A covert operation using special techniques could only be carried out at noon—any other time, and something was bound to go wrong.
Atreus's hand was steady as he used a dagger to cut through the hyper-realistic biological material covering the Black Canary's neck, peeling off her mask. When her face was revealed, a beauty no less striking than Miss Anna's, the killing intent in the air seemed to intensify.
If this had been a few days earlier, Atreus probably wouldn't have been able to intimidate the Black Canary. But now, a killer carries a certain aura.
After shooting so many members of the Joker gang, he had transformed from an ordinary rich kid into a ruthless person who treated human life as if it were nothing.
In fact, he had genuinely scared the Black Canary, who had only recently been promoted by Black Mask after "accidentally showing her skills." Before this, she was merely a nightclub singer.
Even when forced into this infiltration mission, her plan had been simple—control Atreus and retrieve the "item" he had stolen.
But all her plans fell apart at the second step.
Neither she nor Black Mask could understand—how could a seemingly useless playboy possess such sharp insight and superior judgment?
Atreus couldn't explain it either. The moment she approached, the system had popped up with a notification: **[Black Canary: Dinah Lance (Disguise Mode)]**.
It seemed the system could easily recognize people he was familiar with.
To the bodyguards, however, the scene looked entirely different. Louis's gaze was filled with admiration. He dutifully reported, "Team A, get to the pool area immediately, B-level incident in progress."
Four bodyguards immediately took action: two protected Atreus, one restrained Black Canary, and another aimed a gun at the old butler, Frank.
"Mr. Frank, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"I... I don't know..." The old butler seemed frozen, his mind going blank as he stared down the barrel of an M4 rifle.
Atreus, however, waved his hand. "Don't blame him. Black Mask has hypnotic abilities. He might just be under hypnosis. Take him away, keep him under close watch, but don't hurt him."
The bodyguards obeyed.
Everyone knew that the butler was finished. Whether he was hypnotized or not, the stain of betrayal was enough to end his career.
Atreus continued giving orders. "As for Miss Black Canary here, she can injure people with ultrasonic waves. Put her in a straitjacket and ensure she can't use her 'beautiful' voice. Maximum security."
"Yes, Boss!"
Black Canary's eyes widened in disbelief, as if stunned by how leniently she was being treated.
Before becoming a spy, she had been a star performer at Black Mask's club, known throughout the district. With her looks and figure, if it weren't for her boss being Black Mask, the line of people wanting a piece of her could stretch from the East Side to the docks.
Even then, many who lusted after her were intimidated by Black Mask, though occasionally someone would overstep. Once, a drunkard tried to assault her in a bathroom, but after she beat him up, her martial skills were exposed, and her boss took notice.
She knew all too well how ruthless men in Gotham could be toward women.
At the club, an assistant singer once wore clothing that was deemed too modest by Black Mask. Furious that she couldn't attract the audience's attention, he nearly tore her clothes off in front of dozens of people, forcing her to sing lewd songs while trembling.
Before she failed, she had considered the worst possible fate.
But now, things didn't seem so bad?
Under normal circumstances, Atreus might have had some impure thoughts, but just as this little commotion was wrapping up, one of the bodyguards walked over. "Boss, 'she' seems to be waking up."
"Oh?"
This was an unexpected surprise.
Atreus, stuck on a task for days, finally saw some progress.
After sending everyone away, Atreus approached the pristine hospital bed where Wonder Woman lay.
She had no visible injuries; her long period of unconsciousness had been due to her own internal issues.
As the heart monitor and other devices began to register more activity, her long eyelashes fluttered, and when she finally opened her deep, dark eyes, the first thing she saw was Atreus's handsome face.
"You're awake?" Atreus sat in a chair over two meters away, his fingers interlocked, resting under his chin.
In psychology, this posture was known to give the other person a sense of space, fostering a feeling of safety.
Diana's reaction was indeed unusual. She looked surprised and said, "Wow! A man?"
The moment she spoke, Atreus's heart leapt with joy: **Holy crap! This is the most authentic version of Wonder Woman! I've hit the jackpot!**
Atreus didn't know exactly where in this chaotic timeline the world was, but it was clear that a Wonder Woman fresh out of Themyscira was the most valuable version to encounter.
He flashed a confident smile and patted his chest. "Oh, beautiful lady, are you saying I'm your man?"
He couldn't resist making a cheeky comment...
Atreus didn't know why he said it—perhaps because both Black Canary and Wonder Woman were Batman's love interests in DC Comics. Even a playful comment gave him a strange thrill of betrayal, as if he were the one stealing the spotlight.
