CH 8: Morals

Drew was an acquaintance of Matt’s. They had once been neighbors, and that was how he knew her. So when she came to him asking for help, he naturally took the matter seriously. He had been extremely thorough with the investigation, trying everything he could, including tracking down the man himself and attempting to gather evidence against him as Daredevil. Of course, things had gone south during that attempt, but with the help of a few friends and Merlin, the situation had finally been resolved.

Killgrave had been arrested, and after statements from multiple women surfaced, convicting him was no longer going to be difficult.

Afterward, Matt decided to look into Drew’s rich “friend with benefits.”

There was definitely something fishy about Lex Everhart.

The driver’s license Lex had given him had been registered literally one day before he handed it over. Yet after visiting the DMV personally, Matt discovered the license was completely legitimate. Not forged. Not suspiciously altered. Completely real.

That alone already made the situation strange.

Naturally, Matt dug deeper.

Lex had mentioned having an account with something called the MU Bank, yet Matt could not find a single office belonging to the bank anywhere in the United States. However, Lex had also stated that most of their services could be accessed through affiliated banks due to MU’s connections with major financial institutions.

Surprisingly, that part turned out to be true.

The moment the name “MU Bank” was mentioned, managers and higher-ups were suddenly called in, and everyone became strangely cooperative. They were willing to help with almost anything immediately.

Anything except giving information regarding the account holder.

That was where every conversation stopped.

At least through the DMV, Matt managed to acquire a birth certificate tied to Lex’s records, but even that only made things stranger. The birth certificate originated from a private island with barely any accessible information attached to it.

Lex Everhart was a paradox.

Legitimate in every possible way, yet somehow completely unbelievable.

Still, with the documents Matt had gathered, Lex should at least be able to recover his SSN and settle the matter legally, which was technically all Lex had asked him to help with.

And while Lex definitely looked suspicious, he did not seem malicious.

Matt was already overwhelmed dealing with the Hand as it was, so in the end he decided to simply keep an eye on Lex rather than pursue the matter aggressively.

Meanwhile, the Brotherhood had also begun investigating the mysterious mutant.

Of course, knowing where the original information had come from, they already suspected the claim that the target was “at most Alpha Level” had been deliberately falsified.

Still, having one of the greatest spies in the world on their side made things significantly easier.

With Mystique involved, obtaining information from the Hellfire Club did not take long.

The target was identified as Lex Everhart, supposedly the heir to one of the old hidden families. Yet the deeper Mystique dug, the stranger things became. Every authority and database she accessed confirmed his existence, but none of them actually explained who he was.

No old photographs.

No public family appearances.

Almost nothing before July.

Of course, that did not stop her investigation.

Mystique acquired security footage from the hotel Lex was staying at and eventually expanded her search to cameras throughout the city.

The Hellfire Club’s suspicion that Lex could alter his appearance was quickly confirmed, but Mystique discovered something even more interesting. His shapeshifting likely was not limited to merely changing his face. More likely, he simply found facial changes more convenient most of the time.

After all, on the night of his encounter with Pyro, hotel footage clearly showed Lex leaving only once while somehow returning twice.

Meaning at some point, he had completely altered both his face and body before reentering the hotel.

According to Pyro’s report, Lex possessed either invulnerability or extremely high durability. Most likely another power as well, considering he had apparently been training inside an abandoned building that ended up heavily damaged afterward. The secondary ability could have been almost anything from telekinesis to magnetism or raw super strength.

Then there was his social behavior.

Lex had apparently developed a reputation as a womanizer. At nearly every high-class party he attended, he would leave with one of the most attractive women present.

Or at least he used to.

For the past few days, that behavior had slowed considerably.

Initially, Mystique concluded that seduction probably would not work well on him. Someone who treated women casually usually would not care enough to be manipulated through beauty alone.

But after digging deeper, she realized the situation was stranger than expected.

Every single woman Lex had slept with spoke positively about him.

Very positively.

Several openly admitted they would gladly sleep with him again. Some even described him as one of the most respectful and considerate men they had ever met despite his wealth and appearance. He never crossed boundaries, never pressured anyone, and in some cases had even helped them afterward without expecting anything in return.

At first Mystique suspected his powers might include some kind of pheromone effect or supernatural charm.

Now she doubted it.

Lex was probably just naturally charming enough to pull it off himself.

While Matt and Mystique investigated and profiled Lex Everhart from two completely different directions, Lex himself had decided to drown in the ocean.

Yes.

He had simply woken up one morning and thought that since he technically did not need oxygen and could survive almost anything anyway, going underwater to explore sounded fun.

Another thing he discovered after diving into the sea was that telekinesis worked remarkably well underwater. Using it to propel himself, he moved through the ocean far more efficiently than normal swimming ever could.

