Compared to the “outwardly strong but inwardly weak” Homelander in the original story, who was once so “scared” by Soldier Boy that he burst into tears,
the current Homelander, blessed by Slaanesh, doesn't value familial affection as much as he did in the original story.
He even kicked his “illegitimate son” out of his residence after learning that the boy had been secretly contacting his nemesis, Billy Butcher, behind his back.
Absolute loyalty is the only loyalty!!
He's better off without such a son!
Homelander's heart is no longer as fragile as it once was.
And this is precisely his true nature.
On the other hand, after learning that Soldier Boy was his “genetic father,” Homelander specifically reviewed related files.
He successfully discovered, within a document marked “Top Secret,” a record stating that Soldier Boy possessed a special superpower capable of eliminating the superpowers of all “superpowered individuals” (actually, it deactivates Compound V in the target's body)!
Of course, the superpowered individuals mentioned in this document specifically referred to those superheroes created by Vought International using Compound V.
And Homelander was naturally among them.
It was precisely because of these two complex emotions that Homelander subconsciously wanted to escape at that time.
But now, after Queen Maeve's words, his inner pursuit of traffic and popularity has once again taken the upper hand.
[Giggle… ]
At this moment, Slaanesh's seductive voice suddenly echoed in Homelander's mind.
[You don't need to be afraid of that man at all, because only when you can overcome the fear in your heart and successfully cross this mountain, will you be qualified to obtain the powerful power to slaughter gods and demons… Go, use your own power to reap the ultimate joy from death!!]
Faced with the god's renewed revelation, Homelander's gaze gradually turned from hesitation to determination, “Okay, then let that old guy strut around a little longer!!”
Then he turned to Ashley Barrett and ordered with a smile, “Contact the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle immediately, and tell him that I will accept his live interview on this matter…”
Queen Maeve: “???”
Ashley Barrett: “Huh?? Oh!”
…………
……
New York street.
Billy Butcher and Hughie Campbell rushed to the scene after seeing the Daily Bugle's exclusive report.
They were the ones who released him, so of course they had to take responsibility now that something had happened!
Moreover, after witnessing Soldier Boy's “chest beam” deprive Kimiko of her superpowers, Billy Butcher was extremely eager to find him and discuss how to deal with Homelander.
Ding ding ding—
At this moment, Billy Butcher's phone rang. He took it out and saw a series of encrypted numbers. His brow furrowed.
“Hello, it's me, who is this?!”
In response to his question, Nick Fury's unique, oppressive, and somber voice came from the other end of the phone.
“Don't ask who I am. We met at the hospital before… I'm only calling today to confirm one thing. I hope that the bastard who appeared in the news and caused a major explosion in Midtown Manhattan isn't the person I think he is?!”
Hearing the other party's highly recognizable voice, Billy Butcher's mind immediately flashed back to the one-eyed black guy he had met in Starlight's ward.
After all, if it hadn't been for the top-secret file and the four doses of Temporary Compound V that the other party provided, he wouldn't have been able to find Soldier Boy at all, let alone rescue him alive from the heavily guarded E-Ross secret laboratory.
So he said without hesitation, “If nothing else goes wrong, it should be the person you think it is!”
“Motherfucker!!”
Nick Fury couldn't help but curse into the phone, “Are you fucking guys a bunch of useless idiots? I clearly gave you detailed intelligence and four doses of Temporary Compound V, and you still managed to screw this up for me?!”
“Sir, please watch your language. We didn't want to see this happen either… Besides, there's no point in saying this now.”
Knowing that he was in the wrong, Billy Butcher suppressed the urge to curse back and tentatively asked:
“We're on our way to the scene right now. Um… if possible, could you help us find Soldier Boy's whereabouts?”
“Find your mom!”
Nick Fury, who was still furious, obviously didn't want to provide any more help to this useless Billy Butcher and immediately threatened in a commanding tone:
“I don't care what the fuck you do or what methods you use, just get that bastard under control as soon as possible, and don't let him cause any more trouble, otherwise… I'll definitely take care of you guys along with that bastard!!”
With that, he angrily hung up the phone.
“Fu*k, Fu*k, Fu*k!!!”
Billy Butcher, who was known for his sharp tongue, had never been treated so miserably before. He cursed a few words at the disconnected phone, which immediately aroused Hughie Campbell's suspicion, “Who was that calling?”
“Nobody, just a damn black guy.”
Billy Butcher said perfunctorily. Then, the two turned the street corner and successfully entered the scene with their CIA agent IDs.
After seeing the building ruins in front of them, which had been bombed beyond recognition and could no longer be called a building, even the always cold-blooded Billy Butcher was somewhat shocked.
“Did that bastard do all this?”
No wonder that black guy was cursing so harshly just now…
“Hughie?”
Just then, a slightly questioning female voice suddenly came from the side, and then a Merman woman in a dark blue women's uniform walked over.
“Annie?!”
Hughie Campbell panicked when he saw her, because she was his colleague in the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs. He just didn't expect her to arrive so quickly and coincidentally meet him here.
But the problem was, he had taken sick leave before, and now he had no legitimate reason to be here?
If he couldn't explain it well, it might arouse the suspicion of Head-Popper Victoria Neuman.
