The third floor of Building A was filled with the clamor of voices.
Inside the classroom, Brink was lecturing on excerpts from 'Criminal Psychology.'
"At least this is somewhat useful." Wade lowered his head to take notes, secretly absorbing the [Super Jump, Endurance] and [High-Speed Regeneration] abilities he had obtained from Sam in the early hours of the morning.
As for an ability like [Wrathful Might], which was dictated by emotions and suited for a brute, he looked down on it; it was better used for making potions.
A tingling, numb heat flowed slowly through Wade's body, especially itching in his lower limbs, as it subtly strengthened and reshaped his bones, muscles, and blood vessels.
'Once the fusion is complete, one hop will send me into the sky. Won't my takeoff speed be even faster then!'
In the back row on the left, Kate was daydreaming absentmindedly, constantly stealing glances at Wade.
Ring, ring, ring—
The bell for the end of class rang. Kate immediately walked over to Wade's side and gave his shoulder two nudges. "Did you go to that place last night?"
"Huh?" Wade put down his pen and looked at her with a look of total confusion. "I had a bit of a disagreement with Ms. Sera yesterday afternoon, so I left school to clear my head. I just got back this morning."
Kate narrowed her eyes, seemingly trying to find something hidden behind that innocent face.
Wade closed his textbook, glanced at her, and muttered under his breath, "Are you sick or something? Stop staring..."
Kate leaned against the wall, playing with her phone as if she intended to take root right there.
On the other side of the classroom, Luke shouted with excitement in his eyes, "Everyone, look at the news... Vought has a huge story!"
Inside the classroom, everyone lowered their heads and pulled out their phones, shouting in shock, "Oh my god, Translucent is dead? And President Madelyn personally dumped the body?"
"I was wondering why that Translucent guy was suddenly picked up last night. So that's what happened!"
Wade pretended to pull out his phone and check it.
New York Post: Dismembered'Superhero' Discovered in Central Park! Vought VP Madelyn Stillwell Becomes Top Suspect?!"
The report described in detail the gruesome state of the body parts in the box, emphasizing that the victim was the "well-known member of The Seven, Translucent," and included pixelated but still shocking photos of the scattered remains at the scene.
On the inside of the box, the word "PUNISHMENT" was clearly spray-painted in black.
'If I hadn't left some of those diamond-hard panels, no one would have recognized it was Translucent. That guy Frenchie didn't even want to leave a piece of toe skin.' Wade put on a shocked expression identical to everyone else's while silently complaining, 'Butcher insisted on spraying those words, saying he wanted to give Vought a little warning... It would have been better to keep it a mystery and leave nothing.'
Someone was flying above the classroom, holding their phone and reading aloud, "A large number of witnesses claim that around ten o'clock last night, they saw a woman resembling Vought Group President Madelyn personally abandoning the box near a park bench."
Someone else was flying in the center of the classroom, their eyes flashing with white light as they projected video footage:
An elderly woman spoke candidly to the camera during an interview, "I saw that lady with my own eyes. She looked very calm, and she even smiled at me before she left."
A middle-aged man stood with hands on his hips, rubbing his chin as he said, "She seemed very nice. She even played with my kid for a while. Who would have thought she'd be that kind of person?"
Kate sat to the side and read the text version of the report aloud, "Why would the core management of a company with the slogan 'Protection and Justice' be suspected of brutally murdering their own hero? Just what kind of darkness is hidden within Vought?"
"Who wrote this draft? Isn't Ms. Madelyn a normal person? How could she possibly murder Translucent? Isn't this a bit too ridiculous?"
Seeing her leaning closer and closer, Wade stood up and changed seats, nodding in agreement. "Exactly, exactly... Translucent is Vought Corporation's cash cow. This has to be fake news."
He then tapped on a social media platform and found that Vought Corporation's stock price had plummeted by 5%, evaporating a full 1.5 billion. 'It's fine, this is just the beginning. The days of "upward growth" are still long!'
There were also former FBI behavioral analysts, criminal experts, and the like, pointing out with certainty that this incident was a typical vendetta between Supes, possessing a strong sense of ritual and humiliation!
Internet trolls were having a rare carnival: "Pop the champagne! Welcome to the era of Supe gladiator matches and vendettas! ੭ᐕ)੭*⁾⁾"
"(✘_✘) Invulnerable, right? He's been turned into meat paste."
"(￢_￢) Isn't it just one dead Supe? I thought Vought Corporation went bankrupt."
"Students, quiet down first. Don't make a fuss." Brink walked onto the podium and projected Vought Corporation's official media statement on the large screen.
"Vought International expresses its strongest condemnation of the malicious framing and appalling criminal acts that occurred today... President Madelyn is a respected leader, and the allegations against her are baseless..."
Wade noticed that this statement used an alibi to sever the connection between Madelyn and the incident, shifting the focus to mourning Translucent and the terrorist attack. The wording implied that more superheroes were needed to maintain social order so that such tragedies wouldn't happen again.
His lips were pressed tight, and he almost laughed out loud. 'Wanting to use this as a pretext? Mourning? When you guys have squeezed every bit of value out of Translucent and hold a grand, lavish funeral, that's when I'll release the video of him crying on his knees and confessing. That will be a real mourning!'
"Students." Brink held a microphone and raised his fist high. "This is a conspiracy against Vought, against all of us. It proves that the enemy fears our power! The flag of heroes will never fall because of this!"
