Red Task Completed

"Do bad people deserve to die?" Miles asked.

Tara was taken aback by the sudden question. She looked at him, her eyes searching his face for clues. "Why do you ask that?"

Miles shrugged, not meeting her gaze. "Just curious. What do you think?"

Tara thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I don't think it's up to me to decide that, Miles. I think if every person who has ever committed wrong got killed, I wouldn't be spared and maybe you wouldn't be either because we have all done one bad thing or the other."

"Not that. I'm talking about actual bad people who do wrong for the fun of it. Bad people who take the lives of innocents..." Miles pressed.

Tara's expression turned serious. "If someone takes innocent lives, then they deserve whatever comes to them. People like that should never go unpunished."

Miles nodded, her words providing some comfort but not completely easing his guilt.

"Should superheroes be the ones to punish them?" Miles asked.

"Hmm isn't the law going to do that?" Tara voiced in response.

"What if they escape the hands of the law despite superheroes handing them over and keep committing such acts?" Miles questioned once more.

"I don't know Miles... Maybe some people don't deserve to be on the face of the earth because they only make things worse but I can't say what steps should be taken," Tara folded her arms with a contemplative expression.

It was the first time Miles had seen the campus Belle think so much. His questions must have disoriented her worldview a little so he decided to end the topic here.

Sometime later, they set up their tents like many other tourists around them as night began to fall. Miles didn't know it yet, but he was starting to look less distressed.

The next day arrived, and they generally just had fun since they had already gathered everything they needed for their project. There was nothing else to do besides touring the environment, visiting ranches, and playing around in the snow. Tara threw snowballs at him, laughing and running around, her playful antics cheering Miles up.

Later in the day, Miles noticed they were being followed. He wondered how long this had been going on but figured out that it was hard to tell since there were many other tourists around. It would seem like a normal occurrence to be followed in such a crowd, but he was certain that the two large men in thick snowy outfits were tailing them.

"Tara, we need to go," Miles said urgently, grabbing her hand and starting to run.

"What's wrong?" Tara asked, trying to keep up.

"Just trust me. You'll be fine," Miles replied, lifting her when she couldn't keep pace and moving forward speedily.

The two men immediately began giving chase not letting Miles escape their line of sight.

They seemed skilled in the chase, employing various tactics to keep up.

Realizing he couldn't outrun them, Miles decided to find a place to hide Tara and confront the pursuers. He ducked into an alley between some cabins and set Tara down behind a stack of firewood.

"Stay here. I'll handle this," he said, his voice firm.

"Miles, what's going on?" Tara demanded, her eyes wide with fear.

"We're being followed by two men," Miles explained, rolling the dice as he darted out of hiding.

**[ Activating Catwoman Reflexes ]**

Miles's senses sharpened, and his reflexes became lightning-fast. He darted towards the first man, his movements a blur.

Tara tried to stop him, but Miles was already in front of the first man.

The man swung at Miles, but he easily dodged it, the world seeming to move in slow motion around him. With a swift kick to the man's leg, he fell to his knees.

Miles sent him crashing to the ground with a swift punch to the face.

The second man, seeing his partner go down, rushed at Miles. Miles spun around, narrowly avoiding a punch, and countered with a series of rapid jabs to the man's midsection.

The blows landed with precision and force, causing the man to stagger backward.

skillfully evading blows and taking him down quickly.

Just as Miles was about to land another punch, Tara's voice rang out. "Stop!"

Both Miles and the second man halted. Tara stepped out from behind the firewood, looking exasperated.

"Miles, those are my bodyguards. My father hired them to keep an eye on me," she explained. "They've been with us since the start of the trip."

Miles was shocked, realizing he hadn't noticed them due to his depressed state. It made sense that her father, a senator, would have placed bodyguards on her.

"I'm so sorry. I thought you were dangerous men following us," Miles said, turning to the bodyguards. "I didn't realize..."

One of the bodyguards laughed. "It's alright, kid. You've got guts. Name's Paul."

The other, lean and sharp-eyed, rose from the ground with a slightly disheveled look. "I'm Jack. Miss Tara, you seem to have a bodyguard of your own."

Tara rolled her eyes but smiled. "Thank you, Paul, Jack. But please, give us some space. I like my privacy with Miles."

The bodyguards nodded and moved back to a respectful distance. The rest of the day went smoothly, and they enjoyed the remainder of their trip. That night, they went back to their respective tents to prepare for their return to Cleveland City the next day.

Later, Tara visited Miles's tent, bringing snacks. They shared the food while chatting, eventually falling asleep side by side.

Miles awoke in the middle of the night to find Tara's body pressed against his in a cuddling position. Her scent filled his nostrils, and he could feel his body reacting.

She looked beautiful sleeping, and he noticed his hand had been resting on her chest the whole time. He gulped, trying to suppress the unholy thoughts plaguing his mind. The campus belle was right beside him, but he knew better than to act on his impulses.

Just then, a system notification flashed before his eyes. He had been avoiding them, moving the notifications to the corner of his sight, but now he decided to check them all.

**[ Task Completed: Save a life ]**

**< Reward: +20 points >**

**[ Task Completed: Defeat multiple opponents ]**

**< Reward: +25 points >**

[ Task Completed: Pick A Superhero Name ]

**< Reward: +50 points, New Ability Unlocked >**

**< New Ability Unlocked: Martian Manhunter's Shape-shifting >**

Miles stared at the notifications, his mind racing. The points were a welcome addition, but the new ability was what caught his attention. Martian Manhunter's shape-shifting could be incredibly useful.

Now his dice would have five numbers on it whenever he wanted to roll for the activation of an ability.

Miles wondered if he was ignoring activating the use of characters because he was scared of turning to Lex Luther or perhaps he just hadn't found the right situation to use them yet.

However, he wished there was a way he could directly pick the character he wanted to transform into without having to roll the dice.

"Hmm?" At this moment, Miles suddenly noticed a red panel notification.

**[ Red Task Completed: Kill a wanted metahuman criminal ]**