Chapter 56: Operation Begins
[Copy Progress: 99%]
[... 100%]
[LV5 Super Speed, Copy Complete.]
When the progress bar finally filled the last slot, Lu Chenfelt an indescribable energy surge from his palm, where he was in contact with A-Train, instantly penetrating his entire body.
This feeling was marvelous; the trajectories of the surrounding air currents and the paths of falling dust became traceable in his eyes. Time had not slowed down, but rather, his neural responses had been elevated to another level.
He slowly withdrew his hand and stood up.
Lu Chen tentatively lifted his foot and gave it a try.
The next second, he had already moved around the Underground Room several times and returned to his original spot.
This is... the feeling of surpassing the speed of sound.
His body had not even fully adapted to the changes brought about by this speed, but his brain was already able to process this explosive influx of information. The LV4 Super Physique was the perfect foundation, sufficient to withstand the load brought by this speed.
Lu Chen took a glance at A-Train, who was still unconscious on the ground, stuffed him back into the suitcase, changed his own face, and dragged him away from this scarred land of New York.
At an unmanned bed in a community hospital, Lu Chenthrew the suitcase there like trash, casually stuffed a wad of cash he had "borrowed" from a few street thugs into the suitcase zipper, pressed the emergency call button on the wall, and walked away quickly.
After doing all this, Lu Chen unhurriedly took out his phone and sent a text message to Hughie.
[Operation can begin.]
[I will make a move.]
...
"Ding." The sound of the phone vibrating seemed exceptionally harsh in the cramped hideout.
Hughie practically sprang up and grabbed the phone. When he saw the words on the screen, he felt as if he had been injected with a shot of adrenaline,
"He replied to me! He replied to me!" Hughie's voice was filled with irrepressible excitement. He turned to Kimiko, who was silent in the corner, "Lu said he would help!"
Kimiko looked up; there wasn't much surprise in her eyes, but rather a sense of impatient urging. Having waited here for half a day, she had almost stared a hole through the wall.
"Our plan... our plan should be feasible." Hughie took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and went over the scheme, which sounded like suicide, in his mind once again.
The plan was simple, but it was the best scheme he could think of.
Hughie would return to the safe house where Frenchie and the others were previously captured and intentionally expose himself to get caught. This way, he could be locked up with Mothers Milk and Frenchie.
And Kimiko would track the vehicle transporting him based on the locator on his person.
Of course, the prison would conduct a body search, and the phone definitely wouldn't be kept. But Hughie had hidden his real backup plan in a more concealed place—in the interlayer of his shoe sole, hiding a button-sized micro-locator. That was something Frenchie had left behind; as long as it could continue to emit a signal on the road, Kimiko would be able to lock onto the general area where they were being held.
Once the location where the signal stopped was determined, Kimiko's task was to send the location to Lu Chen, and then the two of them would attack from the outside, while he would lead Frenchie and Mothers Milk in a coordinated inside-and-outside strike.
"I'm going." Hughie stood up and handed the phone to Kimiko, "If... if the thing in my shoe is also discovered beforehand, just forget about this, and run as far away as you can."
Half an hour later, Hughie stood at the door of that familiar safe house, looking back at the street corner one last time. Kimiko was leaning against the wall behind him, gesturing for him to "hurry up."
Hughie gave a wry smile and pushed open the door.
Almost the moment he stepped in, a piercing alarm sounded throughout the entire space, and red warning lights flashed wildly. In less than ten seconds, several Agents holding assault rifles and wearing tactical vests rushed out from the shadows, their dark gun barrels aimed at him.
"Don't move! Put your hands up!"
Hughie obediently raised his hands, "Hey, guys, don't be nervous... I'm just, uh, coming back to find my power bank."
No one paid any attention to his cold joke.
One Agent stepped forward and roughly pressed him against the wall, while another patted him down.
"Report, no weapons."
"Take him away." The lead Agent ordered coldly.
The CIA's black prison was hidden in an inconspicuous industrial area in the suburbs, disguised as a logistics warehouse. High walls, barbed wire, and ubiquitous surveillance cameras together formed an iron cage that one could enter but not leave.
Hughie was roughly pushed into a prison cell by two burly Agents. The iron door locked with a "clang" behind him.
Inside the cell, Mothers Milk and Frenchie looked up. Seeing that the person coming in was Hughie, a flash of joy first flickered across their faces, but then it dimmed again.
"Why did you get yourself in here too?" Mothers Milk's voice carried a hint of exhaustion, "Where is Butcher? What is his plan?"
"Butcher... he went to find Mallory." Hughie slid down against the wall and sat, "It's just me alone."
Frenchie and Mothers Milk exchanged glances, both seeing despair in each other's eyes. What could one Hughie do? Just feed himself to the enemy?
"Fuck!" Frenchie cursed under his breath, burying his head in his knees, "We're done for. Where is Kimiko? Is she okay?"
"She should be okay, and it's not over yet."
In their surprised gazes, he put his fingers into his mouth and forcefully picked at his upper palate. Hughie pulled out a small piece of curved wire, which was a part of the dental retainer he should have removed months ago.
Before coming in, he was searched from head to toe, and even the locator in his shoe sole was ferreted out by that damned metal detector. But no one would have thought that he was still hiding something in his upper palate.
Seeing that glimmering wire, Frenchie's eyes instantly lit up.
"My God..." Frenchie snatched the wire, as if holding some rare treasure, and leaned toward the keyhole, his eyes flashing with fanaticism, "This curvature, this resilience... this is simply a work of art born for picking locks! Hughie, you motherfucker, you really are a genius!"
Mothers Milk watched the excited Frenchie and the nervous-looking Hughie, helplessly shaking his head.
Well, maybe it wasn't over yet.
At least they had a lunatic who could pick locks, and a "genius" who brought the lock-picking tool.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, the lights of the wealthy district illuminated the night sky.
Butcher, like a Beast lurking in the darkness, lay prone in the bushes opposite the Villa. Mallory's words were still echoing in his mind. Madelyn Stillwell and Homelander. That kind of pathological attachment.
