Firecracker's Candor

After a brief discussion, Li Wei and Butcher reached a preliminary agreement. They would jointly investigate Compound V and share relevant intelligence. If necessary, Li Wei could lend them a hand.

However, Li Wei knew that with Butcher's black heart, he would definitely find every possible way to use him while withholding anything truly valuable.

That future cuckold had never been a good person.

But it didn't matter. Li Wei stood from a god's-eye view and already knew his true objective. But how could Butcher possibly know what Li Wei wanted?

Besides, the contact information he had left Hughie would surely come in handy someday.

After settling that matter, Li Wei went to meet Firecracker. This time, he wore neither his uniform nor a mask, only a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

Most Americans thought all Asians looked alike. So although his exceptionally handsome face drew plenty of second glances from passersby, no one tried to ask him for an autograph because they simply didn't recognize him!

When he arrived, Li Wei found that Firecracker had already been waiting for quite a while and had apparently even prepared several Chinese dishes.

They were not Americanized Chinese dishes like General Tso's chicken or orange chicken, but authentic Chinese food. He had genuinely put thought into it this time.

And such relatively high-end takeout was probably no small expense for him.

Seeing that Li Wei had not worn a mask or disguise, Firecracker was visibly delighted.

He hurried over in a small jog. "Ah, no, Li Wei, you're here."

Li Wei smiled. "You put some thought into this. Thanks."

He casually took out a business card he had prepared. "There happens to be an endorsement deal for a small dessert brand. I recommended you to them."

Although the pay was only a few tens of thousands of dollars, it was absolutely a rare opportunity for a low-tier third-rate Superhero like Firecracker.

The other party happened to have a partnership with The Boys, so this matter was basically guaranteed.

But Firecracker did not take the card. Even the smile on his face became somewhat forced. "Li Wei, you know I'm not doing this for that."

Li Wei knew he was telling the truth. After all, when they had first met, Firecracker had only valued his appearance.

And Li Wei knew this might hurt his self-esteem, but he did not care much. They had no emotional foundation to begin with, so why make things so complicated?

If he didn't want this little bit of money, then he wanted more, didn't he?

Li Wei simply shoved the business card into his hand, then sat down and picked up the chopsticks on the table, preparing to replenish some energy.

"Come eat with me. It won't taste good once it gets cold."

An extremely high demand for food, or rather, energy, was probably another trait that set all Superheroes apart from ordinary people.

A normal adult needed roughly fifteen hundred to three thousand calories a day, while Superheroes often needed three to five times that amount. It was said that A-Train ate dozens of hamburgers and drank enormous amounts of milk tea every day.

Li Wei was much the same, especially since he had been actively training every day lately. His energy requirements were even higher.

This had directly turned food into his main daily expense. He was too lazy to cook for himself and unwilling to settle for hamburgers or chocolate, so he could only keep making the rounds of various restaurants.

Firecracker was instantly a little awkward, but after looking at the business card in his hand, he still forced out a smile and sat down with him.

Just by spending a few nights with Li Wei, he could get an endorsement deal. If he could become Li Wei's official boyfriend, how much could he gain then?

Compared to that, this little matter was nothing at all!

Not foolish enough to say anything that might upset Li Wei during the meal, Firecracker merely made a few polite inquiries and asked whether Li Wei's work was tiring and the like.

Before they had made their identities clear, their communication had basically consisted of: You there? Wanna hook up? Time? Place?

Now that Li Wei had taken off his mask, Firecracker felt that he could shift to other, more intimate topics.

Li Wei ate while casually humoring him. He was waiting for Firecracker to reveal his true purpose.

He did not mind continuing their current relationship, but if Firecracker wanted him to deal with Starlight or something, then he was dreaming.

Soon, after they had eaten and drunk their fill, Firecracker moved closer again, seemingly planning to get it over with first. But Li Wei pressed down on his restless hand.

"You have something to say today, right? Say it first. If it's within my abilities, I'll consider it."

Although Firecracker could not quite gauge Li Wei's intentions, such an opportunity was indeed extremely rare for him.

So, gritting his teeth, Firecracker spoke of his past grudge with Starlight.

Just as Li Wei understood it, he had lost his chance to debut through a talent show because of Starlight. And after Starlight had slandered him, he had spent years trying to reenter the industry from outside it, only to fail every time.

On top of that, he had never attended Godolkin University and had failed to make any friends. He had struggled for so many years without making even a ripple.

On one hand, his powers had never been particularly strong, and he had a so-called "dark past."

On the other hand, too many new Superheroes emerged every year.

There were self-taught ones, talent-show contestants, and Godolkin University graduates. Altogether, there were nearly a hundred every year, but the number of Superheroes officially recognized by the government and ultimately hired by various states and counties could truly be counted on one hand.

