Nightwatch felt a cold bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck.

This was a nightmare. (,,¬﹏¬,,)

Recently, he’d faced down Grave and somehow managed a household of chaotic and thirsty women, but truly nothing prepared him for Pulsar who leaned in and licked her lips at him like he was a piece of chocolate.

He never expected to be in this situation. If she knew he was Scott McQueen, her behavior might make some twisted sense... they had history, after all. But to her, he was just Nightwatch, the "unregistered nobody" that many heroes liked to ignore. Why was she so eager to kiss him when they’d barely spoken for ten minutes?

Was this like one of those situations where women would seduce a hall of fame athlete and then accuse them of sexual assault the next day? Maybe she wanted to ruin his career for some reason? That was his best bet.

『Or is this the System?』

He wondered, pursing his lips beneath his mask.

No, that didn’t track.

The women he usually attracted had all been charmed by his specific brand of heroics over time.

Pulsar was acting on pure, dangerous instinct.

He looked at her petite, beautiful face. Her delicious lips were puckered, waiting, and he noticed a faint shimmer of light lipstick that definitely hadn’t been there when they first sat down. She must have swiped it on while he was focused on the takeout.

『She’s cunning dammit!』

His eyes widened like flashlights.

『Who knew she could be this dangerous! These women are literally predators.』

He started to scoot back, but Pulsar was relentless as her small yet curvy body glided forward on the ledge to keep her luscious lips within a hair’s breadth of his.

"What are you doing?"

Nightwatch asked with a bit of a strained voice.

Pulsar let out a teasing chuckle.

"Your lips look a bit dry, Nightwatch. I just want to help you hydrate them... so they don’t start breaking. I’ve heard that can be very painful, you know~"

The arousal and temptation in her voice were like a a group of seduction tactics bundle into one. He’d forgotten how much of a succubus Maya could be when she set her sights on something. During their dating days, she was the master of using her femininity as a weapon. Whether it was a tabletop RPG where she wanted him to spare her character, or a real-life plea for an expensive date, she knew exactly how to play the "innocent girl" card. She looked harmless and tiny, but in reality, she was a total freak in the sheets... and honestly, she was probably the reason he’d been able to handle the sheer intensity of dating Emma and the others. She had trained him for this without him even knowing it.

The chat was reaching a fever pitch.

[HE IS LITERALLY LIVING MY DREAM LIFE 😭]

[Nightwatch is such a virgin bruh "oh no, she’s gonna kiss me, that’s so bad!" 🤦 you could take this guy to a five star restaurant and he’d be like "my steak is too juicy, my lobster is too buttery..." TCH!]

[NIGHTWATCH IF YOU DONT KISS HER I WILL PERSONALLY FIND YOU]

[Bro is buffering... press A to interact, man!!]

[Look at the tension. I’m literally screaming in my kitchen right now.]

The gap between them narrowed to a few tiny inches. From the perspective of the drones, it pretty much looked like they were already kissing like passionate dogs.

...

Emma’s Mansion.

Emma was still watching the steam with a look of pure and unfiltered jealousy on her face. She gripped the edge of the sofa until her delicate finger’s popped.

Adeline took a small sip of her grape wine and didn’t care to notice her daughter’s meltdown.

"Oh please, I don’t get why you’re squeezing your face like that, Emma dear. It’s not like you have a shot at attracting a charming, morally upright man like Nightwatch."

"MOM—!"

Emma stiffened with shock.

But Adeline only sighed and continued talking.

"Someone who chooses to date a shameless and utterly depraved man like Scott McQueen shouldn’t think they have better options. You made your bed."

Her eyes returned to the screen after.

Adeline’s indifference was like a cold front moving through the room.

The other girls in the room exchanged glances of deep pity.

"Ha, I’m not even shocked. You really don’t think I can do anything useful, do you?"

Emma screamed as she stood up.

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE SO RUDE AND BITTER TO ME, DAMMIT!"

Adeline equally raised her voice at Emma.

"Because I don’t want you to make the same stupid mistakes I did! To end up with a man who doesn’t love you, but only loves what you have to offer!"

