Chapter 151: Harvest Time
Lu Chen landed in the Detroit underground laboratory with five prisoners. With a release of his Telekinesis, Black Noir, Mothers Milk, Hughie, Stormfront, and Butcher crashed onto the metal floor simultaneously.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sage put down the documents in her hand, her gaze sweeping over the individuals in turn, finally lingering on Lu Chen's tattered battle suit.
This battle had indeed been perilous.
The power of the stellar collapse exceeded expectations, nearly dragging him down with it as well. But Homelander was injured even worse; at the very least, it was impossible for him to recover faster than Lu Chen.
More importantly, these five people right in front of him were all spoils of war.
It was worth it.
Cate Dunlap held Lu Chen's arm, frowning as she looked at Sage.
"He needs rest."
"I can see that."
Sage turned and walked toward the console.
"What about the two of you?"
"Find two rooms for them," Lu Chen said. "I need to rest for a few days. During this time, do not let anyone disturb me. Contact me directly if there is an emergency."
Annie January glanced at Butcher on the ground.
"What about them?"
"They won't die."
Lu Chen knew what he was doing.
Butcher's injuries were the heaviest, but temp v was still taking effect, and Super Healing had not disappeared.
As for the others, there was even less need to worry.
"I'll stay to accompany you," Cate Dunlap said.
"No need."
Lu Chen raised a hand and pinched her cheek.
"Go rest. I'll call you if anything comes up."
"But your injuries..."
"They've already recovered a lot."
Lu Chen moved his arm. Super Healing LV5 was truly outrageous; for an ordinary Superhuman, this kind of injury would have been enough to die ten times over.
Cate Dunlap still didn't want to leave.
Annie January reached out and pulled her back.
"Let him go rest."
"You're quite sensible, aren't you?" Cate Dunlap glanced at her.
"At least I wouldn't think about launching a nuclear bomb at the White House."
"That's because you don't love him as much as I do."
The corners of Annie January's mouth twitched.
Lu Chen raised a hand to interrupt the two of them.
"Stop."
Here they go again.
If he really let them keep arguing, he wouldn't be able to enter seclusion today.
"Go rest, both of you."
Only then did Cate Dunlap loosen her grip.
"Do you promise you won't blow yourself up like this again?"
"Once I've had a good rest, this situation probably won't ever happen again."
"That's more like it."
Sage had already opened the isolation door deep within the laboratory.
"Follow me, you two."
Annie January followed for a few steps, then turned back to look at Lu Chen.
"Call me immediately if anything happens."
"Got it."
Once the sound of the three people's footsteps vanished, Lu Chen used Telekinesis to lift the five prisoners and entered the deepest enclosed secret room.
The heavy metal door slowly closed.
Click!
Locked.
Lu Chen fixed the five people separately onto experimental tables. After checking their vital statuses, he pulled over a chair and sat down.
It was time to tally the harvest.
His gaze fell upon Stormfront. He wasn't in a rush for immortality; he was still young and still had V1 to look forward to.
Without a doubt, the most valuable thing after excluding immortality was Plasma Lightning.
This was Stormfront's unique ability, which could not only release high-intensity current but also convert energy into Flight propulsion.
He already possessed light energy propulsion, thermonuclear propulsion, and LV3 Anti-Gravity Flight. If Plasma Lightning was added and these abilities were fused, aerial speed might no longer be a shortcoming.
At least next time facing Homelander, he wouldn't be casually dragged around by his Flight speed.
"It's you."
Lu Chen continued looking at Butcher.
[Heat Vision LV5.]
[Super Physique LV4.]
[Super Strength LV4.]
[Super Defense LV4.]
[Super Healing LV3.]
The abilities brought by temp v had not yet faded, and the panel remained luxurious.
Level 5 Heat Vision.
Lu Chen stared at this item, feeling quite good.
He already possessed rose-red Heat Vision formed by the fusion of red and blue. Adding Butcher's golden Heat Vision, he wondered what kind of changes would occur after fusion.
A superposition of red, yellow, and blue?
Color was secondary; power was the key.
Butcher's Heat Vision had to be acquired.
Next was Mothers Milk.
[Super Physique LV5.]
[Super Strength LV4.]
[Super Defense LV4.]
Level 5 Super Physique was precisely what Lu Chen needed.
Super Healing could repair injuries, but it couldn't prevent the body from being beaten to pieces. If his Super Physique improved by another level, at least he wouldn't have most of his sternum smashed to pieces by a single punch from Homelander.
Black Noir's panel was slightly weaker.
[Super Physique LV4.]
[Super Strength LV4.]
[Super Defense LV4.]
[Super Healing LV4.]
In the end, Lu Chen still chose Super Physique.
The more abilities of the same type accumulated, the more obvious the improvement after fusion. At his current level, unless the level was very high, a single ability could hardly produce a qualitative change, and he could only rely on quantity to keep stacking upward.
Finally was Hughie.
[Teleportation LV4.]
[Super Physique LV3.]
[Super Strength LV3.]
There was nothing to hesitate about.
The weakness of Teleportation was obvious: every time he moved, he couldn't carry clothes and other external items, forcing him to streak upon landing.
But a weakness didn't mean it was useless.
Spatial abilities were extremely rare. As long as he found an unrestricted Teleportation ability in the future and fused the two, this problem would naturally be resolved.
To take a step back, even if it could never be resolved, as long as it could save his life at a critical moment, that was enough.
When your life was about to be gone, who cared whether you were wearing clothes or not?
Looking at the five luxurious panels, the corners of Lu Chen's mouth couldn't be suppressed.
Fighting Homelander in exchange for five high-level abilities.
This trade was totally worth it.
However, copying had to be done one by one.
Once a target was selected, it was irreversible. Before the progress was finished, other people could not be replaced either. Level 5 abilities required maintaining twenty-four hours of skin-to-skin contact. Although it could be disconnected midway, completing it all at once was still the most hassle-free.
Lu Chen walked to Stormfront's side, tore open the damaged battle suit on her arm, and pressed his palm against her exposed skin.
[Target locked.]
[Copy ability: Plasma Lightning LV5.]
[Current progress: 0.01%.]
[Estimated completion time: 23 hours 59 minutes.]
The progress began to tick upward.
Lu Chen leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.
A day later, Plasma Lightning would be his.
Vought Tower.
Homelander crashed through the glass door of the apartment balcony, stumbling and collapsing onto the ground.
As soon as his left leg touched the ground, his collapsed sternum pierced fiercely into his flesh and blood.
"Ugh ah!"
He clutched his chest, his forehead pressing heavily against the floor, unable to crawl back up for a long time.
Anger, despair, and fear were all crammed into his mind.
Lu Chen had almost killed him.
That kid who used to stand by his side listening to his orders now possessed the power to kill him.
No.
This wasn't real.
He had simply been careless.
Homelander supported himself against the wall and stood up. With every step he took, his burnt-off skin would stick together with his uniform. On the way flying back to Vought, he had already assessed his injuries.
At least half a month.
Even though his body could self-heal, it would still take half a month to fully recover.
Going to a top-tier hospital or informing Vought might be faster.
But he didn't dare.
The Doctor would see his injuries, the Nurse would see them, and Edgar would know.
Then the entire World would know that Homelander had lost.
They would mock him.
They would look at him with pitiful eyes.
Those people would discover that the so-called god could also bleed and could also run away!
"No..."
Homelander walked into the bathroom, raising his head to look at the mirror.
The person inside had a pitch-black face with blood oozing from both eyes, golden hair burned into curls, and severely deformed chest and shoulders.
Who was this?
This couldn't possibly be him.
After looking for only two seconds, Homelander averted his gaze.
He didn't dare look again.
