Taking Down Starlight

Early the next morning, Li Wei received a phone call.

Starlight, awakened by the ringtone beside him, said lazily, "Li Wei, do you have an urgent mission?"

Compared to yesterday, she looked noticeably healthier after being thoroughly satisfied.

Li Wei kissed her forehead. "That's right. A few blind little thieves in New Jersey have taken over a kindergarten. I need to deal with it. And yes, this time it isn't a script."

Although Starlight wasn't particularly experienced, Li Wei could still tell that this wasn't her first time.

Just as he had understood, despite being a believer who opposed premarital sex, she had tasted the forbidden fruit early on.

And if he had wanted to, he probably could have broken through all three gates last night. You really couldn't tell from her appearance; this girl was all about contrast.

But Li Wei had no complaints, because after a night of intimacy, he had successfully copied all of her abilities, including dancing.

Though there was no change in his appearance, Li Wei could feel that his body had become at least forty percent tougher than it had been yesterday.

It wasn't just his skin, but also his teeth, hair, eyeballs, internal organs, and more. It was a full-spectrum enhancement.

Combined with his original abilities as Angel, Li Wei felt that even an ordinary person carrying a rocket launcher no longer posed any threat to him, because they simply couldn't aim at and hit him.

But the truly crucial thing was, of course, Starlight's superpowers. He was now eager to conduct some experiments, strengthen the many abilities he already possessed, and develop even more new ones.

If he could really fly using Light Wings, Vought International would definitely value him more highly, and even the Vatican would likely change its attitude toward him!

Of course, casually drawing electricity from the city would produce extremely obvious consequences. He figured he could buy a small generator and conduct some experiments at home first.

Another thing worth mentioning was that Starlight probably had not fully mastered her own superpowers yet, because while they had been scaling the heights last night, her eyes had glowed out of control several times.

Starlight's eyes immediately widened. "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry over there!"

Li Wei nodded. "The helicopter is already on its way. I'm sorry, but I don't have much time to keep you company."

Though she was a skinny girl, given her status, Li Wei had to admit that he had enjoyed it somewhat.

Starlight smiled and gave him a push. "You'll have plenty of time to make it up to me later. Go save the innocent people now, my great hero!"

Li Wei wasted no more time. After putting on his uniform, he quickly boarded a helicopter at the designated location and rushed back to New Jersey at top speed.

There was nothing much to say about the rescue itself. With his current strength, he could completely ignore their submachine guns.

And when they tried to threaten the hostages, Li Wei used only one move. From nearly a hundred meters away, he summoned a Shield of Light for the hostages.

The criminals immediately broke down. They did not even dare test whether it could block bullets with their submachine guns, instead collectively tossing aside their weapons, clasping their hands over their heads, and dropping to their knees.

In fact, the moment Angel arrived, they knew the operation had failed. Better not give Angel a chance to kill them.

The governor, mayor, and others watching the rescue through the live broadcast were all extremely satisfied.

Although Angel had not been stationed in New Jersey and had failed to arrive immediately, he had ensured the safety of every citizen. That was a huge accomplishment!

Moreover, Angel had displayed this special ability. He would surely be even more valuable in future rescue missions like this. The money had been very well spent!

So, as soon as the operation ended, they called Li Wei and lavished him with praise.

But what they did not know was that at Vought International headquarters, Vice President Madelyn, who had also been watching the broadcast, was deep in thought.

Angel's abilities seemed to have grown stronger. Once his three-year contract ended, she would have a reason to raise his price.

And judging from this trend, the feasibility of marketing him and Starlight as a couple seemed to be growing higher and higher.

In less than a week, he had gained over a million followers across all platforms combined. His potential was still extremely high.

But she soon had no mind to think about that, because Translucent was still missing. Multiple operations that he should have attended had to be handed over to others.

She had a faintly ominous feeling. Where had Translucent gone?

After cooperating with major television stations, newspapers, and streaming platforms for numerous interviews, Li Wei finally got some free time and discovered that Firecracker was calling him.

After giving it some thought, Li Wei found a secluded corner and answered. Had Firecracker seen him on television and decided to confront him?

Sure enough, Firecracker got straight to the point. "Li Wei, I saw you on television. You were with Starlight."

Li Wei immediately knew this was not merely jealousy, but also hatred from the past.

That was why Firecracker, who had never called him by his name before and had even pretended not to know his true identity, could no longer sit still this time.

He casually replied, "It was all arranged by the company. You understand, for the stock price."

"I understand, but I think there are some things we need to talk about."

