Passing Through the Human World
The sounds of explosions in the corridor gradually subsided.
The scorching Heat Wave still churned in the air, carrying wisps of white steam rising from the vaporized and melted matter.
As far as the eye can see.
The walls, rubble, and scattered metal fragments were all melted into a lump of black, unidentified substance by the extremely high temperature.
Above the tip, some of the crystalline glass shimmered under the refraction of sunlight.
A massive crack stretched from the floor all the way to the ceiling, and the entire exterior wall was blasted open by two rounds of Chest Cannon.
At 10 a. m., the blazing sun hung high above the hole, and a thick layer of clouds dominated the entire entrance, while a cold wind kept blowing in.
A few embers still linger deep within the ruins.
The Soldier Boy knelt amidst the rubble, one hand pressed tightly against his chest.
With one hand on his knee, he barely managed to support his upper body and prevent himself from falling.
For him, unleashing a full-power Chest Cannon would be extremely taxing.
This includes physical strength, mental strength, and endurance.
After just one round of attacks, his vision gradually became blurred.
The corridor seemed to split into several layers of overlapping images, with the wall lines crookedly overlapping and then swaying apart.
It made his temples throb.
"Cough cough..."
The Soldier Boy remained kneeling, trying to regain his balance.
The thick smoke in the distance was dispersed by the cold wind that came through the hole as time passed.
The crowded view gradually became clearer.
"It's finally over..."
Although the Soldier Boy wasn't in much better shape, he still had confidence.
His Chest Cannon was already terrifyingly powerful, and with the beam's ineffectiveness added to that, plus the fact that it fired right up to John, it was incredibly close.
He refused to believe that John could survive unharmed.
It's worth noting that he experienced his first instance of losing control of his Chest Cannon in the V1 lab back then.
That time, the entire underground laboratory was burned through, and the three floors above it were also shattered and collapsed, burying dozens of people alive.
Later, towards the end of the Cold War, he was transferred to a base deeper in Siberia.
That was in extreme cold, at minus forty degrees Celsius.
But he still managed to blast through ten layers of armored steel plates with a single shot, instantly melting them into molten iron.
The lab supervisor immediately knelt on the ground, muttering a string of gibberish over and over.
Later, after escaping from that awful place, I finally understood it from a Russian guy who could speak English.
Those few words kept repeating the word "monster".
Forty years, more than four hundred tests of all sizes, plus countless real-world battles, and there has never been an exception.
Even the " Carnage " at the Herogasm was his doing.
Therefore, the Soldier Boy immediately concluded that " Homelander " was either dead or seriously injured, or might even be turned to charcoal on the spot.
At that moment, the wind blew in through the hole in the outer wall.
The smoke and dust, which was originally a thick white blur, was torn and twisted by the airflow, and then diluted and thinned.
The scenery in the corridor gradually revealed its outline.
The walls, blistering and peeling from the high temperature, and the steel bars broken in half, revealing rust, reveal a ruin-like interior.
The Soldier Boy squinted slightly at his eyes, which were stinging from the smoke and dust, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He is ready.
I saw a charred, human-shaped burn mark, with at most a few pieces of carbonized bone fragments remaining.
The grayish-white smoke and dust that obscured the view had thinned out by another layer.
Then, the Soldier Boy saw a blurry figure as he had hoped.
It was dark and stood upright in the middle of the ruins.
"As expected of Homelander... even their way of dying is so unique."
The Soldier Boy wore a satisfied smile, but his vision gradually cleared.
He suddenly realized something was wrong.
The figure was so well-proportioned that it stood firmly on the ground, without any sign of dangling or swaying.
The wind swept away another layer of dust, making the silhouettes of the figures clearer and clearer.
Why is he... standing?
Moreover, with his feet firmly planted on the pile of rubble, his back straight, he stood there in place.
Moreover, although the white smoke floated around him, it seemed unable to touch him.
It was as if an invisible barrier enveloped him, isolating him from all elements of the environment.
The Soldier Boy's smile suddenly froze on his face.
Why...
Is he completely unharmed?
The Soldier Boy was incredulous. He shook his head violently, forcibly shaking off the lingering double images before opening his eyes again.
That guy is still fucking there.
John stood there, looking down and examining his hands repeatedly.
Turn it over, and the back of my hand is smooth, without any burns.
Turn back over, clench all ten fingers into a fist one by one, and then slowly loosen them.
