Marvel: The Sole Player

"Bastard!"

Feeling the intense malice rushing at her, the hair on the back of Selina’s neck stood on end. Like a cat that had its tail stepped on, her fur instantly bristled.

Without a word, she raised her foot and kicked, aiming a family-planning kick right between Darian’s legs.

Darian was quick of eye and hand, pressing his forearm down to block the strike.

Taking advantage of the opening from the block, Selina twisted her waist. Her body slipped out of his restraint like flowing water, and with a roll, she landed on the other side of the bed, drawing a long whip from her waist with a backhand motion.

Darian raised an eyebrow. "Carrying a whip around... do you run a ranch, or do you have some niche hobby?"

Selina ignored Darian’s teasing.

With a flick of her wrist, the tip of the whip cracked in mid-air, sweeping toward Darian with the sound of sharp wind.

Darian didn’t even bother to dodge. He reached out and caught it casually, firmly grasping the body of the whip in his palm. He then pulled hard, causing Selina to lose her balance and stumble toward him.

Selina made a split-second decision to let go of the whip handle. Using her forward momentum, she slammed her left foot into the ground and straightened her right leg into a line, kicking directly at Darian’s chest.

Darian simply reached out and scooped, steadily catching her ankle. Following her momentum, he pulled her to the side, flinging her directly toward the wall.

Selina’s back slammed against the wall, and she let out a muffled groan. Before she could catch her breath, Darian used one hand to press her long leg over her head. Her entire right leg was held high against the wall while her left leg barely supported her on the floor, forcing her into a perfect standing split.

It was fortunate that Selina’s flexibility far exceeded that of an ordinary person; anyone else would have been howling in pain from that move.

But the position was far too humiliating. Selina tried to struggle twice, but she couldn’t budge an inch, instantly turning her shame into rage.

"Bastard! Let me go!"

"Shut up. If you make any more noise, I’ll XX then OO you."

Darian barked the command, and Selina instantly shut her mouth.

She had fully recognized the combat strength of the man before her; she was absolutely no match for him. If she truly provoked him, she was afraid she would end up as a toy.

Worst of all, she had even prepared the equipment and props for him.

Cat ears, a bodysuit, a leather whip...

Seeing that Selina had finally behaved, Darian then asked, "Honestly, why are you in my house?"

Selina gave a dry laugh. "Would you believe me if I said I got lost and accidentally walked in here?"

Darian chuckled. "Do you think I believe that?"

"I think you could try believing it."

Seeing that Selina wasn’t telling the truth, Darian hooked the bulging large bag by the bed with his foot.

The bag tipped over on the floor, and the contents spilled out with a clatter.

Diamond necklaces, emerald bracelets, gold watches, and various pieces of antique jewelry—every item looked incredibly valuable.

"What are these?"

"This, this is..."

"I’m giving you one last chance to tell the truth."

Darian said cheerfully, "I forgot to tell you, I’m a Gotham police officer. Your actions tonight involve trespassing, assaulting an officer, attempted intentional injury, and theft of valuables. With all these charges combined, it’s enough for you to sit inside for at least several years."

"Furthermore, I strongly suspect you have mental issues; I could apply to have you transferred to Arkham Asylum to serve your sentence."

The expression on Selina’s face instantly froze.

Damn, this man is actually a cop.

When she heard Darian’s last sentence, she quickly retorted, "I’m perfectly normal! Where do you get ’mentally ill’ from!"

Darian curled his lip. "Would a normal person dress like this in the middle of the night and show up in someone else’s house carrying a big leather whip?"

Selina: "..."

This was her style of dress, but hearing it come out of Darian’s mouth made it feel weird.

But Selina was indeed frightened by Darian.

Arkham Asylum was a place where even famous Gotham super-criminals would lose a layer of skin; let alone a normal person, they could give you a mental illness even if you didn’t have one.

"I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Just don’t send me to Arkham!"

With a long face, Selina began to confess at a rapid-fire pace. "Actually, I’ve been living in this house for a while. I saw that no one was living here and it was so well-maintained, so I secretly moved in."

Darian raised an eyebrow. "The cleaners didn’t find you?"

Selina shook her head. "I only come here in the early morning hours; no one ever comes here at that time. How was I supposed to know the house would suddenly be sold? I just ran into you when I came back from work outside."

