Sergeant Lance was still reluctant to believe Barry's words, but he had no evidence to refute him and decided to change the subject.
"Oliver, I need you to provide a complete inventory so we can cross-check and determine what has been stolen."
Kaius pointed toward a more open area on the other side, where a small concrete pier was situated. "I think the thief stole it."
Everyone turned to look. Six thick steel bars protruded from the concrete pier, but the ends showed clear signs of being forcibly broken.
Sergeant Lance had encountered similar scenarios before but didn't immediately consider what could have been taken. After all, removing such reinforced materials would typically require specialized equipment like cutting tools and a forklift.
Barry Allen glanced at Kaius, then quickly explained, "Yes, that's the spot. It housed an industrial centrifuge. The double-cable Type 900 centrifuge from Queen United Enterprises—it had three fixed brackets..."
He walked over to the small pier, pointing to one of the broken steel bars. "Look at this fracture surface. It seems like the thief physically tore them apart!"
"The trail of damage on the ground resembles footprints," Kaius observed. "Based on Barry's explanation, it seems the thief carried the centrifuge straight out the door." He gestured to a series of cracks in the ground, which indeed resembled oversized footprints leading toward the doorway.
Barry gave Kaius a surprised look and asked, "What's your name? Do you have experience in CSI (Crime Scene Investigation)?"
Kaius smiled, shook Barry's hand, and replied, "My name is Kaius—Liam Rogers. My uncle is also a sheriff."
When the group heard that Kaius's uncle was in law enforcement, they seemed reassured. It was a common assumption—like expecting a doctor's child to possess some medical knowledge.
At the moment when Kaius and Barry shook hands, another character card appeared in the consciousness interface of her system—Barry Allen Card.
Because Barry was still an ordinary person at this point, his card appeared white. While he was knowledgeable in certain fields, it didn't change the fact that he was currently only a white card.
"It seems ordinary people are classified as white cards," Kaius analyzed internally. "Those who excel in their fields might reach blue card status. Superpowered individuals are likely ranked higher—possibly even reaching purple card level or beyond."
"For beings like Superman and Wonder Woman, their starting level is purple. When they reach their peak, they might evolve into golden legend cards."
Kaius mentally mapped out the card system, comparing it to his own situation. Even without his active Superman and Wonder Woman cards, his base strength had already surpassed normal human limits, placing him at an elite level.
As he pondered, Diana tapped his arm and whispered conspiratorially, "I know who did it—it has to be Ares!"
"Yes, it must be Ares!"
Kaius, Oliver, and Felicity exchanged glances that silently screamed, Please stop talking.
Barry had already pushed the group to accept the possibility of a thief with superpowers. If Diana started preaching about Ares, the God of War, inciting people to commit crimes, Sheriff Lance might have her sent to a psychiatric hospital on the spot.
Although Barry had presented compelling evidence, Sheriff Lance remained skeptical. Unless he witnessed it himself, it was hard to accept that someone could lift a two-ton industrial centrifuge by hand.
"There must be another explanation," Lance muttered, clinging to his doubt. "There's no way someone in this world could possess such monstrous strength!"
After a while, the police withdrew, leaving Felicity and the others at the scene to assist Barry in his investigation.
Diggle sent a report comparing the inventory of the Department of Applied Sciences, confirming that the only item missing was an industrial centrifuge. Meanwhile, Felicity hacked into the transportation network and retrieved a screenshot from surveillance footage showing an alarm being disabled across the street.
In the footage, a man in a black jacket carried the two-ton industrial centrifuge on his shoulders and loaded it into the trunk of a truck, step by step.
"God, if I didn't know the real weight of that thing, I'd think he was just carrying a piece of plastic!" Diggle exclaimed, clearly shocked.
Oliver and Felicity exchanged strange glances, alternating between Kaius and the surveillance footage, as if trying to determine whether they were looking at the same person.
"I scanned the city's traffic cameras based on the model of that truck. Guess what I found? That truck recently robbed a blood bank—30,000 milliliters of Type O negative blood!" Felicity said quickly.
Barry continued to analyze the situation: "With that much blood, unless there are dozens of people waiting for emergency surgeries, there's only one likely use. What can you cultivate with that blood?"
Barry's guess was eerily close. Both Oliver and Kaius knew that the stolen blood was being used for the mass production of Mirakuru—a serum that grants extraordinary powers. However, the success rate of the serum was notoriously low. Out of one hundred injections, fewer than five would survive, and those who did would become violent and mentally unstable due to the serum's effects.
"I think we should inform Captain Lance immediately," Barry said, looking at the group with concern. He feared the criminals might flee, urging them to act quickly.
Oliver subconsciously loosened his tie and waved Barry off. "Don't worry about it. I'll handle it. Felicity, assist Barry with the follow-up work. I have something to take care of."
Naturally, Oliver intended to don the Green Arrow persona to track down the robbers.
However, Oliver wasn't at full strength. Not only was he injured, but the target was a superhuman who had torn open a titanium-alloy door bare-handed. Enhanced by the biochemical agent Mirakuru, this individual was far from an ordinary human—he was a superpowered threat.
Green Arrow was skilled, but facing such an opponent while injured was extremely risky.
Kaius stopped Oliver. "Are you sure about this? Do you want me to help you?"
"I've dealt with worse injuries than this, Kaius. It's late—take Diana and get some rest. I can handle it," Oliver insisted.
"Alright," Kaius conceded.
Since Oliver was firm, Kaius decided to observe from a distance. However, when he turned to find Diana, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Wait a second... No wonder I haven't heard her going on about Ares. She must've gone off on her own!" Cold sweat broke out on Kaius's forehead as he realized the situation.