Swimming at high speeds, he descended deeper and deeper into the dark ocean until eventually he realized the pressure was becoming too much. His body continuously healed the tiny damages caused by the increasing depth, but Lex quickly understood that if he went much farther, those damages would probably stop being “tiny.”

Just as he decided to return to the surface, he noticed a large raft parked not too far away. Heavy machinery continuously descended from it into a massive opening in the ocean floor.

“Did I accidentally discover some ancient ruin excavation?” Lex wondered.

Still, considering how openly they were operating and how close they were to New York, he decided not to think too deeply about it.

Though he did make sure to memorize the company name printed across the side of the vessel.

Roxxon.

Thinking about companies reminded Lex of something else entirely.

He had actually started considering buying one.

Claiming “ancestral wealth” constantly sounded awkward after a while. Saying he owned a company simply sounded cooler. Honestly, it did not even need to make profit. Just existing already made his situation feel more believable.

Of course, if he truly wanted profits, he could probably create gold out of thin air and pretend the company mined it or something.

Still, he wanted something more interesting.

Maybe healthcare.

Medicine.

Biotechnology perhaps?

After all, he still possessed the Regeneration Serum. Even if he could not fully reproduce it, perhaps he could reverse-engineer parts of it or extract useful research data from it.

The real issue was that Lex had absolutely no idea how buying a company actually worked.

As he emerged from the water near New York, his thoughts drifted toward billionaire superheroes.

Could he theoretically buy Stark Industries?

Well, maybe if he offered a trillion dollars or something absurd. But ultimately it depended on whether the owners even wanted to sell. Besides, from what Lex understood, most of the truly valuable technology belonged to Tony Stark himself rather than the company.

And with Tony’s intelligence, the man could probably rebuild everything anyway.

As far as Lex understood, publicly traded companies should be easier to acquire than privately owned ones. Public corporations had shareholders, and if ownership was fragmented enough, many of them would probably sell if offered a high enough price.

While his house purchase was being finalized and renovations slowly progressed, Lex spent his days inside the hotel researching finance, corporate acquisitions, and business structures.

At night, meanwhile, he continued training his powers..

As November arrived, Lex finally received the invitation Sebastian had mentioned earlier. While he no longer needed Sebastian’s help dealing with the purple man — or rather Killgrave, as the media had eventually identified him — Lex still decided to honor his word and attend the gathering.

Besides, he had not been to a party in nearly two weeks now.

Dressed in a sharp white-and-blue suit and driving his sports car through the glowing streets of Manhattan, Lex eventually arrived at one of the wealthiest districts in New York. The mansion hosting the event looked less like a residence and more like a private palace hidden in the middle of the city.

The exclusivity of the gathering became obvious immediately.

Security at the entrance checked not only his invitation but also demanded identification before allowing him through the gates. Armed guards stood silently around the estate while expensive black cars continuously arrived one after another.

Before entering the venue, Lex had already checked the Compass of Peeking.

Almost every single person inside the mansion appeared as a blinking yellow dot, which he had already concluded represented mutants. But among them, one particularly bright purple dot stood out like a beacon.

As he entered the main hall, the atmosphere immediately struck him as… wrong.

Not dangerous exactly.

Just deeply unsettling.

The ballroom itself was beautiful. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling while classical music drifted softly through the air. Men and women dressed in extravagant suits and dresses chatted calmly while servants moved silently between them carrying trays of wine and expensive food.

And yet despite all that luxury, the place felt rotten underneath.

Among the guests were several strange-looking individuals, likely mutants with visible physical deformities. Some had unusual skin tones, others possessed unnatural eyes, horns, or animalistic features. One woman had crystalline skin along her neck while another man’s fingers looked almost skeletal.

And among them all, Lex immediately noticed a red-skinned man with a demonic appearance casually speaking to someone seated above the rest of the gathering.

That was when Lex noticed the chairs.

At the far end of the hall stood four elevated seats arranged almost like thrones. Two were black. Two were white. Each carried a crown-like symbol engraved into the backrest.

Three of the seats were occupied.

One remained empty.

People approached those seats with an almost disturbing level of submission. Even wealthy elites lowered themselves slightly while speaking to whoever sat there.

It no longer felt like a social gathering.

It felt like a court.

As Lex approached Sebastian Shaw, he slowly began noticing more and more details that made the entire party feel bizarre.

Or rather, perhaps the party had always been bizarre and he was only now paying attention properly.

Many of the guests looked exhausted despite smiling. Some appeared depressed. Others laughed a little too loudly, spoke a little too eagerly, or stared into nothing for slightly too long.

Lex had attended strange parties before.

Hell, he had attended parties that practically turned into orgies halfway through the night.

But this place felt different.

Artificial.

Like everyone here was pretending to be normal while something deeply abnormal sat beneath the surface.

