Harem Streamer System: Every Crime I Broadcast Wins Me a Superheroine - Chapter 258

Chapter 258: Before the Dawn I
The city blurred into streaks of light.

Nightwatch’s sleek, jet-black supercar chewed the asphalt as it shot down the empty highway.

It was like watching a launched railgun slug.

The engine didn’t roar… it growled.

Every light it passed flickered from the sheer disruption of its speed.

Inside the cockpit, holographic gauges curved around the windshield that read—

[Velocity: 382 km/h]

[Stealth Mode: Active]

[Echo-burst Radar: Online]

Nightwatch sat in the driver’s seat, armored, masked and very much composed, but his fingers tapped the hand wheel like a man preparing for war.

Beside him, strapped in and expectedly tiny-looking in the massive cockpit seat, sat Lady Fortress.

She hadn’t said a word.

Not one single word since they’d left Judy’s place.

Her knees were pressed together, hands folded politely on her lap, innocent red cheeks reflected in the gentle glow bouncing across the windshield.

She stared forward.

Stared at the road.

Stared at nothing.

『I don’t know how to start a conversation…』

Fortress’s mind spun in circles. (,,>﹏<,,)

『Should I compliment his car…? No, that’s obvious. Should I ask if he’s nervous? No, that makes it awkward. Should I say he looks confident tonight—NO, idiot, focus!』

This wasn’t the time to worry about that.

She wasn’t human like the others. And although she loved saving people, there was still a part of her that just wanted to sit with Nightwatch and talk to him for the whole night to tell him everything about herself.

『My hobbies… my dreams and aspirations… my…』

She let out a defeated sigh.

After the special kiss they shared after beating Mega Man and escaping Earth-Two, she honestly wanted to see him again and maybe even go on her first real date.

But he never called.

He didn’t text.

He didn’t even act like she existed.

If she wasn’t so busy dealing with the heavy duty of being a Z-tier hero, she probably would’ve taken that a lot more personally and maybe reacted a little more… violently.

『I need to get that off my mind.』

She inhaled deeply and readied herself to speak.

Her lips parted—

BEEP.

Judy’s voice exploded across the comms:

[Yo! How’s it going over there? You two alive?]

“AH—!” (｡>////<)

Fortress jolted so hard her head thumped lightly against the headrest.

She immediately went stiff and silent like she’d been caught cheating on a test.

Nightwatch exhaled through his nose.

“We’re fine, Judy.”

[Cool, cool! Status update?]

“We’re eight minutes out from Iron Mills Factory and the tracker on Vixen seems to be working so I can tell she’s almost there as well…”

Nightwatch kept his eyes on the road throughout.

Judy hummed softly.

[Ohhh, nice…]

Then she switched to a mockingly dull tone.

[Also, can the two of you TALK or something? The cockpit sounds like a morgue. I’m getting some secondhand awkwardness over here.]

Nightwatch’s eyes went half-lidded.

“Judy…” (ー_ー゛)

[What?]

“Please stop narrating our silence.”

[Then stop being silent!]

He sighed deeply.

Fortress sank even lower in her seat and twiddled her thumbs like she just got scolded.

『I don’t think I can do this…』 ( ._. )””

The cockpit returned to thick, heavy silence.

Neon lights reflected on Fortress’s cheeks as she stared at her hands.

Then she leaned forward and—

CLICK.

She muted the comms.

Nightwatch blinked.

“Fortress…? Why’d you—”

“I wanted to talk to you about something crucial.”

“Can’t it wait for—”

“It can’t.”

She cut him off instantly but her voice trembled a bit.

If she didn’t say it now she didn’t know when she’d get the confidence to say it again.

He turned to her.

Her eyes weren’t on him.

They were on her shaking hands.

“Because… when you save them, I know I won’t have the courage to say it.”

Nightwatch’s breath hitched.

“What do you want to say?”

Fortress swallowed hard.

She stared down as her dainty thumbs twirled over each other in tiny, nervous circles.

“I know this isn’t the right time…”

She shook her head, already regretting speaking.

“But… I like you.”

Nightwatch blinked. “I… like you too.”

Her face fell even more.

“Then why don’t you make me your girlfriend…?”

