Shen Ying's words didn't garner much attention from Adam and Storm, but they were still enough to surprise them.
During their rescue operations, it wasn’t uncommon for hostages to get close enough to catch a glimpse of their true nature.
The reactions were always the same—utter disbelief that the world’s revered beacons of light, the saviors in times of disaster, were actually cold, cruel monsters in reality.
Some reacted with sheer terror, others with stunned denial, and some simply broke down in despair.
But never had they encountered someone who calmly tried to bargain with them and then outright refused to cooperate with their plans.
Was this a normal reaction? Even someone lacking common sense would understand the insurmountable gap between ordinary humans and superhumans.
Especially when facing Adam, whose powers bordered on godlike—the strongest of all superhumans. Mortals were utterly powerless before him.
Perhaps Shen Ying’s unusual reaction piqued Adam’s interest, because his impatience at having to wait a few more minutes suddenly vanished.
A smile even crept onto his face. "And how exactly do you plan to not cooperate?"
"Go on, tell me. I’ve seen plenty of clever fools during these tedious heroics."
"Even when they stretch their imaginations to the limit, preparing countermeasures based on what they think I can do, they always discover that my abilities far exceed their expectations."
"If you can actually cause me even the slightest trouble, I’ll reward you for it."
Hearing this, Storm immediately frowned. "Adam, you know the nature of this operation."
"Don’t get carried away again—"
Adam’s gaze flicked over, his icy blue eyes devoid of any strong emotion.
Yet Storm’s words were abruptly cut off, as if severed by a sharp blade, the rest of his sentence vanishing into silence.
Annoyed, Storm shot a glance at the reckless Asian girl.
She was clearly just an ordinary human. Whatever. Even if she had no sense, she couldn’t possibly cause any real trouble.
Shen Ying’s eyes remained fixed on Adam, her expression showing genuine interest at his words. "A reward? What kind? Can it be money?"
Adam’s brow twitched slightly. He didn’t like her tone—as if she actually believed she had the capability to earn it.
Just then, Adam and Storm’s sharp senses picked up two faint sounds.
The cameras had finally arrived, just beyond the wall, likely descending from the hole they’d blasted through the ceiling.
Adam instantly lost interest in chatting with the hostage. He cracked his neck, the joints popping audibly.
Turning to the robbers, he said, "Alright, you can start now."
Five minutes of silently awaiting death, helpless and powerless—normally, by the time he uttered those words, these weak insects would already be at their breaking point.
They’d lose all reason, frantically firing every weapon at their disposal in a desperate frenzy. That was exactly what Adam wanted to see.
But this time, after he spoke, the criminals didn’t move.
Instead, the female hostage spoke up: "Shoot."
One of the robbers immediately obeyed, opening fire on a fellow criminal without hesitation.
Adam and Storm were momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events, but their reflexes were unparalleled.
An internal shootout among the robbers wasn’t part of their script—it would completely derail the intended narrative of this staged spectacle.
So, despite his reluctance, Adam had no choice but to rush forward and pull the targeted robber out of harm’s way.
Then Shen Ying issued a second command: "Kiss him."
The previously idle robber turned and planted a deep, passionate French kiss on the one who’d just been shooting.
It wasn’t that Adam couldn’t react in time—he absolutely could. But since this entire operation was meant to rehabilitate his public image, he couldn’t just pulverize the criminals before the cameras arrived.
In fact, he needed them to remain intact and threatening, appearing as ruthless villains to heighten the sense of danger for the hostages.
So his response this time was deliberately restrained.
Yet this very hesitation allowed the absurd scene to unfold before them.
What the hell were these insects doing?
Before they could process it, another shocking development occurred.
The two robbers who had just kissed suddenly began convulsing, their eyes rolling back as foam spilled from their mouths before they collapsed.
Meanwhile, the robber Adam had pulled to safety—already flushed and swollen, his heart rate erratic—now looked like a bloated steamed bun, clawing desperately at his throat before passing out.
Adam and Storm’s expressions darkened. Storm immediately checked the two who had kissed and dropped dead.
The answer came instantly. He looked up at Adam. "Dead. Poison."
"This one had poison hidden in his teeth—bit into it when he kissed the other."
Then he moved to examine the one Adam had saved.
"This one’s in anaphylactic shock."
At that moment, the drone cameras finally arrived, broadcasting the scene live to the massive operations team behind the production.
The director nearly fell out of his chair. "Cut! Cut now! Switch to the girl hero group’s live performance!"
Fuming, he snapped, "What the hell happened? Weren’t you supposed to have convinced Adam to cooperate?"
"Why did he kill the criminals before the cameras even started rolling?"
Adam’s agent looked grim at the moment but didn’t dare confront him directly. Instead, he called Storm.
However, the phone rang for a long time with no answer, and the footage from the camera lenses seemed frozen.
Only the bank manager’s trembling body proved the scene was still unfolding normally.
Then, as if annoyed by the faint whirring of the cameras, Adam flicked his wrist, and the two devices suddenly exploded.
The company’s personnel could no longer see what was happening on-site.
Adam stared intently at Shen Ying, as if trying to bore a hole through her with his gaze.
After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Mind control?"
"No, even if one of those insects had poison hidden in its mouth, it wouldn’t explain the other one’s allergic reaction."
Storm, now certain, cut in: "She’s not a superhuman."
As one of the strongest heroes, they had access to extensive information databases during rescue operations.
In this data-driven era, superhumans weren’t easy to hide. If you had any form of identification, your abilities would be on record.
Especially for employees in places like banks—strict ability screenings were mandatory before hiring to ensure the security of assets.
And this woman’s profile on Storm’s phone clearly stated:
[No abilities.]
When Adam heard this, his expression twisted into something beyond disbelief.
Shen Ying stepped over one of the robbers’ corpses and smiled at Adam. "Seems even the strongest hero’s abilities aren’t beyond imagination, huh?"
Then, glancing around the scene, she added cheerfully, "But as long as I don’t have to work for free, that’s enough for me."
"Your colleagues must’ve handled the danger outside by now, right?"
"Gentlemen, until next time!"
She was off to claim a blanket and a hot coffee from the police—a well-earned break.
But just as she turned and took a step, an arm blocked her path.
Adam’s blue eyes now churned with a brewing storm.
His voice dropped low. "I didn’t say you could leave."
Shen Ying replied, "I can, and you’ll let me."
Adam scoffed. "Show me how you’ll stop me."
Shen Ying shook her head. "No need for me to say anything. Your colleague will convince you."
"With everything he’s got."
Her gaze settled on Storm.
