Heckert was undoubtedly powerful, but facing such a "thick" beam of light, he could only retreat to dissipate the high temperature and impact it brought.
He retreated several thousand meters, his body carried by the laser into the night sky, disappearing from view.
Hammond swallowed, feeling his tongue dry.
"This gun..."
"An alien device, modified by the Department of Defense into a semi-finished product that humans can control. It can only fire once."
"What about that guy? Is he dead?"
Amanda shook her head, placing the scorching hot metal gun back into its box. Then, without looking back, she walked towards the car. She had done everything she could; the rest was up to luck.
The annihilation squad members were all carefully selected special forces soldiers, who had previously carried out many secret missions against super-powered individuals, never failing—until now.
Amanda admitted that she had underestimated Heckert's power. In a sense, their deaths were her fault.
But she didn't see it that way. Everything in the world has value, and only valuable things deserve to live and enter the cycle of survival of the fittest. The annihilation squad's deaths were worthwhile; they used their lives to verify Heckert's power.
Next time, even more powerful people would come.
No matter the cost, Heckert Hammond must be eliminated.
Amanda walked quickly, with Senator Hammond following closely. The two drove away, but unfortunately, before they even reached the road, the car floated up, as if lifted into the air by something.
A creaking sound came from the car body, the roof caved inward, cracks appeared in the windows, and with a bang, they shattered into countless fragments, which, however, did not fall to the ground but strangely hovered in mid-air.
Seeing this, Amanda didn't hesitate, kicked open the car door, and jumped out.
She didn't land either, but was lifted into the air by a pair of invisible hands, floating upwards with Senator Hammond.
Under the silver-gray moonlight, Heckert Hammond hovered in mid-air. Above his head was the full moon, as large as a millstone. At this moment, he was a god.
Seeing his long-unseen son, Senator Hammond instinctively reprimanded him,
"You're insane! Look what you've done."
Heckert's face darkened. "Didn't you always want me to live like a man? Now I have." As he spoke, he spread his arms, and the surrounding air churned, emitting roars like thunder. "With such powerful strength, who else can possess it? I have not only become a man, but the strongest man in the world."
"Bastard!"
Hammond cursed, "I told you to be a man, but I didn't tell you to kill people! Look at you now, what do you look like? You're a freak!"
Heckert narrowed his eyes. "You say I'm a freak?"
"Aren't you?"
The enraged Hammond seemed to have forgotten his previous fear, or perhaps his subconscious was at play. He had always educated his son in this manner, and it was no different now.
"Look at you now, what part of you is human? You..."
"Senator!"
Amanda coughed, "Stop talking."
Hammond immediately sobered up, and after noticing the ferocity in his "son's" eyes,
His face instantly lost all color, becoming incredibly pale. His "son" had changed, no longer the weak, incompetent, submissive wimp he once was, but a ruthless, cold-blooded beast.
When talking to a beast, one must maintain reverence!
Heckert smiled strangely, reaching out and patting his "father's" face twice.
"Don't be afraid, Father. I won't kill you. I want you to watch with your own eyes how I devour Coast City and become number one in the world. As for you, Ms. Waller..."
His dark yellow eyes turned to Amanda, who gritted her teeth and said defiantly,
"If you want to kill me, just kill me. No need for pointless talk."
"No! I won't kill you."
Heckert shook his head. "I should thank you. You gave me the opportunity to come into contact with aliens. You helped me find the key to becoming strong. All of this is your credit."
"In return, I will let you go."
Amanda inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. The next second, the other party added,
"However, as punishment for attacking me, you will have to pay a small price."
Amanda's face changed drastically. Just as she was about to speak, her body suddenly felt light and she began to fall. She was over twenty meters above the ground; falling from that height would surely kill or cripple her.
After dealing with the troublesome people, Heckert seemed to be in a much better mood, even joking,
"Soon, I'll be on TV."
"By then, the whole world will know what an excellent son the great Senator Adam Hammond has."
..."Things have gotten out of control."
This was the last thought Amanda had before she lost consciousness. When she woke up, her surroundings had changed to the medical bay of an underground base. Her body was severely injured, she had lost sensation from the waist down, and both her chest and back were damaged. Only her right hand was relatively intact.
Cody, with his left arm bandaged, sat nearby. He had run the fastest when the shockwave hit, and suffered the lightest injuries. Even so, he had lost one eye and one arm.
There was no need to mention the other members of the annihilation squad. Out of twenty-three soldiers, only five survived, and two were in intensive care, unsure if they would make it.
Amanda dazedly opened her eyes and began to check her physical condition. Upon realizing that she would likely be disabled, she did not despair, panic, or scream hysterically like an ordinary person. She was very calm, her gaze sweeping across the room before settling on Cody. Her voice hoarse, she asked,
"Casualties...casualties?"
"Two severely injured, three lightly injured."
Out of twenty-three people, only five remained, all disabled. The annihilation squad was effectively Wasted (crippled/destroyed). Just like the former Seventh Squad, as a survivor of the Seventh Squad, Amanda understood Cody's feelings at the moment, but she said nothing, not even a word of comfort, only calmly giving orders.
After a series of orders were issued, the base resumed operation.
Amanda lay in the hospital bed, on a video call with Vice President Dick Cheney, reporting the details of the operation, its outcome, and the terrifying power displayed by the target.
Finally, she made a decisive summary: Heckert Hammond was no longer human, but a demon with immense power that fed on humans. The more people he ate, the stronger he became. He had to be eliminated as soon as possible, at all costs, and absolutely not allowed to grow.
Originally, Dick Cheney had serious doubts about Amanda's capabilities due to the failed operation, but seeing her current pathetic state, he couldn't bring himself to voice his dissatisfaction. He could only remain silent for a moment, then symbolically asked,
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"Luke Shaw, the grandson of Xiao Changlin, the former leader of the Hongmen Society, and the boss of the underworld in Coast City. He can help us eliminate Heckert Hammond and minimize the impact of the incident."
"Understood."
Dick Cheney offered a few words of comfort, telling her to rest well, then ended the call. As for Luke Shaw's situation, he didn't even mention it.
Amanda sensed the other party's perfunctory attitude. The impact of this failure was too great, and the higher-ups were questioning her abilities. What next? What would they do next? Would they discard useless people like trash, as they had in the past?
Amanda clenched her fists, her expression as cold as ice.
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