Recovery serum!

Vought executive Ashley, who stood nearby, tensed at his words and hurried to stop him, a note of warning in her voice.

"No! Shockwave! You absolutely cannot make accusations without evidence! I will not allow baseless rumors like this to get out and be sensationalized by the media! A-Train was filming with the production crew all afternoon. He never left the set."

But Shockwave was already blinded by rage. He would not listen to any explanation and continued roaring accusations.

"He's a speedster! He can cover hundreds of meters in a second at the speed of sound! Going to the track and back would take him no more than an instant! Who else could have crippled me without a trace?!"

Ashley wearily raised a hand to rub between her brows and sharply cut off his furious outburst.

"The company will investigate this thoroughly. All you need to do is focus on recovering and behave yourself!"

With that, she turned to leave. Shockwave instantly panicked at the sight, abruptly pushing himself upright against the edge of the bed, his voice frantic and anxious:

"What about the race? I can't possibly compete like this! What are we going to do about the race in three days?"

"The company will make all the necessary arrangements. You don't need to worry about it."

Ashley waved a hand, walked straight out, and shut the door behind her.

The instant the door closed, a furious roar erupted inside the hospital room.

"Fuck you! You goddamn A-Train! I'll never let you get away with this!"

Ashley did not break stride. She shook her head helplessly, suppressed her irritation, and headed straight for Madelyn's office.

She raised a hand to knock lightly, then pushed the door open. Her gaze swept across the room, and she froze on the spot.

On the office sofas, Madelyn and Homelander sat facing each other, speaking in low voices. The atmosphere was quiet and subtle.

Caught off guard by the sight, Ashley felt her heart clench. She hurriedly lowered her head and turned around, her voice flustered:

"I'm sorry, Ms. Madelyn, Homelander! I didn't know you were here. I'll leave and report back later!"

"Stop."

Madelyn spoke calmly, stopping her outright.

Ashley turned around stiffly. Facing Homelander's icy, utterly cold eyes, she could not stop herself from trembling slightly. She bowed her head even lower, hardly daring to breathe.

"What happened?"

Madelyn stood up and asked, her expression calm.

"It's... it's Shockwave."

Her voice strained, Ashley cautiously reported,

"Someone secretly broke his legs. His injuries are severe, and the race in three days will most likely need to be postponed."

Madelyn's brows abruptly knitted, her tone grave:

"What happened? Have you found out who did it?"

"We have no leads at the moment."

Ashley shook her head truthfully,

"Shockwave never saw his attacker. He insists A-Train ambushed him out of jealousy. But according to the production crew's records, A-Train was on set all day and has a complete alibi."

Homelander, who had remained silent nearby, slowly stood up and unhurriedly adjusted his uniform. Coldness surged in his eyes, and his voice carried a hint of indifferent mockery.

"That idiot A-Train has neither the guts nor the brains to do something like this."

Then his tone shifted, and his gaze abruptly sharpened:

"What about Translucent? There's been no trace of him lately. Where is he?"

Ashley's expression stiffened. She instinctively looked at Madelyn, not daring to answer on her own. The atmosphere in the room instantly turned icy.

Madelyn stepped forward in time and gently soothed Homelander as his mood grew colder, calmly smoothing things over:

"Don't worry. I've been following up on Translucent's situation. This was definitely not A-Train or Translucent's doing. I'll personally investigate it thoroughly."

She turned to Ashley and instructed in a low voice:

"Go to the sixty-eighth floor and get Vought's specially formulated recovery serum. Inject Shockwave and shorten his recovery time as much as possible. Whatever happens, the scheduled race cannot be delayed."

"Yes!"

As though granted a reprieve, Ashley did not dare linger another moment. She turned and hurried out of the office at a jog.

Homelander's oppressive presence was far too suffocating. Every second felt agonizing to her.

The door closed completely, and silence returned to the office.

Madelyn walked slowly up to Homelander and raised a hand to gently stroke his cheek, tenderly soothing his agitation.

Meanwhile, night lay dark over a remote stretch of the city's coastal waters.

Butcher stood on the shore, watching the waves churn across the sea, his expression cold and hard.

After thoroughly squeezing every bit of information and value out of Translucent, he had detonated the ass bomb inside him without hesitation. Following a muffled bang, Translucent, once a member of the Seven, had been blown into a pile of tiny scraps of mangled flesh.

Butcher packed every last piece of the remains into a zinc box. Homelander's vision could not penetrate zinc. Then he drove it to the coast and casually tossed it into the dark sea.

With the turmoil temporarily subsiding, the team split up, each attending to their own duties.

Frenchie took Hughie to the Female's home, preparing to install surveillance software, keep complete track of her movements, and dig deep into A-Train's secrets to get justice for Robin.

Butcher, meanwhile, set off alone to find their next teammate, Homelander's favorite, Mother's Milk.

Mother's Milk's real name was Marvin T. Milk. He had served in the Marine Corps, was meticulous and formidable in combat, and was also one of Butcher's old teammates.

As for Solomon, Butcher had only casually asked once where he had gone and paid him little attention after that.

He understood perfectly well that Solomon and Hughie were entirely different.

Hughie's heart was filled with Robin. To find the truth, he could only bind himself firmly to their cause, with no other way out.

But Solomon was different. From beginning to end, he had been dragged passively into this conflict. He had no attachments, no grudges, and not the slightest obsession with or hatred for the Seven or Vought International.

He was an outsider to begin with and could walk away at any time.

For now, Solomon was of no use staying on the team, and his leaving did not matter either, so Butcher simply could not be bothered to restrict or control him.

But he had already made his calculations. Translucent had died indirectly at Solomon's hands, and that was leverage he would never be able to erase for the rest of his life.

That alone meant Solomon could forget about ever extricating himself completely. Whenever Butcher needed him, he could drag him back into the game and put him to use.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the eagerly anticipated super-speed race began on schedule at City Stadium.

Thanks to Vought International's specially formulated recovery serum, Shockwave's leg injuries had healed completely, and he was in peak condition.

At the track, he stared fixedly at A-Train a short distance away, undisguised malice surging in his eyes.

From beginning to end, he had remained convinced that A-Train was responsible for his broken legs. The other man had merely covered his tracks so thoroughly that he had left no openings.

Noticing his hostile gaze, A-Train, who had just taken Compound V and was buzzing with restless excitement, innocently spread his hands, a false smile on his face.