The piercing pain made it completely impossible for him to sleep, yet the image of Lu Chen standing in the giant pit and waving at him drilled into his mind over and over again.
Fly slower, Homelander.
Don't fall to your death.
"Shut up!"
Homelander smashed a punch toward the mirror.
Smash!
The entire wall shattered with a loud crash.
"Fuck!"
Another punch.
"Fuck!"
The entire bathroom collapsed.
Homelander grabbed the desk lamp on the table and smashed it toward the shattered mirror.
"Fuck!"
Chapter 152: The Steadfast Warrior
"Turn the halothane concentration up a bit higher."
Lu Chen pressed down on Stormfront's arm, his gaze sweeping over the other four experimental tables.
The Sage received Lu Chen's orders through the communication channel, standing in front of the control console and adjusting the parameters with her fingers.
"They're already unconscious."
"It's better to be safe," Lu Chen said. "If any of these guys wake up casually, it'll be enough to tear down half the research institute."
In the transparent pipes, halothane vapor was continuously fed into the four people's breathing masks.
As for Mothers Milk, who had the strongest body, he was specially given the same Novichok developed by the Soviets during the Cold War as Soldier Boy.
[Copy Progress: 100%.]
[Copy Complete.]
[Plasma Lightning LV5 has fused with Current Coverage LV2.]
[Plasma Lightning LV5 (Fusion Enhancement) has been solidified.]
A violent surge of energy drilled from the palm into the body.
Lu Chen slightly opened the five fingers of his right hand, and fine electric arcs immediately danced between his fingers, then rapidly grew thicker and crackled with pops.
Current Coverage was more like attaching electricity to the surface of the body, while Stormfront's Plasma Lightning was the complete mastery of current.
Release.
Compress.
Gather energy.
It could even convert lightning into the power for Flight propulsion.
Lu Chen raised his palm.
The electric light condensed in his palm, compressed smaller and smaller, and finally turned into a light sphere the size of a fingernail.
The surrounding metal experimental tables began to vibrate.
Crack!
The light sphere suddenly burst open.
The electric arcs darted more than a dozen meters along the wall, destroying a charred large hole in the special alloy wall.
Lu Chen withdrew his hand, his gaze falling back onto Stormfront's face.
Plasma Lightning had been acquired.
It was time to deal with Stormfront.
This Nazi who had lived for over a hundred years no longer had any value; snapping her neck right now, or directly burning through her brain with Heat Vision, would end it very quickly.
Lu Chen raised his hand, but his fingertips stopped mid-air.
He remembered that when he previously tried to control Stormfront, as soon as his mental power entered the other party's brain, it collided with those deeply ingrained, crazy beliefs.
Nazis.
Racism.
Aryan supremacy.
Having lived for over a hundred years without seeing through it, being able to be this steadfast was quite rare.
Killing her was indeed simple.
But if such a stubborn brain could be flipped over, it should be very interesting.
Lu Chen stared at Stormfront for a few seconds, the corners of his mouth gradually curling up.
He suddenly had a much more interesting way of handling it.
Telekinesis swept up Stormfront on the experimental table, taking her out of the secret room alone. After the heavy metal door closed again, Lu Chen took out his phone to contact Cate.
A few minutes later, Cate walked into the experimental area.
She had changed into a form-fitting black top, and upon seeing Stormfront lying there, her footsteps stopped.
"Is she awake?"
"No."
Lu Chen pointed at Stormfront.
"But there's something I want to try."
Cate glanced at him.
"Didn't you say before that she couldn't be forcibly controlled?"
Previously, Lu Chen had explicitly stopped her. Stormfront's thoughts were far too stubborn, and Mind Control would likely be met with fierce resistance, making it unnecessary for Cate to take the risk.
But now, he wanted to try having the two of them join forces.
With two streams of mental power entering simultaneously, no matter how stubborn the beliefs were, they would be shattered bit by bit.
"How to try?"
"Come over."
Lu Chen leaned into her ear and whispered his thoughts.
Cate listened earnestly at first, but after just a few seconds, she couldn't keep the corners of her mouth down anymore. She turned her head to look at Stormfront, her gaze growing increasingly strange.
"I didn't expect you to have such a malicious sense of humor."
"To deal with Nazis, of course one must choose the most appropriate method."
"It is indeed very appropriate."
Lu Chen took out his phone and opened the information he had searched for in advance.
The two of them simultaneously pressed their palms onto Stormfront's head.
Mental power surged in with a roar!
Stormfront, who was unconscious, abruptly tensed her body.
Click, click!
The metal buckles fixing her wrists and ankles instantly straightened out.
Sure enough, she was still resisting.
But Lu Chen had been prepared long ago.
His consciousness frontally suppressed Stormfront's mental defense line, while Cate seized the opportunity to delve deep into her memories, tearing apart those beliefs that had been distorted for over a hundred years layer by layer.
In Stormfront's mental World, scarlet flags and black symbols intertwined, crazy and distorted.
This woman had lived her life as a propaganda machine.
Wanting to change her with just a few commands was indeed impossible.
Then they would dig out all the old stuff in her brain, smash it to pieces, and cram new things in.
"Take the phone."
Cate grabbed the phone next to her with her other hand and opened the document prepared in advance.
The first line of text came into view, and Cate began issuing commands according to the content.
"Proletarians of all Worlds, unite!"
The mental power poured into Stormfront's consciousness along with the text.
"Capital comes into the World dripping from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt."
"People are not noble because of their bloodline."
"Laborers are not slaves."
"Race is not a reason to oppress others."
Marxist theory, class struggle, proletarian liberation, and everything she had once loathed the most were forcibly carved into her subconscious by the two powerful streams of mental power.
Stormfront struggled more and more violently.
"No..."
She squeezed out a low roar from her unconsciousness.
"Get out..."
"Don't rush."
Lu Chen increased the Mind Control.
"There's still a lot more behind."
The old beliefs attempted a counterattack, but were directly erased by Lu Chen. The obsession with Aryan supremacy had just emerged when it was replaced by class equality; loyalty to the Third Reich was completely reversed.
A few minutes later, the struggle gradually ceased.
Stormfront's tightly furrowed brows slowly smoothed out, and a hint of steadfastness even appeared on her face.
Lu Chen looked at her and almost laughed out loud.
A Nazi who had lived for over a hundred years would wake up to become the most steadfast communist warrior.
This was much more interesting than killing her directly.
Lu Chen called the Sage over and handed Stormfront over to her.
"Arrange for someone to send her out, find a place where Vought won't discover her immediately. You don't need to worry about her after that."
The Sage looked at Stormfront, then looked at Lu Chen and Cate.
"Just let her go like this?"
"She will find what she needs to do on her own."
Once Stormfront was sent away, Cate immediately hugged Lu Chen from behind, pressing her face against his back.
"Are things done?"
"Temporarily done."
"Then shouldn't you accompany me for a while?"
Lu Chen turned around and picked her up onto the edge of the experimental table.
"Only for a while."
Cate hooked her legs around his waist.
"You say that every time."
An hour later.
Lu Chen walked back into the sealed secret room.
The halothane vapor was still being continuously delivered.
The other four people were still unconscious; twenty-four hours had passed, and the superpowers brought by the temp v had worn off.
But Lu Chen was not worried.
The ability awakened when injecting temp v for the first time was already fixed, and injecting it again afterwards would only continue to grant the same ability.
This actually saved a lot of trouble.
Lu Chen picked up the syringe on the table and stabbed it into his arm.
Butcher's body suddenly tensed, and a golden light lit up in the depths of his eyes.
Lu Chen grabbed his wrist in one motion.
[Target locked.]
[Copy ability: Heat Vision LV5.]
