Foster shook his head dismissively. "I thought you'd gotten a boyfriend."
"..." Ava fixed Arthur with a grave stare. "This kind of joke isn't funny. So, who are you?"
"Well, on the surface, someone sneaking into a single woman's apartment late at night must have ulterior motives." Arthur chuckled. "That doesn't exactly look good, does it? But I'm glad you're both staying calm and listening. To put it simply, I'm here to help you."
"Help me?" Ava frowned. "I don't even know you."
She turned to Foster, then back to Arthur. "He doesn't know you either."
"That's alright. The world is full of strangers. Every friendship starts with not knowing each other. I hope we can become friends someday... For now, allow me to introduce myself."
Arthur said, "You can call me... Arthur."
"That's the most insincere introduction I've ever heard." Foster stepped forward, standing beside Ava. "So, can you explain exactly what you mean by... 'You're... Arthur'?"
"...You probably wouldn't be thrilled with my full name, so calling me Arthur is probably best," Arthur said. "As for further explanation, it's difficult to clarify right now. Let's just say I found information about you two in SHIELD's records."
"Let's go!"
Upon hearing this, Ava made a split-second decision. She urged Foster to leave while lunging at Arthur herself.
Arthur didn't resist, allowing Ava to easily reach his throat and seize his windpipe.
"What a peculiar sensation," Arthur said, feeling her hand on his throat and looking at Ava. "When you do this, what does it feel like? I mean, does the part of your hand that's gripping my windpipe feel... disgusted?"
'Disgusted?'
Ava felt an indescribable terror grip her at the question!
'What the hell?'
'Is this a question a normal person would ask?'
Instinctively, she tightened her grip. But the supposedly fragile organ beneath her hand inexplicably felt as hard as Iron Man's armor!
"Hmm, while she's clearly surpassed normal human limits, her fundamental capabilities still remain at a human level," Arthur mused, unhurried.
"And in terms of raw power, she's nowhere near the peak for humans, the gap is still vast. So, is that all she's got?"
"Is that all?!" Ava's face darkened. "You'll pay for this!!!"
Her other hand shot up, a fist hurtling down. Arthur raised a hand to block, but the punch easily shattered his defense, continuing its relentless course toward his forehead.
"Oh?" Arthur nodded. An indescribable spatial distortion rippled before his forehead. In the next instant, Ava gasped in shock.
Behind her, at the back of her head, the same spatial distortion appeared. Simultaneously, a fist materialized from thin air, slamming into the back of her skull.
The impact was considerable, leaving Ava completely dazed.
Realizing she couldn't crush or tear Arthur's trachea, she instantly pivoted, deciding to confront the unknown enemy first.
But the moment she turned, she realized the sensation after her attack was completely different from what she'd expected.
Her fist had struck something, but it definitely wasn't Arthur's face. The sensation of striking and being struck occurred simultaneously.
Moreover, there was no one behind her at all!
As these circumstances coalesced, she suddenly glared at Arthur. "Was that you?"
Arthur nodded. "Do you recognize me?"
"...Who recognizes you?" Ava snapped, on the verge of losing her mind. "I mean, did you cause that just now?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? Foster already ran off. Unless he ambushed you from behind," Arthur said. "But judging by what just happened, it seems you can strike yourself? Or perhaps it's not quite that... Maybe when you attack, you need to manifest your body in this world, unlike when you're hiding. So, you ended up hitting yourself. Hmm, let me think... This is likely a terrifying weakness, yet it makes perfect sense."
Fear began to churn in Ava's heart.
The man before her was far more formidable than she had imagined!
Infinitely stronger—she couldn't even begin to estimate how much!
Their "battle" felt less like a fight and more like an experiment, brimming with an unsettling sense of ease. He had never truly focused on defeating her; his true aim seemed to be... understanding her?
"Who... who are you?" Ava asked, her gaze fixed on Arthur.
Arthur smiled. "As I said, you can call me... Arthur."
"Then goodbye, Arthur!"
Without another word, Ava whirled around and bolted.
Her movements defied normal human paths, taking the shortest distance between two points regardless of obstacles. She simply phased through them.
"This ability is quite convenient," Arthur remarked.
The moment Ava phased through the wall, Arthur's voice reached her ear. She whirled around to see him standing outside, waiting for her.
For a split second, Ava felt an overwhelming urge to rush back and check if the Arthur inside the house was still there!
But reason prevailed: escape immediately!
Staying here meant certain doom. She had no time or safety to indulge her curiosity.
Run!
Ava acted with remarkable decisiveness!
Arthur, however, followed at a leisurely pace, as if no matter how fast she ran, he could effortlessly keep up. "Not going to chat? We can ignore Foster for now—your situation is far more urgent. Surely you understand that, right? Oh, by the way, want this?"
Arthur held out his hand, revealing a set of peculiar white clothing. "This should help suppress your current state and offer you some protection. Running off without even taking it?"
"You..." Ava felt like she was trapped in a nightmare!
'Why did I have to encounter someone like this?'
"Looks like you don't want it." With a flick of his wrist, Arthur stuffed the outfit into the Disassembler. "I wonder what you can offer me... phase-shifting abilities? Hmm, tell you what, let's stop for a moment. You know you can't escape from me... run? Gone?"
Before Arthur could finish his sentence, Ava vanished without a trace!
End of Chapter
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