In the forest, at a dilapidated ranger station, the sounds of cicadas and birds filled the air.
In the safehouse basement, the air was thick with the smell of smoke and heat.
In the corner, six screens of varying sizes occupied an entire wall. Green data code flowed like a waterfall, flanked by high-frequency scrolling social media feeds and Vought's plummeting stock price curve.
"My god... we did it, we actually did it!" Hughie leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Vought's post-deletion efficiency has dropped by 70%; their servers must be overwhelmed!"
"'Anonymous,' 'Chaos,' 'Psychedelic Bear,' 'Dino Squad'... dozens of internationally renowned hacker groups have joined the fray. They're helping me sync and forward, translating the information into multiple languages. Vought is being exposed to the entire world!"
MM folded his arms and scrutinized the screen. "Doing something like this, won't they track your IP address to our door? Should we move?"
Hughie grabbed the blue tube of 'Chiyou' serum on the table, rubbing it as his eyes sparkled.
"Don't worry! I'm just here to watch the battle... This morning, relying on this, I ran through libraries, office buildings, and public terminals across New York and nearby cities."
"I crossed three districts in ten minutes, walked boldly under surveillance while invisible, and stayed on each machine to upload files for no more than thirty seconds. I used randomly hijacked proxy IPs and disposable encryption protocols."
"Vought? Hahaha... they don't even know where I am or who I am!"
MM nodded, his tense thoughts relaxing as he smiled. "The dirt provided by Chameleon and your actions this time were perfect... the small sparks constantly appearing online have completely ignited the entire internet. Heh, Vought is going to suffer for this!"
"More than that, brother!" Frenchie sat cross-legged on the sofa, letting out a loud whistle and pointing at the TV screen. "Look at this commotion; it's sparked public outrage. This is much more exciting than when we punished a few Supes before!"
On the screen, crowds of protesters marched and demonstrated under Vought Tower, holding up signs like 'Blood for Blood,' 'Vought = Massacre,' and 'Immigrant Lives Matter.' The roar of the crowd almost broke through the screen.
Kimiko sat nearby, letting out a whimper like a wounded animal, her finger trembling as she pointed at the massacre video on the screen.
With a look of grief and indignation, she snapped her teeth twice at the air, her large eyes filled with tears. Then, she pointed forcefully at the screen and then at her own heart.
Frenchie didn't understand exactly what she was trying to express, so he could only comfort her softly: "Don't worry, we won't let this kind of thing keep happening."
Butcher walked out of the bedroom clutching a beer bottle, the violence that usually clung to his face dissipating slightly. "The truth is like a sharp blade, constantly carving into Vought's flesh. It's... simply wonderful!"
He walked over to Hughie and placed a large hand on his shoulder. "You did a good job this time. If that vengeful fellow Chameleon saw this, he'd be very satisfied."
...In the afternoon, at the Godolkin sports training field, in the circular arena.
Wade hovered in mid-air, stretching his limbs. "Little Pudding, be careful... I won't go easy on you."
Jill, wearing a black form-fitting combat suit with her skin turned into white ice crystals, stood opposite him. She blew a kiss accompanied by a cold mist. "Whew—I hope you won't be... afraid of the cold like last time."
Bong—
The gong sounded, and a visible, deathly white chill emanated from Jill as she pushed her hands forward.
The sound of cracking was incessant as a thick layer of ice, like a living white python, spread rapidly along the ground, instantly turning most of the arena into frozen earth.
The students watching in the front rows were affected by the bone-chilling cold and began to shiver.
"Achoo! Is Ice Girl really this terrifying? I'm going to the back row before I catch a cold."
"My god, can Cyclone handle this? He wouldn't be afraid to land and fight, would he?"
"What are you worried about? I heard those two played in the dorm for a long time last time; he won't die."
On top of the ice, countless sharp ice spikes erupted from the ground, sealing off all of Wade's movement space.
Wade chuckled. With a slight swirl of air beneath his feet, his body rose from the ground as light as a feather, hovering just above the limit of the ice spikes' reach. "Not bad, but too slow."
Jill's eyes narrowed. She pressed her palms together and then threw them open. "Don't you look down on me!"
A thick white mist filled with ice crystals appeared out of nowhere, instantly swallowing Wade's figure and obscuring the entire arena.
Within the mist, countless tiny ice crystals, like billions of steel needles with penetrating and freezing effects, shot indiscriminately toward the center and the air above.
"Wow!" A chorus of gasps rose from the stands. This display of area control and offense fully lived up to the name of 'Ice Girl.'
The next second, dense and clear cracking sounds came from the center of the mist.
"The area is too large, so the power is scattered," Wade's voice drifted from the mist. "How about trying to concentrate the chill on one point?"
Before his voice could fade, a powerful whirlwind erupted with Wade at its center.
Whoosh—!
The ice mist, as if stirred by an invisible giant hand, was instantly torn apart and blown away.
Wade remained hovering in place, surrounded by a spherical air barrier. Those lethal ice crystals struck it with a crisp clinking sound, all shattering and bouncing away.
Jill bit her lower lip, her face full of defiance.
