Yes.
Protected.
Although this was the famous Marvel universe, it was undeniable that before the grand era truly began, the ordinary people of this world were kept remarkably safe.
The ones protecting them were none other than the equally famous Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
AKA—SHIELD!
Ever since its founding by the world powers, SHIELD had pursued a singular purpose: acting as a firewall between the ordinary world and the extraordinary world, preventing normal humans from learning about supernatural forces and protecting them from extraordinary threats.
It was much like Locke’s own agency, the Sentinel Secret Service.
To put it bluntly, if mutant awakenings occurred quietly without causing catastrophic incidents, the average person in this world would likely never learn that mutants existed either.
Before the Sentinel Secret Service was established, dealing with supernatural beings was strictly SHIELD’s domain.
Vampires, naturally, were also SHIELD’s responsibility.
Still…
encountering a vampire today was a good thing.
The first step was always the hardest.
Once you opened the door, more would follow.
Over the past two years, Locke had entertained the idea of tracking down vampires through SHIELD’s network, but nothing had come of it.
Now, a vampire had finally shown up.
Could the second and third be far behind?
Locke wasn’t afraid of them showing up; he was afraid there wouldn’t be enough of them.
God as his witness, when he had first figured out how his system worked, his top target for copying had been vampires.
After all, vampires were much easier to hunt than mutants.
Most importantly, unlike mutants who preferred to operate alone after awakening, vampires were social, colony-dwelling creatures.
The more Locke thought about it, the hotter the fire burned in his chest.
Now that the first vampire had appeared, following its trail and daily routine would inevitably lead him to an entire nest of them.
Even if one lower vampire yielded only a single Extraordinary Point, ten of them meant ten points.
A hundred meant a hundred points.
And that was just from the lowest-level vampires—there were bound to be higher-ranking ones out there.
*Mom, I can finally start farming.*
With that thought in mind, Locke turned to Debbie.
“Debbie.”
“Boss.”
“Investigate.” Locke’s eyes swept over the white ash on the ground before landing on Brown, his voice turning cold and resolute.
“I don’t care if it’s a mutant or a vampire.
We lost five men today.
We’re going to take fifty of their lives to settle the score.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
To take action, a law enforcement agency needed a proper justification.
And what justification could be more righteous and airtight than avenging fallen comrades?
Hearing Locke’s words and seeing his grim expression, Brown pushed aside his momentary grief and touched gratitude, nodding back with equal severity.
Debbie nodded firmly as well.
Locke was about to add a few more instructions to ensure their upcoming retaliation would follow proper procedural lines when his phone rang in his pocket.
He pulled out the phone, looked at the caller ID, and a soft smile touched his lips.
It was a call from his flight attendant wife, Esme.
Locke stepped to the side and answered.
His wife, Esme, was a flight attendant for United Airlines.
Blonde, blue-eyed, and universally admired, she had striking looks, fair skin, an elegant demeanor, and a stunning figure.
Locke liked her immensely.
Coupled with certain family circumstances, they had decided to register for marriage after dating for less than six months.
After getting married, Esme hadn’t resigned from United Airlines, nor had Locke ever expected her to give up her career to stay at home.
Originally, Esme had called him yesterday saying she would be flying back to New York from Texas today with a three-hour layover.
Locke had planned to meet her at JFK Airport after work for a brief reunion.
However, this emergency mission and overtime work had derailed his plans.
He had sent Esme a text earlier, which she had likely just seen after stepping off the plane.
Going over now was out of the question anyway.
With only an hour left, it wouldn’t be enough time for a proper visit, and it would leave him unsatisfied.
More importantly, if no one had died, he might have slipped away early.
But five of Brown’s men were dead; ditching the scene to go on a date with his wife was completely inappropriate.
Locke briefly explained the situation over the phone.
Esme sounded shocked on the other end.
“Are you alright?
Is Brown okay?
How did five people die?
Was it an Alpha-level mutant this time?”
“It wasn’t a mutant this time.”
“It wasn’t…?”
“It’s a bit complicated.
How about we talk when you fly back to New York next time?” Locke didn’t intend to explain over the phone.
“…Alright then,” Esme agreed.
She was currently in the United Airlines lounge at JFK Airport, wearing her sharp flight attendant uniform, her shoulder-length blonde hair accentuating her cool, elegant beauty.
Locke smiled.
“Sounds good.
I’ll pick you up at the airport then.”
Hanging up, Locke turned around and walked back to the group.
Brown was holding an ice pack against his forehead.
Seeing Locke return, he asked, “Was that Esme?”
Locke nodded.
Watching a body being wheeled out of the apartment building, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and handed it to Brown.
The two lit their cigarettes.
Brown took a deep drag, looking at Locke.
“I remember six months ago you said you were anti-marriage.
How did you end up tying the knot so suddenly?”
Locke chuckled and shook his head.
“The time came.”
He hadn’t planned on getting married so early either.
But…
his dad had practically forced it on him!
Seeing that Locke didn’t care to elaborate, Brown nodded and dropped the subject.
His gaze settled back on the bodies being loaded into the transport vehicle, his mood sinking once more.
Locke remained silent, merely patting Brown on the shoulder in a silent gesture of comfort.
He was a little worried that Brown might lose his drive after this setback.
That wouldn’t do at all.
His grand ambition of replicating Superman’s powers relied heavily on Brown’s effort.
Fortunately, Brown’s low mood was only temporary.
By the time they returned to headquarters, he had already channeled his grief into a burning desire for revenge.
Locke was right.
A life for a life—they killed one of ours, we take ten of theirs!
When Locke left his office, Brown had already set off with his remaining squad members, driven by the same ruthless determination, to conduct a thorough background check on the vampire.
Locke felt deeply gratified by their enthusiasm.
He clocked out, walked to the parking garage, unlocked his Audi A8, started the engine, and drove out of the underground parking lot of the Sentinel Secret Service building.
Half an hour later, he arrived back at his rented apartment.
It wasn’t very large—about fifty square meters, consisting of a single living room and a bedroom.