Cherreads

Chapter 60 - chapter 1

07:00 AM | Wake Up

The first thing Kael hears isn't an alarm.

It's his AI assistant.

Astra: "Good morning, Kael. You slept 6 hours, 43 minutes. That's still below the recommended amount."

Kael groans into his pillow.

"...Five more minutes."

"You said that four times."

"...That's slander."

His bedroom curtains slide open automatically, revealing Metropolis waking beneath the morning sun.

08:00 AM | Coffee and Coding

Breakfast is simple.

Toast.

Coffee.

Music playing softly in the background.

Instead of checking social media, Kael reviews cybersecurity reports from around the world.

A suspicious hacking attempt in Gotham.

A satellite malfunction over Europe.

A mysterious energy surge near Atlantis.

Most people scroll memes over breakfast.

Kael scans global threats.

09:30 AM | Streaming Preparation

His streaming room lights up with holographic decorations.

Every overlay is projected in real space rather than displayed on a monitor.

His audience thinks it's clever augmented reality.

Only Batman knows the setup is League-grade technology.

Before going live, Kael checks today's schedule.

Tech Review ✔

AI Coding Session ✔

Gaming with Chat ✔

Sponsor Meeting ✔

Then another notification quietly appears.

Justice League Secure Network

Threat Level: Green

No active missions.

"...Nice."

11:00 AM | Livestream

Millions tune in.

Today's topic:

"Can AI Beat Me at Building a PC?"

The chat flies by.

Kael jokes with viewers, reviews hardware, and explains programming concepts in a way beginners can understand.

Halfway through...

Barry Allen appears.

Again.

Chat instantly erupts.

DONUT MAN IS HERE

Barry waves awkwardly.

"I brought coffee."

Kael doesn't even look up.

"You drank yours already."

"...I also brought donuts."

"...Accepted."

2:00 PM | Watchtower Call

A tiny holographic icon flashes inside Kael's contact lens.

Batman.

Incoming.

Kael mutes his microphone.

"Hey, Bat."

Batman:

"Need you in five."

"What happened?"

"LexCorp satellite has gone off-grid."

"...I'm on my way."

Kael smiles at the stream.

"Short intermission."

The viewers assume...

Bathroom break.

HERO MODE

Kael enters a hidden elevator beneath his apartment.

It descends to an underground launch chamber.

His casual hoodie folds into nanofibers.

The white jacket becomes tactical armor.

Blue circuitry ignites across the suit.

A black visor forms over his eyes.

Identity Confirmed.

Welcome back... HoloSpecter.

Mission: LexCorp Satellite

Instead of flying directly into danger...

Kael sits.

Literally.

He connects his gloves to the Watchtower's quantum network.

His consciousness enters a digital battlefield.

Thousands of data streams surround him like rivers of light.

Victor Stone (Cyborg) appears as a holographic avatar.

"Ready?"

Kael smiles.

"Already inside."

Within seconds...

He maps every circuit of the rogue satellite.

Every security protocol.

Every firewall.

Every hidden AI process.

Information Before Action

Rather than destroying the satellite...

Kael watches.

He notices...

The attack isn't from Lex Luthor.

Someone else is using LexCorp infrastructure.

A fake signal.

A decoy.

Batman immediately changes the mission.

"Good catch."

Kael quietly smiles.

"If we'd destroyed it, we'd have erased the evidence."

The Battle

A swarm of combat drones emerges.

Green Lantern prepares giant constructs.

Superman prepares to charge.

Kael raises one hand.

"Wait."

The League pauses.

He projects dozens of false Justice League signatures across the city.

Every drone changes course.

Instead of attacking civilians...

They begin chasing holograms.

Wonder Woman laughs.

"You made them confuse ghosts for heroes."

"Exactly."

No punches thrown.

No buildings damaged.

No civilian injured.

Final Move

Kael pinpoints the hacker's hidden relay tower.

Flash arrives there in less than a second.

The villain is arrested before realizing the drones have already been disconnected.

Batman glances toward Kael.

"Minimal force."

Kael shrugs.

"Cheaper repair bill."

5:00 PM | Debrief

Back aboard the Watchtower, the League reviews the mission.

Cyborg leans back in his chair.

"You know what's unfair?"

Kael raises an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You somehow won a fight without throwing a single punch."

Barry grins.

"He does that a lot."

Batman simply nods.

"Efficient."

For Batman...

That single word is practically a standing ovation.

7:00 PM | Home Again

Back in civilian clothes, Kael stops at a neighborhood convenience store.

The cashier smiles.

"Working late again?"

Kael chuckles.

"Something like that."

He buys instant noodles, cat treats, and another bag of coffee beans.

An ordinary shopping trip.

No one realizes the young man paying with his phone had quietly prevented a city-wide disaster just two hours earlier.

11:00 PM | One Last Check

Before bed, Kael sits by the window overlooking Metropolis.

A holographic map of Earth floats above his desk.

Green dots.

Safe.

Yellow dots.

Being monitored.

Red dots.

Already assigned to other League members.

Satisfied, he waves a hand, and the map dissolves into blue particles.

Astra: "No active emergencies. You may sleep."

Kael smiles faintly.

"Good."

Outside, the city continues its nightly rhythm, unaware that one of its protectors has already ended today's crisis without anyone ever hearing his name.

That was exactly how HoloSpecter preferred it.

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