"Every time I'm upset, Mom would buy me a lollipop. Then I become very, very happy! ^_^"
Li Yue's anger instantly melted. He squatted down to face the girl, and then he took the lollipop she offered!
"Mom said that big brother saved us, so I give the lollipop for big brother. Please eat it if you're upset!"
The little girl did not wait for Li Yue's reply. She immediately turned around and ran into a beautiful woman's arms! The woman lovingly stroked the little girl's head and then looked at Li Yue, revealing a smile!
"Thank you for saving us!"
The beautiful woman spoke in the same Chinese as her daughter. The woman's face was a spitting image of her daughter: they were both Chinese. Who knows how she got here and got involved in the bank robbery incident!
...
"Get out, get out..."
However, Li Yue's good mood was completely destroyed by the still-chanting people. Li Yue helplessly looked at them. He found that the group of hostages had already been divided into two groups. One group was the one who was condemning Li Yue. There were less than ten people, but on top of the few white guys in the beginning, several black people also joined in!
The other group was the people who stayed away and tried to not get involved. They simply stood to the side, waiting for the police to rescue them!
"Wow, look, Homelander is here! He is here to save us!"
"Homelander, tell your sidekick here to scram. We only need you!"
Just before Li Yue could do anything, a cry suddenly came from the first group. At the same time, a voice came from behind Li Yue!
"Hey, Thunderclap, it looks like they liked me more!"
It was Homelander, who walked to Li Yue's side and waved at the hostages. He then whispered words to Li Yue's ears!
"Thunderclap, I can't say I approve of how you deal with them. You have to make it clear that we are Supes. We have superpowers. How could you let those inferior humans step all over you?
"So, let me teach you a lesson today. We the Supes are the masters of this world!"
"Watch carefully!"
Li Yue was a little confused by Homelander's words. He had no idea what Homelander would do. He could only watch as Homelander walked to the group that condemned him!
"I heard that you guys are my fans?"
Homelander asked with a meaningful smile!
"Yeah! We love you! We're your greatest fans!"
A few people in the group replied. Perhaps some of them really liked Homelander and dreamed that Homelander would someday save them from danger!
But most of these people actually didn't worship Homelander all that much. They only criticized Li Yue to vent the pressure and fear they felt from the gangster just now!
They thought that Li Yue wouldn't dare to attack them, so they took the opportunity to spit their acerbic words at the normally lofty superheroes. It was a golden opportunity—so that they could someday brag that they "dared to scold a superhero!"
"Oh? Since you're my fans, you would love to get my signature, yeah?"
"Of course! It is our honor to get your signature!"
If they didn't know better, people would think that this was a fan meeting event instead of a hostage rescue!
"Hmm, wait, I don't have a pen with me, how could I sign without a pen?
"Oh! I know! I'll use this to give you a signature that you will never forget!"
Homelander's smile disappeared instantly, and a strange red light suddenly glowed from his eyes!
Two red beams swept past, and the people who scolded Li Yue were all bisected. They died very miserably.
"Ah! Murderer!"
"Everyone, run! He's a murderer!"
...
"Silence! If I hear anyone make a peep, that will be your last!"
Homelander shouted loudly at the rowdy group of people, his eyes still glowing red!
They had no choice but to cover their mouths! They didn't dare make a sound. Li Yue was shocked by Homelander's actions as well. He didn't expect that Homelander would go this far. Homelander killed those people just for a few insults!
Even though they were criticizing Li Yue, not him!
Li Yue glanced over and saw that the little girl's mother was covering the little girl's eyes and mouth with her hands, out of fear that the girl would make a sound and get them killed!
"How is it? Aren't you happy? I gave you exactly what you wanted!
"We are Supes. We're chosen by God, the ones that should rule this world! The lives of those puny humans are worth no more than ants for us!
"However, we can't let the media know about this incident, so..."
Homelander turned around, his eyes still red. He looked at the criminal that Li Yue had knocked down with a punch, the one with bombs strapped on, and then fired his laser beams!
Boom!!
The high temperature instantly detonated the bombs. A wall of fire and shockwave swept through the room. Li Yue and Homelander would be perfectly unharmed from just this much, but those hostages had no chance of surviving!
At the critical moment, Li Yue turned to look at the little girl and her mother again. Then, his figure flashed in place!
Bang!! Whoosh!
The violent explosion and ruthless flame swallowed the hostages. The invisible shockwave shattered the glass in the windows into countless pieces with a burst of crashing noise.
Li Yue could feel the heat and the impact of the explosion. His battlesuit was incinerated, leaving him naked and dirty like a beggar.
After more than ten seconds, the explosion gradually calmed down. Only the figures of Li Yue and Homelander were still standing there. The broken limbs on the ground were like hell on earth. There were burn marks everywhere.
...
"Don't you dare say anything when we get out. Leave everything to me.
"As long as you follow me and stay loyal to me, you could do anything you want!" Homelander said to Li Yue!
Instead of walking out of the bank, Li Yue turned around and looked at the scene of the explosion. He did not know what to think. Homelander did this for him, but Li Yue did not feel any gratitude!
"We apologize—we were too late. The robber detonated the bomb right as we entered. We couldn't save them...all those innocent people!
"I am sorry, everyone, I have disappointed you!"
When they walked out of the bank, a pained and regretful expression immediately entered Homelander's face. His expression changed so quickly, it stunned Li Yue!
Both Li Yue's and Homelander's battlesuit was damaged by the explosion. With Homelander's superb acting, he actually succeeded in garnering sympathy from the masses!
"We don't blame you. You have done your best!"
"Yeah! It's not your fault that those criminals were too brutal!"
...