[The Seven Tower Command Hall]
Alex was bored and was using "Insight" on everyone present.
He looked at them one by one.
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[Name: Annie (Starlight)]
[Life Level: Level 4 (Superhuman)]
[Status: Normal]
———
[Name: Maeve (Queen Maeve)]
[Life Level: Level 4 (Superhuman)]
[Status: Normal]
———
[Name: Black Noir]
[Life Level: Level 4 (Superhuman)]
[Status: Nervous]
———
[Name: Ashley]
[Life Level: Level 2 (Mortal)]
[Status: Irritated]
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[Insight: Proficiency 8/10]
'Hmm, this talent needs to be upgraded.'
At this moment, Ashley asked with a smile plastered on her face, "Homelander, have you picked someone?"
Alex let out an "oh" and looked at the tablet.
"Her."
He handed the tablet to Ashley.
"The replacement for the Deep, Element Woman. Help her arrange a time to come see me together with Ice Princess and the others."
Ashley let out a slight sigh of relief, "Okay, I'll contact her right away."
Just then, Alex's eyes lit up, and information appeared on his retina.
[Disaster event detected.]
[Are you willing to handle this event?]
After Alex chose to accept it, new information unfolded.
[You have accepted this event.]
[Event Name: Rise of the Night Nation. Starfire]
[Description: The extremist organization 'Dark Night Council' has launched another operation. At present, they have taken control of the third to fifth floors of the Walmart department store and are holding 756 hostages. Their strength is insignificant to you, but a single spark can start a prairie fire. Do not lower your guard.]
[Event Requirements: 1. Rescue more than half of the hostages; 2. Kill the mastermind Gandi Alda.]
[Event Start!]
As the information vanished, the alarm in the hall sounded, followed by the appearance of PR director Raven Nora on a TV screen.
["Homelander, the city police headquarters is requesting our assistance."]
Looking at the woman he had slept with several times, Alex smiled, "What happened?"
["This morning, Walmart department store was infiltrated by extremists. They claim to have installed a poison gas bomb inside the mall. Once detonated, it can kill everyone in the building within five minutes."]
["This extremist organization calling itself the 'Dark Night Council' is demanding that the government release two major criminals currently imprisoned on Lux Island."]
["At present, floors three through five of Walmart are under the extremists' control."]
["They are holding a total of 756 hostages, including mall executives, staff, security personnel, and others."]
["The city police headquarters has already dispatched one hundred officers to surround the mall and is actively negotiating with the extremists, but with very little effect."]
["Right now, the Queens precinct chief in charge of this incident, Benjamin has arrived at the scene."]
Alex nodded, stood up, and looked at Maeve and the others.
"Let's go."
Starlight looked eager, "Homelander, can I go too?"
Alex thought for a moment, then smiled, "Yes, but you have to stay with the police."
"You'll need to comfort those gentlemen and make them have confidence in us."
Starlight clenched her fist, "Leave it to me!"
———
[Queens, Walmart Department Store]
Alex floated in midair holding Maeve. The wind lifted Maeve's long hair. Alex took a deep breath.
"Smells great. What brand of shampoo do you use?"
Maeve looked helpless, "Do we really have to talk about daily necessities right now?"
Alex laughed, then his eyes lit up as he scanned the inside of the department store, "There are two people at the rooftop stairway entrance. They're carrying AK47s and grenades."
"There are hostages on the fifth floor in the furniture section. Quite a few of them. Twelve armed militants guarding them, fully equipped."
"Hmm! There are snipers nearby too. If we rush in through the windows, we'll be riddled with bullets."
"Are you really not free tonight?"
Maeve rolled her eyes lightly, "How about we finish this first, and then talk about dates? What do you think?"
"Deal," Alex smiled and pressed his earpiece, "Black Noir, I want you to appear at the front entrance of the mall. Put pressure on those guys upstairs and give the police a chance to negotiate."
"Starlight, have the officers drag out the time as much as possible. Queen Maeve and I will find a way to rescue the hostages."
After saying that, Alex looked at the woman beside him.
"Any ideas?"
Maeve narrowed her eyes slightly, "Subduing the criminals isn't hard. The key issue is the poison gas bomb."
"If we can find the bomb first and disarm it, things will be much easier."
Alex said, "I can scan the entire mall, but it'll take some time."
Maeve reminded him, "There might be more than one bomb."
Alex nodded, then carried Maeve around to the fifth floor and slipped in through a window in the children's playground area.
This area was under renovation and not yet open, completely empty.
The Dark Night Council didn't have enough manpower to control every corner of the entire mall.
So they had gathered the hostages on each floor and stationed them on the fifth and fourth floors.
The remaining areas were monitored using the mall's surveillance system.
During his earlier scan, Alex had already confirmed that there were no cameras installed here yet, which was why he felt safe infiltrating with Maeve from this spot.
"We split up," Maeve said.
Alex gave her a pat on her firm, springy backside.
"Go," Maeve shot him a glare but didn't say anything, lowering her body and quickly heading toward the main entrance.
Alex pressed his earpiece, "Black Noir, you can move now."
———
At the same time—
Outside the mall entrance, the police parted to either side as Black Noir, dressed entirely in black, walked out.
He raised both hands high, showing that he had no hostile intent.
Beside him, a negotiator held a microphone, ["People inside, listen up. Black Noir is here. You've already attracted the attention of the Seven."]
["If I were you, I'd accept the conditions proposed by the police."]
The response to the negotiator was a bullet fired into the ground.
Then the mall's broadcast system came on.
["Cut the crap. Do what we say."]
["Release our comrade Luen Kate immediately, or every ten minutes, we kill one hostage."]
["This is the first!"]
A scream followed as someone was pushed off the fifth floor, falling toward the ground.
"Oh my God."
Queens police chief Ben Benjamin, already over forty, kept wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
Then he looked at the young woman beside him.
"Will Homelander really rescue the hostages?"
Starlight nodded firmly, "Please believe in the Seven, Chief. Homelander and Queen Maeve have already begun their operation."
"Believe me, they've already infiltrated the mall and are waiting for the right moment to rescue the hostages."
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