And most importantly, if Victoria Neuman knew that he was investigating the case with Billy Butcher, then the false trust he had just established with her would instantly vanish!
Maybe she would even use her superpowers to “pop” his head?
Thinking of this, Hughie Campbell pretended to be calm and gave Billy Butcher a look to 'leave first,' then stepped forward and said to Annie:
“Hey, good morning, Annie… um, I mean, is Victoria here too?”
“No, but she should be here in a few minutes.”
Annie then looked at Hughie Campbell's right arm and said with some doubt, “Didn't you say your arm was broken when you took leave before? How come now…”
She didn't continue, but the meaning was already very clear.
Hughie Campbell trembled when he heard this. His right arm had indeed been broken before, but because he had injected Temporary Compound V during the rescue of Soldier Boy, the broken arm was automatically healed under the effect of the drug.
And he had completely not expected to meet his colleague here, so he had forgotten to wear a cast to disguise himself.
Now that he was seen through by his colleague, he had to come up with a lame excuse to prevaricate:
“Yes, I went to the hospital for another checkup later and found out it was just a severe sprain… um, don't worry, I'm fine, that's it, see you later!!”
With that, he turned around and left on his own, circled around and returned to Billy Butcher's side, who was now using a special radiation detector to test the radiation level at the explosion site.
Hiss hiss—
A burst of harsh noise came from the detector, and the electronic pointer pointed directly to the dark red area symbolizing 100usv/h or more.
“It's confirmed, it's that bastard.”
“Oh, shit, Billy, we seem to have really made a big mistake this time…”
Hughie Campbell was clutching his hair in pain. His conscience had not been completely obliterated like Billy Butcher's.
If the tragedy in front of him was really caused by Soldier Boy, then they, the people who released him, would also be responsible for the 19 innocent lives that died.
This made Hughie Campbell feel very guilty and remorseful.
If they hadn't been so reckless at that time and had prepared and planned everything in advance, the tragedy would not have happened, and Kimiko would not have lost her superpowers because of it…
Billy Butcher on the side seemed to see the struggle on his face and immediately comforted him in a very bastardly way:
“Hughie, although I know you may think I'm a cold-blooded bastard, but now… we must hurry up and solve this big trouble at hand.”
“I hope you can work with me to deal with Soldier Boy. That's what we should do, and after that… I will never bother any of you again!”
“Don't… don't say that.”
Hughie Campbell quickly shook his head and said, “I volunteered to participate in this matter. To save Starlight, I am willing to pay any price!!”
“But now, I suggest we go find Marvin first. I think he must have clues that can help us find Soldier Boy faster.”
A look of approval appeared on Billy Butcher's face, “As expected of you, Hughie!”
…………
……
Daily Bugle Live Room.
“Today, a vicious terrorist attack occurred near 59th Street in Midtown Manhattan… Oh, although the authorities have not yet defined this incident as a terrorist attack, based on the information I currently have, it already is.”
John Jameson looked playfully at Homelander, who was sitting opposite him, upright, with a professional fake smile on his face, trying to maintain his image in front of the camera, and asked:
“So I would like to ask Mr. Homelander, how much of a threat do you think this incident will bring to New York and even the entire United States?”
“Do you want to hear the truth?”
Homelander put his fingers together and asked with a relaxed expression.
John Jameson's eyes moved slightly. Although he knew that the other party was playing tricks, he still nodded in cooperation, “Of course, the Daily Bugle has always pursued the truth. I believe you are also aware of this, which is why you took the initiative to call us after the incident to book our interview, right?”
Playing this game with me?
Don't you take a look at how many years I've been in the news industry?
John Jameson warned Homelander without showing any signs that this was his home field, don't be so presumptuous, otherwise be careful I won't give you a way out later.
Unlike other reporters, John Jameson, who has Karl's support behind him, is not afraid of Homelander at all, so his words and actions are naturally much tougher than other reporters.
And the latter immediately understood.
Although A-Train has never put anyone in his eyes.
But how can the Daily Bugle's traffic be so damn high, and it has a huge number of die-hard fans, so even A-Train, who is “the only one in the sky and on earth,” in front of John Jameson… ah, to be precise, in front of “traffic,” Homelander had to restrain his temper.
This is called the situation forcing people!
“Okay, in my opinion, there is no threat at all… Yes, you heard me right, whether it is for New York or the United States, this washed-up superpowered individual does not count as a threat!”
“Very good, I noticed that you just mentioned the word 'washed-up.'”
John Jameson said with interest, “So that means you already know the true identity of this superpowered individual?”
“I think the Daily Bugle's vast loyal fans must be very eager to know if he is the Soldier Boy I revealed before?”
“And why did Vought International deliberately conceal the whereabouts of this superpowered individual, who has special significance for Vought International and was even promoted by them as a 'hero among heroes,' from the outside world in the first place,
And why did the other party cause such a large-scale terrorist attack in New York after disappearing for nearly 30 years?”
This series of questions may sound very sharp at first glance, but in fact, John Jameson is deliberately giving Homelander a step to publicly explain to the public, so that he can alleviate the external public opinion pressure on Vought International to the greatest extent.
And this is John Jameson's special “reward” for Homelander's “sensible” response just now.
