Chapter 284/285 - Lost

(Chapter 285 was sorta lost in the translation, You won't really miss anything though)

The beasts looked around in utter confusion, howling in frustration as they failed to see what was attacking them. Back at the camp, the agents watching the scene through Leila's camera feed were just as stunned.

When they first saw Batman and Leila surrounded by that swarm of fierce, monstrous animals, they had braced for a brutal battle. Each monster looked more terrifying than the last, with twisted bodies, gleaming fangs, and claws sharp enough to tear through metal. The agents were certain Batman and Leila were in for a fight to survive.

But what they saw next was beyond anything they could have imagined. Instead of a clash, the monsters were dropping one by one, collapsing in the dirt as if struck by some invisible force.

The camp was silent as the agents tried to make sense of what they were seeing. The monstrous creatures—animals that had become twisted into horrible, ferocious forms—were now howling and stumbling as they dropped like flies.

Everyone's first thought was that Batman was behind it. After all, he'd seemed calm and confident before the creatures had even begun to fall. But even Leila, an Ancient who'd seen more strange and powerful things than most, seemed bewildered, her eyes scanning the scene for answers. If she didn't know what was going on, then this couldn't have been Batman's doing. So who—or what—was causing this?

As they squinted at the screen, trying to catch any sign of movement, Leila adjusted her own vision. The Ancients had designed their bodies to go beyond normal human capabilities. Leila's eyes could zoom, sharpen, and detect even the smallest detail in the dimmest light. Now, with her advanced sight focused on the fallen monsters, she finally saw something—a faint, fast-moving shape darting among the beasts. 

She zoomed in further, her eyesight zeroing in like a camera lens, and finally managed to make out the shape. She saw a figure, no bigger than an ant, moving with blinding speed through the herd of monsters.

Is that… a person? she thought, astonished.

The figure was so small it could have been mistaken for a bug, yet it moved with incredible purpose and precision. With each leap, it aimed itself like a missile, launching itself toward the nearest monster. The tiny figure punched through the air, like a bullet shot from a gun, targeting a snarling beast that was looking around in bewilderment.

There was a sharp, muffled thud as the tiny figure tore through the beast's head, puncturing a clean hole in its skull. The beast let out a strangled, panicked cry before its legs buckled and it collapsed to the ground, lifeless. The small figure burst out from the other side, spun in the air, and, using the falling beast as a launch pad, kicked off like a rocket and shot toward its next target.

The beasts around them were now frantic, trying to catch whatever was attacking them. But the tiny figure was too fast, too agile, and nearly invisible in its insect-sized form. Another soft thud sounded, and another monster dropped, its head split clean through.

Leila's eyes went wide in shock.

No way. It's… A Man?

Leila quickly realized that this tiny figure had to be one of Batman's allies. She'd seen people affected by infection shrink before, but they'd only been able to reduce to the size of a child, maybe as small as a doll. None of them had been able to shrink to the size of a bug, let alone maintain their strength at that size.

In nature, creatures usually lose strength as they get smaller. A tiny insect like an ant can carry heavy loads relative to its size, but if a human were to shrink down to that size, they should lose much of their power. They'd become so fragile that they'd barely be able to stand, much less launch an attack.

But this was no ordinary shrinking ability. Charlie, controlling Ant-Man, was using Pym Particles—a unique, nearly magical substance discovered by the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym. Pym Particles allowed Ant-Man to shrink without losing his strength and, in fact, often amplified it. Marvel scientists had tried to explain it, suggesting that Pym Particles somehow altered the space between molecules. But as time went on, it became clear that the particles were beyond normal science, and their effects were treated as a marvel (literally!) in their own right.

With Pym Particles, Ant-Man could shrink down to the size of a flea and still pack a punch. The smaller he got, the more pressure each of his attacks carried, as his strength concentrated into tiny points. At that size, his punches hit with the impact of a bullet, capable of tearing through solid bone and muscle.

