Chapter 13: A Strange World Part 9

Over an hour had now passed since Lady Noir began revealing her various plans in the meeting, each having its own good points and bad points, though at least giving Don an idea of what he could expect in the city. 'Who knew meetings about world domination could be so tiring?' he thought.

After listening to the many absurdly comical plans that Lady Noir had come up with, Don was more than eager to see the meeting conclude. Lady Noir, however, seemed to have quite the energetic appearance and spoke with vigor as she proceeded to the final plan.

"The fourth plan is called 'Institutional Infiltration,' and the main objective of it is to have Predator control many of the city's key organizations. Step one of this will be sabotaging the Santos Hero University. The objective here is to have Predator go undercover and subtly sabotage the training of new heroes. For example, ensuring that their gadgets malfunction or that their lessons cause confusion. Santos University also has one of the highest dropout rates in the United Provinces, and many of the dropouts long to become villains or sidekicks to villains. If Predator can manage to recruit some, it would also be a big bonus."

'That actually sounds a bit easier,' Don thought to himself, feeling a bit of interest in the plan given that it didn't involve him actually getting an office job for years just to meet an objective. But he knew there were more steps to it, so he kept his thoughts to himself and continued to listen as Lady Noir went on to step two.

"For step two, we have to gain control of the Santos City Villain Rehabilitation Center. There are a few ways we can do this, but it will require Predator to at least have a B-class reputation in the city as a superhero. Once we have control, we can use it as a front to train and recruit new villains under the guise of rehabilitation."

Once again, though easier said than done, Don felt more open to this idea. Not because of what it entailed, but because it gave him more freedom to achieve it in a way he wanted. Unlike the other plans that involved him dedicating much of his time to setting priorities, with this plan, he felt he was free to gain the reputation in his own way. But just to be sure, he asked, "Is there a specific way you need me to gain my reputation, or am I free to employ as many methods as possible if we use this plan?"

Lady Noir's eyes lit up at the question because, to her, it meant Predator was genuinely interested in the plan she had crafted, and that made her incredibly happy. She shyly turned toward Don but kept her head slightly lower, causing some of her hair to hide her eyes as she responded, "Yes, with this plan, you would be free to choose which way you gain your reputation. Also, I'll be on the lookout for any opportunities to grow your reputation so you don't have to worry about that," she explained before going silent while twiddling her fingers.

Don nodded in understanding. "I see. That's a very good idea."

'He said my idea was good. He really thinks my idea was good. All those sleepless nights were worth it,' Lady Noir thought. 

She was brought out of her daze by Gary's voice, which prompted her to look his way.

Gary's expression looked much the same as he said to her, "You have a little something on your lip, milady."

Still confused, Lady Noir brought her hand to her lip and found she had a trace of drool hanging off the corner of her mouth. Her eyes immediately widened and she was quick to wipe it off before looking Don's way, worried that he had seen her like this. 

However, Don had already acted quickly and pretended that he was looking at the 3D models on the table, with interest, even going as far as to put a hand on his chin and nod at intervals. "Interesting. Interesting," he muttered.

Lady Noir believed this act and let out a sigh of relief before clearing her throat and saying, "Anyway, moving on. The third step of the plan will involve trying to manipulate Dr. Pollyanna Fixit. She is the director of the Santos City Villain Rehabilitation Center and is very well known for being an optimist who believes that every villain has a heart of gold despite evidence to the contrary. Because of this, despite being a reputable figure in the hero community of the city, Dr. Pollyanna Fixit is very isolated, even by her own colleagues, so it should be possible to manipulate her if you can get close."

"This connects to the previous step of gaining a reputation since she allows most heroes with a B-class reputation or higher to volunteer at the center and take an active role in helping rehabilitate villains." As Lady Noir explained this, Don's attention was on the 3D model, which, though lacking color, showed the figure of Dr. Pollyanna.

'She's kind of hot,' Don thought. 'This plan just keeps looking better and better,' he couldn't help but praise inwardly. However, he still kept up appearances and nodded at Lady Noir before giving her some praise. "Brilliant, Lady Noir, brilliant."

Lady Noir blushed at the praise and couldn't help but smile. As she did this, Gary commented, "Your plan seems to have reignited a deep interest in Sir Predator, milady."

"I'm glad," Lady Noir agreed, thinking to herself, 'He really does look interested. My hard work is finally paying off.'

Once again, Lady Noir was brought out of her daze by Gary's voice, "*Ahem*", this time without him needing to say anything. She immediately brought her hand to her mouth and wiped it before turning her head to look at Don, who had already lowered his head again to look at the 3D model in front of them, looking like he was in deep contemplation over the matter. "Yes, yes, interesting." 

Lady Noir let out another sigh of relief before continuing. "As I was saying, if you can manage to manipulate Dr. Pollyanna Fixit, you could convince her to release reformed villains who are actually loyal to you back into the city, which you can then use to either cause chaos and disorder or better your reputation."

"For step four, I know it may sound strange, but hear me out. Neighborhood watch takeover. This plan would require you to infiltrate and take control of the Concerned Mothers Neighborhood Watch in the Chanel Hills community. They are an incredibly enthusiastic group of mostly single mothers and have access to some incredible surveillance gadgets in many parts of the city. If you were to gain control, it would not only allow you more freedom to act in those parts of the city but also give you connections to the members of that particular neighborhood watch, which includes a lot of prominent women in the city. Although not politically active or incredibly wealthy, they do have sway over large groups of people, which can work to your advantage."

'You had me at single mothers,' Don thought to himself as he shifted his posture and even sat upright now, taking the meeting very seriously.

Feeling like his seriousness was due to his genuine interest in taking over the city, Lady Noir continued without suspecting anything. "The final step is gradual domination. With key institutions and groups under your control or influence, you can gradually expand your control. For example, offering protection and services to the city's businesses and citizens, making them depend on you."

"And that's it. Do you have any questions?" Lady Noir asked.

"Nope, let's do it," Don immediately proposed, not needing to hear anything more.