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Chapter 288: The Target is Mike?
A.R.G.U.S.
"Look, here he comes!" a young girl in an A.R.G.U.S. uniform whispered.
"That's the legendary Captain Williams."
"Maybe I can get a photo with him?"
"Better not. He looks so serious."
As they spoke, Mike Williams walked past them with a blank expression, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
It was an unremarkable day for a high-ranking agent. Clock in, attend meetings, write reports, and clock out on time. Perfectly ordinary, without a single flaw.
Mike's android duplicate operated perfectly. Its programming made it indistinguishable from a real person, making it more than sufficient for the daily routine of commuting and clocking in at the office.
He even had his own little place: a small apartment in a decent location, with a view of bustling streets and the dazzling lights of the commercial district through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Mike returned home, took out his key, and opened the door. Upon entering, he found the television on, its bluish glow illuminating the dim living room. A talk show was playing.
"Yes, Batman took down the Mad Hatter. I'm not saying he isn't impressive—he completely crushed that madman in both strategy and ability and kicked him straight into Arkham," the host with the round belly said.
"But what I'm saying is, so what? Gotham is still the city with the highest crime rate. Batman's appearance has only transitioned the city from one era of crime to a new one."
"So my point is, why does Batman have to be so fixated on this place? Why can't he spend more time on Justice League activities... I don't know, like saving the world or improving people's lives?"
Mike walked to the still-playing television, his expression seeming to shift slightly.
The TV couldn't have been left on by mistake. There was only one explanation: someone had broken in.
Following the normal logic for the identity he was currently playing, Mike drew his gun and looked around warily.
A dark figure materialized behind him.
Without a second thought, Mike spun around and pulled the trigger. The gun fired, its muzzle flashing as the bullet shot out. It was a special-issue A.R.G.U.S. sidearm, and it hit the target dead-on. But the spinning bullet failed to penetrate the solid barrier, deforming on impact against the tall figure with a shower of sparks before clattering to the floor.
Emerging from the darkness behind him was a ghastly, pale face. It had the color of a zombie, as if the skin of a clown had been stretched over a withered skull. Its scarlet eyes shone with a demonic light, and its wide cape nearly touched the floor.
Tomb Demon.
"Hello, Agent Williams," the Tomb Demon said in a low voice. "I apologize for what's about to happen... but I need you."
***
"Sir, you instructed me to report any noteworthy information... I believe this might qualify," Pal advised.
"Hm?"
Orin Vale, who was busy studying the Mother Box, swiveled around in his chair to look at Pal.
"What's the situation?"
"Our Agent Williams, the android duplicate... has been attacked."
Orin Vale: "?"
The duplicate? Attacked?
Pulling up the surveillance feed from the android duplicate, Orin Vale recognized the assailant at a glance and was stunned.
Tomb Demon?
Shouldn't this psycho be targeting the Justice League? What's he doing coming after my A.R.G.U.S. agent pseudonym?
But he quickly understood.
Orin Vale recalled that in the original story, before approaching the Justice League, the Tomb Demon's first step was to attack each of the League members' respective villains to learn about their abilities and weaknesses.
The second step was to kidnap Steve Trevor, who at the time served as the liaison between A.R.G.U.S. and the Justice League—the very position now held by Agent Williams.
He wanted to learn the Watchtower's security protocols and access codes, using this as a wedge to destroy the trust between the League's members.
In the span of a single thought, Orin Vale had already flown out of Gotham and zipped into Agent Williams' small apartment.
He entered while maintaining his High Gear, shielding his mind with a telepathic shield.
This way, the Tomb Demon couldn't sense his spirit. On a physical level, at such high speeds, time was practically frozen for a normal person; even if he strolled right past the Tomb Demon's eyes, he wouldn't be seen.
Orin Vale came to a stop in the room. At this moment, the agent lay beaten unconscious, while the Tomb Demon stood before him in the shadows, striking a villainously terrifying pose. In Orin Vale's eyes, however, he seemed frozen in place, as if by a stasis spell.
Orin Vale unhurriedly gave him a full-body scan.
The source of the Tomb Demon's power was never made clear in the original story; it remained vague even after he was defeated, only known to be some kind of mystical power. This was a new system Orin Vale had never encountered before. While it might not be particularly strong, scanning and recording it to expand his knowledge was always a good idea.
