Lady Morningstar's head was gone.
Chen Mo glanced down at the sole of his shoe, his face full of disgust.
"Filthy."
Black-and-red fascia emerged from the sole of his foot and scrubbed against the carpet a couple of times like a mop.
Now it was even dirtier.
Forget it. This place hadn't been clean to begin with.
The VIP area had fallen completely silent.
The superhumans who had been running wild moments ago had all become Chen Mo's experience packs.
Sofas were overturned, the bar had been blown apart, holes gaped in the walls, and crystal chandelier fragments littered the floor. In a little while, the building itself might collapse.
If a repairman walked in now, he'd probably quit on the spot.
Standing in the middle of the wreckage, Chen Mo closed his eyes and began browsing A-Train's memories.
A-Train's memories were a mess.
Drugs.
Cameras.
Applause.
Endorsements.
The training room.
Vought Tower.
The Seven's meeting room.
And Homelander's face, with its gentle smile that made A-Train tremble every time.
Chen Mo clicked his tongue.
"Being in the Seven isn't easy either."
A-Train was afraid of Homelander.
Very afraid.
It would be more accurate to say that no one in the Seven could help fearing Homelander.
They were supposed to be seven superheroes, but even together, they were no match for Homelander.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that A-Train's identity was immensely valuable.
A member of the Seven.
One of Vought's public faces.
With it, Chen Mo could get deeper into Vought and gather intelligence more easily and naturally.
Chen Mo looked down at the remnants of A-Train's suit on the floor.
The Blacklight Virus flowed over his skin like living water.
His bones shifted slightly.
The contours of his muscles changed.
His skin darkened.
His hair grew shorter.
The lines of his face gradually reshaped themselves.
A few seconds later, a familiar Black face appeared in the broken glass.
A-Train.
Chen Mo tugged at the corners of his mouth in the reflection.
"The smile isn't fake enough."
He made another adjustment.
This time, he got it right.
That star quality-thirty percent confidence, thirty percent unease, and forty percent propped up by Vought's packaging-immediately appeared on his face.
He couldn't go without the suit, either.
Chen Mo pressed his palm against the fragments. Blacklight filaments consumed the fabric, analyzed its fibers, and mimicked its texture.
A black suit grew from the surface of his skin, goggles covered his eyes, and the emblem on his chest was reproduced perfectly.
Even the faint scorch mark on the right side of the suit was recreated.
Chen Mo looked himself over.
"Not bad. I can even make my own work uniform now."
Now came the important part.
He couldn't let Vought think A-Train had disappeared.
And he definitely couldn't let Vought know A-Train was dead.
Otherwise, his identity would be useless.
And if a member of the Seven died at a superhuman club, Vought wouldn't be the only one to go crazy. Homelander would, too.
Chen Mo wasn't ready to fight Homelander head-on yet.
So A-Train had to stay alive.
Chen Mo raised a hand and felt the back of his neck.
That was where A-Train's tracking chip was.
Blacklight had completely enveloped it during the devouring, leaving it undamaged.
The chip was still transmitting.
The genetic sample was still there.
So were the memories.
From any angle, Chen Mo was A-Train.
As for his personality being a little different?
Please.
These superheroes did drugs, went crazy, threw parties, and got caught up in scandals every day.
It would be stranger if their personalities were stable.
Chen Mo looked up toward the far end of the corridor.
There were still people alive.
The researchers and security guards in the basement, the staff outside, and several groups of ordinary guests who hadn't managed to escape.
They couldn't all die.
If they all died, there would be no one left to tell the story.
But Chen Mo would decide how that story was told.
A figure flashed.
Chen Mo vanished from where he stood.
The next second, two security guards charged up the stairs. Before they could get a clear look at him, their guns had been taken apart.
Chen Mo kicked one over, grabbed the other by the throat, and shouted in A-Train's voice.
"Run! A monster attacked the club! Notify Vought!"
The guard's face went pale.
A-Train?
