25. 3000 Tons of Strength, 30 Mach Speed

Starlight's exclusive interview went live the next day.

The location was an independent news platform.

It was called "Voice of Truth."

This was a small online media outlet with only 300,000 subscribers, known for daring to speak the truth and enjoying a solid reputation among the younger demographic.

Because it was an independent media outlet, it was not under Vought's control, granting it high public trust.

At the same time, being a small platform meant a low barrier to entry, which could prevent Madelyn from intervening.

The host of Voice of Truth was an Asian girl whose temperament was very close to Starlight's; the image of two young women sitting together chatting was inherently infectious.

Girl help girls.

The result was that within five minutes of the broadcast, the number of online viewers exceeded two million.

It hit the trending topics across multiple platforms simultaneously.

Ten minutes later, the number reached five million.

Lu Heng witnessed once again the terrifying traffic and popularity of Starlight.

The host began to ask questions.

"Annie, have you seen that video circulating online?"

Starlight nodded. She wasn't wearing her The Seven uniform today; she was dressed as a regular person, looking very pure.

She looked like an ordinary girl, not a high-and-mighty superhuman or superhero.

This was also the narrative perspective Lu Heng had provided.

To package oneself as a victim, one had to return to the identity of an ordinary person; otherwise, people wouldn't be able to empathize.

It was like how celebrities always say they have it tough, that making money is hard and filming is exhausting, yet their income is thousands of times that of an ordinary person.

How are the common people supposed to empathize with that?

"Is what happened in that video true?"

"It is true."

Starlight's voice trembled, and tears were almost falling from the corners of her eyes.

Her posture was pitiful and touching.

Even Homelander, watching from outside the screen, couldn't help but praise her acting skills.

"On the second night after I joined The Seven, The Deep found me and laid his hands on me in the conference room."

"I was very scared at the time. I didn't know what to do. He was a veteran, and I was a newcomer. I wasn't even sure if resisting him would cost me my spot in The Seven."

The live stream's chat exploded upon hearing this.

[My heart aches for Annie!]

[The Deep is a beast!]

[What on earth is Vought doing?]

[This is oppression! This is tyranny!]

[Damn The Deep, no wonder I never liked him, that bastard!]

[Do you guys think Starlight is still a virgin?]

[Kid upstairs! Don't make your sister Annie laugh!]

The host handed her a tissue. Starlight clutched it in her hand and continued.

"But that video is not complete. The second half was intentionally cut out by someone."

"What was in the second half?" the host immediately pressed.

"It was the Guardian kicking the door open to stop The Deep."

The host cut to the full version of the video at the right moment.

On screen, Lu Heng kicked the conference room door off its hinges, the runes on his uniform particularly striking.

He stood in front of Starlight, blocking The Deep.

"Shut up!"

The Deep tried to explain, but was silenced by Lu Heng's single command.

What followed was the two of them confronting each other.

The Deep tried to use his status to suppress the Guardian.

But the Guardian was undaunted, upholding fairness and justice.

In the end, Starlight really didn't give in!

The number of online viewers in the live stream broke through ten million.

The speed at which the chat scrolled was too fast for the naked eye to follow; one could only see the text flowing like a torrent.

Swish, swish, swish!

[Guardian!!! My superman!]

[You are the true hero!]

[I'm crying, I'm actually crying.]

[The big head or the little head?]

[Vought doesn't deserve a hero as wonderful as Guardian!]

[He really is! I'm crying to death!]

[I never expected Guardian to remain untainted by the cesspool that is Vought. Well done!!]

Next, Starlight began the Homelander narrative.

"After the incident, Guardian reported the matter to Homelander."

"Homelander was furious. He had been secretly investigating the issues with The Deep and A-Train, gathering evidence all the while."

"This press conference was a formal decision made by Homelander after he had secured sufficient evidence."

"But some people didn't want the truth to be revealed in the right way, so they stole the video and deliberately cut the second half, trying to turn this into a scandal to strike at The Seven."

"They aren't just hurting me; they are hurting Guardian, hurting Homelander, and hurting everyone who believes in justice!"

