The Real Culprit Was Translucent!!

"Mm, I believe you. We're all victims here." Homelander combined Annie's heartbeat with the humiliation she had suffered.

He concluded that Starlight had not done this.

"Guardian, I didn't want to suspect you, but you really have been in the spotlight lately." Homelander looked at Lu Heng again.

Lu Heng had his legs propped up on the table. As for that glass of liquor, he had already set it aside. It tasted awful—nothing like AD Calcium Milk.

Faced with Homelander's questioning, his expression did not change.

"Homelander, you know me. If I had released that video, why would I have cut off the second half?"

He folded his arms, looking thoroughly indignant.

"That was the classic hero-saves-the-damsel moment. If the full video had been posted online, my image would have become the very embodiment of justice!"

"Do I look that stupid to you?"

"Besides, you know Starlight and I get along pretty well."

Annie vouched for him. "I personally guarantee it. Guardian couldn't have done something like this. Everything he does is for the sake of justice."

"He was also the one who proposed this internal cleanup. If he really wanted to screw us over, he could have just released that video directly."

"We wouldn't even have had a chance to salvage the situation."

In the room, only Ashley Barrett cast a subtle glance at Lu Heng.

The day after the video of The Deep's assault surfaced, she had shown it to Madelyn and Lu Heng.

Madelyn absolutely had no motive to do something like this.

Only Guardian could have leaked the video. Should she expose him?

But Starlight was fiercely defending Guardian.

And then there was the matter of making her the new CEO...

Ashley Barrett began to think calmly.

Maeve spoke up as well.

"Annie makes a lot of sense. The Seven rise and fall together. Something that damages our image like this shouldn't have anything to do with one of our own."

Homelander was confused now.

The internal video had been leaked, so the source had to be internal.

But now, everyone seemed to have their own explanation.

And none of them were lying.

He could tell that much.

"Could it have been you?" Homelander instinctively disregarded Madelyn and pointed the finger at Ashley Barrett.

Ashley Barrett sprang from her seat and shook her head in panic.

"It wasn't me, Homelander. You know me—I need this job!"

"We don't have any grudge against each other. I live off the paycheck Vought gives me."

"How could I possibly have the motive to do something like that? Wouldn't that just be slapping myself in the face?"

Ashley Barrett was practically on the verge of tears.

How had this somehow gotten pinned on her?

"Ashley Barrett is the least likely person," Lu Heng said, vouching for her.

Homelander turned around, his face darkening.

"Then who do you think did this?"

"I don't know, but one thing is certain: none of us can benefit from this, or even stay out of it."

Lu Heng said, "The Seven's image has been damaged. As the Justice Supervisor, I've received quite a bit of criticism too. And Maeve, Starlight, Black Noir, and Translu—"

"Wait!"

Lu Heng pretended that he had only just realized it.

"Where's Translucent? Didn't he come to the meeting?"

Everyone was startled, finally coming to their senses—especially Homelander.

He had been wondering why it had felt like something was missing.

Ashley Barrett quickly drove the point home. "Translucent didn't come to the company yesterday afternoon, and he didn't attend today's important press conference either. In fact, we've been trying to contact him for two hours, but he hasn't replied to a single message."

"Translucent is missing?"

Homelander's voice suddenly rose.

"Yes." Ashley Barrett scrolled through the call records on her phone. "His last message was at eleven o'clock the night before last. He said he wasn't feeling well and needed to take leave. After that, he never responded to any messages again."

"What about his phone?"

"It's off."

Translucent.

The member of The Seven with the least presence, yet he always showed up out of nowhere in other places.

Like women's restrooms.

That guy had an extremely troublesome ability: invisibility.

So by all logic, he absolutely could have slipped invisibly into the surveillance room, copied the files, and then disappeared.

He also fit the profile of a spy.

"That bastard..." Homelander ground his teeth until they cracked.

Lu Heng silently gave Billy Butcher a thumbs-up.

Translucent was simply the perfect scapegoat.

"I'm going to find him." Homelander could no longer suppress his fury.

"No matter where he's hiding, I'll find him myself."

"Homelander, calm down." Madelyn spoke up.

"Even if Translucent really is the leaker, going after him yourself isn't the best option. You just finished the press conference, and media across America are watching your every move."

"If you rush out now and search the entire city for someone, the media will use the opportunity to kick you while you're down."

"The image you worked so hard to build will completely collapse again."

Madelyn's analysis was correct, but Homelander could not take it in right now. He breathed heavily, his face twisting through a whole range of emotions.

"Then what do you suggest?" He turned and stared at Madelyn.

"Let him keep hiding? Let that video keep spreading online? Let my approval rating keep dropping?"

"I'll handle it. Just give me a little time," Madelyn said.

"You said the same fucking thing last time!"

Homelander suddenly let out a roar.

Everyone in the room broke out in goosebumps.

"I'm not an idiot, Madelyn. You said you needed three days to arrange the press conference."

"The media should have all been people we arranged in advance. What was with that female reporter?"

"Madelyn, do you think I'm that easy to fool?"

Homelander did not spare Madelyn any dignity.

At this press conference, he had meant to show his face, only to end up exposing his ass!

Madelyn looked wronged. "Homelander, listen to me. She wasn't one of ours..."

"I don't want to hear it."

Homelander turned to Lu Heng.

"Guardian, what do you think?"

Everyone in the room focused their eyes on Lu Heng.

Homelander and Guardian had been at odds from the beginning, but over the past few days, Homelander's attitude had unexpectedly softened.

Meanwhile, Madelyn had made one blunder after another.

Lu Heng picked up the glass of whiskey from the table, swirled it, then set it back down.

Again, this stuff really was no match for AD Calcium Milk.

"I disagree with Madelyn."

Here we go again! Here we go again!!

Madelyn wanted nothing more than to tear Lu Heng apart alive!

If not for him, how could Homelander have lost trust in her?

"Go on. I'm listening."

"We have to find Translucent. He knows too many people's secrets. If he reveals them to hostile forces, Vought could suffer enormous losses."

"But there's no need for you to show up personally, Homelander. Let Vought's security department handle it."

"As the supervisor of The Seven, I bear direct responsibility for this matter. So I'll search the whole city too—America, even the entire world!"

Homelander nodded repeatedly, finding Guardian much more pleasing to the eye.

"The rest of them are useless trash, but you, my brother, are the real hero!"

Homelander excitedly patted Lu Heng on the shoulder.

Lu Heng was not finished yet. He continued, "That's only the first step. Your reputation has already been affected. During this time, we need to stabilize public opinion and prevent the negative comments from escalating further."

"That's right, that's right!" Homelander nodded again and again.

Of course he wanted to catch Translucent, but the current priority was to reduce the negative impact and raise his approval rating again.

"That will require Annie's cooperation."

Lu Heng turned his gaze toward Starlight.

Annie pointed at herself, utterly bewildered.

"Huh? Me?"