How Am I Supposed to Make This Up???

The day they returned to the Midtown Apartment.

Starlight greeted them wearing a rather suggestive battle outfit. The moment she opened the door, Cate's jaw nearly hit the floor.

In her eyes, Starlight was America's sweetheart, pure and sweet. Who'd have thought she was so uninhibited in private?

Starlight hurriedly covered herself with her cape and glared at Lu Heng. Why had he brought another blonde girl home?

"Annie, Cate's just here to visit. You don't have to give her such a warm welcome."

Lu Heng looked a little awkward.

It wasn't that two wouldn't work, but with both of them being blondes, he might get tired of the same look.

"Um, Guardian, I'd better get going. You two have fun!"

Cate fled as if her life depended on it.

Maybe Starlight was pretty strong too. After all, a woman without a certain... natural advantage probably couldn't handle a superhuman of the Guardian's caliber.

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable!

That day, the whole building lost power again.

This time, the outage affected half the block. The electrician who came to fix the fuse was breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Get a Romani person to come take a look. There's something seriously weird about this place."

"More than ten fuses have blown this month. I think it might be some kind of evil spirit."

"Don't forget to invite a priest over!"

After replacing the fuse, the electrician tripped on his way out.

He immediately crossed himself.

"G-Guardian, I feel like my powers have gotten a lot stronger lately. I think I can even fly now."

Starlight said.

"Really? You just have to train with this stuff. The more you train, the stronger you get!"

Starlight's physical fitness kept improving with each practice session.

She had a new experience every time, but it didn't give him any more ability points.

Lu Heng wondered if he should come up with something to try with Cate.

After all, ability points were just too good.

Who wouldn't want to evolve into Super Zhou Shuren?

It was the middle of the night before they finally fell asleep. Not long afterward, Ashley called.

"Mr. Guardian, Vought has arranged an exclusive interview for two this afternoon. CNN's star host is flying in personally, specifically to interview you."

"Why is she targeting me? Send me her information. I'll make her disappear from the face of the earth."

Ashley checked her call list again and again, making sure she'd called Guardian and not Homelander.

She had the strangest feeling.

As Guardian's strength kept increasing, he seemed to be developing a touch of Homelander's ego.

He used to call himself a partner in justice.

Yesterday, he'd gone straight to "I am justice."

Those were two very different things.

People had already begun criticizing Guardian's remarks from the day before, indirectly accusing him of representing iron-fisted tyranny.

The kind that was even more domineering than Homelander.

Lu Heng had no idea. What he had noticed was that the philtrum beneath his nose had been itching lately, as if he were about to grow a mustache.

"Guardian, you've misunderstood. It's not that she's targeting you. She's only interviewing you," Ashley corrected herself.

"Oh, I see!"

Lu Heng scratched his head. He wasn't sure if he was still half asleep or if his bloodline enhancement was making him too Viltrumite.

After all, Viltrumites weren't exactly known for their cultural sophistication.

"I'm not going."

"Uh, Edgar personally approved this."

"Fuck Edgar! Pass along my exact words."

Lu Heng hung up.

The moment his head hit the pillow, he called Ashley again.

"Ashley, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Huh?"

Ashley touched her temple. How had Guardian changed the subject so quickly?

A bookshelf grouping feature has been added, letting you add multiple books to a group for easier organization. Please share any suggestions after trying it out, and we'll make improvements.

"Oh, never mind. Forget I asked."

Lu Heng had just hung up.

Annie's eyes gleamed from the other side of the pillow as she stared right at him, as if she'd picked up on a keyword.

"Let's sleep. We're going to sleep."

Lu Heng moved right in close.

"No, I'm completely exhausted..."

"Burn your small universe and push beyond your limits. I believe you can do it!"

After that encounter, Starlight had well and truly learned her lesson.

Meanwhile.

Ashley hung up and sat in her chair, rubbing her thighs together.

She bit her lip, then picked up her phone again.

"Eddie, we're done. Don't contact me again."

"Why are we breaking up? Because you're a pathetic little bitch!"

"Don't come looking for me at Vought. I don't want Guardian to get the wrong idea!"

Ashley put down her phone and let out a long breath.

If it was Guardian, she could totally accept it. He was one of the most powerful superhumans in the world, and he was a superhuman who didn't give a damn about even Edgar.

A man like that was so much better than the deadbeat she had at home.

Two in the afternoon.

Lu Heng returned to Vought for work.

Edgar had made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

He'd increased Lu Heng's pay tenfold and put him in charge of promoting the Superhuman Crime Response Unit. He'd also spoken to the White House, so Lu Heng could now carry out international crime-fighting operations anywhere America had troops stationed.

Vought would also launch a massive publicity campaign to make sure every one of Guardian's actions reached the people of America.

And even the rest of the world.

The studio on the first floor of Vought Tower was ready.

The lights, cameras, and teleprompter were all in place.

CNN's star host, Jessica, was already seated in the interviewer's chair.

She was one of America's most-watched news anchors. She'd interviewed three presidents, two Nobel Peace Prize winners, and countless celebrities and politicians.

But today, her palms were sweating.

Because this time, she wasn't interviewing some celebrity or politician. She was interviewing a powerful superhuman whose Heat Vision alone could inflict damage on the level of a nuclear weapon.

She was scared shitless!

But if she could pull off this interview, she was sure her career would reach new heights.

When Lu Heng walked into the studio, everyone there, including the host, stood to greet him.

Only after he'd calmly taken his seat did the others dare sit down.

"Mr. Guardian, it's an honor to interview you."

"Not at all."

Lu Heng sat casually, one leg crossed over the other.

Jessica returned to her seat.

The live broadcast began.

"Mr. Guardian, first of all, congratulations on successfully killing the terrorist Farid. The footage from yesterday has been discussed all over the world. Could you share how you felt in that moment?"

"Uh, Farid's bathroom wasn't very well built."

Jessica froze. What did that have to do with the bathroom?

"I mean, how did the battle feel? Did you feel any pressure facing an S-class superhuman terrorist?"

"Oh, no."

"Not at all?"

"No. It just took one chop. Nothing complicated."

Jessica's smile stiffened.

This wasn't right!

According to the usual script, he should've said how difficult the battle had been. How they'd gone back and forth, neither side gaining the upper hand—or maybe even how the other guy had nearly beaten him. Then, at the crucial moment when he was about to lose...

...he should've remembered his family, the people of America, and his duty to protect the country's freedom. Then he would've powered up and killed his opponent.

And he shouldn't sound so casual. He needed to shed a few manly tears so everyone could see that even a tough guy had a tender side.

How was she supposed to spin this...? How was she supposed to make this up as she went along...?