Chapter 145 - 145: Invisible Troubles
Volkner Interstellar Museum, Metro City
Midnightโฆ
The museum tour continued as their footsteps echoed through the vast, dark halls. Now leading the group were Shadow and Judy Cho who engaged in an animated conversation.
Shadow gestured toward the towering machinery and strange, dust-covered constructs lining the exhibit.
His voice carried both wonder and amusement.
"Manโฆ I knew it was possible that there are alien races out there that don't even have stomachs, but who would've thought they'd adapt to the point where they could break their food down into raw energy and just absorb it?"
Judy's eyes widened as if he had just unlocked a core memory.
"RIGHTโโ?!"
She clapped her hands together so loudly that it startled a couple of the security drones hovering in the corner.
"When Mr. Volkner first told me about this, I was flabbergasted! Just imagine! Ancient alien civilizations already thinking that far ahead! The fact that they even developed technology to completely remove digestion as a biological process? That's insane!"
She spun around dramatically as her arms stretched toward the heavens.
"Can you even fathom how advanced they had to be to reach that level?!"
Shadow nodded, genuinely impressed.
"It's wild. We're still here figuring out how to get rid of bloating after eating a burger, and they were out here eliminating the entire digestive system."
[Live Comments:]
[Nah, Shadow is literally having a science lesson while we got Vixen fighting for her life back there. ๐๐๐]
[Judy always gets too excited and I love it. She really just clapped for alien tech like it was the Super Bowl.]
โ [Mind you, there's nothing spectacular about the Super Bowl, it's just some average shit that Americans have to attend to renew their natural citizenship.]
โ [Yep, people who don't go to see it are ostracized by society and shit like that. ๐คทโโ๏ธ]
โ [Fr. Super Bowl be basic asf. ๐]
[Digesting food? Lame. Becoming a walking solar panel? Peak evolution.]
[Shadow is literally husband material. He listens. He responds. He participates. A real one.]
[They're geeking out over stomachless aliens while Vixen is carrying a whole dog girl against her will.]
๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ
Meanwhile, at the back of the groupโ
Witch was calmly walking with a faint smirk on her face, while Vixen was struggling with an entirely different issue.
Dog Girl was still fast asleepโbut rather than being carried by Shadow, as she had been earlier, the responsibility had somehow fallen to Vixen.
And to say she was displeased?
Would be an understatement.
Her fox-like ears twitched and her pretty face tightened as she alternated between staring at Dog Girl and glaring daggers at Shadow's back.
It was at that moment that Sniperess glanced over at her.
Without warning, she spoke.
"Jealousโฆ?"
Vixen's ears shot straight up, so stiff they might as well have jumped off her head.
Her reaction was instant.
"Why in the world would I be jealous?! Because of THAT?!"
She nodded toward Shadow and Judy.
[Live Comments:]
[OH HERE WE GO.]
[FOX GIRL ON EDGE RN.]
[She's mad mad. ๐]
[Why is Shadow over there giggling with Judy like it's a school trip, though?]
[Bro, I TOLD Y'ALL! Judy has a way of stealing all the male attention. Watch the Vixen vs. Judy arc unfold.]
โ [She's a journalistโshe does her best to grab the attention of millionaires who have less hours in a week than we have in a day. What were y'all expecting? ๐ค]
โ [Okay. This do be fax tho.]
[Vixen beefing with Judy when the real enemy is Dog Girl for making her carry her ass.]
[Dog Girl really knocked out and caused Vixen to enter her villain arc.]
๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ
Vixen clicked her tongue as her ears twitched in irritation.
A small, lazy smile appeared on Sniperess' face.
She tilted her head slightly.
"It's fine to be jealous if you like the guy."
She shrugged.
"It's normalโฆ What's not normal isโฆ"
She paused as her smirk deepened.
"โฆ why it would be someone like that?"
Vixen let out a soft chuckle.
"Even if I actually did like himโฆ"
Her eyes gleamed mischievously.
"For you to understand, you'd have to see his face first. He's so damn handsome. A fit body, sharp jawline and everything a woman needs in a manโฆ and wellโฆ he's emotionally intelligent to an extent."
Witch, who had been walking quietly beside them, suddenly arched an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Her tone was casual, almost uninterested.
"And how exactly did you get to meet such a handsome guy? A patrol or something?"
