บท 47: Chapter 47
[Homelander's POV]
Soon, I returned to the Vought Tower and headed to my acquaintance who would be helping me with this challenging task.
Without help, I wouldn't have achieved my goals sooner.
She had a video of me playing on her computer screen, and it was clear that the video had gone viral in less than an hour.
It was helpful to catch my future helper in the act because she certainly couldn't avoid me now.
"Hello, Anika."
I said with a friendly smile to her sitting at the computer.
"How are you doing?"
"G-good."
She replied with a forced smile, adjusting her glasses on her nose.
She looked at the scene behind me, where all the other employees on the floor were intently watching our conversation.
A lot of boring things happen in the office even in a superhero tower.
It would be unfair to blame them for their excessive interest, but it was sneaky not to warn her about an unexpected visitor.
"Sorry to interrupt your work, but could you help me with something?"
"Of course, no problem!"
Anika responded with exaggerated cheerfulness, quickly hiding the compromising video.
"I need a detailed list of all terrorist groups that have had supervillains appear recently."
"A... Why?"
She looked at me with confusion.
"I need to confirm something. It's very important."
After looking at me very closely, Anika had no more doubts. She got to work immediately and didn't ask any more questions.
She completed it quickly and kindly printed out the list for me.
"Thank you. How can I repay you?"
"Could I get an autograph? Last time, I didn't have anything for you to sign."
She said, pulling out a photo of me along with a pen.
"You know, we could take a photo together as a memento. Who knows, this might be the last time I visit this floor?"
I suggested signing the photo.
It's quite possible that after my words, they might try to get rid of me as quickly as possible to avoid any further mess.
But before that, I needed to finish what I started.
"Is it all so serious?"
"Trust me, Anika. I won't disappear."
I smirked, handing her the signed photo.
"Finally, I'll get some rest after twenty years in the career."
"I don't think you'll be fired. You're a symbol of America."
I smiled condescendingly at her when she said that with confidence.
Usually, people don't forgive mass murder, even for the sake of the country. I'm almost certain that I might be unjustly condemned for what I've done.
"There was such a symbol before me, if you haven't forgotten Soldier Boy."
I replied.
"Well, I need to go now."
After quickly taking a photo with Anika, I moved on while holding extremely useful information in my hands.
We know where not to search now, and this significantly narrowed down the search area.
The remaining task is to visit those who have not yet discovered superpowers.
Fortunately, there are not as many of them as one might think, and any supervillains we encounter along the way can be dealt with on the spot, which will be safer for everyone.
They have already fulfilled their purpose.
There's just one thing left to do...
"Aren't we being called together too often lately?"
Maeve asked with a frown, trying to drill a hole in my impenetrable head.
"Maeve."
Starlight looked at her worriedly, trying not to meet my eyes.
This was likely because they were embarrassed. That's great because she'll be more flexible this time.
"Let's just calm down. Homelander has something very important to share,"
A-Train supported me, nervously tapping his fingers on the table.
"How do you know that?"
Stormfront asked, intrigued by his knowledge.
The rest of the team echoed her curiosity, looking at him with questions.
"It's not A-Train who gathered you, but the person standing before you. So I ask you to pay close attention to me."
I said, looking around at everyone after they turned to face me.
"Deep, be a dear and distribute these folders."
Deep got up, walked to the middle of the table, and took the folders I had pointed to without hesitation.
He then handed out one copy to each person.
After finishing, he sat back down and finally started reviewing the contents of his folder.
I love his efficiency.
"Now that everyone has received the materials for the upcoming case, we can begin our meeting."
I moved straight to business.
"The Compound V was stolen just the day before yesterday. It was done by an unknown super who had the ability to pass through walls.
This kind of news upset not only the core team members but also Stormfront who clearly weren't informed about it by Stan.
"How much was stolen?"
Starlight asked with concern, processing the news among the first.
"Enough to create at least twenty supers and at most sixty."
The potential number of hostile supers created alarm in everyone, even Noir clenched his fist.
Deep's rapid heartbeat also indicated his concern.
"Who stole it?"
Unlike her usual demeanor, Stormfront was unusually serious this time.
The steel in her voice clearly hinted that her intentions were just as serious.
"That's what we need to find out."
I responded.
"Before you are lists of groups that haven't shown any supers but are suspected of having the compound V. We'll need to politely visit them."
"But the filming is about to start, and we need to be present. Or did Vought decide to suspend filming for this?"
Maeve asked skeptically.
"I wasn't informed about that."
"A-Train and Black Noir, along with me, will handle this. The rest of you will need to focus most of your time on the film shoot, so you're out."
"Does Vought know what's going on?"
Stormfront asked a perfectly reasonable question.
"Hmm, I think I told him to take a walk with all the complaints that might occur."
I shrugged, speaking the plain truth.
"This matter doesn't allow for delays, no matter what you think. The peace of the entire country is at stake, threatened by some assholes who want to plunge it into chaos."
"Then I'm in."
Stormfront smiled and raised her hand.
I could only nod because it would be silly to turn down help.
"So you're going to clean up Vought's mess? They made this mess, and they should sort it out themselves!"
Maeve protested my actions, and her recent irritability was evident.
"They won't be dealing with it, Maeve. Because it benefits them."
I sighed with fake regret, but the insincerity was clear.
"We're on our own, and one more thing, Deep."