His body looked bizarre, at first glance seeming like some kind of ghostly creation. But the scan revealed it was actually a suit, or rather, armor. It was armor forged from some kind of ice crystal structure, covering his entire body.
Although he was a mind-attacking type of villain, this layer also gave him decent durability. Boosted by its magical attributes, it was enough to negate Superman's Heat Vision, though it was ultimately shattered by Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
Furthermore, Orin Vale's continued scan revealed he was covered in a strange substance, similar to some sort of spirit entity. In the original story, these things were called Ghouls. They were parasitic spirit creatures that fed on life force and excelled at transforming into the most important person someone had lost, trapping them in their most painful memories.
That was the Tomb Demon's greatest weapon, and it was precisely this that allowed him to "first-encounter kill" the Justice League.
However, taking advantage of the slowed time, Orin Vale carefully scanned these things called Ghouls, inside and out. Based on an analysis using his knowledge of DC science and magic, he was certain they weren't much of a threat.
In the comics, these things feared the light of a Green Lantern. As products of negative emotion, they feared light, especially light from the positive energy side of the Emotional Spectrum.
And Orin Vale is Light.
But the Ghouls currently possessing the Tomb Demon were only a very small fraction of the whole.
In the Tomb Demon's stronghold—the temple he found in an ancient mountain range based on mythological texts—there were countless Ghouls. The Tomb Demon was merely a vessel; they were the real threat.
Originally, Orin Vale had planned to let the Justice League handle this themselves. But since the man had delivered experience points right to his doorstep, it seemed a bit rude not to accept them.
So, after a moment's thought, Orin Vale, still moving at a speed too fast for the Tomb Demon to perceive, picked up the android duplicate lying before him.
Then, he split off a high-speed afterimage and had it lie down in the exact same position.
He knew very well that it wouldn't be long before the Tomb Demon took his "prisoner of war" back to his headquarters—the nest of the Ghouls.
He was sure the Ghouls would be very excited when they saw what a "treasure" he was bringing back to them.
(end of chapter)
A.R.G.U.S.
"Look, here he comes!" a young girl in an A.R.G.U.S. uniform whispered.
"That's the legendary Captain Williams."
"Maybe I can get a photo with him?"
"Better not. He looks so serious."
As they spoke, Mike Williams walked past them with a blank expression, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
It was an unremarkable day for a high-ranking agent. Clock in, attend meetings, write reports, and clock out on time. Perfectly ordinary, without a single flaw.
Mike's android duplicate operated perfectly. Its programming made it indistinguishable from a real person, making it more than sufficient for the daily routine of commuting and clocking in at the office.
He even had his own little place: a small apartment in a decent location, with a view of bustling streets and the dazzling lights of the commercial district through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Mike returned home, took out his key, and opened the door. Upon entering, he found the television on, its bluish glow illuminating the dim living room. A talk show was playing.
"Yes, Batman took down the Mad Hatter. I'm not saying he isn't impressive—he completely crushed that madman in both strategy and ability and kicked him straight into Arkham," the host with the round belly said.
"But what I'm saying is, so what? Gotham is still the city with the highest crime rate. Batman's appearance has only transitioned the city from one era of crime to a new one."
"So my point is, why does Batman have to be so fixated on this place? Why can't he spend more time on Justice League activities... I don't know, like saving the world or improving people's lives?"
Mike walked to the still-playing television, his expression seeming to shift slightly.
The TV couldn't have been left on by mistake. There was only one explanation: someone had broken in.
Following the normal logic for the identity he was currently playing, Mike drew his gun and looked around warily.
A dark figure materialized behind him.
Without a second thought, Mike spun around and pulled the trigger. The gun fired, its muzzle flashing as the bullet shot out. It was a special-issue A.R.G.U.S. sidearm, and it hit the target dead-on. But the spinning bullet failed to penetrate the solid barrier, deforming on impact against the tall figure with a shower of sparks before clattering to the floor.
Emerging from the darkness behind him was a ghastly, pale face. It had the color of a zombie, as if the skin of a clown had been stretched over a withered skull. Its scarlet eyes shone with a demonic light, and its wide cape nearly touched the floor.
