Bang!
Flames burst from the muzzle. The bullet shot out.
The sound, so out of place in the quiet surroundings, startled countless birds from the nearby branches into frantic flight. Small animals hidden in the jungle scurried away in fright.
The red-robed old woman leading the group pulled the trigger without hesitation, aiming straight for Natasha and Herman's heads. She wanted them to die in the same pain they had caused.
It was clear she hadn't been bluffing earlier—
To the Red Room, Natasha was nothing more than an expensive tool. Losing her would be a setback, yes, but not an irreplaceable one.
As the gunshot thundered through the air, Natasha—sharp in both instinct and reaction—shuddered and shut her eyes.
At that moment, a deep sadness filled her heart.
She mocked herself inwardly for having overestimated her own worth. Of course, she wasn't valuable enough to bargain with the Red Room. Yet, even as she mocked herself, a strange sense of relief washed over her. Memories of her life as an orphan flashed through her mind.
Such a cruel world. Why cling to it at all?
It was as if she had finally let everything go.
The bullet, trailing sparks, spun through the air. The old women watching were certain their targets were dead. But since everyone present was merely human—
They couldn't see it.
In the instant the bullet flew, its reflection gleamed in Herman's eyes—clear and distinct—as the spinning projectile slowed to a crawl. Time itself stretched infinitely in his vision.
Bullets.
Not even one-tenth as fast as the Flash. And far less powerful.
Herman could have ignored it entirely, but with a little girl standing in front of him, he moved the instant the bullet neared Natasha's forehead. At a speed no one could see or even comprehend, he caught the bullet in his hand.
"Sigh... Why does no one ever listen to my advice? I told you this wasn't a wise choice."
Herman let out a heavy sigh.
He rolled the twisted bullet between his fingers. Not far away, the red-robed women stood motionless, like statues frozen in time.
The world itself fell into absolute stillness.
"Hm?"
Natasha, who had already accepted her death, waited for the darkness to come—but it didn't. The death she had expected never arrived.
Had the instructor changed her mind? Or was that shot just a warning? Natasha didn't doubt the Red Room's marksmanship. If the instructors truly wanted someone dead, they could hit their mark from kilometers away...
Her eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes.
She had no idea what was happening. Death hadn't come, and the instructors hadn't fired again or said a word.
"What... what's going on!?"
Natasha froze, staring blankly for a long moment before disbelief spread across her face.
Her eyes widened, filled with confusion and shock—because the scene before her defied all reason.
The skilled, cold-hearted Red Room instructors were standing perfectly still, like statues, their expressions frozen in place.
As if captured in a photograph.
She could see faint smoke still rising from the gun held by the lead instructor.
Yet, none of them moved. She couldn't even sense life from them. This... this was completely beyond her understanding.
"What just happened?"
Natasha gaped in disbelief. Even after years of the most rigorous training—her mind sharper and calmer than most adults—
Still.
Faced with something so incomprehensible, her thoughts couldn't keep up.
Completely beyond comprehension.
"Looks like your plan to exploit their suicidal desires... is about to fail."
Herman's slightly amused voice echoed behind Natasha at that very moment.
The sudden sound made Natasha jump like a startled rabbit. She jolted upright, hopping forward a few steps before turning to face Herman with a mix of shock and suspicion.
"You did this!? What... what did you do to them?"
Natasha wasn't stupid. Though she couldn't understand what was happening, she could still tell who was responsible for this bizarre situation.
Her mind raced.
The young Black Widow recalled her earlier attempt to ambush Herman and the strange way he'd avoided her attack. A chill ran down her spine as disbelief and unease filled her.
What the hell... What kind of person had she stopped on the highway!?
"Bad people deserve what's coming to them. I agree with you—those old women who kill without a second thought are definitely bad."
Herman chuckled softly and raised an eyebrow. He sounded almost reflective as he continued, "Lucky for you, you ran into me. I know exactly how to deal with bad people."
As he spoke, Herman stepped past Natasha and began walking toward his SUV.
"Huh?"
Natasha froze for a long moment after hearing his words.
"Because you're a hero? So you know how to punish villains?"
In the young Black Widow's eyes, a spark of innocent curiosity flickered—like that of a young Spider-Man.
After all, she was still just a teenager. And in the Marvel Universe, no matter the era, children grew up surrounded by stories and legends of heroes.
"No, no, no. Though many in the place I've been living lately want me to be a hero, well..."
Herman flashed a dazzling smile—the kind of bright grin that would one day make those with [Homelander Phobia] feel their skin crawl.
"The truth is, I'm... actually far worse than the villains."
As his words fell, an invisible black aura of death flickered in his eyes—something no ordinary person could see.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A series of sharp explosions rang out.
Before Natasha could process what Herman meant, the sudden blasts made her flinch again.
She turned toward the sound, horror spreading across her face as she realized the noise came from the shattering of her instructors' skulls.
"They wanted to blow our heads off. Now I'm giving them the same death... that's only fair."
Herman's calm words made the hairs on the back of Natasha's neck stand on end.
This man...
He was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
To decide the fate of four or five people with such casual detachment—this seemingly peaceful man radiated a kind of authority more terrifying than that of her instructors.
It was an aura not spoken aloud but deeply felt. If she had to describe it, Natasha thought the faint, godlike air around Herman when he spoke could only be compared to the deities of myth and legend—those who could toy with the destinies of mortals at will.
"This is worse than evil itself..."
...
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