The way she said it was so calm that it almost felt like she wasn't even interested in an answer.
But Vixen felt a subtle pressure.
Her fox-like tail flicked.
She shook her head gently.
"Sorry, I can't give much information on that. I don't want to reveal his identity without his permission."
She smiled slightly.
"It'd be disrespectful."
Witch tilted her head slightly, placing an index finger on her chin as she glanced at Shadow.
Then she turned her gaze lazily back to Vixen.
"โฆ Hmm. That's fairโฆ I'm just curious, is all."
She smiled.
"After all, official heroes of the agency have the right to know the identity of another hero."
Something about the way she said it sent a tiny chill down Vixen's spine.
A deep, instinctive discomfort.
She didn't show itโbut she felt it.
And so, she got defensive.
"โฆ Only in the case of an emergency, though."
Her voice was firm.
Witch's lips curled into a soft chuckle.
"Hm."
She clasped her hands behind her curvy back and continued walking at a leisurely pace.
Her voice came out soft and sweetโbut beneath it, there was an undeniable, creeping malice.
"Let's hopeโฆ we don't run into an accident or emergency that would demand him to reveal his identity, right? That would be reallyโฆ unfortunate."
She giggled.
"Tee-hee~."
[Live Comments:]
[HELL NAH, WITCH IS EVIL ASF.]
[Witch is smiling but you can HEAR the villain energy.]
[Nah, Vixen got set up. She was NOT ready for that Witch interrogation.]
['Tee-hee~' but it sounded like a death flag. ๐]
[I could NEVER marry someone like Witch. She's hot but scary af.]
[Why do I feel uneasy hearing Witch talk? That giggle got me nervous.]
[Vixen trying her best not to fold under pressure.]
[Bro, I swear, Rope Girl's squad is sketchy. Even the chat knows they can't be trusted.]
[Nah, some of y'all are just biased. Rope Girl ain't even the enemy fr, she's just doing her job.]
โ [Bro, shut up. This ain't a debate class.]
โ [L take. Hope your account gets banned.]
โ [You defending her like she paid your bills. ๐]
โ [Bold of you to assume I haven't been banned before.]
๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ
At the front, Shadow and Judy were still deep in talking.
At the back, Vixen, Sniperess, and Witch had just walked away from a landmine of tension.
And somewhere in the depths of the museumโ
Invisible Woman was making her move.
The heist had already begun.
Invisible Woman stood before the display case, silent, unseen, and methodical. The alien cubeโa solid, unknown material unlike anything on Earthโrested on its high-tech podium, illuminated by soft, golden light.
She tilted her head slightly, tapping the side of her helmet with two fingers. A faint hum resonated in her ears as her vision transitioned into Enhanced Detection Mode.
Thin red lines glowed through the darkness to reveal a lattice of invisible security lasers.
But something was off.
"โฆ Nothing's crossing the cube."
A deep, sinking feeling settled in her chest.
Isaac Volkner wasn't stupid.
She tapped her helmet again, switching to Structural Analysis Modeโthis time, looking downward.
Beneath the sleek museum flooring there were faint blue outlines that materialized to highlight subtle indentations in the tile arrangement.
Strategically placed pressure plates.
A slow smirk curled on her lips.
"โฆ Aha. Gotcha."
She moved.
Like a specter, she glided across the hall, silent as the void of space. With calculated precision, she weaved past the pressure plates and her body weight barely shifted as she crossed the treacherous floor.
Thenโshe leaped.
Twisting mid-air, she arced over the display case.
Her movements were as fluid as liquid shadow.
In a single motion, she reached outโ
โsnatched the cubeโ
โswapped it with an object of equal massโ
โand landed on the opposite side without a sound.
A perfect execution.
She stretched her arms wide, a cocky grin forming beneath her invisible mask.
"Flawless."
BRRRT! BRRRT! BRRRT!
A deafening siren erupted through the museum.
Invisible Woman's eyes darted to the cube in her handโ
And froze.
A near-invisible thread was still attached to the podium.
Her face darkened.
"โฆ Are you serious?"
It was the oldest trick in the book and she couldn't believe how effectively it worked on an expert like her. She pulled off an elite-level heist only to get clapped by string?โโwords could not describe her anger.
"The client was rightโฆ Sigh~ Volkner thinks differently."
๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ
Meanwhileโฆ
The blaring alarms shook the entire building.
