"There was never any shortage of scum in this world who shouldn't exist.
"And besides, we won't lack enemies in the future. We can use them for experiments."
Ron said coldly.
Although he had killed the thoroughly evil Stryker, that did not mean he was a superhero who adhered to moral principles.
He had killed Stryker purely because Stryker had obstructed his plans.
Emma called in the people they had secretly cultivated to take over the laboratory.
Once the takeover was complete.
"Ron, the highest-priority items Stryker and his special forces team took away were a batch of meteorites. We discovered they were the raw materials used to make the alloy skeletons of those biological weapons."
"Its properties are incredibly powerful."
In Stryker's former office, Raven handed Ron a fist-sized black meteorite while Emma placed a report on the desk.
According to the laboratory personnel, the metal named Adamantium was the hardest substance on Earth. Made into weapons, it could cut through anything.
Made into armor, nothing other than Adamantium of equal quality could break it.
Ron took the heavy meteorite, turned it over in his hand twice, then placed it on the desk and glanced at the report.
Adamantium: an indestructible metal formed by mixing extraterrestrial meteorite components into carbon alloy in a certain ratio, known to be the hardest metal on Earth.
Once smelted at over 1,500 degrees and cooled, its shape would never change again. Even temperatures of 500,000 degrees would show no sign of melting."
If there was enough of it, it could withstand a nuclear blast.
"It's quite good."
After reading the report, he ordered them to try forging an Adamantium blade and see whether it could deal with Homelander.
"Forge an Adamantium knife. I'll take it with me when I leave."
"Alright."
Raven left to instruct the researchers to carry out the task.
Ron's eyes shifted slightly as he considered it in silence.
The center of a kiloton-class nuclear explosion could reach temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius. Although it lasted only briefly, it could nearly vaporize and destroy everything.
Yet enough Adamantium could withstand a nuclear explosion.
"Could its hardness compare with Homelander's body?"
Homelander's most formidable trait was perhaps his defense. Every weapon on Earth, including nuclear bombs, could not injure him.
Ordinary people believed that the fragile human body could never compare to steel and metal, but that understanding did not apply to superhumans.
The hardest metal did not necessarily surpass the flesh of a powerful superhuman—such as Superman.
Homelander fell short of Superman in other aspects, but his physical defense might not be much weaker.
"Better than nothing. It's worth trying."
That was his final thought. He looked at Emma and opened his mouth, intending to say something.
"Emma..."
"Ron, I've found the person you were looking for."
Emma had guessed his question before he could ask it. Smiling, she handed him a sheet of paper.
"After what happened five months ago, his family moved immediately.
"So it took a little more time."
In a scenic small town in the countryside near Philadelphia.
A knock sounded at the door.
The bolted door opened, and Mrs. Maximoff, who appeared to be in her thirties, cracked it open and warily examined the visitors outside.
"Who are you?"
A low-key but luxurious black sedan was parked on the town road.
A young man in a silver-gray suit stood beside a blonde woman who looked like a secretary.
"Mrs. Maximoff, I'd like to see your son."
Ron said with a smile.
"He stole something again, didn't he?"
Quicksilver's mother asked nervously.
In the past, what she hated most was having people her son had stolen from come knocking at her door. She would have to pay compensation and settle the trouble.
But now, she dearly hoped that these two people, who clearly were not dressed like ordinary people, had merely come to demand compensation for stolen goods.
"He stole something small from our company, but he's still young..."
Noticing her nervousness, Ron did not reveal his identity and simply nodded slightly.
Quicksilver had always used his abilities recklessly and without restraint since childhood, but because no one believed such things, it had never caused much trouble.
But mutants had now been exposed far earlier, and humanity's prejudice against them was even greater.
"I'd like to talk with him. Then we can consider the matter settled."
"Alright... Peter, someone's here to see you."
Mrs. Maximoff relaxed, finally putting her mind at ease as she called into the house.
"He's in the basement. You can go see him yourselves."
Though they had moved, her son had strongly insisted on buying a house with a basement, just like before.
Ron and Emma walked through the house and headed down into the basement.
A silver-haired boy of around ten sat with his back to them, playing a game—the classic Contra.
"Who are you?
"I never stole anything from you."
He turned around, his youthful face carrying a hint of calmness.
"I only ever steal from supermarkets and stores."
The luxury car outside was not something an ordinary supermarket owner could afford.
Quicksilver was still young. He did not yet have the restless, rebellious demeanor he would develop later. Instead, he seemed somewhat withdrawn, playing games alone.
"I was once considered a friend of your father's."
Ron sat on the basement sofa and smiled.
They had faced powerful enemies together and saved the world. Though they had later gone their separate ways, they could still be called friends.
"You knew my dad?"
At the mention of his father, Quicksilver tossed aside the game controller and turned around in astonishment, surprise and suspicion appearing in his eyes.
"Don't try to fool me just because I'm a kid."
"We fought side by side once."
Looking at the young Quicksilver before him, Ron added another sentence.
"Do you want to know his name?"
"Of course."
Quicksilver's voice rose excitedly, then he grew somewhat despondent. "Everyone has a dad and a mom, but I only have a mom. I don't have a dad."
It was unlike even a divorced family. He did not know his father's name or what he looked like. His mother never told him such things and would not allow him to ask.
"I can tell you who your father is."
"Really?"
"But first, tell me—how fast can your ability go at its fastest right now?"
Ron asked.
"You know about my ability?"
The silver-haired boy froze for a moment before answering.
"At my fastest, I can reach twenty times the speed of sound."
"You know what the speed of sound means?"
Emma asked in surprise. Shouldn't a child barely over ten still be in elementary school?
"The world of speedsters is different from that of ordinary people."
Ron smiled.
Hearing that speed, the concern in his heart eased.
Ability Points: 132,000
Before coming here, he had considered whether to choose Quicksilver's ability or Professor X's ability to try controlling Homelander's mind.
Quicksilver's ability had been his first choice.
That was because Professor X was still young, and his ability had not yet fully matured. When using his power to sense another person's mind, he needed to press his fingers to his temples, using that movement to help focus his attention.
Controlling another person's mind required even greater concentration and could not tolerate distraction.
Moreover, Homelander was not an ordinary person who could be controlled so easily. There were Psionic Ability users in the world of The Boys, but supposedly none of them could affect Homelander. Homelander's brain and mind were also extremely powerful, otherwise he could not endure the overwhelming noise caused by having super-hearing activated.
Of course, Professor X was different from ordinary Psionic Ability users.
"But even if I use Charles's Psionic Ability to temporarily control Homelander, who could help me kill someone that even a nuclear blast couldn't kill?"
Using Charles's ability would amount to a one-for-one exchange, leaving the situation deadlocked.
Moreover, Professor X lacked the rapid reactions needed to deal with speeds above ten times the speed of sound. He could only ever strike first. If Homelander attacked first, it would be troublesome.
There was no such thing as guarding against a thief for a thousand days; only a thief could operate for a thousand days.
By comparison, Quicksilver's ability was the better choice.
But he had always worried that Quicksilver, still so young, was not powerful enough yet.
However, he could finally rest easy now.
"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 this update was late. Sorry.
From now on, I'll choose an earlier time and update on schedule every day, fixing a regular release time.
Before you continue