These words were like a shot of adrenaline. The crowd erupted with various colorful abilities, their fighting spirit ignited as they shouted loudly, "Justice is never late! Support Vought!"
'I wonder what the Vought higher-ups are doing now? Can they find the enemy? They won't just find a scapegoat to take the fall, will they?' Wade also clapped along, shouting cheerfully, "Justice will prevail! Support Vought!"
...Vought Tower, 82nd floor, CEO's office.
Ashley tremblingly held up a tablet, showing clear screenshots.
The screen displayed surveillance footage from different angles:
By the bench in Central Park, numerous "Madelyns" were facing the camera, showing either calm or gentle smiles as they set down the box containing Translucent's remains.
A bloated, bald middle-aged man was kneeling on the floor, shaking his head repeatedly. "President, it... it really wasn't me who transformed... I was at a party last night, many people can testify for me!"
Madelyn sat behind her desk, smashing Translucent figurines, ornaments, and merchandise one by one.
Clatter, crash, bang—
After a long silence, she slammed the desk twice. "That bastard who turned into me... find them! At any cost!"
The department heads didn't dare say a word. Ashley braced herself and spoke, "Yes, President. I'll have them mobilize all resources immediately! Data analysis, facial recognition, street informants... we'll send out everyone who's still breathing!"
Before she could finish, the office door was pushed open by an invisible force.
Homelander stood at the door, his red and blue uniform meticulous, looking at them with indifferent eyes.
Ashley was startled and led the crowd to quickly step aside and leave.
Homelander paced slowly, looking out the window with his hands behind his back. "I knew something happened to Translucent. Technical department just confirmed that the tracking beacon implanted in him sent its last remaining signal near New York Harbor. That... is likely where he was first attacked."
He turned around, looking at the mess on the floor. "I've decided. I'll mobilize The Seven and all available peripheral personnel to start a dragnet search from New York Harbor for any clues related to a shapeshifter... Don't worry, we'll drag those rats hiding in the gutters out soon enough." He turned to leave after speaking.
"Come back!" Madelyn stood up and called him back, asking coldly, "Mayor of Baltimore, Thomas Shaw—who gave you permission to act privately?!"
"He was verbally threatening you." Homelander's mouth opened slightly as he spread his hands in confusion. "That old geezer was clearly out to blackmail us. I could hear it clearly from the next room."
Madelyn walked up to him and looked him straight in the eyes. "That's exactly why. Now the enemy could be from the government, could be any Supe who hates us, or even someone inside the company with a personal grudge against Translucent! The range is limitless."
Homelander waved one hand, looking left and right, and said in a muffled voice, "If that Thomas could blackmail us once, there would be a second time, a third time! What's wrong with killing him? Besides, no one saw it!"
"Heh... no one saw it?" Madelyn rubbed her forehead and sighed, laughing out of sheer anger. "The plane was torn open from the outside. If The Deep hadn't been clever enough to dispose of the black box immediately, the whole world would be hearing not just about Translucent's death, but news of you attacking a government official."
She took a couple of breaths and continued, "Listen, because of this Translucent business, our company's proposal to the Department of Defense has been shelved indefinitely."
"We need to handle this crisis beautifully. I need stability and precision in dealing with these issues... You stay in the tower and behave, all right?"
Homelander pursed his lips repeatedly, looked at Madelyn for over ten seconds, and gave a muffled grunt. "Fine. Very well." He turned and strode away.
A few minutes later, 99th floor, The Seven's meeting room.
The Deep was the first to arrive. He sat upright in his seat, occasionally stroking the sides of his abdomen.
The door was pushed open roughly, and a somber Homelander walked in.
The Deep immediately stood up, a fawning smile on his face. "You're here. I was just about to report..."
Before he could finish, Homelander appeared behind him as if by teleportation, his large hands pressing down hard on the back of his neck, pushing him back into his seat.
"I heard... your skills in the ocean are quite good? Hmm?" Homelander stood beside The Deep, whispering in a muffled voice. "You even know how to take the initiative to report to Madelyn! You're good... doing quite well, aren't you!"
"From now on, if there's anything, you must tell me first." He applied a bit of pressure with his palm, emphasizing each word: "Do... you... understand!"
The Deep's throat was squeezed slightly out of shape, his eyeballs twitching violently as he said in a trembling voice, "Yes, okay... I understand."
Just then, Queen Maeve pushed the door open and entered expressionlessly. She glanced at the bloodless Deep and walked straight to her seat.
Following her, Starlight, A-Train, and the perpetually silent Black Noir filed in as well.
Only then did Homelander release The Deep, leaning his hands on the table as he looked at everyone present.
He looked at A-Train, who was just about to sit down, his gaze sweeping across his chest and abdomen.
"A-Train, look at that greasy belly of yours, and that useless heart." A smile appeared on Homelander's face as he teased with a cold smirk, "Are you ready for the race in a few days? If you lose even'speed,' your only advantage... then get the hell out of The Seven!"
"Yes, sir." A-Train's lips moved as he responded in a low voice.
Homelander looked at the silent and terrified crowd in the meeting room, clapping his hands with satisfaction. "All right, gentlemen and ladies."
"From now on, all your scheduled arrangements are canceled. We have a more important task... starting from New York Harbor, search for clues related to that mysterious shapeshifter!"
"In here... I'm the one in charge." He scanned the faces of those present and smiled slightly. "Any questions?"
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