From the main tour group, Marmot Man visibly flinched.
"W-, What's that soundโโ?!"
Judy spun around as her journalist instincts kicked in.
Her eyes darted toward the exhibit entrance, and thenโher entire face dropped.
"โฆ They're trying to steal the cube."
Marmot Man blinked. "Eh?"
Judy clapped her hands together and screamed:
"THE DAMN GAMING CONSOLE!"
Marmot Man's eyes widened.
"OH SHIT."
The group exploded into motion.
Shadow vanished in a spark of darkness.
His body dissolved into wisps of shadow as he teleported straight toward the exhibit.
Carrying Dog Girl, Vixen gritted her teeth as her legs burned from the effortโbut she still kept up.
At the back, Witch's smirk only deepened.
[Live Comments:]
[WHY DID SHE CALL IT A GAMING CONSOLE ๐ญ]
โ [She was speaking Marmot Man.]
โ [You're foul for this one, ong. ๐]
[NOT MARMOT MAN TAKING A FULL 3 SECONDS TO PROCESS IT.]
[Nah, Judy's stress levels gotta be through the roof. ๐]
[Shadow teleporting like a demon while Vixen speed-running life carrying a whole dog girl.]
[Chat, place betsโwho's catching the thief first?]
โ [My money's on Witch, as always!]
๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ
Exhibit Hall 3
By the time the group arrived, the display case was empty.
Judy rushed forward and her slender hands slammed onto the podium.
Her heart sank.
"Noโฆ no, no, noโฆ!"
Her voice wavered.
"Mr. Volkner trusted me with this place! How am I supposed to explain this?!"
She turned, eyes wide with horror.
"That cube is priceless!"
Unlike Judy, Witch remained eerily calm.
She stepped forward, adjusting her gloves.
"โฆ They can't have gotten far."
She turned as her dark eyes narrowed to look much more serious and ruthless.
"Vixen."
Vixen straightened.
"Wake Dog Girl up. You two use your noses to track any foreign scents."
She shifted her gaze.
"Sniperess."
Sniperess nodded.
"Deploy your drones. Scan the area. If you see anyone suspicious, shoot first. Questions can come later."
Judy clutched her head, still panicking.
Witch gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Judy."
Judy looked up, her breath shaky.
"Go to security. Lock this place down. Set the drones to full efficiency."
Witch turned away, her voice still as sharp as a razor.
"โฆ We'll handle the rest."
She exhaled slowly.
Then, she turned her gaze toward Shadow.
"Get ready."
Shadow's fingers twitched.
"We're going blind hunting."
[Live Comments:]
[WITCH STAYS WINNING.]
[Look at her taking charge like the real leader.]
โ [Rope Girl could never. ๐คทโโ๏ธ]
[How is she so terrifyingly efficient?!]
[Why did they just FORGET Marmot Man EXISTS THO?]
โ [BECAUSE HE'S USELESS, BRO. ๐]
โ [Chat, y'all be honest. Did ANYONE expect Marmot Man to help?]
โ [Marmot Man himself didn't expect to help.]
[Yo, why do I feel like this is a setup? Like, is the real enemy even the thief?]
โ [You're doing too much bro ๐โฆ]
[Witch and Shadow duo about to be unstoppable.]
โฆ
Museum Status โ Lockdown Engaged.
With the alarms still blaring, the entire museum shifted into high alert.
Security drones whirred to life.
Metal doors slammed shut.
The chase had begun.
And in the midst of it all, somewhere in the darknessโ
Invisible Woman smirked.
Because this?
This was the part she enjoyed the most.
๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ
Invisible Woman moved like a phantom through the museum, her body unseen, her footfalls silent. The alien cube in her grasp was just as invisible as she wasโan advantage that should've made her untouchable.
Should've.
Because the bloodhounds were already on her scent.
Vixen and Dog Girl sprinted across the exhibition hall as they ran on all fours with supernatural agility, their noses twitching as they tracked the foreign presence. They twisted and weaved between display cases, never slowing down, sniffing deep, eyes burning with laser focus.
Meanwhile, Witch stood eerily still as her gloved hands rested at her sides.
Arms crossed, Shadow lifted an eyebrow.
"โฆ We just gonna stand here, or are weโโ?"
Witch held up a single finger. "Shh."