“Lex, you made it. I was just talking about you.” Sebastian greeted warmly the moment he spotted him.

“Edward, this is Lex Everhart, the young man I mentioned earlier. Lex, this here is Edward Buckman, tonight’s host.” Sebastian introduced him to the blond middle-aged man seated upon one of the white crowned chairs.

“Hello Edward, thank you for inviting me.” Lex greeted professionally.

“Relax, kid. I’ve heard you’ve been dealing with some metahuman problems recently.” Edward immediately said, getting straight to the point.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. The problem’s already been solved.” Lex replied casually.

At this point, Lex had already reached a very important conclusion.

He had absolutely walked into a villain organization.

He was genre-savvy enough to recognize the signs immediately.

Secretive elites?

Throne chairs?

Mutant supremacist vibes?

Creepy atmosphere?

Demonic-looking people casually drinking wine?

Yeah.

This was evil.

The only question now was how evil Sebastian himself actually was and whether Lex could leave without things becoming awkward.

“Oh, good for you then.” Edward smiled faintly. “But situations like these are bound to repeat themselves eventually. You might escape once… but how many more times can you do that?”

The man spoke almost kindly, as though genuinely concerned for Lex’s future.

“Are you threatening me, Mr. Buckman?” Lex suddenly asked, his tone turning serious.

“Oh no, no…” Edward chuckled softly before his expression flattened completely. “But I can.”

The shift in atmosphere was immediate.

“Look kid, I’ve been involved in high society longer than you’ve been alive. I know the old families, the hidden bloodlines, the secret clans.” Edward leaned back slightly in his chair. “And Everhart is no such family.”

His voice remained calm.

Controlled.

Like a superior speaking to a subordinate.

“You awakened your X-Gene and got kicked out, didn’t you? Maybe they threw a few billion dollars at you before cutting ties. Frankly, I don’t care.” Edward shrugged. “Join the Hellfire Club. Work for me. Hell, if you want revenge against your family, I could even help you with that.”

“And what exactly do I offer you?” Lex replied smoothly, allowing Edward to believe whatever he wanted. “You clearly don’t need my money, and if my family truly disowned me, wouldn’t that make me worthless?”

Edward laughed softly.

“Oh, you really think we don’t know you’re an Omega-Level Mutant?” he asked with amusement. “Come on Lex, you’re underestimating the Hellfire Club.”

“Ah, don’t be like that Edward.” Sebastian suddenly interrupted with a smile. “I’m sure Lex here is a smart young man. We’ve become good friends these past few months after all.”

He looked toward Lex calmly.

“Don’t take Edward’s attitude personally. He gets defensive about the Club sometimes. We protect our own here.”

Sebastian tossed the bait carefully.

Waiting for Lex to bite.

But while this conversation was happening, something else was happening simultaneously.

Several minutes earlier, Lex had realized he had fallen under some form of illusion.

Or rather, he should have.

Thanks to the Essence of Transcend Self, he could ignore the mental influence entirely. More than that, he could actually perceive both the illusion and reality layered over one another.

And naturally, Lex chose to observe both.

While speaking calmly with Edward and Sebastian, a part of his mind quietly focused on the real world hidden beneath the illusion.

That was when he noticed two men speaking several feet away.

Inside the illusion, their conversation sounded completely mundane.

In reality?

Very different.

The demonic-looking mutant from earlier stood beside an elderly white-haired man.

“Come on Jason, give me the good news. Did we get the girls?” the red-skinned mutant asked casually.

“Of course, of course.” Jason smirked. “We intercepted them before they even reached Xavier. Both secured successfully. Though the one with the phasing ability is proving annoying to contain.”

Lex’s expression almost froze for half a second.

Phasing ability? Mutants?

“Good.” the red-skinned mutant nodded. “Did Edward interfere again? He’s been whining lately about drawing too much attention.”

“Of course he did,” Jason scoffed. “But what’s he gonna do now that it’s already done? He only asked me for their DNA samples afterward. Probably handing them over to ‘them’ again.”

“As long as the task’s complete, nothing else matters.”

Jason grinned slightly afterward.

“You want a taste later? It shouldn’t be too late after the party. We only need them alive for the experiments anyway.”

The red-skinned mutant waved dismissively.

“Nah. Just carve out their thighs before starting. Been craving thigh meat lately.”

He said it so casually.

Like discussing dinner plans.

Hearing that conversation, Lex genuinely felt disturbed for the first time since arriving in this world.

This was not just some shady mutant club.

This place had kidnappings.

Human experimentation.

Cannibalism.

Possibly worse.

He had walked straight into something far more monstrous than he originally imagined.

And now came the real problem.

What exactly was he supposed to do next?

Because one thing had already become obvious to him.

He could not just walk away anymore.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.