Manhattan's torrential rain shows no signs of abating.
On the top floor of Vought Tower, in the President’s Office office that symbolized the highest power of the Vought capital empire, everything was dark.
Only the lightning that flashed from time to time outside the floor-to-ceiling windows could barely illuminate the outline of the room.
John sat quietly on the boss chair of Edgar.
He didn't turn on the light, put his feet casually on the large mahogany desk, and played with a coin he picked up from somewhere in his hand.
He was in no hurry to leave.
Pentagon was completely slaughtered, and Vought's top executives were collectively killed.
It is impossible for United States's state machinery to pretend to be deaf and dumb to this kind of movement that is enough to shatter the heavens.
He is waiting for those who can truly mobilize global resources to come to him.
Buzz--
The dull roar of the engine tore through the rain curtain.
More than a dozen armed helicopters took off from all directions, surrounding the top floor of Vought Tower.
The dazzling searchlight beams intertwined into a network and penetrated the bulletproof glass, illuminating the office as bright as day.
Below the building, organized armored vehicles and guards have set up a blockade, and red and blue police lights formed a sea of light in the rain.
Ding.
Outside the office, the elevator made a clear beep.
John did not raise his head, but gently threw the coin in his hand into the air and caught it steadily.
Following steady footsteps, five people pushed open the ajar double doors of the office and walked in.
The aura of these five people is completely different from the regular army outside.
The two United States men walking at the front were wearing dark suits and walking heavy and powerfully.
They are Supe injected with Compound V.
There was a man on the left with a fine beard, holding a Walnut Wood Wand in his hand. He waved the Wand gently, and the rainwater on his coat evaporated instantly.
He is from European Ministry of Magic Corban.
Another white man on the right is also holding Wand, but his grip is more like a combat and gun-drawing action, giving off the rough feel of North American Ministry of Magic.
Walking at the back was a Chinese young man with black hair and black eyes, his hands in his pockets.
He was not wearing a suit, instead he was wearing an khaki work jacket that had been washed a little white.
These five people come from different camps and have completely different power systems, but they all wear a unified metal badge on their chests:
Disaster Control Bureau.
The strong man in a suit who took the lead was named Richard. He looked around the messy office and finally set his sights on John, who was sitting on the boss's chair.
"Isn't there even an adult who can take charge of this place now?"
Richard frowned and sounded contemptuous.
He walked to the desk, put his hands on the table, and looked at John condescendingly, "Listen, kid, I know what you did tonight, and I also know that you are very strong, but the house game ends here."
John said nothing, just looked at the pattern on the coin in his hand.
"Do you think you can take over everything by killing military generals and crushing the heads of a few capitalists?"
Richard sneered, his tone full of arrogance,
"Disaster Control Bureau exists to deal with out-of-control supernatural disasters like yours. Our branches are located in every country in the world, and we cooperate with officials in all countries. Even if you kill all five of us today, it will be meaningless."
Richard stretched out his hand and tapped the table, lowering his voice:
"As long as today's negotiations break down, you will become a wanted criminal in the world early tomorrow morning. You monster may be able to withstand missiles, but what about those little guys in Long Island Estate? Do you think they can withstand the assassinations and sieges that will never end in peace around the world?"
The coins stopped rolling between John's fingers.
Zhi--!
There was no warning, not even the red light in his eyes had been charged.
Two dark red laser beams instantly shot out from John's eyes, directly penetrating Richard's eyebrows.
The terrifying high temperature of the laser vaporized half of Richard's head in a fraction of a second, and then continued unabated, burning a black hole in the bulletproof wall behind him.
Richard The headless corpse with half a head shook and hit the carpet heavily, emitting a pungent burnt smell.
"Richard!"
The face of another agent in a suit, Marcus, changed drastically. The skin on his body instantly metalized and turned into a dull steel color.
Europe Wizards Viktor and North America Wizards Carter lift Wand at the same time, and the Dark Magic spell has been formed on the tip of the staff.
The Chinese young man Chen Yu exhaled a breath, pulled his hands out of his overalls pockets, and Golden Light Mantra instantly covered his body.
The four of them were facing a formidable enemy.
"Put your toys away."
John is sitting on the boss's chair, even his sitting posture has not changed.
He pulled a paper towel on the table and wiped the blood that was accidentally spattered on his knuckles. He said in a calm tone, "If I want to kill you, you will be a pile of minced meat the second you step out of the elevator."
He threw the bloody tissue on Richard's body, raised his head, and looked at the remaining four people with his Azure eyes.
"He shouldn't have mentioned my family."
John's voice had no ups and downs, "I'm keeping you four here because I want to discuss cooperation with you."
Marcus stared at John.
As an agent of the Disaster Control Bureau, he knows when to draw his gun and when to negotiate.
He raised his hand, signaling the three people behind him to temporarily put away their attacking stance.
Viktor and Carter lowered Wand, and the golden light on Chen Yu also dimmed a bit.
"What cooperation?"
Marcus asked in a deep voice.
"From today on, Vought Empire is taken over by me."
John leaned on the back of the chair and made his request,
"First, no matter how many people die tonight, my family must be clean and tidy. There are no wanted warrants or surveillance. They must live a normal life in Long Island. I will kill anyone who disturbs them."
Marcus frowned slightly, but did not refute and motioned for him to continue.
"Second."
John's eyes were a little deeper, "Use Disaster Control Bureau's global network to issue the highest level global arrest warrant to arrest Marge and an invisible boy named Duke. They are Stan Edgar's accomplices. All the disasters tonight were caused by their assistance to Edgar."
John puts this blame in a reasonable position.
He never mentioned anything about Original Compound V. That was his only hope of resurrecting Lynn, and he absolutely couldn't let the official agency notice the slightest hint of it.
Marcus sneered after hearing this.
"To protect your family, I also want to arrest someone for you. Homelander, you seem to have made a mistake."
Marcus stared at John, "Negotiations are based on reciprocity, what can you give us?"
"It's not like I can give you anything."
John crossed his hands on the table and leaned forward slightly, "What can my Vought International give you."
He pointed to the floor beneath his feet.
"You know better than me how much tax Vought pays to America's finance every year, and how much employment and military industry chain it supports. Now Vought's core information and overseas account passwords are all in my head. If you refuse, I can burn all the servers here into glass slag within ten minutes and kill all the scientific researchers."
John looked at Marcus's increasingly ugly face and continued to throw out chips:
"The official wants to take over? What you will get is a mess with unpaid wages and technical faults. Within a month, there will be huge faults in United States's economic and medical systems."
Marcus was silent.
He knows that John is telling the truth.
This is also the fundamental reason why Disaster Control Bureau did not directly use heavy firepower to level this building tonight.
"But I can help you keep it running."
John leaned back in his chair and threw out his final trump card, "As long as I clean up those bugs that have harmed Lynn, I will put on my battle suit again and be the obedient Superheroes that the people need most."
A perfect smile appeared on John's face.
"I will continue to smile at the camera on TV, catch a few thieves, and rescue a few cats trapped in trees. I will become a symbol of America's spirit and make people feel that the world is still All-America safe."
"This will do you no harm at all, won't it?"
The only sounds left in the spacious office were the roar of helicopters and the sound of heavy rain.
Marcus looked at the blond boy sitting on the boss's chair, and felt an indescribable chill in his heart.
This is a dictator disguised as a hero, and he even knows how to use the country's economic lifeline and public beliefs as bargaining chips.
"Deal."
Marcus gave the answer after weighing all the pros and cons.
He glanced at the corpse of Richard on the ground and said, "The arrest warrants for Marge and Duke will be sent to all branch terminals around the world in half an hour."