Upon hearing the personnel change—
A-train gasped, Deep Sea was stunned, and Maeve raised her eyebrows slightly. Starlight, meanwhile, looked into the conference room, shocked.
Homelander stood in the shadows, his expression terrifyingly dark. His fists were clenched tightly, as if on the verge of exploding, barely suppressing his rage.
Everyone quickly averted their eyes, not daring to look for fear of setting him off—lest they become the unfortunate outlet of Homelander's volcanic temper.
Then, their gazes shifted to another figure—the youth who looked far too young.
Could it be that, in the meeting room just now, Homelander challenged Edgar's decision regarding Infinity, and because of that, he was stripped of his position as leader?
Maeve and the others were overwhelmed with countless shocked speculations.
[Conquest Points +13]
[Conquest Points +78]
…
"We're teammates from now on."
Russell walked out of the meeting room, arms crossed, greeted everyone casually, and left.
Starlight, Deep Sea, and the others quickly nodded and returned the greeting, afraid of being even a second too late.
Once the two figures who had made him feel immense pressure were gone, Homelander slowly unclenched his fists. His mind replayed the scene from the meeting—
Edgar's voice had been cold as ice:
"You think you're special? You're just a lab-bred infant. Compound V made you. The formula is more important than you. The company is more important than you. And you—" Edgar's voice was detached, stating it as fact: "Are not irreplaceable."
Edgar ordered him to "be an adult and clean up your own mess"—to personally deal with the fallout from Compound V leaks, including wiping out evidence, and possibly eliminating "partners" who knew too much.
As for the superhumans already created—they were to be hunted down and recaptured.
But the final blow—
The company had temporarily stripped him of his title as team leader. And in public, he still had to pretend everything was normal.
Homelander's teeth ground together audibly, but in the end, he said nothing.
He still feared Vought's unfathomable power.
—
Noon, outside Vought Tower, just before a press conference.
Only days after Starlight had joined the Seven, the announcement of yet another new member made the press swarm like sharks sensing blood. Everyone wanted a first-hand shot of the mysterious "Infinity."
"Another new member? Is the Seven becoming the Eight?"
"I heard the Translucent might've been killed, though it hasn't been made public yet. Infinity is probably replacing Translucent."
"But Vought's promotion for this guy feels way too high-profile for just a replacement…"
Firecracker squeezed to the front of the media line, listening to the reporters chat as she stared at her phone screen—a promotional poster from Vought announcing the new member.
She didn't recognize the sleek, imposing uniform. But that face—she knew it all too well.
Firecracker Girl bit her lip lightly, her brows furrowed in disbelief.
"Infinity is coming out!"
Suddenly, the reporters at the front surged forward, frantically snapping photos. The crowd erupted like a stirred lake, camera flashes blinding.
Though shoved toward the back, Firecracker still managed to see the young man emerging from Vought Tower.
He wore a brand-new uniform, radiant under the spotlights, casually waving and smiling at the cameras.
"Everyone, please welcome the newest member of the Seven!" Vought Vice President Madelyn—who usually only appeared at major events—raised the mic and announced, "Infinity!"
That young, strikingly handsome face triggered Firecracker Girl's memories.
It was… really him.
Seeing Infinity in person, realizing he was the same guy she'd once dated—she widened her eyes in disbelief, wondering if this was just some revenge-fueled hallucination from her dreams.
"Wait—that's Madelyn from Vought?
I've shot her at a few charity galas before. She's always been a commanding, elegant woman. Why does she look like some event MC now—smiling like she's trying to please Infinity?"
"No way, right? Since when does a VP butter up an employee?"
"Actually, Starlight joined the Seven through a public contest, but this Infinity guy—he parachuted in from nowhere. I can't find anything about him online."
"…Damn. When you put it like that…"
Several reporters speculated while taking pictures, trying to uncover Infinity's mysterious background.
Meanwhile, Firecracker Girl's eyes gleamed with hope.
If it's really him…
Infinity only waved briefly before turning to leave—as if he just came out to make a quick appearance. The media was baffled.
Normally, Vought's superheroes would tear up with emotion, shower Vought with praise, and milk their debut for as much exposure as possible.
But this guy? He acted like he didn't care about fame at all.
"Excuse me—coming through, sorry…"
Seeing Russell about to leave, Firecracker Girl squeezed through the crowd and rushed toward him as he returned to the building.
"Infinity! Infinity!"
Dodging the media, she tried to run up, but was immediately stopped by security at the building entrance.
"Ma'am, stop right there."
"Let me through. I know Infinity."
"Then what's Infinity's real name?" Three or four guards stood shoulder-to-shoulder like a human wall, completely unfazed—like security at a concert keeping back crazed fans.
"He… he's…" Firecracker Girl panicked as she watched Russell approach the doors.
Her mind blanked. Come to think of it… she really didn't know the name of the man she'd spent the night with.
"Can't say?
Ma'am, please step back and cooperate."
The security team wasn't surprised. They'd seen it all—people pretending to be friends, secret girlfriends, even claiming to be a superhero's hidden spouse.
"Infinity! Infinity!" she shouted louder, desperate.
"Firecracker Girl?" a voice called out.
Russell, who had been about to enter the tower, paused and raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw her being blocked.
"Let her through."
They actually knew each other?
The guards exchanged looks and stepped aside.
"Told you—I do know Infinity," Firecracker Girl huffed smugly as she strode past.
—
"I almost didn't recognize you.
It's only been a few days, and you've lost so much weight?"
Inside Vought Tower's top-floor penthouse, Russell handed her a glass of water as she sat down, still wide-eyed at the luxurious décor.
He wasn't just surprised to see her again—but also stunned by how much she had changed.
She'd redyed her hair from its former bullet-shell copper to a brighter orange, which, against her porcelain-white skin, made her look several years younger.
She'd also slimmed down drastically. Out of her usual red-and-blue superhero costume and wearing a beige trench coat instead, she looked slender and elegant—like a completely different person.
If he hadn't been keeping track of time, Russell would've thought several months had passed in the world of The Boys.
.....
If you want to read 30 advanced chapters before they get Thanos-snapped, check out my [email protected]/INTRAX (Replace @ with 'a')