The Real Scapegoat: Homelander Wants Blood to Flow Like Rivers

"Motherfucker... that damned The Daily Bugle!!"

At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Nick Fury, who had been entrusted with handling the crisis, slammed the phone down viciously.

He had originally intended to threaten John Jameson into voluntarily deleting the related news reports.

But to his surprise, not only had the man refused his demand,

he had also cursed him out with an extremely arrogant attitude and vicious language.

Nick Fury, who usually considered himself the "king of trash talk,"

had been suppressed throughout their verbal clash.

He had been utterly torn apart by the barrage of insults.

If anyone else had dared behave like that, Nick Fury would have long since used underhanded means to throw them into a black site prison.

But he could do nothing about John Jameson.

Not only was the man extremely well-connected, he also had several friends who were senators holding important positions in Congress.

As a result, Nick Fury did not dare use his usual dirty tactics of threats and inducements.

Nor did he dare pull any tricks behind the scenes.

Just as Nick Fury was at his wits' end, his adjutant, Maria Hill, offered him an excellent way to break the deadlock.

"Sir, since public opinion is difficult to sway right now, why don't we take this opportunity to redirect their attention?"

Nick Fury shot her a sidelong glance and said impatiently, "Get to the point. Don't you know I hate people who speak in riddles?"

Maria Hill did not get angry. Instead, she immediately pulled up a clip on the large screen showing Carl fighting Hydra.

"Sir, if I'm not mistaken, these six Hydra superhumans were probably not mutants,

but people who had all used the Temporary Compound V recently developed by Vought Group..."

"Hm?!"

Nick Fury immediately perked up at her words.

After carefully watching the video again, a hint of delight appeared on his dark face. He praised her with faint approval, "Hill, you did well."

"That's right. It's nearly impossible to help the Security Council completely clear itself of responsibility right now.

But as long as we can find a scapegoat with enough weight, the public's attention will soon be successfully shifted onto them."

"That way, we can resolve this urgent crisis while also taking the chance to suppress Vought Group. Killing two birds with one stone!!"

Nick Fury would never miss an opportunity to suppress Vought Group.

"Also, Natasha has obtained the identity of the superhuman in the video from Sokovia.

His name is Carl Mala. He is nineteen years old and was born into an ordinary family in Vycovia. He wasn't a superhuman before,

until more than a week ago, when Hydra agents took him off the street and subjected him to some secret human experiment..."

Maria Hill continued, "When he appeared again, he had already gained an ability similar to Energy Projection. Preliminary estimates suggest that his power is related to Hydra's secret human experiment!"

"It's just that Natasha still can't get close to Hydra's Summit Base. The security measures inside are extremely strict, and ordinary people cannot approach it at all."

"Has Hydra found a way to create superhumans?!"

Nick Fury's brows shot up as he said in an extremely forceful tone:

"Tell Natasha that no matter what methods she uses, she must find out the exact details of that human experiment as soon as possible."

"If Carl Mala's superhuman ability really came from the experiment, then no matter the cost, S.H.I.E.L.D. must acquire this technology..."

"Something this dangerous is safest only when it is in our hands!!"

"If necessary, I can use the Security Council's influence to pressure Sokovia!"

"As for Carl Mala... send someone to find him as soon as possible. I want to meet him personally."

"His ability is extremely powerful. It would be such a pity if he can't be used by me!"

Maria Hill nodded. "Yes, sir."

And so, a "war" to deliberately steer the direction of public opinion began without a sound!

Meanwhile.

Vought Group, completely unaware that it had become the scapegoat,

was holding a fan meet-and-greet for its biggest star, Homelander, in a second-tier city in the western region.

"Hey, my friends, how are you all doing?"

"I'm really happy to see everyone!!"

A blond man dressed almost exactly like Superman descended from the sky amid the citizens' cheers and worship.

"Hey, do me a favor. Tell me, who is the real hero?"

Homelander placed his hands beside his ears and answered his own question. "Is it me? Or those guys calling themselves the Avengers?"

"No, neither... the real heroes are all of you!!!"

The citizens beneath the stage immediately erupted into enthusiastic cheers.

As though they truly were heroes.

After a pause, Homelander put on a slightly sorrowful expression and continued, "Today, before I begin my official speech, there is something I must make clear."

"I, Homelander, absolutely, absolutely cannot tolerate the tragedy of the Battle of New York happening again, nor will I allow this beautiful city to suffer such an attack."

"I will not stand by and let those inhuman alien invaders cross our borders, destroy our wonderful lives, and drag us into the mire of war."

"How should I evaluate the Avengers' pathetic performance in the Battle of New York... a bunch of third-rate heroes?!"

"No. In my opinion, they are not worthy of being called heroes at all. They were more like a group of attendants scratching the backs of those alien invaders."

"Actually, I tried to stop those alien invaders that day, but the authorities ruthlessly refused me!!"

"That's right, those people in power did not want to work hard to protect their fellow citizens. They only wanted those useless Avengers to complete their debut... and because of that, many innocent people lost their lives and homes."

"Just imagine, if the country loosened its restrictions through the Superhuman Rental Act and allowed more people to possess Temporary Compound V.

Then, when facing those alien invaders, hundreds or even thousands of superhumans would step forward and crush those damned alien vermin!!"

The crowd beneath the stage immediately exploded with excitement.

"That's right, we need more superhumans to deal with crises."

"Support the Compound V Legalization Act..."

"Only more superhumans can save America and fight for our freedom!!"

Homelander surveyed the crowd around him as they gradually grew frenzied because of his words, and an indescribable sense of delight and satisfaction filled his heart.

He greatly enjoyed being worshipped by the world.

It made him feel like he was God, a deity who could decide the lives and deaths of these ants!!

But the emergence of the Avengers had seriously threatened his status.

They had also taken away many of his fans, along with the opportunities to bask in the spotlight that had originally belonged to him.

It had gotten to the point where Homelander, who had always stood above everyone else, now had to personally come to such a remote city to campaign.

"Avengers... just you wait. One day, I'll wipe every last one of you out myself!!"

However.

At that moment.

A commotion rose from within the crowd.

A massive flood of news notifications suddenly appeared on many people's phones.

There were articles, pictures, and videos...

And the contents of those reports were nearly identical.

They were all about Vought Group secretly colluding with Hydra and dispatching superhumans to invade the Kingdom of Sokovia.

Even the Security Council's official media had personally entered the fray.

It announced that it had launched an emergency investigation into Vought Group.

It also demanded that Vought Group stop the production and research of Temporary Compound V, or face the harshest sanctions in history!!

This move practically confirmed Vought Group's crimes by implication.

"Liar!!"

"That's right, Vought Group is no different from those alien invaders..."

"Compound V will only bring endless war."

Under the media's deliberate guidance, the public, incapable of discerning the truth, quickly turned their anger toward Homelander and Vought Group.

The more lavishly he had been praised just moments ago, the more viciously he was cursed now!

Homelander was left completely dumbfounded by the insults, barely restraining the urge to activate his laser eyes and slaughter everyone.

After forcing a stiff smile at the crowd, he brought his legs together, bent them, kicked off the ground, and shot into the sky in one fluid motion.

He flew toward Vought Group's headquarters.

He wanted to know what had happened.

If no one could give him a reasonable explanation,

then blood was destined to flow like rivers today!!!