You're the real hero!

In his eyes, whether other ordinary Supes lived or died was of no consequence, but Ezekiel was different.

The religious charity Ezekiel controlled, Samaritan's Embrace, could bring Vought enormous support and benefits, and was also crucial to shaping his own public image.

What was more, the Faith Expo was about to begin. If Solomon went after Ezekiel at this juncture, it would inevitably cause unnecessary trouble, so he had no choice but to take it seriously.

Solomon fell silent for a moment, then ventured a tentative answer.

"You?"

Homelander was clearly baffled by this answer. His eyes abruptly narrowed, his brows knitted tightly together, and he even instinctively drew his head back, his face full of confusion and incomprehension.

"Me? When did I tell you to go after Ezekiel?"

Solomon immediately followed up.

"The day I joined The Seven! I told you I wanted to fight every Supe, and you agreed! You even promised to give me detailed information on every Supe!"

At Solomon's reminder, Homelander paused, the scene instantly flashing through his mind.

That had indeed happened, but he had never taken it to heart.

Madelyn took in every change in their expressions and immediately grasped the gist of what had happened.

She walked slowly over to the sofa and sat down, leaning slightly forward. Still wearing that warm, friendly expression, she asked curiously:

"JS, may I ask you something? Why must you fight every Supe? There doesn't seem to be any benefit in it for you."

Solomon fell silent, lowering his eyes without a word.

Then a flash of scarlet abruptly appeared in Homelander's eyes, and a bone-chilling pressure of death instantly enveloped the room, almost swallowing him whole.

"Tell me right now. Why!"

He knew Homelander had lost patience. If he did not say something now, he might really be killed on the spot.

Solomon slowly delivered the story he had prepared long ago, word by word.

"My parents... were killed by a Supe."

His voice carried a barely perceptible tremor, and he deliberately filled his eyes with grief and anger.

"I was so frightened that day that I fainted on the spot. That was also when my Translucent powers activated, and I was lucky enough to escape. That's why I hate all Supes. I swore I'd beat every last one of them, beat them unconscious!"

By the end, Solomon deliberately stressed his words. He grew agitated, his voice rising involuntarily, carrying overwhelming hatred and resentment.

"Every Supe! Even Homelander!"

As his words fell, the anger in Homelander's eyes vanished without a trace. He glanced at Madelyn and, without another word, turned and walked back to the floor-to-ceiling window. With his hands clasped behind his back, he continued looking down at the city outside.

Madelyn looked at Solomon, a flicker of genuine sympathy crossing her eyes, and her tone softened a little.

"I'm so sorry, JS. I had no idea you'd been through something so terrible. I understand how you feel, but you can't act so recklessly, attacking every Supe you see. That would cause Vought a lot of trouble."

She paused, then changed tack and offered a suggestion.

"How about this? Perhaps we can create a show just for you later on, featuring fair fights between Supes. It would fulfill your wish without causing unnecessary disputes. What do you think?"

Solomon's heart sank. He immediately understood what Madelyn was implying: this was an indirect way of stopping him from beating up Supes whenever he pleased.

He raised his eyes to Madelyn, his tone firm and carrying a hint of a threat.

"I'm sorry, Madelyn. I joined The Seven because Homelander promised I could teach Supes a lesson whenever I wanted. If that isn't possible, I'll have no choice but to leave Vought and do it myself."

He had already worked it out in his mind. If Madelyn dared refuse, he would immediately find someone to expose Translucent's death. He was betting that Vought would not dare risk a plunging stock price and collapsing public opinion.

Madelyn's brows instantly furrowed, and her expression darkened.

If anyone else had dared threaten her like this, she would have ordered them to get lost long ago, or even had them disposed of outright.

But she could not do that to Solomon. He was not just a member of The Seven, but also Translucent's replacement, the key to keeping public opinion stable.

Once news of Translucent's death leaked, Vought's stock price would inevitably plummet. No one could bear those consequences, and it absolutely could not be allowed to happen.

Helplessly, Madelyn turned toward Homelander by the floor-to-ceiling window, hoping he could talk Solomon around.

"Homelander, what do you think about this?"

Homelander slowly exhaled and turned around, his face expressionless and his tone so casual it bordered on dismissive.

"They're just ordinary Supes. If he wants to beat them up, let him. It's not as if he's going to kill them."

Then he changed tack and added:

"But not Ezekiel. At least, not right now. Until the Faith Expo is over, he's off-limits."

Madelyn sprang to her feet in anger, her chest heaving as she stared at Homelander in disbelief.

"Homelander!"

She had asked Homelander to speak because she wanted him to stop Solomon, not indulge his reckless behavior!

Homelander did not even look at her. Instead, he raised a hand and pointed at Solomon.

"Kid, I've got faith in you! You're the real hero! Go on. Madelyn and I still have things to discuss."

A faint smile appeared on Solomon's face. Who said Homelander was detestable? He was downright adorable!

"Thank you, Homelander!"

With that, he lingered no longer, turning and striding out of the office.

As Madelyn watched Solomon leave, the anger in her heart burned ever stronger. Yet she could only force it down, put on a soft smile, and turn a tender gaze toward Homelander.

"Baby, why did you let him do this? It's going to upset a lot of Supes."

Homelander gave a disdainful scoff and spread his hands, his tone arrogant and contemptuous.

"Upset? What right do they have to be upset? Vought International gives them money. The Seven puts food on their tables. So what if he beats them up? He's not going to kill them!"

Recalling their earlier investigation, Madelyn frowned again.

"Was what he just told us about his past true? We sent people to investigate his background, but they couldn't find anything. It's as if he suddenly appeared at Vought out of thin air."

Homelander waved a hand indifferently, his tone casual.

"So what? I don't care about his background. He's just another Translucent. He can't make any waves. Besides, what he just said was true. His heartbeat and pupils were perfectly normal. He wasn't lying."

Madelyn sighed helplessly. With Homelander having said that much, she could hardly argue any further. All she could do was fret inwardly, working out how to clean up the mess Solomon would leave behind.