Chapter 23: Childish Tantrum
"Alright... alright, enough already. You'll have plenty of time to argue later," Oldcowboy interjected with his usual southern drawl. He turned to Strauss. "Mr. Strauss, please continue. What else do we need to know?"
"You're right, Mr. Blackwood. My apologies." Strauss composed himself before continuing. "As I was saying, my investigation suggests this vigilante encountered Necrotox and his puppets by chance and neutralized them immediately upon sight."
"Strauss," Oldcowboy began, "based on your evidence, do you believe this vigilante knew about Necrotox beforehand? Or was he actively tracking him?"
"No, Mr. Blackwood. All evidence indicates the vigilante had no prior knowledge of Necrotox."
"So you're telling me this vigilante attacked Necrotox without knowing who he was or what he was doing?" Oldcowboy's drawl grew more pronounced as he pressed the point.
Strauss frowned, scanning his documents again to ensure he hadn't missed anything. This was precisely why he'd involved local authorities and heroes especially veterans like Oldcowboy. It was to gain their perspective.
"I understand how improbable this sounds... but we can't rule it out completely." Strauss underlined key points on the papers as he spoke.
"Heh... typical," Photon Fury scoffed.
Oldcowboy shot her a brief glance before dismissing her childish behavior. Strauss merely narrowed his eyes slightly, engaging with her would only lower himself to her level.
"Mr. Blackwood," Strauss refocused, "if your theory holds, then we're looking at a vigilante with an intelligence network surpassing our city-wide 24/7 security systems and more capable than thousands of our personnel. Are you suggesting such an individual exists in this city-state? The frontier of North America's east coast?" He let the implication hang in the air.
"That's right," Oldcowboy nodded.