One with all

The moment I step out, I see the rundown hallway leading to the stairs. After that, I walk down and reach the exit door. I don't really notice anything unusual in the hallway—or at least nothing special. You know, the usual stuff for a place filled with criminals and drug addicts—used syringes, bullet holes. From my memory, this is completely normal.

Goddamn, what is this piece of shit? Seriously, how is anybody even living here? Every second spent in this place increases your chances of dying. If you don't get killed by a bullet, a knife, or some drugged-up criminal, you'll probably die from how fucking awful the air smells. The second I reach the street, my nose gets hit with that stench. Hhhh… Anyway, I start walking through the main street of Gotham.

Once I reach it, I look around and—surprisingly—there are a lot of well-dressed people. That's unexpected because, well, this is Gotham. But whatever. I have a very simple plan. First, I need to find a gang member. Why? Because I don't have money. And what's the easiest way to get money when you have superpowers? Beat up some thugs and take their cash.

But for me, it's even easier. I'll just infect a gang member, mind-control them, and have them take me to their boss. After that, I'll mind-control the boss and take all their money. A very simple plan, but one that will definitely work.

After walking a fair distance down Gotham's main street, I finally spot them—two guys. Gang members, from what I can tell, since they both have the same tattoo on their necks. Slowly, I start walking toward them…

Jake's POV

Just another day like any other. My boys and I are hanging around, waiting for some poor guy to squeeze some cash from. Gotta eat, after all.

"Hey, John, give me one of your cigars," I say.

John looks at me, annoyed. "What do you mean, give you one? You just bought your own."

"Yeah, and I finished it. Now, can you give me one, you fucker?"

"Okay, okay, you bastard. You're gonna be the only one to die from smoking at this rate," John mutters, handing me a cigar.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up, man." I take it from his hand, light it up, and take a deep puff. "Ahhh, this really hits the spot—"

"Haaai?! Who the fuck—?"

I glance toward the end of the alleyway and see someone moving toward us.

"Hey, John…"

"What?"

"Look at this…"

John follows my gaze and smirks. "Ooh, fresh meat, huh?"

I grin. "Prank him, John."

MC's POV

Ooh, fresh meat? Oh, it is.

I slowly walk toward them. I'm pretty sure these two are gang members. And yeah, looks like they've noticed me too.

One of them steps forward, waving a knife in front of my face. "Hey, kid, give me all your money right now, or else you're gonna have some new holes to fill."

I shake my head. "Oh, you've got it all wrong. I'm not giving you any money—you are. And not just you, but your whole gang."

Without warning, I sprint toward the guy holding the knife. I really want to test my speed and strength—my overall combat capabilities. I reach out, grab his knife, and put all my strength into crushing it. I guess I overdid it a little because the blade shatters into pieces.

Alright, I'll have to hold back. When I go for a punch, I make sure to use just enough force to knock him out—or at least, I think so. I've never knocked anyone out before, so it's a bit of a guessing game. But I think it worked. I just broke his nose in the process. Not bad for my first time. I'll improve.

I look toward the other guy—he's reaching into his pocket. Perfect. I've been wanting to see if I'm bulletproof.

Jake's POV

Oh fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He's one of those damn freak mutants!

I grab my gun and unload the entire clip into him.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

MC's POV

I see it. I see the bullets coming toward me. I could easily dodge, but I want to test if I'm bulletproof. I'm not stupid enough to let them hit my head or heart, though, so I just raise my arm to take the shots.

The bullets hit my skin and—nothing. Just a little tickle. They bounce right off and clatter to the ground.

The guy's face twists into pure terror.

I grin—a devilish smile. Then, in the blink of an eye, I disappear… just to reappear right in front of him.

And then—bam.

Knocked the fuck out.