Background

Just as Alex was wondering why a mysterious system voice had sounded in his mind, A slightly plump, well-fed-looking white woman, Aunt Merri, had already pulled open the French doors leading to the yard and called out to Alex: "Alex, go take a shower and eat breakfast, hurry up, you have to get to the Central City Police Department early today, make a good impression!"

The cool morning chill blew in through the French doors, making her plump, rather pretty face tremble, her lips letting out a 'whoosh' as they quivered, and with that 'whoosh' of her lips, it spread to her whole body, making Aunt Merri, still wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, shiver with goosebumps from the cold.

Hurriedly, after reminding Alex, Aunt Merri went 'smack' and quickly shut the French doors, shook her plump frame, and rushed to the kitchen to continue cooking breakfast, leaving Alex only a plump back to look at.

Aunt Merri and Alex had no blood relation whatsoever, and even Aunt Merri's husband had no familial connection to Alex.

To outsiders, Alex was a tragic figure with a rather miserable background, his parents both gone to this day.

In the late eighties, Alex was born, his parents being an Asian man and a white American woman. Thanks to the good looks of both parents, Alex benefited quite a bit during his school years.

When Alex was three, his father, who faced severe discrimination in America, was unfortunately targeted by a gang and killed in a vendetta.

When he was five, during the tail end of the Cold War, the nuclear arsenals that the US and Soviet Union had built up in preparation for conflict made the whole world tremble in fear of destruction, economic depression, and public terror. Alex's mother, raising a child alone under those social conditions, bore unimaginable pressure and fear, sinking deeper into drugs until she couldn't pull herself out.

Finally, on a dark night, his mother died from a marijuana overdose.

In the end, a kind-hearted police officer adopted the well-behaved, sensible Alex, saving him from going to an orphanage.

Then, when Alex was ten, that officer, Alex's adoptive father, married Aunt Merri, who already had an eight-year-old daughter. They've lived together for over a decade now, stable and everything fine.

"Got it."

Hearing Aunt Merri's words, Alex replied, temporarily setting aside his confusion about this so-called system.

His sculpted, beautifully muscled body couldn't help but shake, sending beads of sweat flying off. The wet tips of his black hair whipped around, and combined with his perfectly proportioned muscles, they glistened with a beautiful dynamism in the morning sunlight, giving him the look of a merman emerging from the ocean.

After shaking off the sweat, Alex, barefoot, put his steel gun back in its place in the garage. Only after rubbing the sand off his feet at the door did he enter the house.

Back in his room, he grabbed his underwear and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

While soaking in the tub, Alex tried calling out to the system a few times in his mind, but got no response. This left him deep in thought until Aunt Merri called from outside the bathroom door, reminding him he'd been in too long and to come out. Alex snapped out of it and quickly got out of the tub.

After drying the water off his body, he put on clean underwear, black casual pants, and a loose white T-shirt. He also put on a pair of black rectangular glasses, which happened to cover up his striking features and hide that alluring tear mole.

This didn't ruin his looks; instead, with the stylish black rectangular frames, his straight nose, high brow, and broad forehead gave him a serious, cold look. Combined with his thin, tight lips and sharply carved cheeks, he exuded an unusually cold, handsome charm.

"How can you dress so casually!"

"Alex, going to the police station isn't the same as going to meet one of your fluttering butterflies."

"You need to wear a proper suit to show those stuffy cops at the station your professionalism."

Seeing Alex dressed so casually, Aunt Merri, who had just put the fried steak down on the table, immediately started nagging him nervously.

This was her son's first day on the job, and he was being way too casual.

At the very least, he should wear a proper suit, tall and straight, to dazzle everyone else at the station.

Before Alex could say anything, the middle-aged man sitting at the table, Alex's adoptive father, put down his newspaper, glanced at Alex, and said, "Alright, Alex doesn't need to dress that formally. This is fine."

"He's a special operations unit superpowered agent. Being a bit casual is actually better."

Bert tapped the table, signaling for Alex to come eat breakfast quickly.

Aunt Merri shot her husband a look, clearly dissatisfied with Alex's outfit, but since Bert was right, she didn't say anything more.

"Bert's right."

Alex looked helplessly at Aunt Merri, spread his hands, and shrugged, looking very resigned. See? Your husband told me not to dress too formally! Not my fault.

Aunt Merri glared at Alex in exasperation but still scolded, "Eat up quickly. When you get to the station, don't go after any of the policewomen. Even if they throw themselves at you, don't be so eager."

"When you first get to the Central City Police Department, keep your temper in check. Don't hit any cops. Talk things out properly!"

"Stay safe. I know you can take down dozens of people at once, but they have guns. Be careful."

"Don't worry, Merri. I've got a gun too!"

Alex raised an eyebrow, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he laughed. He pulled out a chair and sat down across from his adoptive father, Bert.

Merri shot him another fierce glare, scolding him harshly for still being so unserious and flippant.

As Alex endured Aunt Merri's scolding and worried reminders, he picked up his knife and fork, cutting into the steak while also grabbing a newspaper from the pile on his adoptive father's table. He started flipping through it.

"Gotham Evening Post"

The Roman Returns! Falcone's Revenge on Batman!

The headline was about the return of Batman's villain, the Roman, causing a huge stir in Gotham. The evening paper detailed predictions about this former underground emperor of Gotham and what impact his clash with Batman this time would have on the city.

The Roman could be considered Batman's first enemy. Alex had read about his downfall in the papers years ago—how Batman had taken him down and driven him out of Gotham. He never expected him to come back recently.

"So he's back, huh."

Alex took a bite of the steak, the flavor of beef and cumin, with the sauce's meaty taste and a hint of spice, lingering in his mouth. He did the math: Batman had been active for seven years now. He continued flipping through the Gotham paper; the rest was just about Gotham's corruption, darkness, and Wayne Enterprises' future plans for the city.

After finishing the Gotham Evening Post, Alex pulled out Metropolis's "Daily Planet" from the pile and started reading. The front page featured Lois Lane's interview regarding Superman's handling of the situation in the Middle East.

After reading the Daily Planet, Alex pulled out another newspaper. He subscribed to superhero-focused papers from most of the major cities where famous superheroes operated, keeping tabs on the whole world.

The next paper was the Washington Daily. The front page showed a photo of a graceful, strikingly beautiful woman.

The headline read: Wonder Woman Emerges from Themyscira, Serving as an Ambassador of Friendship Between Themyscira and Earth, Now Residing in Washington.

This was a major global event recently. This beautiful woman had captured the eyes of countless men worldwide. The moment she appeared, she almost shook the world, stunning everyone with her beauty and being hailed as a goddess.

"She really is quite something to look at."

Alex glanced at it, nodded, and praised. This Wonder Woman lived up to her reputation—very beautiful.

Then, he set the "Washington Daily" aside and picked up the "Seaside City Daily."