Chapter 324: Allen's Kidnapping Resort
The kidnapping of superhero family members had, for the time being, been kept under wraps.
There were fears that publicizing the incident would provoke the kidnappers into killing the hostages.
But as soon as Allen mentioned he knew who was behind it, Natasha stopped in her tracks, patiently waiting for the answer.
"The Court of Owls."
Allen's answer was essentially saying nothing at all—
It was common knowledge to both the Justice League and the Avengers.
The moment Natasha turned to leave again, Allen quickly added, "I know where their base is."
"How do you know that?"
Natasha shot him a suspicious look.
To be honest, she hadn't even heard of the Court of Owls before this. Clearly, they were buried deep.
"If you don't believe me, I'll take you to where the hostages are being held."
With that, Allen raised a hand and opened a portal, dragging Falcon in with him.
After a slight hesitation, Natasha followed them in.
Allen swaggered forward, dragging Falcon along. Natasha couldn't help but worry. "Aren't you afraid they'll notice you?"
"If they've got a problem, they can come at me. I'm not afraid of dying."
As he spoke, Allen casually opened a holding cell and tossed Falcon inside.
At that moment, Natasha's eyes widened in alarm. Something was off.
He moved around like he was in his own home—completely at ease.
Just then, Allen stopped, lowered his head, and gave a cryptic smile.
"Starting to feel like something's wrong?"
"You're not Allen?!"
Natasha instantly pulled back, her first thought being that this wasn't the Allen she knew.
At the very least, in her memory, he would never do something so villainous.
"Sorry to disappoint—I am me. Just a different flavor of fireworks."
As he spoke, Allen reached into his armpit and pulled out an owl mask.
That confirmed it.
Only Allen would stash stuff in his armpit like that.
Still, Natasha waited patiently for an explanation.
"Didn't expect this, huh? The Court of Owls was just a smokescreen."
Allen put on the mask and admitted, "The whole kidnapping plot was my idea."
"Why?"
Natasha couldn't make sense of it.
He was clearly putting both the Justice League and the Avengers on his bad side.
"For the Act."
Allen answered bluntly, "I'm a full-on supervillain now. I want the Justice League and the Avengers to unite against me—so they'll abandon the Act together."
"…"
A mad enough plan, indeed.
Create a bigger crisis to solve the one in front of you.
"I swear, I'm killing myself over this." Allen wore an expression of bitter frustration.
"Come on," Natasha countered. "It just looks to me like you wanted an excuse to play the villain."
"You see right through me."
Allen didn't deny it, flashing a shameless grin. "I wanted to test some vulnerabilities."
To be honest, the Superhero Registration Act had nothing to do with him.
His info was already known by every faction, and most didn't even care about him.
They treated him like crap—avoiding him like the plague.
Nobody wanted to get splattered by the mess he might cause.
Take LexCorp's Luthor, for instance. The guy still had a toilet plunger stuck on his head.
He couldn't even go out in public anymore and was clearly slipping into depression.
"You're planning to go up against the Justice League and Avengers all by yourself? Isn't that a bit overconfident?" Natasha couldn't help but worry.
At least his motive was noble.
But it also meant he was setting himself against the whole world.
"Why worry? I've got a secret weapon."
With that, Allen opened another cell—it was the one holding Wolverine.
"Logan?"
Natasha blinked, seeing Wolverine sleeping soundly, clutching a metal case.
"Rise and shine."
Allen kicked the box, waking Logan with a jolt.
"Shit! Allen, let me out! Are you outta your damn mind? What the hell are you locking me up for?" Logan roared furiously.
"Quiet, mutt."
Allen looked down from above. "I've gone full dark side now—an official supervillain. Locking you up is totally within reason."
"Screw you! You haven't turned evil—you're just being a jackass! Fine, lock me up, but could you at least stop gluing me to the floor? My damn bones are rusting!"
Logan was clearly pissed—but powerless to do anything about it.
"No chance."
Allen shot him a sly glance. "You think I'd be dumb enough to let you dig your way out with those adamantium claws?"
"Maniac. Goddamn lunatic."
Ignoring Logan's continued cursing, Allen and Natasha walked out of the cell.
Soon, they arrived at a spacious recreation area, where a crowd of superhero family members were gathered and enjoying themselves.
Playing chess, gaming, surfing the web, working out…
There were tons of entertainment options.
Meals were provided buffet-style three times a day—it was basically a resort.
Natasha felt awkward.
This was nothing like the hostage scenario she'd imagined.
Honestly, it was more like a retirement paradise.
"Considering a lot of the people here are older, we've got a full medical team on standby. This whole kidnapping op is fully sponsored by the Comedy Troupe."
Allen turned and smiled. "Sorry to say, Widow—but you're officially kidnapped too."
"Fine by me."
Natasha shrugged, completely unbothered. "I'm happy to stick around until you sort things out."
From time to time, hostages passed by, cheerfully greeting Allen.
There was no tension whatsoever between captor and captive—just friendly neighborhood vibes.
"It's not rocket science." Allen didn't think much of it.
"Still, you should watch out for Tony. For all you know, he's secretly building some Anti-Allen suit," Natasha warned.
"A nephew trying to fight his uncle? That's blasphemy."
Allen replied with confidence, "He's the last person I'm worried about."
He wasn't wrong.
Iron Man suits relied on AI to operate, and Allen could have Unita hack the system.
The suits would become cages instead.
"Then be careful with Batman."
Natasha spoke seriously. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reports describe him as devious, obsessed with cataloging teammates' weaknesses and crafting countermeasures. You've worked together for a while—he probably has a plan just for you."
"Yeah… can't argue with that."
Allen admitted without protest. "Bat's only skill is being shady. His only real flex is that he's rich."
Speaking of rich…
Natasha couldn't help but roll her eyes.
He really had no clue how wealthy he was himself.
With his stake in Stark Industries, he could easily rival Wayne Enterprises if he cashed out.
…
At the top floor of a skyscraper in New York—
Thirteen grotesque figures stared silently at the city skyline.
"So far, everything's going smoothly. The Justice League and Avengers are too busy fighting each other to notice our plans."
"But there is one issue—someone's been impersonating the Court of Owls."
"As long as they don't get in our way, it doesn't matter."
"…"
Had Lilith been present, she would've immediately recognized two of the powerful enemies who attacked the Vampire stronghold before:
Thorned Rose and Dracula in his Blood God form.
The thirteen figures were the core members of the Church of Blood, each possessing extraordinary power.
Without a doubt, they were part of a Fourth Reich faction.
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