Conference room.
The two walked in one after the other, separated by about thirty seconds, looking as if they had arrived separately.
The members of The Seven were already seated.
The Deep saw Lucas and immediately put on a smiling face: "Hey! Guardian! I saw your video online, that slap was really..."
He glanced at A-Train out of the corner of his eye and forcefully swallowed the second half of his sentence.
"...really spectacular."
A-Train sat in the corner. Speedsters have fast recovery speeds; almost no scars could be seen on his face.
But his unconscious demeanor made it obvious he had a guilty conscience.
When Lucas walked in, his shoulders visibly flinched.
It was a reflex.
Maeve sat by the window, holding a mug. Lucas’s super smell detected that it was pure whiskey.
Drinking whiskey at three in the afternoon—the Queen’s mental state was truly concerning.
Homelander walked in last and took his seat at the head of the table.
The moment he sat down, the others’ breathing slowed in unison.
Black Noir noticed the abnormality in Homelander’s uniform, but he remained zoned out, signaling the Donald Duck toy on the table not to speak out of turn.
Queen Maeve and the other Supes were not idiots; they could feel the vibrations coming from outside.
The two must have clashed briefly, and the fact that Lucas could still walk in alive proved that the rumors outside were true.
Next, Madelyn joined the meeting remotely via video to briefly introduce Lucas’s identity and role.
Special Consultant for Supe Threats.
Independent of The Seven.
Responsible for sanctioning high-level Supe crimes.
To put it bluntly, he was a hunting dog raised beside The Seven; nominally a guard dog, but in reality, everyone knew this hunting dog could bite.
The meeting content was unremarkable.
Commercial scheduling, brand endorsements, and a few crime-sanctioning scripts that needed to be completed.
Lucas listened quietly throughout, observing everyone’s state.
The Deep had the lowest status and appeared anxious and fawning, while A-Train looked suppressed.
He knew he had caused a huge disaster this time; his secret was out, and it had even alarmed the big boss.
Queen Maeve was the most checked-out, wearing an expression of not caring what happened.
Translucent—that bastard was acting all high and mighty, thinking no one could see him.
As for Homelander—he gave a perfect performance throughout: approachable, humorous, and authoritative.
But his fists, hidden beneath his gloves, hadn’t unclenched once since he walked in.
Forty minutes later, the meeting ended. Everyone left one after another.
Lucas got up to walk out. When he passed by Maeve, her footsteps slowed for a beat.
"How did your fight turn out? It looks like not only are you not dead, you aren’t even injured."
She didn’t look at Lucas, her tone casual, as if speaking to the air.
"A draw, I suppose. I can’t do anything to him, and he can’t do anything to me."
Queen Maeve took a sip of her drink. "Then you’d better be careful. Homelander is no pushover; don’t be a troublemaker."
After saying this, Queen Maeve walked away directly. This woman seemed to be offering a well-intentioned warning?
[Key Character: Queen Maeve]
[Emotional Change: Indifferent → Slightly Favorable]
[Evolution Points Gained: +876]
At the same time. The 72nd floor, Madelyn’s office. The door was kicked open.
Homelander walked in, his expression stormy, unable to maintain his standardized smile.
He slammed his fist onto Madelyn’s desk, splitting the solid wood tabletop down the middle. The coffee cup on the desk tipped over, spilling a bit of milky white liquid.
Homelander glanced at it subconsciously, then withdrew his attention.
"You made another one!"
Madelyn sat in her chair, unmoving; she had long anticipated this moment.
"He isn’t our..."
"Shut up!" Homelander leaned down, his hands pressed against the shattered desk, his face inches from Madelyn’s.
"Invulnerable, super strength, can fly, and my Heat Vision can’t penetrate him... You’re telling me he wasn’t created by you?"
"He really isn’t in the compound v database. I told you that before."
"Then where did he pop out from!"
"We are still investigating."
"Investigating?" Homelander laughed, as if hearing the funniest joke in the world. "Do you know what he did to me in the hallway?"
