The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Heroic emergency response teams are good people. At least, in all movies and TV shows, they appear to be good guys. However, they are usually not at the forefront.

No, what truly captures everyone's attention are the heroes, and sometimes even the more popular villains.

Sienna had seen quite a few superhero movies. It wasn't her favorite genre, but she had still watched a few.

There seems to be an invisible pressure in the social and cultural atmosphere that compels people to keep up with the hottest new movies. In all those films featuring heroes (sometimes the hero is played by the real hero himself, which is quite awkward but also quite interesting), the agents of the hero emergency response team always appear as background characters.

When three vans and an armored vehicle pulled up in front of the Maple Leaf warehouse with sirens blaring and lights flashing, Sienna struggled to stop herself from trembling.

The van doors opened, and five or six agents jumped out of each van. Some agents spread out in a large circle, while others placed traffic cones on the road or unfolded large metal plates to form temporary roadblocks.

They were all armed, with long, spear-like weapons featuring yellow and black barrels, and their regular firearms were tucked into their waistbands.

As several agents approached Sienna, she nearly raised her hands. "Are you the boss?" one of the agents asked.

"what?"

"Are you the independent hero called 'Boss'?" he repeated.

“Oh, um, yes, it’s me. The others are inside. I’ll go tell them, uh, tell them not to be nervous.” Sienna turned abruptly and ran quickly back into the warehouse.

She lied to herself, saying she was going back to tell her sisters to stay out of trouble, but really she just wanted to get away from the men and women behind her who looked rather intimidating. "Girls, the heroes are here," she announced.

"Are we about to start fighting?" Teddy asked.

“No!” Sienna said, “We won’t fight, because we are heroes too, and heroes don’t fight each other, right?”

Teddy—still a two-ton bear at this moment—seemed to think seriously for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I got it, boss. We're super awesome heroes, you know."

“Super brave,” Athena said. She blinked, and because her eyes were slightly larger than average, the blink was particularly noticeable. Sienna wanted to cover her face, but it was too late.

The agents sprang into action. Two agents stood guard on either side of the door, one kneeling and the other standing. Then one of them shouted, "Safe!" Several more people walked in, including a hero.

Sienna swallowed.

“Ah! Isn’t this the boss!” Silver Fox said. The hero walked in as if he came here every day, head held high, back straight, his meticulously styled hair combed back into an almost curly shape. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Uh, hello, sir,” Sienna said. She wasn’t the type to get excited when she saw a celebrity; she was quite frightened. “This—this is the villain.” She pointed to the side, where “Chain Man” was also staring in disbelief.

“Wait, what?” he asked. “Hey! No, I’m not a villain, I’m a hero! A hero!” said “Chain Man.”

“The boss said you’re the villain,” Teddy growled. “Then you’re the villain, no doubt about it. She knows better than you what a villain is.”

“Yes, shut up!” Trinity, who was closest, chimed in.

Silver Fox glanced around, sizing up Sienna's sisters, then turned his attention back to her. "The group of heroes you've gathered is quite impressive. I guess you're the leader of this team?"

“Uh, yeah,” she said. “I’m their leader, the ‘leader.’ Yeah.”

Silver Fox smiled, a smile that was both handsome and reassuring. "I think I understand. You know, we have a lot of free public relations services for newcomers and independent heroes, if you need help in that area. But now, would you mind if we took this villain-looking young man with us?"

“I already said I’m not—wow, wow, okay, I’ll shut up then,” said “Chain Man.” Sienna didn’t even bother to turn around and see what her sisters were doing.

“Okay, please take him away,” she said.

“Great,” Silver Fox said. He gestured, and the nearest agents quickly ran toward Chain Man. Teddy took a few steps back, allowing the agents to grab him, pull him up, and twist his arms behind his back—all under the close watch of other agents who were also aiming stun guns at Chain Man.

Sienna was glad it was finally over. Now all she had to do was... Just as Silver Fox approached her, she wilted a little, followed by two agents in less heavily armored uniforms.

"Shall we give the report here, or would you prefer to do it at the bureau?" Silver Fox asked.

“Hmm,” Sienna said, “Report?”

“We need to understand what happened. This is for our own investigation, and also to better understand how to lock him up properly… he’s called ‘Chain Man,’ right?”

