Al Swan

Central City, Central District, Police Headquarters, seventh floor.

"Ding."

The elevator doors slowly opened.

At the front stood a man with flaxen hair, dressed in a tailored black suit. His features were deep-set, his nose high-bridged, his eyes slightly sunken. They carried a gloomy, hawk-like gaze—sharp and terrifying—that had never failed him when facing criminals.

That naturally powerful aura of intimidation had earned him considerable accomplishments. Now, however, it made many of his colleagues at the police department instinctively wary of him.

He strode into the office, passing the mural above the central area beside the elevators. It depicted countless ordinary American workers, deeply engraved with the slogans "Freedom," "Justice," "Fairness," and "Peace." They were both a promise and a warning to every officer heading out on duty. The Central City Police Department served this city and protected Central City.

Al Swan pursed his lips tightly, fury in his eyes and gloom across his face. From the moment the elevator doors opened, he had stormed toward the police chief's office. Anyone could sense the anger of this outstanding officer.

The entire office fell silent for a moment. Colleagues in suits, uniforms, or holding documents all stopped what they were doing upon seeing Al Swan's furious expression and began whispering quietly to those beside them.

"Who made Al unhappy?"

"He just got back from vacation. Why's he so upset?"

"Did a criminal get away?"

"No, it's that special action team."

"The higher-ups didn't approve Swan joining it."

"Damn, that Superpowered Special Action Team? Even Al can't get in?"

"Then who can get into that superpowered team?"

"Whoever it is, they're unlucky."

"I hope they can withstand Al's anger."

Most of the police officers had guessed the situation almost perfectly, which made Al's expression even uglier when he heard the truth.

Al Swan arrived angrily outside the chief's office. He stopped before the door, took a deep breath, and glanced back at the many officers whispering among themselves. They immediately resumed working as though nothing had happened.

Holding back his frustration, Al raised his hand and gently knocked on the glass of the wooden door, which bore classical patterns. Through the curtain inside, he could vaguely see the chief bent over his desk. Suppressing his resentment, Al said, "It's me, Al Swan."

"Come in." A steady voice came from inside.

The instant permission was granted, Al impatiently turned the handle and entered the chief's office.

It was a room piled with case files, yet it retained an air of classical refinement. Mark Buckler, the police chief, was a slightly plump, well-fed middle-aged man. He looked amiable yet carried a faint authority. His wise, shrewd gaze and gold-rimmed glasses lent him a stern, unsmiling dignity.

"Al, I told you that you can't join the Special Ability Handling Team."

Mark Buckler lifted his gaze from the case file on his desk and looked at Al Swan through his gold-rimmed glasses, his tone beyond dispute.

Normally, he did not need to pay close attention to any cases. The department had many exceptional officers like Al Swan and Bert. Most ordinary crimes could not escape the eyes of the clever young Al Swan or the experienced Bert. Thus, he usually remained in his office, waiting for their reports.

Central City was not a chaotic place like Gotham. It was a city of order and sunlight. Crime existed here, but under the protection of the department's many officers, it had been kept in relatively good balance.

Of course, this peace was also inseparable from the proper planning Mark Buckler had maintained with the city government for decades. That was how Central City had become the peaceful, sunlit city it was today.

"Mark, I refuse to accept this."

Al Swan instinctively tugged at his tie, loosening it as he faced Mark, then spoke with a hint of anger.

"My achievements at the Central City Police Department are obvious to everyone."

"Mark, over the past three years, I can say without question that I've been a star police officer."

"Four years ago, the Golden Heist."

"Two years ago, the kidnapping of the Jester Family's youngest son."

"One year ago, the Mid-City Bank robbery."

"The locked-room murders and the gang drug-manufacturing hideouts—I solved them all one by one."

"Other colleagues contributed as well, but you can't deny that I was the one who followed every thread, found the clues amid layers of mystery, and took the lead in guiding everyone to solve those cases, can you?"

Al Swan stared at Mark, his gloomy eyes conveying an aggressive, pressing attitude.

"I know, Al."

Director Mark closed the file in his hands, picked up a white porcelain cup, opened its lid, and lightly blew on the steam rising from the coffee. A rich, mellow coffee scent gradually filled the room.

"Then why can't I join the Special Ability Handling Team?"

Al Swan placed both hands on the desk and leaned forward, his gloomy, hawk-like gaze fixed on his superior without the slightest courtesy.

He had always believed his superior was a capable, intelligent leader who possessed both wisdom and bearing, someone who would let him fully display his abilities within the Central City Police Department.

But he had not expected this clever, capable leader to disappoint him after all.

"Swan, everyone recognizes your ability."

Mark took a sip of the rich black coffee. Its bitterness refreshed him slightly. His tone remained unchanged as he paused.

"But you're too proud and impulsive. Your string of successes has made you unable to distinguish where your abilities lie, or where their limits are."

Mark continued, "These crimes have gone beyond what ordinary people can face. You and I would both struggle to confront such abilities directly. In the future, it will be unavoidable for us to become the cleanup crew for this kind of battlefield."

Mark had a clear mind. From the perspective of Central City's safety and as the leader of the police department, he saw the future with foresight and clarity. Batman had emerged in Gotham, Superman had appeared in Metropolis, and Wonder Woman possessed the extraordinary combat strength of the Amazons. Superheroes and superpowered criminals had begun appearing around the world one after another. Combined with the recent emergence of superhuman crime in Central City, all of it showed that extraordinary humans were gradually increasing in number.

This gave Mark, as police chief, a sense of urgency and prompted his plans to deal with this type of superpowered crime. For Central City's safety, he needed to establish a special action team capable of facing such crimes as soon as possible, preventing the city from suffering even greater losses in the future.

Inevitably, ordinary officers were already finding it difficult to deal with this kind of superhuman.

And Al Swan was nothing more than an ordinary police officer.