[Current progress: 0.01%.]
[Estimated completion time: 23 hours 59 minutes.]
Chapter 153: Obtaining the Key to V1
Three days later.
Over the past three days.
He had barely stepped out of this door.
Stormfront's Plasma Lightning, Mothers Milk and Black Noir's Super Physique, Hughie's Teleportation, and Butcher's Heat Vision had all been successfully copied.
Lu Chen opened the panel to check this time's gains.
[ Plasma Lightning LV5 (Fusion Enhancement). ]
[ Super Physique LV5 (Fusion Enhancement). ]
[ Teleportation LV4. ]
[ Heat Vision LV5 (Fusion Enhancement). ]
Plasma Lightning had fused with Current Coverage.
Black Noir's Super Physique reinforced his body once again, and Mothers Milk's level 5 physique pushed this enhancement to a new height.
Lu Chen clenched his fist, his knuckles rubbing gently against his palm.
There were no exaggerated changes in his body.
But he could clearly feel that his skin, muscles, bones, and even internal organs had become much sturdier and stronger.
As for Teleportation.
Lu Chen lowered his head to glance at his pants; as long as it worked at a critical moment, that was enough.
As for the clothing issue, he would figure out a solution later.
What truly concerned him was still Heat Vision.
Red.
Blue.
Gold.
Ryan's red.
Butcher's gold.
And the pure, impurity-free blue of the super baby—all three powers had fused into his body.
Lu Chen raised his head, his eyes slowly lighting up.
At first, it was red.
Then came gold.
Finally, a blue light surged from the depths of his eyes, the three colors continuously intertwining, rotating, and compressing.
The next second, his eyes turned completely black.
No light spilled out at all.
It was more like something had swallowed all the surrounding light.
He suppressed his power and pushed his line of sight forward.
Hum!
A pitch-black pillar of light pierced through the alloy wall.
Where the pillar of light passed, the air did not explode, and the walls were not scorched black; a piece simply vanished silently.
The half-meter-thick alloy target plate was directly erased.
The cut was so smooth it made one's scalp tingle; the walls, wiring, and metal brackets behind it all disappeared, leaving only a straight, piercing void.
Lu Chen stood in place without speaking for a long time.
This was no longer Heat Vision in the ordinary sense.
It did not illuminate things, nor did it burn things.
Where it passed, matter seemed to be directly annihilated.
The next time he encountered Homelander.
If he still dared to use Heat Vision to exchange blows, Lu Chen would let him know what it truly meant to not look around randomly with one's eyes.
The abilities that needed to be obtained had already been acquired.
Next, it was time to thoroughly organize the cards in his hand.
Lu Chen turned his head to look at the experimental table.
Black Noir was lying quietly there, his black combat suit heavily damaged, and his mask placed aside, revealing his scar-covered face.
This person was different from Stormfront.
Stormfront's head was stuffed with things she believed in; to turn her around, one had to tear them apart layer by layer.
Black Noir did not.
He had long been brainwashed into a tool by Vought.
Such a tool, on the contrary, was the easiest to use.
Lu Chen walked to the side of the experimental table, removed Black Noir's breathing mask, and pressed his palm against his forehead.
Black Noir's eyelids trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he saw Lu Chen, his arms tightened, and just as he wanted to get up, Lu Chen had already spoken.
"Look at me."
Black Noir's gaze froze.
Lu Chen's palm pressed against his skin, and mental power poured into the other's brain along his palm.
Edgar's orders.
Vought's rules.
The identity of The Seven.
Those repeatedly implanted commands of loyalty, obedience, and slaughter were all dug out.
Lu Chen was not in a hurry to delete them.
Shattering this already-formed tool personality directly would easily cause problems. It was enough to replace the uppermost object of allegiance.
A few minutes later, the struggle in Black Noir's eyes gradually disappeared.
Lu Chen let go of his hand.
"From now on, you only owe allegiance to me."
Black Noir sat up and lowered his head to look at his hands.
"Yes."
"Stay at the Base and watch these people. If anyone wants to break in, break their legs first. If there is a problem with the laboratory, prioritize protecting the equipment and the Sage."
"Understood."
Lu Chen looked at his dutiful appearance standing outside the laboratory, feeling much more relaxed inside.
The Base finally had a security guard who could fight.
Black Noir was definitely no match for Homelander, but if ordinary Superhumans dared to come and make trouble, it would essentially be serving themselves up on a silver platter.
As for Cate and Annie.
Lu Chen did not notify them for the time being.
Next step, heading to Russia, but before that, there was a more important person who had to be brought back.
Florida.
Vought Village Superhuman Retirement Community.
Lu Chen descended from mid-air and glanced around.
There were quite a few elderly people sitting in the yard.
Some were pushing wheelchairs, some were sitting on benches basking in the Sun, and there was also a white-haired old man wearing an old-style hero uniform with a long-faded badge pinned to his chest.
In the 1960s and 1970s, they might also have been big figures on TV.
Now there was only a group of old Superhumans waiting to die.
Several gazes quietly fell on Lu Chen.
Someone recognized him.
Lu Chen couldn't be bothered to care.
He crossed the yard and quickly found the woman sitting by the bench.
The geisha top billing.
The lover of Popclaw.
She raised her head and frowned upon seeing Lu Chen.
"Who are you?"
Lu Chen flickered, his hand resting on her shoulder.
"Come with me."
The woman's body stiffened, and then she slowly stood up.
Lu Chen took her away from the nursing home.
Popclaw was the real key.
This woman was just a primer.
As for those witnesses, just let them pass the message to Popclaw.
On the way back to the laboratory, Lu Chen casually checked her panel.
[ Energy Force Field LV3. ]
[ Can condense a translucent protective shield around oneself or a designated target, resisting physical impacts and energy blasts. ]
Half an hour later.
[ Copy completed. ]
[ Energy Force Field LV3 has solidified. ]
A translucent barrier unfolded in Lu Chen's palm, covering half his body.
He raised his hand and clenched it, and the force field compressed into a thin layer adhering to the surface of his skin.
Bio-force field was also acquired now.
Heat Vision, Super Physique, Super Healing, Flight, Energy Force Field.
He was getting closer and closer to Superman.
After returning to the laboratory, Lu Chen called over the Sage.
"Redesign and develop a new set based on my original combat suit."
Lu Chen looked at the tattered combat suit he had already taken off.
"Pile the materials in the sturdiest direction, focusing on strengthening heat resistance and energy impact resistance. Budget is not a problem."
"By the way, lock her up well and don't let her contact the outside world. She is getting old, remember to take good care of her."
After completing all preparations, Lu Chen called Cate and Annie over.
As soon as Cate saw Lu Chen, she walked up quickly.
"You're finally out."
"What, missed me?"
"Of course."
Cate's hand had already grabbed the corner of his clothes.
Lu Chen glanced down at her.
This girl was getting bolder and bolder.
Annie stood to the side, her gaze sweeping across his unscathed body, and her expression also softened.
"You've recovered?"
"Better than ever."
"Let's go, I'll take you to Russia for some fun."
The corners of Cate's mouth curled up, and she was just about to open her arms.
She wanted Lu Chen to hold her and fly.
As a result, after seeing her action, Annie wrapped her arm around her waist a step earlier, picking her person up directly.
"Ah!"
Cate was stunned.
"Let me go!"
"Didn't you want Lu Chen to hold and fly you?"
Annie took her up into the air, smiling happily.
"I'll hold and fly you."
Cate's face turned red with anger, her legs kicked twice in the air, and she struggled and shouted: "Lu Chen! She's snatching people!"
Lu Chen glanced at them.
Annie hugged her tighter.
