After going over a few more details, Butcher and the others quickly returned inside. Butcher took the initiative and said, "We should change locations. A-Train could come back at any moment."
"He's not coming back!" The Mesmerizer said bitterly.
Butcher and the others were briefly confused. Li Wei spread his hands and motioned for them to look at the television.
They followed his gesture and saw A-Train, who had just won the speed contest, speaking confidently about how busy he was, how he had no time for romance, and how he was currently still single.
Having monitored The Mesmerizer for some time already, they immediately understood why she looked the way she did.
Butcher, however, was quite pleased. They had already seized The Mesmerizer's weakness, and now that she was in this state, she would probably tell them anything.
The only problem was that Gambit was still an issue.
Unfortunately, Gambit clearly had no intention of leaving easily. No matter how reluctant they were, they had no better option.
Butcher raised the empty bottle in his hand again. "So, tell us about this stuff!"
The Mesmerizer barely steadied herself. She glanced at Gambit, and seeing him nod as well, she simply gave up trying to hide anything. "As you saw, Compound V can temporarily enhance our powers, like a stimulant."
At that, Butcher's breathing grew noticeably heavier. "So where did he get it? From Homelander?"
The Mesmerizer shook her head. "I don't know. He never told me. I only know that he keeps some for himself every time, then delivers the rest to a noodle shop. When he comes back, he brings me a bowl of sesame noodles."
Li Wei spoke up then. "A noodle shop? Why deliver it there? Does someone make regular deals with him there?"
Of course, he knew that was not the truth. Homelander was actually conducting experiments there, and Mute Wolf Girl—Kimiko—was currently being held there.
But he did not know the exact address, nor did he want to expose himself to Homelander's or A-Train's attention. So he had to guide Butcher and the others a little, getting them to find her as quickly as possible.
If he gained Starlight's Super Defense, Kimiko's incredible regeneration, and The Mesmerizer's bone blades, he would become a knockoff Wolverine!
No, perhaps an upgraded version!
Wolverine's defenses had always been no different from an ordinary person's. The only thing tough about him was the Adamantium Skeleton he received later.
At the same time, his brain was a weakness. One hit could cause amnesia at best and drive him insane at worst.
But Kimiko was different. Her defense was not particularly strong, but her regenerative ability was downright monstrous. Severed limbs, a smashed brain, a snapped neck—none of it could kill her.
And her healing speed was absurd. A few breaths were enough to restore her brain, while a leg would probably take only a few minutes.
Still, his weaknesses were quite obvious. First, he could not fly. Second, he could not resist Mind Control.
Fortunately, he had already settled things with Starlight. Once this matter was over, he could begin filling in those two gaps.
The Mesmerizer shook her head again. "That's all I know. He didn't even intend to make our relationship public. How much do you think he would tell me?"
Anyone could hear the resentment and unwillingness in her voice. She probably was not lying this time.
"A Chinese restaurant in Chinatown? Chinese people?" Butcher confirmed again.
Before The Mesmerizer could answer, Li Wei spoke first. "Not necessarily. Some Koreans make knockoffs. They plagiarize almost everything."
He was deliberately exposing one of his own "weaknesses" and giving them a clue to investigate his real identity.
Besides, judging from his skin color alone, they were bound to make some guesses.
But they would definitely find nothing. That should buy him quite a bit of time.
Once they found Kimiko, their mission would be complete.
Hmm, perhaps he should leave Hughie some contact information later.
Kimiko had originally been an assassin, and she had been imprisoned like an animal for experiments. Once rescued, she would definitely go on a killing spree.
If she lost control, the others would be one thing, but Hughie would definitely try to seek his help.
Butcher chuckled without showing much reaction. "Then we'll go find them one by one."
Frenchie and Mother's Milk exchanged glances, both having already formed a rough guess.
There were many kinds of Asians—Chinese, Japanese, Korean—and they could be said to dislike one another. Now that he had used the word "plagiarize," they could basically conclude that he was Chinese American.
