Chapter 212: Los Angeles Continental Hotel

The Los Angeles Continental Hotel is located in the city center, between Dodger Stadium and Los Angeles Chinatown, in an area developed quite early.

Compared to the distinctive flatiron triangular shape of the New York Continental Hotel, the exterior of the Los Angeles Continental Hotel is much plainer.

As a building established around the same time, namely the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the exterior of the Los Angeles Continental Hotel features an industrial style unique to America.

Innovative steel-frame structures and riveted connection methods allowed the building to support its framework without relying on thick load-bearing walls. This enabled windows to be opened larger, providing better lighting.

On the outer walls, a bold arch design was adopted, integrating French Gothic style. This made the building, crafted by a master architect, extremely conspicuous even when surrounded by other large buildings.

A group of gunmen who had just stormed a state senator's residence walked into this building as if nothing had happened. Some even had bloodstains on their bodies, yet the doormen did not stop them.

Compared to the few injuries sustained by the Old Gunman's men, the casualties of the Russian Mob, who had collided head-on with the retreat of the fat senator's convoy, were far more gruesome.

However, they did not enter through the main door but through another door in an alleyway into the hotel. Constantly, those shot were supported into the building by their comrades, and some were even covered with white sheets, carried or hoisted in.

They would lead to another hall, located in a different position from the hotel's ordinary reception hall.

Henry, following the Old Gunman, entered through the main door, crossed the corridor, and arrived at the same other hall of the hotel. He saw a large number of hotel staff frantically providing first aid to the Russian Mob's injured.

Those with minor wounds were easy to handle, but for severe injuries, although the Continental Hotel had doctors skilled in surgery stationed there, they could not cope with a massive influx of casualties simultaneously.

However, none of this concerned Henry. He was simply looking around curiously, observing the interior of this hotel building he had passed many times before but never entered.

Unlike the bright lobbies of ordinary hotels or star-rated hotels, the lobbies of the Continental Hotel series were like bars exclusively for men and women to date, creating a dim and ambiguous atmosphere.

But such an environment was not very friendly for those receiving or administering first aid. Especially with so many injured, many people were lying directly on the tables in the hall rather than entering a dedicated medical room.

So the first aid personnel could only come up with methods, such as biting a flashlight or pulling a floor lamp beside them, to try to increase the lighting brightness.

"Charlie, what is going on? You didn't secretly help Senator Mike Liddle Horton shoot the Russian Mob in the back, did you?"

The speaker was an urban beauty wearing a violet bodycon skirt, with a white fox fur stole draped over her shoulders. Her long red hair cascaded like big waves over the white fur stole, and her blood-red lips were extremely eye-catching even in the dim light.

But her sharp, domineering gaze was enough to shatter all the beauty on her person, leaving no room for admiration, only profound awe.

The Old Gunman, whose name was called, also noticed the unfriendly glances from the Russian Mob. He smiled bitterly and said, "Ms. Fisher, how could I do such a thing? The payment for today's mission was divided at the very beginning.

"Even if I secretly killed a few Russians, my payment would not increase. Doing such a wasteful thing with bullets does not fit my personality. You should understand that."

"So, can you explain to me why?" The lady, with her arms crossed, noticed Henry's incongruous attire and unfamiliar face, and asked again, "And who is this young man who knows no manners?"

"The mutant previously considered the difficulty of this mission, possessing bulletproof abilities, Henry Brown," Charlie introduced.

Upon hearing this, Mooney Fisher immediately knew where the strange design on the other person's lower body came from. She asked again, "Are these bullet holes from your shooting?"

"No, they were made by the black senator's subordinates."

"What happened?"

Charlie gestured with his hand, indicating he was yielding the floor for the person himself to speak. Seeing the lady's gaze turn toward him, Henry spoke without fear, "Someone offered me a job I didn't want. I didn't cooperate, so he got very angry. That's it."

In a few words, the cause and effect were told. Mooney Fisher hadn't expected such a situation to occur and asked again, "So, these bullet holes on your body were made by the senator's subordinates?"

"Yes, they shot fiercely, using up all their bullets."

Charlie then interjected, "When we discovered this situation, we immediately launched an attack. The black man and his subordinates had very few left to fight; except for those we killed, everyone else ran away directly.

"Then they left this guy behind. This is probably why the Russians suffered such casualties; they essentially ran into the relatively complete main force of the enemy."

As soon as Charlie finished speaking, everyone cooperatively focused their gaze on Henry. This made the Kryptonian smile shyly and bashfully.

"So, what are you doing by bringing him back?" Mooney Fisher asked again.

"The requirement was to leave no survivors, which I couldn't handle. Moreover, he is clearly not on the same side as that black man. I believe there is no necessity to kill him. So I brought him back for you to decide the handling plan."

Mooney Fisher was somewhat dissatisfied that her subordinate threw the problem back to her to handle. And that dismissive expression was, of course, captured by others.

Immediately, someone sycophantic said, "Ms. Fisher, what's the trouble with this matter? Put a mutant suppression collar on this guy, shoot him in the forehead, and everything is solved. It's not difficult at all."

The mutant suppression collar was also one of the effective means in this world against mutants. But it only suppressed mutant abilities, not canceling or zeroing them out.

If the mutant abilities were too powerful, the collar's suppression ability would not be able to function effectively.

At this time, another function of the collar became very important. That is, when detecting that the wearer is using mutant abilities, it would trigger the collar's electric shock effect to punish the wearer.

Some collars were even equipped with bombs, which would directly blow the brains of the wearer who used mutant abilities to smithereens.

Most mutants could be controlled by such devices, but unfortunately, limited by the battery endurance of this era, this was only a temporary measure.

Prisons for detaining mutants were specially designed cells targeting their ability characteristics. For instance, to detain Magneto, one had to prepare an independent cell made entirely of plastic.

However, Mooney Fisher did not accept such a suggestion. She turned to the guy who had flattered himself into a dead end and said in a serious voice, "No transactions are allowed within the hotel's premises; this is a fixed rule. As long as he enters the door, he is under my protection."

Immediately looking at Henry, she added, "But do not think this protection is permanent. This is not a refugee shelter. If you cannot afford the cost of staying here, you must get out. So the question arises, how do you plan to change my mind?"

(End of this chapter)