Chapter 14"We internally refer to him as Multiple."
"He first appeared four days ago when he robbed the safe deposit boxes at the Wells Fargo branch in Central City. He stole jewelry worth thirty-five million dollars and another three million two hundred thousand in cash."
Mark removed his glasses, his expression serious and grave as he continued:
"His method was extremely straightforward."
"Based on surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts, we can confirm he possesses abilities far beyond normal humans."
"He can instantly create countless duplicates of himself. These duplicates stormed the bank's vault, used explosives to blast it open — crude, simple, and completely lacking in technical skill."
"He openly took the thirty-five million dollars' worth of jewelry, including a rare purple diamond necklace called the Dream Star."
Alex's eyes focused on the case file. Under the light refracting through the window, he flipped to the last page, a trace of doubt in his mind.
Why would Multiple appear in Central City? What about Firestorm?
He hadn't seen any news about Firestorm emerging as a superhero. Had Ronnie and Martin not fused yet? Or had something gone wrong?
After a brief thought, Alex pushed the idea aside.
This was the real world — accidents happened. It wasn't realistic for every hero and villain to stay in their "assigned" cities. It was perfectly normal for Multiple to show up in Central City. He stopped worrying about Firestorm and recalled what he knew about Multiple.
In the DC universe, there was only ever one Multiple — unlike many other villains and heroes who had multiple generations or confusing timelines.
Multiple was Danton Black.
He was a nuclear physicist working for Stagg Industries, assisting Dr. Martin Stein with nuclear experiments. On the eve of the power plant's activation, Dr. Stein discovered that Danton had been stealing blueprints and selling experimental equipment on the black market, so he fired him. Danton retaliated by claiming Stein had stolen his research.
One night, Danton broke into the lab to steal the blueprints and fabricate proof that he had developed the experiment first. That was exactly the night Dr. Stein activated the experiment.
The accident affected three people: Dr. Martin Stein, Danton Black, and a student named Ronnie Raymond. Ronnie and Martin fused to become the hero Firestorm, while Danton gained the ability to create duplicates and became the villain Multiple.
Multiple was also Firestorm's first major enemy.
"Is this all the information we have?" Alex asked, lightly tapping the closed file with his finger. The file was very thin — only five pages. It mostly contained a list of the stolen jewelry, estimates of how many duplicates Multiple had used, and their approximate distance. They didn't even have a clear photo of Danton Black's face.
Because Danton had kept his face covered the entire time, and his duplicates seemed to have skin-mimicking abilities that copied his clothing and mask.
They could only estimate from shoe size and blurry surveillance footage that he was roughly 1.82 meters tall and weighed about 80 kilograms.
With such vague features, there were hundreds of men in Central City who matched the description.
With so little information, unless Danton tried to sell the jewelry and showed his face, finding him would be nearly impossible.
"Yes," Mark replied. "Additionally, our forensic technician Patty is currently analyzing fiber samples from the clothes left behind by Multiple and examining the explosive residue. You can ask her for the results later."
Alex's finger paused for a moment.
Patty… Barry's girlfriend.
He had almost forgotten he would have to deal with her.
At least it was strictly business.
"Any problem?" Mark asked, noticing Alex's brief hesitation.
"No. I'll go see her for the results later," Alex replied calmly.
Mark continued, "The fact that he was able to manufacture bombs powerful enough to blow open a bank vault means this criminal has a high level of education. The department has been searching for several days with little progress. The situation doesn't look good, Alex."
"I know you've always kept track of these metahumans and have been gathering information on them. The entire department will support you in capturing him. If necessary, I authorize you to shoot him on sight."
Mark's brows furrowed deeply, a sharp glint in his eyes.
"I have some contacts in the underworld," Alex nodded. "I'll ask them to keep an eye out for any large jewelry transactions in the lower districts. Don't worry."
He still wasn't completely sure whether this Multiple was the Danton Black he knew from the comics, so he didn't want to speak too confidently. He would need to check the department's leads and do his own investigation before making any firm plans.
The CCPD had some informants in the city's underground, but so far there had been no useful information. The longer this dragged on, the greater the pressure on Chief Mark. The media had already begun criticizing the department's inability to handle metahuman threats.
On top of that, the Wells Fargo branch was constantly pressuring him. This was why he had quickly brought Alex into the force and rushed the creation of the Metahuman Special Response Team — hoping for a quick success.
But without any solid leads or even a location, even Alex's combat strength would be difficult to use effectively.
Mark nodded and reminded him, "Alex, I hope you can give me good news as soon as possible. The media and the mayor have been putting a lot of pressure on me lately."
"I understand, Mark."
Alex sympathized with the Chief. As head of the department, Mark was under immense pressure from the constant media coverage and the emergence of metahuman crime.
He also understood why Mark was authorizing lethal force. When dealing with threats beyond normal human capability, if capture wasn't possible, elimination was acceptable. There would be no mercy.
It was all for the peace of Central City.
After discussing Bert, Al Swan, and a brief overview of department procedures, Chief Mark stood up, opened the office door, and led Alex outside.
Clap. Clap.
Mark clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention. All the curious officers in the main hall turned to look at Alex.
Alex stood calmly beside the Chief with a mild smile, his eyes sweeping politely over the entire room.
"Everyone, let me introduce you."
"This is Alex Leung. He will be serving as the captain of the Metahuman Special Response Team."
"I believe Alex will work well with all of you as we continue to serve and protect Central City."
Mark introduced him with a warm smile.
Clap clap clap clap clap…
No one dared to withhold applause. Those who didn't know Alex looked at him with curiosity, while those who did know him grinned and gave thumbs-up in approval.
Stealing the captain position of the Metahuman Special Response Team from Al Swan was definitely worthy of respect.
After Alex politely introduced himself and shook hands with everyone, Chief Mark handed him over to Jason, asking Jason to show Alex around the department and familiarize him with the various sections.
Once Mark returned to his office, Jason grinned and punched Alex lightly in the chest.
"You little rascal! The student has surpassed the master! You've already outdone your old man!"
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