A black SUV slowly drove into the driveway. The car door opened, and Madelyn Stillwell stepped out in high heels, carrying a briefcase in her hand. She looked very tired, not even noticing that the security around the perimeter of the Villa was half of what it usually was.
Butcher's finger rested on the trigger of the sniper rifle. The crosshairs were centered on Madelyn Stillwell's head. With just a gentle squeeze, the Vice President of Vought Company would become a headless corpse. But this was meaningless. It wasn't Madelyn Stillwell's life he wanted; it was Homelander's pain he wanted.
"Don't rush, Billy. The good show has only just begun." He whispered to himself.
Chapter 57: How Is It You
Night fell.
Lu Chen appeared silently at the meeting place Kimiko had sent using Hughie's phone.
He had changed into a plain, unremarkable Indian face, wearing a hoodie and jeans he had just swiped from a shopping mall.
Not far away, a slender figure was leaning against a rusty telephone pole; it was Kimiko.
Lu Chen walked over slowly, stopped in front of her, and whispered, "Hughie."
This was their agreed-upon code.
Kimiko jerked her head up. After glancing at the person who had arrived, she pointed anxiously at the massive warehouse nearby, then pointed at her phone screen, which displayed a blinking red dot.
The meaning was clear: the person was inside.
Lu Chen looked in the direction she pointed. The warehouse looked ordinary on the outside, but there were armed guards standing at the entrance and several key positions.
Lu Chen roughly understood the situation, but the conditions inside were unknown. He turned to look at Kimiko, lifted his chin, and signaled for her to go first.
Kimiko was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened, filled with the accusation: "You're sending me in alone?"
Lu Chen shrugged, though he was thinking about something else.
Kimiko wouldn't die anyway.
He needed to confirm if there was any big threat hidden inside the warehouse.
If the door opened and Homelander was sitting inside drinking milk, that would be a huge problem.
Kimiko glared at him fiercely.
But her worry for Frenchie eventually overcame her anger.
She didn't hesitate any longer, crouched slightly, and charged out.
"Hey! Who goes there!"
The guards at the warehouse entrance spotted the dark figure rushing toward them at high speed, immediately shouting a warning and opening fire.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The muzzle flashes of the automatic rifles wove a net in the dark night.
The bullets hit Kimiko accurately, punching bloody holes into her body.
Her body staggered, and finally, she fell heavily to the ground and lay still.
Several special police officers exchanged glances and didn't move forward immediately.
They were quite cautious, emptying their magazines into the "corpse" on the ground. After reloading, they cautiously surrounded it with their guns raised.
Just as one of them prepared to kick Kimiko's body, the "corpse" on the ground moved.
Kimiko sprang up like a spring. With one hand for each, she twisted the necks of the two closest special police officers at an angle no normal person could comprehend.
"Snap!"
She grabbed the two corpses as shields, pushing through the hail of bullets from the special police behind, and charged straight into the crowd.
Bullets hit the bulletproof vests and flesh, making dull, thudding sounds.
Using the corpses as cover, Kimiko crashed into the crowd.
Discarding the bullet-riddled meat shields, she became like a hungry wolf diving into a flock of sheep, her hands turning into the most primitive weapons.
Twisting spines, puncturing windpipes, tearing throats—the entire sequence had no flashy moves, only instincts honed purely for killing.
In just over ten seconds, the defensive line outside the door was completely dismantled.
Amidst the scattered limbs and broken bodies, Kimikostood up straight, panting.
She turned her head and glared fiercely at Lu Chen, who was hiding in the shadows of the trees.
That look was full of accusation.
Lu Chen, however, was watching with great interest from afar.
This girl's combat skills were indeed clean and efficient; every move was intended to kill, with not a single superfluous motion. She was truly worthy of her professional scout training.
As Kimiko shook the blood from her hands and turned to kick open the warehouse door, the unexpected happened.
"Boom!"
That heavy iron door was smashed outward by brute force!
The iron door flew out like a thrown discus, spinning.
Kimiko dodged it with a clumsy side roll.
Lu Chen's eyes instantly turned serious; his muscles tensed, and the various abilities within him were ready to be unleashed.
He stared fixedly at the dark opening of the doorway.
Come on, let me see who it is.
The next second, a figure wearing a yellow-green tight-fitting combat suit jumped out of the door in an extremely pretentious heroic pose.
He landed steadily with his hands on his hips.
"I am The Deep! Master of the Seven Seas! Justice has arrived, you bastard! Are you ready to face judgment from the ocean?"
Lu Chen: "..."
He almost thought he had misread the situation.
The Deep? How could this guy be here? They were over a hundred kilometers from the nearest coastline.
Judgment from the ocean? Using a fire hydrant?
The Deep obviously hadn't noticed Lu Chen in the distance; all his attention was on Kimiko, who had just climbed up from the ground.
He struck what he thought was a cool fighting stance and continued in his movie-acting tone: "Surrender, evil invader! Before the great Deep, all your resistance is futile!"
Just then, a burst of dense gunfire and chaotic shouting suddenly erupted from inside the warehouse.
It sounded like Frenchie and the others had successfully broken out of prison and were clashing with the guards inside.
Lu Chen did not hesitate any longer.
He pushed off with his feet, turning into a blurred afterimage, and charged toward the "Master of the Seven Seas" who was still posing.
He didn't push his speed to the limit, keeping it at about 200 meters per second, and he didn't use Heat Vision or any of his signature superpowers.
In a black site prison of this level, there were definitely high-definition cameras hidden everywhere; revealing his trump cards would be the stupidest choice.
He converted his skin into Carbon Skin to prepare his defense, then, combined with the terrifying kinetic energy generated by his speed, delivered a full-force front kick that struck The Deep directly in the chest.
To The Deep, he only saw a blurred shadow rushing toward him.
He didn't even have time to react before a sharp pain shot through his abdomen, and he flew backward, smashing through the warehouse's side wall with a loud crash.
Lu Chen had originally thought that his full-force kick would be enough to put this comic-relief character down for good.
However, The Deep stood up from the brick and stone rubble, cursing, and didn't seem to have suffered any major injuries.
