[Balqa Highlands]
The pyramid ruins. Over the past few days, a work team had moved back in.
A large number of lighting devices made the space deep beneath the earth as bright as daytime.
Wearing a hard hat and holding a hot dog with a bite taken out of it, the supervisor shouted, "Get to work, you lazy bums."
"Stay sharp. Aikray Company is paying you good money. One day of work here equals three days outside."
"If you want to drink and chase girls, then work harder."
"And don't touch anything you're not told to touch. Everything discovered in this pyramid belongs to Aikray Company."
"If we catch any of you bastards sneaking something for yourselves, I'll skin you alive!"
After speaking, the supervisor took a vicious bite of his hot dog, grease spilling everywhere as he chewed.
He picked up his instant coffee from the side and took a sip. As he scanned the area, he saw two tall, thin men lowering their hard hats and walking toward the exit.
The two men looked pale, with dark circles under their eyes, like they hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days, or like addicts.
The supervisor put down his cup and shouted, "Hey, you two, what are your names?"
"I've never seen you before."
"Hey, I'm talking to you."
"Security!"
"Security!"
By the time security arrived, the two men were already gone.
———
On the highland highway, a half old pickup truck was driving along at a steady pace. Inside the cab sat the same two men who had appeared in the pyramid earlier.
One was a brown haired, brown eyed middle aged man. The other was younger, with slightly curly black hair and flat features.
"Not a single guard left at the Sanctuary," the brown haired middle aged man said, his voice sharp, like a blade scraping against stone.
The black haired young man driving said in a low voice, "I walked around. From what the workers were saying, it seems like Homelander did it."
The brown haired man's eyes widened, "No way. How would Homelander even know about the Sanctuary?"
"He might not know about the Sanctuary itself. But our comrades kept demanding the release of Luen and the other one several times."
The black haired driver said, "Maybe he picked up some clues from that."
The brown haired man stretched his hand out the window. As soon as his hand was exposed to sunlight, the back of it began to redden. After a while, flames suddenly flickered up.
He quickly pulled it back in and slapped out the fire. The burned part rapidly healed.
"No wonder the Elder suddenly sent us to investigate the Sanctuary. Turns out it's already been breached."
"Ever since two years ago, when Elder Brox granted us the 'Divine Blood' and made us Immortals, we haven't seen him again."
"In the past two years since the Council was founded, Councilor Elphiler used the Elder's blood to produce a downgraded version called 'Holy Blood,' allowing our soldiers to use it to fight against superhumans."
"We thought the 'Dark Night Council' could build our own kingdom across the ocean. Who would've thought that several of our operations would be ruined by that damn Homelander!"
The black haired young man nodded, "Even Councilor Brad failed. That's something I didn't expect."
"His 'Black Bat Circus' isn't like us. They're all superhumans."
"And Brad even brought a thermobaric bomb."
The brown haired man looked at his hand, which had already returned to normal, "Looks like we need to reassess Homelander's strength. For a while, the Council probably won't act rashly again."
The driver nodded. He stepped on the gas, and the vehicle sped up, disappearing at the end of the highway in the blink of an eye.
———
Night Fell.
But night in New York does not bring darkness or desolation.
If anything, it is more dazzling, more wild than the daytime.
As Alex walked down the corridor, he saw Maeve step out of the elevator.
Her wine red wavy hair draped over her shoulders. Tonight she wasn't wearing her gladiator style armor, but a fitted skirt and black stockings, giving her a special charm in the night.
To be honest, Maeve was no longer young. Compared to a girl like Starlight, fresh and glowing, if she weren't a superhero, she would probably have already married and become someone's wife.
But a mature woman has her own appeal. Only clueless young boys treat teenage girls like treasures.
Alex used to be one of those boys.
He still remembered when he first stepped into society and worked at a company. His boss, a married female manager, once told him, ("Married women have more flavor.")
Back then he didn't believe it. Later, during a business trip with that manager, he learned a lesson.
A mature woman can make you feel like you're floating among the clouds.
"Good evening."
Maeve, who seemed to have dressed up specially tonight, took the initiative to greet him. She even tilted her face slightly as she looked at him.
It made the corners of her eyes lift just a little, giving her a teasing look.
Of course, if you were talking about catching the eye, Alex thought that from the side, the curve of her hips was even more stunning.
"Good evening," Alex stopped, not caring at all about the looks from employees passing by, not even caring if someone was cursing him in their head for being unable to move when he saw a woman.
"Looking for me?", Alex asked with a smile.
Maeve smiled, "I remember you asked before if I was free at night."
"I happen to be free tonight. Want to go out for a drink together?"
Alex smiled and stepped forward, firmly squeezing into Maeve's personal space. His hands were behind his back, but his body leaned closer to this bright and alluring woman.
His gaze slowly moved downward, disappearing into a mysterious shadow, and he said, "Should I take this as some kind of invitation?"
Maeve felt the domineering, forceful aura radiating from the man in front of her.
Thinking about how he had ignored the hearing recently and then stormed into the board meeting, everything he had done was something she wanted to do but never dared to.
It made her intensely curious. She wanted to get close to him, to understand him.
To know why he had changed like this.
She knew very well what the so called "invitation" in his words meant.
Maeve's voice trembled slightly. Inside her high heels, her legs in black stockings shifted unconsciously. A feeling like her first love at fifteen or sixteen rose up, and she nodded lightly.
Then she watched as Alex leaned in close to her ear. His warm breath brushed against it, making her feel ticklish.
But then she heard him say, "I'm honored. But unfortunately, I'm not free tonight."
"I happen to have something to take care of."
"So, sorry."
After saying that, Alex smiled and left.
At once, Maeve felt empty inside. The disappointment that came at the height of her expectation left a hollow feeling so strong she almost wanted to chase after him and grab that tall figure.
But in the end, her pride restrained her. With her thoughts in chaos, she walked toward her room.
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