The Final Battle
(I think this chapter is one of the better ones I've written recently. I wonder what everyone else thinks?)
(A great battle is about to begin)
Rockland County, New York State, about twelve miles north of Route 7.
3 a. m.
The moonlight in the quarry was extremely cold and gloomy, casting a pale, grayish-blue glow on the granite cliffs.
"Whoosh--"
At that moment, a blue figure descended from the sky.
The moment it landed, the toe of its boot crushed the pile of rubble, and the immense force of the fall smoothly sank into its knees and landed on the soles of its feet.
Surprisingly, the expected dust storm did not materialize, nor did it produce any violent air currents.
The Homelander are like a fallen leaf stopped by the wind, drifting gently to the spot.
He flew under the spotlight for over thirty years and mastered the technique of releasing kinetic energy upon landing very early on.
He spent three days searching through nearly a hundred abandoned sites around New York before finally deciding on this location.
Yes, the perfect birthplace of God.
The walls are surrounded by steep granite cliffs over 30 meters high on three sides, with only the east side being a gentle slope offering excellent views.
He can detect anyone or any vehicle approaching within a kilometer radius immediately.
Yes, before receiving V1 injections, Homelander did not have an absolute sense of security.
Therefore, he feared that any strange, coincidental, or sudden factor might interfere with his path to becoming a "god."
He was already the most powerful Superman in the world, and after being injected with the original V1, he stood at the pinnacle of all Superman.
No one could defy him or threaten him.
"Hehe... I've finally waited for this day."
The Homelander stood in the center of the quarry, slightly to the west.
The moonlight, streaming down vertically from above, polished the scattered pebbles to a smooth, glossy sheen, while the massive rock wall cast a shadow like a lurking beast behind it.
He stood still, his blue eyes first slowly scanning the steep rock face on the left, then the gentle slope on the right, and finally landing on the pile of rubble directly in front of him.
For a full thirty seconds, super hearing and super vision were activated at full power to repeatedly check for changes in the surrounding environment.
After confirming that everything was in perfect order, he slowly squatted down and opened the alloy refrigerator at his feet.
"Click--"
As the dry ice vapor evaporates, the specially designed syringe lies quietly in the groove of the insulated tank.
The syringe is made of a special high-pressure resistant material and also features a thoughtful note from Sage:
The needle tip is specially coated with tungsten carbide. Pushing it in too quickly may cause the muscle tissue at the contact point to overheat and char, affecting the absorption of the drug.
The dark blue liquid sloshed gently inside the syringe, and moonlight refracted through the tube walls, creating a deep blue that was almost inky black.
The Homelander stretched out two fingers and pinched the syringe.
Then he looked down at the back of his left elbow; the bluish-green veins were slightly bulging under the skin, faintly visible in the moonlight.
The problem is that his skin is very strong, making it difficult to guarantee that the needle will penetrate the tissue layer and reach the blood vessels.
Thinking of this, the Homelander's eyes suddenly lit up with a red light, and his two burning gazes were precisely aimed at the center of his wrist.
Soon, a wisp of white smoke rose from the skin's surface, the scorch marks then expanded, and the carbonized epidermis curled and peeled off, revealing the bright red tissue underneath.
Then, he clenched his fists tightly and gripped the syringe needle with his right hand.
The gleaming tungsten carbide needle was pressed firmly against the vein.
Then, with a fierce look in his eyes, he stabbed down hard!
"Puff!"
The needle encountered almost no resistance and slid very smoothly into the depths of the vein.
Then he began to slowly push the piston.
The dark blue liquid was injected into the blood through the syringe, quickly forming a small, faint blue halo under the skin, which then spread upwards along the direction of the blood vessels.
one two three...
He casually tossed the syringe into a sealed bag and then closed the refrigerator.
He then stood up, leaned against another low rock behind him, crossed his arms, and waited quietly for the change to happen.
For the first five seconds, there was complete stillness inside my body.
But just a second later, something unexpected happened!
"Boom--"
It was an indescribably hot liquid.
It surged wildly against his veins up to his shoulder, then across his collarbone, and crashed into his chest cavity.
"Snort..."