"Dad loved you!" Emma shouted back.

"Oh shut up already! If he loved me, he wouldn’t have run off to the military!"

Adeline almost felt the need to slap her daughter.

This was years of crammed and suppressed family frustration finally boiling over.

"He was so eager to prove to his father that he could be a hero without powers that he got himself killed! And he this inspired your stubborn brother to follow his footsteps and guess what? That got your brother killed too!"

The room went deathly silent.

Emma’s mouth hung open.

The mention of her brother would always extinguish any flame of frustration burning inside her. Especially now that she knew that he was far from dead.

Adeline didn’t stop. She went on a scathing rant about the men she’d dated since... disgusting parasites who wanted her money or her body.

"The women in this family are destined to end up with the worst kind of men imaginable, Emma. It’s in our blood and you don’t realize that!"

"That’s a lie!"

"Is it? Look at your sister, Maddie! Marcus is a result of her teen pregnancy that I had to clean up. And now you, with all your success, you want to be one of many wives for a man who has nothing special to offer? Are under some kind of sick spell?! Are you not ashamed?!"

"..."

The silence was so heavy it felt suffocating.

Even Emma had no comeback for the ugly truth of her mother’s worldview.

Adeline let out a dry, mocking chuckle at Emma.

"Giving up so easily? Typical."

"Shut up."

Emma whispered furiously.

"You can say what you want about me, okay? But never and I mean NEVER speak about Maddie like that in front of Marcus again."

"I’m your mother! I’ll speak however I—"

Adeline had more to say, but she froze.

Marcus was sitting on the edge of his chair with large tears in his eyes as his lips trembled. The sight of the boy’s heartbreak shattered Adeline’s armor instantly. She rushed over like the clingy and protective grandmother she was and pulled him into a hug.

"Oh, Marcus... I’m so sorry, honey. I didn’t mean it. You know grandma would never EVER talk about your mother like that, don’t you? I promise."

Marcus sniffled and buried his face in her shoulder.

Emma gave her mother one last glare before turning back to the TV.

Beca and Gwen started to lean in to say something.

"Do you—"

But Nadia held up a hand.

"Ah buh buh... be quiet."

The two ladies frowned and looked away.

"Fine..." (¬`‸´¬)

...

The Skyscraper.

Pulsar leaned in closer and placed her delicate hands on Nightwatch’s shoulders.

A soft, triumphant smile was on her face.

『Oh! He has such broad shoulders!』 ꉂ૮(°□°’˶)ა

It felt like a massive discovery.

『He looks so easy to tease. I bet a guy like him gets zero bitches. He’s probably terrified because he’s finally met a woman who’s actually into him.』

She felt a surge of pride.

In her mind, she was the one in control here.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she slowly pulled down his mask to claim her prize.

But a sharp beeping sound broke the moment.

A holographic screen popped up out of nowhere between their faces.

Nightwatch let out a tensed and heavy breath he didn’t know he was holding.

"That was a close one..." (⚆_⚆)

He mumbled under his breath.

"What is—"

Pulsar was immediately irritated but paused when she saw the content of the screen.

The mood shifted instantly.

On the screen was a live feed of a car moving erratically through the lower city streets. The driver was a woman who looked utterly destroyed... sunken eyes, sallow skin, and the clear tremors of severe drug abuse. She might have been beautiful once, but she had let herself go to the point of being a ghost of a person. In the back seat sat a small boy who clutched a tattered teddy bear and carried the sort of terrified eyes no child should have.

The chat, which had been full of "ship" comments and jokes, turned solemn in a heartbeat.

[Oh god... that’s heartbreaking.]

[Is she high? She’s going to crash.]

[Look at the kid’s face... damn.]

[Nightwatch, forget the kiss. Save that boy.]

Nightwatch and Pulsar stared blankly at the screen.

The woman on the screen took a shuddering breath. Her chest heaved as if she were about to pour her heart out, to scream for help, but then her face hardened into a look that said she’d keep her pains to herself.

