CHAPTER 144

The underground chamber was cast in eerie shadows, illuminated only by the ominous red glow in the eyes of the superhuman agents who had cornered me. The atmosphere was charged with tension as the female agent, a formidable figure, spoke with icy-cold authority.

"The criminal known as Ace," she declared, her voice cutting through the heavy silence, "you are under arrest for a litany of crimes."

I couldn't resist a smirk as I leaned casually against a nearby wall, raising an eyebrow in mock curiosity. "Crimes, you say? Well, I'm all ears. Do enlighten me."

Her accusations flowed with the precision of a prosecutor presenting a case, each word laden with contempt. "Infiltration of a highly classified government research facility, responsible for brutal massacres of military soldiers, and…"

But before she could continue her damning list, an impatient agent decided to interject. He strode forward with a look of sheer annoyance. "Can we cut the chatter and get to the good part? The quicker we get to business, the sooner he'll be dead." 

I couldn't resist but tease him, still leaning nonchalantly against the wall. "Hold on there, pretty boy. She was just warming up." I said as I referred to Mr impulsive over there. 

"Pretty boy?" He snarled, clearly the hothead of the group. "You think we're some kind of joke?"

In an instant, my tone shifted from light banter to stone-cold seriousness. "Am I laughing?"

TSK!!!

My retort seemed to ignite a fire in him. He gritted his teeth and, with a burst of superhuman speed, he lunged at me. His clenched fist was a projectile aimed at my skull, intended to drill through bone and brain matter.

But I had anticipated this reckless assault. I knew I was dealing with someone who might rival the strength and speed of Superman himself. Swiftly, I adjusted my deflective field, making it denser, ready to deflect his onslaught. His punch, thrown with lightning speed, hit an invisible wall, stopping dead in its tracks.

His eyes widened in shock as his own attack rebounded with double the force he had unleashed. He became an unwitting projectile, hurtling past his astonished comrades, a human missile slamming into the opposite wall.

"Jeremy!" they yelled, their voices filled with concern as their colleague met the wall with an audible crash. One of them rushed to Jeremy's side, examining his dislocated shoulder caused by the failed punch.

The elder among them, a man in his early thirties, took on the role of peacemaker. "What trickery is this?" Asked the elderly among them, a man in his early thirties. "You must be the leader here. Well, as you can see, he tried to kill me and failed miserably." I replied. 

I couldn't resist a chuckle. "If there were an award for the most pointless and futile effort, he'd undoubtedly be a strong contender."

The transformation was palpable. Their smug expressions faded into Terminator-like determination. Their red laser-like pupils locked onto me, and the atmosphere grew tenser.

"Be careful, guys," Jeremy warned, his shoulder relocated, ready for action. "He seems to have an invisible shield protecting him. We can't attack recklessly."

The soldiers who had been lurking behind me sensed the impending storm and wisely retreated, aware that any mere mortal caught in the crossfire would face severe injury.

Their eyes began to glow ominously as they readied their lasers. Two of them unleashed scorching beams of energy at me, while the other two closed in for a direct attack, acting in unison.

With a raised palm, the lasers hit my deflective field and I bent the trajectory of the laser beams, much like Darkseid redirecting Omega Beams. The searing energy struck their companions, giving them no opportunity to evade their own deadly attack.

In the blink of an eye, I kicked off the ground and shot into the air. I soared past the disoriented agents and swiftly seized the two responsible for the laser onslaught. Their necks were like feeble twigs in my grasp as I lifted them off the ground and ruthlessly slammed them back into the floor.

But I knew this wouldn't be enough. I needed to conclude this skirmish swiftly. My powers allowed me to manipulate vectors, and I transmuted the ground beneath them to keep them immobilized. It was time for an internal assault, far more efficient than any external attack.

My thoughts raced through the complexities of the human body. Each cell held a minuscule charge of about 0.07 millivolts of electricity. With roughly thirty-five billion cells in the human body, that added up to over 2.45 trillion volts of electricity. Extracting that energy from each cell would prove devastating, even to superhumans.

In the blink of an eye, I executed my plan. I manipulated their bioelectricity, forcibly draining the electrical charge from every cell in their bodies. They screamed in torment as their bodies convulsed, and their nervous systems were brought to a screeching halt.

