The sky was blue with not a single cloud in sight. It was 7 am and the sun had freshly risen, hence creating a soft warm light that brightened up everything.
It was a good and peaceful day outside, however, inside the headquarters, it was a completely different story.
Professor X headed into the headquarters early in the morning to announce his retirement plans and submitted a formal letter stating that he would train and turn shadow fox into a hero before retiring from the job. This would be the last favor that he does to the company.
The higher-ups, sitting in their comfy warm chairs felt as if the earth beneath their feet had been swept away.
"Absolutely not!" One of the men shouted as if he personally owned the right to make decisions on behalf of Alex, "You cannot just quit like this. You are young and talented. You are nowhere near the age of retirement!"
"If you quit, I'm sure many other great heroes would follow. If the heroes all quit their job, who would protect the people from those vicious monsters?" Another man, with a shriveled-up face, spoke up.
"You are yet to give a valid reason for your retirement. You are currently at the peak of your profession. There is no need for you to quit," The head of management sighed as he tried to influence a change in Alex's decision.
"I'm at the peak of my profession and that is exactly the reason why I want to quit," Alex replied, trying to explain his situation in the best way possible, "It's better to quit when you're at the top than to quit when you have dropped to the bottom. I want to be remembered as the greatest hero, not go down as a fallen one."
"I simply cannot allow this," The head of management firmly spoke as he shook his head in disappointment.
"I'm quitting. Whether you accept it or not does not change the fact that I have already made my decision."
"If you walk out the door today, then the company would no longer recognize you as a hero."
"Doesn't sound too bad for me," Alex shrugged his shoulders as he casually responded.
"You and your entire team would lose your hero license. Including that Shadow Fox. Are you willing to end that child's career before it even began?"
Alex didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this. He always knew that the people in the headquarters were filled with snakes who'd gulp you down alive if they had the chance.
Such a threatening reaction was to be expected but at the same time, Alex still couldn't help but feel a little betrayed and angered.
He had dedicated the most precious years of his life to this company. He had been living as a selfless shield for years and this was how he was being repaid?
Gritting his teeth, Alex replied, "If you fire my team, I'll build a new company and hire them again."
"A new company?" The man with a shriveled-up face repeated in a sarcastic tone, laughing at Alex, "You are too young to understand this world. You can't just build a company because you want to. We are a monopoly and you wish to challenge that? Are you sure you have the ability to follow up with what you say? What a childish ambition!"
Alex smirked as he heard this and stepped closer to the man as he intimidatingly questioned, "Do you think I can't?"
It seemed as if the room had suddenly turned cold.
The man felt a shiver run down his spine and when he looked into Alex's threatening eyes, he could no longer laugh at him and belittle his so-called 'childish' ambition.
"Alex, be respectful," The head of management glared at the man as he spoke, "You are a respectable hero but we are still higher in position than you. Nothing good would come out of making us your enemies."
Alex mockingly chuckled, "I only respect those who deserve my respect and to be honest, I had mistakenly given too much respect to this company and its people."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that this company is the lowest of the low. I used to think that you guys worked so hard to protect the people but the more I work for you, the more I realize that I am living in an illusion. You don't care about the people. The only thing you care about is money. Let's be honest, the monsters aren't as scary or threatening as you make them out to be."
"Alex, you are crossing the line," The man warned but Alex no longer cared.
"A C-class monster doesn't even attack humans and you still advertise them as being the most notorious troublemakers that need to be killed on sight. You create fear in people's hearts and you use that fear to manipulate them. You are not serving the people, you are using them to create millions in profit that secretly go into your hidden vaults and never see the light of day."
Suddenly, someone clapped. It was slow and intimidating. The sound of clapping immediately managed to attract everyone's attention and made them gulp in fear.
It was Warlock who had clapped, one of the oldest and the most fearsome of all the heroes. He was powerful and famous. Not only did he own half of the company but he also owned the prestigious hero academy. In terms of appearance, he had a bigger build than Alex and always wore glasses that made him look both smart and mysterious. He kept his hair short and no matter the occasion, he would always be dressed in his hero outfit.
"Young man, I like how fearless you are. Sitting in a room full of executives in higher positions than you and daring to question their ethics, it's really not something that everyone can do."
Alex gulped as he heard this and looked at Warlock without saying anything. Although he did not show it, even he feared this man.
Warlock was among the few monster hunters who could easily kill an S-class monster and hence, he was a threat to Alex.
"I feel like your retirement should be your own choice and I have no right of stopping you from doing something you want to. However, I do have my own doubts. You said that you want to train Shadow Fox and make him replace you, but how exactly do you plan on making that happen?"
"I'll teach him everything I know. I'll make sure-"
"I get that," Warlock cut him off as he spoke, "I'm sure you'll be a wonderful teacher but how exactly do you plan on making him replace you? How could he ever live up to your reputation?"
Alex's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and he questioned, "What are you trying to say?"
Warlock chuckled dryly as he spoke, "You are a talented gem that the company owns. You are irreplaceable. Till now, nobody has ever managed to climb up to your level, and you claim that you can make it possible by training that Shadow fox? How can you be sure that he's going to live up to your expectations? And how can you prove that he'll have reached that level?"
With a complicated expression plastered on his face, Alex worriedly asked, "What do you want me to say?"
"I don't want you to say anything. I just have a test for you," Warlock smirked as he answered.
"A test?"
The man nodded as he continued, "A test that can prove that Shadow Fox is really capable of replacing you."
"What sort of test?"
"It's more of a mission," Warlock replied as he explained, "Shadow Fox has to hunt down three S-class monsters in the span of the next two years."
Alex felt his mind going blank and his fingertips also turned cold as he heard this.
"If he succeeds then you'll be allowed to retire peacefully."
"And if he doesn't?" Alex gulped as he questioned.
Warlock smirked as his eyes narrowed down on Alex, "If he doesn't, you'll be the one to be hunted. After all, you did dare to challenge the company that has been feeding you for all these years."
Alex almost wanted to laugh at the injustice that he was being forced to face.
"You do not have an option," Warlock added as he looked at Alex's pale complexion, "You were the one who brought this matter up and I'm giving you a solution that makes everyone happy."
"You guys are disgusting," Alex gritted out as he clenched his fist.
"We've known each other for more than a decade. It's nothing you did not already expect."
Alex did not bother giving a response to that and simply turned around to leave.
"All the best," Warlock chuckled as he spoke, almost as if he were mocking the man.
"To hell with this company," Alex gritted out under his breath as he left.