Chapter 50: The Enraged Homelander
In the office, Madelyn Stillwell, the Vice President of Vought International, nodded with satisfaction after reading the PR document Ashley Barrett handed her. "Was this your idea? The content doesn't quite seem like your usual methods, but I have to say, this plan is excellent and can be implemented as soon as possible."
"It was Mr. Jervis Xia Shang's idea, the former security guard. He's a genius in public relations," Ashley praised without reservation.
"If his plan succeeds, I think I'll give him more responsibility. After all, Vought never mistreats employees who contribute to the company."
Leaving the Vice President's Office, Ashley began preparing for the plan.
She first found Starlight and said to her, "I have good news for you. I've obtained the recording of the entire incident. It can help you get out of your current predicament. However, before that, you need to do exactly as I say. Listen carefully, beautiful lady, this might be your only chance to stay. Don't mess things up again, okay?"
"Okay, I promise I'll do everything you say." Starlight forcibly suppressed the joy in her heart, cautiously letting out a sigh of relief. Thank God, the worst-case scenario didn't happen.
Meanwhile, Homelander had flown above Jersey City. He hovered in mid-air, looking down at the entire city, his Stars and Stripes cape fluttering behind him.
Soon, he locked onto the area where Translucent had disappeared.
At this moment, Billy and the other two were in a van. As they drove, they happened to see Homelander diving down from high altitude.
"Shit, he actually found us." Frenchie felt his heart pounding two hundred times a minute. Fortunately, Billy next to him reminded him in time, "Calm down, guys. We've already dealt with what needed to be dealt with. Don't be nervous. If Homelander senses something is wrong, we're finished. You absolutely cannot be nervous right now."
The three of them took a deep breath in unison.
They didn't know that this action was what saved their lives.
Homelander only glanced at them a few times, then flew towards the abandoned restaurant.
After all, there weren't many things that could disable his X-ray Vision, and inside the restaurant not far away, there was something that could do just that.
Therefore, it was the most suspicious location.
"Whoa, he didn't recognize me," Hughie said in disbelief.
"He's a superhero. Why would he pay attention to small fries like us?" Billy picked up the hat covering his face, stuck his head out the window, and looked in the direction Homelander was flying.
Billy silently counted down in his mind, holding a remote control in his hand.
*Clang!* The Iron Door of the Kitchen Cold Storage was directly ripped open by Homelander. He then tossed it aside like trash. Looking inside, he saw a corpse wrapped in zinc sheet. Two beams of red laser shot out from his eyes, causing the temperature in the cold storage to rise rapidly. The areas where the laser contacted the zinc sheet instantly turned bright white.
When the zinc sheet was completely cut open,
Translucent's corpse was exposed.
Homelander's face turned ashen. He slowly approached the corpse. Suddenly, he raised his right arm, blocking it in front of him.
After a muffled explosion! The bomb buried deep inside Translucent's corpse's backside exploded violently! It blew the corpse to pieces. Almost instantly, minced meat mixed with blood splattered onto every corner of the Room, including Homelander.
When Homelander lowered his arm, his previously clean and tidy suit was covered in bloodstains.
However, Billy had prepared much more than just that. As two incendiary bombs exploded, gasoline, accompanied by raging flames, instantly filled the entire space.
"Fuck you!"
A roar echoed.
Immediately after, a figure smashed through layers of concrete, finally bursting through the roof and stopping in mid-air. At this moment, Homelander couldn't suppress the rage in his heart. The two beams of laser shooting from his eyes instantly sliced the entire abandoned restaurant into fragments.
At this moment, a van was driving on the road towards New York. Hughie in the van heard the explosion behind them and said excitedly, "Maybe that'll blow Homelander to death."
"If Homelander could be easily blown to death, I wouldn't bother looking for dirt on superheroes through various means. I'd just blow them up directly," Billy sneered. Then he showed a gloating smile and continued, "However, I believe Homelander will definitely like the gift I prepared for him."
...
The next day, with the Public Relations Department's efforts, the online public opinion was developing in the direction Xia Shang had anticipated.
Until Ashley released the complete video.
At the same time, the girl involved in the incident also personally came forward to thank Starlight, and the Hooligans admitted the truth that they had fabricated the facts. When this series of combination punches landed, the online public opinion underwent a drastic change. At this moment, countless "kind" netizens emerged to support Starlight.
In an instant, Starlight gained a large number of female and male fans.
Her follower count on her Little Blue Bird account surged to over 23 million and was still growing.
Just then, Starlight was called into Madelyn's Office.
"Please have a seat," Madelyn said with a smile.
"The problem is solved, right?" Starlight asked cautiously.
"Of course, it was solved perfectly."
Even Madelyn hadn't expected the effect to be so good. Because Starlight had suffered unprecedented cyberbullying, now women, children, and the elderly alike felt great sympathy for her. Starlight's popularity was now among the top in The Seven.
Ashley, holding a cup of coffee nearby, added, "Currently, your approval rating is rising sharply in every state, not only because you punished the wicked and protected a woman's life.
It's also because your American spirit of persisting in public activity even when on the verge of collapse has moved the vast majority of people. This has gained you a large number of male supporters, as well as female supporters."
Afterward, Ashley showed Starlight her new suit.
Looking at the suit, which looked almost like lingerie, Starlight said she couldn't accept it.
"Bold, brave, strong. This suit perfectly embodies your feminism. Most importantly, it tells the story of your transformation," Ashley persuaded.
But Starlight still refused to compromise.
"I think I have the right to refuse."
"You of course have the right to refuse. It's just that The Seven doesn't need anyone who refuses us," Madelyn said to Starlight with a smile.
This blatant threat made Starlight hesitate. She stared at the suit, her heart struggling and wavering.
On the other side.
Xia Shang learned that Vought International sold Compound V externally for two million US dollars, and only to the US Government. If he wanted to get Compound V, he would have to resort to some special means.
Xia Shang's gaze shifted to the television, which was showing a trailer for a race competition. The competition was about whether A-Train could retain the title of "The Fastest Man Alive" under Shockwave's challenge.
(end of chapter)