Shadow blinked. "The hell are we waiting for?"
She rolled her shoulders slightly, exhaling.
"I'm going to try wild sensing them."
Shadow narrowed his eyes. "Huh?"
Witch smirked.
"Similar to that thing I did with my nails earlier."
Without another word, she extended her right hand.
๐๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฅ.
Her fingers trembled for half a second before her claws extendedโlong, razor-sharp, like a predator awakening.
"There's nothing mystical about itโฆ just anatomical control. Something I learned from Tibetan monks."
Shadow blinked again. "โฆ Are you serious?"
Witch calmly lifted her right foot, placing the top of it against the floor.
Then, closing her eyes, she focused.
๐ ๐ด๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ.
Her presence seemed to leave her body, spreading out like an unseen pulse, touching the entire hall in a split second.
And thenโ
Her eyes snapped open.
"โฆ Far down thereโฆ"
She quickly pointed.
"I think they're invisible."
[๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ:]
[WHY IS IT ALWAYS TIBETAN MONKS.]
โ [Bro, Rope Girl was under the sea for like 30 minutes and when she got asked how she did it, she just deadass said Tibetan monks.]
โ [Real ones remember when Nightwatch somehow survived a 5,000ft fall, broke every bone in his body, then walked it offโ"Tibetan monks."]
โ [At this point, they're not monks, they're X-Men.]
[NAH WITCH REALLY OUT HERE TOUCHING THE EARTH LIKE SHE A NINJA TURTLE.]
โ [She tryna feel the vibrations like Toph from Avatar.]
โ [Earthbender arc? HELL NAW ๐ญ๐]
[Bro, SHADOW'S CONFUSION IS KILLING ME.]
โ [Man said "Huh?" like his brain bluescreened.]
๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ๏ฝฅ
The moment Witch pointed, Shadow's high-tech suit flickered like it had a mind of its own.
๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฉโ!
Darkness sparked around him and his body blurred fiercely like a living shadow.
In an instant, he was gone.
๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ด๐ด๐ด๐ด๐ฉโ!
His vision flickered into thermal detection modeโ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ!
A faint outline, an invisible figure in motion.
He lunged.
Invisible Woman's instincts flared.
She dodgedโleaping over one exhibit, sliding under the next.
Thenโ๐ฅ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ!
She twisted through a weirdly shaped alien sculpture, which forced Shadow to barely twist his body mid-air to avoid crashing into it.
"Shitโ"
She kept moving.
Shadow pushed forward.
๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ.
Every movement was clean. Sharp. Calculated.
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ข ๐ธ๐ข๐ญ๐ญโ๐ง๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ!
๐๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ!โโโโ๐๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ!
Shadow gritted his teeth.
"Alright. Time to stop holding backโ"
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ง๐ง!
A small sprinkle of something hit the air.
๐๐ช๐ต๐ค๐ฉ.
She'd thrown somethingโ๐ด๐ข๐ธ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ด๐ต?
The moment a few particles bounced off Invisible Womanโ
๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จโ!
A leg came swinging at her.
๐๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด๐ฉโ!
๐๐๐โ!
Invisible Woman barely twisted away to narrowly dodge Witch's devastatingly fast kick.
Butโ
๐๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฉโ!
๐๐ญ๐ถ๐ณ!
๐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ.
Shadow moved on all foursโ๐ข ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ, too fast to trackโ
๐๐ช๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅโ
๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฃ!
Soft. Squishy.
His fingers clenched instinctively.
"โฆ The jig is up!" Shadow declared.
๐ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ.
"Ahhnnnn~ โค๏ธ You scoundrelโฆ"
Shadow froze.
Wait. He looked down.
His hands were grippingโ๐ต๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ญ๐บโ๐ข๐ด ๐ช๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ช๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ตโ
๐๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ.
"โฆ What is it with me and breasts?"
[๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ:]
["What is it with me and breasts?"โBRO, DON'T SAY IT LIKE YOU'RE A VICTIM.]
โ [Bro acting like he's cursed or some shit.]
โ [Nah but IS HER BREAST MILK INVISIBLE THO?]
โ [You're going to hell, bro.]
[Man said "the jig is up" while groping.]
โ [LMAO PHRASING, BRO.]
[๐๐๐๐๐]
---
Shadow remained frozen. Invisible Woman smirked.
"โฆ You're gonna let go, right?"
