Bang!
As if struck from above by a titanic hammer, Kimiko had her head smashed in, her life snuffed out in an instant.
It burst apart like a shattered watermelon.
When Kate arrived, this jarring spectacle was what met her eyes.
In the past, she never could have imagined herself witnessing such gory scenes so regularly. Now, however, she couldn't summon any reaction beyond muttering a silent *fuck* in her mind.
Kate stepped up beside Qi Li, glanced at Kimiko's corpse ahead, and slightly furrowed her brows. "Dead like that... she's not going to grow a whole new head, is she?"
Qi Li stood calmly in place, arms folded across his chest. "Who knows?"
At least for now, he hadn't received any feedback of power.
The two waited for about a minute when Kimiko's body suddenly twitched.
Immediately following that, from the severed stump of her neck, fresh flesh and bone began to regenerate at a pace visible to the naked eye, just like before.
First the jaw, then the mouth, then the nose...
It sounded simple enough when described, but watching it happen in real life was undeniably horrifying and nauseating.
Kate's features scrunched up involuntarily. She couldn't help asking, "Is she even human?"
First her neck had been snapped, and this time her head had been blown to pieces in the most literal sense, yet she still wasn't dead.
She genuinely had no idea what it would take to finish this woman off for good.
Qi Li had seen plenty of bizarre superpowers before, but it was his first time witnessing self-healing as utterly absurd and unreasonable as this Japanese chick's.
Before long, Kimiko's head had completely regenerated.
Had it not been for the scars of battle left in the surrounding area, an outsider would have thought nothing had happened at all.
The moment Kimiko revived, she gasped raggedly in sheer terror, her hands compulsively feeling around her head over and over to confirm whether she was truly still alive.
Unfortunately for her, it was an exercise in futility.
Because right at that moment, Qi Li brought another foot stomping down.
Bang!
A few breaths later, Kimiko's head stubbornly grew back once more.
Qi Li tried striking other vital spots on her body, but the outcome was identical.
There didn't seem to be a single fatal weakness on her.
He simply had Kate mind-control Kimiko, ordered her not to use her superpower, and killed her yet again.
Still the same.
The woman's superpower was purely passive, completely beyond the control of her conscious will.
Qi Li didn't press on.
He wasn't some homicidal maniac, after all.
Judging by Kimiko's super-regeneration, minor injuries healed quickly; major ones healed slower, but either way, she simply wouldn't die.
Even if she were dropped from the sky and pulverized into paste, she would probably fully recover after enough time.
He would likely have to kill her dozens or even hundreds of times before seeing any real wear on her.
This location wasn't isolated in the slightest, and they had just caused a massive commotion.
If someone came along and saw his butcher-like slaughter, he wouldn't be able to explain it away with a hundred mouths.
Qi Li was just considering moving Kimiko away from here first and pondering other methods later when, suddenly—
In the span of a single blink, clad in his blue superhero battle suit, A-Train—whom Qi Li had met not long ago—abruptly materialized right in front of them.
Only after he appeared did the trailing sonic boom and fierce gale hit them.
He thrust aside Kimiko's messy hair, examining her face closely.
Qi Li looked at him in surprise. "A-Train?"
Hearing the voice, A-Train turned around. His eyes flickered, but a warm, enthusiastic smile instantly broke across his face as he spoke: "Hey, Bronze. And... Kate, right?"
The three exchanged greetings.
Noticing that A-Train kept glancing at Kimiko as if terrified she might flee, Kate clarified, "Don't worry, she's under my control. She won't move."
At that, A-Train's eyebrows shot up, his expression bursting with delight. "Whoa—that's fantastic! I seriously have to thank you guys. This woman is the exact criminal I was after. If you hadn't stepped in and stopped her, tracking her down would've cost me a lot more time. Drinks are on me later—any place you want, your pick!"
With that, A-Train gave the two a nod, grabbed Kimiko by the shoulder, and prepared to take off with her.
"Wait," Qi Li called out, stating the facts flatly. "A-Train, she's my prize."
With his back to Qi Li, A-Train pressed his lips together tightly.
By the time he turned back around, a brilliant grin was plastered across his face. Stepping beside Qi Li, he slung an arm warmly over his shoulder and lowered his voice: "Hey, Bronze, we need to talk."
As he spoke, he pulled Qi Li aside, looking exceptionally earnest. "Listen, Bronze, I can agree to anything else, but this... that woman isn't just someone I need. Homelander explicitly named her and demanded she be brought back. You get me?"
Qi Li was genuinely surprised. "Homelander?"
A-Train nodded vigorously. "Yes! Exactly!"
Qi Li asked, puzzled, "Who is she supposed to be? Why does Homelander want her?"
It couldn't be that Homelander had developed a thing for Japanese women and was into that sort of flavor, could it?
Or did he think she was a rare talent and wanted to haul her back for re-education and rehabilitation?
A-Train shook his head, feigning ignorance. "I've got no clue either, but it's Homelander's orders."
Seeing that Qi Li remained silent, he gave Qi Li's chest an affectionate thump, putting on a brotherly front as he said, "Bro, you know I'm completely on your side. You've always got my vote for the Super Seven. Besides, I'll owe you a massive favor. For real, that woman is huge for me. If I screw this up, Homelander won't be nearly so..."
Before A-Train could finish his sentence, suddenly—
Click! Flash! Click!
Dazzling flashes strobed again and again before their eyes.
Qi Li and A-Train were all too familiar with this scene, subconsciously adjusting their facial expressions on instinct.
Sure enough, a second later, reporters swarmed in like sharks smelling blood, thrusting microphones toward the two and eagerly firing off questions:
"A-Train, Bronze, are you two teaming up to apprehend a criminal?"
"Are you forming a new duo?"
"Multiple apartment buildings were just wrecked. Was that caused during the pursuit?"
"Is the criminal a superhuman?!"
"Was the arrest successful? Who contributed the most...?"
Qi Li and A-Train glanced at each other, unspoken thoughts passing between them:
*Did you call the press?*
*Wasn't me!*
Chapter 52