Istanbul
The 55th floor of the Vought Tower.
The entire prison area is structured as a closed-loop corridor.
Each cell here is an independent, reinforced, single-person enclosed cubicle.
It features bulletproof glass, access control with independent power supply, and a special monopoly mechanism that physically isolates it from the power grid.
It is worth mentioning that this floor Superman who have been officially classified by Vought as having a "severe risk of going out of control".
Unless they are put to some use, they will be kept here indefinitely, which is no different from life imprisonment.
The screen then pans from below.
Maeve, dressed casually, stood against the wall, her fingertips reaching into her pocket to clutch the access card inside.
I took this card from a security supervisor's jacket two hours ago; the supervisor is probably fast asleep at his desk now.
Maeve was merely a prison supervisor, leaning towards being a henchman, and did not have the authority to open or close prison cell doors.
Therefore, Maeve prepared some chemical sedatives in advance in the Boys Squad's office.
Successfully obtained the access card.
At this moment, the load-bearing column and wall in the northwest corner of the corridor can also create a blind spot, blocking half of the view of the camera on the ceiling.
Maeve closed her eyes and pondered for a moment before walking into the nearest room and placing the card against the sensor.
The next second, the indicator light changed from red to green.
With a very soft electronic sound, the latch on the door disengaged, and it opened a tiny crack due to inertia.
Seeing that the door had been successfully opened, Maeve did not stop, but continued walking forward without stopping.
The first cell houses Superman named " Smash," who possesses exceptional physical abilities and enormous fists.
Just six months ago, he single-handedly dismantled a row of police cars on the streets of Chicago, pretended to be outmatched and arrested, and then made it to the police station in just five minutes.
They even used a piece of railing salvaged from the prison to attach the chief's badge at the top.
He was resting on his side on the bunk bed when Maeve passed by. He assumed she was just a regular patrol officer and didn't pay much attention.
However, he heard the sound of the latch sliding down clearly.
This is clearly not right...
He propped himself up on the edge of the bed, carefully stepped barefoot onto the cold cement floor, moved to the door, and tentatively pushed the door with his fingertips.
Then the door opened.
"Interesting."
Smash paused for a moment, then revealed a wicked, crooked smile.
He stepped out of his cell, his bare feet crunching across the rough concrete floor of the corridor, and then took a deep breath.
The disinfectant smelled of rust, unpleasant yet strangely enticing... That's the smell of freedom.
Behind him, the cell doors on both sides of the corridor were being slid open one by one.
Maeve walked along the circular corridor, repeating only one thing.
Swipe card, backstep, swipe card again.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Maeve only stopped at each door for a few seconds, making it appear as if she were on patrol.
Soon, crowds began to gather outside the various cells in the intensive prison.
One group of Superman emerged from their cells, all dressed in identical gray prison uniforms.
At first, most people just stood there blankly, exchanging glances, but soon, the frenzied commotion exploded like a tidal wave.
They are serious criminals, and also a group of crazy people who love to cause trouble.
Shortly after, piercing sirens blared simultaneously from both ends of the corridor, and the group began broadcasting over its internal network:
"Massive prison break in the 55th floor's most dangerous prison section! Repeat, there's Superman escape in the 55th floor's most dangerous prison section! All emergency security personnel to be in position immediately!"
At the end of the corridor, the first batch of emergency security personnel received the alarm and rushed out from the fire escape.
They held riot shields in front, clutched submachine guns, and wore tactical vests emblazoned with the Vought Security shield logo. They moved forward in an orderly fashion, forming a human wall.
But what they faced was not a small-scale prison break, but a massive, dark crowd.
Leading the way was a giant man, nicknamed "Steamroller," whose entire body was covered in iron-gray skin and who stood 2.3 meters tall.
His shoulders were nearly 1.5 meters wide, and his arms were thicker than an average man's waist; he alone occupied half the width of the corridor.
"Annoying little flies..."
The Steamroller roller glanced down at the riot shield in the hands of the security guards in the front row, then grinned, revealing a set of crooked, yellowed teeth.
Immediately, he raised his fist, his massive body took a running start, shaking the ground, and then slammed his fist into the first line of defense of the security team.
The effect of this punch was predictable; the riot shield formation composed of several people was completely dented, and those holding shields were sent flying backwards, shield and all.
Fire!
At a command, the other guards instantly pulled the safety back, and their submachine guns burst into flame.
In an instant, a large number of bullets came hurtling towards the Steamroller with lightning speed.
"Useless thing, I've been stuck here for four years and haven't improved at all."
The Steamroller didn't even try to dodge; it simply raised its hand slightly to shield its face, and the bullets struck its skin without leaving a single red mark.