Why was A-Train in such a sorry state too?
The question had barely crossed his mind when Chen Mo punched the wall.
Boom!
A huge hole exploded through the wall.
The guard stopped wanting to think altogether.
Even A-Train was in such a hurry, so what the hell was there to think about?
He just had to run.
"Quick! Evacuate! We're under attack!"
Downstairs instantly descended into chaos.
Chen Mo was satisfied.
The supporting evidence was in place.
Next, he needed some traces.
Blacklight surged from his arm, forming a thick, sharp claw that raked viciously across the wall.
Three deep claw marks ran through the corridor.
He raised his hand and sprayed acid, corroding the floor and burning a patch of bizarre, incomprehensible marks into it.
Finally, he used sound waves to shatter the surveillance cameras and crack the glass, then casually broke several load-bearing decorative columns.
The scene looked as though a monster that could shapeshift, corrode things, and attack with sound waves had fought its way up from the basement and had a brutal brawl with a bunch of superhumans.
Perfect.
Chen Mo opened A-Train's phone.
Fingerprint recognized.
Face recognized.
Vought's encrypted internal communications connected automatically.
Several unread messages popped up on the screen.
The public relations department was asking about the situation on-site.
His manager was asking whether any photos had been taken at the party.
There was also an urgent alert from Vought's security department.
Chen Mo glanced over them, then called Vought's emergency number directly.
The call was answered almost instantly.
"A-Train? What's happening? Your location signal has been fluctuating abnormally, and the club's surveillance feed has gone down!"
Chen Mo panted heavily while casually launching two attacks.
"The club's been attacked."
The other end went quiet.
"What kind of attack?"
Chen Mo lowered his voice, sounding both anxious and furious.
"A monster. It's strong. It can shapeshift, corrode things, and attack with sound waves, and it eats people! It started in the basement, then fought its way up to the VIP area. Morningstar, Iron Wall, Echo Girl, Mind Master-they're all gone."
A flurry of keyboard clatter came from the other end.
"Wait, did you say they're all gone? A-Train, are you sure?"
"I saw it with my own eyes!"
Chen Mo punched the wall beside him, sending fragments of stone flying.
The sound carried over the phone, with an explosive effect.
"That thing is stronger than I am! It punched Iron Wall to death and ate him!"
The other end of the line erupted.
What did Vought fear most?
Not deaths.
They could cover those up.
Not scandals.
They could spin those.
What they feared most was losing control.
A monster that had appeared out of nowhere, with multiple superpowers.
If that thing really existed, Vought's executives probably wouldn't sleep a wink tonight.
The corners of Chen Mo's mouth curled up slightly, but his voice grew weaker.
"I'm getting out. That thing is still in the basement. It may have taken the test subjects and the drugs. Send people to seal off the scene immediately."
The person on the other end spoke hurriedly.
"Where are you now?"
Chen Mo pushed off and shot out of the estate.
The road through the woods blurred into a line.
He ran a lap around the estate, deliberately making his location trail as erratic as an electrocardiogram.
"I lost it. I'm heading toward the city."
"Don't run around! We need to confirm your location!"
"Then you'd better hurry. I don't know if that thing is still chasing me!"
Chen Mo hung up.
Don't ask.
If anyone asked, he'd been scared.
It was perfectly reasonable for A-Train to run around after getting scared.
After all, the guy had never been the steady type.
More than ten minutes later.
Vought's helicopter arrived.
A convoy of black SUVs arrived too.
The area around the estate was swiftly sealed off.
Chen Mo stood by a highway more than ten kilometers from the estate, holding on to a road sign and pretending he had just escaped with his life.
His suit was torn, his face looked dreadful, and blood streaked the corner of his mouth.
His battle damage was entirely the work of Blacklight. Even at a hospital, the injuries would be real.
The Vought medical team rushed out of their vehicles.
A group in white coats gathered around him with diagnostic cases.
"A-Train, stay calm. We need to examine you immediately."
