After turning the corner and walking a few


    hundred meters, Adrian saw what the crowd


    had been fleeing from.


    The head of the Statue of Liberty was


    wedged into a Starbucks café. Its


    cross-section faced Adrian and Quicksilver,revealing scattered wires and tangled metal components, broken and incomplete.


    The statue''s once-bright eyes had lost their


    shine; one was even torn apart, as if


    expressing silent pain. The mouth was


    damaged and distorted into a twisted smile,


    hinting at the devastation it had endured.


    Signs of heavy friction and impact were


    evident, with burn marks on the bronze


    surface giving it a dull, damaged appearance


    compared to its usual gleam.


    The building''s second floor had crumbled


    under the weight, and the large glass


    window shattered into countless sharp fragments, which glittered in the cold sunlight like diamonds.Inside the café, chaos reigned. Tables and chairs were overturned, pieces of porcelain were scattered around, and the coffee


    machine continued to hiss. Still, the rich


    scent of coffee mingled with dust and


    debris, creating an odd, chaotic odor.


    "What happened here?"


    Adrian looked around, kicking half of a


    broken sign to the ground. The mermaid logo was missing, with only part of the crown left.


    "It must have been Jack of Hearts. Fury told me he died fighting whatever creature fell here."


    Quicksilver, slung over Adrian''s shoulder,wore a heavy expression. He didn''t know Jack of Hearts well, but seeing thisStolen novel; please report.


    aftermath left him with a deep sadness.


    "Well, I suppose he made a sacrifice. But not


    entirely."


    Adrian''s gaze settled on a familiar figure


    amidst the debris.It was Jack of Hearts-a once-indispensable


    Avenger. Now, he lay half-buried in the


    rubble, his body blown apart by an explosion, with only his upper half remaining.


    As Adrian approached, he sensed a chilling


    aura in the air. Jack of Hearts had been


    infected, his eyes now devoid of intelligence


    and filled with madness.


    "Hun...gry... Must... eat...."


    Adrian took a step back, increasing the


    distance between himself and the undead


    Jack of Hearts.


    According to Quicksilver, Jack had likely


    been infected during the fight and tried to self-destruct. But he''d somehow survived,albeit with only half his body intact.


    "I''m so hungry! You... let me... eat!"Jack''s upper body struggled to break free


    from the debris, his broken mechanical parts


    screeching as he moved. With a low, feral


    growl, he bared his sharp teeth and lurched


    toward Adrian.


    But with only his upper half, Jack''s


    movements were clumsy and erratic. He suddenly lost balance and crashed to the ground.


    Undeterred, he crawled forward, dragging himself with one arm while the mechanical parts in his body rattled. His broken arm


    reached out for Adrian, desperate.


    Adrian calmly raised his weapon, aimed at the infected Jack of Hearts, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.


    The sharp crack of the gunshot shattered


    the silence. The bullet pierced the air, hitting


    Jack of Hearts'' head with pinpoint accuracy.Time seemed to freeze, and then, with an explosion of force, Jack''s head burst apart.Flesh, blood, and bone fragments flew


    everywhere, filling the air with a rancid


    stench. His shattered skull exposed what


    little remained of his brain.


    Jack of Hearts'' body couldn''t contain his


    power without the equipment to suppress it.The bullet had acted as a catalyst, triggering his energy to release uncontrollably.


    In his last moments, his eyes were filled with


    agony and despair before his body finally


    collapsed, motionless.


    Fragments of brain matter and blood spread across the ground, painting a ghastly scene.Jack''s twisted, broken corpse lay as a


    grotesque nightmare made real.


    His body continued to convulse, small


    explosions igniting between his head and


    torso. Although these blasts weren''t


    powerful, they scattered bits of the corpse


    furtherSuddenly, faint popping sounds came from


    Jack''s chest, where broken ribs and


    decaying tissue glowed like sparks in the


    darkness.


    Adrian took a few steps back. These small


    explosions were likely caused by the energy


    still within Jack''s body-a remnant of the


    powers he wielded as a hero, now lingering


    in his remains.


    Each explosion sent weak energy rippling outward, making his corpse convulse even more violently.


    Jack''s limbs twisted and jerked under the


    impact, as if he were still fighting for


    survival even in death.


    "Is this what happens after infection turns


    someone into a zombie?"


    Perched on Adrian''s shoulder, Pietro


    watched in horror as Jack''s body twitched


    and exploded in small bursts. Shock and fear


    filled his eyes as he took in the surreal


    scene.He could feel the faint energy radiating from Jack''s remains, a sensation that sent a chill through his entire body.


    What disturbed him most were those small,deadly explosions-the superhero''s powers still active even in death.


    Fear crossed Quicksilver''s face, and he shuddered. His eyes widened, staring at Jack''s twitching limbs in disbelief.


    In that moment, he realized that he himself was at risk of becoming a monster like this.The world was plunging into chaos, and not even heroes were immune.


    This world was on a path to destruction, just


    as Adrian had warned.


    "I remember you saying earlier you''d rather


    take me out than let me turn into a zombie."


    "Yes," Adrian replied.


    Quicksilver nodded grimly. "I believe you


    now.''