Adamantium and Young Quicksilver

"The world has never lacked scum that shouldn't exist in it.

Besides—we won't be short on enemies in the future. We can use them for experiments."

Ron said coldly.

Though he had killed the utterly villainous Stryker, that didn't mean he was a morally upright superhero.

Killing Stryker was purely because Stryker had obstructed his plans.

Emma called in the personnel she had secretly cultivated to take over the laboratory.

Once everything was fully received.

"Ron, the top priority items Stryker and his special squad took were a batch of meteorites. We found they're the raw material for that bio-weapon's alloy skeleton."

"Their properties are extremely formidable."

In Stryker's former office, Raven handed Ron a fist-sized, pitch-black meteorite, while Emma placed a report on the desk.

According to the lab staff, the metal named Adamantium was the hardest substance on Earth. If used to make weapons, it would be unstoppable.

If used for armor, nothing could break it except the same Adamantium.

Ron took the heavy meteorite, toyed with it for a moment, set it on the desk, and glanced at the report.

[Adamantium: Formed by mixing extraterrestrial meteorite components with carbon alloy in a specific ratio, it is indestructible and the hardest known metal on Earth.

Once smelted at over 1,500 degrees and cooled, its shape will never change again. Even at 500,000 degrees, it shows no signs of melting.

If enough is available, it can withstand a nuclear bomb.]

"Not bad."

After reading the report, he gave an order, wanting to try whether an Adamantium blade could deal with Homelander.

"Forge an Adamantium knife. I'll take it when I leave."

"Alright."

Raven left to instruct the lab personnel on the task.

Ron's gaze shifted slightly as he pondered inwardly.

The center of a kiloton-level nuclear explosion could reach hundreds of millions of degrees. Though brief, it could vaporize and destroy almost anything.

And enough Adamantium could withstand a nuclear blast.

"Is its hardness comparable to Homelander's body?"

Homelander's greatest strength might be his defense—all Earth's weapons, including nukes, couldn't harm him.

In common perception, a fragile human body couldn't compare to steel or metal, but that view didn't apply to superhumans.

The hardest metal didn't necessarily surpass the flesh of a powerful superhuman—like Superman.

Homelander fell short of Superman in other areas, but his physical defense might not be far off.

"Better than nothing. Worth a try."

He finally thought, then looked at Emma, opening his mouth to speak.

"Emma..."

"Ron, the person you wanted to find—I've already found them."

Emma, without waiting for him to ask, had already guessed his question. Smiling, she handed him a piece of paper.

"Their family moved right after that incident five months ago.

So it took a little extra time."

In a scenic small town near the countryside outside Philadelphia.

A knock sounded at the door.

The unlocked door opened a crack, and Mrs. Maximoff, who looked to be in her thirties, peered out, wariness hidden in her eyes.

"Who are you?"

On the town road, a low-key yet luxurious black car was parked.

A young man in a silver-gray suit stood there, accompanied by a blonde woman who looked like a secretary.

"Mrs. Maximoff, I'd like to see your son."

Ron said with a smile.

"Did he steal something again?"

Quicksilver's mother said nervously.

In the past, she hated nothing more than people showing up after her son had stolen from them, forcing her to pay compensation and clean up the mess.

But now, she desperately hoped these two, who didn't look like ordinary people, were just here to demand restitution for stolen goods.

"He did take a little something from our company. But he's still young..."

Noticing her nervousness, Ron didn't reveal his identity and simply nodded slightly.

Quicksilver had always used his abilities recklessly since childhood, but since no one believed such things were possible, it never caused any trouble.

But now mutants had been exposed early, and humanity's prejudice against them was even greater.

"I'd like to talk to him, and then this matter will be settled."

"Alright... Peter, someone's here to see you."

Mrs. Maximoff breathed a sigh of relief, her heart settling. She called out toward the house.

"He's in the basement. You can go see him yourselves."

Even though they had moved, her son had insisted on buying a house with a basement, just like before.

Ron led Emma through the rooms to the basement door.

A silver-haired boy, just over ten years old, sat with his back to them, playing a game—the classic Contra.

"Who are you?

I never stole anything from you?"

He turned his head, his young, immature face carrying a hint of calm as he spoke.

"I only ever steal from supermarkets and stores."

The luxury car outside wasn't something an ordinary supermarket owner could afford.

At this age, Quicksilver was still young, not yet the restless, rebellious teenager he would become. His personality seemed somewhat withdrawn, playing games alone in solitude.

"I was once a friend of your father's."

Ron sat down on the basement sofa with a smile.

They had faced powerful enemies together, saved the world—though they later went their separate ways, calling him a friend wasn't far off.

"You know my dad?"

At the mention of his father, Quicksilver dropped the game controller, turning in surprise, his eyes flickering between hope and suspicion.

"Don't treat me like a kid and lie to me."

"We once fought side by side."

Looking at the young Quicksilver before him, Ron added another sentence.

"Do you want to know his name?"

"Of course."

Quicksilver's voice rose with excitement, then turned somewhat lonely: "Everyone has a mom and dad, but I only have a mom, no dad."

Unlike children from divorced families, he didn't even know his father's name or what he looked like. His mother never talked about it, and forbade him from asking.

"I can tell you who your father is."

"Really?"

"But first, you need to tell me—how fast can your ability go right now?"

Ron said.

"You know about my ability?"

The silver-haired boy paused for a moment, then answered.

"The fastest I can go is twenty times the speed of sound."

"Do you even know what the speed of sound means?"

Emma asked in surprise from the side. Wasn't a kid just over ten supposed to still be in elementary school?

"The world of a speedster is different from ordinary people's."

Ron smiled.

Hearing that speed, he set aside his hidden concerns.

Ability Points: 132,000

Before coming here, he had actually considered whether to choose Quicksilver's ability or Professor X's ability to try mind-controlling Homelander.

His first choice was Quicksilver's ability.

Because Professor X was still young, his ability not yet fully developed. To use his power to sense others' minds, he had to press his fingers to his temples, using the motion to focus his concentration.

Mind-controlling others required even more intense focus, without distraction.

And Homelander wasn't someone who could be easily controlled. In the world of The Boys, there were psychic ability users, but it was said that no one could affect Homelander. His brain and mind were also incredibly strong—otherwise, he couldn't withstand the noise that came with his super hearing.

Of course, Professor X was different from ordinary psychic ability users.

"But even if I used Charles's psychic ability to temporarily control Homelander, who could help me kill someone even a nuclear blast couldn't kill?"

Using Charles's ability would be a one-for-one trade, and the situation would deadlock.

Moreover, Professor X didn't have the quick reaction speed to handle speeds above ten times the speed of sound. He could only ever strike first. If Homelander made the first move, it would be very troublesome.

There has never been a principle of guarding against thieves for a thousand days, only of being a thief for a thousand days.

By comparison, Quicksilver's ability was the better choice.

But he had always worried that Quicksilver, still young, wasn't strong enough yet.

Now, however, he could rest easy.

"Twenty times the speed of sound is enough. Quicksilver's body hasn't fully developed yet, which limits his speed—but I'm different."

Something came up today, so the update is late—sorry.

From now on, I'll pick an earlier time and update on schedule every day, locking in a fixed release time.