His hand slipped on the steering wheel so hard the car swerved before auto-correct kicked in.

He stared at her… stunned and speechless.

The silence answered her.

Fortress looked out the window.

“Oh… I get it…”

She forced a smile and looked away.

“You’ve seen me naked, we’ve been in life-or-death situations, we’ve even… kissed…”

She sounded a little hurt.

“And yet you don’t feel anything. No spark at all.”

“Fortress—”

“I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“No.”

Nightwatch’s voice was firm.

She looked at him.

“It’s not that I don’t like you in that way. I’m just… in a really bad spot in my life. I’m not at my fullest potential. And I hate that. I’m ashamed of it. I just—”

He stopped.

His foot stomped the brake.

SCREEEEEE—

The ride drifted sideways and came to a perfect stop.

They were at the factory.

Nightwatch let out a slow breath.

“We’ll… uh, talk about this later.”

He unmuted the comms.

Vixen’s annoyed voice burst through immediately.

“HEY! Was the comm on mute!? You better not be doing anything weird in that cockpit! Dude, I don’t even get why Fortress had to ride with you, I’m the one who can’t fly if I remember correctly!” (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

Fortress cleared her throat sharply.

“You don’t have to worry. Nothing happened.”

Her voice was still dull.

“I’m not his girlfriend… after all.”

She shoved open the butterfly-wing door and stepped out fast.

Nightwatch stayed inside.

It was too awkward to step out now.

His fingers drummed helplessly on the steering panel.

Outside, Fortress tapped her wrist device.

“Judy… is the coast clear for me to bust in through the side and tackle the bastard?”

She clenched her fist.

The metal door beside her crumpled in her grip.

“Oh boy…” Nightwatch muttered.

On comms, Judy whistled.

[Whoa, Fortress! Since when do you swear!?]

“Give me his location…” Fortress growled.

Keys clacked on Judy’s end.

[Uhhh, Upper Level C, Section 4. Jake and Brigid are tied up there too.]

“Copy.”

[Okay Vixen, remember your targets are Kaede Kazama and the other hostages — Emma, Gwen, and uhhh… I dunno about this but someone listed as Dark Elf.]

“Dark Elf?” ₍^. .^₎⟆

Vixen said from the rooftop she perched on.

“Sounds like a stripper name.”

Her muscles tightened and her fur bristled.

“Alright, I’m getting things started.”

She crouched low.

Then—BOOM.

She launched herself like a deadly rocket through a second-floor window.

WAAAAAAAA!!

The alarms shrieked instantly.

══════

Inside Iron Mills.

Grave slammed his palm on his earpiece.

“What’s going on!? Report! Anyone!?”

Static. Nothing.

He was at the lowest level, yes… but that wasn’t any reason for comms to be down.

“So you’re here…”

The man smiled under his skull-faced mask.

Outside, Nightwatch stepped out of the supercar.

His hair waved majestically in the night wind.

“My drone decrypted their comm line…”

He input extra command codes through the TV-TW.

“They’re deaf and blind now.”

══════

Upper Level C, Section Four.

King Cobra sat cross-legged on a wooden chair as he read a self-help book titled—

“Snake or Warm: Succeed or Crawl Home.”

Brigid thrashed against her restraints.

Jake trembled beside her.

“Calm down!” he hissed.

“No! ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

Brigid snarled like a furious mutt.

“I don’t care how strong he is — NO ONE treats my Lord Nightwatch like that!”

Cobra sighed without looking up.

“You’re making this hard for yourself.”

“What— you gonna hit me like you hit Lord Scott!?”

She already had that cocky grin on her face.

Cobra chuckled.

“No.”

He lifted a remote and pressed it.

BZZZZT—!!

Brigid’s entire body convulsed violently and a scream ripped from her throat.

“AAAAAGGHHHHHHH!!”

The electricity mercilessly tore through her.

Jake paled. He felt sick watching it.

“HURRGGH!”

He threw up in his mouth and swallowed.

Brigid coughed blood as she screamed even more.

“UWAAAAAAA—!!”

Then her scream changed.

It grew deeper.

It went from painful to rageful.

Her eyes flared bright green.

“WHAT—?!” Cobra recoiled.