Immediately afterwards, he charged forward, smashing through the guards' formation with a bull-like charge, then pulled the gun from his hand and swung it back in a wide arc.
At this moment, more prisoners surged in from the corner of the corridor, then crowded into the same corridor, pushing and shoving as they rushed forward, helping to relieve the pressure on the Steamroller.
Some Superman melted the security guards' protective masks with a wave of their hands, and others even flew up, ripped fire hydrants off the wall, and finished off the lone guards one by one.
For a moment, the corridor echoed with the cracking of bones, screams, and the incessant sounds of gunfire.
At the end of the corridor.
The Steamroller licked its tongue, its fingers gripping the bridge of a guard's nose.
The guard was lifted into the air, his feet off the ground, and he let out muffled whimpers.
"Do you like it? Actually, I think your moans could be even more beautiful."
Just as the Steamroller was licking its tongue, about to snap his neck, a green figure suddenly flashed past in his peripheral vision.
Before he could turn his head, a short knife suddenly appeared and stabbed into the gap between his ribs.
Who is it!
The Steamroller roared and angrily threw the guard to the ground.
His skin has layers of soft armor that can withstand close-range fire from a submachine gun.
But between his soft armor were normal flesh and blood, only slightly harder than normal flesh.
The tip of the knife was wedged between his ribs, penetrating about two inches.
Blood seeped from the scalpel groove, and intense pain began to spread.
"Aaaaah! Die!"
The Steamroller was about to swing its arm to smash, but the green figure had already let go of the handle and vanished from under its arm in an instant.
The next second, he appeared three meters behind him, already holding a short knife in his hand again.
Her name is Green Flash. She is one of the Superman guarded by Vought on the 55th floor. Her abilities include teleportation and she also has excellent swordsmanship.
She kept more than one sword in the scabbard on the outside of her thigh, so that she could launch a surprise attack at extremely high speed when teleporting.
At this moment, the Steamroller turned around, forcefully pulled the blade stuck in its ribs out, and then threw it on the ground.
He grinned, revealing a set of crooked, yellowed teeth.
"You darting-around bitch, if you've got guts, come and fight me one-on-one. I'll treat you well."
Green Flash ignored the press machine; instead, another figure walked behind him.
Iron Fist was a tall woman with a buzz cut and wearing a pair of specially made titanium brass knuckles.
Her gaze fell on the Steamroller that was confronting the green shadow, then she tightened the straps on her brass knuckles and stepped forward.
"How arrogant you are, lady! Die!"
Suddenly, a prisoner darted out from the side, his knuckles spewing out bone spurs, and swiftly attacked the Iron Fist.
He aimed for the side of Iron Fist's neck, just as he had done in the past when committing crimes—a single, fatal blow.
But Iron Fist reacted quickly, swinging out a right fist that landed precisely on his chin from below.
The next second, the man's upper and lower jaws snapped shut the instant the fists made contact, shattering all four molars at the same time, and he crashed headfirst onto the concrete ground.
Sold out instantly.
Iron Fist walked up to the Steamroller and stopped.
Just as the Steamroller was about to taunt him, Iron Fist's fist flashed swiftly and slammed into his stomach.
The fist sank nearly three inches into the iron-gray skin, the immense impact penetrating subcutaneous fat and the rectus abdominis muscle.
"Ah!!"
The Steamroller clutched its abdomen, took a half step back, and then punched Iron Fist on the head.
Iron Fist didn't dodge; she raised her left arm to take the punch head-on, while simultaneously swinging her right fist from the side towards the outside of the Steamroller's knee joint.
The fist slammed into the ligament attachment point on the side of the knee, producing a dull thud.
The Steamroller's legs bent, shifting its center of gravity.
Taking advantage of the moment when he lost his balance, Iron Fist delivered a fourth punch right in the center of his sternum.
Standing behind Iron Fist, Green Flash teleported behind him again during a lull in the Iron Fist's Steamroller heavy blows.
He swung the short knife and plunged it into the gap between his ribs, precisely piercing his back.
The Steamroller collapsed to the ground.
The two worked together seamlessly, and after taking down the Steamroller, the biggest mobile tank, they exchanged a brief glance.
"I'll take the one on the right that breathes fire."
Green Flash twirled the dagger between her fingers, then the hilt returned to her palm.
"I'll handle the three on the left."
He tightened the Iron Fist grip and stepped forward.
The green figure vanished from its spot and reappeared precisely behind the fire-breathing woman in the next second, a flash of light as it plunged straight into her lower back.
His Iron Fist style of play remains as simple as ever.
He swung his left fist and smashed it into a prisoner's chest, while his right fist pierced through the back of another man's head.
Three punches, four punches—in an instant, five or six Superman couldn't withstand her fierce onslaught and collapsed to the ground.
