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Chapter 230: Alex, You've Surprised Me Again
🕑 Added 2025-07-27 17:27:02 +0000 UTC
"Alex!"
Emma’s voice cut through the sterile air of the underground chamber, sharp with relief and certainty. The moment her eyes landed on him, that trademark calmness of hers cracked, replaced by something rare—genuine emotion.
"I knew you'd come."
Even with her powers suppressed, locked inside a reinforced glass cell, and a heavy collar dampening every psychic impulse, she had never doubted him for an instant.
From the very second her telepathic message to Charles had been abruptly severed, she hadn’t wondered if Alex would arrive—only when.
And now, there he was.
He hadn’t been delayed. He hadn’t hesitated. He had carved a direct path to her—just as she’d known he would.
"Emma, Vanessa—you're unharmed?" Alex’s voice was steady, clipped, but his eyes scanned their figures in an instant, his gaze hardening at the faint bruising around their necks from the collars.
Vanessa gave a strained laugh, her usual sass intact despite the situation. "Just peachy," she said, rolling her shoulders as if to shake off the residual tension. Her fingers brushed the suppressor collar as though it were a disgusting insect clinging to her skin. "They didn’t have time to get creative before you crashed their little party."
Alex’s jaw eased by a fraction.
"Good," he said curtly. "Secure the facility. Don’t leave anything behind. I’ll meet you back at base."
Before either of them could respond—
BOOM!
A thunderous sonic burst ripped through the chamber. Papers and shards of glass danced in the wake of his sudden departure, the air still vibrating where he had been standing just a heartbeat ago.
Vanessa blinked, strands of hair whipped across her face. "That man and his dramatic exits…" she muttered, half amused, half exasperated.
Emma didn’t answer. She was already shifting, her skin crystallizing into flawless diamond as she stalked toward the corridor. Each of her footsteps rang sharp and cold against the steel floor.
"Let’s see what secrets these bastards were hiding," she said, her voice like a blade.
---
Albany Estate
Far away, under the crimson glow of a setting sun, an entirely different tension was unfolding.
The red-haired man stood at the edge of a grand balcony, Oblivion at his side. The estate was vast, ancient stone walls blending seamlessly with modern fortifications—an opulent fortress meant to be untouchable.
And yet—
A thunderous crack split the sky like a gunshot.
A dark shape streaked across the horizon, descending faster than any aircraft. The very air warped around it before it slammed into the courtyard below.
BOOOOM!
Stone exploded outward. Dust rolled like a living wave. Entire flagstones shattered, leaving a deep crater at the estate’s heart.
As the smoke cleared, a single figure emerged.
Alex.
Standing amidst the debris with an almost unnatural stillness, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression unreadable.
His head tilted upward, his gaze locking on the balcony above—on them.
"Found you."
The two words carried no effort, no strain. Yet Oblivion felt them hit like a punch to the chest.
His breath caught. "Alex?!"
How?
The Purge Protocol had been flawless. Every trace of the base had been obliterated. Witnesses eliminated. Data wiped clean.
There should have been no trail—no way for anyone, not even a telepath of Charles’s caliber, to find this place.
Unless…
Unless Alex wasn’t just fast or strong. Unless his powers reached into something far more terrifying.
Oblivion’s gaze flicked toward his Master. For the first time since he had sworn allegiance to him, he saw something unfamiliar—a faint but undeniable flicker of surprise.
The red-haired man stepped forward, the dying sunlight catching his hair and making it blaze like fire.
"Again," the Master murmured, his lips curving in something that wasn’t quite a smile. "You continue to surprise me, Alex Winters."
His tone held no mockery this time—only genuine intrigue.
"How did you find this place?"
It wasn’t just curiosity. It was calculation. He was already dissecting the possibilities, reassessing every assumption he’d made about Alex.
Alex didn’t answer. He didn’t even blink.
Instead, he rose into the air, levitating effortlessly until he was level with the balcony, his presence radiating controlled menace.
"You took Emma and Vanessa to lure me out," he said flatly.
"Correct," the Master replied without hesitation. "You’ve been a subject of interest for quite some time. I’ve observed. Studied. Waited for the right moment to… test you."
His lips curved slightly, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes.
"And what a test it was," he added. "No one—not even he—has ever traced me back this quickly."
Alex’s gaze sharpened. "I doubt you’ll just hand me what I came for."
The Master spread his hands in a gesture that was half invitation, half mockery.
"Where would be the fun in—"
BOOM!
The balcony shook as Alex moved, faster than the Master’s eyes could follow.
But Oblivion was already in motion, his instincts screaming.
"You will not touch him!"
He met Alex head-on.
WHAAAM!
The impact was catastrophic. The shockwave blasted outward, shredding the balcony’s railings, sending glass windows across the estate exploding in a glittering storm.
Oblivion’s fist collided with Alex’s—only to be overpowered instantly.
Alex didn’t even slow down.
His arm whipped around like a steel whip.
CRASH!
The backhand connected, and Oblivion’s world spun into chaos. He was hurled across the courtyard, his body smashing through one wall—then another—then a third, until he vanished beneath a mountain of shattered stone and collapsing architecture.
The ground trembled. Dust hung in the air.
Alex never looked away from the Master.
