The wind whistled past his ears.
His mind was exceptionally clear.
This was his first high-stakes gamble since his rebirth.
The stake was himself; if he won, he would possess the initial ability to protect himself in this world; if he lost, he might have to experience the feeling of being roasted by high-voltage electricity, or having his throat crushed by Translucent, only to revive and be tortured again.
“I must not lose.” He swore to himself silently.
Ahead, the massive neon sign of the Brighton Electronics Store appeared in his line of sight.
At this moment, the doors of the electronics store were tightly shut, and the display windows were pitch black.
Lucas parked his motorcycle in a dark corner of the street.
This spot was perfect for observing the front door of the electronics store without being easily spotted by passing vehicles.
He killed the engine and sat on the motorcycle, like a patient hunter, quietly waiting for his prey to appear.
Time ticked by second by second.
The sky gradually turned a pale white.
New York City began to wake up.
The number of vehicles on the streets gradually increased, and pedestrians began to appear in twos and threes.
8:30 AM.
A beat-up Toyota sedan pulled up in front of the electronics store.
The car door opened, and a young man wearing a green electronics store uniform, with a slightly gaunt build and somewhat messy hair, stepped out.
His face was pale, his eye sockets were sunken, and his entire being radiated an unconcealable exhaustion and sorrow.
Hughie Campbell.
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly.
He recognized this person.
One of the protagonists of the original story.
An unlucky guy who originally just wanted to live an ordinary life with his girlfriend, only to be dragged into the vortex of Supes.
Hughie walked to the store entrance, looking dejected, and took out his keys to open the door.
Judging by his state, it hadn’t been many days since Robin was killed by A-Train.
He had not yet recovered from the massive trauma.
“The plot is about to begin.” Lucas’s heartbeat accelerated slightly.
Next, people from Vought International would likely come to find Hughie, make him sign a non-disclosure agreement, and use a paltry sum of compensation to buy off his girlfriend’s life.
Then, Billy Butcher would appear.
Lucas waited patiently.
He bought a few hot dogs and a bottle of mineral water from a nearby convenience store, sat on his motorcycle, and chewed slowly to replenish his energy.
10:00 AM.
A black luxury car pulled up to the electronics store entrance.
A Vought International lawyer in a suit, carrying a briefcase, walked inside.
About half an hour later, the lawyer walked out expressionlessly and drove away.
It looked like Hughie had rejected that insulting agreement.
“Well done, kid.” Lucas silently gave a thumbs up in his heart.
If Hughie had signed the agreement, the subsequent plot wouldn’t exist.
12:00 PM.
A black, somewhat aged Chevrolet SUV slowly drove onto the street.
The car parked in a spot not far from the electronics store.
The door opened.
A man wearing a black trench coat, with a thick beard and eyes as sharp as a hawk’s, stepped out.
He stood by the street, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then turned his gaze toward the entrance of the Brighton Electronics Store.
Billy Butcher.
The soul of The Boys.
A madman who would burn the whole world down for revenge.
Lucas instantly held his breath.
He lowered his body, trying his best to hide in the shadow of the motorcycle to avoid attracting Butcher’s attention.
Butcher’s instincts were extremely sharp; any slight anomaly could trigger his vigilance.
Butcher finished his cigarette, flicked the butt into the sewer, and then strode into the electronics store.
“The show is starting.” Lucas’s heart began to pound wildly.
He knew that Butcher was inside showing Hughie that internal surveillance footage from the Vought club.
In that footage, after A-Train killed Robin, he not only felt no guilt but instead joked about the incident with his companions in the club.
That footage would completely ignite the fury in Hughie’s heart, pushing him onto the path of no return for revenge.
About an hour passed.
Butcher and Hughie walked out of the electronics store, one after the other.
Hughie’s expression was even worse, but there was a new determination in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.
Butcher patted Hughie on the shoulder, said something, and then the two parted ways.
“Hughie is going to Vought Tower to plant a bug.” Lucas surmised.
The time that followed would be a long wait.
After Hughie planted the bug, he would be discovered and tracked by Translucent.
Translucent would follow Hughie all the way back to this electronics store.
Then, the car crash battle would ensue.
Lucas did not leave.
He bought a few cans of Red Bull, fought off the sleepiness, and stared fixedly at the entrance of the electronics store.
He had to ensure he didn’t miss a single detail.
Afternoon.
Evening.
Night fell once again.
The electronics store employees left one by one after their shifts.
