Chapter 30

[Homelander's POV]

I slowly open my eyes and yawn, feeling my mouth dry.

After a few blinks, I sit up and get a glass with a pitcher. I put water in the glass, quickly gulped it, and then put water in it again.

This repeated a few times.

I thought about drinking straight from the pitcher, but I'm not in a hurry to go that far.

After setting the pitcher and glass on the nightstand, I finally get up and go to the bathroom.

The cool shower washes away the sleepiness and wakes me up a little. I looked at my messy hair in the mirror and my overall appearance.

Once again, I confirm that this isn't some psychedelic dream conjured by my mind, staring into my bright blue eyes.

Smirking, I grab my toothbrush and start brushing my teeth thoroughly. I could rely on my invulnerability for healthy teeth, but I'm more accustomed to fresh breath.

When I'm done, I look at myself in the mirror before leaving the bathroom.

Throwing a robe over my bare body, I enter the office and sit at the desk.

I open my laptop, sigh, and turn it on, then start reading the news even though it doesn't fill me with optimism.

This was expected, given that "Vought International" has signed a contract with the U.S. military for the "Seven" to serve it.

Naturally, this has caused a stir in society.

Representatives from various countries speak out against the situation, saying that the U.S. is forcing them to take extreme measures, just as I predicted.

There's no actions that has been implemented, but Russia has been outraged.

This reaction is quite predictable, considering Homelander could simply target the Russian Federation's if given the order.

The lack of superpowered people in Russia means nothing can hurt or bring him down.

The people in power are simply afraid for their lives knowing how easily they can be taken.

Therefore, the past few days have been relatively quiet.

However, I was confident that this wasn't the end.

I very much doubt that the government hasn't been concerned about having its own superpowered individual.

On the contrary, I'm almost certain that there is already a program in place to create supers.

They simply couldn't resist replicating their success knowing that the Americans had succeeded.

It is only a matter of time before we see the emergence of a superhero team or at least one superpowered individual from Russia.

Not to mention other countries, such as China and North Korea.

Based on how it went with nuclear weapons, it is safe to say that the appearance of supers in these countries is inevitable.

What matters most is whether they are as powerful as Homelander?

Probably not.

The situation is nerve-wracking, but there is hope for stability.

I never intended to get involved in a war, and I hope it won't be.

Besides, I'm too old for all this crap.

It's time to stop reading every article on this topic to avoid going insane.

This would be a very bad outcome in my situation, both personally and for the world in general.

Sighing, I turn off the laptop, get up from the desk, and head to the bedroom.

I opened the closet when I saw the familiar sight of superhero costumes.

It's all so bright and colorful that it almost hurts my eyes. I sigh and pull one of them out to slowly put it on. 

Before I finally leave, I catch a glimpse of a blonde lying naked in my bed.

Annie and I were very productive last night. It's been very productive, but I wouldn't mind a little more.

I continue walking while snorting. Eventually, I jump off the balcony and quickly fly up.

The filming location was relatively close. I arrived just as the filming was about to start and went straight to the makeup room.

We only had to shoot what was needed because everything was ready.

Sitting in the chair, I patiently waited for the makeup artists to do their work.

The script had been read to me and was already in my head, so the shoot should have been quick since it was just an army advertisement for supers.

"I thought you'd be late."

Maeve said, sitting next to me and crossing her legs.

"How was your evening?"

"Very good."

"It shows."

She smirked, giving me a rather eloquent look.

"Tonight also promises to be... quite good."

"You think?"

"I'm sure."

Maeve winked at me, giving me a seductive glance as she took in my body.

I also allowed myself the aesthetic pleasure of admiring the legs of my companion.

The nature of our relationship seems strange. Casual sex might be good, given how enjoyable the process is.

However, this can't last forever. 

We both understand this, and that's probably why we let loose in bed and not just there.

After a while, the director called us, and the filming began.

I let out a quiet sigh as I remembered that Madelyn had told me I still needed to go to the premiere of the Technomancer movie.

"Hello, you know who we are, but meet the new hero."

Maeve said, stepping towards the camera with a soldier in the center and me beside him.

She stopped, touching the soldier's back.

"This is Junior Corporal Dan Wheeler."

"Dan and other brave Marines from the second battalion are here to protect you from the threat of supervillains."

I continued, looking at the camera.

"We are proud to serve alongside you, and now we need your help."

"Yes, Maeve. In our new initiative—'Save the World.'"

I nodded at her words while feeling the shame of the words I had just spoken.

Fortunately, the general shots were done after this, and we had to work as talking heads.

But for some reason, there was someone on the set who didn't belong there—it was meant to be just us for the next three hours.

The newcomer was clearly one of the supers as indicated by her costume.

It was dark red and had a cape, but unlike Starlight's, it was a full one, like mine.

This suggested that she could fly, and her face was pretty, with her hair black and one side of her temple shaved.

She looked modern and behaved accordingly.

Boldly.

"The base here is fake. If only Homelander and Maeve were eating rations and peeing in a ditch like the rest of the infantry."

She said with a smile, looking at her smartphone screen, ignoring the looks directed at her.

"Well, hello."

I greeted the troublemaker who hadn't bothered to tone down her thoughts during the filming.

