"THE DAY THE WORLD SHIFTED: FIVE YEARS AFTER THE FOUNDING OF GESSOC"
By Alex Chen, for HeroWatch Today, April 20th, 2023
Part One: The Day the World Shifted
Five years ago, the world as we knew it underwent a seismic shift. It wasn’t caused by an alien invasion, a natural disaster, or even a global superhuman showdown. This change was orchestrated by a coalition of governments and superhero groups, targeting an enemy that had lurked in the shadows for decades: the vast and intricate network of international superhuman crime. The event, which we now refer to as the Big Raid, was not just a series of coordinated attacks against criminal overlords; it was a statement, a declaration that the age of unchecked superhuman criminal empires was over.
In March 2018, under the banner of the Global Enforcement and Suppression of Superhuman Organized Crime (GESSOC), an unprecedented international task force was formed. Their mission seemed straightforward: dismantle the tangled web of superhuman criminal networks - dismantle the world's supervillain groups. But as we all know, nothing in the world of superhumans is ever simple. The Big Raid didn’t just shake the foundations of the criminal underworld; it sent shockwaves through every layer of society, altering the global landscape in ways we are still trying to understand.
In this multi-part series, we’ll delve deep into the aftermath of the Big Raid. We’ll explore the collapse of age-old criminal empires, the rise of new, more elusive criminal forces, the legal and societal aftershocks, and the ever-evolving role of superheroes and villains in this whole situation. This retrospective is not just a chronicle of events; it’s an attempt to understand the legacy of one of the most pivotal moments in recent history, and to puzzle out just how everything changed after the day that the world shifted.
Stay tuned for the next part, where we'll look at the immediate aftermath of the Raid and the fall of the criminal giants that once seemed untouchable.
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"THE FALL OF GIANTS: UNRAVELING THE UNDERWORLD"
By Alex Chen, for HeroWatch Today, April 27th, 2023
Part Two: The Fall of Giants
The primary aim of the Big Raid was clear: dismantle the superhuman criminal syndicates that had grown too powerful, too entrenched in the global underworld. However, as GESSOC and its superhero allies began their relentless pursuit, they quickly realized that the line between superhuman crime and traditional organized crime was not just blurred—it was virtually non-existent.
Unraveling the Superhuman Criminals
It started with high-profile targets—infamous supervillains and their notorious groups. These were entities that had become almost mythic in the public eye, with their extraordinary abilities and equally extraordinary criminal exploits. Teams of superheroes, backed by international law enforcement, launched coordinated strikes, leveraging their superhuman abilities and intelligence networks to outmaneuver these criminal masterminds.
But as they dug deeper, GESSOC operatives uncovered a complex web of alliances and dependencies linking these superhuman criminals to traditional crime syndicates. It became apparent that the superhuman criminals, while formidable, were just the tip of the iceberg.
The Tangled Web of Traditional Crime
The syndicates—your usual Mafias, Mobs, Triads, Cartels, and the like—had long been the backbone of the global underworld. But in the shadows, they had evolved. They were no longer just the old-school organized crime families; they had integrated superhuman elements into their ranks, using these extraordinary abilities to expand their reach and tighten their grip on illegal enterprises.
As GESSOC's operations progressed, every raid against a superhuman group inevitably led to the discovery of links to traditional crime networks. The strategy shifted: rather than targeting superhuman crime in isolation, the task force started to systematically dismantle the entire criminal infrastructure. Means that could be considered less than ethical were employed, with superhumans leveraged to create angles of investigation that were simply impossible to protect oneself from.
The Immediate Aftermath
The impact was immediate and dramatic. Within weeks, some of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world began to crumble. High-ranking crime lords, both superhuman and non-superhuman, were apprehended in rapid succession. The raids were surgical, efficient, and devastatingly effective. High-level individuals fell to the long arm of the law one after another, or turned turncoat in an attempt to save their own skins, and the more that fell, the more of them betrayed their parent organizations.
This wasn’t just a crackdown; it was a decapitation of the global criminal hierarchy. The vacuum left in the wake of these takedowns was massive and chaotic. In cities across the world, the underworld was in disarray. Smaller gangs and emerging superhuman criminals scrambled to fill the void, leading to a period of intense turf wars and instability.
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Ripple Effects
The dismantling of these criminal empires had far-reaching effects. On one hand, there was a significant reduction in organized crime activities—drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking—all saw a marked decline. But the flip side was a surge in smaller-scale, but more unpredictable, criminal activities. Petty crimes, vigilante justice, and power struggles became the new norm in many urban areas.