Homelander grunted and pressed his hands firmly against the granite surface beside him.
Snap! Crack!
The granite, as hard as steel, roared under the weight of his palm, its surface etched with furrows by his relentless clawing.
"Knock knock..."
My heart pounded wildly in my chest like a hammer, contracting and bursting forth, carrying extreme heat and pressure as it crashed into my limbs and bones.
In an instant, all the nerve endings in the body were activated simultaneously, then gathered into an extremely hot and violent power.
"Ughhhhhh!"
Amidst the tyranny, the Homelander suddenly raised their heads.
The power within him began to surge wildly.
The five senses are the first to be affected.
Everything around him exploded in his mind with an almost terrifying clarity!
A mile away, you could hear the Hudson River crashing against the rocks on the bank, and even the crunching of dead leaves being burrowed by earthworms underground.
All of it turned into a piercing torrent, forcibly pouring into the cochlea.
On an oak tree a kilometer away, a leaf is slowly falling, tethered by Silk's silk. As the wind blows, the leaf spins.
Upon closer inspection, one can instantly discern the barely perceptible veins on the leaf.
Thump! Thump!
At that moment, the sound of a rapidly pounding heart could be heard.
The Homelander moved his fingertips with difficulty.
The next second, the hard granite slab shattered into extremely fine powder in an instant, just like an expired cookie.
In the past, the Homelander could have done it too.
But what's astonishing is that he didn't use any force at all.
He could only feel his muscle fibers constantly taut under his skin, and his entire body felt like a furnace constantly burning and producing magma, erupting wildly.
Until...
"It can't be suppressed anymore!"
The Homelander's eyes widened, and the blood vessels around his eyes bulged instantly, gleaming with a dazzling scarlet light!
boom--!!!
In an instant, two dark red beams of destructive light burst forth from his eye sockets!
These two Heat Vision were thicker and hotter than any he had ever fired before!
The crimson beams, as thick as two giant, red-hot pipes, ripped straight through the night sky with a piercing hiss.
The instant the Heat Vision beam passed through, the water vapor in the air was instantly evaporated by the intense heat.
This then created visible, ring-shaped ripples resembling white mist.
"Sizzle--"
The beam of light reached its absolute limit, rising in a breakthrough manner, and crashed violently into the clouds high in the sky.
The first layer of dark clouds in the sky was instantly branded with two large, charred holes, their edges glowing with a fiery crimson.
Immediately afterwards, the beam of light pierced through the second and third layers of clouds with unstoppable force.
The thin, high-altitude clouds were completely burned through, leaving two huge holes.
At this moment, the entire quarry was illuminated as if it were daytime by these two Heat Vision!
The surrounding granite walls, over thirty meters high, reflected a crimson glow, turning the entire scene into a grim, hellish Hell.
The Heat Vision lasted for a full ten seconds.
After releasing all the high energy, Homelander closed his eyes, and the red light in his eye sockets slowly faded.
At this point, the air was filled with a pungent smell of evaporating lime and a burnt smell.
Homelander looked down at his hands, then at the pool of lava at his feet that was gradually cooling and turning black, and flexed his fingers.
"This is... the power a god should have."
Then a crazy yet satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
Thinking it over, he subtly bent his knees, without even making any effort to gather strength...
boom!
A sonic boom suddenly rang out, followed by a visible shockwave that spread through the air, and the person instantly transformed into a blur and rose into the air.
Not fast enough!
No matter how high!
With a mere thought, his speed instantly broke the sound barrier.
Breaking through layers of dark clouds, it flew straight towards the Vought Tower in Manhattan.
As the speed continued to increase, a faint inverted triangular cloud of mist appeared.
In just a few blinks of an eye, a tunnel that runs through the entire cloud layer was carved out.
Upon closer inspection, the figure had already vanished from the spot.
5:11 AM.
The fire escape atrium of the Vought Tower.
When Homelander pushed open the half-ton explosion-proof door and entered the laboratory, the Sage was standing with his back to the door, organizing data in front of a row of complex instruments.
"Close the door; the cold air outside will interfere with my temperature sensor."