Lu Chen shook his head, electric arcs burst under his feet, and his body soared into the sky.
The three turned into afterimages, speeding towards Russia.
Chapter 154: Sweeping Everything Away
"Wait a second, I am almost out of power."
Annie's body flashed twice, and her Flight speed dropped abruptly.
Lu Chen stopped immediately, using his Telekinesis to hold her and Cate.
They had only flown halfway, and the electricity Annie had stored was already bottoming out.
Her Flight ability had just awakened not long ago, so the consumption was naturally huge; bringing Cate across two countries was indeed a bit straining for her.
"Just let me carry you guys." Lu Chen said.
Cate was still being held in Annie's arms, and she immediately looked up when she heard those words.
"Exactly, if you cannot do it, let someone else."
"Who cannot do it?" Annie glared at her. "I just need to recharge."
"Running out of power halfway through, is that not called failing?"
"You cannot even fly."
Cate was choked up for a moment, and turned to look at Lu Chen.
"She is bullying me."
Lu Chen did not take up the topic, wrapping one arm around Annie's waist while pulling Cate over with the other.
"Hold on tight, both of you."
Purple electric arcs crawled out of Lu Chen's arm, pouring into Annie's body along the point of contact between the two.
Annie's body grew brighter and brighter, her golden hair floating upward driven by the current.
In just a dozen seconds, the electricity she had consumed was completely refilled.
A few hours later.
The three of them dropped vertically from high altitude, smashing into the interior of a secret military Base in the Russian Far East.
The soldiers on the night lookout tower had just turned the searchlight, and before they could clearly see what had fallen, their bodies flew off the ground.
"Ah!"
The soldier crossed dozens of meters, and was grabbed right in front of Lu Chen by Telekinesis.
Mental power poured into his brain, quickly flipping through his memories.
Transport tunnel.
Armory.
Experimental area.
Control center.
But the exact location where Soldier Boy was imprisoned remained vague.
He only knew there was a top-secret area in the center of the Base.
But it was enough; the top-secret place must house the most important assets.
"Sleep."
Lu Chen slightly tightened his five fingers.
The soldier's head tilted, and he directly passed out.
Annie looked at the searchlights lighting up in the distance.
"They have already discovered us."
"Does not matter."
The three quickly arrived at the underground East District.
A thick alloy door blocked their way, and behind the door were several layers of quarantine zones.
Lu Chen could hear hurried footsteps and commands inside.
"Identity confirmation failed!"
"Lock down the East District!"
"Prepare to release nerve agents!"
Lu Chen's eyes turned pitch black.
"Hum!"
Black Heat Vision shot out from the depths of his eyes.
The alloy door in the very front was silently cut open, followed by the second, third, and fourth layers.
The half-meter-thick walls vanished along with the internal poison gas pipelines, leaving only a huge cavity penetrating the entire passage.
"Poison gas pipeline depressurized!"
"Intruders broke through the quarantine doors!"
"Are you kidding me? That is heavy alloy!"
Inside the control center, dozens of eyes stared dead at the surveillance screen.
The black beam of light was still moving forward.
They had studied a large number of Superhumans, and even conducted complete deductions of Homelander's abilities.
Even if Homelander's Heat Vision could melt these doors, it was absolutely impossible to pierce through the entire passage in one breath.
Where on earth did this Superhuman pop out from?
Annie looked at the bottomless cavity, her lips moving slightly.
"Your Heat Vision..."
"Just upgraded."
Lu Chen withdrew his gaze.
The alarm sounded completely.
The hidden doors on both sides of the passage opened simultaneously, several RPK light machine guns extended, and the muzzles locked onto the three.
"Fire!"
"Rat-tat-tat!"
A hail of bullets covered the passage.
Lu Chen raised his hand, and a translucent energy force field expanded, completely wrapping Annie and Cate.
The bullets hit the force field and were all deflected away.
Sparks filled the passage, but not a single one could get close to them.
"Keep close to me."
Lu Chen's feet left the ground, purple lightning spewed from under his feet, and his whole person shot forward like a cannonball.
The black Heat Vision swept across the front, cutting walls, turrets, and blast shelters neatly in half.
Both hands opened simultaneously, and purple Plasma Lightning erupted with a roar!
"Boom!"
The machine gun position along with the soldiers behind were blown away by the current.
Purple electric arcs spread wildly along the metal pipelines, and as soon as the automatic turrets descended from the ceiling, their internal circuits were forcibly charged and exploded one after another.
Someone in the control center immediately roared:
"Cut off the power!"
"It is useless! The current is not coming from the Base!"
Several blast doors began to descend.
Lu Chen did not even slow down.
The black death ray paved the way at the very front, shredding all obstacles, lightning destroyed weapons, and magnetic force swept up all the steel along the way.
Firearms, pipes, steel bars, and broken door panels all flew into mid-air, converging into an increasingly massive metal torrent.
Any area not completely erased by the Heat Vision was plowed through once more by the metal torrent.
Walls collapsed.
Passages were torn apart.
Half of the Base collapsed one after another.
Protected by the energy force field, Annie and Cate moved forward rapidly along the path Lu Chen had blasted out.
Bullets, explosions, and falling concrete were all blocked outside, unable to touch them at all.
They had not seen the battle between Lu Chen and Homelander with their own eyes; until now, they finally truly saw just how strong Lu Chen had become.
The figure at the very front was pushing straight forward against the firepower of the entire military Base, and everything blocking the way was crushed head-on.
Is this really something a Superhuman can do?
Annie looked at the black death ray piercing through the Base all the way, remembering what Lu Chen had once said to her.
Human evolution.
In the past, she was willing to believe it because she believed in Lu Chen.
Now, she truly saw that path.
He really could do it.
No, it was that we would definitely be able to do it.
"Boom!"
The metal torrent crashed into the central control room.
Screens, consoles, and walls shattered simultaneously, and before the people inside could escape, they were overturned to the ground by Telekinesis.
As the main control system shut down, most of the Base came to a complete standstill.
"There is still space below the East District." Cate reminded.
"I found it."
Lu Chen turned his head to look underground.
The black Heat Vision lit up once more, sweeping across from beneath his feet.
The thick floor split directly, revealing the hidden experimental area below.
The three of them descended.
The final quarantine door was forcefully torn open.
Behind the door, a large transparent cryogenic hibernation pod stood in the center of the laboratory, white cold mist slowly flowing along the pod walls.
Lying inside was a burly man,
with messy long hair, a thick beard covering more than half his face, and his chest and limbs jammed with thick infusion tubes and monitoring wires, looking like an ancient fierce beast tightly bound by chains.
Lu Chen looked at the cryogenic hibernation pod before him.
"Is this the target?" Annie's voice sounded a bit uncertain.
Cate was observing the control panel on the side of the pod and the connected pipes. "It looks like a cryogenic sealed pod, but these gas cylinders..."
Lu Chen's gaze swept across those metal gas cylinders printed with Russian warning symbols.
Novichok nerve agent.
Cryogenic hibernation, plus continuous inhalation of trace amounts of nerve agent—dual suppression.
No wonder this legend from the previous era could be imprisoned for decades.
Whatever, let us take him away first.
"Step back."
Lu Chen called out to Annie and Cate, then raised his right hand.
Magnetic Manipulation activated.
"Hum!"
The entire freezing pod, weighing several tons, along with the Base and a few tanks of backup Novichok gas cylinders nearby, let out a harsh metallic friction sound and slowly rose from the ground.
This was not the end yet.
Lu Chen activated his Telekinesis to the maximum, an invisible force lifting the huge pod and gas cylinders while sweeping up Annie and Cate.
