Chapter Summaries

Lin Mo took Joanna out for a flight and a beach trip instead of searching for Butcher. After seeing Robin’s remarkable recovery, Butcher decided Hughie was no longer useful to his investigation and approached his old teammate Mother's Milk for help.

• Lin Mo asked Joanna where she wanted to go, then flew with her from Vought Tower after she chose the beach.
• Butcher watched Vought’s video showing Robin walking normally after her injuries and suspected the recovery concealed something unusual.
• Butcher decided Hughie had chosen to trust Lin Mo and Robin, so he would look to his old teammates instead.
• Butcher visited Mother's Milk, showed him footage of Robin before and after her recovery, and asked how Vought had healed her so quickly.

Butcher recruited Mother's Milk and Frenchie to investigate Vought after showing them videos of Robin's rapid recovery. Meanwhile, Lin Mo spent the day with Joanna before noticing something at the Vought hospital as they flew home.

• Mother's Milk agreed to help Butcher investigate Vought after Butcher reminded him there was still more to uncover.
• Butcher showed Frenchie videos of Robin's recovery, and Frenchie's curiosity led him to join the investigation.
• Butcher, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie sat down together to examine Vought's interview about Superman, Lin Mo.
• Lin Mo took Joanna on a day out, and they flew home together after dark.
• Lin Mo stopped in midair and looked toward the Vought hospital where he and Joanna had stayed before.

Butcher, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie searched the hospital for clues about Robin’s recovery and discovered that Vought was injecting babies with Compound V to give them superpowers. They photographed the records and planned to take samples, while Lin Mo watched their discovery from afar.

• Lin Mo used his Super Hearing and vision to notice several suspicious visitors inside the hospital.
• Butcher, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie entered the hospital to investigate Robin’s treatment.
• The three found a baby with glowing red eyes and noticed an unusual IV connected to the child.
• Frenchie identified the fluid as Compound V, and Butcher found records describing the babies’ responses to the injections.
• Frenchie photographed the babies, the medication, and the records as the group realized Vought was manufacturing Supes.
• Butcher said they needed to take samples back.

Butcher, Frenchie, and Mother's Milk gathered Compound V and records from the hospital, while Lin Mo and Joanna watched from outside. When the group tried to leave, Lin Mo and Joanna appeared in the doorway, leaving Butcher and his companions trapped; Lin Mo studied Butcher’s wary but not intensely hateful reaction to Joanna.

• Frenchie collected Compound V samples and Mother's Milk gathered documents while Butcher vowed quietly to avenge Becca.
• Lin Mo overheard Butcher mention Becca and, after discussing him with Joanna, decided to meet him face-to-face.
• Frenchie hid the samples, and Butcher told the group to leave the hospital with their evidence.
• Homelander and Superman appeared in the doorway, stopping Butcher, Frenchie, and Mother's Milk from escaping.
• Lin Mo watched Butcher react to Joanna and noticed that he showed caution and hostility, but no intense hatred.

Butcher confronted Lin Mo and Joanna in Vought's hospital and openly accused Vought of covering up its heroes' crimes and secretly injecting babies with Compound V. Lin Mo listened as Butcher laid out his case, leaving their response unresolved.

• Lin Mo asked Butcher, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie why they were in the hospital, and Butcher decided not to invent an excuse.
• Butcher told Lin Mo they were investigating Vought's crimes, surprising Mother's Milk and Frenchie with his bluntness.
• Lin Mo asked what they had found, and Butcher described Tek Knight breaking a woman's spine during a rescue.
• Butcher accused Vought of silencing victims with payouts and nondisclosure agreements and hiding heroes' private misconduct.
• Butcher pointed to the equipment and condemned Vought for injecting babies with Compound V while presenting Supes as a divine gift.

Lin Mo learned from Butcher that The Deep had raped Becca, Butcher’s wife, after which she disappeared. The conversation then returned to Compound V, and Butcher condemned the Supes as drug-made bastards.