The inhibitor collar shattered as a wave of power exploded outward and blasted him across the room.

He hit the wall hard.

He was still sliding down when he heard—

KRKKKKK—

Walls behind him began to bulge.

“What the—”

BOOOOOOM!!!

Lady Fortress burst through like a guided missile.

She speared Cobra with such force the air detonated behind her.

They tore through five walls as each bone-breaking impact shook the entire factory.

By the third wall Cobra was vomiting blood.

By the fifth he didn’t know what planet he was on.

『I am blessed by the Snake Deity… how am I seeing my own blood?!』

He tried to break free—

WHAM!!

A supercharged punch to the jaw nearly snapped his consciousness in half.

Lady Fortress grabbed his face with one hand.

Lifted him.

Lifted the massive man like he weighed less than a grocery bag.

His legs dangled uselessly.

It was ridiculous to see… probably because Fortress had a very smallish figure. To see her lifting a man this huge by the face and with one hand was definitely something anyone would pay to see and laugh at.

“I’ll leave you in the same state you left him…”

Her voice was wrathfully quiet.

Her eyes ignited with light.

Cobra finally felt fear.

Real, animal fear.

This was what he expected from Nightwatch.

But perhaps by brutalizing Nightwatch he provoked the wrong beast.

Lady Fortress pulled her fist back.

WHAAAAAM!!

King Cobra flew across the factory like a ragdoll.

Jake’s ears were still ringing from the explosions and the echo of Fortress’s sonic entry… but when the dust settled, all he saw was a Lady Fortress-shaped hole punched straight through five separate walls.

His jaw dropped.

His pupils dilated like a full-blown fangirl at a pop concert.

“Holy—holy crap…”

He whispered excitedly as his eyes sparkled.

Then louder—

“OH MY GOD—!! I just got saved by LADY FORTRESS!! ME!! She literally scooped King Cobra like a stuffed toy and WENT THROUGH THE WALLS!! Dude, I definitely picked the right day to be a hostage!!”

He was practically vibrating.

He was about to rant even more… possibly about power rankings, Fortress’s lifting feats, and maybe her exact punching PSI when he noticed Brigid.

She was coughing on the floor like a cancer patient.

So much blood flew out of her mouth.

“Brigid!?”

His excitement screeched to a halt.

Jake thrashed against the ropes, twisting, turning and squeezing as he groaned.

“OH COME ON—!”

He kept on trying.

“I knew I should’ve gone to the gym instead of eating four meatball subs yesterday—!”

He struggled harder.

“Why did I let myself get this round—? Move, MOVE you fat jelly donut—!!”

One more desperate buck of his shoulders—

SKRRT—

He popped free, rolled once, and scrambled to Brigid like an anxious golden retriever.

“Brigid! Brigid—hey, hey—!”

He lifted her into his arms.

Her head lolled weakly.

Blood slid in thin lines from her ears and nostrils.

Jake froze.

“That’s… that’s not normal.”

A pit formed in his stomach.

Scott had told him the signs before.

Signs he hoped he’d never see.

“You’re… you’re burning out your Force-Gene.”

His voice cracked.

“You did that trying to break the inhibitor collar to use your powers and now you’re—”

His voice shifted from fear to pure awe.

“That’s friggin’ AWESOME. Oh my god, that reminds me of that one laser guy from Z-Men who melted a prison wall by overloading his plasma lungs—”

Brigid coughed so violently he flinched.

Then glared.

“Can you… not nerd out when my head feels like it just got run over by a BULLET TRAIN…?”

Jake stiffened like he’d been slapped.

“Right— right. Sorry. Sorry! I just— I got excited ’cause you’re— well— you’re really strong, and Scott always says you’re powerful but honestly I couldn’t take him seriously ’cause you’re always acting like—”

He stopped.

His brain rebooted.

“I mean—! You’re amazing.”

Brigid forced out a rough chuckle.

Then slid herself out of his arms and weakly crawled over to collapse onto the wooden chair King Cobra was sitting on moments earlier.

She leaned back and panted painfully.

She pressed a hand to her forehead.

Her vision went blank.

“I act like that… because it keeps me grounded…”

Her fists tightened.

“If anything… I hate my powers.”

Jake blinked.

“Why…?”

