Alvin's calm demeanor made the already-suspicious Butcher hesitate.
CIA?
No, impossible!
Butcher dismissed the idea. He and the CIA were partners, so they wouldn't go out of their way to do this.
More importantly, even the CIA had no idea where Rebecca was.
Then there was only one possibility left. The veins on Butcher's forehead throbbed, his expression shifting between light and dark. His voice was low and hoarse, laced with anger. "Were you sent by Vought International?"
"Mr. Butcher, I have to remind you of something." Alvin raised his leg and nudged the unconscious Invisible Man beside him with his dress shoe. A meaningful curve played at the corner of his lips. "Just now, you and Mr. Hughie here attacked the Invisible Man, one of the Seven. That's a crime."
His words abruptly dragged the two back to reality. As they looked at the shattered glass strewn across the floor and the Invisible Man covered in blood, a deadly question presented itself!
The Invisible Man, one of the Seven, had discovered that Hughie had installed a bug in Vought International's headquarters—and the two of them had taken him down.
If Vought International found out, Butcher was certain that the two of them would be chopped into pieces the next day and dumped straight into the Pacific Ocean, with the public being told they'd committed suicide out of guilt.
Hughie especially was just an ordinary person. Suddenly swept into an incident like this, he panicked immediately.
"We're screwed! We're dead, Butcher!"
Hughie was clearly an ordinary person with poor mental fortitude. The charge of attacking one of the Seven would be enough to put him behind bars for the rest of his life.
"Do me a favor and help move him into the trunk." Butcher gave Alvin a long look, then called over the terrified Hughie. "Hey, can you stop standing there like an idiot? Get over here and help. If someone else finds us, we'll be in deep trouble!"
"Wait, aren't you a federal agent?"
Hughie suddenly thought of something. As if he had grabbed hold of a lifeline, he looked at Butcher nervously. "Call the Federal Government! You should be good at handling this sort of thing, right?"
"Unfortunately, Mr. Butcher isn't a federal agent."
Looking at Butcher's awkward expression, Alvin exposed his identity without hesitation. "At most, he has some cooperation with the CIA—and it's the sort that happens in secret."
"Shut up!"
Butcher's face turned green with rage. He glared viciously at Alvin before turning and shouting at Hughie, "Stop standing there like a fucking idiot! Get over here and help!"
"Friendly reminder: the Invisible Man isn't dead. He was only knocked unconscious."
Alvin looked like he was enjoying the show far too much.
"Thank God! That's great—he isn't dead!"
Hughie immediately relaxed and let out a breath. "Butcher, did you hear that? He isn't dead. We don't have to worry about him anymore."
"Are you a fucking idiot, Hughie?"
Butcher finally lost his patience and swore outright. "Use your damn brain! He's seen our faces. What do you think he'll do to us when he wakes up?"
"I imagine it won't be a problem that can be solved with an apology." Alvin chimed in from the side.
Hughie couldn't help shivering at that.
He might have been naive, but he wasn't stupid. Even someone thinking with the thing between his legs would know that the outcome probably wouldn't be pleasant.
"Hey, shut your mouth!" Butcher was already irritated. He glared at Alvin. "If you aren't going to help, get out of the way and stop obstructing us!"
"If you don't mind, I can provide a vehicle."
Alvin tossed over a string of car keys and smiled. "A Ford Escape. Plenty of room in the trunk. I'm sure it'll meet your needs."
Hughie caught the keys and said blankly, "Th-thanks. You're actually a pretty nice guy."
Butcher: "..."
He was already starting to regret dragging such an idiot into this. Surely nothing would go wrong, right?
To prevent the Invisible Man from breaking free on the way, Butcher and Hughie decided, at Alvin's suggestion, to take a page from Japan's rope art.
The poor Invisible Man was tied up like a dumpling by the two of them and tossed into the Ford's trunk.
