Marvel: A Lazy-Ass Superman

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Ultraviolet radiation spread outward in an instant, expanding until it met obstacles it could not penetrate. The vampires had no means of resistance at all—they were instantly burned to ash by the violet glow. The flames were so fierce that even the clothes on their bodies were completely destroyed.

The vampires truly deserved the title they gave themselves—”a more evolved existence.” A few quick-witted ones reacted the moment they saw the glowing violet object pop out and immediately tried to evade it. Their fast reflexes let some of them move in time.

Some attempted to hide behind their companions, but the specially designed ultraviolet grenade released its attack in waves. As the shielding vampires ignited and crumbled to ash, the second and third pulses of violet light passed through the gaps, setting ablaze those who thought themselves safe.

Only a handful of clear-headed vampires, having learned the grenade’s properties from lucky survivors, found real solid cover—small dumpsters, or the corners of concrete buildings.

One wave of attack was not enough to cleanse the world. Some of the vampires chasing Jack Reacher did die under the ultraviolet grenades, but the survivors launched a swift counterattack.

Inside the aircraft, Henry merely tapped together the rings on his left thumb and pinky. Silver-plated claws shot out from the Duck-Leopard Armor. The unlucky vampire who had already been pinned down by Kitty had his heart pierced instantly by the silver steel talons and turned to ash on the spot.

Playtime for adorable tiger Kitty!

The four-legged gravity-launch system gave Kitty acceleration beyond imagination, along with the ability to move across surfaces from different angles.

With a leap and a spin, the metallic beast landed on a wall, looking down from above at the vampires who had missed their pounce. Then she sprang again—both front claws sank deep into two vampires’ bodies, while her tail lashed like a whip, smashing another behind them.

The vampires in front burned to ash. The one behind had just begun to rise in resistance when he saw the segmented tail split open, revealing internal mechanisms glowing with ominous violet light. The entire tail now looked like an ultraviolet whip.

One lash downward—

The whip sliced through the vampire like a hot knife through butter. The cut ignited immediately, flames spreading over his whole body.

The one farthest away happened to witness the full attack sequence of the panther-form Duck-Leopard Armor. Without hesitation, he turned and ran.

But Henry had long been guarding against any witnesses escaping. From the long-range aircraft, he tapped his rings again. A hidden magnetic railgun emerged from the shoulder mount, and a silver-jacketed iron-core round killed the fleeing vampire with a single shot.

Since vampires were Henry’s primary enemy lately, he had naturally plated all of his melee weapons in silver, or made them from silver outright, adding ultraviolet radiation fluid where appropriate.

These dark creatures who believed themselves superior to humanity and more highly evolved were this fragile when faced with specialized weapons.

To protect his eyes and brace for the expected shockwave, Jack Reacher had covered his face and thrown himself flat on the ground.

But this ”flashbang” had not produced six million candela of white light. Instead, it emitted a dark, bluish glow. Nor had it created any deafening blast or noise to damage his hearing and nerves.

He first opened one eye, confirming the effect had faded, then opened the other.

As he rose, he happened to see the Duck-Leopard Armor retracting a gun-like device. In the distance, another vampire turned to ash.

Ignoring his injuries, Jack Reacher asked, ”They were vampires?”

Through Little Duck, Henry replied, ”With your powers of observation, I trust you can arrive at the correct conclusion.”

”So this is the three-second rescue you promised? Looked more like three minutes. By my estimate, about six. Barely under seven.”

Most of the lost time had gone into Kitty putting on the armor. Thankfully, Henry had used memories of Iron Man’s future assisted-wear systems when designing it. Otherwise, dressing her manually would have taken hours.

Still, feeling guilty about failing his promise, Henry explained, ”The first rescue plan—the three-second man—happened to be taking a dump. You can’t expect him to maintain super speed while shitting.

”The second plan was inconvenient to use. So this was the third option, improvised on the spot. Since you’re not dead, I’d say the rescue still counts as a success.”

Reacher snorted. ”Good thing I didn’t rely on your three-second promise, or I’d have waited until the very end. But I’ll admit, reinforcements like this were beyond my expectations. This is… a mechanical panther?”

Henry dodged the question. ”You can think of it that way.” Then he asked, ”But how did vampires end up hunting you? Based on their tastes, a man like you isn’t on the menu.

”They prefer vulnerable women, or healthy-looking men thinking with the wrong head. Muscular guys tend to fight back. Unless you only look tough on the outside, you’re not exactly ideal prey.”

Jack Reacher walked over to the woman lying on the ground and checked her condition.

”I saw them attacking a woman, and she cried for help. So I intervened. I just didn’t expect opponents like this.”

Curious Kitty naturally padded over after him, giving Henry a chance to inspect the woman through external monitors.

”She was bitten by a vampire?”

”Looks that way.” Reacher looked at the two clear puncture marks on her neck, where the bleeding had already stopped. ”Can she still be saved? Or is she going to become a vampire?”

”You don’t know her?”

Reacher shook his head. ”No. We don’t know each other.”

”But you still stepped in.” Henry laughed through the electronic voice modulator, feeling a great deal. Truly worthy of a protagonist-level figure.

Then, on the opposite side of the weapon compartment, a medical drawer slid open.

”This is anti-vampire serum. Give her a shot, and you won’t have to worry about her being turned.”

Looking at the cloudy white liquid inside the injector, Reacher asked skeptically, ”This really works?”

Through Little Duck, Henry replied, ”Within twenty-four hours of the bite, as long as she didn’t die directly from blood loss, she can definitely be saved.

”Within seventy-two hours, there’s only a chance. If she’s lost too much blood, at least she can die with dignity instead of becoming some half-human monster.

”If she’s already fully transformed into a vampire, then one shot of that and she dies immediately. I hear the body explodes. Certified by Los Angeles vampire hunters.”

Reacher skipped further academic discussion and asked directly, ”Where do I inject it?”

”The neck. Opposite side of the bite.”

Without another thought, Reacher took the syringe and injected it into the woman’s neck.

”Put the used syringe back where it was. I don’t want weird objects left behind as police evidence or clues leading back to me.”

As for that bullet, I’ll recover it later, Henry thought.

Reacher returned the syringe to the drawer, watching the medical compartment seal shut. Before he could speak again, the belated wail of police sirens approached from the distance—and there was more than one vehicle.

Through Little Duck, Henry asked in an electronic tone, ”Did anyone else witness this and call the police? Or are they headed somewhere else?”

”Before I stepped in, I shouted for bystanders to call them. Good chance they’re coming here,” Reacher admitted.

”Well then, as a good Samaritan, going to the station shouldn’t be a problem for you. With how much vampire trouble there’s been lately, explaining that the woman on the ground wasn’t bitten by you shouldn’t be too hard.”

Picking up his backpack from the ground, Reacher checked that everything inside was intact.

”Got a safe house or somewhere temporary to lie low? What I’m carrying isn’t suitable for a police station.”

And you still dared to play hero?

Henry nearly said it aloud.

Instead, he activated the Duck-Leopard Armor’s back plating, which transformed to reveal a riding seat.

Since the armor itself bore the load, someone riding on it wouldn’t burden Kitty. It wouldn’t affect balance or mobility either. At most, it just provided a place to sit and something to hold onto.

”Climb on, hold tight, and grit your teeth.”

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