• Lin Mo told Butcher that he did not care about Vought’s secrets, then revealed that he remembered Butcher and Becca from years ago.
• Butcher asked whether Lin Mo wanted to know what had happened to Becca and rejected Vought’s claim that she had simply left her job.
• Butcher said The Deep had raped Becca and that she had never come home afterward.
• Lin Mo was shocked by the accusation and considered bringing The Deep in for questioning, while Joanna showed no interest in defending him.
• Butcher examined the Compound V equipment and criticized Supes as people whose powers came from drugs.

Lin Mo considered recruiting Butcher and his team into Vought after Butcher questioned his use of Compound V and challenged his attitude toward the company. He admitted that he disliked many things Vought did, then stunned Butcher by saying he was considering hiring them.

• Joanna reacted angrily when Butcher generalized that all Supes were alike, and Lin Mo calmed her by squeezing her hand.
• Lin Mo considered Butcher's skills and influence over Mother's Milk and Frenchie, then thought about recruiting the group into Vought.
• Butcher asked whether Robin had been healed with Compound V, and Lin Mo confirmed that she had.
• Butcher pointed out that Lin Mo could kill them to keep Vought's secrets but had chosen to speak with them, and he asked whether Lin Mo opposed Vought's actions.
• Lin Mo said he disliked many things people at Vought did and revealed that he was considering recruiting Butcher and his team.

Lin Mo offered Butcher a place at Vought investigating its heroes and holding them accountable, including The Deep if Butcher could prove his accusations. Butcher remained unwilling to work for Vought, though Lin Mo’s proposed oversight plan caught his interest.

• Lin Mo offered to help Butcher get justice against The Deep if Butcher brought him evidence, and invited him to work for Vought.
• Butcher refused, insisting he could handle The Deep without Lin Mo’s help.
• Lin Mo proposed changing Vought’s rules so heroes and company staff could no longer escape consequences through lawyers and public relations.
• Lin Mo asked Butcher to investigate heroes and the people covering up their misconduct, promising to act on the evidence.
• Butcher asked whether Lin Mo would still want him to investigate a hero who made Vought a lot of money, and Lin Mo told him to investigate.

Lin Mo persuaded Butcher to investigate Vought from the inside and accepted a USB drive containing video evidence about The Deep. Lin Mo planned to investigate the accusation and make major changes at Vought, including pushing Edgar toward retirement.

• Lin Mo told Butcher that anyone implicated in wrongdoing, including Vought’s higher-ups and those who covered things up, would face consequences, and Butcher agreed to keep an eye on them from inside the company.
• Butcher privately remained wary of Vought and planned to leave if Lin Mo failed to act on evidence he uncovered.
• Lin Mo received no Energy Points for Butcher’s verbal agreement and resolved to wait for Butcher to see whether he meant his promises.
• Lin Mo decided to investigate The Deep’s alleged assault and considered making changes at Vought’s upcoming shareholders’ meeting, including having Edgar retire.
• Butcher gave Lin Mo a USB drive containing video related to Becca’s incident, and Lin Mo said he would review it before deciding what to do next.
• Mother’s Milk and Frenchie wondered how their investigation had led to Butcher discussing work for Vought, while Mother’s Milk felt relieved they could leave alive.

Lin Mo invited Butcher and his team to Vought’s shareholders’ meeting, where he planned to introduce new policies about Supes and debut Starlight. After they left, Lin Mo considered a future plan to give powers to the entire population.

• Mother's Milk realized Lin Mo’s offer could let the team investigate problematic heroes openly through Vought.
• Lin Mo told Butcher he would address new Supe policies at the shareholders’ meeting and invited him to attend.
• Butcher agreed to come, hoping Lin Mo would help him settle his grudge against The Deep, and Lin Mo asked the team to support Starlight’s debut.
• Mother's Milk and Frenchie left, followed by Butcher, who took the materials and Compound V samples without Lin Mo objecting.
• Lin Mo decided the stolen information was unimportant and reconsidered his plan to turn the entire population into Supes.