The three of them, along with this heavy trophy, shot straight up into the sky from the hole Lu Chen had blasted open with his Heat Vision, disappearing into the night.
Chapter 155: Storm in Action
Hours later, Detroit, underground research institute.
The heavy stasis pod was steadily placed in the center of the laboratory.
"You two go take a rest first, or go play for a bit," Lu Chen said to Annie and Cate by his side.
Bringing them along this time was mainly because he was uneasy leaving the two of them alone at the Base. Now that he was going into seclusion to Copy abilities, bringing them along would instead be inconvenient.
"Will you be fine by yourself?" Annie looked somewhat worriedly at the huge metal coffin.
"Rest assured." Lu Chen smiled, "Just doing some research."
Cate narrowed her eyes. Every time Lu Chen finished his research, the abilities on him became more and more numerous and stronger, which defied conventional logic.
However, she quickly suppressed the thought of asking; when he wanted to speak, he would naturally say so. She looked at the thoughtful Annie beside her.
Being considerate is also part of maintaining a harmonious marital life, and she won again this time.
"Annie, let's go."
"Why does it sound like you're ordering me?"
"Because you really should leave."
"Cate!"
The sound of the two arguing gradually faded into the distance.
After the two left, Lu Chen alone transferred the stasis pod to a deeper enclosed secret room.
He began to study this big guy.
The complex life support system, the low-temperature circulation device, and that precise trace poison injection system. The craftsmanship was a bit crude, but it really worked.
Lu Chen didn't spend too much time on these external devices; he walked straight forward and found the emergency unlocking device of the pod door.
Hiss——
Along with a burst of white mist gushing out, the airtight pod door slowly opened.
A wave of cold air hit his face.
Lu Chen held his breath, reached his hand into the pod, and pressed his palm directly onto the other's cold chest.
The moment their skin touched, the panel unfolded before his eyes.
[Target: Soldier Boy]
[Optional Copy Ability List:]
[1. Super Physique LV6: Body density, bone strength, and muscle strength have all reached the peak that Compound V can achieve.]
[2. Radiation Impact LV5: Releases high-energy radiation shock from the chest. A mutant byproduct produced by decades of continuous high-energy radiation live-body experiments, this special frequency band of radiation can cleave and incinerate the Compound V molecular structure inside Superhumans. Side effects: Requires powering up and charging, usage will cause a huge burden on oneself, endure severe pain, and enter a brief period of weakness after use.]
[3. Longevity LV6]
[4. Adaptive Evolution LV2: Under years of extreme stress environments, the body has the possibility of triggering adaptive evolution, but the threshold is extremely high and the cycle is extremely long.]
Looking at this panel, Lu Chen had only one evaluation in his heart.
A pure numerical monster.
This guy didn't have any fancy special abilities, and added almost all his points to physical fitness. Even that chest cannon was a byproduct tortured out of him in the laboratory later on.
As for the chest cannon, with Kimiko's Super Healing and Soldier Boy's Super Physique, they could acquire it through experiments, why couldn't he? As for the pain, he didn't care. How many people longed to gain power but had no channel? Now that he had the opportunity, naturally he had to firmly seize it.
Lu Chen hesitated no more.
"Just you."
"Select Copy [Super Physique LV6]."
[Selected Ability: Super Physique LV6.]
[Copy started, estimated time required: 7 days.]
Seven days...
Lu Chen sighed inwardly, as expected, the higher the level of the ability, the longer the time required. This was already the longest time-consuming Copy ability he had ever done.
Just at this moment, he felt the body of Soldier Boy under his palm tremble slightly, and his tightly closed eyelids began to twitch.
He was about to wake up.
After the airtight pod door opened, this sleeping beast finally showed signs of waking up.
However, those cans of Novichok casually brought back from the military Base could be used right here.
Lu Chen picked up a breathing mask connected to a gas cylinder from the side, buckled it onto Soldier Boy's face, and then turned on the valve.
Hiss——
The Novichok aerosol continued to be injected.
Soldier Boy's freshly tensed muscles gradually relaxed, and his twitching eyelids also returned to calm.
Lu Chen moved him onto an alloy bed nearby, and pulled over another bed to place them side by side. Two grown men lying together was indeed a bit strange, but for the LV6 Super Physique, what was enduring seven days?
Next was a long wait lasting seven days.
Waiting for the final transformation.
Meanwhile, during these few days of Lu Chen's seclusion, the outside World had already turned upside down.
Stormfront, whom he had remade and let go, after experiencing a brief period of daze,
the communist beliefs implanted in her brain completely took root and sprouted, and underwent a wonderful chemical reaction with her original extremist ideology.
In the eyes of the current Stormfront, Vought International relied on monopolizing core means of production like Compound V,
wantonly exploiting the bottom-tier populace, using innocent ordinary people for human experiments, manipulating public opinion, and harvesting wealth, making it the most typical and most evil capitalist giant in this World.
And she, as a staunch communist fighter, her primary task was to overthrow this giant mountain weighing on the heads of the people.
Therefore, she began her action.
"Freedom belongs to everyone locked in a cage by capital!"
Purple lightning shattered the laboratory door, and Stormfront walked in stepping on glass scattered all over the floor.
Several guards raised their guns to aim at her.
"Stop! This is Vought property!"
Stormfront's expression instantly turned cold.
"Calling people assets?"
Boom!
Electric arcs swept across the corridor, and the guards all smashed into the wall. She tore open the final iron door, inside which more than a dozen Superhuman children undergoing experiments huddled together.
Capitalist giants like this.
Must be smashed to pieces fiercely!
"Don't be afraid." Stormfront extended her hand, "From today on, no one can exploit you anymore."
In just a few days, multiple laboratories under Vought's name were successively raided. A large number of imprisoned Superhuman orphans and test subjects went missing, and internal loss reports piled up on Stan Edgar's desk.
Stan Edgar sat in the office, his expression as gloomy as water.
Homelander stayed behind closed doors and wouldn't even answer his phone calls.
Black Noir was sent out and never came back.
Starlight and Tianshu completely lost contact.
Mei only replied with two words.
"No time."
The entire Vought International, this once peerless behemoth, seemed to have fallen into paralysis overnight.
On the other side in Washington, inside the congressman's office.
Victoria Neuman had just hung up the call with Stan Edgar, and her whole person was still somewhat dazed.
She was originally a chess piece planted by Edgar in the political arena, under the banner of anti-Superhumans and anti-Vought, intending to use this to gain political capital,
and when she became Vice President in the future, she would work with Vought openly and covertly, watching out for and helping each other, to completely control this country.
But who would have known that these days, one unfavorable event after another against Vought happened back-to-back.
Stormfront went on a killing spree at the hearing, and the remaining Superhumans, upon seeing this situation, not only didn't restrain themselves, but actually caused trouble everywhere.
The public's anti-Vought sentiment was completely ignited, and the scale of protests and demonstrations grew larger day by day.
She, the leader of the anti-Vought movement, was pushed by public opinion to an unprecedented high point, and her approval rating soared all the way.
Everything seemed to be developing in the direction of success.
But the problem was... this success wasn't the kind of success in her plan!
Looking at the protesters on television shouting her name and demanding the immediate dissolution of Vought International, she felt the entire World had become surreal.
It seemed... it seemed she was really going to successfully oppose them?
Chapter 156: The World's Strongest Physical Body
The outside World was turned upside down because Stormfront transformed into a communist warrior, Vought International's stock plummeted all the way, and Stan Edgar was at his wits' end.
But all of this had nothing to do with the underground research facility in Detroit.
For seven days, the interior of the laboratory remained peaceful and quiet.
Under the overall coordination and allocation of the Sage, various departments conducted their research methodically.
Weapon development, data analysis, and intelligence gathering were all operating step by step.