Butcher drove, while the still-shaken Hughie sat in the back. Alvin, naturally, took the passenger seat.
"Where are we going?" Hughie asked fearfully.
"I know a guy. He'll know what to do."
Butcher gripped the steering wheel, but every so often, he glanced from the corner of his eye at the passenger seat beside him.
"Mr. Butcher, please pay a little more attention while driving."
Alvin naturally noticed his little movements and smiled. "I don't want to die young. Drive carelessly, and your loved ones will weep."
"I hope we can have a proper talk."
Butcher took a deep breath, struggling to calm his anger-twisted expression.
If the other man hadn't possibly known Rebecca's whereabouts, he would have punched him by now. That mouth was practically begging to be hit!
"Of course, Mr. Butcher."
Alvin nodded with a smile. "I'm very much looking forward to chatting with you. But not now, and certainly not here."
Butcher had no objections to that. Right now, the most important thing was getting rid of the "hot potato" in the trunk!
Before long, Butcher drove them to an abandoned industrial district.
After parking and turning off the engine, Butcher removed the key and turned to call out to Hughie. "Hughie, come inside with me."
Butcher grabbed the bewildered Hughie and tossed Alvin a parting remark. "You wait here."
Then the two of them entered the factory.
It didn't take long before Butcher and Hughie emerged from the factory, followed by a thin Frenchman.
"Fuck, you didn't tell me there'd be someone else!" The Frenchman showed a hint of wariness when he saw Alvin. "What is this guy about?"
"Calm down, Frenchie. For now, he's one of us."
Butcher had no idea how to explain Frenchie to him, so he could only brush it off. "Come take a look at the gift I brought you."
With that, he led Frenchie to the trunk and lifted the hatch.
"Fuck, you sons of bitches are dead!"
The trunk looked completely empty, yet the elegant stream of profanity made Frenchie open his eyes wide as an ominous premonition welled up in his heart.
Before the Invisible Man could continue cursing, Butcher jammed a stun baton into him.
Electricity crackled. Faintly, the outline of a humanoid figure could be seen twisting and convulsing in the trunk.
"What the actual fuck!" Frenchie finally realized what was happening. He grabbed Butcher by the collar and roared, "You shoved the Invisible Man into the trunk?"
"Frenchie, isn't this a nice gift?"
Butcher wore a triumphant, devious grin. "It's too late to regret it now. He already saw your face, brother."
"Butcher, you son-of-a-bitch bastard!"
Frenchie cursed furiously, wishing he could shoot the bastard dead.
He had been completely screwed over by Butcher this time. So much for brothers being of one heart while one of them schemed behind the other's back!
He had genuinely thought Butcher had brought him something good. Instead, it was a huge mess!
"Mr. Butcher, from a bystander's perspective, I have to commend the depths of your moral depravity. You could practically rival Savflar." Alvin had somehow gotten out of the passenger seat and was now leaning against the car door, looking sympathetically at Frenchie.
"Who the fuck are you?" Frenchie was already furious, and he cursed at Alvin irritably.
"A merchant who happened to be passing by." Alvin smiled.
"What is Savflar?" Hughie asked softly.
"Er, to put it in simple terms, a bunch of mass-produced scumbags." Alvin explained.
Mass-produced scumbags?
Hughie and Frenchie silently looked at Butcher. The description was simply too apt.
"I need your help, Frenchie."
Butcher didn't care in the slightest. He said with great "sincerity," "If you don't help me, I'll just stay here. That guy has a chip in his body. You don't want Homelander finding out, do you?"
"This is the last time, Butcher."
Frenchie gave him a cold look, then turned and walked toward the factory without looking back. "Bring that guy inside. We need to block the signal from the chip in his body, or we'll be discovered soon!"
At this point, even if he disagreed, there was nothing he could do.
The moment the Invisible Man saw his face, he had already lost his way out. All he could do was follow Butcher down this dark road.
Before you continue