Free Web NovelChapter 50: 50: Should The Deep return?
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.
~ Master Oogway
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Should The Deep return?
Homelander’s attitude was negative, but he clearly wasn’t the Homelander from the later stages yet.
Only two days had passed when Edgar sent a message.
"Come to my office."
Hillel originally planned to ignore it, but Edgar, knowing Hillel’s temperament, told Homelander to go get him.
Homelander came running over eagerly.
He felt a strange sense of satisfaction, like being sent to stand in the corner by the teacher with his brother.
Starlight’s newly bought sluty suit got tossed back into the washing machine.
"Ug, why must he always cock block! And this time, he even sent you? Let’s go, Edgar’s lackey. Hmph!"
Hillel wasn’t in a great mood. Homelander had interrupted his good time twice in a row.
Hillel used his fastest speed, adrenaline pumping, even pushing double his usual velocity.
Viltrumites were a miraculous species.
When their bloodline fused with humans, their combat power wasn’t fixed.
Humans had a mysterious physiological mechanism called "Go beyond! Plus ultra!" freeωebnovēl.c૦m
In plain terms, it was adrenaline.
This stuff could push a person’s potential to the limit under extreme conditions, creating a temporary surge in combat power.
Since Viltrumites were a warrior race, their bodies recorded every change. Once they got stronger, it became their new baseline.
As a result, Hillel’s speed left Homelander far behind.
Homelander huffed and puffed as he caught up, only to find Hillel already waiting by the vending machine with two cans of Dr Pepper.
"When the hell did your speed get this fast?"
Homelander looked like he’d seen a ghost.
"Just now."
Hillel acted like it was nothing.
Omni-Man could escape a black hole’s event horizon. Now that was badass.
"Let’s go."
The two entered the elevator one after the other.
...
Office.
Edgar still wore his stone-faced expression.
Hillel had always suspected Edgar had taken Compound V too and his superpower was the inability to feel fear.
He was facing two supes at once.
His heart rate didn’t change at all. Steady as ever.
"Sit."
Hillel sat down carelessly, propping his legs up on Edgar’s desk.
Homelander kept his legs together, hands on his lap, sitting as properly as a little girl.
Edgar stared at Hillel’s posture for a long time.
"Every time I think you might settle down for a bit, you always manage to give me some new kind of shock." Edgar crossed his hands, mouth twitching uncontrollably.
He actually found Homelander much more pleasing to the eye now.
Homelander was truly sick. He couldn’t control himself.
But The Guardian was just pure asshole!
"Let’s talk business first." Hillel drank his Dr Pepper.
Homelander’s can stayed untouched in his hand.
"If you’re not drinking it, give it here. Don’t waste it!"
Hillel snatched the can, but Homelander super-sped and snatched it back.
"I didn’t say I wasn’t drinking it!"
He popped the can and drank it immediately.
Edgar ignored their antics and simply issued a warning.
"Don’t interfere with the Church of the Collective."
Homelander frowned. "The Deep has already seriously damaged our reputation and you still want to..."
"I said, don’t interfere."
Edgar’s tone didn’t waver. This wasn’t up for discussion.
Homelander stood up and crushed the can.
"Why? I was the one who kicked him out. If he’s allowed back, what does that make me? A fucking joke?"
Edgar stared straight at Homelander, his gaze carrying natural pressure.
Homelander stood there stiff-necked for a moment, then nudged Hillel with his hand.
Yo, bro, say something!
Am I the only one performing here?
"Ahem!"
Hillel gave a tactical cough. "Why must The Deep return?"
Edgar looked at the two of them with surprise.
Are Homelander and The Guardian that close?
He suppressed his inner confusion and explained:
"The Church of the Collective has some history with Vought’s founder. Do you know what kind of company Vought was at the beginning?"
Hillel said nothing.
Homelander also sat back in his chair, trying to copy Hillel’s arrogant vibe, but he only dared to cross his legs.
"A pharmaceutical company."
Edgar said, "Vought’s founder, Frederick Vought, originally started a pharmaceutical business. Supes, the hero industry, the entertainment empire, all of that came later."
"In essence, Vought was never a company for supes. It was a pharmaceutical company that just took a different path halfway through."
Edgar stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and turned his back to them.
"...But now that we’ve gone down this path, we have no choice but to keep walking. There’s no turning back."
He turned around, his gaze landing on Homelander.
"The relationship between the Church of the Collective and Frederick Vought is a board-level matter. They offered us a price we couldn’t refuse."
Homelander’s fists clenched.
He had been so confident in the conference room talking about warning the Church of the Collective, only to get warned by Edgar instead?
Wasn’t this just humiliating him and undermining his authority as the captain over and over?
"In short, letting The Deep return to The Seven is a decision, not a negotiation," Edgar said in that calm, superior tone of his.
Homelander’s expression turned ugly as hell.
...
[Homelander — Emotional fluctuation: Shame, humiliation, anger, anxiety (being humiliated in front of The Guardian)]
[Ability points gained: +12,847]
...
"Any other questions?"
"...No. None!"
Homelander squeezed the words out through his teeth.
"Then that’s it."
Edgar nodded and sat back down.
"You leave. The Guardian stays."
Homelander glanced at Hillel and walked out, fuming.
"You know he can see what’s happening in here and hear our conversation, right?"
Hillel said.
"Haha, and I want him to hear it!" Edgar said. "The Church of the Collective is nothing, but they have some friends in Congress who can help Vought push certain policies. As long as The Deep stays alive during this period, that’s enough."
"Just staying alive is enough?"
"Yes. He can stand at events, attend functions, give speeches. His image needs to look presentable. We don’t care about anything else. You’re a smart man. You know what I mean."
Hillel nodded. Edgar was a smart man.
He could handle Homelander, and now he was figuring out how to handle The Guardian too.
Interesting!
Hillel walked out. Homelander stood there with a gloomy face, staring at his own reflection on the wall.
"I was right before, wasn’t I? Any random asshole can kick you, the captain."
Homelander puffed out his cheeks, breathing hard.
He had heard the entire conversation between Edgar and The Guardian.
But he couldn’t tolerate the compromise.
As long as The Deep got back on the team, his image and approval ratings would tank.
"What can I do? Kill The Deep, or keep assassinating the head of the Church of the Collective?"
Homelander roared in anger.
Hillel wiped the spit off his face, looking disgusted.
"Hey, just talk normally. Why the fuck are you shouting so loud?!"
"Sorry, I just... I can’t control myself!"
Homelander clenched his fists over and over, pacing in the elevator.
The two waited for a while.
The elevator door didn’t open.
"Fuck! Press the elevator button! How unprofessional!" Hillel cursed loudly, jabbing the button until it exploded.
The elevator’s red alarm light came on.
Homelander: "..."
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