Kapitel 37: [36] : Super Terrorist
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....
Inside Vought Tower, Roger sat in his main seat, with The Deep nervously fidgeting with his hands, occasionally glancing at Roger.
"Homelander... I... I really... I already apologized to Starlight. Why is she still doing this... Why? Oh, God!"
The Deep held his head in his hands.
Ever since Roger had made him apologize to Starlight, he had been avoiding her, terrified of doing something that might upset her and cause her to complain to Roger again.
Over time, The Deep had convinced himself that Starlight had forgiven him and had stopped worrying about it. But now, with Starlight suddenly revealing the truth, he was caught completely off guard.
The Deep was plunged into deep panic, worried about his reputation and fearing he might be kicked out of The Seven.
Watching The Deep, who was filled with regret and fear, Roger exhaled slowly and said:
"Find an opportunity to apologize to Starlight publicly."
"What?"
The Deep looked up, eyes wide with disbelief:
"No... I can't do that. She hasn't even mentioned my name yet, so... I still have a chance. I... I can go to Madelyn... go to the PR department! Aren't they experts at handling this kind of trouble?"
"Things are different now, Deep. Most of the company's heroes are caught in a media storm, and do you know who the most innocent among us is? That's right, it's Starlight."
Roger picked up a remote and controlled a screen in the conference room, displaying various photos and information about Starlight, continuing:
"Unlike us, this kid genuinely wants to be a hero. She doesn't harm others easily, she doesn't fake a smile for her fans, and she has the purest dreams. She's one of the few ways the company can navigate this PR disaster...
"But now, this 'pure hero' has been tainted by someone."
Roger paused, looking at The Deep.
The Deep shook his head frantically, "No... I... I didn't mean to... She... she said she was a fan, so I..."
"That doesn't excuse what you did to her."
Roger placed a hand on The Deep's shoulder:
"I know you feel insecure, thinking your powers are weak, feeling disgusted by your own body. I've been trying to help you change that mindset... but none of that justifies bullying others.
"What's done is done, and no amount of apologies can change that. The only thing you can do now to salvage your image is to admit what you did in public and apologize to Starlight."
"But... The Seven..."
The Deep didn't want to leave The Seven.
In a world where superheroes are so popular, The Seven is the top-tier group. They get countless endorsement deals each year, making more money than an average person could ever dream of.
But if The Deep's actions were exposed and he was kicked out of The Seven, he would have to pay back those endorsement fees and would have no future to speak of.
Seeing The Deep's stubbornness, Roger shook his head in disappointment, and The Deep, unwilling to give up, continued:
"I can still go to Madelyn. She... she'll know what to do..."
"That might disappoint you."
Roger pointed to the conference room door, where Madelyn was walking in, holding some documents. She looked at The Deep and said:
"I agree with Homelander's suggestion, Deep. You should get ready. Ashley has already prepared an apology script for you. All you need to do is deliver it."
"Madelyn..."
The Deep started to say something, but Madelyn cut him off coldly:
"Your actions have caused the company's stock to drop to its lowest point in history. The fact that I haven't completely fired you from Vought is already a mercy, so don't try to bargain with me. Go do what you're supposed to do."
"..."
The Deep left, looking defeated. Madelyn watched him go, shaking her head, but quickly turned her attention to the documents she had brought, sliding them across the table to Roger:
"We're in a very precarious position right now. Someone is spreading rumors about us behind the scenes, and we can't seem to catch them. What's worse, Translucent is dead, and we still can't explain how it happened."
Roger didn't look at the documents Madelyn had handed him. Instead, he asked:
"So what do you want me to do? Go on stage again and perform some 'holy son descending' act? No one's going to buy that anymore, especially not the Department of Defense."
"No need. The intelligence department just received new information, there are superpowered terrorists abroad."
"?"
Roger's pupils contracted as he sat up straighter, asking Madelyn:
"Superpowered terrorists?"
"That's right. While not many people know yet, it's certain that such terrorists exist. This is our opportunity."
Roger was well aware of the existence of superpowered terrorists, they were created by Homelander himself.
He had planned to deal with these terrorists in the coming days but hadn't expected Vought to discover them first.
Or rather...
Perhaps Vought had known all along but had held off on revealing them because it didn't fit their strategy at the time.
Now, under pressure from the media, Vought had no choice but to use this information.
The best way to divert media attention is to introduce a story even more sensational than the current rumors.
"So, where is this terrorist now?"
Roger asked calmly.
Madelyn played a video in the conference room, saying:
"The last hijacking incident had a mastermind behind it. A SEAL team was sent to capture the mastermind, but..."
As Madelyn spoke, the scene unfolded on the screen before Roger's eyes.
The footage showed a team of Navy SEALs closing in on a house. They entered and found the mastermind, but suddenly, the mastermind emitted a blinding light, and then the entire house was blown to pieces!
All the SEALs were killed, while the terrorist walked out of the flames unscathed.
That was the entire video.
Watching the footage, Roger couldn't help rubbing his face.
There was no doubt that the terrorist in the video was one of Homelander's creations, a mess left by his predecessor that allowed Vought to claw back the advantage Roger had painstakingly gained.
"So you want us to deal with this terrorist? Without a Defense Department order, even we, as superheroes, can't carry out cross-border operations, right?"
Roger asked Madelyn.
Madelyn smiled and replied:
"Normally, that would be true, but what if this superhuman causes an even more severe crisis?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"It's not what I'm planning; it's what this terrorist is certain to do, something even more... evil in the eyes of normal people."
Because he is a terrorist, even without Madelyn's intervention, these people will inevitably launch their so-called 'holy war' for various reasons.
When that happens, faced with a superhuman threat beyond their capability, the Department of Defense will have no choice but to turn to superheroes.
Roger was sure that the Department of Defense would do just that.
...
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