Phil’s plan not only successfully deceived all the viewers but also the two major corporations sponsoring the show and the other three judges.
To the public, Phil’s actions were those of a rich second generation with no other pursuits in life, who came to this superhero talent show to satisfy his desire to be a mentor – not for fame or profit, and he performed his role well.
To the other corporations and mentors who cooperated with Phil’s performance, Phil paying a large sum for this variety show was simply to show off in front of the public and posed no threat to them.
The audience didn’t know the show had a script, nor that Phil himself was actually the financial backer behind the show, so naturally they couldn’t guess Phil’s true purpose.
While the corporations and mentors knew about the script, since it hadn’t caused any scandals or negative impact – instead generating significant buzz – they had no motivation to expose this fact, as doing so would be equivalent to throwing mud at themselves.
To these people, Phil’s performance was like a spoiled rich kid who, on a whim, splurged two hundred million dollars to create a “superhero industry professional” image in front of the public. But so what? Fake can’t become real.
These people clearly knew Phil’s amazing performance was all scripted, so they didn’t believe Phil would actually threaten their interests.
Thus, Phil’s Phase One plan achieved perfect success.
He then laid low, patiently waiting for the next phase’s opportunity.
Superheroes were a hot topic in Hope City. In this city that was both heaven and hell, violent crimes like murders and robberies occurred daily, alongside cases of superheroes successfully or unsuccessfully rescuing hostages.
But Phil made no moves. His Twitter returned to normal – sharing daily posts about private jets, yachts, models, or photos of himself eating at roadside restaurants and taking pictures with fans.
Compared to before, his Twitter following had grown significantly. These new followers had changed their opinion of him after watching SUCCESSOR and became genuine supporters.
Until over two months later.
A particularly vicious kidnapping occurred in Hope City. A group of lawless criminals kidnapped the young daughter of a wealthy businessman, demanding a huge ransom. Superheroes immediately went to rescue her, but due to underestimating the enemy’s strength, although they killed some kidnappers and captured most of them alive, the hostage was cruelly murdered.
The businessman’s daughter was kind and beautiful, highly regarded by the public.
Someone had captured the gruesome crime scene. This little angel lay in a pool of blood, her hands and feet bound, a gag in her mouth, tear stains on her face. Her tragic death was heartbreaking and triggered enormous public sympathy.
The three superheroes involved in the rescue faced tremendous public pressure.
Though they defended themselves, claiming the kidnappers weren’t after ransom and never intended to release the hostage, the public rejected this blame-shifting and continued pressuring the Superhero Association to revoke these three heroes’ licenses.
Under the wave of public questioning, these three superheroes’ powers plummeted. The Superhero Association had no choice but to distance themselves, apologizing to the public while revoking two heroes’ licenses. The third was protected due to strong connections but still needed to publicly reflect, repent, and perform extensive volunteer work to gradually calm public anger.
The deranged criminal who killed the businessman’s daughter was shot dead at the scene. The other captured criminals only faced kidnapping charges, not murder. With some jury members opposed, they received sentences ranging from a dozen to several decades, only the leader getting life imprisonment.
Citizens took to the streets, spontaneously bringing flowers to mourn this little angel.
At this moment, Phil began attacking all related interest groups on Twitter: the superheroes lacked sufficient intelligence and capability to handle this incident; the Superhero Association failed to recognize these three heroes’ inadequacies and misused personnel; superheroes had no clear assessment of the city’s underlying risks, merely reacting to crimes without considering fundamental solutions to Hope City’s high crime rates…
Phil’s comments received enthusiastic public support.
After this tragedy, public emotions desperately needed an outlet. Someone had to be responsible for this tragedy, and merely three superheroes taking the fall clearly wasn’t enough.
Moreover, people had already accumulated resentment about Hope City’s high crime rates. Phil’s emergence perfectly fueled these flames.
Had playboy Phil commented on this incident months ago, most people would have thought him presumptuous and out of touch.
But now, riding on SUCCESSOR’s popularity, many viewed Phil as an industry insider who truly understood superhero system problems.
Since Phil was a genuine expert, his words made sense.
Angry citizens continued venting at the Superhero Association and other heroes. They demanded to know why the Association sent these three weak heroes to rescue the hostage. Why not send stronger heroes? Why didn’t more powerful heroes volunteer for the mission?
Actually, the Superhero Association had simply dispatched heroes matching the crime level according to protocol. They couldn’t deploy top heroes for every kidnapping or robbery.
Everything followed normal procedures, but the Association couldn’t defend themselves without appearing to shift blame, further confirming their incompetence.
Despite repeated apologies, public anger remained. Many fans commented on Phil’s posts, hoping he would step up and do what he could. If Phil had handled this incident, it surely wouldn’t have turned out this way.
Phil responded on Twitter that he had no interest in this, his previous tweets were simply honest emotional reactions. He emphasized that the Superhero Association successfully handled “most issues.” Though they made a “small but fatal” error this time, they were still trustworthy if they seriously addressed their problems.
Fans expressed understanding – after all, he was a billionaire with his own company to manage, with no reason to wade into these murky waters. Still, they hoped Phil would comment more on superhero-related incidents.
To this request, Phil reluctantly agreed.
Phil began reviewing superhero-related events on Twitter. When operations succeeded, he’d thoroughly analyze the success, praising the heroes lavishly. When they failed, he’d carefully dissect the lessons, harshly criticizing the failed heroes or the Association itself.
Of course, these reviews were created by his think tank team, then polished by him before posting.
This detailed, professional, comprehensible, and down-to-earth commentary gave Phil’s followers strong participation. They gained a god’s-eye view of these operations’ details while deepening their worship and trust in Phil.
Regarding Phil’s behavior, though superheroes were unhappy, they were helpless.
Because Phil’s statements were very shrewd.
In most cases, he joined official criticism of fallen heroes after mission failures – those with few fans who made obvious mistakes.
In some cases, he lavishly praised heroes who completed missions perfectly with many fans, earning their followers’ goodwill.
In rare instances, Phil would criticize the Superhero Association slightly. But the Association, as a major organization, couldn’t engage in public feuds with Phil, especially since doing so would only generate more buzz for him.