Homelander glanced at the Sage; he was in a good mood today and didn't take her offense to heart, quickly closing the blast door behind him.
The Sage turned around, holding a palm-sized black portable scanner in his hand.
Then he walked straight up to Homelander and pressed the scanner against the inside of his left wrist.
"Didi"
A string of numbers lit up on the screen. The Sage scanned them for two seconds, his expression remaining calm:
"His temperature was 0.8 degrees Celsius higher than before the injection, which seems to be within the expected range... Did he fly back?"
The Homelander leaned against the control panel, his tone carrying an undisguised air of smugness.
"Yes."
"What did it feel like while flying? Did you experience any disorientation or misjudgment of distance?"
"Impossible."
The Sage shrugged helplessly, walked to another, larger monitor, and brought up several sets of dynamic curves:
"Uncontrolled overflow is a typical reaction of V1 sequences, but based on the data we just monitored..."
Your Heat Vision output power has increased by approximately 40% compared to before the injection.
Even more remarkably, your recovery rate and the time it takes to replenish energy after use have been reduced by nearly half compared to before.
Upon hearing the Sage's words, the Homelander's eyes flickered slightly.
"So that means I'm almost twice as strong as I used to be, right?"
"The data doesn't lie; V1 didn't show any rejection reaction in your body."
In theory, your growth potential can be continuously enhanced through combat.
"Alright, don't contact me these next few days unless it's absolutely necessary."
The Homelander gave a cold laugh, turned around, and walked impatiently toward the door.
Silence returned to the laboratory.
The Sage turned to the last page of the notebook and wrote a line of small characters in the blank space at the bottom:
Phase 1 (Checkmark)
After finishing writing, she closed the notebook and turned to look at the half-closed secret door inside the laboratory.
The Emissary, dressed in a white coat, was leisurely leaning against the doorframe, smoking a cigarette.
"He was right here, and you dared to smoke in front of him?"
"I'm just an ordinary lab technician who needs to relieve stress."
"If all else fails, will you help me?"
As they spoke, they exchanged a subtle glance in the air.
A second later, the Emissary blinked slightly, retreated into the dark room, and gently closed the door.
the next day.
At 9:00 AM sharp, in the main auditorium of the Vought Tower.
Hundreds of mainstream media cameras surrounded the podium, flashing lights constantly, turning the venue into a bright white mess.
Edgar, dressed in a custom-made dark gray suit, placed his hands on the podium, facing more than two hundred reporters below the stage, his eyes as calm as ever.
"Ladies and gentlemen... a serious safety incident occurred at Vought yesterday morning."
Edgar spoke, his voice carrying throughout the venue via microphone:
"A highly dangerous experimental subject that had been under our closed surveillance for a long time has broken free of control and escaped into a public area."
This experimental subject possesses complete self-awareness and... has abilities completely equal to, or even greater than, those of the highest tier of active Superman.
Edgar's words caused an uproar in the audience.
The reporters exchanged bewildered glances, their camera shutters clicking incessantly.
Whoever can report such explosive news first will get the headlines the next day.
But the chaos in the audience did not affect Edgar's performance at all. He straightened his tie and continued:
Specifically, he is suspected of possessing abilities such as flight and Heat Vision, and his physical characteristics are highly similar to those of a young Homelander.
But here, I must first clarify to the public:
He has no blood relation to Homelander, nor is he a clone that violates any human ethics.
At that moment, a photo of John's profile, captured by the on-site surveillance camera, instantly appeared on the large screen.
Next, wanted posters for the Deep, Starlight, Butcher, Frenchie, Mother's Milk, Kimiko, and Cate popped up.
"Currently, the test subject has joined forces with a group of anti- Vought extremists and has even turned members of the Seven against him."
"Our stance on this is—we will absolutely not tolerate it."
Edgar pointed to the photo on the screen.
" Vought International has joined forces with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense to issue the highest level of arrest warrant."
The reward is $500 million.
Anyone who provides valid clues leading to the arrest will receive a full reward.
At the same time, we solemnly remind the public that this person and his team are extremely dangerous.
If you spot them, do not approach them. Immediately call the police, and we will send professionals to handle the situation.