Darian snorted. "So you’re a squatter, living in my house for free for so long."

Selina quickly said, "I can compensate you."

"With what?"

"There are plenty of valuable things in that bag. Any single piece should be enough to pay the rent, right?"

Darian corrected her, "Let’s be clear, that is *my* bag."

Selina: "???"

Morals are truly declining; nowadays, police officers have changed careers to become bandits.

Selina valued money as much as her life. Ignoring Darian’s threat, she said urgently, "Those are treasures I worked so hard to ste— I mean, pick up! How did they become your things?!"

Darian’s expression didn’t change. "Does it have your name on it? Or do you have proof of legal ownership?"

Selina was instantly speechless.

All these things were stolen by her; where would she get legal proof?

Seeing that Selina didn’t argue, Darian said happily, "Then that’s right. This is my home, so the things kept here are, of course, my things."

Selina was so angry her voice trembled. "You corrupt cop! I’m going to the Gotham City Police Department to complain about you!"

Darian said casually, "Go ahead and complain. My name is Darian, badge number 9527."

"Darian?"

Selina’s expression changed. "Wait, you’re the Gotham Gun God?"

Darian was a bit surprised. "Has my title already spread this far?"

Hearing Darian admit it personally, Selina unconsciously swallowed her saliva.

Lately, she had heard this name more or less.

In the latest version circulating in the underworld, Darian was described as a super-soldier secretly modified by the government, specifically air-dropped into Gotham to clean up the mess.

It was said that he had broken into the False Face Society’s headquarters single-handedly, holding a shield in one hand and a Gatling gun in the other, slaughtering the entire False Face Society until not a single piece was left, leaving only Black Mask alive.

Nowadays, in the eyes of many gang members, Darian was equivalent to the hidden final boss of the Gotham City Police Department.

To some extent, he was even scarier than Batman.

Someone had calculated that the survival rate of criminals who fell into Darian’s hands was less than one-tenth, perhaps even lower. He was practically a criminal executioner.

Even scarier was that he was licensed.

Even after killing so many criminals and taking so many lives, the final result was just administrative leave; nothing happened to him at all.

Several underworld forces had privately warned their subordinates never to provoke the Gotham Gun God, lest they meet the same miserable fate as Black Mask.

Selina never expected that she, just looking for a free place to sleep, would run headfirst into this hidden big boss of the Gotham City Police Department.

What kind of rotten luck was this!

Selina felt her legs go a bit weak.

Falling into Batman’s hands, at most you’d become disabled, but you definitely wouldn’t die.

But falling into Darian’s hands, that was truly a slim chance of survival.

Selina’s eyes reddened, and her voice took on a sobbing tone. "Officer, I don’t want those things anymore. You can take my money or my body, just please don’t kill me. I’m still young, there are so many things I haven’t enjoyed yet, I don’t want to die."

Seeing Selina’s reaction, Darian was speechless.

Just a moment ago she was kicking his crotch and whipping him, fierce as a tigress, and now she was suddenly crying and begging for mercy. She changed faces faster than flipping a book.

He let go, lowering Selina’s leg, and scolded, "What are you saying? I’m a proper police officer. How could I do such things? What kind of person do you take me for, a Gotham super-criminal?"

You’re scarier than a super-criminal!

Selina ranted frantically in her head. Once free from his control, she immediately shrank into the corner like a startled stray cat.

Darian looked at her cowardly state and asked curiously, "How long have you been a master thief?"

Selina answered cautiously, "Less than half a month."

No wonder she had this half-baked attitude; she was a newcomer to the criminal World.

Darian had a moment of realization and then asked, "Then what did you do before?"

"Just an ordinary thief."

Scared by Darian, Selina confessed honestly, "I’ve been wandering the streets of Gotham since I was a kid, relying on stealing just to maintain a living."

"How does an ordinary thief suddenly become a master burglar?"

Darian looked at the bag of treasures on the floor; they were clearly stolen from a wealthy home.

Even if those rich people didn’t like taking bodyguards out, their home security systems were no joke. For Selina to break in alone and steal things, combined with the skills she just showed, it was definitely not something an ordinary thief could do.

Selina’s eyes flickered, and a look of hesitation appeared on her face.

