American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

461. Anti-Pollution!

As Lamplighter regained consciousness, he groggily opened his eyes.

A sharp pain shot from his forehead, and the Lamplighter felt his brain clouded. For a moment, he couldn't gather his thoughts and couldn't even tell where he was.

The pain made the Lamplighter furrow his brow. He knew his head must be swollen, possibly with a large bump, and he was likely suffering from a concussion. Every time he moved his head, he felt a piercing pain and dizziness.

As he tried to recall the events leading up to this, his last memory was of facing someone who looked just like him. That person seemed to have the ability to change into other people's appearances and, even more unusually, could transform his body into ice, protecting himself from the Lamplighter's flames.

Logically, every superhuman has their own unique ability, and it's rare for someone to possess multiple powers. The only person with a versatile set of abilities like that was the Patriot.

So encountering such an unusual individual here made the Lamplighter uneasy.

He slowly raised his hands, attempting to get up, but the weight on his wrists quickly made him snap back to reality. Looking down, the Lamplighter suddenly realized that his hands were cuffed to a railing, and his legs were bound as well.

After a brief pause, the Lamplighter immediately began struggling. He pulled forcefully against the handcuffs, and the metallic clash echoed sharply in the quiet room.

"If I were you, I'd behave myself a little more," a strange voice suddenly spoke from the darkness.

Hearing the voice, the Lamplighter stopped his movements. He fixed his gaze on the dim corner of the room, his expression serious.

"Who are you?"

"As a prisoner, you seem to still not understand your current situation. I suggest you take a good look at yourself and then think about how you should speak to me," Alex said, sitting in a chair, staring at the Lamplighter.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Hmph, I admit your ability is interesting, but if you think I'll surrender to you, you're sorely mistaken. I am the Lamplighter, a superhero."

The Lamplighter snorted coldly.

"Go ahead and use whatever methods you want! I won't tell you a single word."

Upon hearing this, Alex raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but look at the Lamplighter with a bit more respect.

Although the Lamplighter wasn't exactly a good person in this world, in some ways, he truly was an antihero—someone who wasn't a hero but still acted like one.

"A superhero, huh?" Alex paused, then stood up from his chair and slowly walked up to the Lamplighter, speaking as he approached.

"I know who you are, Lamplighter. Former member of the Seven, but what you probably don't know is that the moment you left the Vought Tower, they took down your statue. I don't know if you've been outside lately, but if you go out and take a look, you'll see that you've been discarded by Vought. Your merchandise, your endorsements, everything related to you has been replaced with someone else."

Crouching down, Alex poked the Lamplighter's shoulder with his finger.

"If your idea of a superhero is someone that Vought can just toss aside like trash, then you're really something else, 'superhero'."

Hearing Alex's words, the Lamplighter clenched his fists.

He stared at Alex, seemingly not believing the words coming from him, but soon his expression returned to its usual calm, and he let out a sarcastic smile.

"Verbal attacks? That's a bit too crude, don't you think? You don't honestly believe you can break through my mental defenses with a few words, do you? I don't know who you are or what organization created you, but go back and tell your superiors they won't get anything out of me."

"You might have misunderstood. I'm not with any organization," Alex said with a smile. "And getting what's in your head isn't that difficult. I have plenty of ways to dig it out."

Alex tilted his head and continued, "For example, the reason you left the Seven was because you accidentally killed two innocent children. Who was it again? Oh right, Colonel Mallory's grandson, wasn't it?"

The Lamplighter's pupils contracted. He seemed confused as to how Alex knew about this.

In theory, only a few people knew about this, and that group—including Colonel Mallory—had already been disbanded.

None of the team members or Colonel Mallory would have casually talked about it, so it terrified the Lamplighter that Alex knew about this.

"You actually think I'm part of Colonel Mallory's group? Don't joke around, brother. After the woman lost her grandson, she's been in a permanent retirement mode, and she couldn't afford to hire me anyway."

Alex smiled. "Surprised? Can't figure out why I know what you're thinking? It's not that hard to guess, is it? You've already come to a conclusion, but you're just unwilling to admit it."

"You—"

The Lamplighter stared in horror at Alex, mumbling.

"You can even read minds?!"

"Not just that."

