A sense of extreme foreboding surged in her heart. Maggie instinctively tightened her grip on Cassie's hand and walked quickly toward the interrogation room.
"Creak—"
The door to the interrogation room was pushed open.
The two men inside turned their heads at the same time.
"Maggie?" Paxton said with some surprise. "Why are you here? This isn't a place you should come to."
"Maggie..." Scott's lips trembled as he saw his ex-wife, wanting to say something.
Maggie ignored Scott and looked at Paxton, asking, "What happened? Why is he here?"
Paxton sighed, walked over to Maggie, and whispered, "Armed home invasion. Last night on Millville Street. There was an exchange of fire at the scene, and his face was caught clearly on surveillance."
Maggie closed her eyes, her body swaying slightly.
"Scott..." She looked at Scott with deep disappointment.
"You... you actually went to steal again? And armed robbery? Armed militants? What kind of monster have you turned yourself into!"
"I wasn't involved in an armed robbery, Maggie! Believe me!" Scott pleaded urgently.
Maggie pulled Cassie behind her, not letting her see Scott's current state.
"Paxton is right, you're a lost cause. I won't let you see Cassie again; I will never allow my daughter to have a robber for a father."
"No! Mommy!"
Cassie, hiding behind Maggie, suddenly broke free from her mother's hand.
The little girl's eyes were red, and large tears rolled down her cheeks. She bravely rushed to the metal table and tightly grabbed Scott's handcuffed arm with her small hands.
"Daddy isn't a thief!" Cassie cried out loudly. "Daddy is a superhero! You're not allowed to say that about him! You're not allowed to lock Daddy up!"
Looking at his daughter's tear-streaked face and hearing that trust-filled "superhero"...
Scott's heart felt as if it were being repeatedly cut by a rusty, blunt knife, dripping with blood.
Maggie stepped forward and forcefully pulled Cassie back to her side.
She stared coldly at Scott.
"I told you before, Scott. I hoped you could maintain that beautiful image of a hero in our daughter's heart. I've been working hard to explain to her why you can't be by her side."
"Now, explain it to her yourself. Tell your daughter exactly what kind of person you are. Tell her why you're wearing handcuffs."
Everyone's eyes were focused on Scott, and Cassie looked at him with immense anticipation and trust.
"Daddy, tell them. You were going to fight bad guys, right? You were on a secret mission, right?"
Scott looked at his daughter's expectant eyes, his lips trembling.
He wanted so much to say loudly: Yes, Cassie! Daddy is a hero! Daddy even punched a bad guy with a submachine gun last night!
But how could he say it?
In the face of solid evidence and everyone's prejudice, saying such ridiculous things would only make him look like a total psychopath.
Scott forced a smile that looked worse than crying, preparing to shatter his daughter's fairytale World with his own hands.
"Cassie, listen to Daddy. Actually, Daddy..." But the words reached his lips, and Scott couldn't make a sound.
"Let's go, Cassie. There are no superheroes here."
Just as Maggie was about to forcibly pull the crying Cassie out of the interrogation room...
"Thump, thump, thump!"
At that moment, a series of hurried and orderly footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside the interrogation room.
"Hey, gentlemen! You can't enter the interrogation room!" An officer's voice rang out in protest.
"Move aside. I am a Senior Special Envoy from the Vought Group Legal Department. This is a pass signed by the Federal White House."
A commanding female voice rang out in the corridor outside.
Immediately after, the door to the interrogation room was pushed open again.
The Precinct Director of the San Francisco Police Department followed behind, looking extremely nervous.
In front of the Precinct Director, a group of four people walked in.
Leading them was a woman in professional attire exuding an elite aura. Behind her were three cold-looking, burly men in black suits and sunglasses, built like Schwarzenegger.
Each of these people wore a metallic "V" badge on their chest.
That was the logo of the V.G.D. (Vought Global Defense Agency)!
Paxton, Maggie, and even Scott were all stunned.
Vought people? What were they doing at the Police station?
The female executive's cold gaze swept over everyone in the interrogation room before finally fixing on Scott.
"Detective." The female executive's tone was cold and non-negotiable. "I am the Executive Director of the V.G.D. Legal Department."
"I am now officially representing Vought to demand the immediate release of Mr. Scott Lang."
"Release him?" Paxton's eyes widened as if he were hearing a fairy tale.
"Ma'am, have you mistaken something? He's a felon suspected of armed home invasion! We have conclusive evidence!"
"Your evidence is bullshit."
She threw a stamped document directly in front of Paxton.
"Mr. Scott Lang is a registered hero of the V.G.D. According to the Fifth Amendment of the Superhero Registration and Management Act, as well as the special agreement signed between the Vought International and the Federal Government..."
"He enjoys Class A Qualified Immunity!"
"The San Francisco Police have no right to detain or interrogate him. Now, unlock his handcuffs immediately."
"Furthermore, the incident that occurred on Millville Street last night was Mr. Lang conducting a strike operation authorized by the V.G.D. against illegal armed mercenaries."
"He was fighting crime. Yet you arrested a hero as a criminal."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire interrogation room seemed to have been hit by a pause button.
"Wh... what?!"
Paxton looked at the document in disbelief.
Maggie also covered her mouth, too shocked to say a word.
Even Scott himself, sitting in the chair, was completely bewildered.
I'm a Vought registered hero? When did I join the V.G.D.? How come I didn't know?!
"Yay—!!!"
A crisp cheer broke the silence.
Cassie happily broke free from Maggie's hand, jumping up and down on the spot with a bright smile on her face.
"I knew it! I knew it! My daddy is a superhero! See! I wasn't wrong!" Cassie clapped her hands proudly and announced loudly to everyone.
Paxton still couldn't believe it. Although he was a policeman, in private, he was actually a die-hard superhero fanatic.
He even collected a full set of limited-edition figures of The Seven at home, six in total.
But... Scott?
Paxton looked Scott up and down suspiciously.
This man, whom he had looked down upon countless times, this guy who could be pinned down by two ordinary Police officers.
How could he possibly be a member of that hero group that maintains World peace?