"Asshole! You ruined my two-hundred-thousand-dollar suit!" The Deep roared, rushing over with his fists swinging like an enraged walrus.
Lu Chen dodged to the side, feeling a bit surprised.
This guy was unexpectedly tough.
His pure physical durability seemed to be even higher than Black Noir's.
It seemed he had underestimated him before; being able to dive into the deep sea, his body structure and pressure tolerance were indeed extraordinary.
"You're the one who killed Black Noir, right? You made me search the ocean for so long! You curry-smelling bastard, take this: Deep Sea Punch!" The Deep yelled.
Lu Chen couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense with him. He accelerated again, his figure leaving several afterimages around The Deep.
The Deep's fists missed every time, only striking the air in vain.
Lu Chen seized an opening and landed a heavy punch solidly on the gills on The Deep's abdomen.
"Bang!"
The Deep was knocked backward violently, spinning like a top for two turns before collapsing onto his butt, rolling around while clutching his abdomen.
However, just as Lu Chen thought the fight was over, The Deep made an unexpected move.
He scrambled to turn and run. While running, he pulled a device resembling an emergency call button from his belt and slammed it down.
A piercing alarm instantly rang out through the night sky.
Lu Chen paused. This guy... was he calling for backup?
Chapter 58: Protecting Mom Online
A piercing alarm tore through the night sky.
Calling for backup?
This thought flashed through Lu Chen's mind, only to be replaced by an even greater sense of crisis. The Deep was an idiot and not worth fearing.
This emergency beeper was most likely not for contacting some rapid response unit.
It would take some time to take down The Deep with physical strength alone, but the risk of being exposed to Homelander's sight right now was infinite.
He didn't hesitate any longer.
Pursue The Deep? No need.
He turned and charged straight toward the warehouse door that had been knocked open. The gunfire from inside the warehouse had become sporadic; clearly, the battle was nearing its end.
What he needed to do was finish everything before that visitor from the sky arrived, and then vanish completely from this damn place.
The moment he rushed into the warehouse, a thick smell of blood and gunpowder smoke hit his face. Several guards in SWAT uniforms were holding guns, backing against some shipping containers, and confronting the people on the other side.
And their opponents were none other than Frenchie and Mothers Milk.
Frenchie was wielding a crowbar, while Mothers Milk had ripped off a metal cabinet door to use as a shield. Hughiewas also holding a rifle picked up from a guard's corpse, but his hand holding the gun was shaking violently; clearly, he hadn't recovered from the intense battle just now.
Seeing Lu Chen enter, Frenchie and Mothers Milk were both stunned.
Lu Chen didn't waste words, his body tracing blurry paths through the narrow corridor.
Those surviving guards didn't even have time to turn their guns before they felt a chill on their necks or a tightness in their chests, and then their consciousness fell into Eternity's darkness.
"Click."
"Pfft."
The final threat was cleared.
Lu Chen's figure stopped in front of Hughie. He didn't even glance at Hughie and the others, just used that unfamiliar Indian face to spit out one word.
"Run."
Having said that, he didn't even look back at their reaction, turned, smashed through the wall on the other side of the warehouse, and disappeared into the vast night.
Hughie stared blankly at the hole, then looked at the corpses covering the ground, unable to react for a moment.
It was Mothers Milk who came to his senses first. He dropped the metal cabinet door and shouted in a deep voice, "What are you still standing there for? Listen to him, go, quickly!!"
After leaving the warehouse, Lu Chen didn't choose the desolate back alleys; instead, he plunged into the most crowded district.
He couldn't gamble—gamble that Homelander wouldn't come, or that Homelander couldn't find him.
He could only trust his own judgment and erase all traces of himself in the most rigorous way.
He didn't push his speed to the limit, just maintained a speed beyond that of an ordinary person, weaving through the shadows of alleys and buildings.
Soon, he rushed into a 24-hour department store.
He walked straight to the fitting room in the men's clothing section.
When he went in, he was an Indian.
Two minutes later, a tall, thin, blonde-haired, blue-eyed White youth walked out. He was wearing a flight jacket he had just "borrowed," chewing gum, and sauntered out of another exit of the mall.
He blended into the crowd, turned two blocks, and walked into a brightly lit sports brand flagship store.
He repeated the same trick.
This time, he turned into a sturdy Black man wearing a baseball cap and swaggered out.
He repeated this three times.
When he finally sat on a bench at a late-night bus stop with an unremarkable Black face, he finally let out a small sigh of relief. Like an ordinary office worker after a shift, he looked down at his phone, but in reality, all his attention was focused on his senses.
He looked up at the distant night sky.
Under the reflection of the city lights, in the pitch-black sky, several elongated, cone-shaped clouds lingered for a long time.
Those were sonic boom clouds.
Only when a flying object breaks the sound barrier at supersonic speed would it leave such traces at high altitude.
Moreover, judging by the number and shape of the clouds, the opponent's speed was extremely fast, and they had broken the sound barrier more than once.
He was here.
Lu Chen withdrew his gaze, put his phone back in his pocket, stood up, and merged into the crowd, just like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
Fortunately, he ran fast enough.
A red and blue afterimage tore through the sky and landed with the force of a thunderbolt.
"Boom!"
The ground shook violently, and spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the entire open space, centered on the impact point.
Homelander stood in the center of the devastated Black-jail facility, his Stars and Stripes suit still spotless under the lights. However, his handsome face was clouded with gloom.
Just a short while ago, he had gone to see Dr. Vogelbaum, the "father" who created him.
He only wanted to know one thing: about Becca and his potentially existing child. In his investigation, if Becca had simply committed suicide because she couldn't face reality, Vought had ten thousand ways to make her shut up forever and then suppress the matter.
But the suicide recorded by the Police system didn't match the disappearance recorded in Vought's internal files, and Madelyn Stillwell's concealment made him wonder: had Becca really conceived his child? Before this, everyone had told him he was incapable of having offspring.
And the answer he received pierced through his final fantasy.
