Standing on the rooftop of a city skyscraper, John looked down at the city below.
Feeling the chill of the night wind, he glanced at his phone.
He had called Peter several times earlier, but none of the calls connected.
Growing increasingly anxious, he started searching for the gang headquarters based on the information Star-Lord had provided about the "supermarket gunman."
Without specific leads, he could only fly across the city, using his super-hearing to pick up on the conversations of street thugs below.
Although the process was inefficient, he quickly caught the term "Dead Rabbit Gang" in the conversation of two men.
The "Dead Rabbit Gang" was the gang the supermarket gunman belonged to.
John immediately trailed the two men.
Meanwhile, at the Dead Rabbit Gang headquarters:
Dim light filtered through shattered windows, illuminating swirling dust and decaying debris before resting on Lauren Paul's face.
At only eighteen, she was tied to a table.
The leather cushion beneath her was torn, biting into her bare back, thighs, and hips.
A nauseating mixture of sweat, urine, and rust created an unbearable stench.
Lauren's mouth was gagged with barbed wire, the sharp metal cutting into her skin from the corners of her mouth to the back of her head.
The rusty barbs pinned her scalp to the table.
Her tongue and lips were cracked and dry.
It was clear she had been there for a long time.
The room reeked of deathly silence.
The walls were blackened and charred, the wallpaper blistering like skin soaked too long in water.
The ceiling hung in tatters, with knobs and wiring dangling precariously, resembling storm clouds dragged down by heavy rain.
Lauren was in despair. She never imagined that her boyfriend—the shameless man she trusted—would sell her to a gang to settle his debts.
Kidnapped and tortured, she could already imagine her fate: death, organ trafficking, or worse.
The iron door creaked open, and a man stepped out of the shadows.
Lauren whimpered through her gag, fresh blood seeping from her cracked lips as scabs reopened.
"Good, you're still holding up," the man sneered, his eyes scanning Lauren. "Your boyfriend owes us a lot of money. To recover our losses, I'm afraid you'll have to suffer a bit."
The burly man clicked his tongue, adding, "What a shame for such a fine body."
His lecherous tone sent chills down Lauren's spine.
She struggled desperately, whimpering through her gag.
Her resistance only fueled the man's twisted desires. Licking his lips, he began undressing as he approached her.
Even in her battered state and the filthy surroundings, he couldn't resist his vile urges.
But just as he was about to continue, a muffled sound came from outside.
Confused, the man turned and walked out.
The moment he stepped through the door, a small hand clamped around his neck.
Before he could react, his vision flipped, and he was slammed onto the ground with immense force.
Pain shot through his body as though his spine had snapped. He screamed in agony.
Through blurred vision, he looked up at his attacker, shocked to see it was a teenage boy.
John glanced at the groaning man on the floor, his expression filled with disgust.
Seeing their leader down, other gang members rushed forward.
In mere moments, the sound of bones snapping echoed through the room. The gang members were effortlessly thrown to the ground, writhing in pain.
Amid the cramped, filthy space, screams of anguish filled the air.
John coldly asked, "Are you the Dead Rabbit Gang? Who's in charge here?"
The burly man staggered to his feet, staring at John in disbelief, momentarily forgetting his pain.
He couldn't comprehend how this boy possessed such terrifying strength.
Their group didn't even see what hit them before they were incapacitated.
This wasn't a human—he was a demon.
"Y-yes, I'm the boss. Who are you?"
John frowned and cut straight to the point. "Do you know Zatanna Zatara?"
Hearing the name, the boss flinched.
"If you lie, I'll kill you all," John threatened, his eyes glinting.
He had already noticed the tortured girl in the other room.
He had no mercy for scum like them.
Feeling John's menacing aura, the boss finally nodded. "Y-yes, I know her."
"Was it you who sent people to kill her?"
"N-no," the boss stammered. "We have no grudge against her. It was a woman called the Witch Queen who ordered us to do it. She said she'd kill us if we didn't find her."
