Chapter 279: Punklorde Mentality 『 Part Five 』
"Hm, very good."
Homelander smiled and nodded, glancing down at something.
"Ashley, take off your boots."
Ashley froze for a moment, but quickly bent down to undo the buckles of her high heels. Her slender feet pressed against the cold metal floor, her toes curling involuntarily.
"Now…"
Homelander stared at the knight, his voice terrifyingly brisk.
"Get on your knees and lick her feet."
The smile on the knight's face instantly solidified, then receded. His lips trembled slightly, and a flicker of disbelief passed through his eyes.
"This… Mr. Homelander…"
He spoke with difficulty.
"This does not align with the code of a 'Knight of Beauty'…"
Homelander suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter echoed through the training room, carrying a certain flavor of mockery and derision. The other supes stopped their movements; the air seemed to congeal.
In the next second, a flash of scarlet darted through his eyes—
BANG—!
The knight's head exploded like an overripe watermelon. Blood sprayed across the surrounding floor and walls; a few drops of warm blood even splattered onto Homelander's perfect uniform.
Ashley was scared out of her wits in an instant. Being closest to the knight, her face was plastered with a thick layer of gore.
The headless corpse remained rigid for a second before crashing to the ground, the armor colliding with the floor with a heavy metallic clang.
Homelander looked down at the bloodstains on his uniform, frowned, and then turned his head to look at the terrified Ashley.
"Remember."
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
"I don't give a fuck if he's a Knight of Beauty, and I don't care what his status is. But at Vought, the first rule of being a hero… is absolute loyalty to me."
He paused, glancing at the headless corpse on the floor as if it were trash.
"No matter who it is, no matter what it is."
Ashley swallowed hard and nodded.
"…Understood."
—
「 Just as she was preparing to head into the Simulated Universe, Stelle realized that Herta, who had just stormed out in a fit of pique, had returned.
"You're back?"
Herta lifted her chin and hmphed. "Look at whose name is written on the office sign. Why shouldn't I come back? Hmph, if anyone is leaving, it won't be me. I insist on standing right here."
"What, can't stand seeing me back? Heh, I couldn't care less what you lot are doing. Do whatever you want, just don't come bother me."
"Alright…" Stelle decided not to ask for trouble. After a brief discussion with Screwllum, she entered the Simulated Universe.
This iteration of the Simulated Universe was different from before. Stelle felt a ripple, a massive sensation of weightlessness that stripped her of control over her limbs. Amidst the undulating characters and code, she suddenly woke up—
"Miss Stelle, are you alright?" Screwllum's voice sounded in her ear.
Stelle was now situated within the data chain where the Aether Cartridge was located. She looked around and told Screwllum that there was a virtual Silver Wolf before her eyes.
"Oh…" Screwllum pondered for a moment. "Conclusion: That is a holographic recording of the Simulated Universe. Here, every variable is preserved, down to the smallest detail—naturally, this includes the footprints of outsiders."
Just as Screwllum finished speaking, Silver Wolf turned her head the very next second. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Why do you keep staring at me?"
"She spoke!?" Stelle was badly startled.
"I have advanced the flow of the Simulated Universe. She is not conversing with you; this is merely a recording of the past. Please do not interrupt her for now. Listen carefully; we may yet glean more from this," said Screwllum.
"First off, I'm not obsessed with it. On Punklorde, the stories of the cartridge are no different from textbooks. I'm not interested in something that everybody already knows about."
"Secondly, it's not some kind of video game cartridge. It's an Aether Cartridge — it's the second pair of eyes, second brain, and second heart of the hacker. Do you understand what that actually means? With that cartridge, if a guy went to a movie premiere and bought some mixed popcorn, you'd be able to know the flavor of the fourth kernel he picked out of the bucket. It's truly amazing."
"Lastly, I'm gonna say it again — I'm not obsessed with it. The reason I'm still rambling about it is to make sure that you know how amazing it really is. Do you get it now, Kafka?" 」
「 ..... 」
〜One Punch Man World〜
Child Emperor bit down on his lollipop, his fingers sliding rapidly across the holographic screen, swiftly recording information regarding the "Aether Cartridge."
"Truly incredible…"
He muttered to himself, his voice carrying the excitement unique to children.
"Just by possessing this cartridge, one can completely read the owner's life memories, knowledge, and even emotional experiences? Isn't this equivalent to acquiring another person's entire existence?"
"If we could analyze this technology, we could preserve the combat experience of heroes. We could even, when they…"
He stopped suddenly, his words halting appropriately before the word "sacrifice."
"Child Emperor, do not pursue that technology from the stars too zealously."
A faint light flickered within Drive Knight's single eye, and a low hum emanated from within his pitch-black armor.
"While you still do not understand that Miss Silver Wolf from Punklorde, it would be best if you never entertained thoughts about the hacking technology displayed on the sky canopy for the rest of your life."
"Eh? Why do you say that, Drive Knight?"
"Because…"
Drive Knight was momentarily at a loss for words. He didn't know how to advise the genius boy before him. Child Emperor had become the fifth-ranked S-Class hero at the tender age of ten; his future achievements were limitless. Perhaps in his eyes, there was no technology he could not conquer?
But Drive Knight could see at a glance that technology capable of modifying reality could no longer be called "technology." Without obtaining a sample of an Aether Cartridge, that sort of thing was utter magic, even more unrealistic than attempting to analyze Tatsumaki's esper powers.
"Rather than thinking about the Aether Cartridge, Child Emperor, you would be better off thinking about how to align the Interastral Peace Corporation with Earth. If your goal is merely to eliminate monsters, whether it is self-developing new weapons or contacting the IPC… both would be more efficient than you researching Punklorde technology, would they not?"
—
「 It appears two people entered the Simulated Universe this time—her and Kafka.
Screwllum called it intriguing and edited Stelle into the companion's perspective. Now, she would react to Stelle's movements.
Facing a fork in the road, Silver Wolf looked at Stelle with great interest. "Want to pick one? Let's test your favorite… intuition."
"She's asking me to choose?"
Screwllum: "To be precise, she is asking her companion to choose. Even if you do nothing, this recording will continue to advance."
And indeed, that was the case—even if Stelle made no choice, Silver Wolf would announce in the next moment that the correct answer was on the right.
However, Stelle's main trait was rebelliousness. She was determined to go left; she wanted to see just how Silver Wolf would handle it. 」
「 ..... 」