Father and son flew toward Vought, Homelander's face tense with a faint trace of despair the entire way.
"Why did you admit you were my father at a time like this? The people jumping on the bandwagon will take their anger out on you. You could have let me bear this alone," Homelander couldn't help asking.
Soldier Boy chuckled. "Heh, I'm not some pussy who cares about approval ratings. Besides, you're my son. It's that simple."
Homelander fell silent. Listening to the wind howling past his ears, he felt the taut thread inside him gradually loosen.
He looked down, knowing New York was reeling from what had happened today, but somehow... it didn't seem that bad.
Night had fallen over New York, with a bright moon hanging high among scattered stars. Ashley stood in her office, watching the news figures keep climbing and rubbing her temples, though she looked fairly pleased.
After a day of building momentum, news about today's events was all over the internet.
"Legendary hero Soldier Boy publicly acknowledges Homelander as his son"
"Homelander tortures Real Estate Developer Carl to death"
"Vought's superhero system faces major crisis"
Strangely, public opinion hadn't turned entirely negative as they had initially imagined. Not only were the two bombshell stories intertwined, but fans of the other members of The Seven had also spontaneously stepped in to defend their idols because of what Soldier Boy had said.
After all, judging by Soldier Boy's words, everyone had played a part in killing Carl.
The waters had been thoroughly muddied.
With Ashley pulling strings as well, negative news about Carl and Governor Pete was everywhere. Public opinion had actually stalled between positive and negative, locked in a stalemate.
"Ma'am, your tea." A knock sounded at the door, and Hughie walked in carrying a cup