บท 40: Big Brother Mark

James narrowed his eyes at Mark as he mentioned Japan, and he grit his teeth for a moment before he turned and began to walk away. America and Japan have never been on good terms, and they were only at peace because they had a common enemy in the Anima. If someone like Mark leaves America and goes to Japan, then Japan would do anything they can to protect Mark and make sure that America cannot get him back.

At his current strength, Mark was practically an S-rank already! It would be a disaster if the higher-ups found out that they let Mark leave for Japan because of something like this! James could even lose his job because the strength of an S-rank is not something that America can afford to lose! They didn't care if Mark went to a guild! All they cared about was whether or not Mark was in America!

If Mark decides to leave the country, then they could probably stop him with the help of various other S-ranks, but at what cost!? The amount of damage to both life and property that would be done will be immeasurable, and they will lose far more than if they just allowed Mark to leave on his own! And James remembered that Mark told Grey that his power allowed him to grow stronger the more he killed. That was the kind of power that would be frowned upon by any good person, but James could only see the potential that Mark had!

That is why James wanted Mark more than anything else right now! If Mark joins the NSA, then the NSA will finally have a superhuman with the potential to grow into a Special Rank! Someone who could become strong enough to stand up against Armageddon classes in the future like KING!

James wanted Mark badly, but he also knew that it would not be good to make Mark an enemy this early. Mark was only going to get stronger in the future, and James decided that he would not antagonize Mark against the NSA and the Federal Republic of America so that when he grows into his full power, he will not think about leaving America.

"Very well then. I will not prevent you from going to the island, but keep in mind that this mission is serious and you must collaborate with everyone that shows up. If I am allowing you to go with us, then you must coordinate with the superhumans. They are all superhumans that have been in the field far longer than you have, and you will show the proper respect, understand?"

James was no longer joking like before, and his voice carried a gravity to it that Mark hadn't noticed before! Right now, James wasn't talking as the battle junkie that wanted Mark to join his organization no matter what! He is talking as the chairman of the NSA who wanted to make sure that this mission went well! Mark had no issue with respecting people as long as they respected themselves and him as well! As long as the other superhumans don't do anything that would make him want to beat the crap out of them, then they would be okay!

"I have my own ride, so you can keep your plans to yourself. I'm only going to that island for one reason, and once I have her, I will leave with my helicopter, so you don't need to worry about me. Your team can do whatever it wants. Just don't stand in my way, and we should be fine."

Mark has only been a part of the superhumans' world for about three hours, and he has already run into four people that he didn't like one bit! Fiona was always trying to get in his head, and he was going to give her one hell of a beating the next time she tries it, Tyler just wanted to fight him for the fun of it, Grey just pissed Mark off, and Mark knew that meeting that man again would end very badly for Grey, and then there was James here who was just a freaking crazy old man that loved to punch before asking any questions! Mark thought that getting old was supposed to give you more sense, not less of it!

It's only been four years since Superhumans started getting blessings from the gods, but almost all the superhumans Mark has met have been crazy in one way or another!

Are all superhumans crazy, or is it the pressure of the job that makes them start to behave like this?

Mark didn't want to know the answer to his question, and he simply told James that he would find his own ride as he started walking out of the room. Pat was going to be bringing the helicopter soon, so Mark would use that to go to the island, and the rest of them could use their own means of transport.

"I'll call you big brother Mark from now on!"

Mark looked back with a raised brow as he heard the little Talia say this. Talia was standing right behind him, and she was looking up at him with intense focus as she hugged her teddy bear tight to her side! What the hell was she saying? Since when were they close enough for her to want to call him Big Brother!? Well, it wasn't that Mark minded, but he just didn't think that she would make such a 360 after everything that he just said to her grandfather! He thought she would be angry at him!

Talia couldn't be angry at Mark right at this moment because she understood his position, and she knew that her grandfather could be a pain in the ass! Even though she was only six years old, Talia was very mature for her age and she could tell that Mark didn't do anything wrong! She already had enough conscious understanding to know that her grandfather was in the wrong here! Mark obviously didn't want to fight her grandfather, but her grandfather didn't give him a choice and only started to go after him, forcing Mark to fight back!

But even though it was something that Mark should be angry about, Mark was not retaliating, and he was being the bigger person and letting go of the situation like that! That showed a lot of maturity, and Talia could tell that Mark was a reliable person! And the fact that he was doing all of this just for the sake of his friend was even more amazing!

"I know my grandfather caused you a lot of issues, so I'll call you big brother from now on! Please don't be angry at my grandfather! He's an idiot, but he is not a bad man! He just doesn't know when to hold himself back because he is afraid he will die if he stops moving!"

James shouted in indignation as he heard Talia say this, and Mark scoffed at the barbed insult from Talia! Was she always this quick-witted, or was it a result of her blessing? Even the way she spoke was nothing like a child! She was cute, and she had the appearance of a six-year-old, but it was obvious that she had gone through a lot more than any other six-year-old in the world! She was very mature for her age.

Mark didn't say anything back, and he just reached out and pat the little girl on the head once more. This time she didn't fight against it as she huffed at his actions.

She knew that she was too cute, so it was understandable that people would want to pet her! She would allow him to pet her this once since she accepted him as her big brother!