Chapter 25: Mission Accomplished

After a night of tossing and turning, Kaito Haruno returned to his daily routine of school and breakfast. The morning greetings and the scenery on his way to school had become familiar parts of his life, and he was slowly getting used to living in this strange world. However, today, he noticed a shift in the topics everyone was discussing—only one thing was on their minds: Kamen Rider.

Sitting in class, Kaito listened as his classmates talked excitedly about the scene from the previous night, where he had crushed a group of armed robbers as a superhero. Their praise and amazement made Kaito, still in his youth, feel a swell of pride. After all, he had done his part to fight evil; if good deeds went unnoticed, what was the point of doing them?

"Emil, what do you think is behind the mask of that Kamen Rider? It's so cool!" Just as Kaito was basking in the admiration, Kara's voice jolted him back to reality.

Damn, how could I have forgotten about her! The reminder from Kara made Kaito realize that there was still an untested Kryptonian among them. His achievements seemed insignificant compared to what would happen once Supergirl made her debut. When that happened, Nox City would go from ordinary theft to epic battles, and a whole bunch of extraterrestrial beings would be pouring in. Just thinking about it drained the excitement from Kaito.

Anyone would feel a bit defeated when realizing that their efforts were trivial compared to those of the Kryptonians. But regardless of how disheartened he felt, he had to prepare for the future. Without points, his situation would become increasingly difficult.

Sigh, I hope Kara doesn't debut too soon; I need more time. Glancing at the sunny girl excitedly discussing superheroes with her sister, Kaito silently wished for more time to grow stronger. He just wanted to unlock the empty self, then he could finally relax.

Another ordinary day passed like this. By nightfall, Kaito had snuck out of his house once more and arrived at Dick's place. Since the G3 armor was still being repaired, he had to make do with a makeshift outfit—a cheap knockoff mask and a wooden sword.

"Where's your armor?" Dick asked as he looked at Kaito's costume.

"It's broken and being repaired. I'm making do with this for now, but is there an operation we need to do tonight?" Kaito asked, curious. Since the police had gathered evidence, things should be straightforward now. They could just follow the leads. Even if some big shots tried to buy their way out, their businesses would likely take a huge hit. What kind of superhero work was left for him to do?

Listening to Kaito's question, Dick felt a bit awkward. "The police chief went to see the mayor this morning. This case involves too many upper-level personnel, and the mayor has given the police chief orders. The guys controlling Nox City's major industries are just going to be shuffled around, maybe just forced to pay a bit more. As for those without power or background? They'll be caught without hesitation."

"Dirty dealings," Damian chimed in, unimpressed. Kaito didn't feel much of anything, though. After a night of reflection, he had already come to terms with this outcome. The names in his notebook involved too many people across a broad spectrum. If they were exposed, it would damage the credibility of the city's government and impact the city's operation. Even the mayor wouldn't dare to clean house too openly.

Dick didn't disagree with Damian's commentary. The government had its own considerations, and they couldn't say much. Just because they were in a position of power didn't mean they could manage things better. "I can't say the mayor's ideas are good or bad, but personally, I think letting those who have done wrong just walk free would be a disgrace to our secret identities."

"So, you plan to target the most arrogant ones and take them down?" Kaito replied.

"Not just that. The police don't know that we've made backups. So, we're going to stir up trouble on their turf and then 'accidentally' discover their dirty dealings, making it public. That way, the city government will have to respond, right? After all, nobody wants an 'accident' to happen~"

Listening to Dick's plan, Kaito couldn't help but shiver. Was the whole Batman family this cunning? They talked about understanding the government's position, but when it came to taking action, they were ruthless.

"Can you not look at me like that? If we let these guys slide, that would be the biggest mistake. Plus, their activities involve more than just human trafficking; there are still many explosive secrets that haven't been revealed," Dick replied, looking at Kaito with exasperation. He was helpless, as Kaito had moved three meters away, making it seem like he was the bad guy.

"Heh, I believe you, I believe you. So, which one are we targeting tonight?"

"Which one? Tonight's workload is a bit heavy—there are three of them. We can only handle those three; if we go beyond that, it might affect the city's operations," Dick said, flipping through his notes and circling the three names. Then, he casually tossed the notebook down the drain; that was all he needed.

