Must Find Out

"Dark Star, you're the new member of The Seven, Dark Star, right?"

The robbers had been dealt with. Ron and Maeve came downstairs with the rescued hostages following behind them. The reporters Ashley had arranged in advance surged forward with their cameras and flashes going off.

"Look over here! Did you and Queen Maeve take care of the robbers upstairs?"

"How did you deal with them? What are your powers? Could you show everyone?"

The reporters crowded forward, firing question after question.

"I'll leave them to you. I can't be bothered dealing with them."

Ron glanced at the crowd, took a step back, and spoke quietly to Maeve without much interest.

He had also left the task of comforting the hostages entirely to Maeve.

Deep crimson energy flames rose around him. His powerful body lifted off the ground, and in an instant, he flew above the city's towering buildings. With a boom, he left behind a cone-shaped sonic cloud and shot away at supersonic speed like a crimson meteor.

"Oh, look! That's so cool! The Seven's new member can fly. After Homelander, The Seven has another hero capable of flight."

Rather than being upset by his silent departure, the reporters grew even more excited. They pointed their cameras at the sky and kept pressing their shutters in exhilaration.

"He can fly too."

Queen Maeve was left standing there alone. With her hands on her hips, she looked up at the sky where Ron had vanished, the concern in her eyes deepening.

"The world seems more dangerous now. This won't do!"

She silently made a decision. She had to figure out Ron's personality and abilities, to make sure he was not another Homelander.

"After all, I don't have the ability to move to another planet."

At the same time, atop a building several blocks away.

"Impossible. How dare they? How dare they!"

Homelander stood with his hands behind his back, his gloves cracking under his grip. He did not say a word, but his eyes were ferocious as rage roared within him. He was nearly unable to control himself, seized by the urge to slaughter everyone in sight.

"I'm supposed to be the only one. How dare they try to create another 'me'?"

Using X-ray Vision, he had witnessed the entire process of Ron taking down the robbers. He had seen Laser Eyes, defenses stronger than a tank, and flight that had easily broken the sound barrier.

Though he had only caught a brief glimpse and did not know Ron's limits, and their abilities were slightly different, Vought's attitude made it impossible for him not to think too much.

"No, no. Gods cannot be replicated. At most, he's a laughable counterfeit."

The arrogance in his heart gradually calmed him down again.

He had yet to determine whether Ron could truly threaten him.

"I'll find out! If that's really the case, then regardless of whether your birth was your own choice—humans attempting to approach a god is itself a blasphemy that must be purged!"

His cape fluttered behind him. Homelander turned with a cold, expressionless gaze and flew away. His immense speed shattered the sound barrier in an instant, and he disappeared beyond the horizon.

"Homelander Is No Longer the Only One: New Member Dark Star Appears!" "A Red Meteor Streaks Across the Skies of New York!" "The Silent Hero Who Flew Away After Rescuing Hostages."

A string of headlines occupied the front pages of New York's major newspapers.

The papers carried interviews with Queen Maeve, along with words of gratitude from the wealthy and influential people from all walks of life who had been rescued from the Jewelry Exhibition. Though the experience had been somewhat terrifying, the fact that Ron had saved them could not be changed.

With Vought International deliberately controlling, promoting, and fanning the flames, even though Ron had not said a single word to the media.

He became famous overnight. Right after his debut, he had become one of the hottest superheroes around. People discussed him everywhere, comparing him to Homelander.

They compared their suits, their powers, their appearances...

"Hey, man, his suit is so cool. I think it's the coolest suit in The Seven. When his posters come out, I'm buying one to hang in my bedroom."

"Dark Star's way of flying is unique. He's wrapped in crimson light like flames, and when he flies, he looks like a meteor crossing the sky. He can even break the sound barrier. I wonder whether he or Homelander is faster."

"He's so handsome. His whole body looks like a sculpture of an ancient Greek god..."