"...The Superhumans fetus... its development speed and strength were far beyond normal... Becca's uterus couldn't withstand it... During the delivery phase, he... he tore open his mother's stomach himself... Becca died of massive hemorrhage, we couldn't save her... And that child didn't even live for ten seconds, drowning in its mother's blood."
A son.
He once had a son.
This unfocused rage and sorrow rampaged wildly within his chest, almost setting him on fire. And the ruins before his eyes, another failure by these losers, was undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire.
"Sir! Mr. Homelander!"
A disheveled figure came scrambling over, it was The Deep.
Snot and tears streaming down his face, he began to claim credit: "I fought him, sir! I'm sure that bastard who smelled like curry is the murderer who killed Black Noir! He's in league with Butcher and his lot, that's why he came to save them!"
"I fought bravely, but there were too many of them. I was outnumbered, and for the sake of the big picture, I had to call you..."
The Deep was still babbling on, but Homelander's attention was no longer on his words at all.
"Bang!"
Without warning, Homelander punched the wall right next to The Deep's ear. The reinforced concrete wall shattered at the sound, and The Deep was so frightened by the sudden punch that he collapsed to the ground.
Homelander slowly leaned down, his shadow enveloping The Deep.
That gloomy expression made The Deep afraid to even breathe.
"Find him."
"Find him for me."
His hand pressed onto The Deep's shoulder with such force that The Deep felt his bones groaning.
"I don't care who he is, or where he's hiding." In the depths of Homelander's azure eyes, a flash of blood-red light flickered and vanished. "I want you to bring him to me. Alive."
"Yes! Yes! Sir! I promise!" The Deep agreed hurriedly and scrambled away, as if chased by a demon.
Watching The Deep's foolish back, a trace of nostalgia welled up in Homelander's heart.
He began to miss Black Noir.
That silent, taciturn ninja who could always perfectly execute all his orders. If it were Black Noir here, what he would be bringing him right now would already be a corpse, not a pile of stupid excuses.
He slowly closed his eyes, forcibly calming the surging emotions within his heart.
Just then, the phone in his pocket vibrated abruptly.
It was a new message.
Homelander took out his phone with some impatience, thinking it was another blind bureaucrat.
However, the moment he saw the content on the screen, his entire demeanor changed.
It was a photo.
The background of the photo was Madelyn Stillwell's house, a place he knew all too well.
Madelyn Stillwell was tied to a chair, her face full of terror.
Wrapped around her body was a ring of C4 explosives, and a bright red countdown timer was particularly striking in the darkness.
14:58...
14:57...
In that instant, all the sounds in the World vanished.
The rage about Becca, the sorrow about his son, the annoyance at his subordinates' incompetence... everything was completely wiped out by this photo.
In his mind, only Madelyn Stillwell's terrified face and those constantly jumping red numbers remained.
He suddenly raised his head, his feet slowly leaving the ground.
The next second.
"Boom——!"
A sonic boom cloud exploded over the Black-jail facility, and the red and blue figure turned into a streak of light invisible to the naked eye, tearing through the night sky and charging madly in one direction.
Chapter 59: A Lifetime of Seeking
Gale-force winds raged over New York. Rings of sonic boom clouds burst open one after another.
Fourteen minutes. That was the countdown.
All he had in his mind was that constantly jumping red number, and Madelyn Stillwell's terrified face.
The floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor of the Villa shattered with a roar.
The massive impact tore the heavy curtains to shreds. Shards of glass sprayed into the room in a radial pattern, thudding against the leather sofa.
In the center of the living room.
Madelyn Stillwell was tied to a mahogany dining chair with thick nylon rope.
Several slabs of khaki-colored C4 explosives were pressed tightly against her chest. A red electronic countdown timer was fixed in the center of the explosives.
The numbers kept jumping.
13:55
13:54
An infant carrier was placed on the coffee table nearby. Teddy was fast asleep, sucking on a pacifier.
Butcher stood behind the sofa, his coat open.
His right hand was raised high, his thumb pressing down on a black pressure-release detonator button.
He watched Homelander descend from the sky.
Faster than expected. It seemed that photograph had truly worked.
Butcher adjusted his stance.
He had precisely calculated the yield of the C4; it was enough to blow this house, along with everyone inside, to ashes.
Would this kill Homelander? Probably not.
But it could blow up Madelyn Stillwell. That was enough.
Let this monster who took Becca away taste the feeling of losing his beloved as well.
Homelander ignored the whimpers coming from Madelyn Stillwell's mouth, which was half-sealed with tape.
He strode forward, walking straight toward Butcher.
His leather boots crunched on the broken glass.
The two were less than a meter apart.
Butcher did not retreat. His thumb remained steadily pressed on the button.
As long as the other party had even a sliver of hesitation, the initiative remained in his hands.
Homelander tilted his head slightly.
In his ears, only the sound of Butcher's heartbeat remained, amplified infinitely.
Steady. Powerful. Without the slightest panicked acceleration.
In the past, those who intended to oppose him would have already had their heartbeats spin out of control at this distance once they saw him in person.
The bearded man before him felt no fear.
"You aren't afraid of me," Homelander said.
"You're very angry. Interesting. You think I'm the one who killed Becca, don't you?"
Homelander raised his hand and pointed at Madelyn Stillwell, who was tied to the chair.
"So you took the person I care about as a hostage. The person I love."
He lowered his hand and crossed his arms over his chest.
"So, what do you plan to do next? What do you want? Do you want me to repent? Or… what is your ultimate goal?"
Butcher tugged at the collar of his coat.
"I just want to hurt you."
He looked directly into those azure eyes.
"I mean truly, genuinely hurt you. That would be good enough for me."
"John! Please!"
Madelyn Stillwell broke free from the loosened tape on her mouth and cried out for help.
"Save Teddy! Please, take Teddy out of here!"
Homelander turned around. His gaze fell upon the infant carrier.
A child.
Vogelbaum's words echoed in his mind.
Rip open the womb. Drown in the blood.
Fury roiled in his chest.
"Right, a child," Homelander strode toward Madelyn Stillwell.
"I once had a child too."
Madelyn Stillwell froze. Her breathing stopped for an instant.
