"—A corpse.
A dead body can't do anything. Even if you peed on its head, it wouldn't resist. A child could beat it with ease."
Russell glanced at the clock on the wall as the hour hand passed twelve. He sat up and began changing clothes, preparing to execute his one-step-to-the-top plan.
"A new day has begun."
And to him, that meant everything.
"According to the plot, tomorrow the Global Guardians—at the very pinnacle of the superhero world—will be nearly wiped out by Omni-Man. After his son awakens his powers, Omni-Man is forced to clear the way for the Galactic Empire's conquest of Earth."
There was Immortal, a hybrid of knock-off Superman and a watered-down Vandal Savage; War Woman, a knock-off Wonder Woman; Red Rush, a speedster like the Flash; Aquarius, a bootleg Aquaman.
Green Ghost, a stand-in for Green Lantern with a mysterious glowing green stone; and Martian Man, a low-grade Martian Manhunter imitation.
Although none of them were on par with their originals…
Immortal was especially underwhelming, though thanks to his hidden resurrection ability, he'd be the only one to survive.
"All of those dead superheroes will become corpses—except Green Ghost, who didn't have any inherent powers.
That means I can acquire the abilities of the rest and, overnight, become Earth's most powerful person. No exceptions."
Russell's eyes burned with ambition as he changed into a sporty hoodie suitable for action.
He was particularly excited about Red Rush's power. The guy was way faster than Omni-Man—by a wide margin—and even more so compared to Mark.
His opportunity for meteoric ascent would come the day after tomorrow.
But first, a big obstacle stood in his way.
The Global Guardians' HQ was located at the summit of Mount Kings Peak, in Utah's Uinta Mountains, about 2,000 kilometers from Chicago.
He was just a senior in high school, and his Aunt Debbie never let him carry more than $100, afraid he'd spend it recklessly.
More importantly, the Global Guardians HQ wasn't a public restroom. Without authorization, there was no way to get in. Rumor had it they even had high-grade automated defense systems inside.
With just a day left, he absolutely didn't have time to go corpse-hunting for a powerful superhero.
Thankfully, there was a workaround.
Russell closed the curtains, locked the bedroom door, and teleported himself.
He vanished on the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already in another universe—
The world of The Boys.
Stars twinkled in the sky. The city buzzed. It was nighttime here too.
The story had only just begun.
In the past couple of days, Russell had already scouted the area and figured out the current timeline and a few key details.
The Boys universe also had superheroes, but unlike most worlds, they weren't paragons of justice. They were corrupt, selfish, and brutal. Their powers came from a drug called Compound V, manufactured and controlled by the mega-corporation Vought International. These "heroes" were marketed like celebrities—living, breathing merchandise.
"Vought's flagship team, The Seven, is basically another bootleg Justice League—each with unique abilities."
His first goal: obtain the power of Translucent, whose defensive skin made him nearly invulnerable.
Then he'd use that to bargain for the speedster A-Train's abilities. A-Train could run at sonic speeds and had a baseline strength in the tens of tons—more than enough to tear through anything blocking the way into the Global Guardians' base half a day from now.
"One day from now, Russell Hansen will be the strongest person on Earth in the Invincible universe."
Russell set this as his first "small goal."
He reached into his pocket and gripped a ski mask he had prepared ahead of time, keeping a close eye on the video store across the street—where the main character, Hughie, worked.
Soon, Translucent would appear to beat Hughie senseless. That was Russell's cue.
Inside the store, Hughie absentmindedly wiped the counter.
Not long ago, his girlfriend Robin had been turned into ground meat by A-Train in the middle of a city street.
Vought had the gall to offer $45,000 to silence him, asking him to sign a statement saying Robin had been jaywalking and accidentally got hit while A-Train was chasing a criminal.
Just as Hughie was stewing in rage, a man claiming to be a federal agent approached him, offering a chance to take revenge on Vought.
Together, they faked accepting Vought's hush money and secretly planted a bug in the Seven's meeting room.
But that guy—Billy—turned out to be a bastard who just used Hughie and abandoned him afterward.
"I really am trash… Can't do anything right," Hughie muttered to himself.
What he didn't know was that Translucent—who liked walking around naked and invisible inside buildings—had seen him planting the bug earlier.
Ding-a-ling!
The door creaked open with a burst of cold wind.
Hughie looked up out of habit, forcing a tired smile. "Welcome—looking for anything spe—"
His words froze mid-sentence.
The doorway was… empty.
"Wind?" he frowned, stepping toward the door to shut it—
Clink.
A small, button-sized metal object rolled across the counter and stopped right in front of him.
Hughie froze. His pupils shrank.
A bug.
He recognized it—after all, he'd stuck it under the Seven's table just hours ago.
"I saw your little stunt."
The air shimmered suddenly, and a deep, menacing voice echoed out.
Something invisible was in front of him. A huge force slammed into him—he staggered backward and hit a shelf. DVDs clattered to the floor.
"T-Translucent?" Hughie gasped, horrified.
"Who sent you? FBI? Military? Some suicidal competitor?"
"I—I don't know what you're talking about!" Hughie's voice cracked with fear.
"Ha!" Translucent sneered and slammed a fist into Hughie's gut.
Hughie doubled over with a groan, cold sweat soaking his shirt.
"I'll ask one last time—who?"
Translucent didn't notice the tall figure in a hoodie crossing the street outside, a crowbar sliding down his sleeve as he strode toward the shop.
"Still not talking—"
With invisible strength, Hughie was yanked up and slammed into the counter.
CRASH!
Glass shards flew. Hughie landed in the wreckage, back screaming with pain. Translucent moved in for another savage round—
WHAM!!
A crowbar smashed into his invisible head and sent him flying.
Russell had swung with the force of a baseball home run. If it were a normal human, the skull would've exploded—but not Translucent. His skin didn't even tear.
It felt like hitting toughened steel.
Not missing a beat, Russell threw a plastic bag of chili powder at his invisible enemy's face.
"Who the hell are you?!" Translucent screamed, eyes burning from the powder. His vision blurred, tears and snot streaming. "His accomplice?!"
Hughie couldn't believe someone had come to his rescue.
Wouldn't most people assume the invisible one was a superhero stopping a criminal?
The chili powder rendered Translucent's invisibility useless. Without a word, Russell stepped in, grabbed him by the hair, and dragged him to the corner.
Translucent—who could go toe-to-toe with The Boys' Butcher—was powerless against Russell's Olympian strength.
"Let me go! Are you a supe?!
You dare lay hands on me—a member of the great Seven?!"
Translucent flailed, fists flying wildly, but it didn't even tickle Russell. With a glance full of disdain, Russell hauled him like dead weight to the corner.
"Mmph… mmph…"
Russell yanked a thick power cord from the wall and shoved it into Translucent's mouth.
Zzzzt! Sparks exploded. Translucent's carbon-based super skin conducted electricity extremely well. High-voltage current surged through him. His body twitched uncontrollably before he passed out cold.
Translucent: defeated.
Template Copying Condition Fulfilled.
[Translucent's Ability Template Acquired and Applied]