She looked away from the camera lens.

"Never mind..."

There was so much hurt in her voice.

"I don’t need your help. I don’t need anyone’s help."

"YES YOU DO!"

The little boy in the back seat suddenly shrieked as he leaned forward against his seatbelt.

"Mom, you do! We talked about this! You said... you said if I called the hero man, you’d finally get help! Please don’t do this right now. You promised!"

The woman’s head snapped back while her bloodshot eyes bulged furiously at him.

"SHUT UP! Just shut your mouth! I don’t need some useless doctor or a shrink to collect my last dime just to tell me my life is crap! I already know it’s worthless! I don’t need a lecture on how to be a person!"

"It’s not worthless!"

The boy sobbed painfully.

"You just don’t give anyone a chance! Nightwatch isn’t a doctor, Mom! He’s a hero! I know he’ll do his best to help us if you just let him!"

Pulsar’s grip on Nightwatch’s shoulder tightened.

Her irritation from the interrupted kiss had now been replaced with an eerie feeling in her gut.

Nightwatch leaned into the screen.

"Hey... are you two okay? Just talk to me."

The mother didn’t even look at him. She reached into the center compartment, fumbling with shaky hands until she pulled out a crumpled cigarette. She sparked a lighter and took a deep drag.

"We’re fine."

She nonchalantly blew a cloud of toxic smoke directly into the cramped cabin.

"This entire call was dumb. Kid’s just got an overactive imagination."

"Mom, stop! You can’t be smoking!"

The boy coughed as he waved his hands through the grey haze.

"It’s bad for your health, and the doctor said—"

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"

At that point you could only call her a mad woman.

"You’re just like your runaway father! A burden! A weight around my neck keeping me in the gutter! I should have left you on a doorstep the day you were born!"

The livestream chat was moving so fast it was almost a blur of white text.

[MODS CLIP THIS!! THIS IS CHILD ABUSE LIVE!! 🤬]

[Call CPS right now! Look at that poor kid’s eyes...]

[Yo, I grew up with a mom like this. Shi triggering asf.]

[To be fair, we don’t know her struggle. Maybe the system failed her?]

ㄴ [L take. There’s no excuse for treating a kid like that while high behind the wheel.]

[NIGHTWATCH DO SOMETHING!!]

Nightwatch watched the woman with a face full of raw frustration. He gritted his teeth so hard Pulsar could hear them grinding. When the woman took another drag and kept driving with one hand, his composure snapped.

"Don’t do that."

His voice was vibrating dangerously.

"Do what?" the woman sneered.

"STOP SMOKING IN FRONT OF YOUR SON!"

Nightwatch roared.

He looked absolutely livid. Pulsar recoiled slightly; she didn’t think someone like him could get this angry. He looked like a possessed man and his eyes flashed with an anger so intense it bordered on the psychotic.

Calling him a madman would be a fair statement.

[YOOO NIGHTWATCH IS PISSED!! 😨]

[He’s losing his cool... I’ve actually never seen him scream like that.]

[Maybe he went through this too? That kinda trauma response is real.]

[HE’S GONNA CRASH THE SCREEN LOL]

The woman on the monitor laughed.

"Fuck off. Hero my ass. You aren’t my husband."

"He’s right, Mom! Please!"

The boy cried out as he reached for the cigarette.

That was the final straw.

The woman snarled as she tossed the lit cigarette into the footwell and twisted in her seat. She started raining blows down on the boy, her hand slapping his face and shoulders until she could see blood.

"You think you’re so smart?! You think you can tell me what to do?!"

Pulsar turned to Nightwatch.

"W-, We have to stop this! Locate them now!"

But she stopped when she saw him.

Nightwatch was shaking. Heavy beads of sweat poured down his mask, and he was panting as his breath came in shallow, terrified hitches.

"Don’t hurt him..."

He mumbled with a voice so small you would think he was a helpless child.

"Stop... please stop..."

He looked paralyzed, as if he were the one being hit.

It reminded Pulsar so much of Scott whenever they talked about his family that it made her heart ache.

