When Homelander fell from the sky, the area below the Vought Tower was already packed with fans and media.
His red and blue cape fluttered in the air, and the sunlight shone on his spotless combat uniform, making it glitter.
Someone downstairs shouted first, and then the whole square started shouting.
Look, it's Homelander!
" The Homelander has returned."
Cheers rose higher and higher, and all the cameras were pointed at the sky, recording the scene.
In the office, Chen Mo stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the figure slowly land in the middle of the square.
" Homelander is certainly making quite a show of it."
Edgar stood beside the desk and glanced down at the tablet.
"The public relations department did not arrange this public appearance. It seems to be his own private matter."
"That's normal." Chen Mo smiled. "He's been holding back for so long, and now that he's finally finished strengthening, wouldn't he have just kept it all to himself if he didn't come out and show off his muscles?"
Downstairs, Homelander stood with his arms outstretched, a confident smile on his face. He didn't speak immediately, but waited for the cheers to last for more than ten seconds before slowly raising his hands to press them down.
The crowd quickly quieted down, all staring at him, waiting for his next move.
All the cameras were pointed at him, all the eyes were on him, and everyone was waiting for him to speak.
Thinking of this, Homelander slightly raised his chin, and the smile on his face looked even more genuine.
"My friends, I'm so sorry to have made you worry for so long."
His voice was gentle yet firm, with just the right amount of weariness.
"During this period of time, I went on a highly classified mission. For the sake of this country, for the sake of everyone living here, I had to leave you temporarily."
Another round of enthusiastic applause erupted downstairs, as fans excitedly chanted the name of their Homelander.
" Homelander! We love you!"
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow as he listened to that familiar rhetoric.
"Who wrote this manuscript? It has a really good feel to it."
Edgar calmly replied, "If it wasn't Homelander improvising, then it was Madelyn."
"I understand, Mom has written the script for her son's triumphant return."
The Homelander stood in the center of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the faces that were looking up at him, and his voice gradually rose.
"While I was away, some people created panic, spread lies, and even went so far as to package a monster hiding in the shadows as a so-called angel."
The Homelander were filled with grief, their eyes brimming with sorrow.
"But I want to tell you, true heroes never hide. True heroes stand in the sunlight, stand before you, and swear to protect this country."
The cheers erupted again, even louder than before.
The Homelander opened his arms, his cloak swaying slightly behind him.
"I have completed my mission and eliminated the threat. Now, I will personally eliminate the monster lurking in the gutter and get everything back on track."
In the top-floor office, Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard this.
"Oh dear, he called my name."
Edgar looked out the window, his tone still calm. "He's using public sentiment to re-crown himself."
"I know." Chen Mo turned and walked to the wall, where a propaganda poster from the past of Homelander hung. "God has returned, so the believers must be notified first."
The Homelander on the poster has blond hair and blue eyes, and is smiling triumphantly.
Chen Mo crossed his arms and stared at it for two seconds.
"I must say, the photos are actually quite handsome."
The words had barely left his mouth when a gust of wind blew outside the office. The next second, the door was pushed open.
Homelander walked in.
Before the smile on his face had completely faded, his gaze had already fallen on Chen Mo's back. In an instant, a red light flashed in his eyes.
Without any further words, two Heat Vision shot out, tearing through the air and heading straight for Chen Mo's back.
But when they were half a meter away from Chen Mo, their gaze collided with an invisible barrier, stopping in mid-air. The beam of light kept exploding, making the air in the office scorching hot, but they still couldn't get any closer.
Chen Mo slowly turned around.
The psychic barrier trembled slightly in front of him, instantly forcing the Heat Vision back to Homelander.
Homelander's pupils contracted slightly as he withdrew his Heat Vision and stared warily at Chen Mo.
Chen Mo activated his Emotion Sensing, and the emotions before him were a jumbled mess—triumph, excitement, and even murderous intent.
Chen Mo glanced down at her clothes, then looked up at him.
"What? You're in such a hurry to come back and tear the house apart right after being discharged from the hospital?"
Homelander stared at him, his smile slowly fading.
"Monster, you've been sitting in my seat for far too long."
"Just to correct you, my name is Chen Mo." Chen Mo pointed to the sofa, then to the view outside the window. "Secondly, I usually sit there. If you're referring to the billboard downstairs, then I didn't take it; it's too ugly."
The Homelander's jaw tightened, and he spoke out indignantly.
"You think you can ride roughshod over me just because you won a few times by luck?" Homelander stared at Chen Mo, shaking his index finger. "You only ambushed me a few times before I got serious."
Chen Mo nodded.
"Right, right, I didn't take it seriously. Next time you lose, I suggest saying your shoelaces were untied, or that you didn't eat sea cucumber."
The Homelander took a sudden step forward, and the red light in his eyes quickly gathered.
Just then, Edgar raised his hand and tapped the table.
The voice wasn't loud, but it just happened to interrupt the two of them.
The Homelander slowly turned his head and looked behind his desk.
Edgar pointed out the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Look downstairs, John, they're all waiting for you, their hero," he said. "Or do you want them to see how a hero wreaks havoc in the middle of the city?"
Homelander's gaze turned cold. He disliked Edgar's tone and hated Chen Mo's presence.
But he still looked out the window; the crowd downstairs hadn't dispersed yet. All the cameras were pointed at the Vought Tower. Although they couldn't capture what was happening inside the office, everyone would know if it exploded.
He couldn't lose his composure, at least not in front of so many people.
The red light in the eyes of the Homelander slowly faded, and his shoulders relaxed again. He turned back to look at Chen Mo, forcing a smile onto his face.
"You're lucky, monster. Celebrate surviving another day."
"Thank you for the compliment," Chen Mo said. "I also think I've had pretty good luck."
Homelander took two steps forward, lowering his voice even further.
"I'll find a suitable place and show you what despair truly is."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mo stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.
"I'll decide on the location."
The Homelander narrowed his eyes.
"What did you say?"
"Tomorrow, Carnival Island." Chen Mo patted the Homelander poster on the wall, his tone casual. "Didn't you want to prove yourself again? There are lots of people there, lots of Superman, the venue is big enough, and you don't have to worry about being recognized by fans."
Edgar glanced at Chen Mo but said nothing.
The muscles on the Homelander's face twitched, and he grinned menacingly.
"OK."
He spoke very slowly.
"Tomorrow, I will kill you on Carnival Island."
Chen Mo nodded in satisfaction.
"Okay, remember to be on time. If you're late, I'll assume you were crying at home."
Homelander didn't make another move. He just gave Chen Mo a deep look, his eyes filled with barely suppressed killing intent, but he still forced a smile onto his face.
Enjoy the last day of your life.
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door.
A few seconds later, the red and blue figures flew up from outside the Vought Tower and landed back down in the square.
The office fell silent.
Chen Mo looked out the window, a smile still playing on his lips.
Edgar glanced down at his tablet to check the itinerary, his tone calm. " Homelander has confirmed his participation in the Carnival Island event."
"Yes, I heard that too."
Chen Mo stretched, and a flash of dark red energy appeared deep within his chest.
The banquet will be held tomorrow.