Legendary Stress-Resistant King

Madelyn spoke slowly. "Homelander, I've read all of Vought International's files. They don't have what you're looking for."

"But there's one top-secret file I haven't read. Only Edgar has access." Seeing Homelander's livid expression, she added that last remark.

Homelander waved a hand. "I don't need access."

"Shouldn't we notify Edgar first and get his permission?"

At that, Homelander laughed, his usual madness resurfacing. "I'm Homelander. There's nowhere in this world I can't go. I really can do whatever the fuck I want."

Red light glowed in his eyes. "Take me there. Now!"

"All right, all right, don't get worked up." Madelyn went pale. As Homelander's psychological mother figure, she had never faced him with his eyes glowing red.

Only at that moment did she understand just how terrifying Homelander was.

Homelander stood in the middle of the conference room, sweeping his gaze over everyone. No one dared look at him.

The backs of the normally powerful executives were drenched in cold sweat. The entire conference room was so quiet that a pin dropping could have been heard. Dozens of people dared not make the slightest sound.

"The Deep. Translucent." Homelander spoke calmly, the red glow still lingering in his eyes.

The Deep and Black Noir sat in a corner.

When Homelander called his name, The Deep immediately straightened his back, but kept his head down, afraid to look at Homelander. His body had already begun trembling slightly.

"Sir, I'm here."

Translucent's naked body appeared, crouching behind a female executive.

Who knew what he was doing.

"You two keep an eye on Black Noir. Without my permission, he's not to take a single step out of this conference room," Homelander said through gritted teeth, his eyes wide.

Then he left the conference room first, with Madelyn following close behind.

His final words came from outside the door, reaching every executive in the conference room clearly.

"If you useless fucks can't handle the PR crisis, you can all go die."

Only after Homelander had gone far away did the people in the conference room dare speak quietly.

"Fuck, I almost pissed myself just now."

"Don't even mention it. I already did."

"What did Homelander say? Soldier Boy is his father?"

"Sell Vought stock, quick. Things are about to change."

"Get to work on PR, all of you. Do you want to die?"

Black Noir's world had already been taken over by his Cartoon Friends. The rabbit clutched his head in terror.

"There's no getting away, Black Noir."

"Homelander will kill us."

"He knows."

Meanwhile, on the streets of New York.

Soldier Boy tossed away his last cigarette and watched Vought International's medical team take A-Train away.

He had driven Maeve off too. No one nearby dared approach, leaving an empty zone fifty meters around him.

There was just one exception: Ashley Barrett.

By the time she ran back, Homelander had already flown away, and she personally witnessed Soldier Boy break A-Train's leg and fling Queen Maeve away.

She hadn't completed the task Madelyn had assigned her, and the situation had gotten worse.

Even though she was just an ordinary person who couldn't possibly have stopped any of it.

But Vought International wouldn't consider things from her perspective. In the world of capital, only profit mattered.

"If you can't handle it, we'll replace you."

That was the higher-ups' guiding principle.

Ashley Barrett understood this well, so she risked her life approaching Soldier Boy, hoping to find a chance to make up for her failure.

At least she could exchange a few words with Soldier Boy.

"Fuck you!" Soldier Boy threw away the empty cigarette pack and stomped on it hard several times.

His cigarette cravings were unbearable. He wanted to snatch a few more packs from passersby, only to discover that no one around dared come anywhere near him.

"Sir." Ashley Barrett swallowed, incredibly nervous.

Soldier Boy looked over and grinned.

Well, if it wasn't the Legendary Stress-Resistant King!

Across the entire world of The Boys, no one had greater mental resilience than Ashley Barrett.

As an ordinary person, she had worked under Homelander and survived all five seasons! She hadn't died even by the ending.

Seeing Soldier Boy smile, Ashley Barrett breathed a sigh of relief. "Would you have a moment to talk?"

"Fuck off. I don't." Soldier Boy's expression changed in an instant.

Ashley Barrett's mouth hung half-open, her face pale. Almost without hesitation, she turned and hurried away.

After working under Homelander for so long, she had picked up a little wisdom: "When a superhuman tells you to leave, you'd better leave immediately."

"Wait." Soldier Boy called her back. "Go buy me a pack of cigarettes. You've got three minutes."

Ashley Barrett stopped in her tracks, then broke into a sprint. "Sir, I'll be back in two minutes."

Soldier Boy nodded in satisfaction.

Ashley Barrett was highly capable overall. At the very least, both her emotional intelligence and her IQ ranked among the best of ordinary humans. Otherwise, she couldn't have gotten a job at Vought.

While I have the time, I'll check out the system's newly upgraded exchange points feature.

With a thought from Soldier Boy, the system panel appeared before his eyes.

[Welcome, host.]

"Welcome my ass," Soldier Boy cursed reflexively.

"Didn't you say you'd reward me with a superpower upgrade for making contact with Homelander? Where the fuck did you put it?"

[Following the system upgrade, the host now has a wider range of choices. Your reward has been converted into an equivalent value: exchange points ×100.]

Soldier Boy's eyebrow twitched. "What can I exchange them for?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the system panel automatically switched to the shop page.

[Ability Upgrade Card: 100, Original Compound V: 100, authentic Compound V: 60, ability test: 10, Supe Stabilizer: 50...]

[Current exchange points: 100]

There was a dazzling array of merchandise, each item marked with its required exchange points.

"What the fuck." Soldier Boy was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected the old popsicle system to be so useful after its upgrade. "Pull up my stats panel."

[Ding.]

[Currently possessed:

Level 3: physical immortality

Level 5: nuclear chest blast, super healing, Thunder Voice Pack

Level 7: super strength, super defense.

Unranked: speed (slower than a bike-share bicycle), special abilities (such as laser eyes).]

Soldier Boy stared at the panel. "Fuck, what the hell is this level-five Thunder Voice Pack?"

He thought for a moment. He had wanted to exchange his points for an Ability Upgrade Card, but seeing his excessive stats made him abandon the idea.

There was no need.

His strength, defense, and healing all ranked among the best in the world.

Except for speed.

Based on his understanding of the system, using an Ability Upgrade Card on speed would probably only raise it from "unranked" to "level 1."

Just to be sure, he asked the system anyway and received confirmation.

"Forget it. I don't need anything in here right now. I'll worry about it later." Soldier Boy shook his head.

New York at night was a neon paradise.

Giant screens were everywhere, flashing every second as they played superhero advertisements.

Merchandise produced by Vought International was everywhere.

Within the commercial empire built by the world of capital, superheroes were nothing more than special products.

Soldier Boy shook his head and gave a mocking smile. In the world of The Boys, true superheroes would never appear.

Even people with a conscience, like Starlight and Queen Maeve, were held hostage by Vought International's pursuit of profit and made to wear masks of hypocrisy.

The one-way glass along the street reflected Soldier Boy's handsome face, rugged yet roguish.

"But everything will be different because I'm here," he murmured to himself, the power surging through his body bringing endless confidence.