DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

(3/3)

Bruno Mannheim entered through the banquet hall's main doors, his men filing in behind him. There were about ten of them, all in suits with pistols bulging at their waists.

He was tall, broad, and exuded a commanding presence, more arrogant than the average person. Of course, he was nowhere near as intimidating as Tobias, who resembled a monster. Bruno and Tobias had long been rivals, two powerful second-generation leaders of Metropolis's criminal underworld.

As he walked in, Bruno overheard the conversation between Bardi and Tobias. His eyes immediately landed on his old adversary, who was now standing behind Bardi, and he sneered. "Tobias, how far you've fallen. You're relying on the worms from the Suicide Slum now? Do you really think they'll help you clean up the mess you made by killing your own father last night?"

Tobias, standing behind Bardi, gave Bruno a cold glare. No one knew what Bardi had promised him in the letter, but it was evidently enough to make Tobias surrender his position as a boss and follow Bardi.

"They're relics of the past," Tobias replied, his voice dripping with disdain. "They can't keep up with the times. They're weak and pathetic. You should persuade your father to step down, or I can do it for you." His sneer was sharp and cruel.

Bruno Mannheim's full name was Bruno Ugly Mannheim, though he hated the middle name and rarely used it. Only Tobias enjoyed mocking him by deliberately including it, just to provoke him.

Bruno's eyes flashed dangerously, and his muscles tensed like a predator ready to strike. But then, he forced himself to calm down, squinting at Tobias as he let out a cold laugh. "A beaten dog barking, that's all you are. Your 100 sites? My Intergang will gladly 'manage' them for you."

Tobias's expression turned icy, and he opened his mouth to retort, but Bardi raised a hand to stop him. Tobias obediently fell silent, standing behind Bardi, now watching Bruno as if he were nothing more than a clown.

Bruno frowned. Tobias's submissive attitude unsettled him. What was the story behind this Bardi? To have Tobias, who had murdered his own father to take control of the Hundred submit so easily was more than a little unusual.

"Mr. Bruno Mannheim," Bardi said with a faint smile, pouring three glasses of wine. "I suggest you forget about that territory. The Hundred no longer exists. That area now belongs to me, Bardi Barmulodi."

He handed a glass to Tobias, clinking it against his before taking a sip. Then, gesturing with a smile, he invited Bruno to take a seat and join the meal.

Bruno didn't move, his expression cold and unyielding. "Bardi Barmulodi? Really? And why should I believe that you're anything more than some punk from the Suicide Slum who's built himself up as some 'invulnerable god'?"

Bardi paused mid-sip, realizing that Bruno still thought of him as an ordinary person, just someone who would fall to a bullet like anyone else.

It wasn't surprising.

After all, humans had never seen ghosts or gods. They didn't understand the depths of the world.

Smiling faintly, Bardi set down his glass. He walked over to Tobias, placed a hand on his back, and said with a grin, "Come with me." Then, with a light push, he directed Tobias forward.

Tobias's face shifted in surprise. At nearly 200 kilograms, with the size and build of two men, he was used to his immense weight making him immovable. But with just a gentle push from Bardi, he found himself being propelled forward involuntarily. What kind of strength was this?

Bardi pushed Tobias in front of Bruno, then placed a hand on Bruno's shoulder. He had intended to place a hand on both their shoulders, but Tobias was simply too large.

"What are you doing?" Bruno demanded, his body suddenly rigid. He instinctively tried to pull away but found himself unable to budge. Bardi's hand on his shoulder was like a steel clamp, holding him in place. Shock flickered in Bruno's eyes as he realized he couldn't break free.

"Stop!"

"Let go of Mr. Mannheim!"

Bruno's men immediately pulled their pistols, aiming them at Bardi, shouting in panic.

Unbothered, Bardi grabbed both Tobias and Bruno by their shoulders and began guiding them toward the balcony. He opened the floor-to-ceiling glass doors, revealing the stunning view of the vibrant Metropolis below.

The city's lights stretched endlessly in every direction, glowing like a sea of stars. Cars flowed through the streets in endless streams, and farther out, the lights of yachts and cruise ships twinkled on the dark waters near the harbor. The faint sound of music and revelry drifted in from the coastline.

A cool, salty breeze swept across the balcony, rustling the golden curtains on either side of the doors.

Bardi inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh sea air as the wind gently tousled his hair. He chuckled softly, clearly enjoying himself.

Bruno's voice broke the silence, deep and wary. "What are you planning?"