Maeve came over, also curious about her.

"Oh my gosh, hi!"

She excitedly replied while pointing the front camera at me so her viewers could see me.

"My grandma is a fan of yours, and I'm Stormfront."

"I see."

"From Seattle, right?"

Maeve asked.

"Actually from Portland, your... highness."

Stormfront replied dismissively, smiling at her before turning her gaze back to me.

"Wow, up close, your eyes are really blue."

"And yours are black. I noticed that when you first approached, Stormfront."

I said, frowning in response.

"What brings you here? I hope it's not something trivial. People's time shouldn't be wasted on petty matters."

"Are you always this much of a bore? It's one thing on screen and another in real life."

Stormfront smirked, still examining me closely.

"Get to the point."

"As you wish."

She sighed.

"I was just sent to introduce myself from the eighty-second army. I'm the new girl."

"Wait, what's going on?"

Maeve asked, not understanding what was happening.

However I had a feeling.

"Oh!"

Stormfront said with fake surprise, then waved her hand as if greeting us again.

"Hi, I'm from the Seven, replacing Translucent. May he rest in peace."

Maeve looked so astonished that she even dropped her mouth open, bewilderedly watching the bold woman and my reaction.

After all, everyone in the Seven knows that it's me who decides who joins the team and who leaves.

"The contract has just been signed, but yes, I'm already on duty. High five."

She said, raising her hand towards Maeve.

Maeve was still struggling to process what was happening.

"And who sent you to deliver this good news?"

 I asked with a smile and irritation that I hadn't been informed about this.

"Hmm... Mr. Edgar, I guess."

She said, pretending to think before answering.

This caused even more irritation, especially because Stormfront was trying to pass herself off as someone else in my presence.

She might be good at pretending to be one of the guys and "one of us" but not for me.

There's no way Stan Edgar sent her here just for that, and there's no way he made her a team member without reason.

It was clear from the way she behaved that they wanted to put me in my place by giving me an uncontrollable bitch who would test my leadership on the team.

"Oh, so Stan has been quick to act? Interesting."

I smiled, remembering that calm man.

That did impress me, but I couldn't let him get away with this.

"But it's not so simple, Stormfront. You can't just walk into the team."

"Really? I thought I could."

She replied with a smile, directing the camera at my impassive face.

"It doesn't matter what you think. You're not in the Seven yet, at least not by such an easy route."

I said, smirking at her words while examining her body more thoughtfully.

I wouldn't call her an ideal, but she had a pretty good physique.

"So, does the CEO's word no longer carry weight?"

Stormfront asked confusedly, actively displaying her emotions to the viewers.

"You're thinking correctly."

I nodded, truly surprising her.

"The Seven is my team, and I decide who will be a part of it and who shouldn't even dream about it. Unfortunately, I didn't approve you."

"So, am I supposed to leave now?"

"Don't even dream about a place in the Seven."

I turned and walked away calmly, only to hear an outraged shout from behind a moment later.

"Since when can an employee challenge the Big Guy's decision?! Who do you think you are?"

I froze, not turning around.

"Do you want to challenge my decision, Stormfront?"

My words echoed in the complete silence.

"I very much do."

She replied with enthusiasm.

That's when I turned around and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Well, you can join the Seven the easy way. Since I don't know your potential and abilities, we'll have to rely on the most effective option."

I said, approaching her within arm's reach.

"If you can hit me three times, you're in the Seven."

"Just like that?"

Stormfront replied skeptically.

"There was also the option of fighting Maeve, but I wouldn't want her to accidentally kill you because her punches are heavy."

"Fine, let's start your 'test'."

She replied irritably and handed her phone to Maeve.

"Hold this, please."

After that, she unleashed lightning bolts of violet color from her hands without warning.

They could definitely knock back a target they hit rather than just roasting the insides.

That is a powerful ability.

I walked up to her and pushed her hard with my hands, smirking at her sneaky move.

The force of the push was so great that she was thrown at least four meters, sweeping the dusty ground with her body.

"What a sneaky move, Stormfront. Do all heroes from Portland act like this?"

I said with a smile as I approached her, rose from the ground, and waited for her to reach her feet.

Instead of answering my question, she zapped me with lightning to the face again.

The flashes in front of my eyes were really annoying, but they didn't hurt my body at all.

"You've become so quiet."

I said with a smirk and slapped her across the face without further ado.

This time, she almost smashed her head into a wall, leaving a crack in it.

She wasn't about to tolerate such treatment, and her eyes even turned black out of anger.

The lightning she unleashed this time was much more powerful, but it still couldn't boast much effectiveness against me.

I probably should have talked to Edgar about this, but I was too lazy to deal with such nonsense. 

It's unknown what he might come up with next, but I know where to expect surprises in this case.

"So, are you satisfied?"

Stormfront exhaled, waiting for my decision.

"It could have been worse."

I replied with a smirk and turned away.

"You'll start work tomorrow. Be in the conference room at six in the morning. And now, don't disturb people working, and go do something useful."

Waving my hand, I took the phone from Maeve and tossed it to Stormfront who managed to catch it.

We'll see how the newcomer does tomorrow.

Today, I need to go see Stan and clear up some things.

...

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