Chapter 12
Alex paid no attention to Patty's furious, teeth-gritting rage behind him. He couldn't feel the obsessive regret of a flat-chested woman who was perfect in every other way — beautiful face, sharp mind, long legs, flawless skin — yet felt incomplete because of that one missing piece.
And Alex had just ruthlessly ripped open that exact scar with his blunt words, making Patty so angry she almost felt her chest cave in. It was an incredibly cruel moment, and she felt deeply hurt by the man Barry had always praised as his best friend.
Alex walked toward the main office area of the Central City Police Headquarters. This was the most important section of the entire department, usually bustling with plainclothes detectives in suits and uniformed officers hurrying back and forth, handling difficult cases from the Central District and other precincts that local stations couldn't solve.
But right now, every officer in the room had stopped what they were doing. All eyes were fixed on the Police Chief's office. Through the narrow gaps in the blinds, they could vaguely see Al Swan's silhouette arguing heatedly inside.
"Mark, I can do it! I'm fully capable of leading the Metahuman Special Response Team! My abilities are more than enough to handle so-called metahuman crimes!"
The indignant voice echoed out of the Chief's office, loud enough that even Mark inside could feel his ears ringing.
Alex swept his gaze across the room, then walked over to a familiar officer and lightly patted his shoulder. His eyes also turned toward the Chief's office as he said:
"Jason."
Jason's body jerked instinctively. His hand flew to his waist, heart skipping a beat — a normal police reflex to being startled. When he turned and saw it was Alex, he let out a sigh of relief and lowered his hand.
Alex shrugged, as if to say Why so jumpy?
American police rarely worked alone. Even minor matters were usually handled by at least two officers — a policy rooted in safety, legal oversight, mutual support, and supervision.
Jason was Bert's regular partner, the one who frequently went on missions with his adoptive father.
"Alex? What brings you here? Isn't Bert taking the day off today?"
"Yeah, he's at home cleaning out the garage. You know how it is — that troublesome girl is coming back to stay, and they're both excited about it."
Jason smiled knowingly. He knew "that girl" was Alex's stepsister and that the two didn't get along well. He didn't ask further and simply nodded toward the Chief's office.
"You've heard of Al Swan, right? The guy who's always on TV, works on the floor below us."
"I've heard of him. Why?"
Alex had indeed heard the name. That very morning at breakfast, Bert had specifically warned him not to cripple the man.
He had seen Al Swan on television before and had even run into him twice in the headquarters building. The man seemed arrogant and confident, but they had never actually spoken.
The CCPD was a large department, and Alex wasn't a stationed officer here. Since they worked on different floors, even after helping Bert on a few cases, he had never properly met this so-called star detective.
"Officer Swan wants to lead the Metahuman Special Response Team. What a confident guy," Jason said, a hint of disdain in his voice as he looked at the Chief's office.
Even Bert — his own partner with over twenty years of experience — wasn't qualified to lead the team. What made Al Swan think he could get Chief Mark's approval?
In terms of ability, Bert was far superior: rich experience, cautious, meticulous, and with countless solved cases under his belt. There was no reason to choose the young, flashy star detective Al Swan over him.
Especially in the past year or two, Al Swan had been appearing on TV frequently, hogging the spotlight with his arrogant attitude. As a colleague, Jason found it extremely annoying.
If not for the powerful Swan family backing him, how could Al have been promoted so quickly?
Jason felt some dissatisfaction in his heart but didn't voice it. These were internal police matters; there was no need to tell Alex.
So it's because of me, Alex realized with sudden clarity. He looked at the Chief's office and the silhouette of Al Swan inside. The corner of his mouth curled into a playful, meaningful smile.
After speaking, Jason suddenly asked, "Alex, what are you doing here today?" There was no suspicion in his tone — just a policeman's natural habit of wanting to know the full picture.
"Me? I'm here to take up my post," Alex replied with a smile. He walked past the puzzled Jason and headed straight for the Chief's office under the watchful eyes of the entire department. He lightly knocked on the glass panel of the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Even while knocking, he could still hear Al Swan inside passionately promoting himself, claiming he was more than capable of taking on major responsibilities.
"Come in."
Through the glass, Chief Mark Buckler's eyes lit up with a hint of delight when he saw Alex. The young man wore black rectangular glasses that partially concealed his striking features, giving him a low-key, refined, and restrained elegance.
Compared to Al Swan — who was overly confident, didn't know how to read a room, and came from the prestigious Swan family — Alex carried himself with the comfortable, natural aura of someone from a distinguished background. His speech and manner showed calm optimism, open-mindedness, good manners, clear sense of right and wrong, and straightforward honesty.
From the few times they had interacted, Chief Mark had developed a very favorable impression of Bert's adopted son.
Combined with Alex's overwhelming combat ability, Mark was even more inclined to bring him into the Metahuman Special Response Team to handle threats that ordinary officers couldn't deal with.
"You are…?"
Al Swan turned his head. The passionate, eager look he had been directing at Mark instantly transformed into a sharp, hawk-like glare. His gloomy face darkened as he stared coldly at Alex.
"Alex Leung. I've been inviting him for a long time, and he has finally agreed to officially join the department as a member of the Metahuman Special Response Team. He will be the team's captain," Mark said with a warm smile on his chubby face as he stood up and extended his hand toward Alex.
This single action instantly put Alex on the spot, as if throwing him onto a bonfire.
Al Swan's face twisted in extreme displeasure. Seeing the Chief personally stand up to welcome Alex, fury surged in his chest. He couldn't help but growl under his breath.
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