The global economy, too, felt the shockwaves. The illicit funds that had once flowed through these criminal networks were suddenly frozen or seized. Assets redistributed unevenly, and mostly through the government, and drug prices skyrocketed, bothering anyone who didn't live in Colorado or California and had to get their weed through illegal means. Everyone felt the burn, one way or another. If you didn't, it was someone you knew, or someone they knew.
Next Time
The Big Raid was a testament to what could be achieved when the world united against a common enemy. But it also opened a Pandora’s box. The fall of the giants of the criminal world was just the beginning of a new, unpredictable era in global crime. In the next part of this series, we’ll explore the rise of the new criminal syndicates that emerged from the chaos of the Big Raid and how they differ from their predecessors.
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"RISE OF THE NEW UNDERWORLD: THE POST-BIG RAID CRIMINAL LANDSCAPE"
By Alex Chen, for HeroWatch Today, May 4th, 2023
Part Three: Rise of the New Underworld
In the chaotic aftermath of the Big Raid, the criminal landscape underwent a rapid and ruthless transformation. The fall of the traditional criminal giants created a power vacuum, and it didn't take long for new, more dangerous entities to emerge. These new syndicates bear little resemblance to their predecessors; they are faceless, nameless, and driven by a cold pragmatism that makes them even more unpredictable and deadly.
The Faceless Threat
The most striking aspect of these new criminal groups is their lack of identity. Gone are the days of infamous crime families and well-known cartels, with their codes of honor and ostentatious displays of power. In their place, we now have a network of anonymous groups that are fluid, decentralized, and incredibly difficult to track. They operate in the shadows, making them almost ghost-like in the criminal underworld. This anonymity not only makes them elusive but also more menacing; without a face or a name, they become an omnipresent threat, capable of striking anywhere, anytime.
Their operations are slick, efficient, and devoid of any flair or grandeur. This shift from the traditional flamboyant criminal empires to these faceless entities reflects a new era in the underworld – one where pragmatism reigns supreme. The new groups are leaner, more adaptive, and ruthless in their methods. They are more likely to use technology and superhuman abilities not for spectacle, but for strategic advantage, making them a formidable force.
A New Breed of Criminals
The individuals within these groups are a different breed of criminals. The old-world charm and respect that once pervaded the criminal underworld have been replaced with a brutal pragmatism. There's a stark realization among these criminals: in an era where superhumans and advanced technology are part of law enforcement, traditional notions of honor among thieves are a liability.
This has led to a more violent and ruthless approach to crime. When confronted, these criminals are more likely to engage in lethal confrontations with law enforcement or superhero groups. The mentality is simple yet chilling: if getting caught means certain defeat, why not fight back with everything they have? This mindset has led to an increase in violent encounters on the streets, with both law enforcement and civilians caught in the crossfire.
This new paradigm has also affected how these groups operate internally. Loyalty is fleeting, and alliances are temporary, often based on immediate mutual interests rather than long-standing bonds. If any of the old-style groups of criminals operating under a single kingpin remain, they're not going out of their way to make their presence known. Instead, we have ne'er-do-wells shifting from group to group like an enormous petri dish, from bacteria to bacteria, making it difficult-to-impossible to pin down much more beyond a single person at a time.
Public Perception of the Escalating Criminal Threat
As these new, faceless criminal syndicates rise in the shadows, the public's perception of criminality has undergone a significant shift. The anonymity and ruthless pragmatism of these groups have instilled a deep-seated unease in communities worldwide. The romanticized image of the 'honorable outlaw' has been replaced by the fear of an invisible and unpredictable enemy. People no longer talk about crime lords with a mix of fear and fascination; instead, there is a palpable sense of dread about the unknown dangers lurking in the dark.
This fear is compounded by the increased violence and unpredictability of criminal confrontations. The willingness of these new criminals to engage in deadly battles with law enforcement and superheroes has led to a sense of vulnerability among the public. News reports of brutal skirmishes in the streets, often involving advanced technology or superhuman abilities, have become alarmingly common. The narrative has changed; it's no longer about the triumph of good over evil but about an ongoing, seemingly endless struggle against a faceless menace.
Communities are more cautious, and there is a growing demand for stronger law enforcement measures, even as questions about civil liberties and the role of superhumans in policing continue to be debated. The rise of this new criminal element has not only changed the landscape of crime but has also reshaped how society perceives and reacts to the threat of lawlessness in a world where the old rules no longer apply.
Next Time
The rise of this new underworld is a direct consequence of the Big Raid. While the operation succeeded in dismantling the old criminal empires, it inadvertently gave birth to a more dangerous, more elusive, and more unpredictable criminal element. In our next part, we will explore the impact of this new criminal landscape on law enforcement strategies and the challenges it poses in maintaining public safety and order.
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