Marcus had no idea how far he'd traveled. Nothing but endless ocean stretched in every direction.
"Where did I end up?"
Without landmarks for reference, Marcus continued moving at tremendous speed across the water, wondering about his location.
Heat Void
As energy flashed around him, a massive area rapidly cooled, the ocean surface freezing into thick ice sheets.
"It can even freeze seawater. No wonder it can turn people into ice sculptures!"
Heat Void possessed dual capabilities. The current application extracted surrounding temperature, causing rapid cooling while converting thermal energy into electrical power for self-replenishment.
The alternative function released terrifying heat into the environment, rapidly raising temperatures to create blazing infernos that incinerated everything nearby.
Standing on the ice sheet, Marcus surveyed his surroundings with satisfaction.
Speedsters typically lacked diverse attack methods—most relied on simple, direct approaches.
Even the legendary Flash Barry Allen didn't possess many offensive techniques.
But Marcus's Gauss was different. This Warframe's kinetic battery system enabled various attack capabilities beyond pure velocity.
Such large-scale assaults allowed him to handle multiple enemies during high-speed advances.
"Time to enhance this further. I recall there are Mach Rush mods that can amplify sprint capabilities."
Gauss moved at supersonic speeds, and enhancement crystals could instantly create vacuum effects during sprints, drawing surrounding objects toward the center of his trajectory.
This provided excellent enemy gathering potential, combining perfectly with Heat Void effects to eliminate large groups more efficiently.
Marcus integrated amplitude crystals into Gauss, significantly boosting the Warframe's power.
"Time to return. I should find an opportunity to race A-Train—that could be entertaining."
The ice beneath Marcus's feet shattered instantly as a portal wreathed in thick mist materialized before him.
BOOM~
Marcus vanished from the ocean, the broken ice rapidly melting back into seawater.
Returning to his hotel room, Marcus deactivated Gauss and resumed his normal appearance.
The speed capabilities were truly impressive, reminding him of Gauss's thematic companion—an armor sporting a gaping maw filled with fangs across its torso: Grendel.
"Perhaps I'll craft Grendel next time?"
Among all Warframes, Grendel was uniquely distinctive.
Despite resembling a rotund figure, his combat style was more brutal than any other frame. This armor destroyed enemies by swallowing them alive for continuous digestion, or regurgitating consumed foes as living projectiles.
Somewhat disgusting and decidedly cruel.
After brief consideration, Marcus decided to seriously evaluate these options during his next crafting session.
Currently, he needed to check on The Boys' progress.
Through the razor butterflies monitoring Billy and Hughie, Marcus quickly located them. The pair was traveling with companions toward the waterfront, dragging a large container.
"Dumping a body?"
Marcus's voice suddenly echoed through the vehicle, startling all occupants. They turned to see a black-and-white figure resembling a photographic negative sitting in the back seat.
"Who are you...?"
Mother's Milk, also seated in back, nervously questioned the sudden apparition.
He'd never encountered such a strange being. Billy and Hughie had never mentioned this individual, making him worry this was Vought's hidden asset sent to eliminate them.
After all, they'd just extracted Compound V intelligence from Popclaw, even acquiring a small vial of the substance.
"Don't be nervous. I'm their partner—the so-called armored vigilante."
Marcus's calm tone somewhat reassured Mother's Milk. Though skeptical, he understood that someone with Marcus's capabilities could eliminate them effortlessly.
Compared to superhumans like Marcus, they were barely above ordinary people in strength.
Even less impressive superhumans like Popclaw could easily kill normal humans.
For instance, the corpse in their vehicle had his skull crushed by Popclaw's enhanced strength.
"I came to ask—have you discovered any Compound V leads?"
As he spoke, the razor butterflies previously hidden on Hughie and Billy emerged, dancing around Marcus's palm.
Witnessing the butterflies' behavior, Billy confirmed this energy being was indeed their armored ally.
However, he hadn't expected the warrior's true form to be an energy construct resembling a photographic negative.
"We found something. Popclaw told us where Compound V was hidden, but she doesn't know who manufactures it..."
The Compound V cache location was near where Hughie's girlfriend had been killed, which excited him tremendously.
"So there's still plenty of Compound V circulating outside official channels?"
Marcus suddenly recalled the vial he'd taken from A-Train's belongings.
He remembered that Vought operated charities worldwide—these organizations were actually laboratories designed to distribute Compound V and identify superhumans with optimal abilities.
"Interesting. Continue your investigation without worrying about danger. They'll protect you."
Marcus gradually dissolved within the vehicle as if he'd never appeared.
The two razor butterflies returned to Hughie and Billy.
"Is that guy really your partner?" Frenchie asked while driving. He detected hints of danger in Marcus's words, as if the being was toying with both them and The Seven.
"Don't be so paranoid. Even if he's playing games, we haven't been harmed yet. Having a powerful superhuman divert Vought's attention makes investigating Compound V much easier," Billy reasoned.
Though he didn't particularly trust Marcus, at least the entity guaranteed their operational safety.
"After we dump this body in the ocean, we'll investigate those charity operations."
Billy kicked the body bag dismissively. The victim was relatively innocent, but he didn't care.
If the man hadn't been so perverted, Popclaw wouldn't have crushed his skull, and they wouldn't be disposing of his remains as shark food.