In this mad Universe where demons dance, Homelander, with the various broken buffs from the system, already possessed the absolute force to steamroll the vast majority of threats.
There was only one thing he still couldn't contend with.
Time.
He knew his own situation well. Although his lifespan limit had been greatly increased under the effect of the cell activity enhancement rewarded from silver hand Bucky, living for well over a hundred and eighty years was no problem at all.
But in the face of the vast and boundless river of time, this biological longevity was just a drop in the ocean, completely not worth mentioning.
If someone used the power of the Time Stone to launch a rule-based strike, no matter how powerful his Steel Body was, it would eventually turn into a handful of dust scattered by the wind under the erosion of time.
In the crazy World of the Marvel multiverse, the Time Stone was never a unique item. In various parallel Universes, there were as many of these green stones as one could want.
Not to mention that besides the Time Stone, in this Universe of bizarre superpowers, it wouldn't be surprising at all for a few superhumans with powers to control aging or strip away time to suddenly pop up.
"Immortality aside for now," Homelander silently cautioned himself, "at least I need to become a long-lived species first."
And in the Marvel Universe, the things that could grant a person longevity could be counted on one hand.
Dragon Bone was one of the more accessible and practical ones.
The leaders of The Hand relied precisely on absorbing the mysterious substance within the Dragon Bone to live for centuries while still maintaining their peak combat power.
Homelander had once tried to find the Dragon Bone himself.
He flew over New York, fully opening his super senses, his gaze penetrating the surface and going hundreds of meters deep underground.
But in his super senses, there was nothing unusual under New York except for reinforced concrete, sewer networks, and subway tunnels.
He had also tried a full scan using Kamar-Taj's exploration magic.
But the results left him greatly disappointed.
That kind of thing was clearly obscured by powerful Chi secret arts that were different from magic.
Homelander had also felt annoyed by this, but he soon understood the logic.
If the Dragon Bone were really that easy to find, the Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One, would have long ago run to the New York underground to dig it up and make soup, so why would she have to painstakingly steal the power of Dormammu's Dark Dimension to extend her own life?
"Since I can't find it, I'll let the people who know where it is lead the way personally."
However, that was all for later. Today, he had an even more exciting show to perform.
That was the secret meeting with the first-generation Ant-Man, Hank Pym.
Just this morning, Homelander received a call from Hope.
Under her arrangement, the location was once again set at the Garrido Club.
...
10:30 AM.
Hope arrived at the reserved private room early with Hank.
Sitting on the sofa, she kept checking her watch, her fingers lightly rubbing the rim of her coffee cup.
Whenever footsteps came from the hallway, her back would unconsciously straighten, and her eyes would fix on the heavy wooden door of the room.
"Relax, Hope."
Sitting nearby, Hank Pym keenly caught his daughter's anxiety. The white-haired old man frowned, his face full of dissatisfaction.
"You look like a seventeen-year-old high schooler waiting for her prom date," Hank picked up the black tea in front of him and commented bluntly, "We're here for business, not a blind date. What kind of love potion did that guy named Daniel give you?"
"Father, please watch your language." Hope tried to suppress her heart, which was fluttering at the mention of Homelander, "Mr. Daniel is a Senior Executive Vice President of Starr Group. He is willing to lend us a hand at this time, and we should show proper respect."
Hank snorted coldly, putting the teacup down heavily on the saucer with a crisp "clack."
"Respect? Starr Industries? Don't think I don't know what they're like. Capitalists, conglomerates, profit-driven Vampires. They're just like Stark Industries, pouncing like sharks the moment they smell the blood of profit. Starr, Stark, even the names reek of the same stench of money."
Hank was full of deep-seated prejudice and vigilance.
"They don't care about human lives at all; they only care about stock prices. In essence, this Daniel is no different from Darren Cross. Darren wants to sell my technology to HYDRA, and this Starr Group probably wants to package the technology as some era-defining weapon system to sell to the Pentagon."
Just as Hope was about to argue back, the wooden door of the private room was respectfully pushed open by a waiter.
"Mr. Daniel, please come in."
Homelander stepped into the room, and the passive effect of his "Arsonist of Hearts" skin silently rippled out into the air.
The moment Hope saw him, her breath hitched for half a second. An imperceptible blush quickly crept onto her cheeks.
She stood up from the sofa almost immediately.
"Daniel, you're here." Hope's voice was soft, and the admiration and joy in her eyes, which were almost overflowing, could not be hidden at all.
Hank Pym sat on the sofa, taking in his daughter's series of reactions.
Hope's glowing eyes, her reddened cheeks, and even her posture slightly leaning toward that man—how was this the attitude of someone facing a business partner?
This was clearly a woman who had just fallen in love!
Alarm bells immediately rang in Hank's mind. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the Asian youth named Daniel with a critical gaze.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Hope." Homelander smiled and walked forward, naturally taking Hope's extended hand, his thumb lightly stroking the back of her hand.
Hope's hand couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Then, Homelander turned his gaze to Hank, who was sitting on the sofa with a dark expression.
"This must be the legendary Dr. Hank Pym. I've heard much about you; I am Daniel." Homelander proactively extended his right hand, showing grace.
Hank didn't shake it immediately. He stared at Homelander's hand for three seconds before reluctantly reaching out to give it a perfunctory touch, then quickly withdrew it.
"I'm no legend, just a grumpy old man abandoned by the times," Hank said brusquely. "Sit down, Mr. Daniel. Hope said you wanted to talk about cooperation. I don't like beating around the bush. What exactly does Starr Group want from me?"
Homelander sat down on the sofa right next to Hope without hesitation.
"I think you've misunderstood, Dr. Pym. I'm not sitting here today on behalf of Starr Group to buy your patents."
Homelander said nonchalantly, "I'm here on my own behalf, seeking a kind of technical resonance."