He was mentally calculating his next plans.
It would be best to pay Hughie a visit.
He needed to try his best to alter the destiny of key characters; his intuition told him that this was where the bulk of the rewards lay.
Besides that, Vought International would definitely come knocking.
Someone like Madelyn wouldn’t just let an unknown Supe farm reputation right under Vought International’s nose; she would either recruit him or send Homelander to deal with him.
With his current Level 1 strength, if Vought International sent Homelander, he probably couldn’t win.
Homelander’s standard speed was Supersonic, while he was only subsonic.
Homelander could throw a 20-ton passenger plane with one hand; his strength was several times greater than his own.
The gap was still too wide.
Therefore, before reaching Level 2, it was best for him to avoid a direct confrontation with Homelander.
Play it safe, keep a low profile, and don’t be reckless!
A new notification quietly floated up on his panel.
[Estimated in 8 hours (11:00 AM), the video will enter the mainstream media circulation cycle, and you will receive a large amount of Evolution Points]
[Estimated within 24 hours, online channels alone can accumulate: 2,000-4,000 Evolution Points]
Lucas looked at these numbers, and his eyes brightened slightly.
If online channels could provide two to four thousand, plus the three thousand seven he already had...
...and adding what he’d get from continuing to patrol the streets tomorrow during the day.
He could level up to Level 2 in a single day!
As a Viltrumite Soldier, his combat power would at least multiply several times over, which was probably about the level of an infant on Viltrum.
But at that level, even if Homelander came, he would be able to hold his own.
Let’s do this, brothers!
Hurry it up!
...
Seven hours later.
New York, early morning.
The original owner’s old phone was buzzing frantically with notifications, waking Lucas up; the screen was flooded with news alerts.
[NBC: Mysterious Supe "Guardian" appears in Brooklyn, solving at least nine crimes in one night!]
[CNN: No record in the Vought International database—who exactly is Guardian?]
[Fox: Does Guardian pose a threat to national security? Experts are deeply divided.]
[New York Times: Crime rate in Brooklyn drops by 12% overnight.]
Lucas glanced at his panel.
Current Evolution Points: 5,903 / 10,000
It had increased by over two thousand overnight, all from the passive collection of online sentiment.
And the Evolution Points were still being generated constantly, as if they were breeding!
With this round of mainstream media coverage, the traffic during the day would far exceed last night’s.
He stood up and looked down from the edge of the rooftop.
The streets below were already bustling, and the television in the breakfast shop on the corner was playing the video of him from last night.
Several people eating breakfast in the shop were all looking up at it.
"Not to mention, The Seven from Vought International are all useless hacks; they only know how to package themselves and don’t do anything good!"
"That’s right, this is a real superhero!"
"Hey! Do you think this guy will be recruited by Vought International?"
...
On the panel, the number increased a little more.
+ 23
Lucas withdrew his gaze.
He put on a hoodie and blended into the morning rush hour crowd.
Twenty minutes later.
Lucas stood in front of an electronics store.
The sign read "Bob’s Electronics—Professional Audio and Home Theater."
Through the glass door, he saw a thin young man standing behind the counter, listlessly tinkering with an old-fashioned stereo.
Hughie Campbell.
This guy looked even thinner than in the TV show, and his eyes were a bit dark, as if he hadn’t slept well last night.
The panel popped up a notification:
[Key Character Confirmed: Hughie Campbell]
[Current Emotional State: Indifferent, Weary]
[Potential Evolution Point Value: Extremely High]
Lucas pushed open the glass door.
Hughie looked up and offered a professional smile: "Hey, welcome, is there anything..."
His smile froze for a second; he felt like he had seen the person in front of him somewhere before.
"...anything I can help you with?"
Lucas walked to the counter and casually picked up a pair of headphones to take a look.
"I want to buy a stereo, my budget isn’t high, do you have any recommendations?"
"Uh... what type are you looking for? Bluetooth or wired?"
"Which one do you think is better?"
Hughie was stunned for a moment; it seemed like it had been a long time since a customer had asked for his opinion.
"Personally, I prefer wired ones; the sound quality is much better, and Bluetooth has a bit of lag..."
Lucas listened while observing him.
On the panel, Hughie’s emotional state became somewhat pleased, probably because a customer was finally willing to listen to him.
This kid was essentially a soft-hearted pushover.
Kind, cowardly, and not very confident.
In the original series, he almost exclusively grew through passive experiences, and even in the latest fifth season, he was still a bit of a do-gooder.
But good people aren’t a threat; stupid people are.
"By the way." Lucas asked casually, "Doesn’t your girlfriend work with you?"
Hughie’s hand paused.
"How did you know I have a girlfriend?"
"Just a guess. You have a red string and a hair tie on your wrist, they’re for girls, right? That red string was braided quite carefully."
Hughie subconsciously looked at the red string on his wrist, his expression a bit shy.
"Robin braided that. Her craftsmanship is indeed a bit rough, but... it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie."
"Smart man, brother. You’ve already mastered the underlying logic of relationships."
Hughie scratched his head, "Thanks for the compliment, but why did you suddenly ask that?"
Lucas smiled and didn’t answer.
He had already obtained the information he wanted; Robin was not with Hughie today.
A-Train hitting someone happened on the street when Hughie and Robin were walking together.
Today should be safe.
"I’ll come back to buy the stereo another day." Lucas put the headphones back on the shelf, "By the way, is there anything good to eat around here? I just moved in."
"Oh!" Hughie’s eyes brightened, "The sandwich shop on the corner is good; the owner is an old Italian man, and he gives a lot of cheese..."
The two chatted idly for a few moments.
When Lucas left the electronics store, Hughie called out from behind: "Hey, come back again!"
[Key Character · Hughie Campbell]
[Emotional Change: Indifferent → Slightly Pleased → Initial Goodwill Established]
[Evolution Points Gained: + 156]
Current Evolution Points: 6,059 / 10,000
One hundred fifty-six.
Just by chatting for a few minutes and putting him in a better mood, he got one hundred fifty-six points.
The treatment for Key NPCs and ordinary NPCs is indeed different.
If he saved Robin and completely rewrote Hughie’s destiny.
The rewards shouldn’t be small.
Lucas was walking on the streets of Brooklyn when his phone buzzed again.
He took it out and looked; it was another news alert.
[Breaking News: A-Train will participate in the Brooklyn Community Run event tomorrow!]
Lucas’s footsteps stopped.
Brooklyn.
Community Run?
A-Train?
This really was effortless; he had just been thinking about how to pinpoint the date Robin was killed, and this notification appeared.