The signs of battle were obvious; the walls were damaged, and the floor was cracked.
It certainly looked like a fierce fight had taken place.
But…
too many people were dead.
Everyone was dead, not a single survivor left.
Did that guy “Stone Armor” really have the heart to be this ruthless?
Willing to kill all his subordinates along with the hostages, and then run off with the money himself?
Homelander didn’t really believe it.
He walked to the spot where “Stone Armor” was supposed to have made his final stand, crouched down, and carefully examined the floor.
There was nothing there except bloodstains and gravel.
There were no signs of a struggle, no rock fragments, and even the energy residue unique to that guy was so faint it was almost imperceptible.
It was as if “Stone Armor” had vanished into thin air right here.
After all, all the signs pointed to that ‘Stone Armor’.
“Fuck…” Homelander stood up, his chest beginning to heave slightly.
He felt like he had been played by ‘Stone Armor’, and right now, he needed an explanation.
Homelander immediately raised his left hand and pressed the miniature communicator hidden in his ear.
“Madelyn!” His voice was very low, but the fury within it was almost ready to burst out.
After two seconds of silence, Madelyn Stillwell’s voice, which always maintained a professional calm, came through the communicator:
“John?
Have you arrived at the scene?
How is the situation?
Is ‘Stone Armor’ still under control?
Remember to leave him alive; we will still need him later…”
“Control my ass!” Homelander interrupted her directly, his voice suddenly rising.
“Everyone at the scene is dead!
Not a single survivor!
The bank has been robbed clean!
Even ‘Stone Armor’ is gone!
You tell me what is going on?
Is this the ‘simple script’ you arranged?!”
His low roar echoed through the vast, deathly silent bank lobby.
Madelyn, on the other end of the communicator, was clearly taken aback by this sudden outburst.
When she spoke again, there was a trace of imperceptible tension in her voice:
“John, calm down.
Explain clearly, what exactly happened?
What do you mean ‘Stone Armor’ is gone?
Did he escape?”
“How would I know!” Homelander paced irritably for two steps and kicked away the corpse of a robber blocking his path.
“The scene looks like it was chewed over by a pack of mad dogs!
Everyone is dead!
The money is gone!
There’s not even a shadow of ‘Stone Armor’!
How do you expect me to stay calm?!”
He took a deep breath, trying hard to steady his tone.
“Madelyn, what the hell are you all doing?
You can’t even control a smuggled, dim-witted Stone Armor?
And you let him make the scene look like this?
“Do you know how many phones are filming outside right now?
How do you expect me to wrap this up?
Smile at these corpses?!”
“John, listen to me.” Madelyn’s voice quickened, attempting to regain control of the rhythm.
“First, tell me the details of the scene.
“Besides the corpses, are there any other special traces?
Does the battle look intense?
Are there any signs of other Supes intervening?”
“Traces?
It was plenty intense!” Homelander retorted sarcastically.
“A pile of dead bodies.
As for other Supes…”
He paused and scanned the scene again.
The robbers and staff had mostly been killed by sharp blades or shot to death.
It looked…
it really did look like a scene that could be produced by “Stone Armor” and his group having an internal conflict, or a double-cross.
“…It looks like they started fighting because they couldn’t split the loot,” Homelander muttered.
“‘Stone Armor’ probably thought there was too much money and didn’t want to share it with his subordinates, so he slaughtered them all and ran off with the money himself.
“Hmph, these low-life smugglers really can’t be trusted.”
This was the most reasonable explanation he could think of based on the scene.
After all, if another Supe had intervened and killed “Stone Armor”, there should have been more distinct battle traces left at the scene, or “Stone Armor’s” corpse.
But now, “Stone Armor” was nowhere to be found, dead or alive, and the money was gone; the most likely possibility was that the guy had absconded with the loot.
Madelyn seemed to breathe a sigh of relief on the other end, but her tone remained serious:
“John, if that’s really the case, then the problem is serious.
“An uncontrolled Supe smuggler disappearing into the crowd with a large sum of money could continue to commit crimes, be used by our competitors, or even expose our past cooperation…”
“That’s a problem for you to worry about!” Homelander interrupted her impatiently again.
“My problem is, right now!
How am I supposed to handle this mess!
The media and the police will be here any minute!”
“…I understand.” Madelyn immediately made a quick judgment, her tone returning to that reassuring softness.
“You need to give them an explanation.”
“Explanation?
How am I supposed to explain?!” Homelander’s voice was fraying again.
“Say I arrived late?
Say that Stone Armor ran away on his own?
Do you know that makes me look incompetent?!”
“No, John, listen to me.” Madelyn’s voice carried an unquestionable, guiding quality.
“This is not your fault.
On the contrary, this is an opportunity.”
“Opportunity?”
“Yes,” Madelyn said slowly.
“You can tell the media that you arrived at the first possible moment after receiving the alert, but unfortunately, it was one step too late.
“You can express your grief and anger for the innocent victims.
Then…”
She paused, lowering her voice a little.
“You can shift the responsibility to the police response system.
If the police procedures were more streamlined, and if you had been notified sooner, perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided.”
On the other end of the communicator, Homelander fell silent.
A few seconds later, his voice sounded again, much calmer this time, even carrying a hint of sudden realization.
“I understand, Madelyn.”
“Very good, John.” A faint curve appeared at the corners of Madelyn’s mouth.
“Now, go.
Face those cameras.
“Remember, you are Homelander, you are their hope.
“Act sad, act angry, for those lives you ‘failed to save’.”
The communication cut off.
Meanwhile, at Vought International headquarters, Madelyn put down the communicator, leaned back in her chair, and gently rubbed her temples.
“Stone Armor” missing, money stolen.
Although troublesome, it was still within a controllable range.
As long as Homelander played his part well, they might even be able to take the opportunity to push the “Superheroes Intervening in Police Systems” bill.
She reached out and pressed the internal intercom button.
“Notify the PR department to prepare a press release.
“The headline should read…
‘Homelander Rushes to Rescue, Denounces Bloated Police System’.”