After speaking, Dick and Damian shot away using their grappling hooks. With the pull of the hook, the glider hidden under Dick's arms unfolded, and he glided through the night alongside Damian. Kaito Haruno, however, merely shot them a slightly displeased glance before picking up his pace, jumping between the buildings. Thanks to his enhanced physique, he had no trouble keeping up. After days of training and battling, his body was gradually getting accustomed to the demands of leaping and moving between structures.

The trio swiftly maneuvered through the city and soon arrived near a warehouse belonging to a corporate building. They halted and observed the warehouse staff working late into the night. Dick frowned at the sight. The automatic weapons and the relaxed patrols indicated that this place was a tough nut to crack.

"LexCorp? They're involved in this line of work now? That's surprising. I thought they were making plenty of money from their energy sector and high-tech ventures," Kaito remarked, surprised at the company's name. LexCorp was well-known in the DC universe for its advanced technology, nearly rivaling Batman's inventions. They shouldn't be mixed up with something as lowly as human trafficking.

"It's a subsidiary. LexCorp wouldn't handle everything themselves; they likely outsource some tasks and just focus on profits. But with this level of manpower and firepower, things might get tricky," Dick explained, clearly concerned about the dense security surrounding the target.

"I think I might have a plan. TAKA~!" Kaito called out, and TAKA, who had been patrolling the skies, promptly landed on Kaito's palm. Dick and Damian stared at TAKA in astonishment. They hadn't expected Kaito to have such a secret weapon.

"Go distract those guys down there. Send in the octopus and locusts," Kaito commanded.

TAKA took off again, soaring into the sky. Before long, nine more of Kaito's small companions joined, flying towards the warehouse. Their tiny sizes allowed them to slip past the patrolling guards unnoticed. Within moments, the brightly lit warehouse plunged into darkness.

"Did you create these little gadgets using artificial intelligence?" Dick asked, impressed.

"If I had that kind of brain, I wouldn't be in high school; I'd be at Harvard or MIT by now. It's a perk of the armor. Now, let's get to work," Kaito replied, and he urged Dick and Damian to prepare for action. Taking advantage of the confusion caused by the sudden blackout, they quickly moved to subdue the guards.

After Kaito's light-hearted jab, Dick and Damian fell silent. They glided through the air with grappling hooks, starting with smoke bombs. In less than ten minutes, they had wrapped up the encounter. After prying open a crate, they found a large stash of firearms hidden inside—more than enough for their needs.

"Wow, hoarding heavy weapons like this? It's like they're asking for trouble. What are you up to over there?" Kaito quipped, eyeing Dick, who was still working at a computer.

"I'm hacking into their terminal system to expose their operations. We can't just call it an accident without proof. Done!" Dick announced as information about human trafficking appeared on the screen. He quickly sent the details and picked up an anonymous phone to call the police before heading out with Kaito and Damian to their next target.

Using the same approach, with Kaito's small gadgets doing the scouting and disruption, they handled the next few crime organizations with ease. Turning off the lights, tossing smoke bombs, and delivering surprise blows, they managed to take down two more groups just like the first.

By the end of the night, Kaito had helped Dick and Damian take down three criminal gangs, giving him a taste of the excitement of fighting without armor.

[Side mission complete. The host assisted Nightwing in combating human trafficking in Nacino City. Reputation rising: Mission completed—six criminal organizations taken down, with 13 days left. Do you want to continue?]

[No!] Hearing the prompt in his mind, Kaito decisively clicked "No." According to the mission requirements, Dick had already achieved the goal of crippling the human trafficking ring in Nacino City. Whether he would team up with Kaito again was uncertain. Kaito felt he had gotten enough of a bargain and didn't want to risk encountering any major players.

[Okay, Reputation Rising Mission: Completed. Rating B. As a masked hero, you seem to enjoy riding the coattails of others. You should work on that. Considering your fleeting sense of justice, I'll reluctantly give you a B this time. Mission rewards: Side Mission—30,000 points; Uncut Villain Training Card; unlimited duration; Reputation Rising, B rating—60,000 points; three lottery chances; Drive ambulance.]

Upon hearing the rewards announced by the system, Kaito was nearly moved to tears. Three lottery chances, a tool ambulance for veteran drivers, and 90,000 points—he had hit the jackpot!

(End of Chapter)