The Unkillable Creature
The purple meteor seemed to have completed its mission. After hitting the ground, it vanished, leaving behind only a massive crater.
As for what was in the crater...
Carol worried, "The impact area was huge. What about those citizens..."
Before she could finish, Luke interrupted. "I was watching earlier. The surrounding citizens all ran off. The remaining ones are either bold maniacs or reporters desperate for a story." He paused, shrugging. "They were slightly further from the impact zone. They might be injured, but as for death... it's only possible."
Carol lowered her head, her face etched with internal struggle.
Luke sighed helplessly. "Alright, stop worrying about it and let's deal with what's in front of us."
Luke wasn't sure if Hector was dead. Logically, a meteor that size smashing down would be enough to trouble even Superman, let alone Hector.
However, Hector was different from ordinary people. After absorbing countless yellow particles, his body had begun to shift from flesh to pure energy. A form composed of energy was not so easily erased.
The two walked a circle around the crater but found no living person.
Carol couldn't help but say, "He must be dead, right?"
Luke shook his head, a green flame flickering in his eyes as he quietly watched a dirt pit to his front-right.
There, a hunched-over soul slowly stood up, radiating intense yellow energy. Yellow particles seeped out of the dirt and coalesced in the air. Particle by particle, they transformed into flesh and blood, from the scalp to the eyebrows, and then to the eyes and ears. After dozens of seconds, the fragmented head was formed.
Having endured such an attack, Hector was still alive. His tenacity was comparable to the infamous cockroach in a certain film.
"It was you... you two did this."
"I remember now! The Coast City meteor event a few days ago! It was you, the purple light girl! You did it!"
Hector glared fixedly at Carol, the venom in his eyes practically solidifying.
He had spent countless effort and endured countless bullets to instill fear in the soldiers of the Fourth Mechanized Infantry Division. He was on the verge of success, but an incoming meteor from outer space had turned it all into smoke.
Damn them! They must have been watching nearby during the fight, deliberately allowing the soldiers to die without intervening, only to deliver a fatal blow at the most crucial moment.
The two bastards!
"I won't let you get away with this! I will torture you with the cruelest punishment! I want you both to die!"
Hector shrieked, clearly beside himself with rage.
"That's a line I should be saying to you."
Luke stepped forward, standing in front of Carol.
"Hector Hammond, your huge and ugly head will become my trophy. I will pickle it in formalin and turn it into a living specimen, passed down through the ages just like Rasputin's genitalia."
"You are asking for death!"
Hector exploded in fury. His telekinetic power transformed into an invisible impact that slammed heavily into Luke. Blue light flashed across the surface of the Phantom Armor. The kinetic energy was absorbed and converted, stored as power in the armor's feet.
Luke raised his index finger and gently shook it twice.
"Haven't you noticed? Big Head, you aren't the man you were before. The attacks from the Fourth ID and the FBI Five weren't ineffective. They drastically weakened your telekinesis."
"Your current telekinetic energy is less than a quarter of your peak. You can't even fully heal your body. What can you possibly do?"
Hector remained silent, seemingly pondering something, but secretly operating his telekinesis.
Smash!
The ground exploded. An invisible force formed a massive hand that gripped the Phantom Armor tightly.
"Die for me!"
Hector roared, exerting maximum force. Just like he had crushed the helicopters, the armor creaked loudly. Blue light flashed violently as it struggled against the external pressure.
"Activate Energy Shield!"
"Maximum power!"
A layer of blue energy shield appeared on the armor's surface, fending off the continuously constricting invisible force field. Simultaneously, eight spider legs emerged from his back. Their tips glowed blue, firing a volley of energy blasts.
Hector gnashed his teeth but ultimately shot into the air, avoiding the energy blasts. Just as Luke had said, his energy reserves were severely depleted, and he couldn't afford to waste power.
The barrage of energy split into two volleys, one above and one below, forcing him to keep running forward.
It was then that Carol moved. She clenched her fist, and a purple, open box materialized out of thin air. Hector hadn't anticipated this situation at all and plunged straight into the box.
The box snapped shut. Hector's angry roar could be faintly heard from inside.
Carol quickly moved her fingers, wrapping countless energy barriers around the outside of the box.
The box shook violently. Loud rumbling sounds occasionally came from it, like a beast trying to break free from its cage.
Luke blinked. He hadn't expected Carol to use this move. The original plan was for him to draw fire and create an opening for Carol to materialize a Zamaron energy cannon for a clean, one-shot kill.
Who would have thought the girl would disregard the plan and choose the most common of constructs, a box? But he had to admit, the move was quite effective.
Hector wasn't a physical powerhouse like Superman or Wonder Woman. His weapon was telekinesis, or invisible force. He specialized in manipulating objects, controlling force fields, and creating impacts, all of which required a certain amount of space to execute. He was most vulnerable in tight spaces. Just like now, with his head trapped inside a box and pressed against the walls, how could he release an impact?
"She truly lives up to being the host chosen by the original Lantern Ring," Luke mused to himself. Carol's adaptability in combat was genuinely astonishing.
After shaking violently for a few minutes, the box finally stopped moving.
Hector seemed to have given up the struggle, but Carol didn't dare to be careless, wrapping dozens more barriers around the box before finally stopping.
By this time, the surrounding dust was slowly clearing. Citizens and soldiers were beginning to crawl out of the ruins.
Luke didn't want to expose the Phantom Armor. He had Carol take the box, and the two shot into the air, disappearing like streaking lights in the sky. They needed to finish this fight somewhere private.
The surviving soldiers huddled together and approached the crater, looking forward with fear and hope.
"Is that monster dead?"
The same question was on the minds of different people. Stan Dalov, pale-faced, appeared on the other side of the crater. When the meteor fell, he had used his telekinesis to shield his giant companion, leaving his energy almost completely depleted. He was so mentally weak that he couldn't stand steadily and had to be supported by his companion to reach the crater.
"Well? Is he dead or not?"
His companion asked, his voice hoarse and extremely nervous.
Stan Dalov shook his head, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed the surrounding energy fields. His companion didn't dare to disturb him, barely even breathing.
A moment later, Stan Dalov opened his eyes and smiled wearily.
"Tell the Director: Mission accomplished."
His companion raised his fist and let out a cheer.
The news quickly reached the White House office. The senior officials jumped up and down, incredibly excited. Although many had questions about where the meteor came from, that was a problem for later. What mattered now was to celebrate wildly, like gamers who had finally defeated a seemingly impossible boss.
Among the group, only Vice President Dick Cheney wore a strained smile. Clutching his phone, he remembered the text message Amanda had sent him and muttered to himself,
"Luke Shaw, who are you, exactly?"
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