Outside the stadium.
The scorching sun baked the ground.
Annie stood in front of a huge event poster, looking rather ill at ease.
It was because of the new costume she was wearing.
Its plunging neckline nearly reached her stomach.
The high-slit skirt barely covered the tops of her thighs.
If she took even a slightly wider step, her butt would show.
This new costume was nothing but a rag.
Vought's public relations department had forced her to put it on.
She tugged desperately at the hem, trying to cover a little more skin, her smile uglier than a grimace.
Last night, she had watched her old costume get tossed into the trash.
That had once been her dream.
A single sentence from the department head had left her utterly unable to protest.
"Put this on, or go back to the country."
Her dream or her dignity?
Faced with reality, she could only bow her head.
Black Noir stood beside her.
Dressed all in black, he stood motionless, every bit a silent human-shaped standee.
Fans' screams pierced her eardrums, and phone cameras nearly jabbed Annie in the chest.
"Give us a smile, Starlight, baby."
Someone shouted from the crowd.
Annie gritted her teeth and forced herself into those disgusting poses.
In her head, she cursed eighteen generations of the Vought executives' ancestors.
In the VIP section of the stands.
Queen Maeve sat back on a sofa, her legs crossed.
She swirled her champagne glass and looked down at the frenzied crowd, her eyes full of irritation.
A host came over with a broad smile and held a microphone to her mouth.
"Queen Maeve, what do you think of the proposal to enlist superhumans in the military?"
Maeve set down her glass, a professional smile instantly appearing on her face.
She faced the camera, her voice quiet but clear.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
"The power of superhumans should be used to protect the country."
"We have both the responsibility and the ability to stand on the front lines of national defense."
"That is our promise to the citizens, without a doubt."
Vought had written those talking points specifically.
They were intended to promote the agenda of bringing superhumans into the military.
Thunderous applause erupted below.
The host wanted to ask another question.
A piercing sonic boom suddenly rang out from the sky.
Everyone instinctively looked up, shielding their eyes from the blinding sun.
A huge hole tore open in the clouds.
A streak of red, white, and blue light hurtled down.
Boom.
Homelander landed in a superhero pose, dropping to one knee.
The blast of air knocked everything around him over.
He slowly straightened up, the red stars-and-stripes cape behind him billowing without a breeze.
He lifted his head, his blue eyes sweeping over the crowd from his flawless face.
When he looked their way, the reporters in the front row hardly dared breathe.
Dead silence.
Then came screams and cheers like a volcanic eruption.
Homelander flashed his signature warm smile and waved to the crowd.
He enjoyed the feeling of standing above everyone else.
In the backstage lounge.
The light was dim, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of muscle spray.
Chen Mo sat on a bench, head lowered as he fiddled with the timer on his wrist.
Several coaches had offered to oil him up and give him a relaxing massage, but he had sent them all away.
The door opened.
A-Train's brother, Nathan, walked in.
He couldn't hide the worry on his face.
"Hey, bro, it's going crazy out there. How are you feeling today? Why did I see all the coaches leave?"
Nathan pulled up a chair and sat down, looking Chen Mo up and down.
"Huh? Something's a little different about you today."
Chen Mo stopped what he was doing and looked up at him.
There wasn't a trace of pre-race anxiety in his eyes.
"What's different?"
Nathan frowned deeply.
"You're too quiet. Before races, you used to either bounce your leg or complain about your shoes being tight and the track being hard."
"You were always afraid someone would pass you, but now you don't seem worried at all?"
Nathan lowered his voice and leaned closer.
"Hey, little brother, don't worry about being passed. Mom's watching us from heaven."
"She'll give us strength."
"Let me ask you again, are you confident, bro?"
Of course, Chen Mo felt nothing.
But he was A-Train now.
He grinned, wearing a confident smile.
"Yeah, I can win. After what happened at the club, I thought about a lot of things. I've worked it all out now, and nothing can distract me anymore. I just have to run at my own level. I was always the fastest."
Nathan nodded heavily. The look he gave Chen Mo changed, as if a great weight had lifted off his shoulders.
"It's good that you've worked things out."
"Go on, put that blond kid in his place and show him who the fastest man in the world really is."
Chen Mo got up, patted Nathan on the shoulder, and strode toward the athletes' entrance.
On the track.
The sunlight was blinding.
The stands were packed with fans, their flashing signs dazzling the eyes.
