Seven Days After the Battle of New York, Soldier's Cemetery.
Compared to the sorrow on Samira's face, Luca appeared much calmer.
Luca looked calm compared to the sadness on Samira's face.
While guests came and went to pay their respects, Luca simply stood still, staring blankly at the tombstone.
A heavy and sorrowful atmosphere lingered in the air.
Even though many people there knew him, no one came up to talk to him. They just nodded and placed flowers, showing respect.
However, Luca's thoughts were not on the funeral at all.
A lot of people had died in the Battle of New York, and lots of families were still having funerals here.
After the Battle of New York, a lot of things were still happening.
There were people marching in the streets, politicians and nonprofit organizations held prayer events, buildings were being rebuilt, and burying the ones who died.
There was still much to be done.
On TV, in the streets, and even in the government, they were arguing about whether the event could be classified as a war, a natural disaster, or a terrorist attack.
Even after a whole week, they couldn't agree on what to call it.
The army wanted to classify it as a "space war" so they could acquire all the alien technology and gain more power. They'd have to pay for some of the damage, but they'd also get a lot of control.
The big insurance companies and rich bankers wanted to classify it a "space terrorist attack" because then they wouldn't have to pay anyone.
That way, they could also refuse to help small businesses and families with cheap loans. They wanted the money to go to big companies instead.
The government's position was more complicated.
They wanted to call it a "natural disaster," such as a huge storm or earthquake. This would help calm public anxiety, win voter support, and attract international aid.
However, under the Stafford Act, if the incident were classified as a national natural disaster, the federal government would have to cover 90% of the reconstruction costs.
If it were deemed a state-level disaster, the burden would drop to 75%. As a result, the federal and New York state governments were locked in fierce disagreement over the classification.
Essentially, a growing number of individuals are becoming involved, including Congress, the military, intelligence agencies, major corporations, and even the media.
There were those trying to deflect blame, those trying to polish their public image, and those eying for control over alien wreckage.
Regardless of whether they were actually involved in the Battle of New York, it seemed like everyone wanted a piece of the action.
Aside from the initial disaster relief efforts, it was actually Stark Industries and a few international aid organizations that first arrived with funds and supplies.
There is some help also coming from other countries.
Meanwhile, there are also some people who started scheming, such as smuggling alien weapons.
In fact, over the past few days, there have even been news stories about bank robbers using alien weapons.
Well… even Luca himself had secretly stashed away some Chitauri Staff for himself.
He's considering giving them to his company's weapons development division to secretly study them and see if anything useful can be salvaged.
Of course, all the major arms manufacturers were doing the same. As long as it wasn't made public or used openly in front of civilians, even S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't go out of its way to intervene.
That said, the company's weapons R&D department had originally been led by his father, Herman. Now that Herman was gone, it was uncertain how much capability that department really had left.
Moreover, at the moment, Luca didn't exactly hold much authority in his own company. He didn't yet have the position to make real decisions.
That would have to wait.
"Master Luca…"
Seeing Luca staring blankly at the tombstone, Samira hesitated several times before finally speaking in a soft voice.
Luca heard her and came back to his senses. He stepped forward and gently placed the flowers he was holding in front of the grave.
Even though the tragic feeling came more from the heavy atmosphere around him, Luca wasn't just thinking about his dad.
He was more worried about his own future.
Just as Luca was about to stand up after placing the flowers… a rough, scratchy, and unpleasant voice rang out from behind him, ruining the quiet moment.
"Heh... Luca! Such a big event as my brother-in-law's funeral, and you didn't even bother to tell me? That really hurts my feelings."
Everyone, including Luca, turned to look in the direction of the voice. They saw a middle-aged man in a black suit approaching, his hair slightly disheveled.
The man had some resemblance to Luca's mother, Gina.
But unlike Gina's sharp, confident presence and commanding demeanor, this man's figure was slightly hunched, his posture stiff, and his steps unsteady.
Even though his black suit looked nice and he was clearly dressed up, something still felt… off with his face being pale and sunken.
He looked greedy and tired, like a hungry rat that crawled out of a dirty sewer.
"Who's that guy?"
"I think he's Ms. Orange's younger brother? I saw him once at the company before."
"I've never even heard of this guy before."
The guests, who had already begun to leave, now paused in their steps, whispering quietly among themselves.
A few individuals who were particularly close to the Orange family seemed about to step forward, but others gently stopped them.
Of course, it wasn't that these people were entirely cold-hearted or just looking for drama. It just felt like this was something private, such as family stuff, and they didn't want to get involved.
As the man in the suit approached, Luca's nose twitched slightly. He looked at the man with clear disgust in his eyes.
Luca had seen people like this in his past life and knew exactly their kind.
Dragan Orange, Gina's younger brother and Luca's uncle.
And a hopeless gambling addict.
...
150 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
250 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
450 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
1000 Power Stones = 2 Extra Chapters
2000 Power Stones = 3 Extra Chapters