"We're 120 meters above the ground, about forty floors up," Bardi said with a grin, gesturing toward the edge of the balcony. "Let's jump together. I'll take you flying."

Bruno's face darkened, his expression grim.

Bardi laughed again, his hair whipping in the wind. "Well, I can't fly just yet," he admitted, almost teasingly. "But I'll take you to see the sea in Metropolis!"

Bruno's gaze locked onto Bardi, his face twisting into a ferocious scowl. "If you dare to jump, we'll die together," he growled.

Bruno was convinced Bardi was bluffing. No one in their right mind would leap from the 40th floor, 120 meters above the ground. To him, this was just another display of reckless bravado, the kind of madness he expected from someone who'd crawled out of the Suicide Slum.

But to bring him, Bruno Mannheim, into submission like this was impossible.

He was Bruno Mannheim, a leader in the Intergang. What hadn't he seen?

"You can't scare me!" he thought.

Tobias's pale, stern face tightened, his lips pursed. His eyes betrayed his fear as he asked, "Boss, will I die?"

"You won't," Bardi replied with a laugh.

Tobias took a deep breath, his face solemn as he declared, "Then I'll trust you, Boss."

"Alright then… let's go!"

"Haha…"

With a loud laugh, Bardi stepped forward, feeling the salty sea breeze against his face. He climbed onto the stone railing of the balcony, and with the two men beside him, leaped off into the high winds.

The moment his feet left the ground, Bruno's breath seized in his chest. His shocked face twisted into pure terror.

"What kind of insane stunt is this?!"

At 120 meters—forty stories—what would happen when they hit the ground? It was clear: they would be reduced to pulp.

Bruno's heart pounded like a drum. His limbs went rigid, his body paralyzed as raw fear overtook him. His mind went blank, unable to process anything.

Beside him, Tobias was no better. The two men held their breath, their eyes wide in horror. The wind lashed at their faces, sharp as knives. Tears streamed uncontrollably from their eyes, only to be blown away by the violent gusts.

The wind threatened to tear the skin from their faces. Their bloodshot eyes bulged as they watched the ground rushing toward them. The fluorescent streetlights, cars, pedestrians, and trees on both sides of the street grew larger and larger in their vision.

The fear was silent, all-consuming. It clutched their hearts and crushed their minds.

Their brains, deprived of oxygen by the panic, stopped functioning. All they could do was stare blankly at the rapidly approaching ground.

Behind them, Bardi's men—and Lex—were frozen in shock.

It had all happened so quickly that no one had been able to react.

They actually jumped!

Bardi's hand remained pressed firmly against the backs of the two men. A faint, invisible force field emanated from his palm, locking onto them and ensuring they stayed aligned during the fall.

This technique was something Bardi had developed after experimenting with the Kryptonian cells of the dead female assassin a few days earlier.

Every cell in the human body generates a tiny magnetic field. When the cells are sufficiently strengthened, these magnetic fields can connect throughout the body, forming a controllable force field.

This was why Kryptonians could fly, they could unify the force field around their bodies and control it as if gliding over water.

Bardi, however, wasn't quite there yet. While he couldn't fly, he had learned to manipulate a weak force field, making himself lighter, jumping higher and farther, and using the force field to carry others effortlessly.

As the two men plummeted, the world became a blur. There was no time for life-flashing-before-your-eyes moments. The fear of death was immediate and overpowering.

The wind roared around them, hammering their bodies and making it hard to breathe. The closer they came to the ground, the more everything below expanded in their vision—the cars, the trees, the glowing streetlights, and the marble pavement waiting to greet them.

Bardi's trench coat flapped wildly in the wind, the sound deafening alongside the rushing air.

"Hahaha!"

His laughter boomed over the howling wind as he glanced at the two men beside him, their expressions frozen in terror. Their stunned faces only made him laugh harder.

Then, the ground came rushing up to meet them.

Bardi's force field flared beneath his feet, pushing against the earth as though he were stepping on solid ground. It absorbed the force of the fall, allowing him to touch down lightly, his movements smooth and almost elegant.

With one arm, he guided Tobias and Bruno, their landing cushioned by his force field. It was as though they had glided along a U-shaped arc, rebounding into the air before descending gracefully.

"Boom!"

Though Bardi himself landed lightly, the impact of his force field left a massive crater in the marble pavement. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ground, and nearby cars shook violently from the shockwave. A fire hydrant burst open with a loud bang, sending a white plume of water shooting into the sky.

Nearby pedestrians screamed, startled and frightened by the sudden chaos.

***

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