Unexpected Development

A few hours later, Li Wei regretfully hung up the phone. Blue Hawk was filming a TV series today and had no time to come.

And he actually didn't dare sing that Sunshine Rainbow Little White Horse song while beating people up. That seriously went against the impression Li Wei had always had of him.

Fortunately, there was an unexpected surprise: Starlight sincerely thanked him and invited him to dinner.

Though she had been vague over the phone, Li Wei naturally understood. Because of his warning, she had most likely avoided the fate of being made to give The Deep a nucleic acid test. At least she wasn't completely hopeless.

Li Wei reluctantly agreed. After all, if he really wanted to beat up Old Black, any day would do.

Evening came quickly. Li Wei changed into casual clothes and arrived near Vought International early to wait for her, planning to see if he could run into any of the other members of The Seven.

Then, without meaning to, he spotted a white man with a thoroughly loser-looking face sitting on a park bench and chewing on a hamburger. Who else could it be but Hughie, the male lead Li Wei had noticed before?

According to the original plot, after Starlight finished her nucleic acid test, she was supposed to call her mother and cry about it. Hughie happened to overhear her, and the two would chat and encourage each other for a while.

Starlight would then resolve to keep fighting The Deep, while Hughie would insist that A-Train apologize for killing his girlfriend.

But without that coincidence, Starlight definitely wouldn't tell Hughie any of that. Without that encouragement, Hughie was still the same coward he had always been.

Li Wei had no intention of persuading him, either. What Hughie himself thought was not particularly important. Behind him stood Butcher—Billy Butcher—who was desperately seeking revenge.

Butcher's wife had willingly thrown herself at Homelander, slept with him, and then disappeared afterward. From then on, Butcher embarked on a path of revenge, believing that every Superhero deserved to die.

Ever since his wife disappeared on January 24, 2012, Butcher had investigated for a full eight years. He had finally found A-Train's weakness and seen hope for bringing down the Supes.

To kill Homelander, Butcher would likely be willing to do anything, even if it meant destroying the entire world.

Even if Hughie chose to give up, Butcher would absolutely spin all kinds of lies and talking points to trick Hughie into taking the bait!

Well, looking at it that way, Butcher seemed very devoted. But in fact, as far as Li Wei knew, before his wife willingly offered herself to Homelander, Butcher had already cheated on her first—and he had gotten involved with quite a few women before and after that.

That was pretty absurd. The Boys' world differed greatly from other Superhero worlds: none of the protagonists here were truly good people. Guys like Butcher and Frenchie might even be worse than most villains!

When a crow landed on a pig, neither had any right to call the other black.

Still, Li Wei needed to be more cautious. He hoped Hughie and Butcher's group would work hard and cause Homelander more trouble.

Otherwise, if Homelander had nothing to do, he himself would become the biggest problem.

And this seemed like an opportunity to get closer to Hughie. It wasn't as if Li Wei had anything better to do.

Besides, if nothing unexpected happened, Hughie would eventually sign a settlement agreement with A-Train.

Then, the next time they met, Li Wei could mercilessly condemn Hughie's actions as a hero who truly upheld justice.

Wouldn't that establish the image for his disguised identity?

Finding an opportunity, Li Wei slipped into a dark corner without surveillance cameras, put on a black mask, and changed into an unusual outfit with a hood and cape. He held a long metal staff in his left hand, while his right rested on a row of small pouches at his waist.

That was right—his appearance screamed Superhero. Even though he had never registered with Vought International and had no reputation whatsoever, he still drew plenty of gasps and photos from passersby as he walked down the street.

They didn't actually know who Li Wei was or what he was called, but who cared? Taking pictures was what mattered.

Li Wei did not waste much time. He walked straight toward Hughie.

"I can sense the sadness in your heart. Did something painful happen to you?"

Hughie, who still had a mouthful of hamburger, was instantly dumbfounded. He had never expected a Superhero to strike up a conversation with him!

He hurriedly swallowed his food. "Hello, I don't know who you are..."

Li Wei shook a finger. "There is no need to ask my name. Today, I can simply be a listener."

Hughie froze. For some reason, he clearly knew that this person should be the same kind of person as A-Train, yet he still told him the entire story from beginning to end, voicing his resentment and making several disparaging remarks about A-Train.

