Chapter 25: A Field Mission Together
A middle-aged police officer wearing a bulletproof vest quickly stepped forward to et them. His eyes were bright, but his expression carried the sheer relief of seeing reinforcents rather than the typical fanaticism of a fan encountering superheroes.
Holander, draped in his cape, took a step forward and raised his hand to pat the officer’s shoulder. The force wasn’t heavy, but the veteran cop’s shoulder didn’t budge an inch under his palm—the man was steady.
"Captain," Holander’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for the surrounding officers to hear, "you guys are the real heroes here. We’re just here to play a supporting role. Alright, where are the gunn?"
The officer was deeply flattered, a trace of excitent flashing through his eyes. This was a legendary superhero, after all, actually praising him as a hero.
"Oh for God’s sake, please, stop giving him a look like you’re trying to get laid, alright?" Benjamin remarked dryly from the side.
Holander froze for a mont.
The police officer was also caught off guard, but he quickly recovered and said, "The gunn are on the thirty-first floor. Our n have already locked down all the ground exits."
Benjamin nodded, turning his head to look at Holander. "Take up. Thirty-first floor."
"Copy that."
Holander reached out and gripped Benjamin’s waist, utilizing the exact sa posture as when they arrived. Bending his knees slightly, he launched straight up into the air.
A violent blast of wind exploded across the street. The hair of a few reporters who had huddled too close was instantly blown into a bird’s nest, and a poorly secured police cap was whipped away, spinning three or four tis in midair before its owner leaped up to snare it.
The crowd erupted into deafening cheers once again, countless smartphones aiming simultaneously at the red-and-green trail ascending vertically against the building.
The windows of the thirty-first floor were locked under Holander’s gaze the exact instant the two approached.
Benjamin slamd the leading edge of his shield forward, shattering the window into a million pieces.
The two dropped into the corridor one after the other, their combat boots making a sharp crunching sound as they stepped over the blanket of shattered glass shards.
Holander led the way while Benjamin followed slightly behind him to the side, keeping his shield held defensively in front of his chest.
The door to the main office area was wide open. Two gunn were inside. Their weapons configuration wasn’t half bad.
The leader was the first to turn his head, catching sight of the two figures at the doorway who absolutely shouldn’t be there. Within a fraction of a second, his pupils shifted entirely from adrenaline-fueled anger to pure terror.
"Fu—" He didn’t even manage to finish the second syllable.
Holander had already materialized dead in front of him in an instant. Reaching out, he clamped a single hand around the barrel of the leader’s rifle, crumpling the tal inside his palm like a piece of paper.
Damn, that’s fucking fast, Benjamin muttered to himself. He had literally just unlocked Super Speed Lv1, yet he could barely track Holander’s silhouette. Then again, Holander’s super speed was probably around Lv5, practically matching A-Train’s pace.
Holander was secretly delighted, firmly believing that Benjamin’s internal reaction was a complint. Shoving his other hand against the leader’s chest, he pushed him off the conference table, sending him crashing heavily to the floor.
The leader struggled to push himself up.
"If I were you, I’d just stay down, unless you want your head accidentally stepped on and popped like a waterlon," Benjamin threatened, raising his heavy boot over the man.
The leader imdiately closed his eyes and played dead.
Right after that, Benjamin watched the second gunman get flattened by Holander as well.
Another instant translocation. That goddamn super speed again.
Benjamin couldn’t help but wonder if Holander was deliberately trying to show off in front of him; his efficiency at taking down these low-level criminals was frankly ridiculous...
Both gunn were completely neutralized. They were still breathing, limbs intact, but entirely stripped of their ability to fight back, curling into tight heaps on the floor from the sheer pain.
Holander stood up and looked back at Benjamin, his blue eyes incredibly bright.
Benjamin gave him a single, firm nod of approval.
Catching the gesture, Holander stood there, looking even happier.
"Hostages are safe, criminals are secure. Have the police SWAT team co up and take over," Benjamin said, pressing his communicator.
When the two walked out of the building’s main entrance, the cheers from both sides of the street practically tore the roof off Madison Avenue.
The police officer hurried over to et them, and Holander stepped forward to pat his shoulder once more. "Hero, it’s your turn to take the stage."
Then Holander grabbed Benjamin and launched them straight back into the sky.
------
That afternoon, Vought Tower, Madelyn Stillwell’s private office.
The tablet resting on the desk in front of her was looping footage from the mission site—the seamless father-son synergy during the breach, the highly efficient and bloodless containnt, and the roaring cheers greeting them as they exited the building.
She shut off the video, leaning back against her chair as she closed her eyes.
Vought had secured everything it wanted from this mission, but the better they coordinated, and the more the public embraced this father-son duo, the fewer cards Vought would have left to play.
I have to find a way to control Holander, Madelyn thought to herself, but for the life of her, she couldn’t co up with a viable solution right now. At this point, it was already a miracle that Holander hadn’t slaughtered her yet.
anwhile, the footage of the father-son duo played on an endless loop across the internet, the view counts climbing relentlessly...
------
A/N: Next goal: 200 Power Stones = 1 bonus Chapter!
And if you want to read ahead and find out what happens next right away, you can get up to 20 Chapters ahead on my p@tr~on:
/ForgottenDaoist (@ = a, link is in my profile).
User Comments
0 comments from readers