Ability experiments!

A suffocating sensation instantly swept through Solomon's body. His face flushed red, and his hands instinctively grabbed Homelander's wrist, his fingertips turning white as he pretended to struggle desperately.

"No... I... didn't..."

Before Solomon could say anything else, Homelander flicked his wrist, unleashing an irresistible force.

Solomon was hurled away like a rag doll, slamming into the wall with a bang before crashing heavily to the floor with a dull thud.

"Cough, cough, cough... I really didn't kill Ezekiel."

Solomon curled up on the floor, coughing violently, but inwardly he remained utterly calm, precisely controlling every microexpression.

His heartbeat stayed steady, his pupils remained normal, and he deliberately kept even his breathing panicked but not erratic, perfectly fooling Homelander's senses.

Homelander slowly walked up to him and looked down at him with a cold snort.

He had just checked Solomon's heartbeat and pupils and found no sign of lying. The last trace of suspicion in his heart vanished completely.

But he was Homelander, the most powerful Supe in the world. He would never admit his suspicions had been wrong, much less lower himself to apologize.

He frowned, his tone still vicious as he demanded an answer, brooking no argument:

"Then why did Ezekiel die right after you left?!"

Solomon knew he absolutely could not stay silent now. Homelander was already agitated over Ezekiel's death, and silence would only add fuel to the fire.

He hurriedly propped himself up, his face full of urgency and innocence as he explained a little quickly:

"I really don't know! I only went to see him because I wanted him to arrange an appearance for me. Why would I go so far as to kill him?"

He changed tack, deliberately adopting a humble attitude, his tone carrying a measure of flattery and awe.

"Besides, you already told me not to touch him. How would I dare disobey your orders? You're Homelander, the most powerful Supe in the world. Even if I had a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare go against your wishes and make trouble for myself!"

The combination of explanation and flattery worked, just as expected.

Much of the hostility faded from Homelander's face. His chin lifted slightly, and a barely perceptible flicker of smugness crossed his eyes.

This was exactly what worked best on him. Solomon's obedience and awe greatly satisfied his vanity.

In fact, he had never intended to kill Solomon. His furious outburst and the beating were merely meant to teach the man a lesson and vent the anger inside him.

He glanced down at Solomon, his tone still icy, but without its earlier viciousness.

"That had better be true. Don't let me find out you had anything to do with this! And don't let me find out you've been doing anything else, either."

Solomon hurriedly nodded over and over, clutching his still-aching neck and pretending to be badly shaken.

"I understand!"

Homelander snorted coldly, then turned and left the apartment without giving him another glance.

Solomon slowly pushed himself up from the corner and rubbed his neck. A sharp pain shot through him as his fingertips pressed against the spot Homelander had gripped.

Being thrown into the wall had not been too bad and had caused no real injury, but Homelander's grip had nearly snapped his neck.

He gently moved his neck, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the Ezekiel incident was finally behind him.

Fortunately, he had been meticulous enough to deliberately leave a clone in the RV when he left. He had then had the clone take Ezekiel's appearance and go to Ashley, deliberately bringing up arranging an appearance. That had cleared him of suspicion perfectly. Otherwise, he really would have struggled to bluff his way through today.

Solomon walked over to the bed and sat down, leaning against the soft headboard with a long exhale.

Today had been incredibly dangerous.

He had never imagined the other person would actually detect his memory-reading ability, forcing him to kill Ezekiel on the spot.

It seemed every new ability had to be thoroughly tested before he used it.

Solomon reflected inwardly that he had been far too careless this time. Fortunately, he had used it on Ezekiel. Had it been Homelander instead, his clone would probably already have died without even an intact corpse left.

He had previously planned to use his memory-reading ability to obtain inside information about Vought from Madelyn or Ashley.

Now, that idea seemed completely unworkable. The moment he touched someone and read their memories, they would notice. It would be nothing but courting death.

Inside the apartment beside Vought Tower, Solomon's original body looked at the clone beside him. He stepped forward, reached out to grab the clone's shoulder, and activated his memory-reading ability.

The clone's brows instantly furrowed, his gaze growing somewhat unfocused and a confused look appearing on his face.

Clearly, he had noticed someone reading his memories.

An idea struck Solomon. He immediately reined in his power, trying only to sense the clone's current thoughts instead of delving deeper into his memories.

This time, the confusion gradually disappeared from the clone's face, and his expression returned to normal. Clearly, he had not noticed his thoughts being sensed.

"So that's how it works."

Understanding dawned on Solomon, and he instantly grasped how memory reading worked.

"As long as I read past memories, the other person will definitely notice. They can even clearly feel someone prying into their mind. But if I only sense their current thoughts, they won't notice at all."

Perhaps he could actively steer the other person toward thinking about the information he wanted. That way, he could obtain intelligence without being discovered. It would be a reliable method.

Besides that, knocking the other person unconscious before reading their memories should also prevent them from noticing.

However, whether they would feel anything after waking up from having their memories read while unconscious still needed further testing.

"When I tested it on Mesmer before, could he have noticed too?"

Solomon suddenly remembered this, and a wave of frustration rose inside him.

"He was unconscious then, and I didn't pay particular attention or even ask him. That oversight nearly led to a huge mistake! Damn it!"

He stopped dwelling on it and turned toward the clone beside him, deciding to first test the effects of reading memories after knocking someone unconscious.

Solomon moved behind the clone, took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and raised his hand to deliver a vicious chop to the back of the clone's neck.

But the clone merely paused slightly, showing no discomfort at all. The blow had not even broken through his skin's defenses.

Solomon sighed helplessly and lowered his chopping hand. He stepped forward and locked an arm around the clone's neck, gradually increasing the pressure.

Fortunately, the clone would not actively resist. Solomon kept him in that tight chokehold, and only after a full five minutes did the clone's eyes gradually lose focus and he passed out completely.

Solomon released him. Looking at the clone lying on the floor, he activated his memory-reading ability again and concentrated on reading the clone's past memories.

This time, even though the clone was unconscious, a clear look of struggle still appeared on his face. His brows knitted tightly, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, making him look deeply uncomfortable.