Chapter 63

It didn't take long to cross the wheat field, but Dio didn't immediately leave it when he reached its end.

Dio chose to stay crouched and look at the city in front of him.

It seems that the plan of the one controlling Etta was to bring him through the field to the city.

Now, there were more than twenty people armed with rifles and shotguns, including men and women.

They even parked two cars on their sides, which blocked the entrance to the city.

All the controlled civilian men waiting for him were wearing flannel shirts, jeans, and cowboy hats.

It was clear he was in Texas because of this and the large number of weapons around.

Since they were clearly waiting for him, it was smart not to enter through the entrance.

'That makes me wonder why the mastermind didn't just show up at the landing area and take over my mind. '

That would have been much easier and less risky.

They probably can't do it because they don't have the right tools to control Dio right now.

They had control of Etta all the way to the Tower and back, so distance doesn't seem to matter.

During that journey, she didn't show any sign that his control was being broken.

However, the mastermind also didn't dare or manage to control his friends in the Tower.

It would be much easier for them to capture him, and they would have more superpowers under their command.

So, they can control someone from a distance who is already under their influence.

That's probably what happened.

Now, Dio just needs to see if there's a specific requirement to fall under his mind's control. Unfortunately, he has to go into the city to prove this.

Dio ignored the welcoming committee. Instead, he went around a circle while hiding in the wheat field.

The darkness here is deep, so even if they shine a light on him, they won't be able to see him. Dio walked about a kilometer to the right until he had a better view of one of the city's houses.

Dio was correct in his assumption that this was an organized small town.

The houses are well-built with beautiful dark roofs, and the roads are paved and well-lit, but no cars are driving on them.

A lot of people are on the sidewalk.

Dio moves through the shadows and appears on top of one of the houses. Once again, the darkness enveloped him and hid him.

This way, he can watch the people walking on the street without fear.

Dio immediately confirms that they are also being controlled.

They all walk very orderly, like machines working in perfect rhythm. They are not regular people; they are scouts for the enemy.

Dio ignored them for a moment and focused on the order and size of the city as a whole.

He believed it had about three thousand people who lived in this town based on its size, and he assumed that all of them were being controlled.

This is going to be complicated.

It's one thing to fight a group of cults; he can handle them. Dio doesn't feel bad about hurting them because they are ignorant.

On the other hand, the idea of fighting against three thousand innocent people under control is a lot less appealing.

Well, there's no point in thinking about that right now. Dio needs to find Diana and Steve.

Dio started jumping from one rooftop to another as he made his way toward the city center.

Dio moved a little more slowly so he could take in what was happening below and make a mental map of the city in case he needed to leave quickly.

"BOOOOM"

Then Dio heard a small explosion from the other side of the city in the east.

He ran in that direction, as he thought it was likely Diana.

Dio had been jumping off of rooftops to get there, but it broke when he got halfway there.

He then fell to the ground and made his way through dark alleys, using the movement of shadows when he couldn't avoid enemy patrols.

The funny thing is that the rhythmic sound of their footsteps makes it easy to locate them.

Dio turned a corner and entered an alley that faced a small pet shop.

The front window of the shop has a broken window with glass scattered all over the sidewalk.

This doesn't seem to bother the ten men and women carrying weapons while stepping on the glass and searching for someone.

Dio ignored them and instead closed his eyes, trying to use his hearing to the fullest.

He heard footsteps, but not from above; they were coming from the sewers beneath the street.

Dio went to the nearest sewer entrance, removed the metal cover, and descended the stairs. He quickly regretted his decision as the smell hit him.

'I'm starting to hate sewers; they're all long, dirty tunnels with filthy water and rats running freely as if this were their kingdom.'

Since darkness doesn't bother him, Dio continued forward until he reached a turn.

Dio didn't make the turn but stayed close to the wall without touching it. He didn't want to get his armor too dirty, even though it cleaned itself when he wanted to use it.

"Diana, it's me; don't attack me."

