Chapter 80:

A New Ability, Just Like That

DC: The Infinite Villain

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Humiliation. Rage.

Laurie felt helplessness sink deep into her bones. From the moment she put on the costume and decided to become a hero, she had never been so powerless. She had never imagined she would suffer something like this.

She could only weep uncontrollably while the demon behind her did whatever he wanted.

After a long, numb stretch of time, Laurie finally felt the demon leave.

She slid down along the edge of the table and collapsed to the floor, her eyes empty as Damon moved a chair in front of her and sat down.

"Painful, is it not? Your mother felt the same back then. But you are luckier than she was. Do you know why? Because you think I am a villain, so what I just did fits what you believe of me. The person who did this to your mother was also a superhero, even her partner and teammate."

"Who was it?"

Laurie lifted her head sharply and demanded an answer.

"The Comedian. You may also know him as Edward Blake."

Damon smiled faintly.

After experiencing it herself, Laurie could understand her mother's pain more clearly than ever. Her anger burned even hotter.

"Believe me, that is not even the worst of it."

Like a devil, Damon gave her another truth that struck even harder.

"Do you know who your biological father is? That is right. Him."

"That is impossible!"

Laurie shouted in agitation.

"Judging by the time between that incident and your mother's pregnancy, it does seem unlikely. But facts are facts. After suffering that, your mother later became involved with him again. Superheroes? Heh."

Damon stood and left.

Bang.

The door slowly closed.

Laurie lay on the floor and completely broke down.

After returning to the villa, Damon ignored Laurie and picked up his book to study on his own. He had already moved from biology to electronic engineering. He wanted to see whether he could create armor similar to Iron Man's.

Immersed in study, Damon did not realize how late it had become until he left the room. Valentina and Lilah did not seem to have returned yet.

He saw a woman in a Soviet uniform leaving by the doorway and called out casually.

"Ask when they will be back."

The woman hesitated slightly, then walked toward the telephone in the living room.

Step by step.

As she passed Damon, she seemed to be too nervous and tripped over the carpet. Her body pitched toward him.

Thud.

The woman fell directly to the floor. She lifted her head and stared at Damon in disbelief after he stepped back to avoid her.

'Was he not supposed to catch her under normal circumstances?'

Looking at her surprised expression, Damon smiled.

"Are you all right?"

"I am... fine."

"Then get up and make the call."

"..."

The woman lowered her head and slowly rose. The instant she straightened, her left arm suddenly changed into something like stone and struck at Damon in a sneak attack.

His face was getting closer.

Just as the stone-like fist was about to hit Damon, the woman was horrified to see his face change.

His original skin instantly became stone as well. It looked exactly like the change in her own left arm.

Bang.

Her fist struck him as she froze in shock. A heavy impact sounded.

Two hard stones had collided.

Damon did not move. The woman stumbled back several steps.

"Nice ability."

Damon restored his face to normal, then looked at his stone-transformed hands with interest.

"If you had arrived a little earlier, Laurie might have suffered even more."

"You... how..."

The woman froze, then instinctively transformed her body. She grew taller, rising from less than six feet to over six and a half. Her cap fell away, revealing purple hair. The left side of her upper body became stone. The right side turned golden, like molten matter. Her lower right leg looked faintly purple and almost normal, while the left looked like a dry tree trunk.

At a glance, she seemed stitched together from different substances.

"Color change, density control, elemental manipulation, body-size control. Let me see. Heat generation, and control over ice and water too. You have quite a variety."

Damon observed her with interest.

"I did not expect to gain a new ability this suddenly. You are not with the Watchmen, so you are CIA? You came for Silk Spectre, Laurie? Do they know you have powers like this?"

"How can you have my power?"

The woman stared at Damon in shock.

Could this man steal other people's abilities?

No. Not steal. Copy.

Had he copied her ability?

"Do not ask why. I can use it because I can use it. Do I need to explain every detail to you?"

Damon shook his head and smiled.

"As for you, what is your name?"

"Hmph."

"Even if you stole my power, you are no match for me."

After the shock passed, the woman quickly recovered. Back then, she had spent a long time learning how to use her ability. He had only just copied it. There was no way he could control it as skillfully as she could.

So the winner would be her.

She had to end this fast.

The woman charged at Damon again.

"So we cannot have a proper conversation."

Damon moved too.

Infinite Stacking, five times.

He did not bother imitating her variety. He simply turned his entire body to stone.

The floor suddenly collapsed. Damon shot forward and punched.

Fist met fist.

Boom.

A violent sound rang out. The woman's body flew backward, punched through the wall, and landed in the courtyard. She had just tried to rise when she discovered Damon was already in front of her.

"Attacking me was the worst decision of your life. Crushing someone with her own power is what I do best."

Damon smiled brightly, then drove his stone fist down.

Bang.

A muffled groan sounded.

Damon lifted his fist. The woman had already fainted, and her body gradually returned to normal.

"What... what happened?"

The guards' frightened voices called out.

"Ask when Valentina and Lilah are coming back," Damon said casually.

Then he dragged the unconscious woman and went back to the basement.

Creak.

The basement door opened. Laurie, sitting on the floor, lifted her head in panic and saw Damon walk in carrying a woman in a Soviet uniform.

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