Shockwave, dressed in a bright yellow bodysuit, was warming up with exaggerated high knees, drawing a chorus of screams.
When he saw Chen Mo, he stopped and raised his chin high.
"Senior, I heard you didn't sleep well last night?"
"Did that monster at the club scare the guts out of you?"
Shockwave came closer and lowered his voice to taunt him.
"If you break a leg running today, Vought won't pay for your treatment. Remember to buy insurance first."
"But don't worry. Even if you end up crippled, I'll visit you at the nursing home."
Chen Mo didn't even raise an eyelid.
He walked straight to the starting line and crouched down.
To him, provocation on this level was as ridiculous as kindergarteners fighting over toys.
His fingertips touched the rough rubber track, and the black-and-red viral fibers in his body moved excitedly through the depths of his muscles.
There was no need to inject compound V right before the race like A-Train.
If he wanted to, this body could accelerate to Mach 2 in one second, slower only than Homelander's speed of Mach 3.
The referee raised the starting pistol.
In the stands, Charlotte clenched her hands, her eyes fixed on the track.
Bang.
The gun fired.
The instant the shot rang out, Shockwave shot forward like an arrow from a bow, leaving a pale yellow afterimage in his wake.
But Chen Mo was many times faster.
There was no fancy starting move, just an explosion of pure physical power.
The rubber track cracked inch by inch beneath his feet, and the immense reactive force drove Chen Mo fiercely forward.
The blue-black figure smashed through the air, kicking up a white shockwave visible to the naked eye.
Shockwave had run less than ten meters when he felt a terrifying hurricane sweep past him.
He didn't even get a clear look at A-Train's back. All he heard was the deafening roar of a sonic boom.
Before the spectators at the finish line could react, A-Train had already crossed it.
The numbers on the electronic timer spun wildly before finally settling on an astonishing, heart-stopping figure.
593 meters per second
The stands were so quiet that breathing could be heard.
Everyone gaped, staring blankly at the replay on the big screen, slowed down more than tenfold.
A crushing victory.
An overwhelming display of strength that left no doubt about the outcome.
Shockwave was still huffing and puffing down the track.
Chen Mo was already standing beyond the finish line, and even let out a yawn.
A few seconds later, Shockwave, drenched in sweat, finally crossed the finish line.
He looked at the timer, completely dumbfounded.
The reporters swarmed over like mad.
Cameras and microphones of every size were shoved right in Chen Mo's face.
"A-Train, you've broken the world record!"
"You're sixty percent faster than you were at your peak. How did you do it?"
Chen Mo took a microphone and looked toward the stands.
He saw Charlotte.
The woman's face was covered in tears of excitement, her hand clamped tightly over her mouth.
So stupid.
She really thinks A-Train will make their relationship official.
But while A-Train wouldn't, Chen Mo will.
Chen Mo cleared his throat and put on an affectionate expression.
"Thank you, everyone."
"Today, besides the victory, I have a very important personal matter to announce."
He turned and pointed his arm toward Charlotte.
"About my love life, I think it's time to tell everyone that the one I've always loved is..."
A piercing crackle of static.
The microphone went dead.
Ashley pushed her way in on high heels, accompanied by several security guards.
She snatched the microphone away, a perfect professional fake smile on her face.
"Members of the press, A-Train has accomplished a great feat."
"He has surpassed the limits of humanity."
Ashley turned to glance at Chen Mo, her eyes as though she were looking at a mountain of gold.
"Vought International officially announces that A-Train will embark on an entirely new global challenge tour."
"Our hero has no limits."
"As for the ones he loves most, of course, they have always been all of you who came here to support him."
Every single word struck the woman in the stands across the face.
Chen Mo stood to one side, his eyes narrowed to slits.
These capitalists are calculating every last penny.
In their eyes, A-Train, whose speed had skyrocketed, was a money printer with a new burst of vitality.
How could a money printer be tied down by a washed-up superheroine?
Chen Mo clenched his fists, his back teeth nearly cracking as he glared at Ashley.
He had to act.
Acting like an enraged beast that could do nothing to them.
That was A-Train.
In the stands, Charlotte's tears broke loose. Her shoulders shook violently, and her eyes were full of heartbreak.
Chen Mo sneered inwardly.
He turned and walked away, leaving the camera a view of his back.
He had gotten rid of the trouble without having to play the bad guy himself.
This performance was perfect.
Those people at Vought really were useful.