“Oh, right,” Sienna said. “I think this is fine. Uh, maybe outside?” That way she could keep an eye on her sisters more easily.

"Of course! I was just about to suggest doing it outside. It's best to do this in the sunlight. Plus, the photos will turn out better that way. Have you ever been on the news, boss?"

"No—no?"

"Oh, that's perfect! There's always a first time for everything."

Sienna turned to her sisters and Sam, waved to them, and called out, "Alright, I'm going to talk to Mr. Silver Fox. You four, uh, Sam, keep an eye on them, okay?"

“I can give it a try,” Sam said. “I’m not a professional nanny, you know that.”

"Just do your best," Sienna tried to say.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Teddy grumbled. “Why should we listen to her? We’re on a higher level. She’s just a lackey.”

“Uh,” Sienna said, “you don’t have to listen to me. I mean… I need the three of you to protect Sam. Because she… is just a normal person, not as strong as you guys. Okay?”

Teddy squinted and finally said, "Okay, that works too." Sienna turned and walked out the door. As soon as she stepped outside, the bright sunlight shone in, and she squinted for a moment. Then, she stepped aside as a group of people wearing what looked like protective suits rushed into the warehouse.

The van had been moved slightly, and a long, bright yellow warning tape hung on a pole across the street. The special agents of the Heroic Emergency Response Team were watching everything from behind the tape.

Looking further away, some curious citizens came out to watch, and news media also arrived.

Sienna noticed two groups of staff unloading cameras, and she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. A person who looked like a reporter was talking to an agent, glancing at Sienna every now and then, and then pointing to... the place where "Chain Man" was being held by two burly agents dressed in almost matte black plate armor.

“Boss!” Silver Fox called out. He waved to her, and Sienna dragged herself over to stand next to him and the agent holding the tablet. “This is Allison; she’ll be in charge of taking notes.”

“Okay,” Sienna said. “Should I say something? Or do something?”

"Can you describe the circumstances that led to the conflict with the suspect, 'Chain Man'?" Allison asked in a monotonous voice.

“Uh,” Sienna said, “are you referring to the situation before the conflict, or…”

“Generally speaking, it’s best to explain how you discovered they were villains,” Silver Fox said. He pointed to the name and title floating above his head. “Not everyone would display their identifier like this, and villains even less so.”

“Yes, um, we talked to some locals and found out that ‘Chain Man’ has been charging some local shops.”

"That's outrageous," Silver Fox said, shaking his head. "Extorting money from others in that way, I bet it's protection money, right?"

Sienna nodded. "That's right, he did it with a few other people. Uh, they were all young people. There were a few people with him at the time, but they all ran away."

"That's a real shame," said Silver Fox. "Could you describe what they look like?"

Sienna tried to recall what they looked like, but her mind went blank. "One of them was wearing a knitted hat? Uh, they were all white... pretty young, I remember that."

The hero frowned. "So, this villain not only started extorting money from the locals, but also formed his own gang, recruiting young and naive people and leading them down the path of crime."

“Uh,” Sienna said.

Suddenly, the alarm went off.

Her sisters were all gathered around the large armored personnel carrier, and an agent was showing the girls and Sam the buttons on the dashboard.

Trinity had somehow climbed into the car and was clearly pressing various buttons, trying to turn off the alarm.

“Yes, leading the children down the path of crime,” Sienna said. “Well, anyway, we got here, met him, and then beat him. That’s it.”

Silver Fox looked at her, then nodded. "I think this works too. It's wise of you not to let your companions reveal their superpowers; this kind of information can easily leak out in the worst possible way. By the way, well done, boss."

You've done a good deed for this city, and indeed the world, today. Now, if you don't mind, I think someone needs to deal with the media, unless you'd like to come with me?

"No, please go ahead."

Watching the man leave, she sighed. Looking up at the sky, she realized it wasn't even noon yet. She still had classes to attend and her friends to supervise.

Sienna watched as "Chain Man" was pushed into the back seat of a van, while the camera lens continued to pan.

【mission completed! 】

[The Queen Captures the Knight]

[Defeat "Chain Man"]

[Rewards: Gain 1 skill slot for defeating, capturing, or killing an opponent with superpowers. Gain villain points for successfully defending your territory!]