"I already know everything from Vogelbaum."
Homelander stood before her, looking down at her.
"Why did you keep it from me?"
Madelyn Stillwell's chest heaved violently.
Continuing to play dumb would only lead to a faster death. She had to go along with his emotions.
He was a person starved of love; he needed the illusion of a family.
"Because I love you."
Madelyn Stillwell looked up, her eyes welling with tears.
"I was afraid you couldn't accept that your child had died in a miscarriage. That truth was too cruel."
She turned her head to look at the carrier.
"And Teddy… you can treat him as your own child. We can raise him together. How about that?"
Homelander turned and walked over to the carrier.
He reached out and picked up Teddy. His movements were surprisingly gentle.
Madelyn Stillwell breathed a sigh of relief.
The trick had worked. As long as he still cared about her, and cared about this pieced-together home, she could survive.
"Please, you must save him. Promise me, okay?"
Homelander held the child, his back to Madelyn Stillwell.
He was silent for a few seconds.
"Madelyn Stillwell, didn't I say before that there would be no more secrets between us?"
"Yes," Madelyn Stillwell nodded repeatedly.
"It was my fault. I shouldn't have kept this from you. I promise you, there are no secrets between us. Please protect Teddy, okay?"
Red light burst into Homelander's eyes.
He turned around and flung his hands.
Teddy was thrown back onto the sofa. The child rolled twice on the cushion, startled, and began to wail.
Homelander took a few steps to stand in front of Madelyn Stillwell. He bent down, resting his hands on the armrests of the chair, his face almost touching hers.
"You promised me there would be no secrets."
"You just fucking promised me that."
"You and Vogelbaum should have gotten your stories straight."
Homelander reached out and gripped Madelyn Stillwell's chin, forcing her to look up. The force of his fingers was enough to crush her jawbone.
"It was so damn close! Fucking so close! Do you know? Vogelbaum told me that my child drowned in the blood after tearing out of the mother."
Tears slid down Madelyn Stillwell's cheeks. She sobbed out loud.
All pretenses were completely torn away.
"Yes, that's it. Cry," Homelander released his grip and stood upright.
"I'm so sorry," Madelyn Stillwell sobbed.
"I really shouldn't have lied to you. I know now that you don't need to be protected. I'm so sorry. Please, take Teddy back upstairs, okay?"
Homelander looked down at her from above.
"Have you ever truly cared about me?"
"You are my everything," Madelyn Stillwell said without hesitation.
"No. No, no," Homelander shook his head repeatedly.
"I am just your entire job. You fucking care about that child more than you care about me."
"No. I love you," Madelyn Stillwell shook her head desperately.
"I love you, I love you. I swear I love you."
"But?"
Madelyn Stillwell choked. Her lips trembled. She couldn't utter a word for a long time.
"Tell me the truth, or I'm leaving right now," Homelanderpointed toward the door.
"I'm scared," Madelyn Stillwell lowered her head, murmuring.
"I'm scared…"
"What?" Homelander leaned in closer.
"I said I'm scared," Madelyn Stillwell looked up.
"Scared of what?"
"Of you. I'm very scared of you."
Homelander watched her quietly. The violence on his face vanished.
"Thank you."
He reached out and cupped Madelyn Stillwell's cheeks. His thumbs gently stroked her cheekbones.
"Thank you for finally telling the truth."
He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to Madelyn Stillwell's forehead.
Butcher stood not far away, watching this absurd scene.
Seeking love. Receiving fear. And then, satisfaction.
His thumb pressed down another fraction on the detonator button.
The next second.
Two crimson laser beams shot out from Homelander's eyes.
They pierced directly through Madelyn Stillwell's skull.
The smell of burning flesh permeated the air. Madelyn Stillwell's head hung limply, two charred, bloody holes emitting wisps of smoke.
Butcher looked at the smoking corpse, then at the Superhuman who turned his head.
Without hesitation, he released his hand from the red button on the detonator.
Fire burst forth from the C4 explosives on Madelyn Stillwell's chest.
Chapter 60: Bait
Fire engulfed everything.
A violent explosion razed the entire Villa to the ground.
Beside the ruins, a red and blue figure stood silently.
Homelander was unscathed; he looked down at the person he was holding in his hand.
William Billy Butcher.
At the very last moment of the explosion, Homelander had saved him.
Butcher coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked up at Homelander, a twisted smile actually hanging on his face.
"Why?" he said hoarsely, "Can't bear to see me die? Or do you want to torture me yourself?"
Homelander did not answer.
In his azure eyes, there was no emotion. No anger, no satisfaction, not even the previous violence.
Only a cold emptiness remained.
Madelyn Stillwell was dead.
That woman whom he had loved, hated, and deeply relied on, was dead.
She died in front of him.
And the truth about his son had also turned into a fog with the Death of that woman.
Vogelbaum had said half of it.
Madelyn Stillwell had said the other half.
The two versions contradicted each other, but both pointed to one result—he had once had a child.
He needed the whole truth.
The next second, his feet left the ground, and carrying Butcher, he turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the night.
But all of this had nothing to do with Lu Chen.
In Queens, inside the previous motel.
Lu Chen sat on the edge of the bed; on the phone screen in front of him, news of an explosion in a Villa district in New York City was playing on a loop.
Something had happened in the wealthy district, and now the streets were full of flashing police lights and the roar of fire trucks, with a bigger commotion than the nationwide manhunt for Hughie and the others.
Lu Chen turned off the video and sent a message to Hughie.
"Are you safe?"
Less than thirty seconds after the message was sent, a reply was received.
"Safe! We are hiding in a place Frenchie found, an... Underground Room black market, full of shady characters."
Hughie's text was filled with tension.
Lu Chen could imagine what that rookie looked like now.
"By the way, that... Indian guy who saved us in the Black Prison earlier, was he a helper you found?" Hughie sent another message immediately after.
"Yes."
Lu Chen's reply was concise.
He didn't want to explain too much about the "helper," as that would only bring more unnecessary trouble.
He needed to bring the topic back to his own goal.
"I saw your wanted posters; is there a Japanese girl named Kimiko among your members?"
