Chapter 49: I'm An Undercover Agent
On the outskirts of Gotham, at a temporary A.R.G.U.S. camp.
At the foot of the mountain, a sprawling stretch of tents had been erected, one next to the other in neat arrays. The fabric, predominantly a deep black, blended almost perfectly with the Gotham night.
Soldiers in combat suits moved back and forth through the camp, and various sounds occasionally emerged from the different tents. Trucks were constantly transporting all kinds of equipment and instruments into the camp, which were then swiftly set up under a unified command.
Not long ago, the A.R.G.U.S. branch base stationed in Gotham had become a battlefield for unknown aliens. That battle resulted in heavy losses for A.R.G.U.S., with the entire base nearly blown sky-high. However, this only further convinced Headquarters that Gotham was likely involved in an alien incident, so they quickly dispatched personnel and established this temporary camp.
Dell Smith strode quickly through the camp to his temporary office. After entering, he flipped his hand over, and his palm disgorged a hazy cloud of black mist that billowed at the entrance, sealing it like a dark fog.
It was a simple spell, capable of restricting entry and exit through any door.
After applying the seal, he sat down behind his desk, his facial muscles stiff and expressionless. Darkness flashed in his eyes, and a plume of black mist emerged from behind him, transforming into the form of a hideous demonic spirit.
The demonic spirit Amenhotep, one of the high-ranking members of the demonic spirit forces currently active near Gotham.
It had clearly possessed Dell Smith of A.R.G.U.S. After it floated out of the body, the possessed man's head lolled to one side, and he immediately fell unconscious.
The demonic spirit extended a chaotic claw and swiped gently through the air. A layer of magic was released from its palm, floating into mid-air and transforming into a circular shape, forming a mirror-like surface.
At first, it was pitch black, but it soon reflected an image. The face of an owl-like demonic spirit appeared on the other side of the darkness.
"Finally decided to get in touch? Demonic spirit Amenhotep." The owl-like demonic spirit on the other side looked somewhat displeased.
Amenhotep said drily, "Things have been busy within the Organization lately, a lot has been happening. I'm following up on several missions at once and simply couldn't find the time."
"Do you hear yourself?" the owl-like demonic spirit grew more annoyed. "You're starting to sound like a human lackey. Busy working for that 'A.R.G.U.S.' all day, you don't show up for meetings, you don't report in on time... You haven't *actually* forgotten who you are, have you?"
"This wasn't my choice. I just slacked off and dozed off during a meeting, and when I came to, you had all voted unanimously to send me in as an undercover agent among the humans. It was supposed to be three years, but then it was another three years after that. Hell, I'm about to be transferred out of Gotham to their headquarters!"
"Alright, stop complaining. Now is the time for you to be useful," the owl-like demonic spirit interrupted. "The humans' 'A.R.G.U.S.' has eyes and ears everywhere, and they possess special large-scale search methods. Plus, they're now interested in that 'Ultraman' who's always getting in our way. If things go smoothly, we can provoke them and use the humans' power to deal with him."
"I know, I'm already working on it," Amenhotep sighed. "But they aren't making much progress either. That Ultraman is elusive, and A.R.G.U.S. is still completely in the dark."
"I know. In any case, stay in contact. Notify us as soon as there's any progress... hmm?"
The owl-like demonic spirit's expression changed slightly, as if it had discovered something.
"What is it?"
"My monitoring magic has detected something... something incredibly fast." The demonic spirit's voice held a hint of surprise. "Such incredible speed. This direction... it seems to be preparing to attack you!"
"Attack me?"
Amenhotep showed a flicker of confusion, but it quickly turned into a cold sneer.
"Heh, interesting. Daring to attack my camp, Amenhotep's? They must have a death wish. No matter who it is, they're already dead... My word is final."
With that, without waiting for a reply, he waved his hand, and the black, mirror-like circle in front of him vanished into thin air.
The magical connection was severed. On the other end of the communication, the owl-like demonic spirit opened its mouth, hesitant, a sentence left unspoken.
What does he mean, *my* camp, Amenhotep's?
Has this guy really forgotten he's an undercover agent?
Amenhotep reattached itself to Dell Smith, its form merging into his. The unconscious Dell's eyes snapped open. His head, which had been slumped to the side, suddenly straightened with a series of sharp, cracking sounds from his bones.
He stood up, removed the seal, and strode out of the tent, ready to see which fool dared to cause trouble on his turf.
However, at that moment, he never would have expected it.
What he saw next was an image he would likely never forget for the rest of his long, demonic life.
A god among mortals.
Among the night-shrouded mountains, lightning suddenly descended from the churning dark clouds. The azure electric light briefly illuminated the sky, also lighting up a slender, black-clad figure.
A woman.
She wore a uniquely styled black jumpsuit, her long hair flowing as she hovered in the air amidst the dark clouds. A fleeting flash of lightning illuminated the conspicuous "S" on her chest.
The next moment, she dove.
It was a breathtaking speed. A transparent shockwave erupted behind her, like continuous, no-cooldown teleportation. Several afterimages flashed between the A.R.G.U.S. agents before they could even react.
With the dull thuds of bodies being struck, three to five A.R.G.U.S. agents were sent flying from the heavy blows. One was even lifted off the ground by his collar, soaring more than twenty meters into the air in a fraction of a second, only to be thrown down with even greater speed.
The poor soldier was smashed into a bloody pulp on the spot, reduced to a pile of crushed organs.
"Enemy attack!"
The A.R.G.U.S. soldiers immediately snapped back to reality, hastily drawing their guns to return fire. A hail of bullets enveloped the woman from all directions, but it had no effect. She let the bullets bounce off her body and fall to the ground, deliberately standing still with a contemptuous smile, as if mocking their futile attempts.
Three seconds later, she moved again.
Another flash, too fast to see clearly, and the A.R.G.U.S. soldiers were sent flying. The black afterimage shot through the base like a cannonball, braving the firepower to crash into a turret. The steel turret snapped in half. The woman effortlessly hoisted the upper section with one hand, casually tossed it, and crushed several tents in a row, which then erupted in a booming explosion.
The woman's body passed through the flames of the explosion, landing lightly in front of Dell Smith—that is, the demonic spirit Amenhotep.
"You in charge here? Take a message to your superior," the woman said lazily.
"Yes, no problem," the demonic spirit nodded.
*Obedient.jpg.*
The moment the demonic spirit saw this woman's figure, like a god of war who would cut down anyone in her path, all of its earlier bravado instantly vanished like smoke.
It suddenly remembered, *I'm a damn undercover agent, why would I risk my life for this?*
This one's ruthless. Can't provoke her, definitely can't provoke her...
"You killed our people, and you've detained one of us. If you know what's good for you, hand over that girl immediately. Once we have her, we will leave this planet at once, and we can let bygones be bygones."
The woman raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.
"Got it?"
"Got it," the demonic spirit nodded.
"Good." The woman nodded in satisfaction, her body slowly ascending. "Then remember, deliver the message. Otherwise, don't blame me for what happens next."
"Of course, take care," Dell said politely.
The woman suddenly accelerated, leaving behind a sonic boom as she vanished into the night.
Dell waved in the direction she had disappeared, then turned his head to see the surrounding agents staring at him with strange expressions.
He snapped irritably, "What are you looking at? Get a move on and contact Headquarters!"
(end of chapter)