Who Could It Be? Such a Hard Guess, Huh?

Nine o'clock that evening.

Midtown Apartment.

Starlight had just come out of the shower, her hair still wet. She was wearing one of Lu Heng's black T-shirts, the hem barely covering the tops of her thighs.

"Want to wash up? I learned a few moves."

"Oh? You've piqued my interest, woman!"

Lu Heng tossed aside the remote, floated up from the spot, and drifted toward Starlight.

Recently, he had been trying to quit walking.

Starlight took a step back, her back pressed against the hallway wall.

"What are you doing? My hair isn't even dry yet!"

"No need to dry it."

Lu Heng braced one hand against the wall above her head and used the other to pinch her chin, tilting it slightly upward.

Starlight's breathing quickened.

"You're always like this. You don't even bother with foreplay!"

"You don't like it?"

"...Ahem, actually, it's pretty nice."

Lu Heng lowered his head.

Knock, knock knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

"All right, no matter what new knowledge—positions—you learned, next time we can fly up into the clouds. No one will disturb us there."

Lu Heng went to open the door. He had already recognized the knock from outside.

"Who is it?" Starlight asked in a lowered voice.

Lu Heng's expression turned subtle.

"Homelander."

Starlight's face changed instantly. Vought still didn't know that the two of them were living together.

If Ashley Barrett and Edgar found out, they would give them a severe warning.

If Lu Heng knew what she was thinking, he would probably roll his eyes.

If he wanted to fuck someone now, he would fucking do it. No one could stop him. Guardian had said so!

"Go wait in the bedroom. We might need to talk."

Without another word, Starlight ran barefoot into the bedroom and gently shut the door.

Outside, Homelander was still wearing his suit.

Ever since Lu Heng had joined Vought, he had never seen Homelander wear casual clothes.

This time, though, he was carrying a bottle of 2008 Dom Perignon.

"Hey, bro!" Homelander smiled, though his expression was a little unnatural.

It was his first time visiting a good friend's home as a friend, especially after seeing through the door that the two of them had been about to get down to business.

But right now, he needed comfort more.

"I didn't give you advance notice. I hope you don't mind."

Lu Heng glanced at the bottle of champagne.

He had to admit, the whole scene was weird as hell!

"Come in."

Homelander set down the champagne and seriously emphasized one thing.

"I wanted this visit to be more formal, since it's my first time at your place."

"No need to stand on ceremony between us. You look like you're in a bad mood. Want a drink?"

Lu Heng picked up the champagne.

Homelander didn't smoke, drink, or get high. Compared to other superhumans, he was practically a living saint.

But for the moment, he didn't want milk.

"Sure."

Lu Heng floated into the kitchen to get two glasses. Then they stood side by side before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the scenery.

"You were right. I can't oppose Edgar, but it isn't because I'm weak. I just still need him."

As Homelander spoke, the corners of his mouth kept twitching. He looked like a child who had been scolded by his father and could only confide in a friend.

"Uh, whatever makes you happy."

Lu Heng took a sip and frowned.

If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author. Maybe it was just renamed!

A pig couldn't appreciate fine cuisine.

This stuff didn't taste good either!

"I welded the... uh, I think he was called Dr. Vo... Dr. Vogel, the guy who gave me psychological counseling every week, together with his chair."

Homelander calmly recounted his murder.

Just last week, he had taken out a mayor. The man had claimed to know about Compound Five and threatened Ashley Barrett, demanding that the price of the superhumans supplied to his city be lowered to two hundred million dollars a year.

To keep the truth about Compound Five from leaking, Homelander had shot down the plane carrying the mayor and his grandson.

The Seven currently had no superhuman who could dive, so there was no way anyone could retrieve the evidence from the sea.

"The people who lied to you weren't limited to that therapist." Lu Heng considered revealing a few secrets to Homelander.

"I hate people who toy with me. Every one of them will pay the price."

Homelander's fingers tightened slightly, and fine cracks appeared on the glass.

"But you're different."

He suddenly looked at Lu Heng.

"You were the first person to tell me the truth. You, my brother, pulled me out of the mire!"

Lu Heng held his glass. If Homelander knew that he was actually the biggest liar of all, the kid would probably go insane on the spot.

A notification popped up on the panel.

[Key Character: Homelander — Current emotions: gratitude, trust, desire for approval, slight dependence]

[Ability Points Gained: +678]

"You didn't come here just to discuss psychological issues with me, did you?" Lu Heng suddenly asked.

Homelander's emotions had not changed much, which meant he had not really taken this matter to heart.

He had another purpose for coming.

"Sometimes I suspect you can read minds too." Homelander squeezed Lu Heng's left shoulder. "Do you know about the bill Vought has been pushing recently? The one the president vetoed three times and Ashley Barrett has no way to deal with?"

Lu Heng raised an eyebrow. He actually knew exactly which bill Homelander meant.

"The Superhuman Enlistment Act?"

In the original story, this bill had also been Vought's first step toward extending its reach into the military. At first, it really had not gone very smoothly.

Especially after the recent Middle Eastern superhuman incident, the President of America had begun to suspect that Vought was secretly pulling strings, intending to use the opportunity to control America.

Congress had also refused to pass it. Those people in the military had entrenched interests and would never let Vought get a hand in.

Superhuman soldiers were a huge piece of the pie.

Homelander's tone carried a trace of contempt. "Those congressmen are just a bunch of cowards. They're afraid we'll take their piece of the pie."

Lu Heng suddenly understood. Homelander was treating him like Smart-Ape.

"So you want the bill to pass smoothly, to prove yourself?"

"Exactly!"

Homelander smiled. That was why he had come looking for Lu Heng.

"Do you have any ideas about that...?"

Lu Heng and Homelander both turned around at the same time. The bedroom door was slightly ajar, and Starlight was eavesdropping.

"Don't mind her. She's one of us."

Lu Heng did not care in the slightest.

Homelander nodded. Starlight was living with Guardian, which counted as leverage.

Even if he revealed his plan here, Starlight would not dare leak it.

"If... and I mean if... a huge number of superhuman threats suddenly appeared all over the world, so many that even ordinary armies couldn't deal with them, do you think Congress would still refuse?"

Homelander stated his bold plan.

"Mm, not bad." Lu Heng nodded in praise.

Homelander was not stupid. His mental state was just too unstable.

"It's just that I can't find a suitable candidate. Who do you think would be more qualified to do this?" Homelander looked at Lu Heng, eagerly awaiting his answer.

Lu Heng smiled slightly.

Now he understood. Homelander wanted him to do the dirty work!

One second, he was saying they were friends; the next, he was pushing him out front. As long as Guardian dared to do it, Homelander would have leverage over him and would not have to worry about him refusing to obey.

Not bad! Not bad!

"This is simple. Who do you think could travel across the world in an extremely short time, inject Compound Five into terrorists, and leave no evidence behind?"

Lu Heng asked with a smile.

The corners of Homelander's mouth curled upward, his teeth stark white.

"Yeah, who could it be?"

"Obviously A-Train. Who else could it be, me?"