By the time he realized what he had done, it was already too late. He was immediately filled with regret, afraid that the other man would use it as an excuse to deal with him.

But Li Wei naturally had no such intention. He merely pondered for a moment. "In that case, follow the guidance of your heart."

"If you give up just like this, will you truly be content? Will you really have no regrets? Will you really not live with guilt in the future?"

That string of questions struck Hughie like lightning. He stood there blankly, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing his expression, Li Wei felt it was about enough. Before Hughie could react, he quietly departed.

Whether in Japanese anime or American TV dramas, there were plenty of cryptic people who said things that sounded vaguely meaningful at first glance, but in reality were as good as saying nothing at all.

Li Wei had hated such cryptic people in his previous life, but when he personally played the role of one, it felt pretty good!

When Hughie finally came back to his senses and saw that the spot was already empty, he was consumed by regret. Having made his decision, he had failed to ask the other man's name, much less thank him.

But he firmly believed that a Superhero like that would not remain The Nameless forever. They would definitely have another chance to meet.

And now, it was time for him to do something for Robin!

Meanwhile, after changing back into his regular clothes, Li Wei returned to Vought International and happened to see Starlight, also dressed casually, walking out through the front doors.

He immediately greeted her with a smile. "Hi, Annie. Are you okay? Did you have a pleasant day?"

Starlight hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself. Before coming here, she had been filled with all kinds of fantasies about the place, but once she truly entered it, so many of her dreams had been shattered.

The Deep had actually made such a humiliating demand of her. Fortunately, she remembered Li Wei's earlier warning and had not let him succeed.

But what she saw afterward shocked her even more. The Deep was far from the only one who differed from the rumors.

Translucent actually liked standing in the corner of women's restrooms to peep. He had actually used his precious invisibility ability for that!

A-Train only cared about how much money he could get from Vought, and he was even planning to hire a lawyer to try renegotiating the revenue split with Vought International, as well as sue those pirates.

Black Noir never spoke. He only wrote things down or drew rather childish pictures.

Oh God, she might have been able to understand those things when she was in elementary school, but now she truly could not.

Iron Maiden—Maeve—and Homelander seemed roughly similar to how they were described to the public, but this was only their first meeting after all. She could not be sure whether they were putting on an act.

Fortunately, she had unexpectedly gotten to know Angel, her former—and current—idol.

She decided that when she got home, she would burn all of The Deep's posters. From now on, her room would only have Angel's posters!

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Li Wei. Today has truly been a complicated day for me, and I'm having a hard time describing how I feel right now."

"It's fine. I don't have any assignments for the moment, so I have plenty of time to be a listener. But your mother probably wants you to get home early and share your joy with her, right?"

Starlight was his fan, and he had just saved her today. Her favorability toward him had to be quite high already, so Li Wei was not worried at all.

Only then did a smile appear on Starlight's face. "Li Wei, you're right. But it's okay—Mom specifically told me that on my first day at Vought International, I should build good relationships with my coworkers. I can go home later today!"

Her hometown was actually in Iowa, over a thousand miles from New York, but after becoming one of The Seven, Vought had generously prepared a residence for her in New York as well.

If necessary, she could even stay at Vought headquarters.

Li Wei laughed. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's eat first, then find a bar to celebrate for you!"

Starlight's eyes immediately lit up as well. "Okay! Oh God, Li Wei, you have no idea—I had to diet every day for the touring competition to maintain my figure. Today, I'm going to eat something good!"

A few hours later, night had long since fallen. After eating and drinking their fill, and spending some time having fun at the bar, Li Wei bid Starlight farewell like a perfect gentleman.

Although Starlight had clearly drunk at least a dozen pounds of alcohol, her powerful Superhero physique left her looking completely alert, without the slightest hint of drunkenness in her eyes.

That also made Li Wei realize that he probably had no chance to make anything happen today.

Otherwise, Starlight would at least have to pretend to be tipsy to give him an opportunity to make a move, wouldn't she?

In that respect alone, Starlight and Firecracker were quite different.

But Starlight really was his fan, so Li Wei was quite confident that it would not be long before she changed her attitude.

Just as the two waved goodbye, a shriek suddenly came from the street corner. "Help! Someone, please help me!"