Her eyes snapped to him—sharp enough to cut steel.

“It’s none of your business.”

Jake froze. Then nodded, a little offended.

“Yeah. Fair.”

He sat quietly beside her, knees pulled up, trying not to look like he was dying inside.

══════

Lower Floor.

The smoky bottom level of Iron Mills was a warzone waiting to happen.

Skull-masked men in all-black swarmed the entire hall with their weapons raised, as they lined up behind crates and conveyor belts.

They didn’t get time to breathe.

The front doors blew open.

Nightwatch walked in slowly and calmly.

It was like a man entering his own house.

A minion stepped forward.

“You’re not getting in here, freak—”

Nightwatch’s fist blurred.

CRACK—!!

The thug’s skull bounced off the wall and he folded like a puppet with cut strings.

A blue panel flashed across Nightwatch’s eyes.

[Impact Style: Iron Fist – Executed!]

[Target KO Confirmed]

[Next Recommended Movement: Rotational Kick]

Another minion rushed him with a bat.

Nightwatch spun and WHAM!!

The kick shattered ribs like glass.

[Dragon Wheel Kick – Executed!]

[Threat: Neutralized]

Three more lunged.

Nightwatch slid under the first blade, elbowed a throat, snapped a knee backwards with a heel stomp, grabbed the third by the collar and slammed him head-first into a steel beam.

[Shadow Step Evasion – Executed!]

[Joint Breaker – Executed!]

The minions hesitated.

“You kidding me—!? He’s in the red mode!”

“Don’t look at his eyes! Don’t—DON’T—!!”

Too late.

Nightwatch’s cold, electric-blue stare hit them.

One dropped his weapon entirely and ran for his life.

Another screamed.

“IT’S NOT WORTH IT, MAN!! RUN!!”

Nightwatch advanced with composure.

Two thugs fired taser-rods at him—

He flicked his wrist.

BZZZT—!!

Twin micro-tasers fired from his gauntlet and shocked both men unconscious instantly.

He raised his arm then FWIP!!

His grappling hook shot upward to latch onto the overhead steel bridge.

Nightwatch vaulted up—SLAM!!

He landed amidst ten more minions.

They backed away instinctively.

“N-Nope—nope—I’m out!”

One yelled and leapt off the bridge in terror.

Nightwatch grabbed another’s arm and wrenched it sideways until it went SNAP!

[Bone Shear Technique – Executed!]

A punch to the jaw.

A knee to the gut.

A throw over the railing.

Bodies dropped like sacks.

In minutes… the bridge was silent.

Only one minion remained.

He crawled away on the metal grating.

Nightwatch stalked toward him.

Grabbed him by the back of the neck and hoisted him up.

“Where. Is. Grave?”

There wasn’t an ounce of emotion in his voice.

The minion shook violently, but said nothing.

Nightwatch’s fist clenched.

Then—

WHUD—WHUD—WHUD—WHUD—!!

Four brutal punches sank into the man’s face as it mangled bone, teeth, and jaw.

He could no longer speak.

But weakly… he tapped the metal floor to point down.

Nightwatch threw him aside.

So Grave was underground.

══════

Underground Observation Room

Grave watched the monitor, seeing his army get torn apart like tissue paper.

He frowned behind his skull-faced mask.

“Troublesome.”

He turned.

Marcus sat nearby on a folding chair.

Completely unrestrained.

When he saw Nightwatch tearing through the goons, his face lit up.

“Awesome…”

Grave lifted an eyebrow.

“You seem… excited by him.”

Marcus flinched.

“N-, No, I— I mean… he’s a hero. And you did kidnap me and my Aunt Emma so—like—honestly who else am I gonna support?”

Grave nodded thoughtfully.

Then stepped closer and crouched to eye level.

“Tell me something, Marcus.”

The boy gulped.

“Did your aunt ever tell you… anything about her late older brother?”

The air went cold instantly.

Marcus’s breath froze in his chest.

He didn’t know why.

But something about Grave’s tone…

Felt extremely wrong.

“Yes… a… a few things…”

“Good.”

Grave nodded and took off his mask.

Even with all the scars on his face Marcus knew him.

A man he’d never met, but heard so much about.

“Uncle, it’s… you…”