[You have initiated the encounter event.]
[Event Name: Steel Riot - Midnight Sniper.]
[Description: Someone without a clue has interrupted your social activity. You won't let such an attacker off easily.]
[Event Objective: Eliminate the sniper.]
[Event Start!]
Several pieces of information flashed across Homelander's vision, but he didn't pay much attention. He had already locked onto the sniper.
The guy was crouched on a rooftop. Sensing Homelander's approach, he immediately bolted, turning and sprinting away.
It was only then that Homelander got a clearer look—the sniper was wearing an Iron Man-style suit, much like the one used by the bank robbers he had encountered earlier. However, this armor was much sleeker, more compact, and its movements were swift and agile. In just a few strides, the sniper dashed across the rooftop and leapt off.
Mid-jump, the sniper twisted around, lifting a long-barreled rifle and fired a shot straight at Homelander.
The rifle's muzzle flashed with a faint blue light, and in utter silence, a bullet streaked toward Homelander at breakneck speed.
It hit him, only to crumple and fall uselessly to the ground.
Homelander narrowed his eyes. His pupils glowed deep red as twin laser beams shot toward the sniper.
But it seemed the sniper had anticipated this. He quickly raised his arm, shooting out a black cable from his wrist armor.
A grappling hook!
The alloy hook latched onto a building across the street, and like some kind of mechanical Spider-Man, the sniper swung over the street, landing on the outer wall of another skyscraper.
But just as he was sliding down the wall, he caught a glimpse of Homelander in the window—his figure rapidly growing larger. Then, with a deafening crash, the next thing the sniper knew, his world was spinning.
Homelander had missed with his laser vision, but quickly closed the distance, ramming into the sniper with a shockwave, sending him crashing into an office.
The sniper tumbled across the office space, knocking over desks and chairs in a chaotic roll.
Homelander chuckled to himself as he stepped inside, grabbing the sniper by the shoulder.
Suddenly, the back of the sniper's suit flared with bright white light. Homelander instinctively shut his eyes.
A flash grenade!
When he opened them again, the sniper had already leapt out the window.
Homelander smashed through the glass and saw the sniper clinging to the building like a frog, sliding along the wall. Homelander grinned, diving down at breakneck speed, and threw a punch.
Boom!
Down below, pedestrians heard the crash and looked up, only to see something fall from the building, landing squarely on a car, caving it in.
The car door was thrown off as the armored figure emerged, visibly shaken but still running down the street in a panic.
The armor was dented in multiple places, sparking with electrical surges, clearly damaged.
But the sniper still moved quickly, grabbing a nearby pedestrian and pressing a short blade that extended from his wrist armor against the man's throat.
In a distorted, heavily modulated voice, the sniper yelled, "Stay back, Homelander! Unless you want him to die!"
The street erupted in screams and panic, with people scattering, rushing into nearby convenience stores and other shops for safety.
Homelander, however, didn't react immediately. He casually sat on the rooftop, watching the scene unfold like an audience at a show.
As a metal-clad figure dropped from the sky and took a hostage, the city's 911 emergency lines were quickly overwhelmed.
Police response time wasn't bad either. Several squad cars arrived, surrounding the area.
One officer aimed his gun at the sniper. "Drop your weapon!"
The sniper shouted back, "Everyone back off! I want to see Homelander! Get that coward out here!"
The officer, clearly confused, turned to the crowd. "Has anyone seen Homelander?"
The crowd shook their heads.
The officer tried reasoning. "I can contact Vought Tower for you, but you need to let the hostage go."
The sniper roared, "Stop hiding, Homelander! I know you're here somewhere! Show yourself, or I'll kill him!"
The hostage began screaming in terror, "Please don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
The officer hurriedly tried to calm the situation, "Take it easy. Let's talk this through."
"I said, I want Homelander!" The sniper's shoulder plates suddenly unfolded, revealing two small machine guns that began firing a hail of bullets at the police cars.
Terrified, the officers returned fire instinctively.
Gunshots echoed through the streets, and sparks flew off the sniper's helmet as bullets ricocheted off the metal. The sniper flinched, and his hand shook.
In an instant, the blade at the hostage's throat slipped, slicing it open.
"Damn it."
Seeing the hostage collapse, clutching his bleeding neck, the sniper turned and ran without hesitation.
The suit's thrusters gave him an enormous burst of speed, sending him leaping across the street in seconds.
As he neared the corner, the officers heard a whooshing sound from above. The wind whipped their hats off as something tore through the air, a blur of blue streaking down toward the street.
The sniper was hit before anyone could react, his body crashing through a fire hydrant, sending a geyser of water into the sky.
Hovering above the fountain of water, Homelander's star-spangled cape fluttered in the wind.
"Homelander!"
"Homelander is here!"
"Homelander, we love you!"
People poured out from the shops, whistling and cheering.
Ignoring the praise, Homelander dove toward the sniper, grabbing him with one hand. His fingers dug into the armor, crushing it, causing sparks to fly as the chest plate crumpled under the pressure.
Gripping the now-helpless sniper, Homelander shot into the sky, dragging him along the side of a building, grinding the armored figure against the concrete as debris rained down.
Whoosh!
Homelander soared higher and higher, breaking through the clouds into the clear skies above.
He tore off the sniper's helmet with ease, stripping away pieces of the armor until the man underneath—a Black man—was exposed.
Homelander smirked, "Alright, tell me—who are you? Where'd you get this suit?"
The man, dangling thousands of feet above the ground, was clearly not a superhuman. Without his armor, he gasped for breath, but still managed to flip Homelander off.
"Go to hell, Homelander."
"Scum like you doesn't deserve to live."
Homelander shrugged. "Maybe. But unfortunately, the one dying today is you."
"Can you fly?"
With that, he let go.
The man's scream faded as he plummeted toward the ground.
Homelander hovered in place, watching for a moment until a new set of messages flashed before his eyes.
[You have successfully completed the event.]
[Event Disaster Rating: E]
[Reward for 'Successful' Evaluation: Dull Proficiency Essence *22]
[New items have been added to your store.]
More proficiency notifications followed.
[Laser Eyes +1: 28/30]
[Steel Body +1: Proficiency 17/30]
[Regeneration +1: 2/30]
[Flight +1: 13/30]
[Your 'Super Speed' proficiency is full. Now upgrading to 'Super Speed +1.']
[Super Speed +1: Speed increased by 100%.]
[Your 'Super Strength' proficiency is full. Now upgrading to 'Super Strength +1.']
[Super Strength +1: Base strength increased by 75%. Attacks now trigger 'Secondary Impact.' Secondary Impact damage is 70% of the initial attack's damage. (Note: Secondary Impact only applies to physical attacks.)]
[A new item has been added to your store.]
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