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"And my identity as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent can help you avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble in your quest for revenge…"
As he spoke, Billy Butcher picked up his S.H.I.E.L.D. identification again and waved it in front of Soldier Boy, saying confidently, "Consider it. This deal is very worthwhile for you because our only requirement for helping you is to add one more name to your revenge list."
"Who is that person?!"
Soldier Boy was clearly somewhat moved by their recent words… or, to be precise, by the video they had just shown.
Although the content of that video seemed very exaggerated, when he carefully observed the Thunder Warriors fighting the demons, he found that the simple and efficient tactical movements they displayed in combat were definitely not something that movie stunt actors could imitate.
Those were skilled killing moves that could only be comprehended by elite soldiers who had truly fought life-and-death battles on the battlefield… and veterans who had experienced it more than once!
Moreover, Soldier Boy couldn't fathom why Billy Butcher and Hughie Campbell would go to such lengths to rescue him from General Ross, then even go so far as to drug their dissenting teammates just to promise to help him find the members of the former Blood Debt Repayment Squad for revenge… and specifically use such an absurd video to deceive him?
This clearly defied logic!
So, this video was most likely real!!
Although Soldier Boy was not afraid of these so-called strong individuals, nor would he be intimidated by them, for him, revenge was the primary goal, so it was better to avoid unnecessary complications in the process.
With this understanding, accepting Billy Butcher's proposal became much more logical.
"He's just a bastard named Homelander!" Billy Butcher said the name through gritted teeth.
"Oh, it's him. I saw his picture when I came back."
Soldier Boy asked with some confusion, "But I really want to know, what's the story with this guy you hate so much?"
"He's Vought Corporation's new pillar after you… In other words, he's the new you!!"
Soldier Boy, who had just been looking calm and collected, immediately darkened upon hearing this, and corrected him with an extremely serious expression:
"Buddy, I have to warn you, no one can replace me… No one has before, and no one ever will… I am Vought Corporation's God!!!"
"Alright, last question, why do you want to kill him so badly?"
Billy Butcher did not answer the question directly.
Because he didn't want anyone to know that his wife had been with Homelander and had willingly given birth to his child behind his back, he replied somewhat perfunctorily:
"I can only tell you, you're not the only one who wants revenge!!"
"Deal!!"
This time, Soldier Boy did not hesitate, nor did he care about the real reason Billy Butcher sought revenge on Homelander. He immediately agreed without a second thought.
"It's decided then. Next, you two help me find the other members of the squad, deal with those potential troubles, and after I've killed them all, I'll help you kill this Homelander!!"
With that, he stopped paying attention to Billy Butcher and walked straight into the small cabin.
"Hey, darling, is that you?"
Scarlet Countess, who had already heard the conversation outside, watched the figure push open the door and stop in the shadows by the entrance. She tried her best to appear less terrified, her voice trembling slightly as she asked:
"Is it really you?!"
After a brief pause, the figure gradually approached. The dim yellow light inside the cabin illuminated Soldier Boy's muscular physique and his shifting, shadowed face.
"My dear, you… you still look as handsome as ever. Time seems to have left no trace on your face."
Scarlet Countess forced a look of joy at a long-awaited reunion, but her stiff expression and trembling voice betrayed her true feelings at that moment.
"You've grown old, but you're still charming!"
A hint of complexity flashed in Soldier Boy's eyes, but he immediately and mercilessly cut off her impending feigned sentimentality, asking directly:
"Let's skip the reminiscing. I came here today for only one thing… How much did General Ross give you to betray me back then?"
"My dear, let me explain. I'm truly sorry about that, but it was absolutely not my idea. Please, you must believe me…"
"How much?!!!"
"No… no money."
"What???"
Soldier Boy's face showed a look of disbelief; clearly, this answer was beyond his expectation.
When he was on his way here, he had thought that the other party would mention a string of tempting numbers that would be hard to refuse, but who would have thought that the final result would be this?
"Fu*k? They didn't give you anything, and you willingly betrayed me?!"
Feeling his dignity severely insulted, Soldier Boy's voice suddenly rose by many decibels as he roared in anger:
"And to think I once loved you so much… Do you know, after they got me, they kept experimenting on me, forcing all sorts of poisonous chemical reagents down my throat every day. For a while, I held onto hope… No, I should say I firmly believed that one day you would come with others to rescue me… Because I still loved you!!"
But just then, Scarlet Countess, uncharacteristically, interrupted him with a sneer, "That was just your wishful thinking. I never loved you from beginning to end… Yes, never!!"
As if she had already foreseen her inescapable fate tonight, Scarlet Countess no longer begged for mercy or showed fear. Her gaze, filled with hatred, fixed on Soldier Boy as she said:
"I hate you… Not just me, all the squad members hate you, because you are a complete scumbag, a butcher, a hypocrite, a killer…"
Buzz—
Soldier Boy's lips trembled slightly with rage. Without any further words, a dazzling white light gradually illuminated his chest.
Accumulate energy → Release
Rumble…!!!