Chen Mo shoved one of them aside.
"Don't touch me! Tell me first, did you catch that thing?"
The security chief beside them wore a face as black as the bottom of a pot.
"The site is still being cleared. The underground levels are severely damaged, and a large number of people are missing. We need your cooperation."
Chen Mo took a couple of breaths, as if struggling to suppress his anger.
"I'll cooperate. But you'd better tell me what the hell that thing was. Why did a monster like that show up?"
The security chief's expression turned cold.
"Cooperate with the company! A-Train, that's classified company information!"
Great, they've admitted it's their classified information.
The medical team began its examination.
Blood draw.
Scan.
Pupil response.
Heart rate.
Skin tissue.
Tracking chip.
Chen Mo sat quietly in the vehicle, impatience written all over his face, while the Blacklight inside him never stopped working.
Blood sample?
Simulate A-Train's genes.
Heart rate?
Simulate A-Train's overclocked state after drug abuse.
Chip?
The original.
Memory questioning?
A-Train's own memory bank was online.
A female doctor studied the test results, her frown deepening.
"Genetic match."
A technician beside her spoke up next.
"The tracking chip's serial number matches. No signs of removal."
"Iris match."
"Voiceprint match."
"The concentration of Compound V in his blood is high, but consistent with A-Train's recent records."
The security chief stared at Chen Mo.
"You really saw a monster?"
Chen Mo looked up.
"You doubt me?"
The security chief said nothing.
The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
Several armed men nearby instinctively put their hands on their guns.
Chen Mo almost laughed.
Pointing guns at A-Train.
These people really aren't afraid of getting plowed into pulp.
Chen Mo's face went cold.
"Ask."
The security chief opened his tablet.
"Where did you see the monster?"
"At the club. I was in a room, heard a noise and came out. Iron Wall had just been killed by it?"
"Did you fight it?"
"I tried hitting it a few times, but it wasn't hurt at all, so I took the chance to run."
"You saw the monster use multiple superpowers?"
"It was incredibly strong, its skin was thick, and it hurt me with a sonic attack. My ears are still ringing."
The security chief asked another seven or eight questions.
Chen Mo answered quickly and irritably.
A-Train's memories weren't exactly clean, but they were enough.
After the final question, the technician beside the security chief said quietly,
"Heart rate normal. Microexpressions passed."
The security chief finally put away his tablet.
"Sorry. Procedure."
Chen Mo stared at him.
"Procedure? I just escaped from a monster, and you're talking to me about procedure?"
His outburst was perfectly timed.
Several Vought employees nearby immediately lowered their heads in apology.
The security chief also began trying to calm A-Train down.
See that?
That's the right feel.
That's A-Train.
Impatient, vain, and afraid of losing face.
Chen Mo gave himself a mental thumbs-up.
When it comes to acting, the grandmasters themselves have blessed me with talent.
Half an hour later.
Vought Tower, The Seven's meeting floor.
Chen Mo sat in a medical chair with a blanket draped over him, while equipment beeped beside him.
Beyond the clear glass, a group of executives paced back and forth.
The public relations department had already started drafting a press release.
The existence of the superhuman club could not be exposed.
The underground test subjects could not be exposed.
Nor could the truth about the dead low-level heroes be made public.
So the story became a terrorist attack on a Vought partner facility, with A-Train heroically coming to the rescue. Though badly injured, he had still managed to warn the company in time, preventing greater casualties.
Listening to it, Chen Mo almost wanted to applaud.
That's Vought for you.
The dead aren't even cold yet, and they've already picked a title for the promotional video.
The meeting room door opened.
The Deep poked his head in, his expression somewhat complicated.
"Bro, are you okay?"
Chen Mo looked up at him.
The biggest clown in the original show has arrived.
"Not really."
The Deep nodded awkwardly.
"Oh, right, of course not. I heard you were attacked by a monster?"
"Want to try it yourself?"
The Deep immediately shut up.
Chen Mo lowered his head and drank some water.
