Chapter 45

[Homelander's POV]

The morning doesn't start with coffee, at least for me.

I didn't even like coffee, and knowing Edgar's schedule, I was sure I'd catch him in his office.

It was no surprise that early in the morning, I was already in the Vought Tower.

The elevator doors opened, and I strode confidently forward, ignoring the glances.

I knew where to go on this floor, and no one could stop me.

"Mr. Edgar is currently busy!"

The secretary tried to stop me, and panic rose as she got up from her chair.

She took a while because of her position.

I was able to sneak by with just enough.

The glass door then easily yielded to my push, swinging open and allowing me inside.

"It seems your secretary doesn't like me much."

I said with a smile to Stan, who was reading some papers at his desk.

"Anna isn't used to such... initiative."

He replied in the same mentoring tone as usual.

"I was expecting you."

He took off his glasses to gently rub his eyes.

A lot of work can make you old especially when you dedicate all your time to work.

Stan Edgar never took a day off, never caught a cold, and never missed a workday.

An ideal boss who knew how to work with his employees.

He created the entire current Vought system, and it still functions today.

It was impossible not to admire such dedication.

"I thought as much."

A self-satisfied smile appeared on my face.

"It will be interesting to find out why."

I confidently sat down in the chair across from my "boss" and watched him with expectation.

He looked back, awaiting the show's continuation, but there was none.

I just stared back, not blinking.

The silence didn't last longer than necessary, and Stan put his glasses back on, carefully placing a handkerchief in his pocket.

"I see you've regained some of your former confidence."

He said it with a slight smile.

"And you're here for answers to your questions."

"Correct. Have you found out who is behind this?"

I moved directly to the most important question.

"If it were that simple, I would have already sent you after them. That would have solved all our current problems."

He glanced briefly at the panoramic window before looking at the screen of his laptop.

I didn't interrupt him and simply waited for him to finish.

After a few seconds of moving with the mouse, the screen turned toward me.

"Since you're inevitably going to find out what happened, it's better to tell you everything in advance."

He said, starting a recorded video from the camera.

"This happened during your absence."

The recording showed a laboratory where the V serum was stored.

The serum containers seemed to be on display behind the glass doors of metal cabinets.

That was just the first glance.

A special pass and a fingerprint password were needed to open the metal door.

A fairly good security system, but not when it comes to protecting a serum that can create supers.

The man who walked right through the wall clearly demonstrated this, considering it not a worthy obstacle.

He was dressed as a typical clerk, but the suit looked absurd and out of place.

It was as if he had put it on for the first time.

The short-haired man appeared to be of Mexican descent, but I might be wrong.

There are so many nationalities in the U.S. to be sure of my assumption.

He carried a bag into which he rudely tossed a dozen or more serum containers. He then shoved in some records that had been left on the desk.

This can happen due to the negligence of staff working with the company's most crucial asset.

After completing his task, he simply disappeared the same way he came.

I was left wondering how easily he had managed to do this.

Furthermore, did they identify him by face?

The video ended, and I turned my gaze to Edgar.

He looked back with the seriousness appropriate to the moment.

"Do you remember the face of the telepath whose head you crushed?"

"My memory is quite good."

"Then you must have noticed that they share the same nationality."

"There is definitely a resemblance. Mexicans?"

"Salvadorans."

Stan corrected.

"And this is a serious problem."

Stealing a serum that turns people into gods is a big problem, but I was starting to guess why he was particularly concerned about Salvadorans.

"Is this some sort of gang or organization?"

I voiced my suspicions.

"I would call it more of a criminal corporation with many branches around the world. But we only have suspicions about their direct involvement in this."

"And you can't announce this."

I nodded, fully understanding where announcing this information would lead.

It would completely destroy Vought which is not beneficial to anyone right now, including myself.

The fact that a criminal organization now possesses something they can use to threaten anyone, even countries, is very troubling.

This concerns not just Vought but the entire world.

"Can they be tracked?"

"So far, it's impossible. A superhuman with those abilities can evade any tracking devices and more, as he has proven. He disappeared just as he appeared."

"So we'll just wait?"

