C 112

The armed forces of Hammer Industries hastily retreated to the outskirts of Hammer's factory, their designated base camp.

Even though they had reached safety, they remained on high alert. Their faces still showed shock, and fear lingered in their eyes.

Even when Justin Hammer arrived and questioned them, they couldn't shake the terror of what had occurred not long ago.

"Green Arrow?" Hammer frowned.

Hearing the name mentioned among the troops, their expressions turned grim and irritated.

'Who is this nuisance?'

He turned to his assistant and solemnly instructed, "Go find out who this Green Arrow is."

It wasn't long before the assistant returned, wearing a peculiar expression.

"Based on their descriptions, I found someone, but I'm not sure it's accurate... Green Arrow, from DC. He's the protagonist of a recently promoted comic series. Both the character and the series share the same name: Arrow."

Hearing the explanation, Hammer—and even the militants standing nearby—were stunned into silence.

"A protagonist? A comic book hero?" The militants were dumbfounded.

'Does this mean we were defeated by a protagonist? A fictional character?'

"Wait... DC?" Hammer's expression darkened as a thought struck him. "Isn't that Anton Jameson's company? The one with all the ties to Batman?"

"Yes," the assistant confirmed with a nod. "That's DC."

"In that case..." Hammer's face turned grim. "The one who embarrassed us this time isn't just some comic book character. The real problem is Batman!"

His eyes filled with fury. While Green Arrow had been the one to repel his forces, Hammer was certain Arrow had acted under Batman's orders. After all, the vigilante had shown up at Osborn Manor for a reason.

Hammer remembered a minor piece of intelligence he'd collected earlier: Harry Osborn had invested in three DC movies.

'It must have been then. That's when Harry made contact with Batman.'

"Humph!" Hammer sneered, his anger building. "Another meddler. This Batman will pay sooner or later!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His gaze fell on his cowering subordinates, and he slammed his hand on a nearby surface.

"A bunch of useless trash!"

Without another word, he stormed off, leaving the militants behind. Dejected, they stood in the factory, knowing they'd suffered a humiliating defeat.

Kicked the iron plate!

They had assumed Osborn would be an easy target, only to be blindsided by one of Batman's subordinates.

"Batman! Green Arrow!"

They exchanged bitter looks, their faces full of regret.

Meanwhile, on the other side, General Ross also received word of Hammer's failure through his intelligence network.

"Green Arrow?" Ross murmured, scanning the report in his hand. His expression grew strange.

A vigilante!

Another cosplayer pretending to be a hero, just like Batman.

A look of disdain crossed Ross's face.

'Of all the names to pick, he chose Arrow. And worse, he's green!' Ross had always hated that color.

"General, should we investigate this Arrow further?" asked one of his subordinates.

"No need," Ross replied curtly. "Others will handle that. Our focus remains on our primary mission. Let's not waste resources duplicating their efforts; it'll only cost us in the end."

Ross waved his hand dismissively, discarding the report and focusing on the world map in front of him.

On the map, a specific slum in Brazil was marked in red.

"I've emphasized this before: our goal is not the Arrow. Hammer's failure is irrelevant. The most important thing is ensuring that our next mission doesn't end up like theirs!"

Ross's tone was firm and decisive. "Assemble the manpower, head to Brazil immediately, and make sure to capture the monster."

"Understood!"

The subordinate nodded with confidence and declared, "We've assembled the elite troops under Colonel Emile Blonsky's command. General, we are certain to succeed in this operation!"

"Emile Blonsky?"

Ross raised an eyebrow. He recognized the name of this veteran, a man with a formidable reputation in the military.

This guy had executed countless espionage missions in his early years and had made significant contributions on the battlefield. If it weren't for his hotheaded personality, he'd probably have risen higher in rank.

Ross's thoughts briefly shifted to Colonel Rhodes. Look at him. Thanks to his friendship with Tony Stark, Rhodes had become untouchable in the military hierarchy. 

Even some high-ranking generals hesitated to cross him. Despite being younger than Blonsky, Rhodes was already a commander-in-chief at an airbase with a bright future ahead of him.

Ross snapped out of his thoughts. "Get Blonsky ready. If he manages to capture Bruce Banner this time, I'll ensure he gets the promotion he deserves."

"Don't worry, General. He'll go all out." The subordinate grinned, his tone flattering. "Hearing that from you, he'll make sure Bruce Banner doesn't escape."

The next day.

Eddie looked at Anton with a peculiar expression, as though he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to.

"What's going on?" Anton asked, curious. Eddie's expression was a rare sight.

After a moment of hesitation, Eddie finally spoke. "Anton, you know I have a lot of intelligence sources."

"And?"

"I just heard some news this morning... Last night, Osborne Manor was attacked. The attackers didn't make it out alive. Rumor has it that someone named Green Arrow helped Osborn fend them off."

"Green Arrow?" Anton couldn't help but smile. "What exactly are you trying to ask?"

"Is it related to you?" Eddie asked directly.

"Yes, I sent the Arrow," Anton admitted without hesitation. "You know Harry is a friend of DC. Helping Osborne stay secure is beneficial to all of us."

"Who is the Arrow?" Eddie asked, his face full of surprise and suspicion. "Don't tell me you're pretending to be the Arrow!"

"You'll meet him soon enough," Anton replied with a mysterious smile, dodging the question and leaving it at that.

Changing the subject, Anton asked, "By the way, how's Phil doing lately?"

Eddie's grin widened. "Dr. Stockman is definitely a genius. He created a tracking device that locked onto the fragments of two other teleportation devices through a unique wavelength. One's already been located in the New York Museum, and now their target is Brazil."

"That sounds promising," Anton remarked. "Phil must be having a field day."

"Oh, he's having a great time," Eddie chuckled. "He's been running circles around Stockman, keeping him in line."

Anton frowned slightly. "Have they considered using the device fragment to rescue Shredder first?"

"Stockman's worried the unstable teleportation tech might send Shredder somewhere dangerous—or worse, into outer space. If that happens, Shredder would be as good as dead," Eddie explained.

"Given that, they're willing to wait. Shredder's stuck in prison for now, thinking patience will get them what they want safely."

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