After finishing his statement, Edgar didn't give the reporters in the audience any chance to ask questions and decisively turned off his microphone.
Then, escorted by security personnel, he turned and walked off the stage, leaving the media in a frenzy.
at the same time.
Brooklyn, abandoned subway station site.
"Snap--"
The screen of the old television hanging on the wall went dark.
John turned off the remote control, tossed it onto the table, braced himself against the metal table, and looked at the people sitting around him.
"You all saw it, right?"
" Vought's purge has officially begun."
As he spoke, he looked around at everyone.
"Once the wanted list is released, Vought's next step will be to add us to the military's intelligence system, and all their methods will be directed at us."
He paused, then glanced around at everyone present.
"It was a transaction between us from the beginning, and now you've basically got what you wanted."
What I'm about to do requires absolute loyalty and obedience. If anyone feels they've had enough, they can leave early.
As he spoke, he removed his hands from the table and straightened up.
"I don't want to be distracted on the battlefield by having to take care of hesitant people."
"I don't have the energy for that."
"So... you know, who wants to continue, and who wants to quit?"
John was not a kind man, but in some ways he was a grateful person.
If there's a grudge, kill on the spot.
As for those who helped him, his patience was exceptionally high...
He wouldn't mind giving people a chance, as long as he felt it was reasonable.
To him, these "mortals" who killed him could have been wiped out with just a glance.
But he has to save Old Joe and Martha, so he can't go alone.
To seize Authority of the World, he needs help.
This assistance will determine whether he can complete the full strategy for World Distortion Level within the final three months.
This is extremely important to him.
Therefore, he doesn't need a bottom-of-the-barrel student or any hypocritical "dummy."
After John finished speaking, the air froze for several seconds.
The Mother's Milk was the first to stand upright.
He exhaled deeply, looked at John with a complicated expression, and said:
"You've crippled the Soldier Boy; my long-standing grudge has been avenged."
John, I'm not like you guys. I'm just an ordinary person. I have a wife and a daughter who just started middle school...
John looked at him and nodded.
Without saying anything more, Mother's Milk turned around, pushed open the heavy iron door, and his footsteps gradually disappeared into the deep tunnel.
Butcher leaned against the wall, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and let out a smirk:
"Don't look at me, I'm just going to do this one last job, although I don't know what your relationship is with that beast Homelander..."
Becca and Ryan are still waiting for me in Canada. All the formalities are done. I'm going to deal with any further threats.
Just then, Hughie, who had been hiding behind Starlight, suddenly stepped out.
Hughie usually hunched his shoulders, appearing weak and hesitant, but this time, he straightened his back and his eyes were unusually firm.
John.
Hughie spoke, his voice slightly unsteady.
"I... I want to play the New Version of Compound V."
Upon hearing this, Starlight was stunned, and Butcher nearly dropped his cigarette butt onto his crotch.
Even the A-Train and the Deep in the corner looked up in shock!
" Hughie?!"
Starlight suddenly grabbed his arm, her eyes filled with worry.
It's worth mentioning.
Having survived a life-or-death experience, Starlight and Hughie, who already knew each other and had mutual feelings, were even more passionate and announced their relationship that very night.
Hughie turned his head, gently squeezed Starlight's hand, and then looked at John:
"I don't want to be a cowardly good-for-nothing who can only crouch in the back and wait for you guys to fight for your lives every time something happens."
If Compound V could give me power, I'd like to try it no matter what.
Hundreds of miles away.
Luxury high-rise apartment building on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Victoria Neuman had just finished showering and was leaning back on the sofa wrapped in a white silk bathrobe, the ties hanging loosely at her waist.
The neckline was slipped open halfway, revealing a section of collarbone that had turned red from being steamed in hot water.
Just then, she walked to the coffee table in her slippers, when her personal cell phone, which was on the table, suddenly vibrated.
She picked up her phone.
On the screen was a string of unfamiliar phone numbers without any notes.
Neuman frowned slightly. As a congresswoman and a hidden Superman, very few people knew her number.
She swiped to answer the call, held the phone to her ear, and spoke with unusual caution:
Who is it?
