Free Web NovelChapter 38: Chapter 38: The Livestream Erupts
From the moment Benjamin stepped out of Crimson Countess’s trailer, he had hit the livestream button on Vought’s official account.
As the Original Supe returning to Vought, Benjamin naturally had his own dedicated livestream channel.
Vought’s PR department had set it up for him on his first day.
The profile picture was the black-and-white photo from the Normandy beachhead, and the bio read: "America’s First Superhero."
It was just that the account had never gone live before. Its follower count had simply been sitting there.
Of course, the people at Vought had never believed a man over a hundred years old would know how to use this kind of "high-tech." The problem was, Benjamin was very good at using it.
The stream was not exactly steady. The camera shook slightly as Benjamin moved, but it was clear enough.
In the footage, the members of Payback had just stepped out from the shadows of the trees, while the unfamiliar Supes Vought had hired closed in from the resort’s main road. Every face was captured clearly.
More than thirty people against one Soldier Boy.
The viewer count in the upper right corner was already close to ten million. With this much traffic, even anyone who missed the stream would hear about this nationwide scandal by the end of the day.
At the same time, the live chat exploded.
...
"What the fuck is happening?! Why is Soldier Boy being surrounded by Payback and Vought’s Supes?"
"Wait, what did he just say? He was betrayed by Vought? Betrayed by Payback? Sold to the Russians and tortured for forty years? Then he came back, and now Vought is trying to betray him again? Vought, what the fuck are you doing?!"
"Fuck, I believe every word Soldier Boy said. Look at where those people are standing. They already had him surrounded. This wasn’t spur-of-the-moment. This was an ambush set up in advance! Crimson Countess. That’s his ex-girlfriend! She brought a whole group of people to surround him! What kind of fucking person does that?"
"Soldier Boy fought for this country! Normandy! The Ardennes! A World War II hero! And this is how Vought treats him? Betraying one of its own founding heroes? This company is rotten to the root! And they fucking betrayed him twice. Holy shit."
"I feel like Soldier Boy is kind of a clown."
...
The comments in the livestream rolled by at insane speed, every line burning with anger.
Before long, plenty of people started spamming for Homelander. "Where’s Homelander?! Isn’t Homelander Soldier Boy’s son? Why isn’t he going yet?! Your dad is surrounded. Where the fuck are you?!"
"@Homelander Your father is being surrounded by dozens of people in Pennsylvania, and you’re still sitting in Vought Tower?!"
"Homelander, watch the livestream! The phone in your dad’s chest pocket is streaming. Open it and you’ll see. He’s facing an entire Supe squad alone!"
"I don’t care what messed-up shit Homelander has done before. If he doesn’t fly over and help his dad today, I’m never supporting him again."
...
...
At the same time, Homelander stood before the long table in the conference room, still thinking about how to find Translucent’s killer.
The next second, the door was shoved open.
Ashley rushed in. Her heel caught on the threshold, and she nearly fell face-first onto the carpet.
She held up a tablet, the screen still flickering. Her face was a complicated mix of panic and urgency.
"Homelander! Look at the livestream! Soldier Boy is being surrounded!"
Homelander turned his head.
His blue eyes landed on the tablet she was holding up.
On the screen was a maple grove in the remote outskirts of Pennsylvania. His father’s livestream was surrounded by people.
Crimson Countess, that old woman in a cheap red dress, his father’s ex-girlfriend.
The TNT Twins... and Mindstorm.
There were also more than thirty unfamiliar faces he had never seen before, closing in from the edge of the maple grove and the resort’s main road. The encirclement was tightening inch by inch.
Homelander’s pupils suddenly contracted. Of course he recognized those people.
They were the traitors who had betrayed his father back then and handed him over to the Russians like a gift.
And now, there was another group of Supes hired by Vought.
Benjamin’s voice came through the tablet, rough and steady.
"So, have you thought this through? You’re going to surround this country’s hero while the entire American public is watching?"
Then came the comments.
...
...
"I don’t care what Homelander has done before. If he doesn’t fly over and help his dad today, I’m never supporting him again."
...
Homelander stared at the comments on the screen, the edges of his pupils beginning to glow red.
His pupils trembled slightly, and a scorching dark red light had already started to gather around the edges of his irises.
Homelander’s fingers tightened around the tablet’s edge. The glass screen cracked under the pressure of his grip, and then he tore the entire tablet in half.
My tablet!
Ashley screamed internally, then stumbled back a step, her back hitting the conference room doorframe.
She saw that red light.
After working at Vought for so many years, Ashley knew exactly what that red light meant.
"Ashley, good job."
After all, by doing this, Ashley had completely chosen Homelander and Soldier Boy over Vought.
With that, Homelander turned, bent his knees slightly, his cape swaying behind him, and smashed straight through the conference room’s floor-to-ceiling window.
The moment his flight speed broke the sound barrier, a ring of white vapor burst outward, rattling several windows on the upper floors of Vought Tower.
Soon, Homelander became a straight red streak, cutting through every cloud above New York.
...
The remote outskirts of Pennsylvania. The edge of the maple grove.
Crimson Countess’s face was twisted with rage.
She stared at the camera still flashing from Benjamin’s chest pocket.
Soldier Boy had started a livestream. The whole country was watching them.
"You... when did you..." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"From the moment I walked out of your room."
Benjamin’s voice was flat.
"That damn livestream channel Vought made for me. Looks like I’ve got quite a few fans. So, bitch, want to say hi to the camera?"
Crimson Countess’s lips trembled violently.
She was finished.
Not just her. Everyone standing here. All their faces were on the livestream.
"What are you all standing around for?"
The Supe leader sent by Vought was the first to snap out of his shock. He jerked his hand forward, his voice frantic.
"Attack! Are you waiting for Homelander to come slaughter us? Knock Soldier Boy out, lock him up, take him, and run!"
The Supes at the edge of the maple grove snapped back to themselves.
Everyone closed in.
"I dared to come here alone because I was never fucking scared of your numbers. I’ll blow every last one of you to hell!"
A blazing golden light appeared in Benjamin’s chest.
