The night wind, carrying the distinct briny scent of the Hudson River, whistled past the abandoned industrial park in Brooklyn.
Lucas stood atop a rusted shipping container, looking down at the Chevrolet SUV below that was still emitting white smoke.
The figures of Butcher, Hughie, and Frenchie had already vanished deep into the factory; they were likely still staring blankly at the uncontainable mess of gore on the ground, or frantically contemplating how to deal with the impending thunderous wrath of Vought International.
He did not linger any longer.
With a slight shift of his thoughts.
It was a marvelous experience that was difficult to describe precisely in words.
It was not like the movie special effects where the body slowly turns from solid to ethereal and becomes transparent.
Rather, it was a deeper level of… erasure.
He felt the temperature on the surface of his skin completely locked down by an invisible force field, with not a single trace of infrared radiation radiating outward.
His heart beat powerfully within his chest, but the dull “thump-thump” sound was tightly confined between his ribs, unable to stir even the slightest ripple of sound waves in the air.
Even the breath he exhaled, carrying his body heat, was forcibly cooled and dissipated the moment it left his lips, leaving not a trace of scent.
[Absolute Stealth].
Lucas leaped down from the shipping container.
A height of over ten meters would have been enough to break his legs just a few hours ago.
There was no dull thud, nor was there any flying dust.
And certainly no pain of shattering bones.
[Carbyne Heavy Armor] perfectly absorbed and dispersed the reaction force.
He felt as if his bones and muscles were no longer fragile carbon-based biological tissue, but had been replaced by some unknown alloy even tougher than the turbine blades of an aerospace engine.
“This feeling… it’s practically like using health-lock and invisibility cheats to crush noobs in the starter village.”
Lucas grinned silently.
He strode through the industrial park, even deliberately brushing past a few homeless people.
Less than half a meter away.
The homeless people were still wrapped in ragged blankets, shivering by the fire, completely unaware of the living person walking right beside them.
Like a true ghost, he merged into the deep night of the concrete jungle that was New York.
One hour later.
Lucas appeared on the top floor of a high-rise, unfinished building on the edge of Manhattan that had been abandoned for years.
The view here was excellent, offering a panoramic overlook of the dazzling lights of most of New York.
In the distance, Vought Tower stood like a massive, blindingly blue-glowing spike, arrogantly piercing the firmament.
He found a relatively flat patch of concrete and sat down cross-legged.
The night wind poured in from all directions, whipping his tattered, automatically repaired jacket, making it snap loudly.
“System.”
A deep blue holographic panel instantly unfolded before his eyes.
[Character Status Update]
[Stamina: 100/100 (Perfect Condition)]
[Mental: 100/100 (Extremely Excited)]
[Base Attributes]
[Strength: 15 → 45]
[Speed: 15 → 35]
[Physical Strength: 10 → 1200]
[Mental Power: 10 → 25]
[Recovery: ∞ (Infinite)]
Lucas stared at the numbers on the panel, rubbed his chin, and a complex look flashed in his eyes.
“As expected.”
He couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
“That bastard Translucent, aside from having thick skin, his other attributes are absolutely garbage.”