Chapter 2
Just as Alex was feeling puzzled about the mysterious system voice that had suddenly rung in his mind, the sliding glass door leading to the backyard opened.
A slightly plump, well-dressed white woman with a prosperous, kindly face — Aunt Mary — poked her head out and called toward him:
"Alex! Go take a shower and come eat breakfast, quickly! You need to head to the Central City Police Department early today and make a good first impression!"
The cool morning air rushed in through the open door, making her shiver. Her full figure trembled slightly as she let out a small "brrr" sound, the chill spreading across her body and raising goosebumps on her arms. She was still wearing only a short-sleeved shirt.
After reminding him, Aunt Mary quickly slammed the sliding door shut with a loud thud. She shook her plump body to warm up and hurried back into the kitchen to finish preparing breakfast, leaving Alex with only a view of her retreating, rounded figure.
Aunt Mary and Alex were not blood-related. In fact, even her husband had no blood ties to him.
To outsiders, Alex was a tragic figure with a pitiful background — his parents had both passed away.
He was born in the late 1980s to an Asian father and a white American mother. Thanks to their good looks, Alex had enjoyed quite a few advantages during his school years.
When he was three, his father — who had faced discrimination in America — was targeted by a gang and murdered in a revenge killing.
At five years old, during the final years of the Cold War, the world lived in constant fear of nuclear annihilation. The economic downturn and widespread panic took a heavy toll on his mother. Raising a child alone under such pressure, she eventually fell into drug addiction and could not escape it.
One dark night, she died from a drug overdose.
In the end, a kind-hearted police officer took pity on the well-behaved young Alex and adopted him, saving him from an orphanage.
When Alex was ten, that police officer — his adoptive father — married Aunt Mary, who already had an eight-year-old daughter. The family had lived together stably for over a decade since then, and life had been peaceful.
"Got it."
Hearing Aunt Mary's voice, Alex replied casually and temporarily set aside his confusion about the so-called "system."
His sculpted, muscular body shook once, flinging droplets of sweat from his skin. His damp black hair whipped through the air as he moved. Combined with his perfectly proportioned muscles, the motion gave him the graceful yet powerful look of a merman rising from the sea, glistening under the morning sunlight.
After shaking off the sweat, Alex walked barefoot to the garage, hung the heavy steel spear back in its place, wiped the dirt from his feet at the door, and finally entered the house.
He went to his room, grabbed a set of clean underwear, and headed straight for the bathroom.
While soaking in the bathtub, Alex tried calling out to the system in his mind several times, but there was no response. He fell into deep thought. Only when Aunt Mary knocked on the bathroom door and scolded him for taking too long did he snap out of it and quickly get out.
After drying himself, he put on fresh underwear, black casual pants, and a loose white T-shirt. He then slipped on a pair of stylish black rectangular-frame glasses. The glasses nicely concealed his striking features and that seductive teardrop mole beneath his left eye.
Surprisingly, they didn't diminish his looks. Instead, the fashionable frames gave his high nose bridge, broad forehead, sharp jawline, and thin lips an even colder, more serious, and intellectual charm — a cool, aloof handsomeness that carried its own unique appeal.
"Why are you dressed so casually?!"
"Alex, going to the police station isn't the same as going on a date with one of those girls who chase after you!"
"You should wear a proper suit to show those cops how professional you are."
Aunt Mary had just placed a sizzling fried steak on the table when she saw Alex's outfit. She immediately started scolding him anxiously.
This was his first official day of work, after all. How could he dress so sloppily? He should at least wear a sharp suit to impress everyone at the station.
Before Alex could reply, the middle-aged man sitting at the table — his adoptive father, Bert — lowered his newspaper, glanced at Alex, and said calmly:
"That's enough. Alex doesn't need to dress that formally. This is fine."
"He's a metahuman assigned to the Special Response Team. Dressing casually might actually be better."
Bert tapped the table, signaling everyone to come eat breakfast.
Aunt Mary shot her husband a dissatisfied look, clearly unhappy with Alex's outfit, but since Bert had spoken, she reluctantly stopped complaining.
"Bert's right," Alex said with a helpless shrug, spreading his hands as if to say, See? Your husband told me not to dress too formally. It's not my fault.
Aunt Mary glared at him, still not fully satisfied, and continued her warnings:
"Hurry up and eat. When you get to the station, don't go flirting with any of the female officers. Even if they throw themselves at you, don't get carried away!"
"Also, control your temper. Don't hit any police officers — talk things out properly!"
"And be careful! I know you can take down dozens of men, but they have guns. You need to stay safe."
"Don't worry, Mary. I have a gun too," Alex replied with a raised eyebrow and a playful grin as he pulled out a chair and sat down opposite his adoptive father, Bert.
Aunt Mary glared at him even harder for his frivolous attitude and gave him another round of stern scolding.
While enduring her worried lectures, Alex picked up his knife and fork, cut into his steak, and reached over to grab one of the stacked newspapers from Bert's side.
Gotham Evening Post
Roman Returns! Falcone's Revenge Against Batman!
The headline immediately caught his eye — the return of the Roman, one of Batman's earliest major enemies, was causing a huge stir in Gotham. The paper detailed predictions about the former underground emperor of Gotham and what kind of impact his clash with Batman would have on the city.
The Roman was essentially Batman's first real nemesis. Alex had read about his downfall years ago in the papers — defeated and driven out of Gotham by Batman. He hadn't expected him to come back so soon.
"So he's back…" Alex muttered, taking a bite of the juicy steak seasoned with cumin and pepper. The rich, slightly spicy sauce lingered pleasantly on his tongue.
He calculated silently — Batman had already been active for about seven years.
Flipping through the rest of the Gotham paper, the remaining articles covered the city's corruption, darkness, and Wayne Enterprises' future plans for Gotham.
After finishing the Gotham Evening Post, Alex pulled out the Daily Planet from Metropolis. The main story was an interview with Lois Lane about Superman's handling of the situation in the Middle East.
Next, he picked up the Washington Daily. The front page featured a striking photo of a graceful, powerful, and beautiful woman.
The headline read: Wonder Woman Emerges from Paradise Island — Now Serving as Ambassador Between Themyscira and the World, Currently Residing in Washington.
This was one of the biggest global news stories recently. The stunning woman had captivated men around the world the moment she appeared. Many already worshipped her as a goddess.
"She really is quite beautiful," Alex nodded in approval after a quick glance. Wonder Woman truly lived up to her reputation.
He set the Washington Daily aside and picked up the next paper — the Star City Daily.