A slight static noise came from the other end of the phone, followed by a familiar female voice:
"Good evening, Congressman Neuman... This is Stormfront."
"Why are you calling me so late? Is something wrong?"
Don't be so formal.
Storm chuckled on the other end of the phone, a hint of nonchalance in her voice.
Did you see the arrest warrant Edgar put on at his press conference today?
Five hundred million US dollars, using military and defense resources, without even informing the board of directors... He's really starting to treat Vought more and more like his personal property."
Neuman walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the dazzling night view of Manhattan, and began to speak cryptically.
"How Edgar makes decisions is an internal matter for Vought... You're calling an outsider like me, aren't you looking for the wrong person?"
"Outsiders? Hahahaha!"
On the other end of the phone, Storm laughed unrestrainedly.
"Hey Neuman, stop playing dumb. You're Edgar's little bitch, but you're not stupid either."
Edgar is a madman now; he's gambling with the entire Vought. If he falls, or...
"Dividing some of the power and decision-making authority is beneficial to both of us."
Neuman snorted coldly, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes:
"You want me to help you deal with Edgar? On what grounds? You think I'd betray my adoptive father just because of a few words? Don't dream!"
"On what grounds?"
Storm's voice suddenly lowered.
"With your little tricks... headshot, right? Neuman, do you think that'll work on me?"
Upon hearing Stormfront's words, Neuman's heart skipped a beat, and his expression instantly changed.
Almost no one knew about her superpowers except Edgar. How did Storm find out?
Storm on the other end of the phone continued:
"Your ability is to lock onto a target's eye, compress the fluids and tissues inside, and trigger an explosion, right? Sounds impressive."
But unfortunately... my muscle density and bone hardness are hundreds of times that of an average person, so even electromagnetic Pulse can't hurt me.
"Do you think I could burn your Puxi to a pile of ashes before you go to all that trouble trying to blow my head off?"
Neuman gripped his phone tightly, forcibly suppressing his shock, and said coldly:
" Storm, so what? At worst, I'll quit being a senator. It's nothing to me."
"Really? Heh... You're quite the tough nut to crack, Congressman Neuman."
Storm chuckled softly, then her tone abruptly changed, becoming gentle:
"By the way, your little daughter, Zoe, right? She's such a pretty girl, her round face is so soft and cuddly, it almost made me swoon."
Fuck!
These words struck Neuman's mind like a thunderbolt.
Her blood seemed to freeze completely in that instant.
A chill ran down her spine, and extreme fear and anger intertwined, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.
" Storm... what did you do?!"
Neuman completely lost control of his emotions, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.
"Fuck! What did you do to my daughter?"
"Don't get excited..."
Storm picked at her ear and moved the microphone a little further away in disgust.
Immediately afterwards, a series of soft sounds came from the phone.
The sounds of chewing candy and toys clattering together.
Then, a sweet, childlike voice came through the microphone into Neuman's ears:
"Sister Stormfront... this strawberry candy is so sweet! When can I see my mom? I want to go home..."
"Almost there, baby."
The Storm's voice was unusually gentle as she soothed the child, her face radiating an uncharacteristic tenderness.
"Your mom is talking to your sister about something very important. If Mom is good, your sister will take you home right away, okay?"
Okay~
The little girl answered obediently.
Hearing her daughter's voice, Neuman's eyes instantly turned red, and two blood vessels quickly spread across her eyeballs!
The next second, the head of the pet rabbit in front of her suddenly exploded.
The skull shattered from the inside out, and blood and brain matter radiated outwards, covering the coffee table and half of the sofa cushions. Some tissue even stuck to Neuman's face.
Storm... release my daughter...
Ignoring the filth on his face, Neuman leaned against the wall and pleaded weakly:
Please... don't hurt her...
At this moment, Storm put the phone back to her ear, her tone regaining its usual arrogance:
"Listen, Neuman... The board meeting is the day after tomorrow, Edgar wants to request billions more in funding to hunt down experimental subjects across the United States."
I want you to use your political status and your votes to publicly question the legality of this budget at the meeting and vote against Edgar.
"Do you understand?"
(I posted this with high hopes but no one is urging me to update. Is this book going to fail? I'm so sad.)