Lord of Cinder in American Comics

While Ash and Cassel were locked in fierce combat in the Warhammer world, the study door was pushed open, and a woman with short, dark brown hair, wearing a red shirt and a brown jacket, walked in.

Neither of them reacted to the person approaching from behind. It wasn't until the woman slowly drew closer and gently removed Kassel's headphones that the reaction occurred.

With the game's sound gone, Kassel turned around and saw a woman behind him, holding headphones and laughing.

"I've called you so many times, but you haven't answered?" The woman pointed to the phone on the sofa next to her, where the number of missed calls was clearly visible.

Kassel was a little embarrassed. "Well... you know, saving a world invaded by greens is always exhilarating."

Then Cassell pointed at Ash. "My teammate is still working hard, I shouldn't abandon him."

Then Kassel realized that Beckett must have a new case when he called him.

Chapter Fifteen: Forgetting Her

Without Kassel's help, Ash was quickly surrounded by the greenskins and then exploded amidst shouts of "WAAAGH!"

Ash took off her headphones and saw the two people in front of her. Cassell took the initiative to introduce them.

NYPD officer Beckett, the real-life inspiration for the protagonist of "Niki Heatwave," is also Kassel's soulmate. The two have now developed feelings for each other and are just one step away from getting together.

Ash felt it was necessary to help the two of them.

“I know you, Beckett, NYPD detective. Cassel has told me a lot about you.”

After Ash finished speaking, Cassell kept winking at Beckett from behind, and Beckett suddenly turned around to look at the funny Cassell.

Beckett watched as Cassell's face instantly returned to normal, and said cryptically, "I'm curious how much is going to happen to me."

Kassel had no choice but to change the subject: "Is there a case? I'm ready, let's get going."

Beckett knew Kassel was taking advantage of the situation, but the case was more important. He had to prioritize work first.

"There were originally two cases. One was the large-scale firefight that occurred last night, but neither side left any bodies. Only a disguised warehouse facing the street was opened."

Beckett frowned and said, "But Montgomery suppressed the case and ordered that no one in the department could investigate it."

Last night, Ash watched the one-sided firefight and saw the Shadow Force clean up the scene. He thought Sheffield would pretend nothing had happened, but he didn't expect them to still issue a notice to law enforcement.

“While you weren’t answering the phone, I received another case—a subway derailment. But no one was injured,” Beckett continued.

Kassel became interested. "Which case should we investigate first? I think the first one is better: a mysterious gunfight at night, a crime scene without a body, it might be some kind of paranormal event."

When the topic of paranormal events came up, Kassel brought up Ash.

“Even if it’s a supernatural event, we’re not afraid. Ash is a priestess with exorcism abilities.”

Beckett looked at Cassel with annoyance. She was always serious about cases. Although she was a fan of Cassel's books and liked Cassel, Cassel's eccentric behavior was really speechless.

"Actually, you shouldn't investigate what happened last night. If you do, it might not be good for you."

Ash's words came from the side, which surprised Cassel and Beckett. Beckett even reached for the pistol on his back.

"Calm down, this is my identification, Army Criminal Investigation Department."

Ash handed Beckett a document, and Cassell stood beside him, the two of them looking at it together. Then Cassell's expression became strange, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Beckett put away his identification and took out handcuffs to cuff Ash.

"Is there a problem?" Ash asked, puzzled.

Kassel, standing next to Beckett, said, "You gave me Air Force Criminal Investigation Service credentials."

"Huh? Did I take the wrong one? Wait a minute."

Ash took out more documents from his backpack, examined them one by one, and finally found one from the Army Criminal Investigation Department and handed it to Beckett.

Beckett didn't take it; instead, he immediately began issuing the Miranda warning, preparing to handcuff Ash.

“I suspect you of impersonating a law enforcement officer and possessing multiple forged identification documents. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say could be used against you in court.”

Ash dodged Beckett's handcuffs and even stood on the sofa.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, the documents are real, they're all real. You can check them if you don't believe me."

Kassel was also there to help. Although he didn't know Ash's true identity, Ash had solved her family's problems, so he could say a few words to buy some time.

Beckett looked at the two helplessly, and finally gave in to Kassel's gaze. He reluctantly took out his phone to check Ash's identification.

At the same time, Beckett became more cautious. Instead of checking the documents Ash handed over individually, she examined all the documents that Ash had selected one by one.

It wasn't until Beckett finished his last phone call, put down his phone, and handed the documents back to Ash that he was able to continue.

"What was the result?" Kassel looked at Beckett, hoping to get the answer he wanted.

“It’s all true,” Beckett said meaningfully.

"Yay, you're alright, Ash." Cassell jumped up, then realized what was happening and uttered one word at a time: "It's... all... real...!"

Ash put away his identification. He said 'humbly,' "It's nothing, it's nothing."

Only Ash in this world could have so many legitimate identities. Of course, this was all due to Ash's own efforts, plus a tiny bit of assistance from the Time Stone borrowed from the Ancient One.

Ever since Ash came into this world, he has been constantly adding buffs to himself. He will try his best to get anything he has or might need, just in case he needs it someday.

“What happened last night? Even if I can’t investigate, I need to know the truth,” Beckett demanded of Ash.

Ash was about to curl up on the sofa in Kassel again for another game. He had no choice but to put down the controller and give the upright detective an explanation.

