In particular, Oliver couldn't help but recall the moment he was knocked down with a single punch. The old blood he had been holding back finally spilled from his mouth.
He couldn't tell if it was the world that had changed or if he had simply grown old.
Either way, Oliver was utterly exhausted.
The brutal and inhumane beatdown didn't last long, mostly because Kaius was concerned he might accidentally kill the fortified man.
After all, this so-called "strengthener" was far too weak to pose a real challenge.
Kaius approached Oliver, who was still recovering from the earlier fight, and noticed he had coughed up blood. Concerned, he asked, "Oliver, you're injured. Should I take you to the hospital?"
"Don't worry about me!" Oliver waved him off impatiently. "The priority is getting useful information from this guy. Wait... you didn't kill him, did you?"
Although Oliver knew that individuals enhanced by Mirakuru were notoriously hard to kill, he couldn't be sure with these two around.
Kaius grinned confidently and patted his chest. "Don't worry! He's still alive. I can see his heartbeat clearly."
Oliver, knowing Kaius's enhanced vision allowed her to see through objects, relaxed slightly. If the man was alive, Oliver didn't need to waste energy worrying about him further.
At that moment, Kaius's mind was interrupted by a mechanical sound:
Ding! Friendship increased to 'Friendly.' Oliver Queen character card unlocked.
Kaius blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Oliver's opinion of him to improve so drastically after capturing the fortified man.
Just a few hours ago, Oliver was still skeptical about him!
Thinking it over, though, it made sense. If Kaius hadn't stepped in, the Mirakuru-enhanced thug would have undoubtedly escaped.
Oliver had begun suspecting that Mirakuru was reemerging in Star City, though he hadn't had concrete evidence until now. With this enhanced individual in custody, Oliver felt vindicated in his suspicions.
Mirakuru inevitably brought back memories of Oliver's five years on Purgatory Island. Despite the painful associations, he couldn't deny that Kaius's intervention had helped him secure an important lead. For that, he was grateful.
Once the fight was over, Kaius left the interrogation to Oliver, who was determined to uncover the identity of the fortified man and the mastermind behind him.
Based on what Kaius knew, the person pulling the strings was likely Slade Wilson—better known as Deathstroke.
In the DC universe, there are many versions of Deathstroke. If this were Arrowverse Star City, he was likely an Australian former ASIS agent who had been stranded on Purgatory Island with Oliver. After injecting himself with Mirakuru, Slade became a powerful and dangerous enemy.
Originally friends, Slade had eventually turned against Oliver for personal reasons. Now, it seemed he had returned to Star City to seek revenge.
Oliver, however, was unaware of all this. For now, his only goal was to bring the fortifier back and extract information.
Meanwhile, Oliver made arrangements for Kaius and Diana, instructing Felicity to book two presidential suites for them at a luxury hotel.
Yes, you heard that right—two suites!
Whether it was intentional or not, Oliver seemed oblivious to the typical "two heroes stuck in one room" trope.
Even if the hotel had been completely booked, he could have claimed there was only one double room left! But no—two separate rooms it was.
That night, Kaius found himself surprisingly restless, unable to shake the lingering awkwardness.
The next morning, in the hotel restaurant, Kaius was attempting to explain the difference between a burger and a sandwich to Diana when Oliver approached.
Dressed sharply in a suit, Oliver greeted them with a smile. "Good morning, Mr. Kaius. Ms. Diana."
Kaius glanced at him, his expression laced with mock resentment. "Looking at your face, it seems like you've found something interesting."
Oliver nodded, then shook his head. "We've uncovered a lead. The man's name is Cyrus Gold. Do you remember what I told you about Mirakuru? He injected himself with it five months ago. During the interrogation, we discovered clues about a criminal known as 'The Mayor,' who appears to be orchestrating recent robberies in Star City."
Diana immediately put down her utensils. "Then we need to catch him and stop his plans!"
"It's not that simple," Oliver replied grimly. "First, they stole an industrial centrifuge, and now they're collecting large quantities of blood. I suspect someone is trying to mass-produce Mirakuru. Although their recent attempt failed, I doubt they'll give up so easily."
Kaius shot Oliver a wry look. "So, you're saying you hope we'll help you deal with this later?"
"No," Oliver replied firmly. "I'll handle the final confrontation myself, but I suspect they'll have more reinforcements. When that happens, I'd like you to back me up."
This was an invitation from Oliver to Kaius. Dealing with Mirakuru-enhanced individuals was no small task. Oliver was confident he could defeat one opponent with careful planning, but facing multiple enemies at once would put him in serious danger.
For now, the Green Arrow team lacked the firepower to deal with a group of fortified adversaries.
Before Kaius could respond, Diana spoke up. "Of course! If you need help, don't hesitate to call on us. We'd be happy to assist."
Kaius slapped his forehead in exasperation. He had been hoping to use this opportunity to extract some financial support from Oliver—after all, the man was the CEO of Queen Consolidated and a regular on Forbes' rich list.
If he didn't walk away with at least a few thousand dollars, he'd feel like he was wasting Oliver's wealth.
But now, thanks to Diana's noble sense of justice and eagerness to help, they'd ended up offering their services for free.
Sighing, Kaius decided to make the most of the situation. "Oliver, I do have a favor to ask. You know Diana's situation. She doesn't have any official identification here. Can you help her get an ID?"
For ordinary people, this would be a daunting task. But for someone like Oliver, it was a trivial matter. Even Felicity could hack into government systems in minutes to create a legitimate ID for Diana.
It all depended on how Oliver wanted to approach it.
"No problem. Just give me the details," Oliver replied easily. "Her name is Diana Prince, right? I think you mentioned that before."
Kaius nodded. "Yes, Diana Prince."
The three of them chatted for a while until the sound of clattering tableware interrupted them. A young man burst into the restaurant, accidentally knocking over plates and glasses as he hurried inside.
"Sorry! Excuse me!" the young man said repeatedly, apologizing to everyone he passed.
When his eyes landed on Kaius's table, his face lit up, and he rushed over.
"Mr. Kaius! I finally found you! Oh, and Mr. Oliver, you're here too!"
The young man approached Kaius enthusiastically, holding a tablet in his hands. He gave Oliver a quick glance before focusing entirely on Kaius, his words trailing off mid-sentence.
"Barry? What are you doing here? What's going on?" Kaius asked in surprise.
The newcomer was none other than Barry Allen, whom Kaius had met at the Queen Consolidated Department of Applied Sciences just the day before.
This was the future Flash, though Kaius had no idea why he'd come looking for him so urgently today.