In the deepest enclosed secret room.
Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes.
[ Copy completed. ]
[ Super Physique LV6 has fused Super Physique LV5, Super Strength LV3, Super Defense LV3, and Super Senses LV2. ]
[ Super Physique LV6 (fusion enhancement) has solidified. ]
Lu Chen sat up and stretched his neck slightly.
There was no crisp cracking sound of bone friction; instead, a seamless, indestructible sense of heaviness spread from deep within.
" This is LV6? "
Lu Chen lowered his head to look at his hands, a bit of satisfaction appearing on his face.
Strong.
It was not simply a multiple increase in strength, but an overall transformation from the inside out.
Bones, muscles, skin, internal organs, and even the senses were upgraded simultaneously.
After opening the ability panel, those lower-level entries like Super Strength, Super Defense, and Super Senses had all disappeared, leaving only a single Super Physique LV6.
" Turns out it was integrated. "
No wonder he hadn't seen entries like Super Strength on Soldier Boy before; it wasn't that he didn't have them, but rather that those abilities were all contained within Super Physique.
From this moment on, Lu Chen's physical fitness had truly stood at the apex of this World.
Lu Chen raised his right hand and spread his five fingers.
The next moment, two strands of black Heat Vision shot out from his eyes, shining directly onto his palm.
Zi——
This thing had fused the Heat Vision of the super baby, Ryan, and Butcher. Previously at the military Base, it could instantly melt through special alloy explosion-proof doors and slice through Superhumans as easily as cutting butter, yet it only made his skin turn slightly red.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Thirty seconds.
It wasn't until dozens of seconds later that Lu Chen felt a stinging pain in his palm.
He turned off the Heat Vision.
The continuously irradiated area only left a scrape, and not even blood flowed out.
Following that, the edges of the wound closed rapidly, returning to normal in the blink of an eye.
Super Physique LV6 combined with Super Healing LV5.
As long as it wasn't a direct hit at the explosion center of a nuclear weapon, it was already hard for anything in the Boys' World to truly threaten him.
Lu Chen opened the door and left the secret room first.
Outside, Annie January and Cate Dunlap were already waiting.
Seeing him come out, Annie January immediately went up to greet him.
" You're finally done. "
She grabbed Lu Chen's arm and checked him up and down.
" Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? "
Lu Chen smiled.
" You can try using force. "
" I'm caring about you. "
Annie January glared at him, but she really exerted force with her hand.
No response.
She added a bit more strength, but Lu Chen's arm remained motionless, and his skin didn't even sink in much.
Annie January let go of her hand, her expression somewhat peculiar.
" You've gotten stronger again? "
" These seven days of lying down weren't in vain. "
Cate Dunlap leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest.
" If you guys are done checking, shouldn't you look at me? "
" I see you've been quite happy these past few days. "
Lu Chen walked over and pinched her face.
Cate Dunlap slapped away his hand.
" It had no effect after the third injection, what is there for me to be happy about? "
Saying that with her mouth, her mouth corners couldn't be suppressed.
Lu Chen hadn't been lying down motionlessly the entire time during these seven days.
The Copy progress could be interrupted. Every once in a while, he would take time to leave the secret room and help the two inject the enhancement serum developed from Sam's blood.
The effect was even better than expected.
Cate Dunlap's original body was pushed directly to Super Physique LV4.
Her mental power also became more stable because her physical endurance upper limit increased, making it more and more handy to manipulate.
Now, even if she controlled multiple people continuously, her whites of the eyes wouldn't become bloodshot like before.
Lu Chen turned his head to look at Annie January.
" What about you? "
" I feel great. "
Annie January raised her right hand, white light lighting up her fingertips.
The corridor ceiling lights quickly dimmed, and current surged into her body along the lines.
The light became brighter and brighter, but there was no sign of losing control at all.
The electrical energy she could store now was at least twice as much as before.
More importantly, her Super Physique broke through LV5.
This improvement far exceeded Cate Dunlap's.
Lu Chen judged that she was already standing at the absolute peak of LV4.
The serum developed from Sam's blood just gave her a final push to complete the breakthrough.
Unfortunately, after the third injection, the serum lost its effect on both of them.
However, being able to upgrade to this point was already a huge profit.
After a brief wash and tender moment, " You guys adapt to the new powers yourselves first, I still have some finishing work to deal with. "
" Do you need help? " Annie January leaned over and asked.
" No need, you guys can't handle him. "
Lu Chen turned around and walked back to the deepest enclosed secret room.
On the alloy bed, Soldier Boy was still sleeping soundly.
novichok aerosol was steadily injected into his respiratory tract through the mask.
Lu Chen stepped forward and directly reached out to tear off the breathing mask on his face.
" It's time to wake up. "
Inhaling novichok for a long time, ordinary Superhumans would have died a dozen times over, but Soldier Boy only fell into a deep sleep without even obvious damage.
This body was truly outrageous.
However, now it belonged to him.
Lu Chen grabbed Soldier Boy's shoulder with one hand, lifted the big guy up, and then brought him out of the laboratory to the open space outside the Base.
After losing the suppression of novichok, Soldier Boy's breathing gradually became heavy.
This guy had been tortured for decades.
Who could say for sure what he would do when he first woke up.
But Lu Chen wasn't worried.
Seven days ago, he might have needed to deal with it seriously.
Now if they really fought, Soldier Boy's proud physique couldn't take any advantage anymore.
" Uh... "
The man on the ground suddenly opened his eyes.
Chaos, pain, and murderous intent flashed through those eyes one after another.
Experimental tables, radiation, poisonous gas, and those faces wearing protective suits rushed into his mind all at once.
His breathing suddenly became disordered.
The skin on his chest quickly turned red, and a cluster of dazzling white light leaked from within his body.
Soldier Boy gritted his teeth, his hands pressing tightly against his chest.
The white light became brighter and brighter, and terrifying energy began to converge towards his chest.
Black Heat Vision lit up in the depths of Lu Chen's eyes.
" Looks like I need to calm you down first. "
Two strands of black Heat Vision shot out instantly, hitting Soldier Boy directly in the chest.
Boom!
The white light that had just condensed directly dissipated, Soldier Boy groaned muffledly, his body scraped against the ground and flew backward for more than ten meters, smashing the cement pier at the edge of the open space.
Lu Chen turned off the Heat Vision and did not continue attacking.
In the pile of gravel, a large hand suddenly pressed against the ground.
" FUCK!... "
Soldier Boy propped up his body, his eyes bloodshot.
The chaotic memories made him completely unable to tell what place this was.
The only thing he could be sure of was that this kid in front of him had attacked him.
Then he would beat the guy down first, and then ask for intelligence.
Chapter 157: Duel of the Stat Monsters
"Stand straight for me!"
Before his voice even faded, Soldier Boy had already rushed forward.
Lu Chen's eyelids twitched slightly.
What the hell?
A heavy fist smashed straight towards his face, but Lu Chen didn't dodge; he raised his left arm to block it head-on.
Bam!
The shockwave generated by the collision exploded outward in all directions, cracking the cement ground beneath their feet into large fissures.
Lu Chen's body only swayed once.
Soldier Boy, however, had his arm numbed by the recoil, and the confusion in his eyes instantly lessened a bit.
This kid is weird.
That punch just now should have caved in even tank armor. Yet the opponent stood right there without even taking a step back.
"Is that all the strength you've got?"
Lu Chen raised his hand and threw a punch straight at his face.
Soldier Boy tilted his head to dodge, the wind of the fist brushing past his ear, and immediately lowered his center of gravity, pressing his shoulder against Lu Chen's chest and hooking his right ankle, attempting to flip him with a wrestling technique.