"Exactly."

Edgar nodded, looking at me intently.

"Their next move will be so noisy that it will easily drown out the noise surrounding you."

After those words, I wasn't angry, just disappointed.

I was disappointed at how easily this person, who had never been particularly kind to ordinary people had chosen the easy path.

"Was it a difficult choice, Stan?"

I asked him with keen interest, giving him a very attentive look.

"What are you talking about?"

He looked at me suspiciously when realizing he had said something he shouldn't have.

"Was it a difficult choice? To condemn innocent people to death, just waiting for the enemy's move?"

I clarified, repeating my question.

"No."

Stan shrugged, casting a cold gaze over my face.

"In my decades of work at Vought, I've made far more horrifying decisions. Believe me, waiting is one of the easier decisions I've made."

"I've heard all I wanted to."

I calmly stood up from the chair and headed for the door.

The anger inside me was stronger than ever. I wanted to take out my anger on an opponent, an enemy.

"Have you noticed those people?"

Stan suddenly continued, moving to the panoramic window.

"The ones gathered below."

A group of activists was down below where he was looking. After a video appeared online, they began preparing for this event. 

Victoria Neuman used it as an opportunity for active action.

Now, I had become her target rather than the entire company, but she certainly hadn't forgotten about Vought.

"I noticed. They're noisy enough to be ignored."

"What is it like? When the ants scurrying below can decide your fate right now?"

"It's not good."

I grimaced, feeling irritated.

I could still hear people calling for me to resign and for superhumans to be banned from the military.

"Perhaps that's exactly how we're alike. A man of flesh and blood, and one who can be called a demigod. These ants have built both of us, and they have the power to topple us from the top, and we can only accept it.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he looked down, but I fundamentally disagreed with his opinion.

"Not us."

Stan Edgar finally turned to face me.

He was very calm but couldn't hide how surprised and curious he was in me.

"You'll have to accept it when it happens. But it doesn't apply to me, regardless of your thoughts. We're not the same, Stan."

I shook my head with a forced smile.

"You care about the opinion of the public. I don't care about them; I only care about those I trust. Unfortunately, you have no one you can trust. That's why the opinion of these ants matters more to you because you don't even trust the closest people to you."

Stan looked me straight in the eyes, not blinking during my words.

He didn't say a word for the next ten seconds, then turned back to the panoramic window.

The silence was broken only by my footsteps as I left the office.

The secretary watched me with disapproval until I turned the corner, then returned to her tasks once my figure was out of sight.

A few people were waiting by the elevator while eyeing me warily.

As I stepped into the elevator, no one chose to follow.

Smirking, I descended alone and forgot about it amidst the chaos.

I soon entered the room that was guarded by mercenaries. They tensed noticeably at the sight of me but didn't show it.

"Kimiko."

I called out to Kimiko who was still diligently writing letters in her notebook.

"I see you're getting better and better."

Kenji perked up when he heard my words.

He quickly turned to face us and gave me a wary look.

He couldn't bring down the building with his abilities because metal gloves and chains were on his hands.

It was hard to call him a super without his hands, but he was physically strong.

Meanwhile, Kimiko looked deeply into my eyes and then stood up from the floor.

She approached me almost up close, making a few gestures that were unclear to me.

She then suddenly moved closer and embraced me tightly, trying to offer support through action if not words.

"She said she understands you."

Kenji grumbled, watching her actions with disapproval.

I nodded thanks for the translation, causing Kimiko to frown and turn away.

She looked at the TV and saw Victoria Newman and the crowd in front of the Vought tower.

The screen shows Victoria urging people to support her plan to ban superhumans from the military.

I looked at it with disapproval.

In particular, she demanded the removal of Homelander from superhero activities and called for him to be held accountable.

"It's time to end this farce."

I decided, soon heading back to the elevator.

I had nothing left to lose except ratings, which didn't matter to me.

It was foolish to just wait for others to make decisions for me.

Homelander might meekly accept his fate, but I needed to take things into my own hands since I couldn't rely on the management.

They had enough problems without me, and I wasn't a priority.

That realization drove me to make a final decision.

...

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