A cruel, mocking smile hung on Butcher's face as he slowly revealed the truth:
"Nothing much. We just shoved a bomb up your ass. Custom-made. One of a kind."
Translucent shuddered violently, instantly dropping his optical camouflage. His naked body knelt awkwardly on the floor as he completely lost his composure, his tone shifting from fury to utter terror and pleading:
"Don't kill me! Please don't set it off! I'll do anything! Spare me!"
Hughie immediately squeezed to the front, suppressing his discomfort as he urgently pressed for the truth he had obsessed over for so long.
"A-Train! The day he ran through that woman, Robin Ward, I want to know why. What was he doing then, and where was he going?!"
With his life on the line, Translucent dared not hide anything and hurriedly answered:
"I don't know where he was going, but I know where he'd come from! The Female's place. He's hopelessly in love with The Female. A-Train thinks nobody else knows, but I do. I know a lot of things. I know A-Train goes to her place every night. He might even be there right now!"
Hughie's brows knitted tightly as he quietly sought confirmation.
"The Female? The hero who can make sharp things come out of her arms?"
Butcher gave an offhand scoff, his face full of disdain.
"Yeah, a fourth-rate nobody!"
Translucent hurried to press his advantage, desperately trying to stay alive.
"If anyone knows what A-Train is doing, it's The Female! That's all I know, I swear to God! But if there's anything else you want to know, I'll tell you the truth! Ask me!"
Solomon opened his mouth to ask something, but after some thought, he remained silent.
Butcher was meticulous, cunning, and suspicious. If Solomon asked anything too precise, beyond what an ordinary person would know, he would inevitably expose something unusual about himself.
His greatest advantage right now was keeping himself hidden and developing in secret.
Only with Butcher and his group out front keeping Vought International occupied and drawing all of Homelander's attention could he safely lie low and quietly grow stronger.
Given enough time to develop, he would sooner or later surpass Homelander and stand at the pinnacle of this world.
Besides, he already had his next move planned out and had no need to rely on Translucent for information.
Butcher glanced at the three of them and jerked his head, signaling for them to leave. He wanted to conduct an interrogation himself.
Solomon turned and left the room, shutting out all of Translucent's piercing cries for help and anguished wails behind him.
The plot in this life had already veered completely off course because of him.
In the original plot, Butcher would accidentally damage the radio-frequency shielding foil with a specially made bullet, allowing the chip's signal to leak and bringing Vought's pursuers down on them.
But now, Solomon had provided a sure-kill solution ahead of time. There had been no need to use a specially made bullet at any point, and the shielding foil remained intact.
Even now, Vought International still could not locate Translucent, leaving them plenty of time to extract information and plan their next moves.
Solomon's objective, however, was clear. He had no time to waste watching them go back and forth over an interrogation. He wanted to take this opportunity to head out and find the next Metahuman.
Just then, the unused television in the room automatically began playing a live news broadcast, and the presenter's voice rang out clearly.
"With the entire city watching, A-Train of The Seven will face rising superhuman Shockwave in a high-speed race in three days."
Solomon drew his gaze away from the television news and headed straight for the door.
"Shen, where are you going?"
Seeing this, Hughie hurriedly called out to ask.
"Heading out for a bit."
Solomon did not stop walking, his tone calm and composed.
"We've got Translucent completely under control. Nothing's going to go wrong anytime soon. There's nothing for me to do here."
Hughie immediately hurried after him and stepped into his path at his side, speaking with some awkwardness:
"Wait, I'll come with you. I wanted to go home for a bit anyway."
Solomon stopped abruptly and turned slightly to look at Hughie. He raised a hand, gently pressed it against his shoulder, and spoke to stop him.
"Hughie, calm down. Don't you want to find out the truth behind Robin's terrible death and get justice for her? Butcher is a bastard who'll stop at nothing, but right now, only he and his team have the ability to help you."
Those words snapped Hughie out of his daze.
Hughie stiffened, the urgency on his face instantly fading as he fell into a long silence.
He completely suppressed the wishful thinking and urge to retreat in his heart. He knew Solomon was telling the truth.
Solomon said nothing more. He turned, pushed open the door, and left, casually hailing a taxi and giving the address of City Stadium.
In just a few days, the race between A-Train and Shockwave would officially begin.
Over the past few days, rising superhuman Shockwave had been training behind closed doors at the stadium. The area around the venue was packed with media, staff, and fans, while Vought International's camera crew documented everything to build publicity, keeping interest high.
When the car reached the area outside the stadium, Solomon did not rush toward the venue. Instead, he chose a nearby budget hotel and booked a quiet room on an upper floor.
After entering, he first carefully inspected every corner of the room. Only after confirming there were no hidden cameras or listening devices did he pull the blackout curtains tightly shut, plunging the entire room into dimness.
The next second, he stripped off all his clothes and stood naked in the middle of the room.
Solomon could not help grumbling under his breath.
"Fuck, I went my whole life without ever streaking, and now that I'm a superhuman, I'm forced to sneak around naked!"
With a slight stir of his thoughts, Carbon-Fiber Super Skin instantly took effect.
His figure faded at a visible pace, becoming transparent before finally blending completely into the air without leaving the slightest outline.
Solomon walked over to the full-length mirror and checked repeatedly. His entire body had vanished without a trace.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his discomfort, pushed open the door, and left the room, slowly descending the emergency stairs.
People bustled through the lively hotel lobby. With the upcoming race, tourists, media workers, and fans from all over had gathered here, and almost every room had been booked.
No one could see him, but Solomon still felt uncomfortable all over.
He was completely naked, without a scrap of covering, and even little Solomon was swinging through the air. Though nobody could see him, the strange sensation and shame of having his entire body exposed still made him intensely uncomfortable.
He could only deliberately soften his steps and slowly weave through the gaps in the crowd, carefully avoiding contact with anyone while constantly watching for water, dust, and debris around him, eliminating anything that might reveal his outline.
Only after a full hour of adjustment did he barely overcome that psychological hurdle. Not only could he walk steadily, he could even jog in short strides, fully adapting to the rhythm of moving while invisible.
With the time ripe, Solomon stepped out of the hotel and headed straight for City Stadium nearby.
The event had yet to begin, and security at the venue was tight. Vought International's own guards were stationed throughout the entrance, conducting strict checks. Ordinary people had no way to enter without authorization.
But now, invisibility was his greatest entry pass.
Before you continue