The viral reports had spread like wildfire. Spider Bully, Spider-Man, Ghost-Spider, and Daredevil were not heroes; they were villains. The Daily Bugle's sensationalized reports fueled the frenzy, turning online comments into a toxic flood.
"I knew it! Anyone with a name like 'Spider Bully' can't be good!"
"Immediate arrest! Monsters must be caught and eliminated!"
"Take off your masks and surrender, freaks!"
Peter and Gwen were heartbroken. All they wanted was to do good, and to face such vitriol made them question everything. Though a few voices defended them, the wave of negative comments quickly drowned them out.
Inside the Hero Daily office, Bella Brant was calmly executing her plan. She had the article written and the explosive drone footage prepared. She understood the psychology of media timing: let the opposition become overconfident, let the public sentiment peak, and then drop the truth like a bomb.
Su Yi, though unaware of the specifics of her timing, had absolute faith in Bella's journalistic instincts. He knew the reversal was coming.
Meanwhile, Chief George Stacy took the incriminating USB drive to his superior, Deputy Commissioner Tom.
"Boss, this is the truth about last night's hostage situation. It wasn't the vigilantes; it was one of our own. Someone in the department has been bought."
Tom immediately closed the door. This was an internal crisis of the highest order. George, still trusting his superior, handed over the drive. Tom's expression remained grim as he inserted the drive and reviewed the footage.
He watched the clear, multi-angle video showing the officer deliberately shooting the hostage after the heroes had subdued the criminals.
"Is this genuine?" Tom asked, eyes wide.
"It appears so," George replied. "Their group doesn't use firearms and relies on their abilities. The person who fired was one of ours."
Tom fell silent, deep in thought. "Does anyone else have this footage?"
"They likely kept backups," George conceded.
A chilling silence followed. Tom then looked directly at George. "George, is it possible a superhuman disguised himself? You know they have miraculous abilities. 'Spider Bully' wasn't even visible, maybe he used an illusion or mind control."
A wave of dread washed over George. Tom was too eager to shift the blame back onto the vigilantes. Was Tom also compromised?
"George," Tom said, his voice now devoid of warmth. "Why don't you take some time off? Effective immediately."
Suspended. George realized the crushing reality: the corruption reached high, perhaps even to his boss.
"Wait, George," Tom added, a cruel afterthought. "Leave your sidearm and the USB drive here."
George, knowing the heroes had copies and he had already ensured the information was released to the Hero Daily, nodded, his heart heavy. "Here you go."
Stripped of his badge and his evidence, George walked out, looking at the symbols of justice he was now unable to uphold. He could only wait for the public war to commence.
By midday, the tide of online opinion was settled: the masked heroes were murderers.
At that critical moment, the Hero Daily made its move. Bella's team released a blistering article titled: 'SHOCKING TRUTH: NOT VILLAINS, BUT VICTIMS OF CORRUPTION! RAW FOOTAGE EXPOSES POLICE FRAME-UP!'
The article was accompanied by the damning video evidence. The clear, triple-angle footage contradicted every official report. The public watched in disbelief as an officer deliberately executed the hostage and then framed the heroes who had just saved him.
"What? It wasn't them after all!"
"I'm confused—why would an officer open fire? He was bought off!"
"We blamed them wrongly! This is outrageous!"
The online chatter reversed instantly. Netizens, shamed by their quick condemnation, turned their anger onto the corrupted system.
George, watching from home, waited for Deputy Commissioner Tom's response.
Faced with a throng of reporters, Tom stepped forward. But his response was not an apology; it was a brazen deflection.
"Regarding this footage," Tom declared, his face hard, "I want to say that this was not done by our people. Superhumans in this city do as they please, and what you see is not necessarily the truth."
He leaned into the microphone, launching a verbal assault on the concept of masked heroes.
"Perhaps a superhuman disguised himself. Perhaps a superhuman controlled our officer. Superhumans are the root of all this unrest! We must resist them; only then can our city be safe!"
Tom pointed the finger directly back at Spider-Man and the others, painting them as manipulative threats who could wear any face. He refused to answer any direct questions from reporters about the identity of the shooter or why there was no internal inquiry.
Bella, standing among the reporters, was incensed. Tom's speech was a transparent shield for his own corrupt network.
Online, Tom's calculated spin found a receptive audience. Some skeptical citizens were genuinely swayed, believing that the all-powerful vigilantes were simply manipulating reality to serve their own ends. After all, the heroes couldn't prove their innocence without removing their masks—a risk that would expose their loved ones to danger.
Back at the Hero Daily, Bella immediately published another article, 'DEPUTY COMMISSIONER DODGES THE TRUTH: WHERE IS THE INVESTIGATION?' Her pointed questions forced rational citizens to reconsider Tom's excuses.
However, the damage was done. A division hardened in the public: those who trusted the vigilantes and those who feared and distrusted them.
Su Yi observed the chaos. "The Avengers haven't even formed yet, and we're already seeing the groundwork for a Superhero Registration Act," he mused. He pushed the thought away, focusing on the immediate. The Hero Daily's reputation was soaring, but that also meant it was now a target.
"Kingpin will definitely notice this newspaper. I need to get that Stark security equipment installed immediately."
The heroes are cleared of murder, but the public is divided, and the war against Kingpin has moved into the political and media arena.