Since there was still time before the meeting, Victor figured that there was no reason to attend the meeting in a costume that was both wet and full of blood. As his tracksuit was now bloody, Victor told Crimson Fighter to check the nearby stores for a new tracksuit that’s his size while he went back to the Glowing Mountains Inn to clean up.

It was one of the joys of having a simple costume.

When Victor arrived back at the Inn, he was delighted to find that the inn had a robotic laundry service. No one ever evacuate robots. Victor knew he could have just thrown the old tracksuit away, but there was no reason to waste resources if it could be saved. Victor threw his bloody tracksuit at the robot manning the counter and went up to his room for a quick shower. He was still drying off when Crimson Fighter returned…with twenty tracksuits in various colors.

Crimson Fighter informed Victor that there was a store nearby, but he did not know Victor’s preference, so he broke into the store and took everything that was on the racks. Victor had to fight against the urge to facepalm.

There wasn’t nothing Victor could do about the matter. What was stolen has already been stolen, and it was not as if Victor could return the items. The owner of the store was probably not even in town! Victor decides to chalk this off as a shopping trip by an overzealous minion, and let Central Command reimburse the owner.

Victor chose a simple blue tracksuit and waited.

Sun Raven arrived at the inn at the appointment time and informed Victor he was not allowed an entourage. Victor would need to attend the meeting alone. Victor had expected this, and the young hero drove Victor to the meeting place, which turns out to be the pagoda. Victor guessed that was why Waveman and his group came out of the building. The pagoda was where the Central Command was located.

The trip through town was quick and it wasn’t long before Sun Raven stopped at the carpark where Victor first arrived. The hero opened the car door for Victor and ask Victor to follow him to the location of the meeting. Victor followed Sun Raven along the short cobblestone footpath leading up to the building and was jolted the moment he walked through the doors.

The inside of the building was nothing like Victor imagined. Unlike the ancient and peaceful looking facade, the interior of the pagoda was a hive of technological activity. The ground floor of the pagoda was an open floor and dominated by a big hexagon computer console in the middle. There was a person seated on each side of the console, keying into the console while looking at the numerous screens in front of them, and simultaneously speaking to other people on their headsets. Groups of analysts were discussing the latest reports coming from their scouts while sitting around tables showing holographic diagrams, and other analysts were writing up reports at numerous small computer terminals spaced around the floor. Victor even saw a big group of analysts arguing about something at one of the bigger tables on the sides.

It was a scene of control chaos and Victor felt his blood rising. He knew some people, even some heroes and villains, hated scenes like this, but Victor could not help but enjoy it. He remembered the various times he had seem scenes like this and it was always before a big operation. Nothing gets his adrenaline pumping like the possibility of imminent danger.

“Master Fist, this way.”

Victor turned at the voice, and saw that Sun Raven was trying to direct him to the stairs. Victor gave a slight cough to hide his inattention and followed the hero to the fifth floor of the pagoda. When they reached the floor, Sun Raven directed Victor to the strategy room. It was a big ornate room, and some heroes and villains were already there. They turned at Victor’s arrival. Victor recognized some of them by sight. Waveman, Star Monster, Mammoth Tiger; names everyone on Nexus knew. Even City Champions like Thundersky and HeroLight would be considered second tier to these powerful S-Tier heroes and villains. Victor kept a stoic look on his face while being delighted at the attention he was receiving.

Then, he noticed someone.

The woman was dressed in a red armour that had small wriggling tendrils rising from it. Armour she made herself, from the blood of her enemies. Even in prison, Victor heard rumors of her. The Bloody Duchess, an infamous murderer so crazy even other villains were wary of her. According to rumors, the Bloody Duchess’ powers come from blood. She could control her blood, as well as any blood she comes into contact with and shape them to her desire. The Bloody Duchess usually used the red liquid to form armor and weapons around her body, and the more blood she has, the more blood she spills, the more powerful she becomes.

Rumors have it that this has led to some psychological issues with the villain, making her a berserker in battle, screaming for the blood of her enemies. She was widely considered to be the craziest villain on Nexus and right now, she was looking at Victor with hunger in her eyes. Victor knew those set of eyes. He had them whenever he saw a particular beautiful woman that he just needs to have. Now, the shoe is on the other foot. Bloody Duchess was interested in him. In a sexual way!

Victor stopped himself from shivering. It would be a show of weakness, and knowing her reputation, it might even make him even more desirable to the Duchess. Victor looked around, hoping for something to distract her attention.

His salvation came when he saw the Old Man of Pui.