"In Vought's files, she has a younger brother named Kenji, who is currently still in the hands of some military organization. Ask her if she's interested."
Lu Chen continued typing, "If she wants to come, you bring her over. Remember, just the two of you. The more people, the easier it is to be exposed; I don't want to cause trouble."
Lu Chen calmly typed out this text; he knew that once this bomb was dropped, the other party couldn't refuse to take it.
Sure enough, as soon as the message was sent, the other party reacted immediately.
"!! Are you serious? Her brother is still alive?"
Lu Chen finally sent the address, then put the phone aside and waited quietly.
...
In the Underground Room of the hideout, the air was murky and filled with the smell of sweat and marijuana.
Hughie clutched his phone and walked quickly to the corner.
Kimiko was sitting on a dilapidated sofa, hugging a pillow, watching an old cartoon playing on the TV.
Frenchie had gone out to scout for information and replenish supplies, and in the Underground Room, only she, Hughie, and Mothers Milk, who was cleaning his firearms, remained.
"Hey, Kimiko."
The girl did not turn her head, still staring at the TV screen.
Hughie squatted down, blocking her view. "Look at me, Kimiko. This is important."
Kimiko frowned; she didn't like being disturbed while watching TV.
Hughie's hands were somewhat restless; he tried to organize his words while adding some clumsy gestures. "That friend of mine... the one who provides us with intelligence. He found some Vought files."
Hughie paused, stared into Kimiko's eyes, and spat out the name.
"Kenji. He has news about Kenji."
Bang!
Kimiko stood up abruptly, kicking the tattered sofa cushion away, which hit the metal wall behind with a muffled thud.
She grabbed Hughie by the collar of his jacket, lifting him entirely off the ground by his toes. Her eyes were filled with disbelief at that moment.
"Cough... it's true!" Hughie was choked and couldn't breathe, his hands patting Kimiko's arm. "He wants us to meet him! He knows where your brother is!"
Click.
The sound of a bullet being chambered rang out behind Hughie.
Mothers Milk, holding a Glock, walked over with a frown. "Let him down, Kimiko."
Kimiko glanced at Mothers Milk and let go. Hughie fell onto the floor on his butt, gasping for air.
"What the hell is going on?" Mothers Milk looked down at Hughie, his eyes full of vigilance. "What friend? What Kenji?"
Hughie stood up, holding his knees, and handed the phone to Mothers Milk. "It's the person I've been in contact with. He said he saw intelligence on Kenji in Vought's database and wants to talk to us."
Mothers Milk took the phone and quickly scanned the text message on the screen.
His brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
"Is this the mysterious helper you mentioned?" Mothers Milk looked up, staring sharply at Hughie. "The Indian guy who kicked Deep as if he were a ball, was he also found by him?"
"Yes, that's him." Hughie nodded repeatedly. "He saved us, Mothers Milk. If it weren't for him, we would have been torn to pieces by Deep by now."
"That's exactly what feels wrong to me." Mothers Milkshoved the phone back into Hughie's arms, his tone grave.
"Hughie, use your brain and think about it. Our heads are worth eight figures on the black market; we are the number one wanted criminals in the U.S.
A guy who won't even show his face can not only casually mobilize Superhumans of that level to save us, but now he also happens to have the intelligence Kimiko needs. What does this sound like?"
Mothers Milk pointed to the dark environment around them.
"This sounds like a perfect trap."
Hughie gritted his teeth. "But he has no reason to harm us. At the warehouse, that Indian guy could have completely knocked us out and handed us over to Vought for the bounty. But he didn't; he let us evacuate. I trust him."
Mothers Milk looked at Hughie's stubborn expression and sighed. This kid had been heartbroken by Butcher and now desperately needed to grab onto a new lifeline.
"I don't care whether you believe him or not." Mothers Milkturned to look at Kimiko. "Girl, this is your business. That person specifically named you two to go. I don't trust this guy hiding behind a screen."
Kimiko stared fixedly at the phone in Hughie's hand.
"It's up to you." Mothers Milk holstered his pistol back into the holster at his waist. "If you decide to go, you'd better keep your eyes peeled. If things don't look right, run immediately; don't worry about this stupid kid Hughie."
Kimiko did not hesitate.
She stepped in front of Hughie, grabbed his sleeve, and tugged it hard. Then she pointed to the exit.
The meaning couldn't be more obvious.
Lead the way.
Hughie breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Mothers Milk. "I'll be careful."
"You better be." Mothers Milk snorted coldly, but still added, "Remember to call if something happens."
Lu Chen stood behind the curtains in the motel room, watching the intersection across the street.
He clearly saw a dilapidated taxi stop on the side of the road.
Two people got out of the car.
One was Hughie, who looked nervous and was looking around.
The other was Kimiko, who was wrapped up tightly.
After confirming it was only the two of them, Lu Chenturned and walked out of the room.
Outside the motel entrance, Hughie was comparing the address on his phone uncertainly against the sign of the motel.
Kimiko stood behind him, vigilantly observing the surroundings.
A figure walked out from the shadows of the motel.
"You're here."
Hughie and Kimiko turned back sharply and saw the teenager walking towards them.
His expression was calm, his eyes deep, not at all like an eighteen-year-old young man.
It was Lu Chen.
Chapter 61: I'm Right Next Door, Scream If It Hurts!
Lu Chen didn't offer any unnecessary pleasantries; he simply tilted his head toward them, signaling them to follow.
He turned and walked into the hotel, acting so naturally that it was as if he weren't a You-Know-Who hiding in the shadows, but just an ordinary student meeting up with friends.
Hughie glanced at Kimiko, who was tense all over beside him, swallowed hard, and hurried to follow.
Lu Chen pushed open a room door and stepped aside to let them in.
The room was small, containing only one bed, one table, and one chair.
"Sit," Lu Chen said, pointing to the only chair.
Kimiko didn't move. She stood by the door like a statue, surveying the cramped space, searching for any potential threats or escape routes.
Hughie stood awkwardly in the center of the room, not knowing where to put his hands.
Lu Chen didn't mind; he leaned against the edge of the table and got straight to the point.
