Sage Grove

"Sam Riordan." Looking at the photo of the young man in the dossier, Qi Li's eyes scanned the attached personal profile. His brow twitched slightly. "Riordan? If I remember right, Luke shares that last name, doesn't he?" Indira Shetty nodded and took over. "He's Luke's younger brother. From a young age, he suffered from severe paranoid delusions and rage episodes. Later, his parents had him committed to a psychiatric facility." In America—a nation plagued by rampant substance abuse and teeming with cults—people with psychiatric conditions were everywhere, and superhumans were no exception. Sage Grove Center was an institution under Vought dedicated specifically to mental health and therapy services. Its patients included ordinary people as well as famous superhumans. After all, sending an unstable superhuman to an ordinary psychiatric ward wasn't institutionalization—it was letting a tiger into a flock of sheep. Superhumans were best left to Vought, who had the specialized expertise. Qi Li had never heard of Sage Grove before. He wasn't sick, after all. The only reason he knew about it now was that this young man named Sam had broken out of Sage Grove. Flipping through page after page of the dossier, Qi Li casually summarized, "So now we have an unstable superhuman with severe violent tendencies cosplaying *The Shawshank Redemption* or *Prison Break*—though with the kind of escape that punches a hole right through the front. And now you urgently need an 'FBI agent' to haul this 'Michael Scofield' back. Come to think of it, they look a little alike. Both look pretty unhinged." Shetty said somberly, "A psychiatric patient prone to violent rage—especially one who's a superhuman—poses far too much danger out in normal society. A greeting, an argument, or even a child crying might trigger him and set off a massacre. That isn't something Vought wants to see, and it's certainly not what the public wants to see." Especially for Vought, it would directly smash their corporate brand to pieces. Qi Li knew all too well what would happen if a superhuman cast off all restraint and went on an all-out slaughter. Just as boys dreamed of becoming generals, he occasionally indulged in thoughts of how long it would take him to tear down an entire city. All right, then. Even if this operation wouldn't be publicized and wouldn't boost his fame one bit, who could blame fate? He was a superhero. Even if he wasn't a pure one, he still carried the title. With a snap, Qi Li closed the dossier and nodded. "I'll head out right away. By the way, does Luke know about this?" Shetty shook her head. "Emotional attachment clouds judgment. He doesn't know yet. Even if he did, it wouldn't help. Sam is stronger than he is. Even if Luke wanted to stop him, he likely wouldn't have the strength." "Oh?" Qi Li was a little surprised. Among their cohort, Luke easily ranked in the top three. And his younger brother, locked away in an asylum, was actually stronger than him? Was this what they called 'when your power falls short, make up for it with psychosis'? Shetty registered his reaction and quietly cautioned, "Qi Li, this time, it's best to bring Sam back alive. Let's not have a repeat of what happened with Derek." Qi Li gave a dry chuckle. "My dear Shetty, you should be saying let's not have a repeat of what happened with Lucy recently." Shetty fell silent at once. Seeing her reaction, Qi Li waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry. He's Luke's brother, after all. As long as he behaves, or doesn't cause a massive disaster." Luke had helped him destroy evidence of murder, so he owed him at least that much consideration. Shetty let out a breath of relief. Remembering something, she added, "Also, a superhuman tracking specialist will be working with you on this. He'll meet you at Sage Grove." Qi Li didn't refuse. He genuinely needed someone skilled at tracking. "One more thing." As he got up to leave, Qi Li thought of something and abruptly asked Shetty, "Shetty, Marcus, who was expelled from school earlier—do you know where he went after leaving campus?" Shetty's expression didn't waver, her tone smooth and natural. "Marcus? I suppose... he must have gone back to his hometown." Qi Li shook his head. "Marcus isn't there." He had specifically looked into Marcus's address, intending to pay his 'old friend' a visit, only to discover Marcus had never returned home at all. "Really?" Surprise surfaced on Shetty's face as well. Soon, however, she shook her head. "Marcus is no longer a student of Godkin University. Whatever happens to him now is beyond our concern." Qi Li looked at Shetty and suggested in earnest, "A guy who can't control his temper, just like Sam, who could blow up at any moment—you'd better have the higher-ups look into it thoroughly. Who knows what kind of 'breaking news' he might explode with one day." Hearing this, Shetty nodded seriously. "I will inform Vought about it later." "Good." Qi Li waved and turned to leave. *Bang!* Once the door clicked shut and Qi Li's back disappeared completely, Shetty finally let out a long breath, her eyes flickering. "Marcus..." *Boom!* On the university lawn, seen off by Kate, Qi Li once again donned his battle suit and shot straight into the sky, flying in the direction of Pennsylvania. This wasn't a quick ambush; fighting a superhuman would inevitably tear ordinary clothes to shreds, so wearing his battle suit was the smarter choice. Half an hour later, above a remote, desolate area two hundred kilometers west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania—a spot not even marked on most maps—a deafening sonic boom reverberated through the sky. Hovering in midair, Qi Li swept his gaze across the terrain and finally located Sage Grove Center below. Rather than a psychiatric hospital, it looked more like a maximum-security prison. Qi Li descended from the sky. The moment he touched down outside the facility, he sensed numerous gun barrels subtly trained on him from the perimeter. Glancing at the ring of high-voltage electric fencing surrounding Sage Grove, the security could indeed be called tight. Still, even the most fortified walls had their days of being breached. Qi Li hadn't come here to test their updated defenses, though. Shortly after he handed the Vought directive documents to the guard, a sharp beep rang out, and the heavy iron gate slowly slid open. Qi Li glanced inside before striding openly into Sage Grove Center. "Bronze, hello! We had no idea Vought would send you. That puts our minds at ease." One of the supervisors at Sage Grove, a middle-aged man named Joseph, warmly greeted Qi Li. Qi Li looked at the cold-toned hallway before him and the hurried, expressionless medical staff. The scent of disinfectant in the air was all too familiar to him—almost a childhood nightmare. He wrinkled his nose and gestured dismissively. "Take me to Sam's room." "Right away!" Joseph immediately led the way.