"I shouldn’t have let you talk me into this!"

The woman screamed as she turned back to the wheel while still reaching back to shove the boy.

"You and your father... you’re the ones who need help! When we get home, I’m going to deal with you thoroughly, you little bastard! You’ll wish you were never—"

BEEEEEEEP!

The blare of a massive air horn drowned her out. The woman’s eyes went wide as she looked through the windshield. A massive fuel tanker was jackknifed across the highway as its silver body reflected her headlights for a split second before the world turned orange.

BOOM!

The screen went black.

Now, all that was left was the static roar of fire and the distant screams of people in agony.

"THEY CRASHED!" Pulsar screamed.

Nightwatch snapped out of his trance.

"We have to save them! NOW!"

There was no more hesitation. He vaulted off the edge of the skyscraper. In mid-air, the blue technophage surged out of his skin and weaved together like metallic gears to form his Anti-Disaster Suit (ADS). He turned into a streak of brilliant blue light and tore through the atmosphere.

Pulsar flew right behind him.

Below them, the city street looked like a war zone.

A massive pillar of fire roared into the night sky. The fuel tanker had exploded, involving at least a dozen other cars. Wounded people were crawling away from the wreckage as their clothes smoldered.

『System! Give me a situational report!』

Nightwatch commanded.

[Massive chemical explosion detected. 14 vehicles involved. 22 lives in critical danger. The fuel tanker has toppled over the target vehicle. Probability of secondary explosion is currently at 88% in T-minus 120 seconds!]

"Pulsar! Focus on the civilians in the perimeter! You’re faster at evac!"

Nightwatch barked over the comms.

"I’m going for the tanker!"

"On it!"

Pulsar dived toward a group of trapped commuters.

[THEY’RE ACTUALLY DOING IT!!]

[This is the craziest stream in history.]

ㄴ [Yall say that every week 🙄]

[GO NIGHTWATCH GO!!]

Nightwatch slammed into the asphalt near the burning tanker. The heat was immense, enough to melt standard plastic, but the ADS was unfazed. He saw the truck driver slumped against his steering wheel, coughing blood. Nightwatch ripped the massive door off its hinges like it was made of wet cardboard and tossed it aside.

"You’re okay, I’ve got you!"

He pulled the man out.

"Th-, Thank you..."

The driver wheezed.

"My daughter... she’s crazy about you..."

"Uhm..."

"Watch out... there’s a kid... under the tank..."

Nightwatch’s blood ran cold.

He turned to the massive, burning cylinder of the tanker. It had crushed the woman’s car flat and helplessly pinned it to the ground.

He flew forward with super speed, boots grinding into the melting road as he jammed his armored hands under the edge of the fuel tank. He groaned as the servos in the suit whined and began to lift the thousands of tons of metal.

[45 seconds to total thermal collapse!]

With a heave of pure, desperate strength, he tilted the tanker just a few inches. It was enough. The little boy, covered in soot and blood, scrambled out from the crushed remains of the car, clutching his singed teddy bear and wailing.

[YES!!! HE GOT THE KID!!!]

[Nightwatch is a beast!] 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

[Wait, what about the mom?]

ㄴ [You’re not gonna like what I’m gonna say but...]

ㄴ [That bitch had to GO!]

"My mommy! She’s still in there! Help her!"

The boy screamed and fell to his knees in the ash.

Nightwatch gritted his teeth, preparing for one final lift to clear the wreckage for the mother. But as he strained, a sharp, searing pain exploded in his chest. He gasped and coughed a thick spray of blood that splattered the inside of his mask.

『Ugh... not now...』

His muscles seized.

It felt like his very DNA was boiling.

『What’s wrong with me?! Why is my body rejecting this stupid technophage again?! I’m so tired of this!』

[Warning: Biometric Rejection detected. Suit stability at 40%. Secondary explosion in 50 seconds.]

"HELP HER!"

The boy shrieked as the fire roared closer.

A trembling Nightwatch stood there.

The massive weight of the tanker threatened to crush him as his own power turned against him.

"Oh man..."