The Boys: I Became The Soldier Boy

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Berating The Deep and Starlight [Bonus]

(A/N: Thanks for the support! The bonus Chapter is here. Next goal: 100 Power Stones = 1 bonus Chapter!

And if you want to read ahead and find out what happens next right away, you can get up to 20 Chapters ahead on my p@tr~on:

[email protected]/ForgottenDaoist (@ = a, link is in my profile).

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Chapter 17: Berating The Deep and Starlight

Night. The banquet hall of Vought Tower was brilliantly illuminated.

Ivory-white tablecloths covered the long tables, silver utensils were meticulously arranged, and every single dish was personally crafted by a Michelin-starred chef. Massive posters of The Seven hung on both sides of the walls, Homelander’s iconic smile looking exceptionally dazzling under the lights. And, of course, Soldier Boy’s poster was right there too.

The posters of Soldier Boy and Homelander were positioned in the center, side-by-side. However, Soldier Boy’s new position hadn’t been made public yet; it wasn’t the right time.

Annie January, codenamed "Starlight," stood at the entrance of the banquet hall in her custom gold suit and took a deep breath. A thin layer of sweat still broke out in her palms; after all, this was the most important night of her life. Starting tonight, she was no longer Annie the small-town girl, but Starlight of The Seven.

During the banquet, Starlight met a lot of people and caught sight of Soldier Boy appearing in the hall. Starlight froze for a moment. She recognized that face, of course. Anyone in America who had ever turned on a television recognized that face.

Soldier Boy—America’s hero, a founding pillar of Vought, the man carrying a shield and storming through a hail of bullets in black-and-white documentaries. The history books said he had tragically sacrificed his life, but he had returned to Vought just this morning.

To say Starlight wasn’t excited would be a total lie. Unlike the original timeline, where his original self blasted half a street due to a PTSD episode and genuinely killed quite a few people, earning Starlight’s loathing, he wouldn’t suffer from any outbursts now. Benjamin wasn’t the old Soldier Boy.

From across half the banquet hall, Benjamin caught her eye and gave a slight nod. Receiving encouragement from such a legendary predecessor made Starlight even happier. The Deep stood right next to Starlight, waving continuously to the crowd below.

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The banquet lasted for two hours. After the final dessert was cleared, the guests gradually dispersed, reporters packed up their equipment, and fans were guided out of the venue by staff.

The Deep then took Starlight to see The Seven’s conference room. She followed The Deep toward the elevator at the end of the corridor. The conference room doors shut behind them. Starlight sized up this legendary place where The Seven held their meetings.

When The Deep asked Starlight if there was a portrait of Homelander in the room, Starlight shook her head, saying her idol was actually The Deep, and that she used to be his fangirl. The Deep quickly broke into a grin, but when Starlight turned back around, her expression turned to sheer horror.

The idol of her dreams, The Deep, now wore a greasy smile. He had dropped his pants and was arching an eyebrow at Starlight. Starlight’s pupils contracted violently as she turned to leave.

"What’s wrong? Didn’t you just say you’re obsessed with me?" The Deep spread his hands, looking confused.

Still, Starlight prepared to flee...

"Hey, hey, this is about how badly you want to be in The Seven. I’m the number two guy around here..."

Right as The Deep was delivering his smug threat, there was a loud crash. The door lock was violently busted open, the fragments of the lock cylinder bouncing twice on the carpet before rolling to The Deep’s feet.

A figure in a deep green suit stood in the doorway, the shield strapped to his left arm. The face that would never fade from the black-and-white documentaries now wore a mocking sneer.

"What a coincidence," Benjamin said. "I just happened to be passing by and heard someone claiming to be the number two guy in The Seven, getting ready to put his hands on a female rookie who just joined."

With his hands still on his waistband, The Deep froze in place, the greasy look on his face instantly morphing into pure panic. He opened his mouth to explain, wanting to say it was a tradition in The Seven, that plenty of people went through this before joining, that it was just a joke. But he didn’t have the time.

"The thing I fucking despise most is using sleazy tactics like this to threaten a lady. You’re an absolute joke of a coward," Benjamin snarled, then brought his fist straight down onto the bridge of his nose.

Instantly, an overwhelming force slammed into him, sending The Deep flying. The sickening crunch of shattering bone mingled with The Deep’s agonizing shriek as it exploded through the conference room. Clutching his gushing nose, The Deep crashed through two chairs by the long table before collapsing onto the carpet.

Benjamin strode over, planting his combat boot firmly onto The Deep’s head. Leaning down, he lowered his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear.

"Do you do this with your beloved fish too? Did those fish say yes? Huh?" Benjamin’s tone was as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "You think this is an aquarium? This is dry land, and dry land belongs to me."

The Deep wailed in agony, his body convulsing on the floor as blood gushed from his face, staining his suit. Starlight stood in the corner of the room, her fingers trembling. Watching The Deep on the floor—watching the man who had tried to put his hands on her just minutes ago now curled into a bloody heap on the carpet—a wave of pure satisfaction washed over her. An asshole like this deserved a beating.

"If your mother were standing right in front of me, maybe I’d show you exactly how I break her, letting her thoroughly enjoy what you were planning to do to Starlight."

Starlight blinked. The way this man spoke was absolutely brutal.

"I’m sorry, sir! I was wrong... I’m really, really sorry," The Deep begged. "I know I fucked up, please spare my life."

Benjamin lifted his boot off The Deep’s head and turned his gaze toward Starlight. Somewhat at a loss, Starlight looked up at the man who had just stepped right out of her history textbooks, momentarily dazed. But soon, she murmured softly, "Thank you, sir."

"You have all these superpowers, yet you let a useless piece of shit who only fucks fish threaten you. You’re a pathetic, spineless broad too," Benjamin barked. Turning on his heel, he walked out of the conference room, pausing at the threshold to cast a backward glance at the crumpled Deep. "Starting right now, a piece of trash like you is off The Seven."

But when The Deep heard those words, the color drained from his face even faster than when that fist the size of a sandbag had smashed into his nose.

"No, please..."

The Deep regretted it deeply.

Clearly, he had been the one getting bullied in the beginning.

How come when it was his turn to bully someone else, it wasn’t allowed?

Starlight, meanwhile, was still dwelling on the words Soldier Boy had just used to insult her.

A broad?

Wait... wasn’t she a broad?

She opened her mouth, completely at a loss for words.

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