanee-Conti wine worth more than most people's cars.
"This… is what it means to be alive," he murmured.
Days earlier, the Starr Group's legal team and trust fund executives had lined up to meet him.
"Mr. Starr… here are the post-tax inheritance documents left by your parents. You simply need to sign here…"
From that day forward, Marcus Lee officially controlled everything the corporation could inherit hundreds of millions in personal assets and absolute control over the conglomerate.
"System, I feel… incredible right now," he said to his reflection in the window, flashing a brilliant smile.
Current Popularity: 7,982,301
Global Popularity Ranking: Rising steadily
Abilities Enhanced: Iron Body (Planet-Level), Heat Vision (4000℃), Super-Speed (Mach 15)… "Not enough," Marcus squinted.
The gains from the New York battle were nearly exhausted.
Popularity growth had shifted from explosive to steady trickle.
As a former movie star, he understood the mechanics of spectacle too well. Without continuous appearances or exposure, audiences would forget you. Even if popularity stayed the same, it would gradually fade.
"Time to start working."
He put down his coffee.
The next second, the red-and-blue uniform with a star-spangled cape was already on him.
For the next two weeks, New Yorkers got a true taste of what "safety" meant.
Safety? This is safety!
"Look! It's the Patriot!"
"My God, he's back!"
Midtown Manhattan.
A runaway bus screamed toward the sidewalk. The driver had clearly lost consciousness.
Pedestrians scattered in terror.
In that moment of crisis, a red-and-blue figure suddenly appeared in front of the bus, almost as if he had teleported.
No fancy moves.
Marcus Lee simply stood there and extended a hand.
Bang!