After careful observation, John was somewhat shocked to find that he was full of energy and strength.
But... that shouldn't be the case?
The Soldier Boy's Chest Cannon only has the function of eliminating Superman abilities; when did it become a perverse act?
Let's rewind to three minutes ago.
Just as the Chest Cannon slammed into him, John swiftly activated his Bioelectric Field to defend himself.
The Bioelectric Field can only withstand so much energy; the surface was still inevitably breached, and some of the high-temperature shockwaves escaped through the crack.
John was thrown back by the powerful impact.
But just as he woke up and checked his abilities,
To their astonishment, they discovered that their abilities had not only not disappeared, but had instead gained some unknown enhancement.
Previously, when mobilizing energy, there was always a slight sluggishness, especially when using Heat Vision, which required a brief half-second of charging before it could be launched.
The sluggishness is quite noticeable.
But now, John is brimming with energy.
The energy depleted during the battle was gradually restored to its original peak before anyone even realized it.
It's worth mentioning that John's five senses seem to be more acute than before.
He didn't even need to look up.
The wind speed through the hole in the exterior wall, the airflow scraping past, even the subtle vibrations of insects flapping their wings in the air—all were clearly discernible.
It also included sounds from inside the building, the footsteps of the guards gathering, and the engine sounds of cars driving by on the street below.
Outside the building, the sound of propellers grew louder as they approached.
John counted; at least four helicopters were flying this way.
The timing is wrong.
He glanced at the system panel at the edge of his field of vision, and the World Distortion Level on it had also changed dramatically:
85%
John frowned upon seeing this.
Previously, no matter what changes he made to the plot, the Distortion Degree was always locked at 75%, but now, the value has actually changed.
Last time he deduced that the remaining 25% might be related to Homelander and Vought.
But this time...
Perhaps it was another encounter between him and his Homelander.
It could also be that her formal appearance into Vought's field of vision created a butterfly effect.
But John doesn't have time to think about the details right now.
The helicopter outside is almost at the building; the sounds inside the cabin can be heard clearly even through the wind noise.
The female reporter was confirming the live broadcast signal with the director and adjusting the camera focus to capture the first shot of the scene.
In the employee passageway, a dozen or so fully armed guards were rushing up the steps.
John knew perfectly well that once the media helicopter was in position and the searchlights were on, things would get interesting.
His face, almost identical to that of the Homelander, will appear on television screens across the country.
Thinking of this, John turned his gaze away from the panel and looked at the Soldier Boy kneeling in the ruins.
The Soldier Boy was so weak that he was still kneeling on the spot.
His eyes were fixed on John's direction, his pupils still struggling to focus.
They were clearly still in shock.
But John has no intention of holding back at all.
Thump!
With a sonic boom, the path collapsed into a black line, and John, like a shadow, instantly appeared in front of the Soldier Boy.
Floating in mid-air with his arms crossed, a streak of crimson-gold light flashed from the corner of John's eyes.
John completed this series of actions in less than a third of a second.
At that moment, the Soldier Boy only caught a fleeting glimpse of a blur out of the corner of his eye, and the thought of "dodging" flashed through his mind, but it was already too late.
The Chest Cannon had drained 90% of his energy, leaving his limbs extremely weak and even making it difficult to lift them to his chest.
And just as he laboriously twisted his neck and looked up, he met John's expressionless face.
Immediately afterwards, a heavy fist came crashing down without warning.
"Creak--"
A dull cracking sound exploded on the spot, and the Soldier Boy's head snapped back.
The sudden impact completely shut down the Soldier Boy's brain, leaving him momentarily blank for half a second.
Before the Soldier Boy's body even hit the ground, John's second punch came down, still aiming at the same spot.
"Smack!!"
The back of his head shattered the cement surface, sending fragments flying.
The third punch followed immediately.
The enormous impact pierced deep down the skull, creating countless cracks that shot outwards.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Another large amount of rubble was blasted away, and John's fist continued to repeat the same action without any pause.
With one punch, the Soldier Boy and the entire ground caved in; another punch, and it sank deeper.
At first, the Soldier Boy struggled, trying to reach out and grab John's shirt.
Unfortunately, just as his fingertips hooked onto the fabric, he was knocked away by a powerful punch, and his arm was slammed back into the pile of rubble.
With each punch, the Soldier Boy's face became swollen and bloody.
