20-The Hunt Begins
Butcher took us to his old house. His mother and his dog lived there. We entered the house and sat at a table in the kitchen.
As we chatted, time passed quickly. After this conversation, I learned more about this world.
"Tell us about yourself, Derek. Where were you born? Where did you grow up?" Butcher asked.
This question caught me off guard, as I wasn't expecting it. I quickly fabricated a false life in my head and replied, "I lost my family at a young age and grew up in an orphanage."
When Butcher heard my answer, he simply nodded. From his expression, it seemed he didn't believe me, but he didn't question why I was lying. After all, everyone had their secrets.
Butcher, as he described, used to be an FBI agent. He had experienced an event and left the FBI. When I asked him about the event, he didn't answer.
Frenchman was Butcher's old friend. His parents had sold him for money when he was young. He matured early, making a living through drug and weapons trafficking.
As he told it, he used to have a small gang before, but it was wiped out by another gang. That's why Frenchman was always careful not to be exposed.
The most normal among them was Hughie. He had been working at an electronics store just two days ago.
One day, a superhero named A-Train ran over his girlfriend by the roadside, killing her.
According to what they told me, A-Train was a speedster superhero, faster than even Homelander.
All the superheroes in this world were corrupt and cared more about their own fame than the safety of society.
Vought was making a tremendous amount of money by using the fame of these superheroes.
These were the things I learned during today's conversation. I couldn't directly interrogate them with questions because it would be too conspicuous.
As I continued chatting with the team, a system notification appeared in front of me.
——————[Missions]————————
explanation: Those in this universe are weak and waiting to be hunted. Hunt them and become stronger.
mission objective:(3/15) Your third prey is “Black Noir” and he is nearby. Kill her.
Completion Award:
➺Random Template
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The moment the system message appeared, a red mist curtain appeared before my eyes simultaneously, directing me to the neighboring house. Without saying a word to those at the table, I quickly stood up, leaving the others concerned.
Hughie asked, "What's going on?"
"We're being watched," I said, and immediately went outside.
As I looked at the roof of the neighboring house, I noticed a person in black clothing watching us. When our eyes met, they quickly started to move away.
Although it seemed like they were moving away, in reality, they weren't. The red mist still pointed to the house.
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*Is it trying to draw me in?* I thought and smiled to myself.
With a smile on my face, I walked toward the house where Black Noir had disappeared. The team had discussed Black Noir before. This person was a lesser threat than Homelander and posed no problem for me.
I entered the house and searched the surroundings, but found nothing. I walked toward the door that led to the backyard and pushed it open.
As I pushed the door, a mechanism was triggered, and the flamethrower on the roof fired at me. The flames didn't harm me, but they burned my short-sleeved garment. My upper body was completely exposed, and I had an irritated expression on my face.
When I heard a footstep behind me, I quickly turned and saw Black Noir attempting to attack me from behind. I caught him red-handed.
"Here you are," I said and launched an assault.
He tried to escape, but he couldn't match my speed. I punched him in the stomach, making him bend over, then delivered a powerful left hook to his jaw.
This blow sent him flying, tearing down the walls of the house, eventually crashing onto the street by breaking the entrance door.
During this time, Butcher, Frenchman, and Hughie, who were on the street, stepped back when they saw Black Noir flying.
The chin part of Black Noir's mask had torn due to the impact, and his jaw appeared to be broken.
Despite such a powerful blow, he got up, pulled out a knife, and walked toward the team. But I jumped over the fence into the yard with all my strength, landing on him.
While Black Noir was beneath me, I smiled at him. He was one of the Seven, and killing him would make a significant impact.
I grabbed his throat and turned his face toward me. The wound on his jaw was rapidly healing. He attempted to stab my throat with the knife, but as the knife touched my neck, it broke and fell to the ground.
With my free hand, I was about to strike him with a punch, but Butcher spoke up.
"Don't kill him; we can use him to draw Homelander to us," Butcher said.
I pondered his words for a moment. Homelander wasn't my current target, and if I didn't kill Black Noir, I couldn't complete my mission. Therefore, I decided that I needed to kill Black Noir.
Turning my free hand into a fist, I thrust it into Black Noir's chest with all my strength. I removed his heart from his chest, and he died.
Seeing this scene, Hughie vomited, but I paid no attention. I placed the heart in Butcher's hand.
"Let's part ways," I said, and without waiting for Butcher to speak, I quickly left the scene.
The intensity of the battle meant that the police would arrive very soon. The news of Black Noir's death would create a massive shock and make a big impact.
As I ran, I received two system notifications. The first one indicated that I had completed my prey, while the other specified my new target.
——————[Missions]————————
explanation: Those in this universe are weak and waiting to be hunted. Hunt them and become stronger.
mission objective:(4-5/15) Your next hunts are “gunpowder” and “Eagle The Archer” find them and kill them.
Completion Award:
➺Random Template
—————————————————————-
After contemplating whether to wait for my next target to be revealed, it seemed that the system had removed the waiting time, and this time I had two targets simultaneously.
Based on the crimson mist's guidance, it would take me about an hour to reach my target. In just one hour, Black Noir's death would become public. I needed to quickly hunt down as many people as I could during this opportunity.
About an hour later, I reached my target. It was a fair, and my targets were inside. I walked into the fairgrounds dressed in black, as my other clothes had burned, forcing me to use my wristband.
I stopped when I saw a shooting competition. Two people were aiming and shooting at targets in front of them, one with a gun and the other with a bow. When I looked at them, they turned toward me as if they had sensed my gaze.
I smiled at them and continued walking. After a while, they stopped looking at me and continued shooting.
Just five minutes later, a message went out to all the people at the fair on their phones. Some cried, some rejoiced, and most remained silent. But they all began to move in the same direction, the place where Black Noir had died.
The fair emptied rapidly, leaving only me and the two men shooting. They pulled out their phones and walked towards a nearby parking lot. I continued to follow them.
We entered a parking lot and descended to the lower levels. The man named "Gunpowder" suddenly turned and fired his gun at me, while the other man shot an arrow at the same time.
It seemed like they felt very strong emotions, so I was a bit surprised. The bullet and arrow hit my head, but without saying a word, I charged towards them. My first target was the man with the bow, and when he saw me coming, he took cover behind a pillar.
I kicked the pillar, breaking it, and the man behind it leaped into the air, hitting the wall and falling to the ground. Without wasting any time, I approached and crushed his head to kill him.
I turned around and looked at the other man, who was in the process of descending the stairs. "You can't escape!" I yelled and punched the ground.
The force of the punch sent me down to the very bottom floor. When I looked at the stairs in front of me, I saw that the man had not yet descended. As I heard his footsteps, I sprinted with all my speed and collided with him, dragging him against the wall and tearing his internal organs apart.
Blood flowed from the man's mouth, but he was still weakly breathing. He asked, "Why?" with a look of despair in his eyes.
I didn't answer him and punched his head to kill him. When I killed him, two notifications appeared in front of me. The first one was a mission completion notification, and the other one revealed who my new target was.
———————[Missions]————————
explanation: Those in this universe are weak and waiting to be hunted. Hunt them and become stronger.
mission objective:(6-7/15) Your next hunts are “Mesmer” and “Crimson Countess” find them and kill them.
Completion Award:
➺Random Template
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