"I do indeed know where your brother is right now."
This sentence was like a pebble thrown into Water; Kimiko's tense body reacted instantly. She whipped around to face Lu Chen, and for the first time, something burning ignited in her silent eyes.
"I can tell you, if you want," Lu Chen continued, completely ignoring the pressure she radiated. "I saw in Vought's files that you were once killed by Black Noir."
He paused, calmly watching Kimiko's reaction.
"But here you are, standing here just fine."
"I'm very interested in this... resurrection ability of yours."
Lu Chen laid out his terms.
"I need you to cooperate with me on some research for about a day or two. Don't worry, it won't be anything you can't accept."
"If you're willing, stay. If not, you can leave now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hughie became anxious.
"Wait! What kind of research?"
After all, he was the one who brought Kimiko here. If this "research" was some kind of human experimentation or other twisted thing, he would never be able to forgive himself.
Lu Chen looked at Hughie; that nervous appearance amused him, but his expression remained calm.
"It's basically just drawing blood for testing, recording some body data, that sort of thing," he explained nonchalantly. "I need to analyze samples, and that takes time."
Upon hearing "drawing blood for testing," Hughie clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
This sounded... much more normal. At least it wasn't the horrific image he had imagined—being strapped to an experiment table with tubes stuck all over her body.
He looked at Kimiko and found that she was also staring intensely at Lu Chen, seemingly weighing the deal. Her eyes were full of struggle—on one side was news of her brother, and on the other was the fear of the unknown.
Hughie knew that for Kimiko, this was an irresistible temptation.
Although he felt deep down that it was wrong to use such suspicion to judge someone who had helped them many times, he still couldn't help but speak up. This was what Butcher had taught him: never trust anyone one hundred percent.
"You need to... provide some proof first," Hughie said, his voice not loud but firm. "Prove that you really know something."
Lu Chen shifted his gaze from Kimiko and landed it on Hughie's face.
This rookie, after experiencing so many big events, had finally learned something. That was good; he might live a little longer.
He wasn't impatient, nor did he mock him; he simply said one phrase.
"Shining Liberation Front."
Hughie was bewildered when he heard the name. It sounded like the name of some third-rate band; he couldn't understand the significance of those words at all.
But Kimiko, standing beside him, changed completely the moment she heard that name.
It was a violent tremor that seemed to seep from her very bones. In her eyes, a monstrous surge of hatred, pain, and... a glimmer of hope instantly welled up.
That was the name of the terrorist organization that had kidnapped her and her brother, turning them from ordinary people into monsters!
Kimiko lunged in front of Lu Chen, her hands gesturing frantically in the air, her throat emitting rapid, raspy "huff-huff" sounds. Her movements were full of anxiety and questioning, like a drowning person clutching at the last piece of driftwood.
Lu Chen didn't try to guess her complex sign language; he simply took out his phone again, typed two words on the screen, and held it out to her.
[YES or NO]
Kimiko's fingers trembled slightly from the force; she stared fixedly at the screen, then jabbed her fingertip heavily onto "YES."
Seeing this, Hughie understood everything.
The intelligence was real.
"Can... can I stay?" Hughie asked Lu Chen, clearly uneasy. "I can watch from the side."
Lu Chen shook his head.
"I need quiet."
He took back his phone and said to Hughie, "You can get a room next door to stay in, or just wander around wherever. Come back and pick her up at this time tomorrow."
Hughie wanted to say more, but seeing Lu Chen's unquestionable attitude, and then looking at Kimiko, who had already made her decision and was full of hope, he ultimately swallowed his words.
He walked over to Kimiko and whispered a sentence.
"I'll be right next door. If... if it hurts too much, or if anything unexpected happens, make a big noise."
He emphasized his tone.
"I promise, I'll rush over immediately."
Kimiko glanced at him and nodded almost imperceptibly.
Hughie took one last deep look at Lu Chen, exited the room, and gently closed the door.
In the room, only Lu Chen and Kimiko remained.
Outside the door, Hughie leaned against the wall, not leaving immediately. He could hear faint voices from inside the room, but couldn't make them out clearly. He finally sighed and walked toward the service desk at the end of the hallway.
Inside the room.
After Hughie left, the feigned peaceful atmosphere vanished.
Lu Chen turned around and faced Kimiko directly.
"Come here."
His command was simple and direct.
Kimiko hesitated for a moment, but for the sake of news about her brother, she obediently walked over and stood in front of Lu Chen. She was already prepared for the blood draw.
However, Lu Chen didn't take out any needles or medical equipment.
He simply raised one hand and placed it gently on her forehead.
The warmth of his palm transmitted through her skin, and Kimiko stiffened. Her instincts made her want to retreat and attack immediately, but her reason told her to endure.
At that very moment, an irresistible, profound drowsiness flooded her mind.
[Mind Control LV3, activated]
Kimiko's will to resist was completely dismantled the moment they made contact; her eyes, which had been burning with hope and hatred, instantly became hollow and vacant.
Before Lu Chen's eyes, a translucent panel that only he could see popped up.
[Copyable ability target detected...]
[1. LV5 Super Healing]
[2. LV2 Super Physique]
It was here.
He chose the ability he had long coveted without a moment's hesitation.
[LV5 ability selected: Super Healing]
[Time required for Copy: 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
A mechanical voice sounded in his mind, and a faint but continuous flow of energy began to trickle from the point of contact between his palm and Kimiko's forehead, slowly flowing into his body.
Lu Chen maintained the posture of keeping his palm against her forehead, while the hypnotized Kimiko stood like a doll, motionless.
The reason he left Hughie next door, rather than making him leave completely or erasing his memory, was simply because he found it troublesome.
Letting two living people, Hughie and Kimiko, disappear into thin air for a day and a night would inevitably arouse the suspicion of Mothers Milk and Frenchie, leading them to search frantically. But now, with Hughie as a "witness," he could perfectly explain this matter as a "mutually agreed-upon cooperation."
Let that rookie deal with his difficult teammates.
He just needed to stay here and quietly wait for this transformation to complete.