Goda University alone took five slots. For the rest, they had to fight brutally against Superheroes accumulated over the years, and only if some state or county had a Superhero retire would it possibly be their turn.

Otherwise, the other Superheroes could only sing, dance, or sell products for Vought International.

Firecracker, for example, had debuted years ago, yet had only a few thousand fans in total, scattered across several different websites.

But at the end of the day, it was still because of Starlight's slander back then. Otherwise, even if he could not become one of The Seven like Starlight, with his talent, he definitely would not be in such a miserable state now.

Li Wei believed that. Most Superheroes relied too much on their strength, so they rarely used their brains. Use it or lose it.

Besides, they played extremely hard in private, which also affected their brains. This was especially true for fringe Superheroes who could not even be considered third-rate. They were often the most outrageous.

After all, Superheroes with some standing usually had endorsement deals, movies, television shows, theme parks, and the like tied to them. They were not that stupid because it directly concerned money.

Not just their own money, but Vought International's money as well. Vought International took the largest share, and it would not allow the Superheroes under its banner to cause major trouble.

Although Li Wei looked down on Blue Hawk, Blue Hawk's intelligence was actually above average among Superheroes.

As for Firecracker, he held a whole string of titles, including filmmaker, writer, political activist, and critic. Though none had made much of a splash, they still showed that he had some brains.

After hearing Firecracker out, Li Wei nodded, indicating that he understood.

"So, what do you want? Do you want me to break up with Starlight? You should know Madelyn has already invested quite a few resources into hyping up our pairing."

Firecracker hurriedly shook his head. "No. I do hate her, but I don't want to affect you."

Li Wei's expression did not change. "So?"

Firecracker licked his lips. "You'll probably drink with her often in the future and attend all kinds of events, right? I want to find a chance to get her drunk, then make her kneel on the ground and lick me!"

Damn, even Li Wei was a little stunned.

He could not help mocking him. "You thought about it for so long and came up with such a low-class method of revenge?"

And this plan would be difficult to pull off. With Starlight's physique, she probably would not react unless she drank dozens of pounds of alcohol.

Firecracker was somewhat helpless at that. This was not the only method of revenge he had considered, but given Li Wei's presence and the vast gap in strength and status between himself and Starlight, the others were even less likely to happen!

Li Wei took a sip of wine. "I can create that opportunity for you, but are you really satisfied with just that?"

Firecracker immediately sensed that Li Wei meant something more. He could not help asking tentatively, "Then what do you mean?"

"Don't you want to become one of The Seven someday too, and settle the score with her face-to-face?"

This was not a sudden whim on Li Wei's part. He had always felt that he could not fight alone. He needed people to serve as his hands and feet and handle miscellaneous tasks.

Blue Hawk was his first choice because he did not have much of a brain, making him easy to control. Before Li Wei had come along, he had been able to become New Jersey's Superhero, so his combat ability was actually decent enough for him to serve as muscle.

Firecracker was his second choice. He was suited to becoming a secretary because he was very weak and equally easy to control. Even if Li Wei killed him, few people would truly care.

Mute Wolf Girl—Kimiko, who was still somewhere in a basement, was his third choice.

She was like a stray dog. Her past experiences had made her wary of everyone she met, but as long as someone sincerely treated her well, it was easy to earn her wholehearted loyalty.

By comparison, although Starlight was powerful, she was not a good choice. She had her own independent thoughts, and her heart was still full of fantasies about Superheroes, as well as admiration for Maeve and Homelander.

She even believed Vought International's public propaganda, all that nonsense about Superheroes being gifts from God.

Li Wei needed obedient tools, and a Starlight like that was clearly very unsuited to his requirements.

Perhaps with her future experiences, she would one day see through Vought's disguise and discover the cruel reality, but that was a matter for later.

"How is that possible?"

Firecracker's face was full of disbelief. Just imagining such a thing felt amazing, but it was probably all he could do: imagine it.

"Heh, anything is possible. What happened to Payback back then? Isn't it washed up now too? The Seven will have their day as well."

"The key is whether you are ready to pay the price."

Without him making any movement, a faint glow appeared in his eyes, and the lights around them began flickering on and off.

Firecracker's eyes widened as he fell completely still.

He had studied the abilities of the enemy he hated most more times than he could count. What Li Wei was displaying now was almost exactly the same as Starlight's superpower!

Though he could not make sense of it at all for the moment, his body had already followed its instincts. With a thud, he dropped to both knees on the ground, a gesture usually reserved for gods.

"As long as you can let me surpass that bitch Starlight in some way, you will be my master. You will be my everything. I will offer you all my loyalty!"

As he spoke, he tied his shoulder-length hair into a single ponytail convenient for certain special activities.

Li Wei raised an eyebrow. Well, he had shown his sincerity, so Firecracker wanted to show his too?

Fine, then they could have another candid exchange!