Compared to her previous enthusiasm, Firecracker's voice was very calm this time. It was a deliberately suppressed calmness.

"Sure. When?"

Li Wei felt that if they could talk things out, they would. If they could not, then they should part on good terms.

After all, they had merely met by chance in the beginning and had no emotional foundation whatsoever. Every subsequent meeting had involved getting straight down to business without a word. Even if there were feelings, they had been fucked into existence.

Still, he had secured a small dessert endorsement deal for her. It would probably earn Firecracker tens of thousands. If they could not work things out, it could count as breakup compensation.

"How about our usual place tonight?"

"Fine. I'll be there on time."

"Okay. See you then."

After hanging up, Li Wei looked up and saw an advertisement.

"Match of the Century: A-Train VS Shockwave. Who is the fastest person in the world? The answer will be revealed today!

PS: Queen Maeve will attend in person to cheer for A-Train!"

Li Wei was instantly invigorated. He had no interest in the match itself, because according to the plot, A-Train would win by taking drugs.

Compound V was the source of Superheroes' power. It was usually injected when they were still infants, and as long as they survived, it could potentially awaken superpowers in them.

But if some temporary version was injected after they had already become Superheroes, it would create an effect similar to performance-enhancing drugs.

However, the side effects of the stuff were also severe. The reason A-Train had smashed the protagonist Hughie's girlfriend into pieces was that, after the injection, his powers were not fully under his control and he became exceptionally excited.

According to the original plot, Butcher and the others should have already discovered something unusual and followed the clues to The Mesmerizer's house, where they made a few arrangements that allowed them to monitor her movements through cameras.

It just so happened that The Mesmerizer, fed up with A-Train's refusal to make their relationship public, broke up with him. At home, she injected herself with Compound V, which also allowed Butcher and the others to learn that Superheroes got their power from it.

Likewise, because her powers were out of control and she lacked rent money, The Mesmerizer seduced the landlord who came to collect rent and crushed his head between her legs.

At first, Butcher and the others had planned to inspect A-Train in the locker room. They found nothing, but then witnessed this scene through surveillance footage and immediately gained leverage to blackmail The Mesmerizer.

The Mesmerizer's superpower was completely useless to Li Wei. Aside from a tiny amount of physical enhancement, she merely had a sharp bone spike growing from each wrist. Even if her abilities were added to Kimiko's, they would still pale in comparison to Marvel's Wolverine.

But Li Wei was very interested in Compound V.

His abilities as Angel undoubtedly came from Compound V, and those abilities could potentially be removed. There was more than one way to do so.

Soldier Boy, who was currently imprisoned in Bear Country, had a powerful move that fired an energy blast from his chest, permanently removing other Superheroes' powers.

In The Woods beneath Godolkin University, a virus specifically targeting Superheroes would also be developed in the future. Not only could it neutralize Compound V in the blood, but it also carried a host of diseases, making it another bane of Superheroes.

But could the abilities he had copied through the system be removed?

At the same time, the protagonist group would later gain superpowers by injecting temporary Compound V. Butcher would become a knockoff Homelander except that he could not fly, while Hughie would gain Teleportation.

The rarity of those two abilities was beyond question. Though it was not currently possible to experiment on them, if he could obtain Compound V, perhaps he could find an opportunity to study it in private.

Among female Superheroes, there were also some with higher intelligence or enhanced memory, learning speed, thinking ability, and so on.

If he could have some intimate contact with them, Li Wei might be able to serve as an expert himself and set up some kind of laboratory.

While he was at it, he could also find some time to meet the protagonist group.

Although they were not very organized in what they did, they were quite good at stirring up trouble.

He had no time for the moment, nor did he want to investigate Kimiko's whereabouts. Naturally, such grueling work should be handed over to them.

Once Butcher and Hughie took the drug, perhaps he could conduct an experiment and see whether these temporary abilities could be copied.

And later, they would venture deep into Bear Country and release Soldier Boy from Payback.

Aside from being one of the strongest Superheroes in The Boys, Soldier Boy possessed a special chest blast that could neutralize the Compound V inside Superheroes, weaken their powers, or even completely erase them. Li Wei was very interested in that.

He did not want to do this kind of hard work himself, nor was it convenient for him to do it, but Butcher and the others would.

See? Even a piece of toilet paper had its uses.

But before that, he needed to disguise his appearance. He did not want them to recognize his true identity the moment he showed up.

Otherwise, they would probably stick to him like chewed gum. They might not pose much danger, but they would be truly disgusting!