Tomb Demon.
"Hello, Agent Williams," the Tomb Demon said in a low voice. "I apologize for what's about to happen... but I need you."
***
"Sir, you instructed me to report any noteworthy information... I believe this might qualify," Pal advised.
"Hm?"
Orin Vale, who was busy studying the Mother Box, swiveled around in his chair to look at Pal.
"What's the situation?"
"Our Agent Williams, the android duplicate... has been attacked."
Orin Vale: "?"
The duplicate? Attacked?
Pulling up the surveillance feed from the android duplicate, Orin Vale recognized the assailant at a glance and was stunned.
Tomb Demon?
Shouldn't this psycho be targeting the Justice League? What's he doing coming after my A.R.G.U.S. agent pseudonym?
But he quickly understood.
Orin Vale recalled that in the original story, before approaching the Justice League, the Tomb Demon's first step was to attack each of the League members' respective villains to learn about their abilities and weaknesses.
The second step was to kidnap Steve Trevor, who at the time served as the liaison between A.R.G.U.S. and the Justice League—the very position now held by Agent Williams.
He wanted to learn the Watchtower's security protocols and access codes, using this as a wedge to destroy the trust between the League's members.
In the span of a single thought, Orin Vale had already flown out of Gotham and zipped into Agent Williams' small apartment.
He entered while maintaining his High Gear, shielding his mind with a telepathic shield.
This way, the Tomb Demon couldn't sense his spirit. On a physical level, at such high speeds, time was practically frozen for a normal person; even if he strolled right past the Tomb Demon's eyes, he wouldn't be seen.
Orin Vale came to a stop in the room. At this moment, the agent lay beaten unconscious, while the Tomb Demon stood before him in the shadows, striking a villainously terrifying pose. In Orin Vale's eyes, however, he seemed frozen in place, as if by a stasis spell.
Orin Vale unhurriedly gave him a full-body scan.
The source of the Tomb Demon's power was never made clear in the original story; it remained vague even after he was defeated, only known to be some kind of mystical power. This was a new system Orin Vale had never encountered before. While it might not be particularly strong, scanning and recording it to expand his knowledge was always a good idea.
His body looked bizarre, at first glance seeming like some kind of ghostly creation. But the scan revealed it was actually a suit, or rather, armor. It was armor forged from some kind of ice crystal structure, covering his entire body.
Although he was a mind-attacking type of villain, this layer also gave him decent durability. Boosted by its magical attributes, it was enough to negate Superman's Heat Vision, though it was ultimately shattered by Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
Furthermore, Orin Vale's continued scan revealed he was covered in a strange substance, similar to some sort of spirit entity. In the original story, these things were called Ghouls. They were parasitic spirit creatures that fed on life force and excelled at transforming into the most important person someone had lost, trapping them in their most painful memories.
That was the Tomb Demon's greatest weapon, and it was precisely this that allowed him to "first-encounter kill" the Justice League.
However, taking advantage of the slowed time, Orin Vale carefully scanned these things called Ghouls, inside and out. Based on an analysis using his knowledge of DC science and magic, he was certain they weren't much of a threat.
In the comics, these things feared the light of a Green Lantern. As products of negative emotion, they feared light, especially light from the positive energy side of the Emotional Spectrum.
And Orin Vale is Light.
But the Ghouls currently possessing the Tomb Demon were only a very small fraction of the whole.
In the Tomb Demon's stronghold—the temple he found in an ancient mountain range based on mythological texts—there were countless Ghouls. The Tomb Demon was merely a vessel; they were the real threat.
Originally, Orin Vale had planned to let the Justice League handle this themselves. But since the man had delivered experience points right to his doorstep, it seemed a bit rude not to accept them.
So, after a moment's thought, Orin Vale, still moving at a speed too fast for the Tomb Demon to perceive, picked up the android duplicate lying before him.
Then, he split off a high-speed afterimage and had it lie down in the exact same position.
He knew very well that it wouldn't be long before the Tomb Demon took his "prisoner of war" back to his headquarters—the nest of the Ghouls.
He was sure the Ghouls would be very excited when they saw what a "treasure" he was bringing back to them.
(end of chapter)