So, as tiny as he was, Ant-Man had become a deadly weapon. He darted around the monsters, attacking with pinpoint precision, each strike dropping a beast with ease.

The monsters, sensing something was wrong, began roaring and swiping at the air, trying to catch the invisible enemy. Their massive claws and fangs cut through empty space as they tried and failed to hit the tiny figure that buzzed around them like a deadly insect.

From Ant-Man's perspective, every move was an adrenaline rush. After tearing through the head of one monster, he landed lightly on the ground. Suddenly, a bright red circle appeared beneath him, warning him that a massive paw was about to slam down.

Ant-Man dove forward in a sliding dodge, using his small size to slip under the beast's attack. Because he weighed so little, his slide covered an impressive distance, gliding him out of harm's way. The monster's paw slammed into the ground behind him, sending a small shockwave through the dirt.

With a tap to his suit, Ant-Man pressed the Pym Particle button, reversing his shrinkage. His body expanded in seconds, going from insect-sized to full-sized in an instant. One moment, the monsters were swatting at a tiny pest; the next, a full-sized man in a red and silver suit stood in their midst, helmet gleaming.

The monsters froze in shock, their beady eyes widening at the sudden appearance of the human. They hadn't expected the tiny bug to transform into a full-sized figure right before their eyes.

Without hesitation, Ant-Man kicked a smaller, furry creature out of his way and grabbed three silver darts from his belt.

The three nearest monsters charged toward him, snarling. Ant-Man spun on his heel and flicked the darts toward them. The silver blades whirled through the air, each one striking a beast with deadly accuracy. The monsters let out strangled cries before, in an instant, they vanished without a trace, as if erased from existence.

The agents watching from the camp were stunned into silence. One of them leaned closer to the monitor, eyes wide in disbelief. "Did… did they just disappear?"

It didn't look like the monsters had been destroyed by a weapon. There was no blood, no ash, no trace at all. The beasts had simply ceased to exist, gone as if they'd been erased from reality itself.

The agents exchanged nervous glances, realizing they were seeing something beyond anything they'd ever encountered.

"What kind of tech are we even looking at here?" someone whispered. 

Their minds raced with questions. If these heroes could make creatures disappear without a trace, what else could they do? Could they use this power on bigger targets, like vehicles or buildings?

A chill crept through the room. The agents had always known that these super-powered allies were beyond their understanding, but this display was unlike anything they'd ever imagined.

The Ninth Division agents glanced around, each of them realizing that their understanding of these heroes was still only the tip of the iceberg. What other powers, what other unimaginable technologies, were waiting beneath the surface?

Leila, standing beside Batman on the battlefield, could see everything with even more clarity. She watched the once-imposing beasts scattered across the ground, now nothing more than shrunken, helpless figures.

This power… it's unreal, she thought, feeling a chill down her spine. If this were used against the Ancients…

The Ancients, who once towered over others, would be reduced to mere ants, their strength erased. Just the thought of it made her shudder. She glanced at Batman, who stood watching with his usual stoic calm, as if such power was just another tool in his arsenal.

To these heroes, this kind of power must be normal, she realized. Maybe it really was wise to avoid provoking them.

After a while, all the beasts lay defeated, either shrunken or motionless on the ground. Finally, Ant-Man reappeared, expanding to full size and landing among the scattered creatures.

His suit was smeared with dirt and blood, and he looked weary, shaking his head with a sigh. "I really hate violence," he muttered.

Leila glanced at the defeated creatures, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. It was hard not to hear a bit of irony in his words.

Tell that to these poor creatures, she thought, though she wisely kept the thought to herself.

Batman stepped forward, his face as impassive as ever. "Let's move on," he said, his tone calm and unbothered.

Just then, Friday's voice crackled through Charlie's helmet. 

"Sir, I've detected a massive heat source nearby. It's underground… and it's about to surface!"

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