The movement was very professional.
Lu Chen could feel that the opponent's experience far surpassed his own. Although most of Soldier Boy's World War II achievements were made up by Vought, his training and combat experience were not fake.
Unfortunately, technique could make up for the gap, but it couldn't bridge the chasm.
Lu Chen exerted force from his waist and abdomen, his feet nailed to the ground as if spiked, his right hand clasping the back of Soldier Boy's neck, and his left knee violently thrusting upward.
Bam!
Soldier Boy used his elbow to block the knee strike, but his entire arm was forced upward by the impact. The next second, Lu Chen's fist had already landed under his ribs.
A muffled impact echoed out.
Soldier Boy flew sideways, forcibly twisting his waist in mid-air, and after his feet landed, he slid another seven or eight meters.
"Not bad strength."
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned.
"But a fight isn't two bitches pulling hair in a locker room. You gotta keep your waist low, kid. Unless you want to stick your ass up and wait for someone to fuck you."
The expression on Lu Chen's face stiffened for a moment.
Is this the legendary talking tough?
"You'd better shut up."
Lu Chen shattered the ground with a single step and rushed out again.
Two figures collided head-on.
Fists, elbows, and knees collided continuously, muffled explosions bursting out one after another in the open space. Soldier Boy sidestepped to avoid a straight punch, his five fingers clasping Lu Chen's wrist, smoothly twisting his waist and slamming his shoulder into Lu Chen's chest.
Lu Chen let him lock his arm and stepped straight forward.
Pure strength instantly tore open the joint lock.
Before Soldier Boy could change his move, he took a punch to the chest. His hulking body arched violently, and the ground beneath his feet shattered along with it.
Lu Chen delivered another hook.
Soldier Boy raised his arm to block, but his bones couldn't withstand that force; his arm slammed hard into his own face, and his entire body spun as he smashed into the ground.
The gap was already obvious.
Soldier Boy had better technique and could always choose the most appropriate response. But his own strength, speed, reflexes, and defense were all far above him.
Especially after the fusion and enhancement of Super Physique LV6, every part of his body was integrated as one. With a casual punch, he could deliver his entire body's strength completely.
"Damn it."
Soldier Boy pulled his head out of the ground and staggered to his feet.
"What do you young people nowadays eat growing up? Did Vought mix gunpowder into the baby formula?"
Lu Chen did not answer and threw a punch again.
Soldier Boy ducked to avoid it, wrapped his arms around Lu Chen's waist, concentrated all his strength in his legs, and exerted force upward fiercely.
But he was pressed down by Lu Chen's hands on his shoulders; not only did he fail to lift him, but he was also pushed down.
Lu Chen looked down at him.
The two stared at each other for a second.
"What the fuck are you smiling at?"
Soldier Boy let go and stepped back, still cursing.
"When I was dealing with those Germans in Normandy back in the day, your old man was still playing guerrilla in diapers! Don't put on that expression like a bitch who won a beauty pageant!"
Lu Chen's face darkened.
Enough.
His figure suddenly disappeared.
Soldier Boy only saw an afterimage flash by before his arms were locked from behind. Lu Chen kicked the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel on the ground.
Soldier Boy struggled desperately, and white light began to emanate from his chest again.
Mental power spread across the bottom of Lu Chen's eyes, directly invading his chaotic consciousness.
"Wake up."
Laboratories, novichok gas, decades of continuous torture—all chaotic memories were quickly sorted out. Lu Chen did not modify his thoughts, but simply stuffed in the images of him storming the Base, destroying the control center, and bringing the cryo-pod back.
The white light on Soldier Boy's chest gradually went out.
After a dozen seconds, he finally spoke.
"So, you're the one who got me out?"
"That's right."
"Fuck."
Soldier Boy struggled a couple of times, finding that he couldn't break free at all.
"Does man-on-man give you pleasure? Let me go."
Lu Chen's mouth twitched, and he released his hands.
If this guy kept talking like this, his decision to recruit him might need to be reconsidered.
Soldier Boy got up, moved his shoulders, and twisted his neck.
Freedom.
No poison gas, no laboratory tables, and no researchers in protective suits.
This feeling was indeed not bad.
But when he looked at Lu Chen, his eyes still carried scrutiny. When could Vought create such a strong Superhuman? During the years he had disappeared, to what extent had Vought's Compound V developed?
"How long have I been locked up?"
"Decades."
The smile on Soldier Boy's face disappeared.
"Be specific."
"Thirty-six years. It's 2020 now."
"Bullshit."
Lu Chen took out a new mobile phone and threw it to him.
Soldier Boy caught it, flipped through it a couple of times, and frowned.
"What is this little glass plate? A newly developed weapon, or a bug?"
"A mobile phone. It's the information age now; if you want to know anything, search it yourself."
Soldier Boy sneered, "Nicely made up."
Then he pressed the side key, the screen suddenly lit up, and he almost threw it away.
Lu Chen spent a long time teaching him the most basic operations. News, videos, maps, Vought International, and all major events since the birth of Homelander were placed before his eyes one by one.
Soldier Boy was still sneering at first, but after seeing his missing years and Homelander's profile, he fell completely silent.
Thirty-six years.
The era he was familiar with was long gone.
"That clown draped in the flag is the guy Vought used to replace me?"
"Homelander, currently Vought's strongest superhero."
"Going out wearing spandex, and they have the nerve to call him a man?"
Soldier Boy turned off the screen and shoved the phone into his pocket.
"Speak. What did you save me for? Let me state first, I'm against man-on-man."
Lu Chen couldn't be bothered to care about the second half.
"I know you hate those former teammates of Payback. I can help you find them."
Soldier Boy stared into his eyes.
"Conditions."
"Serve in the Superhuman Administration Bureau I'm about to establish."
"What kind of place is that?"
"A department that will manage all Superhumans in the future."
Lu Chen looked at him.
"The honor, fame, and status you want are all there. Because it will become a new government, a government belonging to Superhumans."
Soldier Boy was silent for a moment, and finally nodded.
"No matter which department, I want to be the boss."
"We can negotiate."
Lu Chen smiled and reached out his hand.
Soldier Boy lowered his head to look at it, and directly slapped his hand away.
"So girly."
After saying that, he punched Lu Chen on the shoulder.
"Now that's what you call masculinity."
Lu Chen looked at his own shoulder and resisted the urge to beat him up again.
Soldier Boy had already turned around.
"Let's go."
"Where to?"
"Get back my gear."
He turned his head to look at Lu Chen, decades of anger suppressed in his eyes.
"Then go find those bastards who sold me out."
Chapter 158: Call Me Congresswoman!
"Let's go."
Soldier Boy twisted his neck, already treating the previous fight as a warm-up.
Lu Chen followed a few steps behind him and asked, "Are you going to look for Legend?"
Soldier Boy paused his steps and glanced back at him.
"Didn't expect you to know him." He grinned, "Looks like my reputation back then hasn't been completely ruined by these tight-suited sissies. Legend used to be my manager, responsible for arranging covers, interviews, women, and all that bullshit promotional stuff for me."
Lu Chen nodded.
But it was too slow.
At Soldier Boy's walking pace, by the time he made it to New York, it would be too late.
Lu Chen tapped his foot, and his body rose directly into mid-air.
Soldier Boy looked up at him, his expression instantly turning ugly.
"What do you want to do?"
"Traveling."
"I'm warning you, kid, I don't fly on planes, and I don't like being hauled around flying. That stuff is only for chicks and sissies—"
Before he finished speaking, Telekinesis had already enveloped his body.
Soldier Boy's entire body lifted off the ground.
"Fuck!"
