Chapter 176: Chapter 174: The Intruder
Only a short while ago, a girl who had been secretly observing everything chose to stay hidden off to the side. She had just seen Jon transform into a flaming skeleton before her eyes, and now he had adopted Deep's appearance. The shock of the transformation caused her to gasp unintentionally, a sound piercing the silence of the alley.
"Come out," Jon commanded, his voice now carrying the distinct tone of Deep.
The girl, her petite frame trembling slightly, cautiously stepped forward. "I'm sorry, I won't tell anyone, I didn't see anything!" she exclaimed, raising her hands and turning her face away, as if the sight of Jon could scorch her eyes.
"You again?" Jon recognized the girl; she was the one who had accidentally bumped into him earlier that day. Despite the critical nature of his mission, these small collisions of fate seemed to weave into the larger tapestry of his plans.
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop!" the high school girl protested, her voice cracking under the strain of her fear.
Jon sighed, a human gesture that felt oddly out of place given his skeletal visage beneath Deep's guise. "Didn't I tell you to be careful? Anyway, I need you to look here," he instructed, pulling out a neurolyzer. The device hummed with a soft blue light, ready to erase her memories.
As he approached, the girl instinctively backed away, her eyes wide. "What... what are you going to do?" she stammered, her back hitting the cold wall of the alley.
"Don't be scared, it's just a light bulb~," Jon reassured her, slipping on his sunglasses, preparing to activate the device.
"Hey, wait a minute!" the girl suddenly interjected, her fear momentarily overridden by a surge of courage. "I actually lied just now. I said I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose, but I was, and it wasn't to follow you, but to follow The Deep!"
"Following Deep? Why?" Jon paused, the neurolyzer still in his hand, genuinely puzzled by her revelation.
"Because... He's, my hero!" the high school girl confessed, her admiration for the superhero evident despite her current predicament.
Jon's mouth twitched slightly at the irony. "Then this light bulb will end your misery. Believe me, I'm doing this for your own good," he responded, not without a trace of sympathy.
"But... I wasn't...!" the girl began to protest again, her words cut off as Jon pressed the neurolyzer. A brilliant flash enveloped the alley, freezing the girl in her space.
"Listen to me, young lady, you just happened to come here by coincidence, saw two cats fighting over a fish, and one of them ended up swallowing it whole. You've never known The Deep, nor have you heard about him. Focus on your school and your future," Jon instructed her, his tone mixing impatience with a touch of kindness.
***
After ensuring the girl was safe and her memories altered, Jon left the alley and looked up at the towering Vought Corporation building, a titan of industry and secret machinations. "Time to get some V potion~!" he muttered to himself, his determination steeling him for the challenges ahead.
He sighed deeply and, still in The Deep's form, walked straight into the Vought Corporation building. His appearance as Deep was perfect, thanks to the Polyjuice Potion which mimicked not only Deep's look but also his fingerprints and biometrics. He had obtained not just his appearance but his memories as well, giving him the ideal cover to infiltrate the laboratory and acquire Compound V.
As he entered the building, neither the busy employees nor the vigilant security guards spared him a second glance. Their indifference was his cloak, their routine his shield.
"Sir, I am sorry, but the orders are strict. You are not allowed here," a security officer informed him, stepping in his path with a hand raised in a stopping gesture.
Jon, undeterred and unfazed, acted as if the man was merely a whisper of wind, walking straight through to the laboratory, his focus unwavering.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Alarms blared as he breached the security protocols, the red lights casting an ominous glow over his actions. The guards, realizing the gravity of the breach, activated their tranquilizer guns. However, Jon was prepared for such low-level threats.
Reaching the container of Compound V, he delivered a precise punch, shattering the glass case with a resounding crash. This action set off another layer of alarms, but Jon swiftly grabbed a couple of tube samples, tucking them into his jacket.
As he turned, a large group of armed guards had already assembled at the door. "Deep, put back the samples immediately!" one of the guards commanded, his voice echoing with authority and disbelief. "Are you planning to betray Vought?"
"Come on~!" Jon, still wearing Deep's face, smiled faintly, his voice a mix of defiance and mockery. "I've had enough of being a slave for the company. It's time to strike out on my own!" With a swift kick, he sent a nearby table flying towards the guards. The tranquilizer darts they fired were futile against the makeshift barricade.
Even as the table collided with the front line of guards, Jon charged forward, his movements a blur of efficiency. He knocked out several guards with precision strikes before darting out of the room. His escape was a sprint of desperation and calculation, weaving through the corridors of the Vought building.
As he fled, Jon realized that Vought had completely locked off the building. The sudden rebellion of a superhero, especially a former member of The Seven, had drawn an immediate and full-scale response. More guards poured into the hallways, but Jon remained a step ahead, his mind racing through possibilities.
Grabbing a makeshift shield from a fallen guard, he continued his onslaught, taking down anyone who stood in his path. Despite his confident exterior, Jon knew that maintaining the illusion of being Deep was critical. He wasn't afraid of the tranquilizer guns for himself, but he wasn't sure how they would affect Deep's body. To the watching eyes, it had to appear as if Deep was wreaking havoc, not some unknown usurper.
"Hmm... they've locked down the building. With Deep's limited abilities, breaking through this blockade is impossible," Jon thought to himself as he navigated the chaos. "They haven't figured out I'm an impostor yet. I can escape easily with a simple Apparition."
Finding a secluded corner, Jon disturbed the surrounding magnetic field using the Darkhold, cloaking his presence from the ever-watchful surveillance systems.
"Apparition!" he whispered, taking out his Elder Wand. In a swirl of magical energy, he vanished from the spot, leaving behind only the echo of his rebellion.
The next moment, Jon reappeared in the same alley where he had killed Deep. As he caught his breath, the effects of the Polyjuice Potion began to wear off, and he reverted to his original form, a ghostly smile playing on his lips as he examined the Compound V tubes.
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