Chapter 901 - SUCCESSOR (5) (2/2)

Phil was more than happy for that to have happened.

Joining the Superhero Association was ordinary superheroes’ only choice. Not joining meant that they had no reputation, no exposure, and would not be able to accept missions. At the same time, it would be difficult to contact their sponsors to provide them with the next stage of the campaign funds.

However, Phil did not need these. Joining the Superhero Association would instead become a kind of restraint on him.

Thus, Phil chose to become a ‘lone ranger’. He wandered outside the entire superhero system. He would only personally take action if he encountered something that would 100% become successful.

On top of that, Phil continued to bribe the criminals through a middleman. He knew the criminal’s plan in advance and stopped the crime perfectly.

That was because most of the missions that had to be carried out were not dangerous. A small portion of them had been arranged. There were no unknown missions that were forcibly assigned by the association like other heroes. Therefore, Phil’s success rate in carrying out missions was especially high.

Phil would arrange for his media company and the television stations that he was on good terms with to report on it every time he had successfully carried out a mission. He would also disclose some details of the operation to his fans on Twitter.

Moreover, Phil had made a huge fuss about the fact that he had not joined the Superhero Association. There were three benefits to this:

First of all, it could give all the fans a feeling of ‘volunteer work’. Phil would appear more noble and independent compared to those who became superheroes for fame and profit.

Second, he did not need to participate in missions that were difficult, had low success rate, and missions which he was unwilling to take action. Furthermore, his fans could not question his every move. He could not obtain detailed information about various missions without being in the Superhero Association after all. Phil could say that it was too late when he got to know of the situations;

Finally, he could continue to objectively evaluate missions that he had not participated in. At the same time, he could complete missions with his free will. This way, he could shut the mouths of those who said “do it if you can”. He would not be afraid to participate in missions that he could not control.

Thus, Phil continued to accumulate fame through this method. In the hearts of his fans, he was a true superhero with ability, faith, and emotions. The only problem was that he did not have enough supporters. Thus, Phil’s superpower was limited and he could not complete bigger things.

On the other hand, the Superhero Association’s’ jealousy, suppression, and obstruction’ of Phil made him suffer unfair treatment. Many fans also felt indignant for him. The fans were becoming more and more extreme in their unity.

However, Phil knew very well that such a state could not last forever.

He would one day arouse the disgust of the superheroes if he continued to make digs at the Superhero Associations. He had to enter the next stage as soon as possible and obtain more power.

Thus, he entered the third stage and prepared the agenda for himself to be a superhero and also for his participation in the Superhero election.

Many superheroes scoffed after Phil released the news because his qualifications were not enough to participate in such a level of campaign.

Other superheroes often had to accumulate for two to three years before they could start preparing for the superhero election. However, Phil was obviously advancing too fast and his foundation was not firm.

Phil had three very difficult problems to solve from the perspective of the other superheroes in order to participate in the election. He had to obtain more support, and more powerful superpowers.

First of all, no large financial group would provide him with campaign funds. Of course, Phil could use his own money as campaign funds. That was relatively easy to resolve.

Second, Phil could not give a public speech or debate in the venue where the Superhero Association was located because he had not joined the Association. His name would be nominated, but this nomination would only be symbolic. It was difficult for him to obtain votes because there was no opportunity for him to appear.

Finally, Phil did not have a very clear representation group. The minority, transgender, foreign immigrants, and other groups already had their own heroes. Phil’s image was incompatible with the appeal of these groups. It would only be one vote per person with just his fans, no matter how strong they were. He would be eliminated after one round at best.

Therefore, most superheroes, even the official members of the association who organized the Superhero election, felt that this was another performance of Phil’s. They did not take this matter to heart at all.

However, they soon realized that they were wrong: Phil had obviously thought about these problems beforehand.