A Transaction

Edgar was silent for a moment before speaking quietly. "Homelander, you can't just place a nail beside me like this."

Azu smiled, jerking his chin toward 'Starlight' not far away. The young girl was curiously looking around.

The black man shook his head. "She's not a nail."

Azu shrugged, then leaned forward slightly to whisper in Edgar's ear.

"I think you know it was me who kicked that lady out."

"But you brought her back."

"So let's not play the 'I'm innocent' game, shall we?"

Edgar's eyes flickered. After a moment, he looked up and smiled. "You win."

"Alright."

"A deal."

"We're good at this, aren't we?"

"No problem. What's your friend's name? I'll arrange for her to study by my side. I'll teach her all the tricks."

"Though I don't know what you're planning, I trust you, Homelander."

Azu gently pressed the black man's shoulder. "Pleasure working with you."

Then he clapped his hands and laughed loudly. "Welcome, Miss Annie."

"No, should I call you 'Starlight'?"

Starlight looked nervous, flashing a sweet smile. "Thank you, Homelander."

"Oh, can I have your autograph?"

Azu looked her up and down. "Where were you planning to have it signed?"

Starlight quickly pulled out a notebook, flipped to a page, and handed it to Azu.

Azu smiled, signed his name on the blank page, then called Ashley over and had the assistant show 'Starlight' around the place.

"Well, I'll be off."

"Your friend can come find me on the 88th floor anytime."

Edgar waved his hand.

The Deep hurried forward two steps. "Mr. Edgar, what about me?"

Edgar glanced at him and smiled. "I heard Homelander has an assessment for you all. Do well, The Deep."

"No, I—"

Before The Deep could speak, Edgar walked out of the command hall.

The Deep looked awkwardly at Homelander, seeming at a loss.

Watching this turncoat, Azu curled his lips into a smile, walked over to him, and gently patted The Deep's shoulder.

"You and Mr. Edgar get along pretty well."

The Deep shuddered and quickly said, "Boss, let me explain."

"It's just that Mr. Edgar called me in for a talk. You know, I had to listen to him, so—"

"It's fine."

Azu reached out and draped an arm over his shoulder. "Really, it's fine, The Deep. I'm not holding it against you."

"Speaking of which, Mr. Edgar just mentioned the assessment too."

"How about we get that done today?"

The Deep forced himself to keep smiling. "Whatever you say, boss."

"But, should we call the others?"

"Or maybe we could do a livestream. The ratings would be great."

Azu grinned. "No, no, no. Like I said before, we're done with reality shows. So livestreams and all that are in the past too."

"Got it?"

The Deep barely managed a smile. "Got it."

"Then let's go." Azu clapped his hands and walked toward the hall. "I'll wait for you at the dock."

He turned back, his smile bright. "The Deep, you're not going to run away, are you?"

Then, without waiting for The Deep's answer, Azu walked out of the hall.

The wind at the dock was strong.

Azu arrived early. After waiting 25 minutes, The Deep finally showed up.

"So, buddy, you ready?"

Azu spread his arms and asked loudly.

The Deep said bitterly, "Boss, I'm not feeling too well today. Can we do this another day?"

Azu rested one hand on his hip while waving the other, beckoning The Deep over.

Once The Deep was close, Azu whispered in his ear, "Run!"

The Deep froze, looking at Azu.

He saw the golden-haired white man's face beaming with a bright smile, yet his eyes held not a trace of warmth.

Suddenly understanding, he lunged toward the dock, dove in a single leap, and plunged into the water.

The moment he hit the water, The Deep shot downward like a submarine, then blasted off like a torpedo.

His swimming speed underwater was no joke!

In the blink of an eye, Azu lost sight of him.

Azu smirked, then blasted into the air with a boom, paused briefly, and flew toward the sea like a jet.

Scanning the surface, he quickly spotted his target hiding beneath the waves.

The Deep!

Azu swooped down toward the sea, and the next second, he plunged into the water.

He tore through the seawater, flying underwater at full speed toward The Deep.

The moment he caught sight of The Deep's back, Azu's eyes lit up, and two deep crimson beams blasted forth, slicing through the water toward his target.

The Deep, alert even underwater, veered off course, letting the two beams graze past him, then twisted and dodged with agile movements, evading the sweeping laser fire.

After a moment, Azu stopped firing, his smile still in place. Seeing The Deep still kicking, he wasn't in a hurry to finish him off.

Just then, information flickered across his retina.

code
[Your 'Laser Eyes +1' proficiency is maxed.]
[Now upgrading to 'Laser Eyes +2'.]
[Laser Eyes +2: Cutting power +110%, Penetration +50%, Overall power +85%. Attacks will be accompanied by an 'Explosion' effect. The 'Explosion' effect can be manually toggled on or off.]
[You have gained a derived talent 'Insight' upon upgrading 'Laser Eyes'.]
[Insight: Allows you to obtain basic information about a target.]

Laser Eyes had leveled up.

And he'd even gained a derived talent!

Azu was in a good mood as he used 'Insight' on The Deep.

Instantly, some information appeared before him.

code
[Name: The Deep]
[Life Level: Level 4 (Super)]
[Status: Panicked]

That's it?

Azu studied the information, which looked similar to his own status panel.

Still, this info was pretty sparse.

It didn't even show what talents The Deep had.

Looked like only after 'Insight' leveled up would it reveal more.

Just then, Azu noticed schools of fish swimming toward him from all directions.

He saw The Deep point at him, and countless sea creatures charged at him in a frenzy.

You've got to be kidding me?

Did he really think these ocean critters could stop him?

Azu couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. He suddenly accelerated, blasting a trail of bubbles through the water, and slammed straight into the fish swarm.

Countless sea creatures were crushed to pulp on impact.

The Deep could understand the language of sea life, so his ears were filled with the screams and wails of dying creatures.

He covered his ears, then watched the approaching Homelander. Gritting his teeth, The Deep raised both hands and shoved them forward with all his might.

The seawater roared, forming a powerful underwater current that blasted toward Azu like a cannon.

Azu charged straight through it as if it were nothing, shattering the current on impact. Then his eyes lit up, and two red laser beams howled forward.

The Deep scrambled upward, letting the two beams pass beneath his feet.

But this time, though the lasers missed, they suddenly expanded.

The light swelled rapidly, and the next second, the laser beams exploded violently, birthing a red fireball in the sea.

The shockwave from the blast sent a violent upward current surging, lifting The Deep and hurling him out of the water, tossing him into the air!