"What?"
Hearing that, Axel snapped the camera shut and walked over to Floyd.
Seeing how terrified her father looked, Zoe pressed her lips together, then cautiously spoke to Axel.
"Are you a bad guy? Mommy always says Daddy is a bad guy. So is Daddy working for you?"
"Ah, huh?"
Axel grinned and rubbed her head.
"Don't listen to your mom's nonsense. I'm a damn good..."
"Axel!"
Beside him, Selina gritted her teeth and jabbed his calf with the tip of her high heel.
"Don't swear in front of a child!"
"Ah, right..."
Axel nodded innocently, then patted Floyd's shoulder.
"Sorry about that. I tend to swear when I speak English. Hope you understand."
"I understand, absolutely! I slip sometimes too!"
Floyd nodded quickly, picking up the thick documents he had dropped.
Axel studied him briefly, then turned to Selina.
"Who is he?"
"Deadshot."
"Wow."
Axel's eyes lit up. In an instant, Zoe was already in his arms.
Floyd did not even notice when it happened. When he realized, his eyes widened in shock.
As a professional killer, he understood exactly what that meant.
People might compare speedsters like the Flash or beings like Superman, but criminals feared them differently. Heroes do not kill. At worst, they fail.
Floyd swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on his daughter.
Meanwhile, Axel gently patted Zoe's head.
"What's your name, and how old are you?"
"My name is Zoe. I'm three years and nine months old."
"Very good. But why do you think I'm a bad guy?"
"Sorry, Uncle, I didn't mean it."
"It's Big Brother."
"Uncle..."
"Big Brother."
"Sigh."
Axel clicked his tongue, then handed her back without ceremony.
"Here, take her. This kid is impossible."
Floyd immediately hugged Zoe tightly, relief clear on his face.
Selina pursed her lips, then spoke.
"The list you gave is too extensive. Only a top professional can handle it efficiently, so I followed leads and found Floyd.
Even if you hadn't shown up, I would have convinced him. Axel, what do you think about us becoming this child's godfather and godmother?"
"What?"
Axel chuckled and glanced at her stomach.
"You want a kid?"
"Damn it, I'm serious. Can we use those titles to shelter people in danger?
If your name stands behind them, people like Floyd wouldn't have to fear government pressure anymore. You could become a shield for many."
Axel scratched his head.
"So I have to protect people now? Sounds exhausting."
"You don't need to do anything personally. Just let your name be used. That alone is enough."
"I get it. Fine, do whatever you want."
Axel nodded, then rubbed Selina's head with a grin.
"Just don't scare me like that again. When you called for help, I thought I had to drag you back from hell. That would have been a hassle."
He pinched her cheek lightly.
"I'm going back to work on the battle suits with those two. See you."
With that, flames engulfed him and he vanished.
A moment later, chaos finally erupted inside the Houston Museum of Natural Science as delayed screams filled the air.
Selina acted immediately.
"The plane is on the roof. Follow me."
"No problem, but I need a room for my daughter tonight."
"Relax. I'm richer now than I ever was with the Falcone family. We have more than enough space."
She led Floyd through the crowd and onto the rooftop.
The sleek vertical takeoff jet marked with the Wayne Enterprises logo hummed with blue energy.
Floyd stared at it in disbelief.
"How is the Wraith connected to Wayne Enterprises?"
"You'll understand later. Even Bruce Wayne has to show respect around me."
Selina smiled, clearly pleased.
She did not care why Axel came. What mattered was that he came when she called.
For all his flaws, his presence brought a sense of security few could match.
---
Meanwhile, at Wayne Manor.
As Axel reappeared, Lex Luthor immediately stepped forward and removed the vibrating earplugs from Axel's ears.
Placing them on the table, he nodded toward Bruce.
"The results are clear. Axel does not rely on his ears to hear.
At a certain level of evolution, organs exist more for form than function."
Bruce nodded.
"Agreed. But our focus is why Axel functions this way.
If his ears are inactive yet he still perceives sound, then another system must be processing that information."
"Exactly," Lex replied. "And that system can only be the brain."
He held up a test report.
"His body is structurally identical to a normal human. The difference lies in his brain.
Even without active use, the complexity of his neural structure far exceeds ours.
His brain has taken over his sensory functions and expanded them outward."
Bruce narrowed his eyes.
"So his perception is not receiving information. It is already everywhere."
"What are you even saying?"
Axel frowned and smacked Lex lightly on the shoulder.
"You two are making it sound like I don't have a brain."
Lex steadied himself, clearly annoyed.
"Can you even understand what we're explaining?"
"I don't, but I get the idea."
Lex sighed, then spoke more simply.
"Think of it like telekinesis."
"Of course I know that."
"Good. Then imagine your five senses working like that.
Not for moving objects, but for gathering information.
Your mind spreads outward like a network, covering everything.
It collects data and sends it back to you in a way you understand.
Your body grew stronger, and your brain evolved alongside it.
While your body became a weapon, your brain became the ultimate information system.
That is why you can perceive everything. You are not using your senses in the normal way. Your awareness is simply everywhere."
Lex paused.
"Does that make sense?"
Axel thought for a moment, then looked up.
"So you're saying my brain is just really strong?"
Lex stared at him.
"Forget it."
____
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