Seeing Alex walk toward her daughter Zoe, Victoria's face turned pale with fright, and she instinctively stepped forward.
Alex turned his head back. Deep in his eyes, his gaze was unfathomable, his expression playful.
"Don't move, dear Victoria."
Even though the man wore a smile, Victoria trembled all over, and the foot she had just stepped out drew back again.
She raised her hands, forcing a smile, and said to Homelander, "Please don't hurt her."
Then she said to her daughter, "Zoe, go back to your room. I have something to talk about with my friend."
Alex smiled faintly, placing his hand on Zoe's head, "Victoria, listen to what you're saying."
"We're friends. Why would I hurt your daughter?"
"Besides, she's so cute, just like an angel."
Alex picked Zoe up and said with a grin, "You're just as beautiful as your mother, dear."
Zoe said politely, "Thank you, Uncle John."
Seeing Alex pick up her daughter, Victoria's legs went weak. She quickly held onto the table to keep from collapsing.
"I admit I didn't try my best."
"But I didn't do it on purpose, sir."
"I've just been too busy lately. I swear, I'll get you information tomorrow."
"I promise I'll do everything I can for you this time."
"So, could you please let Zoe go back to her room to sleep?"
But Alex showed no intention of putting Zoe down.
Holding Zoe, he walked toward Victoria, "It's still early, and tomorrow is the weekend. Zoe probably doesn't have school."
"Right, Zoe?"
The pretty little girl nodded, "Yes, Zoe doesn't have school."
"I'm going to fly a kite tomorrow. Mom promised to spend half a day with me."
"Really?"
"That's great."
"Uncle John is also very good at flying kites. How about I take you out tomorrow?", Alex gently pinched the girl's cheek.
Victoria's face was pale, her breathing rapid. She quickly signaled to her daughter with her eyes, wanting her to refuse.
But Zoe said, "Okay! Mom, can Uncle John come with us tomorrow to fly kites?"
Victoria quickly said, "Zoe, don't be silly."
"Uncle John is very busy. He doesn't have time to go fly kites with us."
She looked at Alex again, her eyes pleading, "Sir, I'll start working tomorrow."
"No, I'll make calls right now."
"I have a few friends. They might have a way."
Alex saw that she was scared enough, and only then did he set Zoe down, gently giving the girl a push.
"Go to bed, Zoe."
"Remember to close the door. I still need to talk with your mother for a while."
Zoe nodded, looked at her mother, and Victoria forced a smile, "Listen to your uncle. Close the door."
After the little girl left, Alex sat on the sofa, sizing up Victoria.
This woman seemed to have Indian ancestry, her looks quite distinctive.
Not very old, with a certain charm.
Especially now, dressed in professional attire, long legs wrapped in black stockings under a narrow skirt. Because of fear, she looked delicate and pitiful. Her big eyes shimmered with moisture, giving her a unique appeal under the light.
Alex suddenly said, "Turn off the lights."
Victoria's body trembled, but she still obediently turned them off.
Alex beckoned, "Come here. Sit down. Let's talk."
Watching the usually decisive congresswoman now walk over like a docile kitten, then sit on his lap as he wished, Alex felt pleased.
His large hand rested on Victoria's leg as he smiled, "You're divorced?"
Victoria nodded, "For several years now."
"Raising a child alone isn't easy, right?"
Victoria forced a smile, "It's okay. Zoe is quite obedient."
She suddenly shivered.
Alex smiled, "Then is her mother also very obedient?"
Victoria's body trembled more and more. Mixed emotions tangled together, leaving her mind in chaos.
Yet she still instinctively answered, "I'll listen to you, sir."
"Is that so?"
"Then next…"
"Please don't make any sound."
"You wouldn't want to wake Zoe, would you?"
Alex said with a smile from the shadows.
———
That night, Zoe slept soundly.
When she woke up the next day, she found that her mother still hadn't gotten up.
So she went to the bedroom and saw her mother still fast asleep.
"Looks like Mom worked all night again."
Zoe shook her head and decided not to wake her, going to the kitchen alone to find something to eat.
———
[Weekend]
Alex came alone to the Crime Analysis Division.
His little follower Anika was on duty today. No one else was in the division. The girl had boldly kicked off her shoes, wearing shorts, her legs crossed and propped up on the desk.
Eyes closed, she was listening to music, holding a bag of chips, tossing a few into her mouth from time to time.
Alex walked over and carefully looked at Anika's legs.
He had to admit, foreign girls really did have a natural advantage when it came to legs.
Long and straight, and since they liked to exercise, there was a natural, healthy kind of beauty.
Alex withdrew his gaze and took off Anika's earphones.
The girl immediately jumped up, "Damn it, Jack! Do you know who my boss is right now?"
"Dare to touch my earphones, you're dead!"
