Chapter 27
The underground base was brightly lit. Inside the glass display cases, various steel instruments gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen.
The system's furious cursing in his ear gradually grew weaker. Soon, Alex heard nothing more from it — perhaps it had finally run out of "battery" after all the shouting.
Alex didn't bother responding to its insults. He walked over to one of the display cabinets filled with strange high-tech devices and took out a small, black instrument about the size of a USB drive.
Digital Projection Mask.
It was similar to the device Harry Wells used in The Flash Season 3 — a tool that, with one press, could project a different face over his own, completely altering his appearance.
Although it looked simple when worn around the neck, the device was far from perfect or fully refined.
Fast or slow movements, or turning the head too quickly, would cause the projection to drop frames, resulting in mosaic glitches, facial blurring, or electromagnetic-like distortion. It was barely sufficient to help Alex disguise himself as Martin Stein.
In addition, Alex would need to dye his hair white, use bone-compression techniques to slightly shrink his skeletal structure to match Martin's height, add a small middle-aged paunch with padding, apply aging makeup to his hands and skin, and adjust his posture, spine, and overall demeanor. Only then could he convincingly become a refined, knowledgeable, middle-aged nuclear physics expert.
"Sky Net, extract all available videos of Martin Stein. Build a 3D model and dynamic simulation. Once complete, download the projection data into the Digital Projection Mask."
After giving the command to Sky Net, Alex opened another program and began working at his desk. His fingers flew across the keyboard in a blur.
There was still a lot to do. Besides perfectly imitating the missing Martin Stein and memorizing his every gesture and habit, he also needed to create a specialized sonic weapon based on Danton Black's medical and brainwave reports.
It might not destroy Danton outright, but within a certain range, it could disrupt his original brainwave frequency, preventing him from mentally controlling his duplicates and stripping away his ability to use them.
From the rooftop chase and hexagonal positioning calculations based on surveillance distance, Alex had estimated that Multiple's real body could control duplicates up to roughly 5 kilometers away. That distance was large, but not impossible for him to handle. He would simply choose the right location to force Multiple to show himself.
Additionally, Alex needed to compile the large portion of controlled nuclear fusion data in his mind into a proper research paper and submit it to Central City's leading scientific journals.
The current timeline in this DC world was 2007. Technology was advancing rapidly, but controlled nuclear fusion — a powerful, clean, pollution-free energy source — had not yet been achieved, and alien technology had not yet heavily influenced Earth.
Therefore, the substantial data on controlled nuclear fusion in Alex's mind could point the way for future human research. Once published in Central City, it would undoubtedly cause a massive sensation.
Alex's plan was simple: use Martin Stein to lure Multiple out. Danton Black would absolutely refuse to let the man who had once opposed him become a world-renowned great scientist, enjoying far more wealth and fame than he ever could.
While Danton himself was a wanted criminal, unable to appear openly or enjoy the material luxuries he craved, his former rival Martin Stein would be celebrated by the world, showered with endless wealth and praise, living the exact life Danton desperately wanted. That kind of stark contrast was enough to drive a jealous man insane. How could Danton Black possibly endure it?
Alex understood Danton Black better than the man understood himself.
Danton was the classic type: intensely jealous, arrogant, craving all the world's pleasures, possessing some ability — but never quite enough to match his desires. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stolen experimental equipment from Stagg Industries to sell on the black market, only to be caught and reported by Martin Stein.
The money he earned from selling the stolen equipment had all been squandered on drinking, gambling, women, and drugs. He had accumulated massive debts and was eventually fired by Stagg Industries. Only when he was completely desperate did he use his powers to rob the jewelry store.
Alex had studied Danton thoroughly — his psychology, behavior patterns, and every weakness.
Danton's first major crime using his powers — robbing the jewelry — had actually left him terrified and anxious inside. The fact that he left the thirty-five million dollars' worth of jewelry in a hotel room showed how uneasy and fearful he was. He was more afraid than excited.
Al Swan pointing a gun at him on the spot had completed Danton's psychological transformation into a true criminal. From now on, empowered by his superhuman ability, Danton would feel superior to ordinary people and act without restraint, becoming a major threat.
Alex saw this clearly — and his guess was correct.
While he was buried in the underground base preparing the report and gradually building Martin Stein's public reputation through the controlled nuclear fusion data, Alex's phone rang.
"Alex, Multiple has struck again."
"He robbed two gun stores on High Mountain Street in a row. Both stores were completely cleaned out."
"The police exchanged fire with him. Seven officers are dead!"
"He now possesses enough firearms to arm over a hundred people, combined with his ability."
"Alex, I can't even imagine it. One man has become a terrifying one-man army. Even anti-terrorism units would struggle against him."
"I'm afraid only that guy in the red-and-blue suit who flies through the sky — with his invulnerable steel body — could actually catch him!"
Chief Mark laughed bitterly. The danger posed by Multiple was far greater than expected.
Especially in a densely populated city — if he created over a hundred duplicates, each armed with automatic rifles, it would be a catastrophe. A terrorist team could form in minutes.
How terrifying? Just five terrorists with automatic rifles firing indiscriminately in one location had killed fifty people in a few minutes. The killing power of firearms was far more horrifying than most people imagined.
And this was over a hundred armed duplicates. Mark didn't even want to picture the carnage.
The worst part was that even if you eliminated all the duplicates at the scene, you still couldn't find the real body. He would remain free and could strike again later, forming another armed team.
Although Mark had already raised his estimation of the threat, when Multiple actually robbed the gun stores and armed a hundred-man terrorist force, he realized he had still underestimated these metahumans.
Mark felt like cursing. He deeply regretted Al Swan's actions. If only Alex had been allowed to punch Multiple to death from the start, none of this would have happened! It was all because that idiot wanted to steal the credit!
"This is the correct approach!"
A strange light flashed in Alex's eyes. This wasn't like the comics, where Multiple used fists and created duplicates for hand-to-hand combat, taking forever to kill anyone.
Reality was not a comic.
Multiple's ability combined with firearms was nearly perfect. As long as you weren't completely invulnerable like Superman and still feared hot weapons, Multiple was almost unstoppable.
Even Alex, if caught off guard and surrounded by gunfire from multiple duplicates, could end up riddled like a beehive.
The most dangerous part was that when a duplicate died, it didn't matter — he could even create duplicates carrying bombs, turning them into suicide bombers. Fighting him head-on was extremely difficult.
"Mark, I'm almost ready. I'll need some manpower on standby for my orders."
"Good. I'll arrange it immediately!" the Chief replied.
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