Homelander Gets Slapped in the Face

Whether The Deep would return.

Homelander's attitude was negative, but he clearly wasn't the later Homelander.

Only two days had passed when Edgar sent a message.

[Come to my office]

Lu Heng had originally planned to leave him hanging. Edgar knew Lu Heng's temperament too, so he told Homelander to get Guardian over here.

Homelander came running over eagerly.

He rather enjoyed the feeling of being punished by the teacher alongside his brother.

Starlight had just bought a simple combat suit, only to turn around and toss it back into the washing machine.

"Let's go, Edgar's lapdog."

Lu Heng wasn't very happy.

Homelander had interrupted his fun twice in a row.

He moved at his fastest speed, his adrenaline surging, even reaching twice his usual speed.

Viltrumites were a miraculous species.

When their bloodline merged with that of Earthlings, their combat power was no longer fixed.

Earthlings possessed a mysterious physiological mechanism called living as long as heaven and earth.

In plain terms, it was adrenaline.

Under extreme circumstances, it maximized a person's potential, resulting in a temporary surge in combat power.

And Viltrumites were a warrior race. Their bodies recorded every change; once they became stronger, that strength would be fixed at its peak.

Thus, Lu Heng left Homelander far behind in speed.

Homelander chased after him with great effort, only to find Lu Heng already waiting by the vending machine with two bottles of Pepsi.

"When did you get so fast?"

Homelander looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"Just now."

Lu Heng indicated that this was nothing.

Omni-Man Nolan could even break free of a black hole's event horizon. That was fucking impressive, alright?

"Let's go."

The two entered the elevator one after the other.

Office.

Edgar still had that zombie expression.

Lu Heng had always suspected that Edgar had taken Compound Five too, and that his superpower was being incapable of fear.

He was facing two Supermen at once.

Yet his heartbeat didn't change in the slightest, remaining as steady as ever.

"Sit."

Lu Heng sprawled into a chair and propped his legs up on Edgar's desk.

Homelander kept his knees together and placed his hands on his thighs, sitting as properly as a little lady.

Edgar stared at Lu Heng's posture for a long while.

"Every time I think you might settle down for a while, you always manage to give me some new kind of shock." Edgar folded his hands, the corner of his mouth twitching incessantly.

He actually found Homelander much more pleasing to the eye now.

Homelander was genuinely sick. He couldn't control himself.

But Guardian was simply a bastard!

"Let's talk business first." Lu Heng drank his cola.

Homelander held his bottle without touching it.

"If you're not drinking it, hand it over. Don't waste it!"

Lu Heng snatched the cola away, but Homelander immediately snatched it back at super speed.

"I never said I wasn't drinking it!"

He cracked it open and drank at once.

Edgar ignored their antics and merely issued a warning.

"Stay out of the Church of the Collective matter."

Homelander frowned. "The Deep has seriously damaged our reputation, and you still want to—"

"I said, stay out of it."

There was no fluctuation in Edgar's tone. This matter was not open to discussion.

Homelander rose to his feet and crushed the cola can in his hand.

"Why? I was the one who kicked him out. If he comes back, what does that make me? A laughingstock?"

Edgar stared directly at Homelander, his gaze carrying an oppressive force of its own.

Homelander stood there with his neck stiff for a moment, then nudged Lu Heng with his hand.

Brother, say something!

Am I the only one performing here?

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"Ahem!"

Lu Heng gave a tactical cough. "Why must The Deep return?"

Edgar looked at the two of them in surprise.

Were Homelander and Guardian really this close?

Suppressing his doubts, he explained, "The Church of the Collective has some ties to Vought's founder. Do you know what kind of company Vought originally was?"

Lu Heng said nothing.

Homelander sat back down and tried to imitate Lu Heng's arrogance, though he only dared to cross one leg over the other.

"A pharmaceutical company."

Edgar said, "Vought's founder, Frederick Vought, originally established a pharmaceutical enterprise. Superhumans, the hero industry, an entertainment Imperium—those all came later."

"At its core, Vought has never been a superpowered company. It is a pharmaceutical company that merely strayed down another path halfway through."

Edgar stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, turning his back to them.

"...But now that we've made progress down that other road, we can only grit our teeth and continue. There is no way back."

He turned around, his gaze falling upon Homelander.

"The relationship between the Church of the Collective and Frederick Vought is a board-level matter. They have offered a price we cannot refuse."

Homelander's fists clenched.

Back in the meeting room, he had confidently declared that he would warn the Church of the Collective, only to be warned by Edgar instead?

Wasn't that a resounding slap across his face?

"In short, allowing The Deep to return to The Seven is a decision, not a negotiation."

Edgar said.

Homelander's expression turned ugly.

[Homelander—Emotions underwent a drastic shift: shame, indignation, humiliation, anger, anxiety (losing face before Guardian)]

[Ability points gained: +12,847]

"Any other questions?"

"...N-no!"

Homelander forced the words out through clenched teeth.

"Then that's settled."

Edgar nodded and sat back down.

"You can leave. Guardian stays."

Homelander glanced at Lu Heng and stormed out indignantly.

"You know he can see what's happening in here and hear our conversation, right?"

Lu Heng said.

"I want him to hear it!" Edgar said. "The Church of the Collective is nothing, but they have a few friends in Congress who can help Vought push through certain policies. For now, all you need to do is make sure The Deep stays alive."

"Just keep him alive?"

"Yes. He can stand at events, participate in activities, give speeches, and maintain a presentable image. The rest is beyond our control. You're a smart man. You know what I mean."

Lu Heng nodded. Edgar was a smart man.

The man could keep Homelander in check, and now he was studying how to stroke Guardian's fur the right way.

Interesting!

Lu Heng walked out. Homelander's face was dark as he stared at his own reflection in the wall.

"Wasn't I right before?"

"Any random nobody can kick you, the captain, around."

Homelander puffed out his cheeks and breathed heavily.

He had heard Edgar and Guardian's conversation.

But he could not tolerate compromise.

As long as The Deep returned to the team, his image and approval ratings would decline.

"What can I do? Kill The Deep, or keep assassinating the head of the Church of the Collective?"

Homelander roared furiously.

Lu Heng wiped the spit from his face, looking disgusted.

"Hey, just talk normally. Why the hell are you yelling so loudly?!"

"Sorry, I just... can't control myself!"

Homelander repeatedly clenched his fists and paced around the elevator.

The two waited for quite a while.

The elevator doors still didn't open.

"Fuck! Press the elevator button! So damn unprofessional!" Lu Heng cursed, then poked the elevator button until it exploded.

The red alarm light inside the elevator began flashing.

Homelander: "..."

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