The Worst Possible Outcome

Hughie had already wrapped up the Teddy Bear and walked over, sensing something off in the atmosphere.

Azu turned around and pulled out a credit card. "Much obliged."

Flattered, Hughie took the card, quickly completed the transaction, and handed the bagged Teddy Bear to Azu.

Azu said, "Keep it for now. I'll pick it up later. Right now, I want a word with the detective."

He smiled as he passed Butcher, pushed open the door, and stepped into an alley behind the video store.

He stood with his back to the alley.

After a while.

He heard footsteps.

Azu turned around and saw Butcher walking in with a grim face.

'Butcher' Butcher, one of the main characters of "The Boys."

His whole life was dedicated to overthrowing Supers and taking down Homelander.

What drove him was that Homelander had given him a green hat.

At that moment, Butcher flashed his usual roguish grin. "Looks like you know who I am. So, are you going to kill me here?"

"You've got the recording running, right?"

"Or is it a livestream?"

"Where's the camera? Want me to smile at it? I'm good at that." Azu said nonchalantly.

Butcher froze.

It was just as Azu said—he had a livestream going, hoping to expose Homelander's dirty deeds directly online.

But he hadn't expected Homelander not to care.

Now that he was in too deep, Butcher decided to go all in. He said in a low voice, "Didn't you want to talk to me about 'Becca'?"

"So tell me, who is Becca?"

At that moment, a line of text floated up in Butcher's livestream: Who is Becca?

No one answered. In fact, there weren't even ten viewers.

No help for it—his fan base was too small.

Soon, though, one viewer typed: Oh my god, Homelander, it's really Homelander.

'What kind of god-tier livestream is this, actually getting Homelander on camera.'

'Can I go promote this in other streams?'

Right now, Butcher had no time to reply.

He glared at the man in the stars-and-stripes suit.

Azu smiled. "Becca—isn't she your wife?"

Butcher let out a laugh. "Then why do you know my wife's name?"

Azu pointed at him. "Don't you already know the answer in your heart?"

"I want you to say it out loud. What's the matter, great Homelander too afraid to come clean?" Butcher's eyes began to gleam with excitement, like a hunter who'd caught his prey.

Azu laughed. "I'll just pretend I don't understand your provocation."

"Why do I know your wife's name? Probably because she told me when she was sleeping with me."

"Is that the answer you wanted?"

Butcher's eyes instantly filled with a web of red veins.

In the livestream, the viewer count had already passed a thousand and was still climbing.

Messages scrolled across the screen one after another, no longer quiet like before.

'Oh my god, did I hear that right? Homelander slept with this Butcher guy's wife?'

'Huge drama, absolutely massive drama, guys, spam it up, Homelander 666!'

'No way, the Homelander in my heart isn't like this. Homelander, I'm begging you, don't ruin the image I have of you.'

'Shut up, you idiot above, okay? Homelander's human too. What's the big deal if he sleeps with a woman?'

'But the problem is he slept with a married woman. That's immoral!'

'How do you know? Were you there? Are you Butcher? Do you know if they were divorced?'

The livestream erupted into chaos.

Butcher let out a heavy breath. "Did you just sleep with her?"

"No, you took her illegally, against her will!"

"You're a despicable little man, a filthy coward who won't admit it, who won't face the truth!"

I think you're right.

But Homelander sleeping with your wife—what does that have to do with Azu?

Put away those messy thoughts.

Azu smiled faintly. "This matter is indeed a bit complicated, but I'm not here tonight to defend myself—I'm here to settle things between us."

"You might not believe it, but the me of today is very different from the one you know."

"But it doesn't matter."

"I don't need your approval."

"I just want to resolve this problem."

"Mr. Butcher, if you're willing, I'll give you ten million dollars."

"Also, I'll help you find Becca and send you both out of this country."

"I'll find you a place where no one knows, where no one will disturb you."

"You can rekindle your relationship, start a new life—what do you think of my offer?"

Butcher was stunned again.

He had imagined Homelander flying into a rage, he had imagined Homelander denying everything.

But he never expected Homelander to make such a proposal.

And Becca wasn't dead?

No, that's impossible!

Right, this bastard definitely knows I'm streaming live and said that on purpose!

Butcher's gaze, which had wavered slightly, hardened again.

In the livestream, messages flew across the screen like rain.

'Homelander is a real man, owning up to it—I'm switching to being a fan!'

'Trash, actually sleeping with someone else's wife—I won't like you anymore, Homelander!'

'That's enough, ten million dollars—even if you don't want to wear Homelander's castoffs, you can just find someone new.'

'Idiot, can feelings be measured by money?'

'I declare, Homelander has fallen from grace tonight!'

'But knowing he's live and still admitting it—that courage, I bet 90% of the men in this stream don't have it.'

In the alley.

Butcher laughed, shaking his head. "Money."

"You people always fall back on this."

"Every time, you try to buy us off with money."

"But do you really think it always works?"

"No!"

"Homelander, I'll be watching you."

"I'll peel off that hypocritical mask of yours, layer by layer."

"I'll show the world just how ugly you really are!"

"I'm not done with you."

Azu laughed, his feet lifting slightly off the ground as he rose into the air, looking down at Butcher from above. "You know what?"

"This is the worst outcome."

He had murderous intent.

He wasn't planning to play cat and mouse with Butcher.

Since Butcher refused to reconcile, only one of them would die.

Azu certainly didn't want to die.

Nor did he want to wait for Butcher to come after him later with 'Soldier Boy.'

But just then.

Azu's ear twitched, and he suddenly looked to his left.

In the window of a building, a red light flickered, then glass shattered as a sniper round shot through the air at high speed, heading straight for Azu's forehead.

Azu made no move, letting the sniper round hit his forehead. The bullet instantly compressed, then exploded into countless tiny fragments, falling to the ground.

At the same time, Azu heard a faint gunshot in the distance.

He looked back at the alley—Butcher had already taken the chance to slip away, disappearing into the crowd.

Bang!

Another bullet shattered against Azu's face.

Azu's face immediately darkened.

Being interrupted twice while handling business—that made him very unhappy.

His figure blurred instantly, leaving a blue afterimage as he shot at high speed toward the sniper's location.