[Florida, a Roadside Motel]
["The hijacking incident at the orphanage has come to an end. As we can see, since The Seven resumed their hero activities, New York's crime rate has shown a clear downward trend. Even when major crimes occur, they are handled well and in a timely manner…"]
The television was reporting on what happened at the New York orphanage when the screen suddenly went dark. Someone had turned it off.
In the dim room with tightly drawn curtains, a man picked up his phone and glanced at it.
He was Invisible Man.
Three days ago, when he learned that Edgar was going to start dealing with Homelander, he left New York, that place full of trouble.
He planned to wait for the result before making any decisions.
"It better turn out the way you said, Edgar. Otherwise we're all finished."
Invisible Man held his head, "But judging from the report just now, Edgar's chances of success seem pretty high."
"Based on Homelander's style, if he handled the incident, he wouldn't just leave without saying a word."
"He was probably taken out by Black Noir."
"So that superpower suppressant really works?"
He picked up his phone and called Edgar, intending to ask about the result.
But the phone rang for a long time and no one answered. Invisible Man had no choice but to give up.
Just as he was about to call room service and order dinner, his phone rang.
The screen showed the name "Maverick."
That was his son.
Invisible Man froze for a moment, then answered, "Maverick?"
On the phone, his son said excitedly, ["Dad, where are you?"]
["They said you did a great job. Tonight they're preparing an award ceremony for you at Seven Tower."]
Invisible Man did not react at first, "What did you say?"
He did not notice that the phone's camera had activated by itself, capturing the surroundings and transmitting them somewhere.
On the phone, Maverick continued, ["It was Mr. Edgar. He invited our whole family to Seven Tower for your award ceremony."]
["You didn't know?"]
["Oh, Vought's car is here. Mom and I are heading out. We'll see you at Vought tonight."]
Then the call ended.
Invisible Man put down the phone and frowned, "An award ceremony?"
He called Edgar again, but it still did not connect.
At that moment, his phone rang again.
This time, the screen displayed the name "Homelander."
As if shocked by electricity, Invisible Man threw the phone away. Then he seemed to remember something, rushed over, and stomped on it a few times until it shattered. He took out the chip inside, snapped it in half, and threw it away.
"Didn't Homelander die?"
"Damn it. I knew it would turn out like this!"
"I knew it!"
"Wait, Maverick!"
"Did Homelander catch Maverick and plan to threaten me into going to see him?"
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
Invisible Man roared loudly. He glanced toward the window. Then his whole body disappeared, leaving only his clothes behind.
But soon after, the clothes he had been wearing fell to the ground one by one.
Then the curtains slid open by themselves. The window lifted and dropped.
A moment later, footprints appeared one after another on the grass outside the motel. If anyone had seen it, they would have thought they were seeing a ghost.
———
[Seven Tower, Crime Analysis Department]
Anika had a pair of music headphones hanging around her neck. She blew a bubble with her gum. It popped with a snap, and she kept chewing.
Then she pointed at several photos on the computer screen. One of them had been enlarged and enhanced. On it was a business card from a motel.
"I checked. This is a motel in Florida called 'Nightfall.' It's on Highway 95."
Alex gently patted her shoulder and said with satisfaction, "Good job, Anika."
Anika smiled and took out a pack of gum, "Want one?"
"Next time."
After saying that, Alex left the Crime Analysis Department.
———
When he flew out of Seven Tower, he saw Invisible Man's wife and son getting out of a car. The corner of Alex's mouth lifted slightly.
After returning from Vought's research base, he had Angelina use Edgar's name and the excuse of giving Invisible Man an award to trick Maverick into calling his father. If they could lure Invisible Man back, that would be ideal.
If they could not trick him back, he had a backup plan, which was Anika.
During the phone call between Invisible Man and his son, Anika had already hacked into Invisible Man's phone, activated its camera, captured the surrounding environment, and obtained crucial clues.
As Alex flew toward Florida, he instructed Angelina to place Maverick and his mother under temporary house arrest. If he could not find Invisible Man, he could still make use of the mother and son.
Not long after, Alex found the motel called "Nightfall." By scanning the building, he discovered that one of the rooms was abnormal.
The next second, Alex crashed into the room and saw the clothes scattered on the floor, along with the smashed phone.
"Heh! Invisible Man."
"You're running for your life and don't even care about your wife and son anymore?"
Alex clicked his tongue, but he was not surprised. Most of the so-called heroes in cloaks were like this.
These guys were selfish and cold, caring only about themselves. Only a very few heroes, like Starlight and Maeve, could be considered to have any real conscience.
When the motel owner heard the noise and opened the door to enter the room, he saw the hole in the ceiling and a line of words still sparking on the wall.
[For damage compensation, please call Seven Tower—Homelander.]
———
Alex flew into the air, narrowed his eyes, and then called Anika.
The call connected quickly.
["Boss, need me to do something?"]
Alex said in a low voice, "Pull up the surveillance for this highway. Look for suspicious vehicles."
["No problem, boss."]
["But there's a lot to go through. I might have to work overtime."]
Alex naturally understood her little hint. He smiled. "Triple overtime pay. Start."
["Leave it to me, boss!"], Anika's voice was bright and full of energy.
Her efficiency was indeed fast. She quickly replied, ["Boss, after Maverick and Invisible Man's call, there were no suspicious vehicles on Highway 95."]
Alex smiled, "Just as I thought."
"Using the 'Nightfall' motel as the center point, find the locations of all buildings within a 10-kilometer radius."
He looked around. This interstate highway was extremely desolate. Aside from the motel below, there were only occasional buildings like gas stations.
Invisible Man's abilities did not include speed. Without a vehicle, judging by the time passed, he could not have traveled beyond a 10-kilometer radius on foot.
So he was very likely hiding in some building.
Although, given his ability, there was not much difference between hiding outdoors and inside a building, considering Invisible Man's current state of mind, Alex did not think he was bold enough to expose himself in the open.
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