The Invisible Man had replaced the original "junior" template. In the blink of an eye, Russell felt a subtle shift in his skin—but he didn't bother testing out the new powers. After dealing with the Invisible Man, he turned and left without hesitation.
"T-thank you…"
Hughie struggled to his feet, trying to thank the man who had just saved his life.
But the man didn't even glance his way, walked right past him, and pushed open the door to leave.
"Uh…"
Hughie stood there awkwardly with his hand half-raised.
Billy Butcher, the ruthless man who used people and tossed them aside, felt a twinge of guilt. Worried Hughie might spiral into something drastic after taking so many hits, he came back to check on him.
What he saw upon entering left him stunned.
The video store was a complete mess. The Invisible Man lay unconscious on the floor, smoke still rising from his body, and the air faintly smelled like cooked meat.
"Oi, Hughie… was this you?"
"What? Butcher, no—" Hughie snapped back to reality. The man had indeed left, but now there was the problem of what to do with the unconscious Invisible Man. Panic started to set in.
…
Russell had more pressing matters tonight—he didn't have time for idle chatter. After leaving, he pulled off his mask, flagged down a cab, and headed straight to the apartment of Popclaw, A-Train's girlfriend.
In this world, superheroes were treated like celebrities.
Popclaw had been a third-rate hero—basically a washed-up minor star.
It wasn't hard to dig up her home address for someone who knew how to look.
Through the glow of the television inside the apartment, Russell saw a somewhat attractive short-haired woman sitting cross-legged on the couch, barefoot, wearing a beige tank top and yoga pants. She munched on chips while watching a trashy soap opera.
Russell watched for a while to confirm A-Train wasn't there. He frowned slightly.
A-Train had recently caused a massive PR crisis after losing control while high on Compound V and killing a pedestrian. The incident was caught on video and went viral, leaving A-Train swamped with damage control. Was he so busy that he hadn't even come to see his secret lover?
"That won't do."
Losing the Invisible Man's ability wasn't fatal—but without A-Train's speed, there was no way Russell could infiltrate the Global Guardians HQ in time to gain the powers of Redrush and the others.
"Time for Plan B."
Under the streetlight, Russell pulled his mask back on and strode toward the apartment building.
He needed to lure A-Train here.
Popclaw had superhuman strength and could extend two thick, sharp bone spikes from her arms. She also likely had some level of regenerative ability.
In the past, she might have been too much to handle one-on-one.
But now things were different.
As he crossed the street, Russell raised his arm and watched as it gradually became transparent under the dim yellow light. A cold smirk curled his lips.
Knock knock!
Inside, Popclaw didn't even look up from the TV. Hearing the knock, she called out lazily, "Who is it?"
"Cable repair service."
"Cable? I didn't call for any repairs…"
She slapped on a pair of slippers and walked to the door with a puzzled expression. Maybe someone got the wrong place?
In this world, there were only superheroes—no real supervillains. Her guard was completely down.
The moment she opened the door, a fist suddenly filled her vision.
BANG!
Like getting hit in the face with a sledgehammer, Popclaw's nose sprayed blood as she staggered backward several steps before steadying herself. Her eyes flared with rage, and she instantly extended her bone spikes.
"Who are you? Breaking into homes at your age? You picked the wrong person to rob, punk. Do you even know who I am?!"
Though Russell wore a black hood, his youthful frame and visible eyes made it clear he was young.
"A washed-up third-rate superhero," he replied with a grin, closing the door behind him.
She was startled that this intruder knew who she was. Could he be here for something specific?
Russell launched another punch, deliberately leaving an opening.
Popclaw lunged forward, bone spikes stabbing at his abdomen. She was already picturing this idiot bleeding out on her floor.
The spikes did strike—but the sensation was all wrong. It felt more like jabbing a plastic toy against the hide of a rhinoceros than puncturing human flesh.
At the same moment, Russell's fist landed squarely on her face.
Another heavy blow. Popclaw crashed beside the couch, her face a bloody mess. She looked up in horror at the young man before her, glancing between her bone spikes and the undamaged chest beneath his torn shirt. Something wasn't right.
"You… you're a Supe?!"
Her bone spikes couldn't pierce carbon-hardened bio-armor—not even a Barrett sniper rifle could. What hope did she have?
Russell didn't answer. He lunged forward mercilessly.
"Help—he—mmph!"
Popclaw turned to crawl away but was yanked back with brutal force. Her mouth was muffled. Moments later, she was tied up like a roast with bed sheets, her own sock stuffed into her mouth.
Russell held her unlocked phone, its cold blue light reflecting in his emotionless eyes. He operated it skillfully.
Meanwhile, in A-Train's luxurious Vought Tower apartment…
Fresh out of the shower, A-Train hummed a tune, towel wrapped around his waist. He picked up his phone to check how public sentiment was trending.
In truth, he was in a decent mood today. The loser boyfriend of the woman he killed had already settled with the company and signed an NDA. With Vought's PR muscle, this whole thing would be buried soon enough. Vice President Madelyn had warned him to keep a low profile for a while—no more screwups.
So he hadn't visited his secret girlfriend, afraid of getting caught by paparazzi.
Ding!
His phone buzzed with a new message:
"I'm pregnant, A-Train. What should I do?"
"…What?!"
A-Train's eyes widened at the word pregnant. He bolted upright.
"No way… it must've been that time two weeks ago. Sh*t!"
Just when he'd handled one problem, another one popped up!
Without a second thought, he threw on clothes at supersonic speed and raced to his girlfriend's apartment.
The whole way, he rehearsed how to persuade her to get an abortion—he couldn't let a baby ruin his career.
When he arrived, the door was slightly ajar, light seeping through the gap, as if intentionally left open.
He took a deep breath, put on a concerned expression, and stepped inside.
He saw his girlfriend's legs sticking out from the bedroom, lying still on the bed. She looked upset, maybe overwhelmed.
"Babe, I—" He choked up on cue, pouring emotion into his performance. He didn't notice the masked figure lurking behind the door, crowbar raised.
CRACK!!
"Aaaagh—my leg!!"
The sound of bone snapping rang out. The blow shattered one of A-Train's legs, sending him screaming to the floor in agony.
Before he could react, a second swing landed, breaking his other leg.
Whoosh!
"You—!"
He stared in horror at the cold, merciless eyes before him. The crowbar came swinging again—aimed straight for his head. Eyes wide, A-Train pushed off the floor and, in a blur of motion, escaped into the next room just in time.
Only then did he see his girlfriend, Popclaw, tied up on the bed.
Popclaw, hearing the noise and seeing A-Train crawling on broken legs, felt all hope drain from her eyes.
..................
300 PS= 1 bonus chapter's
Support me at patreon.com/INTRAX and read upto 30 Advanced Chapters!