"—A corpse.A dead body can't resist. Even if you stood on its head and peed, it wouldn't fight back. Even a child could 'defeat' it."
Russell watched the clock tick past midnight. He sat up and changed into a tracksuit, ready to take his first step toward overwhelming power.
"A new day."
That meant everything.
According to the plot, tomorrow the Guardians of the Globe, Earth's top superhero team, would be ambushed and wiped out by Omni-Man, who would do it to prepare the planet for Viltrumite conquest, right after his son Mark awakened his powers.
There was the Immortal, a fusion of budget Superman and Vandal Savage. War Woman, a copy of Wonder Woman. Red Rush, a Flash knockoff. Aquarius, a weak Aquaman. Green Ghost, the pseudo-Green Lantern. And Martian Man, clearly a Martian Manhunter imitation.
Though far weaker than their originals, especially the Immortal, who was significantly nerfed, they were still powerful. Only the Immortal would revive due to his unique biology. The rest?
They would become corpses.
And Russell had a system.
"All those dead superheroes, ready for harvest. I'll absorb all their powers and become the strongest man on Earth overnight."
His eyes gleamed as he zipped up his hoodie.
Especially Red Rush, his speed surpassed even Omni-Man's. Compared to that, Mark's awakening would look like child's play.
The once-in-a-lifetime chance would arrive tomorrow.
But there was one major obstacle.
The Guardians of the Globe's base was located atop Kings Peak, the highest mountain in Utah's Uinta Range, nearly 2,000 kilometers from Chicago.
Russell was a high school senior. His Aunt Debbie never let him carry more than $100, afraid he'd waste it.
Even if he could reach the base, it wasn't open to the public. It was protected by heavy weaponry and automatic defenses.
There was no way to get a superhero corpse within a day…
Unless he bent the rules.
Russell drew the curtains, locked his door, and activated teleportation.
In the blink of an eye, He disappeared.
And reappeared…In another universe.
The world of The Boys.
Star-lit skies. Crowded, grimy cities. Still nighttime.
He had already scouted this place, figured out the timeline, and made plans.
The Boys had superheroes too, only, most of them weren't heroes at all. Selfish, violent, and marketed as icons, their powers came from a drug called Compound V, and they were managed by the megacorp Vought International.
Their flagship team, The Seven, was another obvious Justice League rip-off.
Each member had powers, usable powers.
Russell's first target: Translucent, the invisible man with diamond-hard skin.
He would use Translucent's abilities as a stepping stone, then go after A-Train, whose supersonic speed and brute strength made him a terrifying force.
A-Train alone had enough power to crash through steel and punch through walls. With his speed, Russell could reach the Guardians' base in just hours.
"One day from now… Russell Hansen will be the strongest human in the Invincible universe."
He smirked.
From his pocket, he pulled out a prepped mask and stared at the video store across the street, where Hughie worked.
Soon, Translucent would show up to beat the kid up. Then it'd be his turn.
Inside, Hughie cleaned the counter absentmindedly.
His girlfriend Robin had been obliterated by A-Train not long ago, turned into red mist on the street. Now Vought wanted to silence him with $45,000 and a rewritten story.
While grieving, a man claiming to be a federal agent offered revenge.
Together, they planted a bug in The Seven's meeting room. But the man, Billy Butcher, had used Hughie and abandoned him.
"I really am useless…" Hughie muttered to himself.
What he didn't know was that Translucent had found the bug already.
Ding-a-ling.
The doorbell rang as cold air swept into the store.
Hughie looked up and put on a polite smile. "Welcome! What can I help you—"
He paused.
No one was there.
"Wind?" He frowned, walking to close the door
Click.
A small metallic object rolled onto the counter and stopped at his hand.
A bug, the same kind he planted earlier.
"I saw your little trick," a voice said from thin air.
The air shimmered. ThenBAM!
Hughie was slammed into the shelves, knocking DVDs to the ground.
"Translucent…?" he gasped, horrified.
"Who sent you?" Translucent snarled, grabbing Huey's collar. "FBI? CIA? Some rival company?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Liar." He punched Hughie in the stomach. The boy collapsed, soaked in cold sweat.
"One last time. Who?"
But outside the glass window, a tall figure in a hoodie crossed the street. A crowbar slid from his sleeve.
Russell moved.
WHAM!
The crowbar cracked across Translucent's invisible skull and sent him flying.
It felt like hitting solid metal.
Russell didn't pause. He hurled a bag of chili powder directly into the air.
It struck.
"AHH! Who the hell are you?!"
Translucent screamed, blinded and choking. His invisibility flickered and failed.
Russell grabbed his hair and dragged him into a corner like a ragdoll.
Even a Compound V-enhanced body couldn't match Olympic-level strength.
"You… you're a Supe?! How dare you touch me, a member of the great Seven?!" (translator: supe meant super abled, or superpower person)
Translucent punched wildly, nothing landed. Russell looked down on him coldly.
He seemed more like a helpless civilian than a hero.
"Mmph…!"
Russell yanked a thick electrical cord from the wall and jammed it into Translucent's mouth.
Zzzzzap! Sparks burst.
The carbon-based material of his skin conducted perfectly. In seconds, he was knocked out cold.
Translucent was defeated.
[Template Acquired: Translucent – Invisibility & Reinforced Skin]
(End of Chapter 2)