Strong winds whipped across his face, his hair and beard messed up into a tangle, and his expression was uglier than when he had just woken up from the cryogenic pod.
"I hate Flight! Hear me out? Also, don't grab me in this posture, are you fucking planning to send me to the delivery room?"
Lu Chen ignored him, and his speed continued to climb.
"Don't resist," Lu Chen said. "If you fall, I won't catch you."
"Bullshit," Soldier Boy cursed. "If you dare drop me, the first thing I do when I land is kick your ass up to your shoulders."
Lu Chen couldn't be bothered to reply, wondering if this kid had a fear of heights.
The next second, the scenery around them rapidly receded backwards.
Before long, following the address in Soldier Boy's memory, the two landed near a house.
Lu Chen didn't go in.
Legend had no value to him.
He sent a string of addresses and names to Soldier Boy's mobile phone.
"I've sent you the locations of the remaining members of Payback."
Soldier Boy looked down at the screen, poked the glass piece twice, and the page jumped away directly.
"Damn it, where did it go?"
"Contact via phone," Lu Chen said. "Remember to answer the call."
Soldier Boy raised his head, his face full of displeasure.
"I haven't learned it yet!"
"Let Legend teach you."
"Are you just leaving like this?" Soldier Boy narrowed his eyes, "Aren't you afraid I'll take the gear and run?"
Lu Chen looked at him.
"You can try."
As the words fell, Soldier Boy's expression darkened, and then he smiled again.
"Gutsy." He shoved the phone into his pocket, "Better than those softies at Vought. I'm starting to look forward to life from now on."
Finished speaking, he turned and walked toward the front door.
Walking halfway, he turned back and cursed.
"Also, next time don't fucking haul me around flying. A man should have his feet on the ground, or ride a proper Harley, not float in the sky like a turkey!"
After leaving Legend's residence, Lu Chen didn't immediately return to the Base, but instead called up the intelligence in his mind.
Mindstorm.
One of the members of Payback.
His ability was a bit like Tsukuyomi; as long as they made eye contact, he could drag the target into a psychological nightmare, constantly cycling through the most painful and terrifying fragments of their life. In the original plot, Butcher was hit by the move and almost got trapped to death inside.
This ability was very interesting.
It wasn't purely Mind Control, nor was it reading memories, but rather forcibly creating a closed dreamscape. To ordinary people and low-tier Superhumans, it was basically unsolvable. Unless the user released it, or one resisted it with sheer willpower, or blasted through it from the inside using stronger psychic power.
Lu Chen now had psychic power and Cate's mental cage ability as a foundation, but this kind of mental ability that only required eye contact was still worth Copying.
Before long, a wooden cabin deep in the forest appeared at the end of his vision.
Lu Chen stopped above the wooden cabin and glanced down.
Then he raised his hand, pressing Telekinesis downward.
Boom!
The entire roof of the cabin was blown off, and wooden beams, planks, and dust were swept up into mid-air together.
Inside the house, a disheveled man suddenly raised his head.
"Who?"
Just as he wanted to search for the target, his neck was locked by an invisible force, and his whole body was lifted up.
Lu Chen didn't look into his eyes.
Telekinesis twisted his chin, making his face turn to the other side, while compressing the blood vessels in his neck.
Mindstorm grabbed wildly with both hands, kicking his toes off the ground, and his face quickly flushed red.
"Wait... I..."
His body went limp.
Only then did Lu Chen land, pressing one hand on Mindstorm's shoulder.
[Mindstorm]
[Available Superpowers: Nightmare Cage LV4, Super Physique LV1]
"Select Nightmare Cage."
The next second, the Copy progress began to jump.
During the Copy process, he could conveniently take care of another matter.
Lu Chen grabbed the back of Mindstorm's neck and rose into the air again.
Victoria Neuman.
Her current public identity was a Congresswoman, and also a Vice President candidate. On the surface, she was anti-Vought, but behind the scenes, she was Edgar's adopted daughter, the knife Vought placed in the political arena.
Washington arrived quickly.
Lu Chen casually found two guards.
Psychic power probed into their brains, reading the routes, access controls, and office locations.
The two guards' eyes were dull for a few seconds, and then they continued to stand guard, completely unaware of what had just happened.
Lu Chen, carrying Mindstorm, went around to the window of the upper floor.
Inside the office, Victoria Neuman was processing documents.
She was dressed appropriately, with a gentle expression, and the materials on her desk were neatly arranged. Just looking at her appearance, no one would associate her with the head-popper.
Lu Chen raised his hand and pushed.
Bang!
The glass shattered.
Before the shards could hit the ground, they were swept aside by Telekinesis.
Neuman suddenly raised her head, the pen in her hand drawing a long line on the paper. Seeing Lu Chen coming in from outside the window, her expression changed instantly, and then she suppressed it back down.
"Hello there, Congresswoman."
Lu Chen walked up to her desk.
"Should I call you Victoria Neuman, or Nadia Khayat?"
Neuman's expression finally couldn't be maintained.
Nadia Khayat.
This name should have died in the files long ago.
After Stan Edgar adopted her, all original records were cleared, and very few people knew this name. For the person in front of her to be able to say it meant that he was neither an ordinary Superhuman nor a madman who simply came to threaten politicians.
Footsteps quickly came from outside the door.
"Congresswoman?"
"Ms. Neuman, what happened?"
The voice came through the door panel, carrying anxiety.
Neuman looked at Lu Chen, very clear that as long as she shouted, the people outside would rush in.
And die here.
The man in front of her dared to break through the window into a Congresswoman's office, so he wouldn't be afraid of a few security guards. Those people outside coming in would only make the situation more chaotic and cause her to lose her last bit of room to maneuver.
"It's nothing," Neuman raised her voice. "There's a little issue with the glass. You guys stay outside, you're not allowed in."
The outside of the door went quiet for a moment.
"Yes."
The footsteps didn't walk far away.
Lu Chen smiled.
"Very smart."
Neuman didn't take up the words.
Her eyes gradually turned white.
Blood manipulation had already begun to build up momentum.
"Mr. Tianshu." Her tone lowered significantly, "I don't know why you appeared here, nor do I know where you heard that name. But I think there shouldn't be any conflict between us."
As she spoke, she locked onto the blood inside Lu Chen's body.
She couldn't push it.
The blood in that body was frighteningly heavy; the muscles, blood vessels, and bones were all as if cast as one. She could perceive the blood flow and lock onto its position, but when she actually exerted pressure, it was like trying to pry open an entire steel floodgate with her fingers.
Let alone popping a head.
She couldn't even make him have a nosebleed.
Neuman's back pressed against the back of the chair, and the white in her eyes slowly receded.
It was over.
It wasn't that the ability failed, but the gap was too large.
This was even worse than failure.
If the ability failed, she could look for a reason; with a gap this huge, only one result remained: her strongest trump card was meaningless in front of this man.
Lu Chen looked into her eyes.
"What, want to use your head-popping ability on me?"
Neuman's throat moved.
"I wouldn't dare."
"You just tried it."
Neuman put down her pen and removed her hands from the desk, letting Lu Chen see that she wasn't making any redundant moves anymore.
"Fine." The gentleness on her face completely retracted, "Since you know Nadia Khayat and you know my ability, those meaningless pleasantries can be skipped."
Lu Chen pulled over a chair and sat down.
This attitude was right.
Listening to politicians' hypocritical rhetoric too much was a waste of time. Neuman's willingness to tear off her shell now showed that she already understood he wasn't here to beg her for cooperation.
Lu Chen didn't dislike smart people.
Smart people were even better at weighing the pros and cons.
"What is your purpose?"
"My purpose?" Lu Chen said, "Very simple."
Neuman stared at him.
"What is it?"