Clang! Clang!
Two squads of police officers advanced slowly along the wall, riot shields raised, moving cautiously toward the front of Dearest Alice.
Just as they reached the entrance, several oddly shaped grenades were tossed out.
> "Grenades! Take cover! Move, move!"
Kevin's shout ripped through the air as he reacted instantly.
The officers scrambled backward at full speed.
BOOM!
The grenades detonated—
But instead of roaring flames, a wave of bone-chilling frost exploded outward.
The officers in the front line were hit hardest. The icy blast froze them solid within seconds, leaving them as glittering statues of ice.
The rest fared little better.
Some had limbs encased in frost, others shivered violently as white frost crawled up their uniforms. Even those who weren't fully frozen found their movements sluggish and numb.
One thing was certain—no one could move freely anymore.
---
> "You useless trash! I've been waiting for you!"
A mocking laugh echoed from inside the store as Mr. Freeze burst out of Dearest Alice, frost armor glinting under the lights.
In his hands, the Freeze Gun hissed menacingly as he pulled the trigger.
Shhhhhh!
Rays of icy vapor streamed out, washing over the already struggling officers.
The few who could still move barely managed to raise their guns before being frozen where they stood.
A few scattered gunshots cracked through the cold air—
then silence.
Twenty armed officers from the Gotham Police Department, wiped out without even stepping through the door.
Just like that.
That's what happens when you pick a fight with a man who plays with hacks, Alex might've said. If your cheat code can't crush normal players, is it even a cheat?
---
> "Mr. Freeze!"
A deep, commanding voice echoed through the street.
The sound of a cape flaring filled the air as Batman descended from the sky, landing hard in front of Freeze.
> "You again, you damn bat?" Freeze sneered. "You think you can stop me?"
He raised the Freeze Gun and fired.
Shhhh!
A stream of frost shot toward Batman.
And the Dark Knight moved — fast and fluid like a shadowed panther.
He darted through the barrage, evading every frozen blast by inches, closing the distance piece by piece.
Even wounded, he was pressing the advantage.
Batman's combat instinct was terrifying — every motion efficient, every counter precise.
But even the best had their flaws.
And Batman's greatest weakness was one shared by nearly every superhero in this world —
he cared about hostages.
Freeze gave a short command, and two of his henchmen aimed their guns at the heads of two frozen store clerks.
Instantly, Batman halted.
He couldn't take the shot.
No, Batman wasn't invincible. He'd been defeated before — beaten in strength, outsmarted in strategy, humiliated in stalemates that lasted for days.
But somehow, he always clawed his way back.
This time, though… things were different.
Because Gotham now had another cheat character in town.
---
> "You're still as pathetic as ever, Batman!"
Freeze's laughter rang through the icy air.
---
> "We can see the situation here remains dire!" the live reporter shouted breathlessly on camera.
"All the officers have been frozen solid — they can't even protect themselves, let alone the hostages!"
"As for Batman… once again, he's helpless against Mr. Freeze!"
"Will we have to watch this villain escape yet again?"
The news feed was streaming live to every home in Gotham.
---
> "Well, Homelander," Catwoman said softly, glancing at the screen, "this has been an unforgettable dinner."
She knew exactly what time it was.
If Alex waited any longer, it would no longer be a dramatic rescue — it would be a disappointment.
This was the perfect moment to make his entrance.
> "I'll be right here," she said, smiling faintly. "Waiting to see you shine."
> "I won't be long," Alex replied simply.
He gave her a nod, stood up — and vanished.
BOOM!
A sonic boom cracked through the air, shaking the restaurant windows.
In the very next instant, Alex's figure appeared outside Dearest Alice.
---
> "Homelander!"
"It's him — Homelander's here!"
Every reporter on-site went wild, cameras flashing, lenses all turning toward him.
Even Freeze froze (no pun intended), his face tightening as he looked up.
Compared to Batman, this was someone he genuinely feared.
The man was a walking executioner — a killer who didn't flinch.
But fear didn't mean surrender.
Freeze had confidence in his weapon — confidence in his own power.
> "Stay out of my way, unless you want to end up like them!" he barked, raising the Freeze Gun straight at Alex.
Shhh!
Alex didn't even blink.
Two beams of searing red heat vision lanced out from his eyes, slicing through the air toward Freeze.
> "Shit!"
Freeze barely managed to dodge. He'd heard the rumors about Homelander's heat vision — and now he'd seen them for himself.
Still, his enhanced reflexes saved him — for the moment.
But before he could even recover—
BOOM!
The world blurred.
Alex appeared right in front of him like a ghost.
His hand shot out and clamped around Freeze's throat, lifting him clean off the ground with effortless strength.
The once-formidable villain kicked and thrashed uselessly in midair.
> "Impossible…"
"How is he this fast?!"
Freeze's mind reeled. His superhuman reflexes — his speed — none of it mattered. He hadn't even seen the man move.
Desperately, he jammed the Freeze Gun against Alex's chest and pulled the trigger.
Shhhhhh!
The icy mist engulfed him — and in seconds, Homelander was encased in solid ice.
Freeze let out a ragged laugh, his breath fogging in the cold air.
> "Even you… can't beat me."
He smirked, victorious.
But deep down, even as he spoke, a tiny, irrational voice whispered in his mind—
What if he's not done?
What if he's just pretending?
---
Heh. Boo.
Surprise, motherf—
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