Homelander: Letting You Play Captain for Once

By the time Lu Heng flew back to Vought Tower, night had already fallen.

Manhattan's lights spread out beneath him.

Butcher's crew probably would not cause trouble again anytime soon.

Lu Heng had Butcher by the throat. Butcher could only obey Daddy like a good little dog.

As for Compound Five, they could investigate it all they wanted.

He was not a conventional superhuman. Judging by the purity of his bloodline, he was not even human anymore.

Lu Heng had originally planned to find Queen Maeve.

To stir up some emotions in that mature beauty and rack up another wave of ability points.

His phone suddenly buzzed.

Ashley sent him a message: "Could you come to the meeting room? Someone wants to see you."

Another message followed: "It's good news! Definitely good news! I swear!"

Then another: "Please, just reply to me."

The corner of Lu Heng's mouth twitched.

Ashley was still as humble as ever. Living in a world of superhumans, anxiety had seeped into her bones.

The Seven's conference room.

When Lu Heng pushed open the door, Ashley was standing beside the long table, with someone beside her.

A white man who looked like the younger brother from Supernatural.

This was Mr. Marathon, the speedster meant to replace A-Train.

But whenever Lu Heng saw him, he thought of Sam Winchester.

"Mr. Guardian!"

The man took the initiative to step forward and held out his hand.

"I'm Marathon. It's an honor to receive your favor."

Lu Heng did not shake his hand. He merely floated in midair and gave him a glance.

Marathon. His home was full of baby oil, and he occasionally liked to smoke the pure stuff.

Lu Heng did not want to know what had stained the man's hands.

Marathon's hand froze in midair, then he wisely withdrew it. The smile on his lips did not fade.

"Your personal recommendation alone is already an immense honor to me!"

Marathon treasured this interview opportunity.

Lu Heng landed, casually pulled out the chair at the head of the table, and sat down.

"Ashley, explain."

Ashley immediately switched into work mode.

"After A-Train and The Deep's positions opened up, The Seven is currently short two members. As you and Homelander instructed, we need at least one speedster to fill A-Train's vacancy."

Two photographs appeared on the projection screen.

One was Marathon, and the other was Shockwave.

After introducing Marathon's detailed statistics, Ashley went on at length about Shockwave.

"We've already spread word across social media. The topic #WhoWillBecomeTheNewestMemberOfTheSeven is currently ranked third nationwide, behind only your and Homelander's daily activities."

Ashley spoke faster and faster, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

The value of a workhorse's life lay in creating value for the boss.

Ashley was clearly that kind of person.

"No matter who we choose in the end, this wave of attention will raise The Seven's profile another level. The public likes talent shows, competition, and picking sides. I designed a two-week public voting phase—"

"Ashley."

Lu Heng cut her off.

"How much did Shockwave pay you?"

The conference room immediately fell silent. Marathon's expression turned subtle.

Ashley's smile froze on the spot.

"I... what?"

"Don't play dumb."

Lu Heng crossed one leg over the other and tapped the armrest with his fingers. "The voting segment you designed clearly gives Shockwave's initial promotional resources preferential treatment."

"You gave her the homepage recommendation slot, put her topic tag first, and even placed Shockwave on the left in the comparison image. People naturally read from left to right. Putting her on the left is deliberately nudging the public."

"Th-that's just a layout habit—"

"You've been doing pretty well for yourself lately. I noticed when I flew back that you replaced the car in your parking spot with a new Porsche Cayenne?"

"And Mr. Marathon's proposal was internally finalized from the start. I never suggested any extra options, so why did you bring Shockwave into this?"

Ashley's heartbeat quickened, and her face visibly drained of color.

"I-I can explain..."

"No! No! No! No need to explain!"

Lu Heng stood and walked over to Ashley.

Ashley instinctively took half a step back, but Lu Heng merely patted her shoulder.

"Ashley, you don't need to be nervous."

Lu Heng's tone suddenly softened.

"You're a smart person. Smart people wanting to make more money is perfectly normal. After all, you're under a lot of pressure, and you need to splurge to relieve it. But I don't care whose benefits you accepted. I only care who you listen to. Understand?"

Ashley raised her head and met Lu Heng's gaze.

Unexpectedly, Lu Heng was actually more human than Homelander.

He had exposed her, yet he was still forgiving her actions?

If it had been Homelander, her brain would have already been turned to jelly.

Beside them, Mr. Marathon stared at the tabletop. What a table this table was!

"Good girl!"

Lu Heng returned to the seat at the head of the table.

[Ashley Barrett—emotions surged: sense of belonging, loyalty, gratitude]

[Ability points gained: +8,734]

Marathon did not even dare speak. The two people before him were making an outright deal, and it concerned his own future prospects.

"Oh, right." Lu Heng seemed to remember something. "Do you have any plans tonight?"

Ashley froze for a moment, then her face reddened slightly.

"I... I'm free tonight..."

"Then help me check Queen Maeve's recent schedule."

Ashley: "..."

"Queen Maeve..."

Ashley cleared her throat and switched back into work mode. "Speaking of that, I was just about to discuss something with you and Homelander. We recently received some information..."

She lowered her voice. Marathon wisely covered his ears.

"Queen Maeve might be... homosexual. Paparazzi photographed her with a woman at a bar in the West Village..."

"Who's homosexual?"

The door was pushed open.

Homelander strode in, his cape trailing behind him.

Maeve followed closely behind him.

Maeve wore her signature heroine armor. Her expression was as cold as ever, but the instant she saw Lu Heng, her gaze quickly shifted away.

"I-I was just saying—"

"I heard you."

Homelander sauntered over, a hint of amusement at the corners of his mouth.

"Maeve's homosexual? Interesting!"

His gaze moved between Lu Heng and Maeve. Then when Lu Heng had taken Maeve away last time, had he not done anything at all?

Well, well!

Lu Heng was interested in Maeve, while Maeve liked women. What a love triangle!

This was far more exciting than any reality show produced by Vought.

"Just find somewhere to sit."

Lu Heng tilted his chin at Homelander.

Homelander glanced at Lu Heng's seat. That was his seat at the head of the table.

Lu Heng clearly had no intention of giving it up.

Homelander's mouth twitched. Then he suddenly laughed and sat down to Lu Heng's right.

"I'll let you play captain for once today and enjoy yourself, bro!"

Marathon finally found a chance to make his presence known.

He walked up to Homelander, held out his hand, and plastered an enthusiastic smile across his face.

"Mr. Homelander! I'm Marathon. Meeting you in person is truly..."

Homelander did not even raise his eyelids.

Marathon's smile stiffened.

Fine, fine, this was how all of them were going to play it, huh!

"Marathon."

Lu Heng spoke.

"Sir! I'm right here!"

Marathon immediately straightened his back.

The awkward atmosphere from before vanished without a trace.

"What work arrangements do you have recently?"

Marathon's eyes lit up. The other man was finally paying attention to him.

When everyone encounters ads asking "Are you a real person?", there is no need to respond. Just close them. Do not scan QR codes or send text messages!