A minute later, the Soldier Boy's taut back slumped down, his arm muscles dangling to his sides, and he was completely unable to move.
"Smack!"
When John finally stopped, most of the Soldier Boy's head was already sunk into the crater, with only his neck and torso sticking out.
(This is a tribute to "Kung Fu Hustle")
He was completely motionless, clearly unconscious.
Yes, John did not choose to deal with the Soldier Boy directly.
After all, to some extent, the Soldier Boy was also his biological father.
Furthermore, Edgar was also involved in instigating this battle.
Moreover, even if John did take action, he wouldn't gain anything. Instead, he would face a desperate counterattack from Vought, or even "himself."
If it really comes to that, the level of trouble will be self-evident.
Although John was arrogant, he dared not underestimate the world's resources.
Look, the seemingly normal Martha World is a perfect example.
Old Joe once told him an old saying.
Plan before you act.
Thinking of this, John straightened up, glanced down at the back of his hand, and then turned to face the hole in the outer wall.
Immediately afterwards, he felt a jolt throughout his body.
All the dirt and dust on his body were bounced off by John's Bioelectric Field.
at this time.
The helicopter was already very close.
The lead aircraft had just turned to face the hole, and its belly searchlight was adjusting its angle, ready to strike the hole in the next second.
The female reporter in the cabin was holding a microphone, fixing her hair in front of the camera, while the director's finger was already on the live broadcast button.
The elites inside the building rushed to the fire door, all their guns loaded and safety off, ready to break down the door at any moment.
"Goodbye."
John glanced one last time at the Soldier Boy cosplaying the guillotine, then slightly bent his knees and crossed his arms.
"Buzz--"
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a black afterimage, like a sharp sword piercing through a hole in the outer wall and plunging fiercely into the sky.
Not far away, the director paused for a moment, then quickly instructed the cameraman to zoom in on the sky.
But they were too late; only a tiny black dot remained in the sky.
In the blink of an eye, it melted into the clouds.
at the same time.
Wusu Apartments, Old Town, Brooklyn.
This row of townhouses is hidden behind a grove of oak trees and is three kilometers from the nearest subway station.
The beige exterior walls are paired with dark brown gates, and each house has a small, well-maintained lawn.
Elena lived in a two-story house at the very end of the alley.
This is the safe house that Maeve anonymously bought three years ago.
The renovations were handled entirely by Elena.
The light gray sofa, the natural wood dining table, and the matching ceramic tableware in the kitchen cabinets all contribute to a warm and inviting atmosphere.
At exactly 10 o'clock, the phone on the bedside table vibrated twice.
Elena woke up almost immediately.
She's been sleeping very lightly lately, especially with the tense atmosphere within Vought and Maeve not returning for a long time.
She reached for her phone, and the screen lit up.
The sender was an unmarked phone number, and the message consisted of only one line:
"Leave immediately, someone will come to pick you up."
Because of the unspoken understanding between lovers, Elena immediately recognized that it was Maeve's text message.
Upon seeing the above, Elena's heart sank.
She threw back the covers, got out of bed, walked to the window, and peeked out through a corner of the curtains.
The alley was quiet, with only a few sparrows hopping around on the lawn; there was nothing unusual about it.
But the absence of any abnormality is the biggest abnormality.
Thinking of this, she quickly grabbed the jeans from the back of the chair and put them on.
He pulled a black hiking backpack from the back of the wardrobe and stuffed it with a change of clothes, identification documents, and cash.
Carrying her bag, Elena walked to the gate of the courtyard, took a deep breath, and reached out to pull the iron gate.
But as soon as the iron gate was opened a crack, she saw a black Ford sedan parked by the roadside.
The car windows were tinted dark, making it impossible to see the people inside.
But the car was parked deliberately, with its front facing the direction of her house.
And it just so happens to be blocking the only exit of the alley.
Elena's heart sank instantly.
She pretended not to see it, closed the door behind her, and walked towards the other end of the alley with her head down, trying to keep her steps steady.
But they had only walked less than ten meters when the car door suddenly opened.
A man and a woman got out of the car, wearing dark casual jackets, their hands hanging naturally at their sides, and quickly blocked her way.
"Miss Elena, where are you going so early?"
The man who spoke was around thirty years old, with a round face. He spoke slowly and deliberately, but his eyes were like nails piercing her face.
He didn't take out his ID, but Elena noticed immediately...
This guy is definitely one of Vought's men.