"Yes, sir?"
He raised his head.
"You'll continue monitoring the city's shoreline to ensure no one slips and keep a closer eye on unregistered ships because one of them brought Kenji here. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!"
I nodded approvingly at his enthusiastic eyes.
He'll at least feel like no one is ignoring him, and now, it's time for me to take charge.
Unfortunately, Deep is the least effective fighter against supers due to his obvious vulnerability, the gills.
....
[3rd POV]
The scorching sun irritated him, not because of how his body reacted but because it barely reacted.
It was one of the hottest days of the year today, and even people who lived there and were used to the heat were hiding from the sun.
The super's body offered possibilities he hadn't even considered before.
In the video, they looked just like ordinary people with the same flaws.
He now understood the difference between a regular human and a super much more clearly.
The smell was different, the tastes were sensitive, and his vision was so perfect that he could see a bug in all its details from four meters away.
Karim couldn't understand how to feel about this.
It was driving him crazy!
Thankfully, he wasn't alone in this; otherwise, he might have gone mad from the feeling of absolute power.
This had happened before to some fool unrelated to them.
He destroyed everyone who had given him those powers with his abilities.
As soon as he thought he had captured a village, Homelander arrived. Despite his immense power, Homelander simply snapped his neck.
However, the Karim brothers weren't as stupid as those who gave such power to an untested individual.
They weren't in a hurry to use Compound V as soon as they got their hands on one glass vial.
First, they waited for news of success from other buyers, and only after that did they use it as planned.
The videos showed where to inject the liquid to gain power, and the dirty, narrow-eyed girl showed what she had become capable of.
The libation was only enough for four attempts, and there could be no mistakes.
Four of the most loyal volunteers were selected, each ready to die if nothing worked.
Karim had witnessed with his own eyes how one of the volunteers' bodies dissolved, turning into a pulp, and his blood acquired acidic properties that even passed through stone floors.
Karim's situation was much easier because the liquid only kept him hot briefly.
On the other hand, Wazih had an extremely difficult day. He was having trouble breathing and almost passed out.
But thanks to Allah, it all ended quickly.
Now, Wazih could shatter walls and explode heads with his scream.
He controlled his powers much better than Karim who could barely practice due to the overwhelming strength he had been given.
Karim looked at his hands, which glowed faintly, channeling true power through them.
Wazih said that with this power, they could avenge the invaders for their deeds and bring suffering to their lands.
A strange counter beeped when they used their powers, and Karim was advised not to use them around people.
Soon, he got his own house, and everyone kept their distance to avoid getting hurt.
Sighing, Karim lay down on the roof and finally fell asleep. He was on duty in the evening and needed to gather his strength.
Suddenly, a loud explosion woke him up quickly, and he started to look around frantically.
A hole had appeared in the wall of the neighboring house, and people were screaming, followed by gunshots.
Karim realized that the enemy had attacked them, and he couldn't stand by.
He leaped off the roof and raced at full speed toward the building, jumping straight into the hole without hesitation.
He suddenly stopped when he saw a red beam cut one of his comrades in half.
The dead body's guts fell to the floor and spread out, pulsing and spreading.
In the next moment, the enemy's bright red eyes locked onto him, and Karim was so overwhelmed with fear that he couldn't move.
"AAAAAAH!!!"
The deafening scream sent the blond superhero crashing into the wall, forcing him to cover his ears.
Karim managed to breathe when he saw Wazih with a bloodied head, still intensifying his scream, pressing Homelander into the wall.
But Homelander stopped covering his ears and glared furiously at Wazih.
Karim didn't even see how Homelander had moved toward him, and he was moving that fast.
A gloved hand grabbed Wazih by the throat and tore away the source of his destructive power.
Homelander's face was covered in blood, but it didn't seem to bother him much.
Wazih fell to the ground hard and had to clutch his breath as he tried to breathe.
Karim could see clearly that he wouldn't survive.
They would all die if he didn't do something.
This was his only chance to take down the strongest super among the invaders, and he would seize it.
Karim's hands lit up, and the light quickly spread to the rest of his body.
The fabric inside the house caught fire, and even Homelander's clothing wasn't spared.
Wazih's throat fell from Homelander's grasp, and he looked at Karim in surprise.
That didn't bother Homelander, but his eyes were glowing red again, and powerful beams quickly hit him, but they couldn't hurt him.
However, it was too late by that time.
"Die!!!"
He shouted, one of the few words he knew in their language.
A blinding light filled the room so quickly that even Homelander had no time to react.
The shockwave spread across the ground, rapidly expanding and swallowing the nearest village instantly.
It passed through walls, destroying them effortlessly.
It happened so quickly that people didn't even have time to think about what had happened before they turned to dust.
The heated air from the explosion swirled into a ring-shaped vortex, pulling up a column of dust and smoke from the surface, forming a classic mushroom cloud.
Still, Homelander could see everything around him clearly even though he was right in the middle of the explosion.
The noise made him grimace, and his clothes turned to dust.
He approached and held Karim's head who had chosen to blow up by the hair in his outstretched, bloody hand.
He used primitive methods to avoid radiation affecting his skin.
For the first time, Homelander sliced through the neck with his hand, but it was surprisingly easy for him.
He let go of the head that fell neatly beside the rest of the body lying on the ground.
"I need to change clothes."
Homelander mumbled before flying off.
...
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