The relationships within The Seven were even faker than he had imagined.
There wasn't much concern in The Deep's eyes, just more schadenfreude and a little fear.
Translucent sat in his seat without speaking, but emotional sensing showed that he was gloating.
Maeve hadn't come.
Black Noir stood in a corner like a motionless black statue.
Chen Mo swept his emotional perception over him.
This guy's inner world is pretty rich. He's happy right now, and there are even a few emotional colors in the air around him.
So he really does have spirit animal friends.
The meeting room suddenly fell silent.
Footsteps came from the doorway.
Unhurried.
Very light.
Yet everyone seemed to have been muted.
Homelander walked in.
Blond hair, blue eyes, a cape, and that sickeningly standard smile he wore on the news.
Chen Mo looked up at him.
The Blacklight Virus suddenly tensed inside him.
This isn't A-Train.
Nor is he small fry like Iron Wall or Morningstar.
Homelander stood there like a walking nuclear power plant.
His life heat was absurdly intense.
His muscle density, bone strength, and energy readings were all outrageously high.
Chen Mo forcibly suppressed the excitement in his eyes.
I still need to keep up the disguise first.
Homelander walked up to Chen Mo and looked down at him.
The smile remained.
But in Chen Mo's emotional perception, beneath that golden shell lurked a cold dissatisfaction.
"A-Train."
Chen Mo immediately summoned the nervous response from A-Train's memories.
His shoulders tensed slightly, his breathing grew shallow, and his eyes flickered away, as though he didn't dare meet Homelander's gaze.
"Captain."
Homelander smiled.
"I heard you ran away."
The meeting room instantly grew even quieter.
The Deep immediately looked away.
Translucent held his breath.
Even Black Noir stopped letting his mind wander and watched events unfold.
Chen Mo was delighted.
Here it comes.
Workplace bullying in The Seven.
Homelander slowly bent down, his voice gentle.
"A monster attacked the scene, and you survived. Good."
"But a member of The Seven shouldn't run away."
"Especially not after a bunch of low-level heroes have died, leaving you to run back by yourself."
Chen Mo looked up, an expression of shame, anger, and lingering fear on his face.
"That thing wasn't an ordinary enemy. It had a lot of powers. I couldn't beat it, and if I'd stayed, I would've just been eaten."
Homelander stared at him.
"So you admit you were afraid?"
Chen Mo clenched his fists.
What would A-Train do?
Make excuses.
"I was bringing the intel back. Besides, if I'd died there, the Seven's reputation would've been ruined."
At that, the head of security nodded at once.
"From a procedural standpoint, A-Train's choice did prevent the information from being lost entirely."
Homelander slowly turned his head and glanced at the head of security.
The head of security instantly shut his mouth.
Homelander looked back at Chen Mo, his smile deepening.
"Very good, A-Train. Looks like you're not completely useless after all."
Chen Mo lowered his head and said nothing.
Homelander reached out and patted him on the shoulder.
Then he gave it an apparently affectionate squeeze.
But Chen Mo could feel that the hand could tear his disguise apart at any moment.
"Get some rest, A-Train."
Homelander leaned closer, his voice low enough that only the two of them could hear.
"Don't embarrass the Seven again."
Chen Mo looked up.
His fear was feigned to perfection.
"There won't be a next time."
Homelander smiled in satisfaction, then turned and left.
Only then did the air in the conference room start moving again.
No one doubted A-Train's identity.
His genes matched.
His memories matched.
His chip matched.
Even his cowardice in the face of Homelander matched.
What was left to doubt?
Chen Mo pondered this and closed his eyes.
Vought Tower.
The Seven.
Homelander.
And the compound V records and list of experiments hidden deeper within the company.
To others, this building was a sanctuary for superheroes.
To Chen Mo, it was a high-end buffet restaurant he had just gotten a ticket to enter.
The corners of his mouth rose slightly.
A-Train was dead.
But A-Train was alive again.