However, I couldn't afford to savor my cruel victory for long. A kick came hurtling at the side of my head, launched from behind. I swiveled just in time, reducing the radius of my protective field until it barely extended beyond my skin.

I caught the kick and hurled my assailant through several walls within the labyrinthine underground complex. His body smashed through the concrete, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

The remaining agent lunged at me, attempting to take advantage of my momentary distraction. With a tap of my foot, I transmuted the ground beneath him into razor-sharp, crystalline spikes, aiming to pierce through his dense skin and into his vital organs. He ascended toward the ceiling, propelled by my unexpected attack, narrowly avoiding becoming a human pincushion.

I took to the air, pursuing him with unparalleled speed. As he neared the top, I condensed my deflective field around my clenched fist. The field glowed with a vibrant blue aura, signifying the immense power it contained.

He realized the impending danger but was already committed to a course of action. Desperation etched across his face, he made a last-ditch effort to save himself. With a mighty punch, he shattered the stone pillar that had been raising him toward the ceiling.

However, it was a futile act. My foot found purchase on the ceiling just as he attempted his escape. Gathering momentum, I accelerated downward like a falling meteor, my glowing fist leading the way.

His fate was sealed. My fist bored into his abdomen as we hurtled toward the ground. The impact was seismic, shattering the floor upon contact. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he slumped, unconscious and broken.

I turned to the last remaining agent, a wicked grin hidden beneath my mask. His expression was a mix of confusion and fear, a delightfully sadistic combination. He had seen his colleagues fall one by one, and now, he was alone.

"I love that look of confusion you've got there," I taunted him, watching as he staggered backward. "It's the same look an inferior being gives when they encounter a higher power."

Suddenly, rage flashed across his eyes as if my words had struck a nerve. "Who do you think you are, calling us inferior beings? We are the government's hunting dogs, and no one is more superior than us!" His voice seethed with fury.

I continued to provoke him, pushing him closer to the edge. "Well, I guess you're staring at someone superior right here, right now."

His anger reached its boiling point. He charged at me with superhuman speed, determination etched on his face. I dodged his fist effortlessly, catching him by the throat and lifting him off the ground like a morbid trophy.

"Do you understand how the heart works?" I asked him, my voice dripping with malice.

"Let me go, you psycho!" he managed to choke out. With his left hand, he desperately clung to my arm while launching a punch with his other. But he froze mid-motion, caught in my telekinetic grip. There was no escape; my mental strength far exceeded his.

"As I was saying before your interruption," I cleared my throat, "the heart operates as a valve, pumping and circulating blood throughout the body."

He remained bewildered, unable to comprehend the purpose of my words. "I suppose I'll have to show you, rather than explaining something so basic yet elusive to most."

Behind my mask, I closed my eyes and extended my mental reach, feeling the rhythm of his heart and the flow of blood within his body. With sinister intent, I reversed the blood's flow and accelerated the rate at which his heart pumped.

In mere seconds, his heart swelled to an unnatural size, unable to withstand the pressure. It burst within his chest, and blood erupted from his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears in a gruesome display.

"Funny how every superhuman thinks they're invincible," I mused as I shook my head. I tossed his lifeless body beside his fallen comrades, a chilling testament to the vulnerability that lurked beneath their powers.

I had lingered long enough in this skirmish, and Raven, my ultimate objective, awaited me further within the underground labyrinth.

With a casual yet eerie calmness, I turned away from the carnage, my eyes scanning the dimly lit corridors ahead. "Well, that was quite the performance, wasn't it?"

The soldiers who had wisely retreated earlier now watched in stunned silence, torn between awe and terror. They had witnessed their superhuman comrades who they saw as their saviors, succumb to a force beyond their comprehension.

With a nonchalant shrug, I continued down the darkened passage. "But now, it's time to get back to business. Raven awaits, and I have a feeling this underground adventure is just beginning."

The soldiers exchanged wary glances, realizing that they were now mere spectators in a superhuman's world. One where the line between hero and villain had blurred, and in this shadowy realm, power was the ultimate currency.

But for now, I had a rendezvous with destiny, and I intended to meet it head-on, with a devil-may-cry attitude and a few tricks up my sleeve.