"The Witch Queen?"
John's brows furrowed slightly.
He didn't know what had happened last night, but anyone with such a name couldn't be good.
He thought for a moment before continuing, "Did you attack Zatanna today?"
"No, we haven't seen her since the supermarket incident," the boss quickly denied.
Seeing no signs of deception, John fell into thought.
This gang posed no threat to his father. The real danger was likely this Witch Queen.
"How do you contact her?" John asked.
"We don't. She contacts us directly," the boss explained nervously, swallowing hard.
"Fine. Now, give me Zatanna's address."
After obtaining the address, John's eyes glowed red as he stared at the boss's lower body.
"Zzzzt!"
A beam of heat vision shot through the air, striking the man's groin.
"Ahhh!"
The boss screamed in agony as blackened blood oozed from the wound.
Lauren, still tied up, watched the scene in shock.
Though nauseated, she felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.
John's ruthless act sent shivers down the spines of the other gang members.
After dealing with the boss, John considered leaving but remembered Peter's words about "eliminating the roots."
"Alright, then," he muttered.
Taking a deep breath, John unleashed his heat vision again.
"Zzzzt!"
The remaining gang members clutched their chests and collapsed, lifeless.
With the Dead Rabbit Gang taken care of, John activated his super-speed and left the scene.
Only when silence returned did Lauren dare to take a deep breath.
She wiggled her limbs, surprised to find that the metal wires binding her had somehow melted.
Stumbling to her feet, she made her way to the living room.
The stench of blood made her gag.
Looking down at the trembling body of the man who had intended to harm her, she picked up a nearby broom and smashed it down on his head.
"Thud!"
...
"We've been walking down these stairs for what feels like forever. The staircase is endless... I can't go on anymore."
Peter looked at the exhausted girl and shrugged. "If you're that tired, I could carry you down."
Hearing Peter's offer to carry her, Zatanna's face immediately turned red.
"No, no, that won't be necessary! I'm fine, really. Ahem."
She coughed awkwardly, her eyes darting toward the rabbit. "Berkes, just how many stairs are there in this place? If I had my wand, I could just use magic to get down."
"We've been searching floor by floor from the top. Whether you use a wand or a spellbook, magic doesn't seem to work here," the rabbit replied.
Zatanna let out a sigh. "Even reverse incantations don't work? I already think they're hard enough as it is."
The rabbit turned its head to look at her while hopping down the stairs. "There are even harder spells—like blood magic, for example."
Hearing this, Zatanna's face lit up in surprise. "Wait, seriously? There's something harder than reverse spells?"
"Of course. I'm an old Pooka; I've seen my fair share of things, kid."
Zatanna's curiosity was piqued. "How old are we talking about here?"
"You know King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?"
"Of course."
"Well, before I convinced them otherwise, they used a triangular table for their meetings. I'm the one who persuaded them to switch to a round table."
"Are you saying the Round Table exists because of you?"
"More or less," the rabbit said proudly.
After chatting about the Knights of the Round Table for a bit, Zatanna turned to Peter and asked, "Mr. Padraic, don't you have super speed? Couldn't you have already scouted out the secrets of this place?"
"No."
Peter shook his head.
"Why not?"
"Because of this," Peter replied as he activated his super speed and dashed forward.
But in the very next second, he appeared behind her. "I'm right here."
Zatanna blinked in confusion. "How did you end up behind me?"
"Exactly as you see, Zee. I'm running in circles."
"No!"
Hearing Peter's words, Zatanna clutched her head in frustration.
She no longer had any desire to climb the stairs.
Overcome by a sudden rush of irritation, she blurted out, "Etminate Staircase!"
The moment she uttered the reverse incantation, the staircase disappeared.
For a second, Zatanna froze in place, but then she felt her body falling.
Letting out a startled scream, she braced herself for what she assumed would be a painful landing. But instead, with a loud thud, she was caught in someone's arms.
...
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