After all, they were plagiarized the most. They had heard that not long ago, Koreans had even tried to register Chinese zongzi, the Dragon Boat Festival, and more as belonging to their country.
It was laughable. How many years of history did Korea even have?
Li Wei nodded. "Fine, then I'll leave this matter to you. Also, you set up surveillance in her home, didn't you?"
"Otherwise, it'd be hard to explain why you showed up immediately after someone died."
The Mesmerizer snorted coldly. "That's right. Those guys came before disguised as workers, claiming they were here to optimize my internet!"
Li Wei grunted. "Turn off the surveillance. It's already an invasion of her privacy. And delete today's footage. You don't want A-Train finding out that someone has been threatening his girlfriend, do you?"
The group exchanged looks, and Hughie was the first to rush inside.
A-Train had turned his girlfriend Robin into a pile of mangled flesh. What that had left Hughie with was not just hatred and resentment, but deep fear as well. He did not want A-Train to find him.
Butcher muttered to himself, his wariness toward this mysterious Superhero rising once more. This guy did not seem as brainless as ordinary Superheroes. He might be troublesome to deal with.
Mother's Milk opened his mouth, wanting to offer thanks.
Unlike the other three bachelors, he had a wife and daughter. If A-Train found him—or simply killed him—he did not know how his widow and child would survive.
But since Butcher, the team leader, had not said anything, he could not very well speak up alone.
Still, it made him realize the same thing. This guy seemed pretty formidable!
Meanwhile, at Vought Tower, under Homelander's prompting and The Deep's watchful gaze, Madelyn opened a safe and immediately cried out, "Oh God, is that Translucent?"
Translucent had been missing for several days, and even the tracker could not determine his precise location. That had previously been unimaginable.
She had actually had a bad feeling about it, but she kept comforting herself, thinking perhaps he had run off somewhere to peep again.
But when she saw his skin, which remained invisible even in death, every trace of hope vanished from her heart. Translucent was dead!
Even for Vought International, this was a major event. Translucent was tied to numerous endorsements, unreleased television shows and films, and more. If news of his death got out, Vought International's stock price might even suffer violent fluctuations!
Homelander, standing with his hands behind his back, smiled faintly. "Do you still think we have nothing to worry about?"
As Madelyn considered countermeasures, she forced herself to remain calm. "How did they get through his skin? What kind of maniacs are they?"
"No, no, no."
Homelander wagged a finger, cutting Madelyn off. "Not maniacs. Smart. Very smart."
Then he turned to The Deep. "The Deep, what can't my eyes see through?"
"Zinc."
"That's right. And what is this box made of?"
The Deep hesitated. "Zinc?"
"Correct again. They knew we would eventually find Translucent—hmm, Translucent's remains—so they were only buying time."
Madelyn did not understand. "Why do you say that?"
Homelander waved a hand, signaling The Deep to open the box. On the inner lid was a clear line of writing: "I'll settle the score with you!"
Homelander snorted. "Whoever did this has just declared war on me!"
Madelyn barely steadied herself. "We can't let this news get out. He still has many endorsements, and we'll pay a heavy price for this. We need to find a replacement."
Homelander could not help snorting. "A replacement? You mean his son? He just entered Godolkin University this year, didn't he?"
Of course, he knew how Superheroes came to be. By all logic, their powers should not be hereditary, since they were acquired later in life. Yet there were two exceptions.
One was Translucent, and the other was Polarity. Their sons had both inherited the exact same powers as their fathers.
Madelyn could not help feeling a headache coming on. Invisibility was extremely rare. Only those two had appeared so far, so she had instinctively thought of Translucent's Son.
But the boy was too young and had not fully mastered his abilities. His height, weight, and many other traits were also vastly different from Translucent's. He might fool people temporarily, but it would be difficult to keep up for long.
She took a deep breath. "I think I need to report this to Mr. Edgar!"
Before you continue