> "So, what do you say, Homelander?"
Monica's voice rang out again, confident and assured. Her eyes gleamed with certainty, as if victory was already in her grasp.
The Crime Company's name, the promise of a serum that could multiply one's power severalfold—
She simply didn't believe that Homelander could remain unmoved.
Snap!
A sharp sound cracked the air.
Before Monica could react, Alex's hand shot forward like lightning—
and clamped tightly around her throat.
This woman really thought she could just waltz in and play him?
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of bones straining under pressure echoed.
Chilling.
Horrifying.
Monica's face twisted in agony as she clawed helplessly at Alex's arm, her legs kicking in the air.
Like a small, helpless lamb caught by a wolf.
For the first time, her eyes showed fear.
In that instant—
she smelled death.
> "Monica!"
The cyborg woman beside her—Latonia—snapped her head up, her expression darkening.
She raised her arm toward Alex.
Click-click-click!
Metal plates shifted and locked into place—
and a cannon muzzle formed over her right hand.
> "Let her go!"
Latonia barked.
But Alex didn't even glance at her.
His eyes, cold and razor-sharp, stayed locked on Monica.
> "I'll say this once."
"Get. Out. Of. My. Sight."
> "If I see you again—
you won't live to see the sunrise."
His voice was like frost—dead calm, yet brimming with deadly intent.
And then—
Thud!
With a casual flick of his wrist, Alex hurled Monica through the air—
like throwing out a piece of trash.
BOOM!
Her body slammed into the ground nearly ten meters away.
Tiles shattered, the floor cracking beneath her like a spiderweb.
The impact was so brutal that even the ground seemed to groan.
> "Ugh—!"
Monica coughed up a mouthful of blood, her body trembling.
She could feel it clearly—
several of her ribs were broken.
Gasps erupted around them.
People froze, eyes wide, mouths agape.
But when they realized who had done it—
the whispers stopped cold.
Homelander.
No one dared intervene.
Not even the security guards.
You'd have to be suicidal to step in front of him.
> "Monica!"
Latonia dashed forward, dropping to one knee beside her.
> "I… I'm fine…"
Monica tried to shake her head, but—
> "Ugh—!"
She vomited another mouthful of blood, her words dying halfway.
Her face darkened with fury as she glared at Alex's retreating back, who looked as calm as if nothing had happened.
> "Ungrateful bastard…!"
She growled, voice trembling with rage.
> "Catch him."
Though the negotiation had failed, Monica wasn't out of options.
She had plan B.
If Homelander refused to cooperate—
then they'd simply turn him into their puppet.
After all, Doctor Neuro's mind control was legendary.
He'd once made Diana herself forget she was Wonder Woman.
The Crime Company didn't know if the Doctor's technique worked on everyone,
but so far—
he'd never failed.
Of course, the catch was simple:
Once controlled, the victim's brain would be severely damaged.
But Monica didn't care.
If Homelander refused to submit, then so be it.
> "I should've done this sooner—you're the one who told me to wait!"
Latonia snarled, tearing the cloak from her shoulders.
> "Ahhh—!"
> "What the hell—!?"
Screams rippled through the crowd.
Half of Latonia's face gleamed cold and metallic, her arms entirely mechanical.
A woman of steel.
A monster of iron and flesh.
People recoiled in horror.
After all, this was still the early Gotham era,
when even Batman had only just begun his rise.
To see something so… inhuman—it was pure nightmare fuel.
> "Latonia!"
Monica, still clutching her ribs, called out sharply.
> "What now!?"
Latonia snapped back, annoyed.
> "Don't kill him. Bring him back alive!"
Monica's tone was stern.
> "I'll try," Latonia sneered, "but if I accidentally crush him, don't blame me."
> "We both know we're short on test subjects. This is a rare chance—don't ruin it!"
> "You talk too much."
Latonia rolled her eyes and turned away, striding toward Alex.
She stopped a few meters behind him.
> "Hey, Homelander!"
Alex didn't turn.
Crack!
Latonia's feet slammed into the floor, shattering it.
The ground cratered beneath her as shockwaves spread outward like spider cracks.
The power behind that step—terrifying.
Whoosh!
Using the recoil, Latonia launched forward like a cannon shell.
In a blink, she was right in front of Alex,
her steel fist arcing straight toward his skull.
Smack!
A crisp sound.
Alex didn't even flinch.
He simply turned,
and calmly raised one hand—
and caught her metal fist in midair.
Frozen.
Latonia's entire body stopped cold, her arm trembling but completely immobilized.
> "What—?!"
> "He… he caught it?"
She was stunned.
> "Impossible!"
She gritted her teeth, muscles bulging beneath steel plating as she poured every ounce of strength into her arm—
but Alex didn't even budge.
He stood there like a mountain, utterly unshakable.
Then—
CRACK!
A horrifying sound split the air.
Alex's grip tightened slightly,
and Latonia's mechanical fist—
exploded.
Metal fragments flew in all directions,
shattered into dust.
> "No… way!"
Latonia's eyes went wide.
Click-click-click!
She reacted instantly, forming a cannon on her remaining arm and firing point-blank.
BOOM!
The explosion roared through the hall, flames and shockwaves engulfing Alex.
> "Got him!"
Latonia's lips curled into a grim smile.
But a moment later—
that smile froze on her face.
Because when the smoke cleared,
Alex was still standing there.
Untouched.
Not a scratch.
He hadn't even blinked.
The flames reflected off his calm blue eyes as he said nothing—
like a god among insects.
To Latonia and Monica—
he wasn't human.
He was something else entirely.
A monster.
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