Wonder Woman didn't respond to his words, blinking her bright eyes. "I don't quite understand what you mean."
"No worries!" Atreus waved his hand. "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Atreus. Four nights ago, I discovered you falling from a strange... sort of portal. In fact, your appearance alerted quite a few evil forces. I didn't know how to handle the situation, so I took the liberty of bringing you here to protect you."
After that, he stepped forward and, with a slightly trembling hand, extended it toward her for a handshake.
It wasn't an act.
Even now, with an 80% certainty that this Wonder Woman hadn't gone rogue or something, he still couldn't be sure.
"My name is Diana Prince!" She hesitated for a moment, smiling as she extended her hand back to lightly shake his. But she swiftly changed the topic: "Are you afraid?"
"Yes, I am!" Atreus didn't deny it. "Anyone would be afraid when faced with someone from another world."
"I'm human."
He thought she didn't know.
She thought he didn't know.
It was amusing—both of them were subtly hiding something.
The tension between them began to ease as they both made an effort to keep things light.
After they let go of each other's hands, Atreus asked, "Can I sit a little closer?"
Diana gestured with her hand. "You may. I won't hurt you."
That wasn't an empty promise—if she punched him, Atreus might die.
*Cough!* Be more confident—take out the word "might."
Atreus moved his chair to the side of the bed and sat down. "Do I ask first, or do you?"
Diana quickly assessed the situation. "You ask first, Mr. Atreus."
"Miss Prince, where exactly are you from?"
"**I think you already know,**" Diana said, her perception sharp.
"**I have a general idea, but I'm not certain. The bronze armor you're wearing is an artifact to me. Only ancient Greeks from over two thousand years ago used bronze armor. And your outfit resembles that of the Amazon warriors from myth…**"
"**Yes! I am an Amazon! I come from a place called Themyscira. My homeland is under siege by the servants of Ares, the god of war. They are commanding massive metal warships and are about to destroy our home. I crossed dimensions to get here to seek help,**" Diana stated plainly.
"**Metal warships?**" Atreus pretended to pull out a tablet and projected images onto the room's screen, naturally eliciting a gasp from Wonder Woman.
"**These... are not real?**"
"**Uh, these are like illustrations, um, advanced murals,**" Atreus tried to explain.
She quickly accepted everything.
Atreus opened the web browser's search engine, showing everything from modern aircraft carriers to modern warships, and then deliberately pulled up German battleships from World War I...
"**Yes, yes! Just like that! They're stationed outside Themyscira, ready to invade our home. There are twelve of them...**" Whether it was a lack of guile or clever strategy, Wonder Woman revealed a different kind of "Wonder Woman story" to Atreus.
The Amazons were originally created by the Greek gods to end wars by spreading love and peace among humanity. Unfortunately, Ares, the god of war, despised them. He waged war against the gods, killing all but Zeus. In the final battle, Zeus managed to fend off Ares and, with his last breath, created Themyscira, a sanctuary to protect the remaining Amazons.
The original story should have involved the male protagonist, Steve Trevor, a spy who crashed on Themyscira while trying to escape with evidence of German chemical weapons experiments. Diana saved him, and the Amazons then learned that Ares had been stirring up conflict across the world, leading to World War I.
But now?
Perhaps in this world, World War I still happened, but Ares had discovered Themyscira early on. However, due to Zeus' protection, Ares and his followers couldn't set foot on the island, so he manipulated the German navy to unknowingly launch an attack.
Although Queen Hippolyta—Diana's mother—activated the island's magical defenses, temporarily preventing the German forces from landing, this was at the cost of draining the remaining divine power from the Amazons.
Now, left with only primitive bows and arrows and swords, the Amazons faced a heavily armed German army. Outnumbered and outgunned, Themyscira was on the verge of destruction.
Hippolyta activated a divine spell left by Zeus, sending Diana across space and time to a "place of destiny" to find help.
"**This…**" Such a radically altered "Wonder Woman" story left Atreus feeling a bit lost.
Diana's smile turned mysterious. "**So, Mr. Atreus, for someone as weak as me, you have two choices: One, kill me, and that will surely please Ares and his followers; or two, help me find a hero who can stand against the god of war.**"
As soon as Wonder Woman finished speaking, Atreus's system reacted:
**[Fate's Choice has been activated: The host can choose to kill the weakened Wonder Woman, pleasing Ares, which may unlock the (God of War System); or join Wonder Woman's side and obtain the (Godslayer System).]**
*(End of Chapter)*