In the end, only Hughie remained in the store.
He was organizing the shelves, appearing restless.
9:00 PM.
Hughie turned off most of the lights in the store and prepared to lock up.
Just then, the automatic doors of the electronics store suddenly opened without warning.
But there was no one at the entrance.
An eerie silence ensued.
Hughie seemed to sense something; he stopped what he was doing and looked around nervously.
“Who’s there?” Hughie’s voice trembled slightly.
There was no answer.
But in the air, a faint sound of footsteps could be heard.
Then, a display TV in front of Hughie suddenly lit up, and static appeared on the screen.
Hughie recoiled in fright.
“Come out!
I know you’re there!”
“Smack.” A crisp sound of a slap rang out.
Hughie was sent flying by an invisible force, crashing heavily into a row of shelves, scattering various electronics everywhere.
“Ah!” Hughie clutched his swollen cheek, groaning in pain.
From the air came a frivolous, arrogant voice.
“Kid, planting things on our turf isn’t very polite.”
Translucent.
He was here.
Lucas sat on his motorcycle at the street corner, clearly witnessing this scene through the massive glass display window of the electronics store.
He saw Hughie being tossed around like a ragdoll by an invisible force.
He saw that although Translucent was invisible, his arrogant and overbearing demeanor was on full display.
“Finally.” Lucas gripped the handlebars of his motorcycle tightly, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.
He was not impulsive.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the game-changer who could smash through everything.
Inside the electronics store, Hughie was cornered by Translucent, with nowhere left to retreat.
Translucent seemed to be enjoying this cat-and-mouse game.
“What do you think you’re doing?
Playing superhero?
You’re just a loser who sells televisions.” Translucent’s voice echoed in Hughie’s ears.
“Now, tell me, who sent you?
If you talk, maybe I can make your death quick.”
Hughie’s face was covered in blood, and his eyes were filled with fear.
Just as Translucent was about to deliver the killing blow.
“Vroom—” A deafening roar of an engine tore through the night sky.
A black Chevrolet SUV, like a crazed bull, barreled straight toward the massive glass display window of the electronics store at over 100 kilometers per hour.
“Crash—” The tempered glass shattered instantly.
The heavy SUV, carrying unstoppable kinetic energy, smashed directly through the display window and barreled into the interior of the electronics store.
“Bang!” A dull thud.
That was the sound of the car bumper striking an extremely hard object.
Somewhere in mid-air, something seemed to be sent flying, smashing into a large section of shelving.
The Chevrolet SUV came to a stop, white smoke rising from the hood.
The car door was kicked open violently.
Billy Butcher stepped out, carrying a crowbar, his face fierce.
“Looks like I missed the party?” Butcher spat out his cigarette butt and scanned the chaotic electronics store with cold eyes.
Hughie scrambled up from the floor, still shaken, and pointed at an empty spot, shouting: “He’s there!
He was just there!”
Butcher didn’t say a word; he swung his crowbar toward that direction.
“Clang!” The crowbar struck some kind of hard object, sending sparks flying.
Butcher’s arm went numb from the shock.
“Metacarbon Skin.
Tough as hell.” Butcher gritted his teeth.
From the air came Translucent’s angry roar.
“You’re dead!”
Although Translucent had been struck, thanks to his Metacarbon Skin, he wasn’t seriously injured.
He began to fight back.
Butcher and Hughie engaged in a desperate fight against the invisible enemy inside the electronics store.
Lucas watched coldly from outside.
He knew that Butcher and the others would soon discover the blood on Translucent, thereby determining his location, and then subdue him with an electric shock.
Sure enough.
After a chaotic struggle, Butcher ripped down a high-voltage cable and, taking advantage of the moment when Hughie splattered blood on Translucent to reveal his position, shoved the cable hard against him.
Dazzling electric sparks flashed inside the electronics store.
Translucent let out a shrill scream, then collapsed to the ground, convulsing, and lost consciousness.
His body, having lost control, gradually revealed its original form.
A naked, blood-covered man.
“Done.” Butcher panted heavily and dropped the cable.
“Quick!
Get him into the trunk!” Butcher roared at the terrified Hughie.
The two scrambled to drag the unconscious Translucent out of the electronics store, shoved him into the trunk of the Chevrolet, then quickly got in the car and sped away.
Lucas immediately started his motorcycle.
The engine let out a low roar.
He didn’t turn on his headlights, but instead trailed behind the Chevrolet SUV from a distance.