When she saw it was Alex, she quickly stepped back, her hands not knowing where to go.
She called out weakly, "Boss."
Then she pushed the chips forward, "Want some chips, boss?"
Alex just smiled at her habit of feeding snacks to superheroes, then said, "No, you eat."
"Can we access the federal surveillance network?"
"I want to find something."
Seeing Alex refuse the chips, Anika let out a sigh of relief, as if worried he'd eat all her snacks.
It made Alex find it amusing.
Anika set the chips aside, put on a pair of plain glasses, and said, "No problem, boss."
"A mere federal surveillance network is nothing to me."
"Although they only authorized us access to the New York region, as long as I want, you can view any city in the country."
With her back to Alex, she bent over, leaning on the desk as she started typing on the keyboard.
Alex admired the girl's shapely figure, feeling the urge to give it a smack.
But as the "boss," Alex paid attention to his image.
He shifted slightly to the side to avoid affecting that image.
After a moment, Anika straightened up, picked up her chips, "All set, boss. Tell me where you want to look."
"No need, I'll do it myself," Now that Alex possessed the "information domain" ability, he could turn into a hacker at any time, and a top-tier one at that.
It was just that he wasn't very familiar with networks yet. Even if he connected to the federal system, it would take some time to locate the surveillance network.
Better to let Anika help a little. And he could enjoy the view while staying healthy. Why not?
He pulled over a chair and sat down. Under Anika's gaze, as if watching a panda perform tricks, Alex placed his hands on the keyboard but didn't type.
From the tips of his fingers, streams of information suddenly flowed out, connecting into the surveillance network.
In an instant, countless images flashed before Alex's eyes. Massive amounts of information flooded into his vision.
For an ordinary person, this kind of information overload would have already blown their brain apart.
But Alex had a "quantum sub-brains." As soon as the flood of data came in, those invisible "quantum brains" began working.
With computational power surpassing the most advanced supercomputers, they easily processed all the information for Alex.
Then, with a single thought, Alex could see whatever he wanted.
Immediately, countless scenes appeared before him.
New York streets, inside apartments, corners of roads across the entire federation.
Nothing was a secret anymore.
He could even connect through the surveillance network to every citizen's phone, using their cameras to see scene after scene.
At this moment, Alex was like a computer, rapidly filtering information in the billions.
All the "quantum sub-brains" worked simultaneously, allowing him to perform billions of calculations every second.
Anika ate chips while watching her boss enter a dazed state.
Before she knew what was happening, her computer began flickering.
Then all the screens in the division started flickering.
Anika slowly backed away.
Fortunately, the flickering didn't last long before stopping, and then she saw Alex stand up.
Alex smiled, "Quite cautious, these guys."
"They didn't appear in any camera. Fine, that makes it more interesting."
Then Alex glanced at Anika and said with a smile, "Nice shoes."
Anika looked down at the high heels she had just bought and said proudly, "Boss, I've got good taste, right?"
She added, "They're just a bit expensive. After buying them, I'll have to eat instant noodles for the rest of the month."
Alex glanced at her, shook his head, then said, "Check your phone."
Anika froze for a moment, then took out her phone.
A message appeared.
A bank message.
Her account had just received 10,000.
Anika immediately cheered, rushed over, hugged Alex, and kissed him, "Boss, I love you to death."
"Is that so?"
"Then I'll come find you tonight?", Alex said deliberately.
Only then did Anika realize the seriousness of the situation and quickly said, "Boss, I have plans tonight."
Alex laughed and left.
———
[Chinatown]
Alex walked upstairs. As he reached the second floor, the door opened.
The wolf girl Kimiko stood behind it. Today she wore a white printed short T-shirt, denim shorts, barefoot on the floor.
Seeing Alex, she looked a bit fearful and stepped back slightly.
Alex walked straight in, casually closing the door behind him, then glanced upstairs, "Is Caitlin awake?"
Kimiko gestured: [She's up. I heard her washing.]
Alex nodded, then held Kimiko's face, "Go get ready. We're heading out soon. Come along with us."
Kimiko jumped back like she'd been shocked, landing on the sofa like a wild cat, her eyes flashing with hostility.
Alex smiled, walked over, and patted her head, "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."
"As long as you behave."
"And you should fix that habit."
"Don't jump around suddenly. It scares people outside."
"I've already found a scapegoat for you. Soon your criminal record will be cleared."
"Later, I'll get you a proper identity. You'll be able to live in this country without worry."
"This country isn't great, but as long as you have money, you can still live fairly freely."
Alex took out a credit card and flicked it into her collar, smiling, "This is for you. Buy whatever you want."
"Live well. You'll see Mouse soon enough."
Kimiko froze, then nodded lightly.
Alex patted her head again, like soothing a cat, before leaving.
