American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 305 The Boys and the Terminator's Crossover Collaboration

Death did not come as expected. Hughie heard a strange sound behind him, like someone tearing cloth. Then his eyes widened as he saw a scene he would never forget—the Terminator was frozen in mid-air, as if time itself had stopped flowing. Black and red energy threads were wrapped around its metallic body, which was no different from human bones. Only then did Hughie realize that these threads were wriggling like living things, seeping into the Terminator's joints and circuitry.

Hughie himself was also entangled in these threads, so he couldn't move.

Then, a figure emerged from behind Hughie.

He wore a sharp-cut and exceptionally fitted white suit with dark silver runes embroidered on the lapel. His skin was incredibly smooth, as if kissed by God, and his face appeared exceptionally handsome under the dark red light, like a dream demon from mythology that seduces women.

Aside from describing him as looking like a reader, Hughie could hardly think of any other adjectives.

"Who—who are you?" Hughie stammered.

"Runes".

The speaker stared intently at Hughie, who immediately felt a strange sense of being seen through, as if he were completely naked in front of this man named Rune. This made him somewhat uncomfortable.

Rune sighed inwardly. After the mind-reading technique he had just used, he knew where his new world was—the Boys, a world of utter hypocrisy.

If the main theme of DC and Marvel is the Grimm's Fairy Tales that glorify heroes, filled with romantic narratives of idealism, moral justice, and individual heroism, then the main theme of The Boys is a dark allegory that satirizes violence. It breaks away from the former and exposes the true nature of power, capital, and the evil of human nature.

The Boys' story was originally supposed to begin with a fatal accident caused by the superhero A-Train, who killed Hughie's girlfriend. This death prompted Hughie to join the Boys and rebel against Vought International and its corrupt superhumans. However, this universe has clearly been invaded by the "Forgotten Ones."

Three years ago, a company called Pym Technologies was founded. They announced that they had enough technology to provide all of humanity with inexpensive and powerful robots. With the advent of their first prototype, they received a lot of funding and grew rapidly. They even got the opportunity to cooperate with governments and the military. Their prosperity made the top management of Vought Corporation unhappy.

Strangely, after a closed-door meeting, WOT Corporation officially announced a partnership with Pym Technology, with the two becoming each other's closest strategic partners.

Meanwhile, robots of different models began to appear on the market. They were indeed as Pym Technology claimed: inexpensive and powerful. Robots could do the same jobs that humans could do, and they could even do the jobs that humans couldn't.

Just as these robots had become widespread throughout the world, one day three years ago, the robots collectively rebelled. Some of the robots, who had already infiltrated the Department of Defense, colluded with spies from Pym Technologies to assassinate several important figures, including the president, who possessed the nuclear launch codes. They then successfully launched a nuclear missile, causing a horrific nuclear strike worldwide.

Because the machine crisis happened so quickly, the heroes didn't even have time to react.

This horrific event is conservatively estimated to have killed 70% of humanity, and the survivors call this day Judgment Day.

Currently, only a few large strongholds in the United States are still holding on. These large strongholds are either originally military bases with ample supplies and weapons, or they are guarded by multiple powerful superhumans with strong military force, or both.

But seeing these memories gave Rune a headache. The robot in front of him was clearly a Terminator, a classic model—the T-800. However, the company called Pym Technologies was clearly a Marvel Cinematic Universe import, which made him unsure of who his enemy was. If this were simply the Boys, he could easily sweep across the entire world; the so-called Homelander would be utterly useless against Rune.

However, this mysterious intruder is clearly related to the Marvel universe, a world with an incredibly high power ceiling, which makes Rune somewhat hesitant to act rashly.

But regardless, Rune knew what the most urgent task was. A glint flashed in his eyes, and the Terminator's head disappeared instantly, but its entire body seemed to still function normally. So Rune snapped his fingers, and the classic Terminator turned into a pile of dust.

"What an unfortunate day, isn't it, Hughie?"

Hughie's eyes widened, and the red energy threads on his body vanished instantly. Caught off guard, Hughie's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Are you a superhuman?" Hughie asked.

"I guess I could be considered one." Rune thought for a moment and felt that he could be considered a superhuman, but the basis of his abilities was still magic.

Just then, Rune heard several heavy footsteps—a number of Terminators were approaching, so he quickly grabbed Hughie's arm and pulled him up.

"Imagine the safest place in your heart!" Rune whispered. Hughie immediately thought of New Hope City, but he still had doubts about that place. So Hughie finally thought of his own base—that small base that gave him a sense of security.

Seeing that the scene in Hughie's mind was no longer changing, Rune immediately activated Apparition. Before leaving, he reminded him, "Hold on tight, this is going to be a little uncomfortable."

But before Zoe could react, the world twisted before his eyes. He felt like a lump of clay being stretched, squeezed, and twisted in the hands of a bratty kid. In Hughie's eyes, all the colors were mixed together, and even the sounds became a high-frequency hum.

This was even more dizzying than the roller coaster Hughie rode as a child. He felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, but soon the strange sights and sounds disappeared. Hughie's stomach was churning, but he tried his best to control himself from vomiting. Food was a precious resource these days.

Hughie was still struggling in pain, but Rune was already looking at Zoe with a sympathetic gaze.

Crimson rays pierced through the radiation clouds, scattering across the ruins. This place seemed to have once been a gas station, but now only a jumble of twisted metal skeletons and charred concrete walls remained. Several triggered traps lay scattered on the ground—some containing partially melted metal skeletons in acid. An extremely pungent odor permeated the air.

When Hughie came to his senses, his body began to tremble. He clearly remembered that there were twenty-seven people here when he set off that morning...

"No—no no no—" he rushed towards the ruins, shouting hoarsely, "This isn't right, this can't be!!!"