With a sharp cry, her powers fully erupted. She slid across the ice at high speed, her hands waving as ice shards, ice storms, and temporarily formed ice chains poured toward Wade like a torrential rain.
The battle escalated instantly. Wade moved, spiraling air to shoot up into the sky, while Jill followed close behind, ice steps forming beneath her feet.
The two of them wove through the air, the icy blue trails colliding and entangling with the invisible air currents, whipping up a massive hail tornado.
Whoosh—Crack—Sizzle!
The piercing howling and the sound of ice crystals shattering filled the arena, with cold debris flying in all directions like bullets.
Terrified, the students in the stands screamed and retreated. In an instant, nearly half of the arena's spectators had cleared out. "Damn you, it's too dangerous when these two fight!"
Other viewers with superior abilities remained in their seats, easily dodging or swatting away projectiles. "Hmph, you lot from the School of Performing Arts don't even have the right to watch. If you're scared, go hide in the back."
On the field, hidden by the clouds and mist, the two began to talk as they fought.
"Wade! Did you see those news reports? It's terrifying," Jill said, swinging two long ice blades she had condensed in her hands. "Those must have been done by terrorists who hate Vought. It's all just rumors."
She waved her hand, firing several ice rays. "What if Vought really falls... what will we do after graduation? Is our hero career over before it even begins?"
Wade leaned to the side, diverting an air current to deflect the attack, and shattered them with two compressed air bullets. He thought to himself: 'Panic is already starting to spread; even someone as staunchly supportive of Vought as she is is wavering. How will Vought appease these future assets?'
He whipped up a wind-blade storm and analyzed calmly: "Don't worry, Vought International has been around for over ninety years. What storms haven't they seen? These 'rumors' won't shake their foundation."
"You're right... take this!" Huge ice wings condensed on Jill's back as her speed suddenly exploded, descending from above the eye of the storm.
Wade's body shifted left and right, weaving through the dense attacks. Each time, he avoided them perfectly, as if dancing on the edge of a blade, remaining calm and collected throughout.
This battle was less of a duel and more of a practical teaching session led by him.
This was because he could easily perceive the flow of blood within Jill's body; before she could even make a move, the place where her internal energy gathered was completely exposed.
'Forget it, I'll go easy on her. She's still outside the top 150 on the campus rankings.'
The massive hail tornado slowly dissipated, and the two landed steadily on the ice-covered arena, looking at each other.
"What? Do you want me to go down by myself?" Jill panted slightly, her cheeks flushed pink.
"It's just practice, don't take it so seriously." Wade smiled and helped her down from the field.
In the rest area, Jill picked up her thermos and gulped down hot water.
She wiped her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then carefully took a palm-sized, exquisite transparent card from her backpack.
"Tomorrow night... is Translucent's memorial service." Jill handed the card over, her face full of anticipation. "My mother is a member of the Board of Regents, and she gave me three invitations so I could go and see the world."
"One is for my cousin Jade, one is mine... and there's one more I want to give to you. Would you... be willing to go with me?"
Wade's gaze fell on the envelope, and a ripple of excitement rose in his heart: 'A memorial service... Vought's top brass and The Seven will all be there. It's the perfect stage to gather intel.'
'That night at the port, Black Noir discovered where Cate and I were hiding. Could he have deduced any clues?'
As long as the people at Vought International weren't complete idiots, they could calculate the position of the person filming based on the angle of the video... He wondered if their disguises and escape had been witnessed or if anything had been discovered.
A smile appeared on his face as he readily accepted the transparent card. "Of course! This is a rare opportunity. Thank you."
Jill smiled happily upon hearing this and whispered in his ear, "How about... coming back to my dorm? I'll treat you to some ice cream."
Just then, Wade's backpack, which he had placed nearby, vibrated. "Wait a moment, I need to reply to a message." He picked up his phone and walked to the side.
He lit up the screen, and the contact avatar labeled 'Annie' was flashing.
[Vivian, I've been very confused lately. There's something... I don't know who to talk to.]
Wade tapped quickly and replied: [What's wrong?]
Annie: [I... I want to go to Godolkin U to see you and talk in person.]
'Starlight? At such a sensitive time?' Wade's brow furrowed slightly. 'Is there a problem within The Seven, or... is this a test targeting the "Vivian" identity?'
Vought was still in a moment of crisis, so internal screenings would inevitably be extremely strict.
Wade's fingers tapped out a quick reply: [Tomorrow morning at nine, I'll wait for you in the small garden behind the library.]
Wade put away his phone and walked back, his mind full of trouble: 'I have to play the girl again... should I borrow some clothes from Jill? No, the size is too small. Ask that clingy Harper? That's too much trouble...'
'Forget it, a tomboy it is. Playing it naturally is less likely to reveal any flaws anyway.'
Jill hopped onto Wade's back and put her arms around his neck. "Quick, carry me and fly back. I can't wait."
Wade used air currents to pick up their luggage bags and flew into the air, turning his head to ask, "Ice cream again?"
Jill breathed cold air into his ear. "Don't be afraid... I bought many flavors of juice. This time it definitely won't get boring!"
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