"Honestly, I've always thought Homelander's smile looked a little fake. Am I the only one who thinks so?"

"..."

"That's nice."

In the conference room, Starlight held a newspaper. After reading the report about Ron saving people, she found the story about her and Black Noir busting a drug shipment at the docks in an inconspicuous box near the bottom of the page.

She slumped back weakly in her chair and looked at Ron beside her.

"You ignored the media completely, yet you got this kind of response. Everyone outside is talking about you now. I cooperated with the people Ashley arranged. I posed in front of the gang members we took down and said the lines they prepared. It was like filming a movie. We had to record it several times before it was approved and sent to the media, and this is what it got me."

Life had to go on. After the blow she had suffered, Starlight had vaguely made the same choice Maeve once had.

On one hand, she would cooperate with Vought's "marketing." On the other, she would continue being her own kind of superhero, using her influence to change people and her power to help them.

But despite trying hard to cooperate, the contrast with Ron left her discouraged and confused.

"It's all Vought pulling the strings."

Resting his head on one hand in his chair, Ron glanced at the newspaper.

"Did you forget there's someone in The Seven who never speaks?"

Ignoring the media was not a problem. Even someone who never said a word or showed his face could become hugely popular through marketing if the corporations wanted it badly enough. It all depended on whether they thought it was worth it.

"Right, there's Black Noir too."

Remembering how she had tried to greet Black Noir the night before, only for the person beneath that black hood to ignore her like a statue, Starlight wrinkled her nose.

She got up and sat on Ron's lap, wrapping her arms affectionately around his neck. Her soft body pressed against his as she curiously wondered what Black Noir looked like beneath the mask.

Ever since that night on the mountaintop, their relationship had progressed rapidly after something had been broken.

"I imagine he has a face covered in scars and pits, the kind that would make children cry the moment they saw it."

Ron answered casually, taking his eyes off the newspaper.

Every newspaper, openly or subtly, seemed to be comparing him with Homelander.

Was it a coincidence, or had Vought done it deliberately?

Ron sneered inwardly.

Were they testing his attitude toward Homelander, or... trying to create a rift and conflict between him and Homelander?

"No one wants to be replaced, especially someone accustomed to being unique and above everyone else."

Although Homelander had grown up without a family in a laboratory, in the original story he had shown great concern for Ryan.

But Ryan had completely inherited his powers. When Homelander saw Ryan, it was like seeing his younger self.

Ron narrowed his eyes.

"If I didn't have my current abilities, and Homelander met an ordinary me with a short lifespan, he would probably see me only as a defective product that failed to inherit his godlike powers. He'd look at me with contempt and regard only Ryan as his son."

"More importantly, Ryan was probably young enough that Homelander did not see him as a threat."

He could freely pour out his fatherly love on a young, ignorant son, raise him according to his own ideas, and gain a family member who would never betray him and would always love him.

But Ron was different.

Why did seeing Homelander feel like seeing a stranger?

Because he had no interest in being anyone's son, and he understood Homelander's personality.

Homelander's so-called warmth was nothing more than crocodile tears, and it could only exist under certain conditions.

His birth and childhood had been a pitiful tragedy. He did crave love, but the foundation of his heart had always been cold and merciless.

Just like after Ryan chose to leave with The Butcher, Homelander saw it as betrayal. From then on, he no longer cared about Ryan as much as before.

After the "beloved" Stormfront died, his life went badly for a long time. He was heartbroken and furious, instantly pushed to the brink of losing control, ready to give up and destroy everything.

But when he discovered that an unexpected rant had actually gained him more fans, he was overjoyed. He stopped giving up at once, threw Stormfront aside somewhere in his mind, and focused entirely on how to keep raising his popularity.

"Homelander craves love and attention in a pathological way, but no one is irreplaceable to him."

"He wants everyone to play house with him, to properly play the role of family and love him. The moment something goes wrong, he'll turn on them immediately!"