"Yesterday, one of the leaders of the five major gangs was speeding with his henchmen at night when they happened to run into the army transporting supplies."

The army was secretly conducting a nighttime supply transfer, which was supposed to be a 'mundane' mission. However, this mundane mission was disrupted by a group of thugs speeding in cars, who, for some reason, brazenly opened fire on the military vehicles.

To protect themselves and their supplies, the army did not open fire directly, but was forced to retaliate after being attacked. Since they had already opened fire, they decided to resolve the situation completely.

"That's it, a bunch of thugs ran into the army, got wiped out, it's that simple," Ash said nonchalantly.

After all, this was a statement that had been agreed upon with Sheffield. With Sheffield handling things in the army, Ash only needed to release the information.

As for who believes and who doesn't, that's not Ash's concern. Let those who don't believe go find Sheffield.

“So this matter ends here, do you understand? Do not investigate this matter any further,” Ash advised and warned the two.

Cassell pulled Beckett aside to indicate that he understood. He explained that they would only investigate today's subway derailment.

Then Beckett took out his phone and showed Cassel a surveillance video of the case from earlier that day. The two of them huddled together to watch it, exclaiming that it was all so unscientific, how could such a thing be possible?

Ash's curiosity grew, and she pulled out a new ID and joined in.

“Special Advisor Faber, I can also offer assistance.”

However, when Ash leaned closer and saw the video, her heart skipped a beat.

'Holy crap, how could I forget about her?'

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Author's Remarks

Forberle warns: Take out your money.

2022-01-30 04:05

## Chapter Sixteen: The Shadow in the Mirror

After learning Ash's identity, Natasha's worries about the Fire Keeper lessened, so she stayed on the beach for a while before leaving.

Back at her residence, Natasha was ready to make the most of her vacation, but after years on the run, she hadn't found anything to do.

'Perhaps we should go and see that nun again.'

With this thought in mind, Natasha soaked in the bathtub, immersing her entire body in the water, then submerged her head underwater, trying to calm herself down.

After her bath, Natasha stood in front of the vanity mirror, drying her hair with a hairdryer. Suddenly, she felt inexplicably irritable.

Setting down the hairdryer, Natasha searched her surroundings for anything that might indicate a change in her behavior; as a secret agent, she had to be cautious to survive.

Even though she was in her own home, Natasha still checked every corner of the room with her gun. However, this feeling of unease grew stronger and stronger.

Wanting to find the reason, Natasha returned to the dressing table where the first feeling had come to her.

Looking in the mirror, Natasha suddenly saw a strange figure holding an iron hook appear behind her in the mirror.

In an instant, Natasha turned and pointed her gun at the spot in the mirror behind her where a figure had appeared. However, she saw nothing.

As Natasha surveyed her home, she caught a glimpse of her dressing mirror out of the corner of her eye. In the mirror, she saw herself slowly emerging from the darkness behind her—a figure with flame-scorched scars on her face, her mouth teeming with bees, and some even crawling out of the scars at the corners of her mouth, covering the shadowy face.

The shadowy figure slowly approached Natasha, then gave a sinister smile and raised its right hand. Only then did Natasha realize that the shadowy figure wasn't holding an iron hook, but rather the iron hook was directly connected to the shadowy figure's right limb, extending directly from its wrist.

Natasha fired directly at the dark figure behind her until her magazine was empty.

However, in the mirror, the shadowy figure still stood behind Natasha, holding up the iron hook of her right limb.

The shadowy figure swung the iron hook at Natasha, who rolled away to avoid the attack. She then changed her magazine and fired at the mirror on the dressing table.

Shell casings and shattered mirrors were scattered all over the floor. Natasha hid behind the sofa, the only sound in the quiet room being her own breathing.

After waiting a while and not being attacked again, Natasha decided to leave this strange place.

Natasha quickly changed into a hoodie to cover her face and then searched for a place to hide herself, following the instructions in the agent's manual.

New York City is not safe at night, especially for a woman walking alone on the street.

Natasha had already used the pistol in her pocket to fend off several groups of people who wanted to cause trouble, and this continued until she entered the subway station.

The New York City subway has been in operation since 1904. It is the world's largest underground railway system in terms of the number of stations and one of the oldest public underground railway systems in the world, with more than 1,000 kilometers of track.

For Natasha, this non-stop transportation system is now her best hiding place.

First, she can remain constantly on the move, preventing her from being found in a fixed location. Second, the New York subway operates even at night, providing a certain level of passenger flow and offering her some cover. Third, in areas with surveillance, she can also relay messages to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Aside from homeless people, the subway at night was mostly filled with those returning home late. Natasha found a quiet spot to sit down.

Natasha glanced around out of the corner of her eye. To her, the people on the subway were all harmless, but the feeling of unease still lingered in her heart.

Suddenly, Natasha saw a familiar figure in the window of the opposite carriage. The figure was standing behind her and was waving an iron hook at her.

'They've caught up with us,' Natasha thought to herself, reaching into her pocket with her right hand and gripping her gun.

However, her sense of crisis grew stronger, and the warning in her heart made her want to shout it out.

At that moment, a clear, low hum dispelled her agitation, and Natasha calmed down completely.

"I was sitting on the subway, and I could see the guy's silhouette in the glass of the opposite carriage, but there was no one in front of me, meaning he was behind me."