The room remained quiet for a few more seconds. Then two heads slowly peeked out from the kitchen doorway.
Ronnie looked at the scene before nudging the head beside him. "So... Boss added another one to the list?" He glanced toward Harleen. "Isn't he tired of this yet?"
Art scratched his head. "I'm just as confused." He looked at Daniel, surrounded by women on every side.
"If I had to deal with even two women at once, I'd have a headache. Meanwhile, Boss keeps making the list longer every time he goes out."
Ronnie nodded. "As expected of Boss. He even manages to make relationships complicated in a special way."
The two finally walked out of the kitchen and stopped behind Daniel, who was sitting on the sofa with a hand pressed against his forehead.
"Boss," Ronnie called.
Daniel didn't even bother turning around. "What?"
Ronnie exchanged a glance with Art. "Didn't we say we were taking a vacation? It's about that time."
Daniel waved his hand dismissively. "Fine. You two can go."
The moment those words left his mouth, Ronnie and Art grinned. "Thanks, Boss!"
Neither of them waited another second — they immediately sprinted toward the front door before Daniel had any chance to change his mind.
The moment they stepped outside the mansion, both were already carrying travel bags over their shoulders. Ronnie stretched his arms with a grin. "So, Art... where are we going?"
Art thought for a moment. "Definitely not Central City. I watched the news this morning — that city is practically overflowing with metahumans, and every one of them seems to have some ridiculous power."
Ronnie nodded. "Fair point."
"And Gotham is even worse. The place is full of psychopaths. I don't want to spend my vacation wondering whether someone's going to blow up the street I'm walking on." He smiled. "We're going to Metropolis."
Ronnie raised an eyebrow. "Metropolis?"
"Nice weather, good food, good drinks..." A grin spread across Art's face. "...and hopefully a few beautiful girls. It's about time we enjoyed our youth."
Ronnie immediately threw a fist into the air. "Now you're talking!"
The two boarded the next bus heading for Metropolis, already discussing where they would eat first once they arrived.
***
Nearly an hour later, the bus entered downtown Metropolis.
Without warning —
BANG!
A black van smashed into the side of the bus at full speed. The entire vehicle lurched violently. Passengers screamed as they were thrown from their seats. Ronnie and Art were sent tumbling onto the floor.
"What the hell?!"
The bus skidded across the road before coming to a stop. Outside, two black SUVs screeched to a halt and their doors flew open. Several men dressed in black tactical gear jumped out carrying assault rifles and industrial chainsaws.
Without saying a word, they surrounded the armored van. One of them revved a chainsaw and drove it into the side door, sparks flying as the blade chewed through the reinforced steel.
Ronnie slowly peeked through a cracked window. He looked at the armed men, then at the armored van, then back at Art.
"Umm... I think we're screwed."
Art swallowed. "...Yeah. I don't think we picked the right city for a vacation."
Outside, the masked men finished cutting through the van's door. The thick metal panel crashed onto the road with a deafening clang.
They immediately climbed inside and began pulling out heavy metal cases. One of them forced a case open with a crowbar — diamonds, gold bars, and stacks of expensive jewelry glittered under the afternoon sun.
"We hit the jackpot!"
The leader stepped forward and looked over the haul with satisfaction. "Load everything into the SUVs. Move!"
As the gang got to work, the leader turned to check the road. Most passengers had fled the bus, but two of them were still inside, staring directly back at him.
Art and Ronnie.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Art slowly raised his hand. "Hi."
The robber leader stared at him in silence. Ronnie awkwardly smiled and gave a small wave. "We're just tourists. We didn't see anything."
The leader's expression darkened. He slowly raised his rifle. "...Kill the witnesses."
Ronnie's smile immediately disappeared. He slowly turned toward Art. "...I don't think saying hi was the right move."
Art scratched his cheek. "...Yeah. In hindsight, that was probably a mistake."
The next second, both of them shouted at the top of their lungs.
"BOSS, SAVE US!"
Before any of the robbers could pull the trigger, a blue blur crashed into the middle of the street.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave swept across the area. In the blink of an eye, every assault rifle was crushed into twisted scrap metal.
Before anyone could throw a punch or reach for another weapon, Superman had already disarmed them, tied them up using their own restraints, and left the entire gang lying on the ground. The whole encounter was over in seconds.
Inside the bus, Art and Ronnie let out simultaneous sighs of relief.
"That was close."
"I told you Metropolis was safer," Art muttered.
Ronnie looked at him. "You literally picked this city because you wanted to meet girls."
"...That too."
Superman walked toward the stolen valuables scattered across the road, intending to gather everything before handing it over to the police.
As he bent down, something among the jewelry caught his attention — a small green crystal emitting a faint glow.
He instinctively stepped toward it. The moment he came within a few meters, his expression changed. His body suddenly felt heavy, his strength rapidly draining away. He stopped immediately.
"...What?"
Another step forward made the sensation even worse. His knees almost buckled as every muscle weakened.
He quickly stepped backward. The weakness disappeared almost instantly. He frowned and stared at the glowing green crystal from a distance.
"What the hell is going on?" Asked Daniel
As he appeared inside the bus behind Art and Ronnie. Before he could say a word, the two turned around and grabbed him by the legs.
"Boss, we missed you."
*****
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