However, there were too many Superman present, and as the number of people they had to deal with increased, the two of them gradually became overwhelmed.
At this moment, Iron Fist was dealing with a man covered in barbs.
Iron Fist slammed a punch into his chest, but his wrist was also cut open by the barbs.
Then, the prisoners next to her followed suit, and a water balloon hit her on the head.
Green Flash was caught red-handed by a prisoner who had anticipated her landing point.
The person could create a viscous, semi-transparent gel-like substance on the ground, which stuck to her feet the moment she landed.
The other person was holding a fire hydrant pipe that had been torn from the wall, and swung it around, hitting her on the shoulder.
Green Flash let out a muffled groan as he was sent flying sideways, his back slamming into a protruding wall, and a sharp pain shot through him instantly.
" Green Flash!"
Iron Fist was anxious when she saw her companion injured, but this distraction gave the other prisoners an opportunity, and more attacks rained down on her.
She could only retreat continuously, parrying wave after wave of attacks.
Soon, a series of attacks came from above and from her lower abdomen.
She had no time to dodge and was sent flying several meters away, landing on the ground.
Just as the two were about to be dealt with by the prisoners.
Without warning, the tip of a sword pierced through the prisoner's chest.
Then, with a sharp twist, he kicked the man away from behind and pulled out the longsword.
The whole process was so smooth that the prisoner didn't even have time to react before he was beheaded with a single sword stroke.
Blood splattered on Iron Fist's face. She looked up blankly and saw a familiar and tall figure.
" Maeve... you're finally here."
"Okay, leave the rest to me."
Maeve looked at their injuries, a fleeting hint of guilt flashing in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it.
Immediately afterwards, she flashed forward, gripping the Queen's Sword, and joined the battle.
At this moment, a Superman, who was riding on the guard's face and beating him mercilessly, was immersed in his own violent aesthetics and couldn't extricate himself.
But just as he was about to throw his right fist, a lithe figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
Whose legs are these...? They're so damn sexy...
No, this is Queen Maeve!
Maeve showed no mercy, delivering a punch directly to the side of his neck.
Faced with Maeve's immense strength, she then pinched his jawbone and squeezed hard.
Maeve crushed the man's chin, then tossed it aside like trash.
But she didn't stop.
Immediately afterwards, she grabbed another prisoner who was kicking the security guard in the head, hooked her fingers around his collar, lifted him off the ground, and slammed him against the wall.
The man's head slammed solidly into the concrete wall.
With a loud bang, the person slid down the wall and sat down, eyes still open, but consciousness had long since faded.
At this moment, some oblivious prisoners tried to rush forward, clutching bone spikes and attempting to strike Maeve in the face.
To Maeve, the opponent's near-tortuous speed posed absolutely no threat.
Immediately afterwards, she braced herself with one hand on the ground to steady herself, and then swiftly swept her leg to the back of the attacker's knee.
Bone Spur's knee buckled, causing him to lose his balance and fall to his knees. Maeve seized the opportunity to press her knee forcefully into his chest, pinning him to the ground.
(A Dream of the America Era of Chokeholds)
At that moment, the Vought guard, who was still holding on in the corridor, saw her, and the despair on his face instantly turned into ecstasy.
Immediately afterwards, cheers erupted throughout the corridor.
"There's hope! Queen Maeve has arrived!"
I knew she would come!
Maeve ignored the cheers.
She turned the prisoner over, clamped his Adam's apple with her arm guards, and waited until he completely lost consciousness and his eyes rolled back before letting go and standing up.
The light at the end of the corridor was dim, casting flickering shadows on her face.
She looked past the surging crowd that was still rushing towards her, her gaze falling worriedly on the entrance to another area.
That's the direction where the Starlight was imprisoned.
She only deliberately created unrest in Area A, without affecting Area B, precisely because she was afraid of disrupting the original plan.
The corridors there are now very quiet and have not been affected by prisoners or security personnel.
It seems that it's safe over there for now.
After making her judgment, Maeve withdrew her gaze, her face hardening as she faced the crowd before her.
At the same time, she silently counted the time in her mind.
As per the previously agreed plan, she was responsible for releasing the Superman prisoners, creating a commotion while simultaneously restraining them, allowing the Boys Squad to take the opportunity to rescue Starlight.
Including the time it took her to open the prison door, the group in the Boys should have already arrived on this floor.
but...
Maeve's real concern was for Homelander.
These past few days, none of her Homelander have been at the company, and she's eager to break free from Edgar's control.
After weighing the pros and cons, they made a deal with the Boys Squad.
But to my surprise, Homelander has returned today.
This means that an extremely uncontrollable element has appeared in their original plan.