Banished(Under Rewrite)

Part 8 - There's a bomb here?!

Damn...just how long was I sleeping?

It was 3:50 P.M. I only woke up because the sunlight somehow broke through and hit my eyes. It must be really hot outside if that was the case. I wanted to sleep for longer, but I had to see the news: I defeated a prominent fighter of The Vipers just yesterday. Given that something like this hasn't happened since Billy's death, this must be more than enough to make the news. 

I felt too lazy to turn on the TV, so I decided to just check my phone. 

My suspicions were right: something big must have happened. I got ten missed calls from Mark, meaning that "something" must be something big. Hopefully, The Vipers didn't decide to launch a full-scale attack on the city: I'm still far weaker than the executives of The Vipers, the ones ranked 6th or above according to Billy's book. 

I dialed Mark's number and he picked up almost instantly after I pressed the call button.

"What's up?" I asked. "Why the ten missed calls?"

"Did you not check the news?" 

"Huh?"

"Just turn on the TV, please..."

Mark's voice was urgent, signaling that he really wanted me to see the news. Hopefully, this wasn't something bad, like a full-scale attack on the city. The last thing I want to do is to face another executive of The Vipers, especially after what happened to Nightshade.

There it was: all the channels were talking about my recent victory with The Swordsman. By the looks of it, the police got the CCTV footage, meaning they managed to see me getting beat up, but also coming out on top in the end. Even more important was that they had managed to see my small talks with The Swordsman about morality, and how I repeatedly punched him in the end out of anger. 

It's quite obvious that a lot of the public supported me now. If I not only talked to The Swordsman about doing the right thing but also gave him a brutal beatdown in the end, a beatdown that showed how pissed off I was at him, this would show that I'm not doing it for money or clout: I'm being Power-Punch for the right reasons, not for attention. 

"Did you turn it on?" Mark asked. 

"Yeah," I replied. "I got the attention of the public,"

"Look at news channel 34," Mark advised. "Something even more crucial is there,"

I went on news channel 34, where a familiar person was speaking. It was that senator from the article I read, the one that was criticizing me for not using brute force on The Vipers back at the bar. His name was Senator Bridge, I think, but my main concern was more about the other criticisms he might have against me. He looks like an extremist, so maybe he wants more blood to be on the battlefield. 

"Senator, you previously said that Power-Punch is doing everything for clout and attention, considering the lack of brute force he used against those thugs at the bar," the interviewer recalled. "Do you have any criticisms concerning his recent victory against The Swordsman?"

Senator Bridge laughed. 

"The beatdown was fine, maybe some more violence was needed, but what really struck me was what he said," Senator Bridge replied. "I watched the CCTV closely and that sword-wielding bastard talked about a 'greater good.'  Power Punch exposed the truth of such an absurd cause to the public: just an excuse for pain and suffering. He said all of this solemnly, meaning he meant what he said. On top of that, he refused an interview for the safety of the reporters. Maybe he isn't brutal enough yet, but he proved that he truly cares about the city, not just the clout he gets. He actually wants to finish Electro-Punch's work, and that's more than enough for him to gain my support,"