The entire small cabin was instantly blown to smithereens in the massive explosion, and Scarlet Countess, who was tied to the chair, was directly reduced to an unrecognizable charred corpse.
"Billy, are you sure that guy will keep his word in the end?"
In the distance, Hughie Campbell looked at Soldier Boy, who was stepping out of the flames, and asked in a low voice, somewhat fearfully.
"Listen, Hughie, we need a sufficiently lethal weapon now to help us take down Homelander and Victoria Neuman… And that bastard opposite us is precisely our weapon!!"
Billy Butcher reached out and patted Hughie's shoulder, then, as if comforting him and even more so himself, said in a deep voice:
"This is our last chance. Only he has the power to end Homelander, so no matter the cost, I have to try…"
"Hughie, think about it, if we succeed, you'll be able to ensure Starlight will never be persecuted by Homelander again, won't you?"
Billy Butcher's words directly hit Hughie Campbell's weakness. Hughie's gaze gradually became firm. "I understand. Let's go."
"Very good."
Billy Butcher nodded in satisfaction. This rather simple-minded "little brother" was obedient. Then he raised his hand and pointed at Marvin, who had just been placed on the grass, and instructed:
"Hughie, first use your ability to send Marvin back, and then, while the effects of the drug on us haven't worn off, let's go directly to Montpelier, Vermont. The TNT Twins are there… Otherwise, to maintain our current state, we'll have to take another shot!!"
"Our current supply of the serum is limited, so we must conserve it before the official battle with Homelander."
Hughie Campbell nodded heavily. "I understand."
… … … …
… …
Vought Corporation.
"Sir, we just received a report that Soldier Boy attacked a civilian residence in Montpelier, Vermont a few hours ago, killing 12 superheroes, including the TNT Twins, and over a dozen civilians, while also causing multiple injuries…"
Ashley Barrett reported with some trepidation, "Sir, local media has already reported this ahead of us. It won't be long before it sparks widespread attention and discussion online. Should I contact the local government now to have all related reports and online videos taken down?"
"No need, it's fine."
Homelander shook his head dismissively, saying confidently, "This situation is exactly what I want. The more chaos Soldier Boy causes, the greater the panic, and the greater the impact when I step in to take him down… So, let the media report whatever they want for now!!"
"First Scarlet Countess, then the TNT Twins. Counting the already deceased Gunpowder and Black Noir, it seems there's only one member left from the original Payback team, a guy named Mind-Storm, right?"
"Looks like we'll be meeting soon… Soldier Boy!!"
Homelander muttered to himself, but then noticed that his assistant was still standing there and hadn't left, so he asked with some confusion:
"What? Is there anything else?"
Ashley Barrett's face showed a conflicted expression, as if she was considering whether to speak, but upon seeing Homelander's impatient frown, she spoke without hesitation:
"Um… Sir, besides Soldier Boy, someone also saw Billy Butcher at the scene, and… for some unknown reason, he seems to have superpowers too?!"
"Is that cuckold there too?"
Homelander pondered for a moment, then a look of understanding appeared in his eyes, as if he had figured out some issues. He immediately sneered:
"Actually, I should have guessed it long ago. Besides S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stan Edgar, only this useless person has always been keen on taking me down… As for the sudden superpowers he gained, if I'm not mistaken, it should be due to the use of Temporary Compound V produced by the company!"
At this point, Homelander's eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression became increasingly dangerous. "Clearly, someone is providing them with Temporary Compound V, which hasn't even been officially mass-produced, behind my back…"
"Uh, sir, allow me to interrupt. Actually, what I wanted to say wasn't that."
Ashley Barrett said cautiously, "According to the information feedback from our medical personnel sent to the scene, those heroes who fortunately survived the big explosion seem to have all lost their superpowers."
"What did you say?"
Before Homelander could speak, Queen Maeve, who had been sitting silently, couldn't help but interrupt upon hearing this news: "Ashley, can you confirm that?!"
And Homelander also cast an inquiring glance at Ashley Barrett, but compared to the look of dread on Queen Maeve's face, Homelander was clearly much calmer.
Because he had already learned this news from confidential files before this.
However, he had always been skeptical of Soldier Boy's "superpower."
But if an answer could truly be verified now, he could take precautions early.
"Um… At my strong request, the on-site staff have carefully verified it."
Ashley Barrett bravely continued, "They said that Soldier Boy seems to have used some unknown method to cause the Compound V in those heroes' blood to become ineffective!!"
"Fu*k!!"
Queen Maeve couldn't help but curse, then looked at Homelander with a solemn expression and said, "So… we are constantly at risk of losing our superpowers when fighting him?"
"Yes, it seems to be the case currently." Ashley Barrett replied softly.
"So that's it." Homelander couldn't help but sneer, "It seems that cuckold probably saw this characteristic in Soldier Boy and specially brought him back, right?"
"Forget about that damn Billy Butcher." Queen Maeve, seeing that Homelander didn't seem nervous at all, reminded him angrily:
"Shouldn't our focus now be entirely on Soldier Boy?"
"If his superpower can really make the Compound V in us ineffective, then how can we safely defeat him next…"