"I wonder how Mr. John is doing."
"Mr. Kevin has a terrible temper. What if he hurts Mr. John…"
"No, I have to call the police!"
Lin Aida hurriedly took out her phone and was about to use voice control to dial 911.
Suddenly, it went quiet outside.
The girl froze.
"It stopped?"
"The music stopped?"
Lin Aida could hardly believe her ears. Before, even when she had called the police and they came, Kevin still did whatever he wanted.
After a moment, she heard the door open, then heard "Mr. John" say, "It's taken care of."
"Mr. Kevin feels sorry about what he did. He's decided to move out tonight."
Lin Aida was stunned, "Mr. Kevin is moving out?"
"Yes, I've persuaded him."
Then "Mr. John" continued, "I actually like this place. My lease just ended."
"Caitlin, would you mind if I moved in next door?"
Lin Aida smiled, "I'd be more than happy."
"Then it's settled!"
———
[Sunday]
Alex sat on the bed under the covers, flipping through the newspaper.
Recently, the headlines had been dominated by Olga Company, and today was no exception.
Tonight, Olga Company would hold its power armor technology exhibition at the top floor of the Empire Building in Manhattan.
The newspaper coverage of the event could only be described as overwhelming.
Alex read the paper and casually patted the blanket, "Has the Liquid Man shown up yet?"
Angelina, her hair messy, crawled out from under the covers and said shamefully, "Sorry, Master. I'm too useless."
Alex said casually, "Next time, bring a few bodyguards with you and go to places you used to frequent."
"The more cautious you look, the easier it'll be for the Liquid Man to take the bait."
Angelina's eyes flickered as she immediately understood his intention.
"As you say, Master."
She burrowed back under the blanket.
Alex put down the newspaper, "Also, buy the apartment building at No. 76 in Chinatown for me."
"Then get rid of all the tenants except those in 403 and 404."
"Hire a security company as well. Have their people move in and pretend to be tenants."
"And protect the tenant in 404."
"Mmm… okay…", came the girl's muffled reply from under the blanket.
At that moment, a line of information appeared on Alex's retina.
[Warning: 12 hours and 37 minutes until disaster event.]
Alex let out a soft sound of surprise, 'A disaster warning?'
'Twelve hours later. That meant tonight.'
'Something big is going to happen tonight?'
The corners of Alex's mouth lifted. A disaster event that triggered a warning more than ten hours in advance would not be simple.
Last time, the Sylvester Town Town incident had only given a little over seven hours of warning.
This time, a full twelve hours.
Alex was looking forward to it.
———
Soon it was evening.
Manhattan was known as the heart of New York, and tonight, it was even more in the spotlight.
A week ago, Olga Company had declared that it would unveil its power armor technology at the top of the Empire Building and had publicly challenged Vought, inviting both the company and Homelander to attend.
That same afternoon, Vought's public relations department responded.
They announced that both the company and Homelander accepted the invitation. Moreover, Homelander was willing to personally test the product quality at the event.
Although both sides used polite language, anyone with eyes could see the undercurrent beneath the words and smell the tension in the air.
That night, Manhattan was brightly lit.
The business hall on the top floor of the Empire Building was even more magnificent, filled with guests.
Though the event had not yet begun, many people had already arrived. They were social elites and senior officials from the Federation.
In the hall, a pianist was playing music while guests chatted in small groups.
Major media outlets from New York and newspaper reporters had already secured prime positions near the stage.
Camera lenses were pointed at the platform, and staff were making final adjustments.
When the clock struck 8:30 PM, a streak of fire shot up into the sky above the Empire Building and exploded into brilliant fireworks.
As the fireworks flashed outside and guests looked up, lively entrance music sounded from the stage. The hall lights dimmed, leaving only a spotlight on the platform.
In the center of the stage, a figure slowly rose to the music.
It was President Arnold, tall and slender, brown hair flowing over his shoulders, dressed in a white suit.
His appearance instantly captured countless shots, with flashes going off nonstop around the stage.
Once Arnold fully emerged onto the platform, he placed a hand on his chest and bowed several times with grace, earning warm applause from the audience.
Then Arnold smiled, raised his hands, and gestured. The entrance music stopped.
The applause gradually faded.
A few seconds later, the hall fell silent.
Arnold walked calmly to the microphone, tapped it, and smiled, ["They told me no one uses such old fashioned things anymore."]
["Everyone uses wireless devices."]
["Yes, times are advancing. Technology changes every day."]
["Many things that fail to keep up with the pace of change are left far behind."]
["But I'm a traditional man, so I insisted they arrange this nostalgic piece."]
Arnold turned toward the event team and waved, ["Please forgive my stubbornness."]
A ripple of good natured laughter spread through the hall.
Arnold picked up the microphone and stepped back, ["But then again, those who cling to the past will find it hard to step into the future."]
["That is why Olga Company has always placed great emphasis on nurturing talent."]
["The 'Mayflower University Special Fund,' sponsored by our company, will officially launch tonight."]
["This fund is open to universities nationwide. Any student or teacher passionate about research and willing to contribute to human progress may apply."]
["Olga Company will meet all your research needs, all for a better future for humanity."]
["Thank you!"]
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the hall.
After a moment, Arnold raised his hand to signal for quiet and smiled again.
["At some point, superhumans appeared among us, bringing with them a series of social problems."]
["Fortunately, these problems have long been handled by the superheroes provided by Vought."]
["However, heroes are human too. There are times when they cannot be everywhere at once."]
["Like recently, Homelander, who has silently protected us, seems unable, for certain reasons, to safeguard this city as he once did."]
["But it doesn't matter. Olga Company's newly developed intelligent power armor technology will provide everyone with a safer environment and a brighter future!"]
["Now, let's give a warm round of applause to the user of the Titan armor, Colonel Yuri!"]
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