Chapter 62: Immortal Body (Fake)
Inside the hotel room, time seemed to have solidified into a piece of amber.
Lu Chen maintained the posture of his palm pressed against Kimiko's forehead, not moving an inch.
He kept his eyes closed, sensing that flow of energy as it merged into his body, strand by strand, at a constant rate.
This was a long and tedious marathon.
Just then, the phone in his pocket emitted a slight vibration.
He could guess who it was.
It could be no one other than that restless rookie he had placed in the next room.
The room next door.
Hughie paced the small space irritably, the floorboards creaking under his steps.
On his phone screen was the chat history with Frenchie, the latest messages popping up almost like a screen flood.
"How is she?!"
"Hughie, answer me! What did that bastard do to her?"
"Are you sure it's just drawing blood? Twenty-four hours? What kind of damn test takes that long?!"
"If Kimiko loses a single hair, I swear I'll turn that information broker into mincemeat!"
Hughie felt his head spinning.
He could imagine Frenchie raging on the other end of the line, perhaps with Mothers Milk holding his shoulders, trying to calm him down.
But he himself was about to lose his cool as well.
It had been almost a day and a night.
There was no movement; that door felt like a wall separating life and death.
He took a deep breath, opened the chat window with Lu Chen again, and typed a line with trembling fingers.
"Hey, man. Is the situation... okay? Frenchie is going crazy, I need to confirm Kimiko's safety."
The message was sent, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Hughie felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat.
He began to doubt his own decision.
What if... what if this was truly a trap? What if the "research" Lu Chen mentioned was just a cover?
Just as he was about to lose control and rush over to smash the door, his phone went "ding."
It was a photo sent by Lu Chen.
In the photo, Kimiko was lying quietly on the bed, covered by a thin blanket, breathing steadily, as if she were just asleep.
The room was as tidy as before; there were no strange instruments, no bloodstains, or signs of a struggle.
Attached below the photo was a line of text.
"She is resting. Stop sending messages, you'll disturb her."
Seeing this photo, the heart hanging in Hughie's chest instantly dropped halfway back to normal.
Thank goodness... thank goodness.
It really looked like she was just undergoing some kind of examination and needed to rest.
He immediately forwarded the photo to Frenchie and added a comforting remark he didn't even quite believe himself: "Look, she's fine. Lu said this is a special kind of physical data monitoring that requires deep sleep."
He didn't know if Frenchie would believe it, but that was all he could say.
At least this could buy some more time.
Inside the room.
Lu Chen put away his phone with an expressionless face.
After dismissing Hughie, now, only the final countdown remained.
[Time required for Copy: 00:00:10]
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
He could feel some kind of shackle inside his body being broken through.
A deep, indescribable craving came from the depths of his cells, as if parched land had finally received its first drop of sweet rain.
Three.
Two.
One.
[LV5 Ability: Super Healing]
[Copy completion: 100%]
[Ability solidification successful]
An entirely different sensation instantly spread throughout his body!
If the previous flow of energy was a trickle, then now, it was a bursting flood!
A vast and gentle life energy washed over every one of his cells, every inch of his bones and muscles.
An illusion of being nearly "immortal" arose in his mind.
This life of his had become tough.
Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes. He took out the Black Noir knife from his pocket and sliced a wound into his left palm with full force!
Just as the blood gushed out, a bizarre scene unfolded.
The granulation tissue at the edges of the wound writhed, intertwined, and stitched itself together like a living creature!
In less than three seconds, the gruesome wound completely disappeared, leaving only a faint white mark, which then faded away entirely, leaving the skin as smooth and clean as before.
"Heh..."
Lu Chen let out a satisfied chuckle, withdrew his hand from Kimiko's forehead, and woke her up.
Kimiko's eyelashes on the bed fluttered, she let out a faint moan, and slowly woke up.
She sat up in a daze, looked around, and finally fixed her gaze on Lu Chen.
Her memory was still stuck twenty-four hours ago.
She knew nothing of what had happened in between, feeling only as if she had slept for a very, very long time.
Lu Chen didn't give her a chance to ask questions; he picked up the notepad and pen from the table, quickly wrote a few lines on it, and handed it to her.
[Shining Light Liberation Front, Philippines training Base.]
[Your brother Kenji is currently there.]
[But in a few months, he will be smuggled to New Yorkby the organization to carry out a mission.]
[Have your friend, the one named Frenchie, use his connections to keep an eye on all possible smuggling ports near New York.]
Kimiko's gaze was nailed firmly to the note.
Philippines... New York...
These specific place names and timelines instantly shattered the last shred of doubt in her heart.
The information was real!
She abruptly lifted her head, and in those silent eyes, uncontrollable excitement and ecstasy surged.
She opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound; she could only nod at Lu Chen forcefully and solemnly.
Transaction, complete.
Lu Chen tossed the note and pen onto the table and turned to walk toward the door.
He opened the door, walked next door, and knocked three times with his knuckles, neither too hard nor too soft.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The door was quickly pulled open from the inside, and Hughie's face, filled with anxiety, poked out.
When he saw Kimiko behind Lu Chen, safe and sound, though looking a bit dazed, his whole body relaxed.
"Is... is she okay?"
Lu Chen did not answer his question, simply stepping aside to clear the path.
His task was complete; the remaining comforting work was the job of this rookie babysitter.
Hughie hurried over, held Kimiko, and checked on her with concern.
Lu Chen didn't look at them again, heading straight to the end of the corridor, his figure quickly disappearing into the shadows of the stairwell.
He needed to find a place to properly feel this brand-new body.
Walking out of the hotel, the midday sun was a bit dazzling.
[Super Healing] was now in hand; the final shortcoming in his survival had been filled.
Next, he could... be bolder.
In his mind, a face with blonde hair and blue eyes, always wearing a perfect smile, emerged.
The star student of Godolkin University, the number one ranked "Golden Boy."
He still needed to return to school to scout for a few body-enhancement abilities, and then openly replace him.
Lu Chen raised his head and looked at the distant, towering Vought Tower.
"Just wait, I'm coming."
More available on WTR-Lab