“I—I’ll get the door.”
The knock came as a reprieve for Doppelganger, who hurriedly rose to his feet and rushed toward the door.
Ashley walked into the lounge carrying a tray, and an enticing aroma of meat drifted through the air.
She brought the tray over to Alex’s side, set it down on his table, and lifted the cover.
“Sir, I’ve prepared the steak you like.”
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Go get me a set of casual clothes.”
Gazing at the steak on the plate before him—still sizzling, its crust seared and fragrant, its texture tender and dense, marbled with rich fat—Alex’s appetite was thoroughly whetted.
“Sir.”
“What did you just say?”
Ashley thought she must have misheard, and cautiously sought confirmation.
“I said get me a set of casual clothes.
Is there a problem?”
“No, no, no, no problem at all.
I’ll go prepare it right away.”
Ashley shook her head over and over, saying this quickly before hurrying out of the lounge with brisk steps.
‘Insane.
This guy has truly lost his mind.’
As Ashley walked, she ranted wildly in her heart.
It had been several years now since she’d joined Vought Corporation to become Homelander’s assistant.
And in all those years, Ashley had never once seen Homelander wear anything other than his superhero costume.
Not a single time!
He was almost always playing the role of the superhero Homelander, rather than treating it as merely his job.
But now.
That Homelander had actually told her to go prepare a set of casual clothes?
Even though Ashley had no idea what was going on, she knew for certain that something was absolutely off!
This kind of bizarre situation—she had no intention of digesting it all on her own.
She was just a working stiff, after all.
When something needed to be reported, it had to be reported.
Ashley’s footsteps carried her swiftly toward Madelyn’s office.
Ashley’s departure, her reaction—Alex paid them no mind, leisurely eating his dinner.
It was Doppelganger, sitting alone across from him, who instead seemed rather ill at ease.
Fortunately, this torment didn’t last long.
Alex finished his dinner and opened the cigarettes Ashley had brought.
“Want one?”
“No, no thanks.”
Doppelganger shook his head, still not having emerged from the shadow of having just been threatened.
By the time he’d finished a cigarette, Ashley had returned—only this time pushing a rolling clothes rack, hung with all sorts of full outfits.
“Sir, these are the garments prepared according to your measurements.”
Alex rose and stepped forward, casually grabbing one set.
It was an old-money-style outfit: a casual button-down shirt paired with light-colored trousers.
On top of that—shoes, underwear, a watch…
Everything from head to toe was there.
“If you don’t like it, there are other styles to choose from.”
“If none of these satisfy you, I can also—”
“No need, this will do.”
“Alright, now go wait for me at the door.”
Alex waved his hand and shooed the two of them out.
Before long, Alex—now changed into the new clothes, a cigarette dangling from his lips—walked out.
“Let’s go.”
Alex said to Doppelganger, while beside him Ashley opened her mouth, hesitating, wanting to speak yet holding back.
“Is there something else?”
Faced with Alex’s question, Ashley couldn’t help cursing Madelyn in her heart for making her do something this dangerous.
“S-sir, where are you planning to go?
Should I arrange anything in advance for you?”
Alex gave Ashley a long, deep look, then said with a beaming smile.
“Arrange?”
“No, you don’t need to do anything at all.”
Ashley fell silent.
Although this differed from the task Madelyn had assigned her, she truly didn’t have the courage to dig to the bottom of it.
She could only nod quietly, dutifully and obediently seeing the two of them off.
After leaving Vought Tower, before Doppelganger could even ask, Alex grabbed hold of him and shot up into the sky, soaring off toward the distance.
Not long after, Alex brought Doppelganger to a Supe nursing home under Vought Corporation.
“Wait for me here.”
Alex gave a simple instruction, then flew straight into the nursing home.
In just a short while.
Doppelganger saw him come out carrying an Asian woman in his hand.
“The person you’re going to imitate is her.
Understand?”
“Yes, sir.
I understand.”
Doppelganger stared at the Golden Geisha before him, and at once his somewhat plump figure began to shift, rapidly transforming into someone exactly like her.
“You’re Homelander?”
The Golden Geisha watched the scene unfold before her, her face showing no panic or fear whatsoever.
Instead, she looked at Alex quite calmly.
“That’s right.”
“You don’t need to worry.
I just need you to help me out a little.”
Alex nodded, candidly admitting his identity.
“Sir, are you satisfied with this?”
Doppelganger looked at Alex, a faint smile rising on his face as he spoke.
The appearance, the voice—all of it was identical to the original, without the slightest difference.
“Very good.”
Alex nodded in satisfaction, and then heard the Golden Geisha say.
“You’re looking for Blast Vision?”
As an elderly Supe, the Golden Geisha had also been through a great many things in her youth.
Now, old and faded, she had long since lost any value to be exploited.
If there was anything left to mention, perhaps it was only Blast Vision.
“It’s a shame, but even I can’t get in contact with him.
If you’re looking for him, I can only say I’m sorry…”
“No need to apologize.
I understand.”
Having read the original work, Alex naturally knew that what the Golden Geisha said was no lie.
“It’s just that I’ll need you to disappear for a while.”
“Am I going to die?”
The Golden Geisha asked calmly.
“Of course not.
I have no interest whatsoever in killing you.”
As Alex spoke, he took out his phone and dialed a number.
After two brief busy tones, a slightly puzzled woman’s voice rang out.
“Who are you, and why do you have my private number?”
Queen Maeve frowned at the unfamiliar number on her phone.
“Hey, Maeve, it’s me.”
Hearing Alex’s voice, Queen Maeve immediately regretted picking up the call.
“How interesting.
I never imagined the day would come when you’d actually use a phone to contact me.”
“Let me guess—it must have been your little assistant Ashley who set this up for you.
After all, you’d have no interest in memorizing my number…”
“Oh, my god.”
There was a trace of laughter in Alex’s voice.
“Sounds like I really am quite the bastard.”
That single sentence struck Queen Maeve on the other end of the line into dead silence.
That sense of wrongness from the afternoon resurfaced once more.
In her impression, Homelander was absolutely not like this.
At the very least, there was no way he would ever say something like that.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Don’t tell me you just want to find someone to spout nonsense to.
If that’s the case…”