Dio said it in a low voice.

Dio heard her racing heartbeat from the other side of the turn, and since he didn't want to take a hit to the head, he introduced himself first.

"Dio, is that really you?"

Diana asked with a weak voice from the other side.

"I'm coming to you. Please don't stab me with your sword before you see me."

Dio joked as he approached her.

As he made the turn, he saw a silver shield coming toward his chest.

It caught him by surprise, but Dio managed to duck and grab her arm.

Then he tossed her over his shoulder, and she fell onto her back in the clean sewer water.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Dio asked angrily as he put some distance between them.

"Sorry, I had to make sure you weren't being controlled."

Diana said while smiling at him on the ground.

She's still on the ground, and now he can get a good look at her body.

It's no wonder it was so easy to take her down—Diana is a mess.

Dio saw several cuts on her body and two bullet holes, one in her left shoulder and another in her abdomen.

"What happened to you?"

Dio asked as he helped her up from the ground and leaned her against the dirty walls so she could catch her breath.

"The controlled ones caught me by surprise."

Diana explained.

"Let's get out of here and find a clean place to remove those bullets."

Dio said while lifting her and putting her arm around his neck.

The cuts are not a problem; they heal quickly without needing any care.

However, the bullets in her body are a different issue. They need to remove them so she can heal.

They walk slowly back to the entrance where he came in. Dio placed Diana against the stairs and went up first.

After checking that everything was clear, he helped her climb up. It's hard to find or see her because she's close to Dio, and his dark aura affects her.

They walk a few meters in a dark alley until they reach a small, two-story apartment.

Dio was about to carry Diana like a princess and let go of her on the roof, but Diana did it herself by slowly floating to the top of the two-story building.

Dio jumped after her and found her sitting on the ground and leaning against a brick chimney. He went over to her and looked at her wounds.

Whoever shot her was definitely a professional, they aimed at the small area of her torso that was less protected by her armor.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on while I play doctor?"

Dio said it jokingly and approached her wound.

"It's not a very long story."

Diana said while he pulled the bullet from her torso.

It seems that the controlled Etta didn't lie about everything. Steve did come to this city to investigate reports of a new metahuman causing trouble for the local authorities.

After arriving in the city and not answering A.R.G.U.S. calls for a while, Diana was worried about her boyfriend and took off as soon as Etta told her about the mission.

She easily found Steve, who welcomed her with open arms until he pulled out a gun and shot her at point-blank range.

Then it was complete chaos.

A bunch of ordinary people started to come in and try to capture her. It was only after a long struggle that Diana managed to escape.

However, when she stepped out into the street, the metahuman led an army of commoners.

"Haa!"

Diana stopped her story and made an effort not to scream when he removed the bullet from her body.

"What's this metahuman like?"

Dio asked and focused his attention on her shoulder wound.

"I've never seen him before. He was small, had a big head, and wore a strange tiara."

Diana said after the pain subsided a bit.

Dio doesn't recognize or remember anyone with these powers based on these details alone.

DC's list of telepaths is long, and he could also be a different version of a clearly psychic villain.

Luckily, both she and Dio have some defenses against mind control.

"And what brought you here alone?"

Diana asked, and she was already appearing to be in better shape.

"Etta showed up at the Titan Tower and said you asked for my help. I realized she was being controlled almost at the same moment. We landed in a field near the city. Don't worry; she's not hurt. She'll just be very angry when she wakes up and realizes she's trapped on a jet."

"I didn't know she had come to the city too. I spent half my time here trying to escape my pursuers. These wounds are very strange."

Diana told him.

"I agree."

Diana's gunshot wounds shouldn't be making her move so slowly or making her as weak as they are now.

But even though blades can hurt demigods, their bodies are much stronger than an average person's.

That means they can still show their full power even when they are hurt until their bodies are almost completely destroyed.

Then something crossed his mind. Dio held both bullets in his hand, stained with Diana's blood, and brought them close to his nose.

...

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