But seeing Darian narrow his eyes, her whole body shivered, and she immediately spoke up. "Actually, there’s a reason, but it sounds a bit ridiculous. Don’t be scared when I tell you."

Darian said calmly, "I’m a police officer. I won’t be scared."

Selina took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "Not long ago, I accidentally stumbled upon a secret gang deal and was discovered. A group of people chased me for several streets. In my panic, I hid in a building, but I slipped and fell from a high floor, losing consciousness on the spot."

Hearing this, Darian could basically guess the rest.

It was nothing more than surviving a disaster, undergoing a transformation after a miraculous encounter, and then rising to the peak of life. Most movies and TV shows played out like this.

Sure enough, Selina continued, "When I woke up, I found myself lying in a pool of blood, but there wasn’t a single wound on my body. Since that day, I found that my body had changed."

"Changed how?" Darian pressed.

"Changed everywhere."

Selina explained in a small voice, "I used to only be able to climb a two or three-meter wall, but now I can jump over easily. I can stand firm on the narrowest ledge while running, I can see perfectly in the dark, and my body has become incredibly flexible—I can do almost any movement."

"Also, now when I see something moving, I can’t help but want to pounce on it. I get sleepy when I’m in the Sun, and sometimes I unconsciously do strange things, just... just like a cat."

Darian nodded. "I see. So you’ve gained the abilities and habits of a cat."

Seeing him so calm, Selina was stunned for a moment. "You’re not surprised?"

Darian looked like he was used to it. "What’s there to be surprised about? In a place like Gotham, any kind of weird thing can happen. There are plenty of things far more ridiculous than yours."

Selina thought about it and realized it was true.

Darian asked with a strange expression, "More than that, I’m curious if you’ve really inherited *all* of a cat’s habits?"

"What do you mean?"

"For example, after a cat uses the bathroom, it will lick its own..."

"No! Absolutely not!"

Selina’s face instantly turned bright red, purely out of anger.

Darian rubbed his chin and summarized, "So, relying on these cat-like abilities, you changed careers and became a master thief."

Selina immediately corrected him, "I’m robbing the rich to help the poor! Everyone I steal from is a wealthy person who makes dirty money!"

"And where did the money from the sales go?"

"I spent it."

Darian chuckled. "So your ’robbing the rich to help the poor’ is robbing *their* wealth to help *your* poverty, is that it?"

Selina: (=^.ω·^=)

She didn’t know what to say, so she just tried to act cute to get past it.

Darian waved his hand. "Forget it. I won’t collect rent from you either. You can go."

Seeing Darian let her go, Selina was first delighted, but then her face fell again.

"I can’t. Those gangs found out I’m not dead and have been searching for me outside these past few days. If I go out, they’ll find me sooner or later. For the sake of these treasures, why don’t you let me stay here?"

Selina changed her mind. Darian was the famous Gotham Gun God; with him around, she wouldn’t be afraid even if those gangs came to the door. There was no place safer than here.

Darian raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you afraid I’ll XX then OO you?"

"That’s still better than being XX then OO’d by a whole group of people."

Selina had a look of total resignation.

Darian was amused. "But why should I keep you?"

Selina said quickly, "I can help you solve cases. Aren’t you a Gotham police officer? I know the situation in Gotham’s underworld very well. I can provide you with inside information to help you solve cases quickly."

Darian smiled disdainfully. "My case clearance rate is one hundred percent. Do I need your help?"

Selina was a bit shocked. "A hundred percent clearance rate? How is that possible? You must run into some difficult problems you can’t solve, like knowing who the killer is but not having enough evidence."

Darian was even more disdainful. "Isn’t that simple? Just shoot the killer. When the person creating the problem is gone, isn’t the problem solved?"

Selina: "..."

With someone like this as a police officer, it felt like Gotham was doomed.

But more than Gotham’s future, Selina was currently more concerned about her own.

"I can also clean!" Selina still hadn’t given up.

"I can just hire a maid for that. Laundry, cooking, cleaning—they’d be proficient in everything."

"Uh, I can help you watch the house."

"Are you kidding? A thief turned master burglar helping me watch the house? I’m afraid when I come back the next day, only the foundation will be left."

"I... I can put my butt on the back of my head!"

"Congratulations, you’ve passed!"

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