Starlight spoke with great sincerity because she truly believed in this narrative.

At least most of it was true...

Guardian had indeed saved her.

Homelander had indeed kicked The Deep off the team.

Everyone, if you encounter advertisements like "Are you a real person?", ignore them and close them. Do not scan any QR codes or send text messages!

The exclusive interview lasted for forty-five minutes.

The peak number of concurrent viewers reached twenty-three million.

This figure allowed the small media outlet "Voice of Truth" to break into the mainstream and become known to the public.

Less than an hour after the interview ended, the tide of public opinion shifted by one hundred and eighty degrees.

The story of Guardian saving the damsel in distress went viral across the entire internet.

The claim that Homelander had been investigating in secret was also widely accepted, and his approval rating not only stopped falling but began to climb.

It was even 0.8 percentage points higher than it had been before the press conference.

Guardian's public image had already entered the top five for favorability among all superhumans in America.

Even the decline in Vought's stock price halted and began to recover.

Edgar put down the newspaper and looked at Madelyn on the sofa nearby.

"You said Guardian was a spy? It doesn't seem that way now."

"He is just a young man with immature ideas who still holds onto basic ideals of justice. We have seen countless people like this in the past, but this time, not only did you fail to spot it, you even managed to annoy him."

"That would be one thing, but you failed to view the world from the company's perspective. Let this matter rest; I will report it to the board of directors."

"From now on, Ashley will take over the authority for public relations. You stay put and deal with that Godolkin matter."

Madelyn clenched her fists tightly.

To prevent her from causing trouble, Lu Heng had deliberately chosen a small, independent media outlet.

She hadn't even had time to intervene.

Now, even Edgar no longer believed her version of events.

On the other side, Lu Heng opened his system panel.

The numbers on it began to climb.

Current Ability Points: 99,214 / 100,000

Lu Heng watched as the numbers on the panel ticked upward bit by bit.

99,800

99,900

99,950

[Congratulations to the host, Ability Points have reached 100,000/100,000]

[Level Up: Lv.2 → Lv.3]

[Unlocking new abilities...]

Lu Heng opened his eyes.

An unprecedented power surged from the depths of his body, as scorching as molten lava.

Every cell in his body was restructuring, strengthening, and evolving.

Muscle fibers, bone density, sensory acuity... all climbed drastically.

[Level: Lv.3]

[Strength: 3,000 tons]

[Speed: Mach 30]

[Defense: Tactical nuclear weapon immunity]

[New Abilities: Unobstructed X-ray vision, Omega Beams]

[Space Flight: 2 weeks]

[Current Ability Points: 0 / 250,000]

Lu Heng looked at the data on the panel and took a deep breath.

Three thousand tons of strength! Mach 30 speed!

An Elite Warrior of Viltrum!

Though, one of the weaker ones.

Because he had only upgraded his bloodline; combat power required a lifetime of accumulation. According to the Viltrumite age hierarchy, Lu Heng's current age was comparable to a newborn infant.

But he had gained two additional abilities.

X-ray vision and Omega Beams.

This was insane!

Viltrumites didn't possess X-ray vision or energy beams at all; it seemed the system he carried was a heavily modified, enhanced version.

Lu Heng raised his head and looked toward the chimney of an abandoned building in the distance.

He narrowed his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, two points of red light ignited.

Sizzle—

Two searing red beams shot from his pupils, striking the chimney five hundred meters away with pinpoint accuracy.

The metal chimney turned red instantly under the intense heat, softening and slowly collapsing like a candle.

Could these Omega Beams be the Darkseid version?

Lu Heng blinked, his eyes feeling no discomfort whatsoever.

That hadn't even been full-power output.

Good!

He could be Homelander's daddy now!

On the panel, new mission prompts popped up.

[Mission Updated]

[Main Mission: Establish an irreplaceable position within Vought]

[Side Mission: Find Translucent]

[Side Mission: Butcher's next move]

[Side Mission: The Seven - Cate and Jordan]

[Side Mission: Edgar's favor]