Never underestimate the U.S.'s "persecution complex"; it's like the Rabbit's "firepower deficiency phobia"—both are in their late stages.
Rimuru's guess was correct; the impact of The Daily Bugle's article, "Why We Don't Need the Silver Armored War God," was far more exaggerated than imagined.
More and more media outlets began to write articles, crafting one magnificent piece after another, proving that the Silver Armored War God was not the "savior" everyone imagined, hoping that people wouldn't hold too many illusions.
More and more people also began to reflect, pondering what the existence of the Silver Armored War God truly meant.
Many people used Iron Man Tony Stark as a comparison. Although Tony was a playboy, the public didn't trust him much.
Even more so, there was skepticism because the labels on a rich and willful playboy were mostly unreliable.
He couldn't be associated with a superhero at all!
But compared to the mysterious Silver Armored War God, Tony Stark was truly well-known, with a clean background.
At the hearing, Tony clearly refuted the committee's idea of seizing his armor.
But Tony also indirectly stated that he was willing to make efforts for the safety of the United States and the world.
Tony said it, and he did it.
In the Middle East, Iron Man's figure could be seen striking terrorists from time to time!
And the Silver Armored War God?
Nothing!
Absolutely nothing!
He is not Robin Hood; he doesn't rob the rich to help the poor, distributing the wealth of the rich to the needy.
Nor is he Captain America; he has never said that he would fight for the United States.
He's not even like Daredevil, whose reputation isn't particularly well-known on the streets; he's never seen striking down evil.
The Silver Armored War God is not a hero who is keen on upholding justice, helping others, or saving the dying and aiding the injured!
As The Daily Bugle said, the Silver Armored War God is like a child who likes to show off his toys.
He might choose to fight to show off his "toy" today, and tomorrow he might choose to destroy to show off.
So, what does the existence of the Silver Armored War God truly mean?
A "God" who can fly and burrow, willful and playful?
The people who were deeply fascinated by the Silver Armored War God suddenly became confused.
Everyone longs for heroes, and within their hearts resides a dream of becoming a hero, but most people's hero dreams are cruelly shattered by harsh reality.
Therefore, the world worships, yearns for, and craves heroes!
They treat heroes as idols, as the embodiment of their dreams.
They hope that one day, in their time of crisis, a hero will stand up and save them from water and fire.
The Silver Armored War God is powerful, mysterious, can fly and burrow, and is invincible.
He almost satisfies all of people's fantasies about heroes and embodies their hopes.
But after The Daily Bugle's analysis, people suddenly realized with a start that the Silver Armored War God was not the superhero they had imagined in their hearts.
The Silver Armored War God is just the Silver Armored War God, nothing more!
That he is the strongest superhero is just a "persona" that everyone forcibly added to him, just a beautiful fantasy.
The truth is often cruel, and the endless disappointment is unspeakable!
What to do in the face of disappointment?
Of course, go to the streets, then hold banners and shout slogans!
Americans are quite adept at this.
More and more people hoped that the Silver Armored War God could follow Iron Man's example, reveal his identity, and accept supervision.
Triskelion.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Seeing the escalating public opinion on the internet, Nick Fury's eyelids twitched wildly.
The online public opinion was clearly somewhat abnormal!
No-Zuo-No-Die; it's likely some reckless fellow is stirring up trouble again.
Others might not know who the Silver Armored War God is, but he knows a great deal!
Even so, Nick Fury still felt that Rimuru was shrouded in a mysterious mist, and even he didn't want to offend him.
Nick Fury thought for a moment and made a call to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Logistics Department.
He had only one instruction: investigate which individuals were causing trouble.
Once found, give them a warning, letting them know who they can offend and who they cannot.
Half a day later…
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Logistics Department's report left Nick Fury somewhat dumbfounded.
The vast majority of people were actually voluntary?
This style was a bit off!
The public actually had such high expectations for the Silver Armored War God?
What a joke!
However, this made Nick Fury even more of a headache.
There was nothing he could do; he could only choose to have the Logistics Department guide the topic and cool down the online fervor.
On the other hand, he sent Romanoff to Rimuru to explain things thoroughly, hoping Rimuru wouldn't get angry and lash out!
Upon receiving the order, Natasha's expression grew even stranger.
Was the Director being a bit too soft when dealing with Rimuru?
A little unfavorable public opinion online, and he specifically sent her to explain?
If one day something major targeting Rimuru really broke out…
Would the Director just sell her to Rimuru directly?
Rimuru is strong, but can he really stand against the will of a nation?
Although it was somewhat difficult to understand, Natasha still chose to obey the Director's order.
She hadn't even thanked Rimuru in person for saving her life last time!
Queens.
Peter Parker's home.
After reading the newspaper in his hand, Peter was a bit dumbfounded. "How could this be? How is the Silver Armored War God not a hero? Of course we need the Silver Armored War God!"
Others might not know who the Silver Armored War God is, but Peter Parker knew that the Silver Armored War God was his good friend Rimuru.
Strictly speaking, Rimuru was even Peter's first true friend.
When he was bullied, only Rimuru came to help him, and after a good beating, no one dared to bully him again.
Rimuru told him his secret of being the Silver Armored War God, let him play with the Wind God Mecha, and even took him to the stadium to watch games.
It could be said that Rimuru was the person Peter admired most—his idol!
There was no one better than Rimuru, even though Rimuru had some peculiar tastes.
But that was nothing!
If he could, Peter really wanted to tell those people, "You've all misunderstood the Silver Armored War God. She really is a hero—a very good and amazing superhero."
When you say "we don't need the Silver Armored War God," she will definitely be very sad!
Seeing Peter's excited look, Mei and Uncle Ben looked over curiously.
After some communication, both understood Peter's feelings.
Mei stroked Peter's small head and said with a smile, "Peter, I understand your feelings. Everyone loves heroes. People line up for them, cheer for them, scream for them, just like chasing a star. When they find that the 'star' persona they've been thinking about collapses, they can't accept it."
"Peter, you need to understand that heroes not only have a halo and adoration, but also opposition and doubt. This is something a hero must experience!"
Uncle Ben chimed in, "Peter, heroes need time to prove themselves. Whether the world needs the Silver Armored War God or not, one newspaper's opinion doesn't count!"
Peter Parker pondered, "Is that so?"
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