Kimiko stood up, and the credit card slipped out from under her T-shirt.
She remembered how Alex had tossed it into her clothes just now, and that the card had come from that man's body.
Her face flushed slightly as she picked it up.
Thinking about her difficult life, this was the first time someone had treated her so well. Her eyes grew a little moist.
Moments later, she heard footsteps coming downstairs.
Kimiko quickly put away the card, found a baseball cap, and put it on. Then she heard the blind girl Caitlin's voice in the hallway.
"Thank you, Mr. John."
"I want to pick out a guide dog, but I'm afraid of being cheated."
"It's really great that you're willing to go with me."
Their voices gradually faded.
Kimiko followed them out, trailing behind.
———
Today, Caitlin wanted to buy a guide dog. Alex was happy to accompany her.
Fighting and killing all day was exhausting.
Alex felt that sometimes he needed to relax. Besides, it was a good opportunity to build a relationship with Caitlin.
The two walked onto the street and soon arrived at the subway station.
There were quite a lot of people today. It was the weekend, after all.
There were many asian people in Chinatown, but also some American and African people mixed in.
While walking, a young man slipped his hand into Alex's pocket.
Alex had no intention of playing nice. Without a word, he grabbed the man's hand. With a slight squeeze of his fingers, the man let out a pig-like scream.
His hand was crushed out of shape. He would never be able to use it again.
"What happened?"
"Is someone hurt?"
Caitlin turned around, her face nearly bumping into Alex's mouth.
It was the first time they had been so close.
Alex smiled, "Someone wasn't watching where they were going and tripped themselves."
Caitlin giggled, "Really? I thought only I would make that kind of mistake."
As they talked, they boarded the subway. It was crowded, almost impossible to move.
If Caitlin were alone, she'd probably have to wait for the next train.
But today Alex was there. He pushed forward forcefully. His arms spread slightly, and the crowd in front parted.
He brought Caitlin to a corner, forming a protective circle around her with his arms.
Even so, the subway was packed. The two were almost pressed together.
Alex could hear Caitlin's heartbeat speeding up, her blood flowing faster than usual.
He wasn't surprised. Being this close to the strongest man on the planet, what woman could stay completely unaffected?
However, Alex didn't want his relationship with Caitlin to become too intimate, so he subtly stepped back a little.
Creating a bit of distance between them.
Caitlin had been feeling her heart race, sensing the masculine presence behind her.
That presence naturally drew her in, stirring something deep inside her.
But then Alex suddenly stepped back, and that solid, strong presence vanished.
It felt as if something supporting her had suddenly been pulled away, leaving her feeling strangely empty inside.
Her feet shifted slightly inside her shoes.
She almost had the urge to lean back toward Alex, to seek that solid support again.
The subway started moving, swaying gently.
Without turning, Alex knew a few girls had taken the opportunity to lean against him.
He raised his head, his gaze falling on a screen inside the subway.
A program was playing.
["Today, we're honored to have Starlight take us to visit Vought's experimental base."]
["This facility researches the world's most cutting-edge biological and genetic technologies, dedicated to improving our lives and health."]
["Next, let's follow Starlight into the base."]
On the screen, Starlight appeared, with her wavy hair and bright, attractive features.
Dressed in her revealing, low-cut suit, her long legs encased in high boots, she wore a professional smile.
Following the script arranged by Vought's marketing department, she promoted the company's products to the camera.
———
At this moment, inside Vought's experimental base, Starlight led a tour group. After visiting the tech park and product exhibition hall, it was now break time.
She said she needed a short rest, then slipped away from the visitors and Vought staff, quietly approaching a laboratory.
At that moment, a lab worker in a white coat came to the door, entered a code into the lock, and went inside.
As soon as he entered, Starlight quickly moved forward. Before the door closed, she slipped into the lab as well.
Inside, Starlight immediately saw the Compound V stored in temperature-controlled containers.
Her eyes lit up, golden light shining from her pupils, making her look both mysterious and beautiful.
Under her control, the rows of lights in the lab suddenly flickered, sparking electricity.
Everyone's attention was drawn.
Taking the chance, Starlight opened the container and took several vials of Compound V.
Then she hid them inside her boots.
Just as she finished and was about to leave, she suddenly felt herself bump into someone from behind.
Starlight quickly turned around and saw a man with a badge reading "Lab Supervisor Mick" staring at her in surprise.
"Miss Starlight, what are you doing here?"
"This isn't part of the tour."
Starlight tensed up, but quickly calmed down and forced a smile.
"I was resting and just walking around."
"I suddenly needed the restroom but couldn't find it. I thought this was one, looks like I got it wrong."
"Well, it's my first time here."
"I'll leave now."
She walked to the door, but then heard the man behind her call out, "Wait."
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