Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Squeezing Every Last Drop
[T/N: This is a Christmas Bonus chapter, ENJOY~🎁🎄 Merry Christmas🎄🎁 guys]
"Wow, tougher than diamond. Your skin is really something. Invisibility and invulnerability? Impressive," Homelander remarked, a smile plastered on his face. "I bet your skin would make an excellent bulletproof vest if peeled off."
Before the Invisible Man could respond, Homelander waved dismissively, the smile never leaving his face.
"Kidding! Relax, I have no interest in turning you into fashion. That's way too creepy."
He paused and added with mock disgust, "Besides, the idea of wearing a man's skin is... revolting."
The Invisible Man's expression contorted into a mix of fear and confusion.
But Homelander's smile faded, replaced by a cold, calculating gaze.
"Listen, buddy," he began, his tone eerily calm.
"Your tough skin? It's your greatest weakness."
"Sure, it's impressive on the surface, but that's all it is—surface-level protection. Inside, you're just as soft as the rest of us."
"Honestly, any ordinary person with half a brain could figure out a way to kill you. They'd just need to think past the theatrics."
"Now, me?"
Homelander's eyes began to glow with an ominous red light, twin beams of heat slamming into the Invisible Man's chest.
The man let out a bloodcurdling scream. Though his skin remained intact, the searing heat radiating through his body caused unbearable agony.
Homelander stopped the onslaught just as the Invisible Man collapsed to his knees, gasping for air and drenched in sweat.
"Now, do you understand?" Homelander's voice echoed from above.
"Your skin can block my laser, but it can't stop the heat. I could roast you from the inside out, melting every organ in your body."
He tilted his head, voice laced with mock curiosity. "In fact, I doubt anything on Earth can withstand temperatures exceeding ten thousand degrees, let alone your 'invincible' skin."
The Invisible Man's head shot up, his eyes wide with terror. Crawling forward, he clutched at Homelander's legs.
"Homelander! Please, give me one more chance!" he begged, tears streaming down his face.
"I swear, I'll never betray you again. I'll be your most loyal servant—I'll find out every secret, every plan against you!"
His eyes lit up with sudden desperation. "The Defense Department! I can infiltrate them for you! If anyone dares to move against you, I'll warn you first!"
Homelander gave him a disgusted kick, sending him sprawling.
"First," he began, "the Defense Department—and by extension, the entire government—is definitely plotting against me."
"No one wants an uncontrollable, walking nuke flying around. Not even me."
"So yes, they'll come for me eventually, but not yet."
"Second," Homelander leaned closer, his smile turning predatory. "Betrayal? That's a one-time thing. Once a traitor, always a traitor."
"Now, run."
The Invisible Man froze, his mind blank with despair. The playful, cat-and-mouse grin on Homelander's face left no doubt—there was no escape.
Screaming, the Invisible Man turned and bolted.
But he didn't make it far. A rush of wind was all he heard before he felt himself yanked by the neck, Homelander hauling him skyward with terrifying speed.
The sudden altitude change made the Invisible Man faint, his limp body dangling helplessly in Homelander's grip.
---
When he came to, a freezing splash of water snapped him awake.
He gasped, blinking furiously. He was strapped to a massive steel slab, his arms and legs immobilized by thick steel bars.
Homelander stood nearby, casually tossing aside an empty bucket and clapping his hands clean.
"What are you doing?!" the Invisible Man shrieked, thrashing against his restraints.
Homelander turned, his smile gleaming.
Ignoring the question, he strolled toward a nearby steamroller parked ominously close.
Realization dawned on the Invisible Man, and his face turned ashen.
"No, no, no, no!" he screamed.
Homelander leaned out of the steamroller's cabin, mockingly glancing at the sky. "Hmm, your God doesn't seem to be on duty today."
The engine roared to life, the heavy machine lurching forward.
"Stop! You lunatic!" the Invisible Man howled, tears streaming down his face.
"I have a son! Please, have mercy!"
But the steamroller kept moving. Smoke billowed from its exhaust, the rumbling engine drowning out his pleas.
As the crushing roller neared his feet, the Invisible Man's screams turned into unhinged wails.
"Homelander, you monster! You demon! I curse you to hell!"
The roller met his legs with a sickening crunch. The man's agony echoed across the desolate construction site, his voice raw and broken.
He fought, flailed, tried anything to stop the machine's relentless advance. But all he could do was watch as his body was flattened piece by piece.
The world faded to black as the steel drum loomed, its mud-caked surface the last thing he saw.
---
The steamroller came to a halt.
Homelander glanced back. The Invisible Man's body was unrecognizable, crushed beyond any semblance of humanity.
With a shake of his head, he rose into the air. Using Heat Vision, he melted the steel slab, letting molten metal engulf the remains.
Once the grisly task was complete, he soared away, leaving no trace of the Invisible Man behind.
---
At the Defense Department
Dr. Kyle, the scientist authorized to study the mutated residents of Silver Tree Town, stormed through a corridor. His sweat-drenched hair clung to his forehead, though the glow of his cybernetic eye remained cold and menacing.
Employees quickly averted their gaze as he passed, fearful of drawing his attention. None wanted to become an unwitting test subject for the eccentric scientist.
Pushing open a door, Kyle entered a room where the Defense Minister was deep in conversation with an elderly man.
The man's snow-white hair framed a stern face devoid of warmth.
"Dr. Kyle," the minister greeted, gesturing to the man beside him. "Allow me to introduce Dr. Vogelbaum."
Kyle's expression shifted. "I know who he is."
Vogelbaum—the man who had created Homelander.
"What brings you here, Doctor?" Kyle asked curtly.
The minister smiled. "We just received word that Edgar, the head of Vought, was killed by Homelander."
"Dr. Vogelbaum fears the madman might come for him next, so he's sought our protection. In exchange, he's offering the formula for Compound V."
Placing a hand on both men's shoulders, the minister's grin widened.
"With your combined expertise, perhaps we'll finally have a way to deal with Homelander."
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