"Report! B12 is dead..."
On the wrecked lawn, three invisible soldiers wearing armor made from materials that the people of the Free Nation couldn't see looked at their fallen comrade and reported the situation to their boss.
"Dead?!"
Bang!
"Sh*t! Sh*t!"
"Has that bastard Jupiter gone insane?!"
Celsus couldn't calm down. He kept pounding on the metal desk in front of him.
"Director, perhaps the soldier fell out of the window by accident. In theory, Jupiter couldn't see our people at all."
Celsus's secretary, whose short blond hair was slicked back in a vintage style, analyzed the situation after receiving the report.
"So you're saying our Global Defense Bureau's most elite soldier, wearing the Bureau's finest kinetic armor, accidentally slipped and fell out of a high school bathroom window—and died?!"
Celsus raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with fury.
"Well..."
"In theory, it is possible. We absolutely can't rule out any possibility."
The blond secretary thought for a moment before replying.
Bang!
Celsus said nothing. He slammed his fist down on the desk in front of him.
"All of you, get out..."
Celsus spoke to the staff who were busy at their stations.
"..."
At his words, the staff efficiently gathered up the documents they were handling and left the Global Defense Bureau's command room without a word.
"Come out!"
Celsus turned toward the corner of the command room.
"Heh..."
"Celsus, you know you can't fool yourself. You know exactly who caused all this!"
Demon Detective Damian Darkblood suddenly appeared in front of Celsus.
"Listen! I'm warning you to stop investigating! Whatever you've found out, forget it."
Celsus looked at Damian Darkblood as he warned him. At the same time, he clenched his fists. How could he not want to expose the truth? But he absolutely couldn't reveal it. Until they had a way to counter Jupiter, making the truth public would deal an irreparable, fatal blow to the Global Defense Bureau—and even the entire planet...
"Blind old man..."
Damian Darkblood looked at Celsus coldly. He didn't care at all about the consequences of revealing the truth. His only job was to expose it; everyone else could deal with the fallout...
"..."
Celsus said nothing as he looked at Damian Darkblood. Before he could finish his investigation, he had decided to eliminate every uncontrollable factor first. For example... the Demon Detective standing before him, who refused to heed his warning.
Meanwhile...
"Hahaha..."
"Hand over all your money, you weaklings!"
In a free neighborhood in the Free Nation, a man in a yellow bodysuit was robbing a bank with bolts of electricity.
"Damn it!"
"If only the Guardians would show up."
The bank guards and police were no match for the man in the bodysuit. They hid behind cover, cursing at him.
With the Global Guardians nowhere to be found, supervillains seemed to see the dawn of a new era. This city alone saw dozens of bank robberies by supervillains every day. Simply put, it didn't have enough superheroes.
"See you later, rookies~"
The man in the yellow bodysuit slung a whole sack of cash over his shoulder, flashed the guards and police a rude gesture, then vanished in a bolt of lightning...
"F*ck!"
Watching the brazen criminal, the detective punched a huge dent into the hood of his police car. Cars were certainly being made cheaper and cheaper these days.
But as the supervillain fled and the detective sighed, a white figure stood high above the clouds, silently watching everything below.
"Hahaha..."
"I'm rich! Life's great without those damn Global Guardians around to get in my way!"
In the suburbs far from the city, the electricity-wielding supervillain excitedly counted his money.
"Looks like you made a big score."
Just as the supervillain was admiring the green bills, a slightly hoarse voice spoke beside him.
"That's right, I made a big score..."
Still dazed with joy, the supervillain nodded. Then he suddenly realized something was wrong. This was his private hideout. How could anyone else be here? He turned around at once.
"Good afternoon, buddy."
Behind the supervillain stood a muscular man in a snow-white bodysuit with a large F printed on the chest. He smiled as he looked at him.
"Damn it!"
The supervillain cursed and immediately unleashed his strongest lightning attack.
Bang!
Before he could attack, an immense force clamped around his throat.
"Listen..."
"I'm not here to arrest you!"
"I'm here to offer you a business deal."
"I'm no dictator, so I'll give you a choice. You can decide whether to accept the deal. If you accept, nod. If you refuse, you'll die here."
"I'll give you five seconds to think!"
"Five!"
Jupiter gripped the electric man's throat and spoke coldly.
"Mm!!!"
Hearing that he'd die if he refused, the electric man nodded without a second thought.
"Good. Now gather your associates and attack the biggest bank in this city at three this afternoon."
Jupiter glanced at the time and gave the man his orders.
"What?!"
The electric man hadn't expected Jupiter's deal to be a bank robbery.
"Don't worry, I won't come after you. And I guarantee that the Guardians, Omni-Man, and Invincible Young Hero won't show up either..."
"As for why I want you to do this, you don't need to know. Just tell me whether you'll do it or not."
Jupiter hovered in the air as he spoke to the electric man.
"Hahaha..."
"Neither Omni-Man nor you will show up? Then why wouldn't I take this deal?"
The electric man burst out laughing. In his eyes, if Jupiter and the others stayed away, no one could stop him.
"Good. I'll be waiting to hear how it went. But remember, if you break our agreement, I'll kill you. Even if you run to Mars, I'll hunt you down and finish you."
After speaking, Jupiter shot into the sky like a blur, accompanied by a series of sonic booms.
"I'm so jealous of his powers."
The electric man watched Jupiter fly into the sky, his eyes full of envy.
Before you continue