Madelyn’s eyes flickered.
"He punched me hard! Just one punch..."
Homelander slowly straightened up, pulling back his cape to reveal the bruise and the unhealed bloodstains on his chest.
Madelyn’s pupils constricted sharply.
Since she had known Homelander, she had never seen him injured. Never!
"One punch!" Homelander held up a finger and waved it in front of Madelyn. "Just one punch!"
The office was silent. Madelyn was terrified.
She was worried about Homelander losing control and going on a rampage, and also terrified of Lucas’s power.
This guy wasn’t just bragging! He could actually go toe-to-toe with Homelander!
"So tell me now..." Homelander withdrew his finger, his smile completely gone.
"What exactly is he?"
"Is he a tool you created to keep me in check?"
"Or... a better replacement than me?"
When Homelander finished that last sentence, a red glow flashed in his eyes. Heat Vision was ready to fire.
Madelyn didn’t flinch. Forcing herself to suppress her fear, she walked around the shattered desk to stand in front of Homelander.
She raised her hand and pressed it against Homelander’s chest, gently stroking the bruised area, as tenderly as a mother treating her own child.
"Listen to me."
Homelander’s eyes dimmed, and his breathing grew heavy.
Madelyn didn’t dare look up; if she had looked Homelander in the eye, she would have noticed something glistening in his eyes. He looked just like a child afraid of being abandoned by its mother.
"You are not a replacement. No one can replace your role in The Seven!"
"You are Homelander, and you are the greatest hero in this country."
"Guardian is nothing, and you are the god in the hearts of every American!"
Seeing Homelander’s mood stabilize, Madelyn breathed a sigh of relief and continued to persuade him.
"Edgar let him join just to handle the PR crisis from the A-Train incident. He’s just a pawn, to be discarded once used!"
Homelander stared at her, his expression aggrieved. "But he hurt me!"
"That’s only temporary!" Madelyn’s fingers smoothed out his cape. "Once we find out his origins and his weaknesses, everything will return to normal!"
"You are still the strongest! Always!"
Homelander let out a long breath, seemingly slowly persuaded.
"You must be fast and find out everything."
"If this guy really wasn’t created by you, then he might have been sent by some anti-Vought organization!"
"If you ask me, Edgar is too reckless. How could he put someone like that beside The Seven..."
Madelyn’s expression changed, and she reached out to cover Homelander’s mouth.
At such close contact, Homelander could smell Madelyn’s scent. That maternal fragrance. It was truly intoxicating!
If he could, Homelander only wanted to drown in her gentle embrace forever.
"Alright, it’s not good if people see." Madelyn patted Homelander’s back.
Homelander stood up reluctantly. "Then what do I need to do? Let him boss The Seven around?"
"It won’t come to that. We won’t let him interfere too much; Guardian is not to be trusted."
"In the meantime, you can keep a close eye on him and report the situation to me at any time."
Homelander acted as if he had accepted a great responsibility. "No problem. With me here, he won’t be able to make any waves!"
The door closed. Madelyn stood where she was, her heart rate accelerating.
Before, just having one Homelander was enough of a headache; now, dammit, there were two! Two!
She picked up the phone. "Mr. Edgar... there’s a situation."
"Guardian’s strength far exceeds our estimations."
"Homelander’s Heat Vision is ineffective against him. In close combat, Guardian even caused visible injuries to Homelander."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
"Continue observing!" Edgar’s voice held no emotional fluctuation. "Since we’ve confirmed his strength, adopt a soft approach. Do not attempt to escalate the conflict!"
"Sir, Homelander has already..."
"I said, do not escalate the conflict."
"Let them maintain the status quo. Two beasts wary of each other is much safer than one beast reigning supreme."
The phone hung up. Madelyn held the receiver, not knowing what to say.
What right did they have to play at balancing two beasts?
Not to mention, Guardian was not like Homelander; he was not a Supe that could be so easily controlled.