Alex spoke softly. "I can change into other people's appearances, which you already know. So you can understand that when I transform into someone else, I can also use their superpowers. Do you understand that explanation?"

After hearing this, the Lamplighter was completely speechless. His gaze toward Alex was now filled with fear, as if looking at a terrifying monster.

At this moment, he began to believe that Alex was not some experiment created by an evil organization, because it was hard for him to imagine any force capable of producing such a terrifying anomaly.

Since he had retired from the Seven and withdrawn to this place, the Lamplighter had been serving as a guardian for the research institute.

During this time, he had witnessed countless top scholars researching superpowers, and he had come to understand just how dangerous the effects of Compound V were on humans.

Ordinary people could hardly bear the impact of multiple superpowers. The genetic reshaping caused by a single superpower was already immense, and having two or even three superpowers coexisting in one body could lead to devastating consequences.

So in this context, Alex's existence couldn't be called a miracle—it should be called a "divine miracle."

"What is your goal?" The Lamplighter asked seriously, staring at Alex.

"Don't you think the development of this world is a bit too warped? If you know about Compound V, then you should also understand that your powers weren't granted by the heavens, but were created by Vought's human experiments," Alex answered, not responding directly to the Lamplighter's question.

"You possess immense power, so why not do something good with it? No one understands the evil of Vought more than you. Although you claim to be a superhero, deep down, you know you're just an accomplice in their wicked deeds."

The Lamplighter lowered his head.

"It's just a job."

"A job, huh? A job to deceive the public, to kill anyone who opposes Vought, to reignite war and drown the world in death and suffering," Alex continued.

Before Alex could finish, the Lamplighter raised his head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you don't know. The place you're standing on, this insane asylum called the Sage Grove, do you know how many people have died here? Why don't you guess why Vought is cultivating these uncontrolled superhumans?" Alex asked.

"They…" The Lamplighter opened his mouth, but quickly shook his head. "I get it now. This is your goal, right? You want to go after Vought."

"Exactly." Alex paused for a moment. "For justice."

"Justice?" The Lamplighter couldn't help but laugh bitterly as he recalled his past experiences with Vought. His smile grew more and more bitter. "What justice is there in this world? Only capital matters. Without money, you're nothing."

"If you're really all about money, then why did you leave the Seven? Judging from your abilities and popularity, the first one to leave should have been that fish-man," Alex casually remarked, then grew serious. "You left because of guilt, didn't you? The guilt of killing those children, making you feel like you're unworthy of the title 'hero.'"

"Shut up!" The Lamplighter glared at Alex, seemingly enraged by the way Alex had dug into his deepest wounds.

"You're not like them. Although you've done many questionable things, your nature isn't entirely bad. At least you still have the basic sense of shame."

As he spoke, Alex slowly extended his hand and placed it on the Lamplighter's head.

"What are you doing!?"

The Lamplighter immediately began struggling, sensing the danger of the unknown. He didn't know what Alex intended, but the uncertainty alone created an overwhelming sense of crisis.

Alex ignored his resistance and, still holding the Lamplighter's head, continued speaking.

"When I first encountered the pollution, I discovered something interesting. If I can pollute someone before the pollution spreads, it will cause that person to break free from their original constraints and become a new existence—a version of themselves contaminated by me."

"But this world was born in pollution, so I'm not sure if this method will still work. Originally, I planned to try it on Starlight, but that girl is currently busy with all these public appearances. Reluctantly, I had to set my sights on this place."

"Sage Grove—the place where Vought specifically cultivates superhumans. It's the only place where I can find a gathering of so many superhumans, and at the same time, it's isolated enough not to be disturbed by outsiders."

"But unfortunately, thanks to Vought, the inmates here have a strong tendency for self-destruction, and clearly, none of them are suitable candidates."

Alex's gaze returned to the Lamplighter.

"But you're different. You still have the possibility of being saved."

"You… what are you trying to do?!" The Lamplighter gritted his teeth, feeling his mind overwhelmed with a flood of complicated and chaotic information.

"I want to show you the world outside the well." Alex said.

.....

📢30 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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462. The World Beyond the Well.
463. Apocalypse!
464. Action Plan.
465. Butcher's Operation.
466. Stormfront's Attack!!