With his strength now upgraded and accompanied by a new effect, Secondary Impact, each physical attack carried an extra punch.
Although it only applied to physical attacks, it was still a thrilling sensation.
"This feeling of getting stronger is just... delightful," Homelander chuckled, turning and flying back towards the video store.
In no time, he landed back inside.
"Welcome! Oh, Homelander!"
Hughie's eyes lit up with admiration when he saw Homelander in his blue suit. "What you did earlier is already on the news. You saved everyone again. You're amazing!"
Homelander waved it off casually, as if it was nothing. "My stuff?"
"Right here."
"Here's your teddy bear, and, uh, your credit card."
Hughie handed over the neatly packaged bear to Homelander.
Homelander took it, then paused for a moment. "Hughie, if that bearded guy comes back and tries talking to you again, would you mind giving me a call?"
Hughie blinked, then smiled eagerly. "Of course!"
He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Is he a terrorist or something?"
Homelander laughed. "Not quite. More like an obsessive guy. He wants to kill me, but I wouldn't call him a terrorist."
"Do you have a pen?"
Leaving his phone number with Hughie, Homelander picked up the gift, soared into the air with a whoosh, and disappeared from sight.
Across several blocks from the video store, in a nearby café, Butcher removed his sunglasses, gazing out the window at the bustling street, lost in thought.
Suddenly, he spoke, "Don't tap me on the shoulder unless you're ready to lose a hand."
Behind him, a bespectacled white man chuckled. "You're as cautious as ever, Mr. Butcher."
"I watched your livestream. Gotta say, you're one of the bravest men I've ever seen."
Butcher turned slowly, a sarcastic smirk on his face. "If you don't get to the point soon, I'll chop your hand off and shove it right up your—"
The man calmly placed a business card on the table. "Mr. Butcher, we have a common enemy."
"If you're looking for a way to fight Homelander, you might want to contact me."
"Have a pleasant evening."
With that, the man waved and walked away.
Butcher finally picked up the card. It read: Olga Weapons Development Company.
---
Back at the Seven Tower, Homelander knocked on a door.
It opened, revealing a puzzled yet lovely Angelina.
"A gift for you."
Without waiting for permission, Homelander stepped into her room and tore the wrapping off the teddy bear, placing it prominently in the living room, where it could easily be seen. The bear had a hidden camera inside.
"Master, when can I begin my revenge?" Angelina asked, closing the door behind her.
Homelander smiled softly. "Soon."
"Be patient. And trust me."
Angelina hesitated for a moment. "Are you staying the night?"
"If that's an invitation..." Homelander shrugged. "I think I'll accept."
She bit her lip slightly. "I'll go take a shower."
---
The next morning, Homelander admired Angelina's smooth, bare back as he got out of bed, fully satisfied.
A short while later, he entered the command room, where his assistant, Ashley, was already waiting.
"Fantastic work, Homelander!"
"How did you come up with the idea of using a livestream to build such a relatable public image? It's genius! You realized that flawed heroes resonate more with people, didn't you? So you staged that whole show with the bearded guy? Who was the director? Who wrote the script? Can we work with them long-term?"
Homelander closed his eyes briefly, raising a single finger. "First of all, that wasn't a show."
"Second, you're being too loud."
Ashley quickly clamped her mouth shut, but her mind raced with thoughts.
"So... it was real?"
"Homelander really did sleep with that woman, Becca?"
"And he spent the night in Angelina's room last night."
"I wonder if I could get involved with him somehow... that'd be exciting."
Shaking off the thoughts, Ashley continued, "Even though it wasn't a show, the results were incredible. Your male support rate shot up by 27%, and your female support also saw a slight increase."
"Our polls show that people think you're even more reliable now, given how you handled things last night."
Homelander chuckled slightly. He didn't care about such things.
When you have absolute power, public approval doesn't really matter.
Would a lion care whether a colony of ants liked him? And if they didn't, so what?
He could crush them with one hand if needed.
"Ashley, I've selected two new members for The Seven. Arrange a time for me to meet them."
"Of course. 'Ice Princess' and 'Electro.' I'll arrange for them to meet with you as soon as possible. How does Sunday afternoon sound?"
Homelander nodded in agreement.
Ashley pulled out her notepad to make a note of it, then added, "By the way, we've identified the criminal who took that hostage last night."
"It was Nathan—A-Train's brother."
"Seems like he wanted to avenge his brother. Such a foolish move."
Homelander waved dismissively. "Go call the costume design team for me."
Ashley blinked in surprise. "Are you planning to design a new suit?"
---
A short while later, the Seven Tower's costume design team gathered in the command room to meet with Homelander.
With one swift motion, Homelander yanked off his star-spangled cape.
"I want you to design me a new suit."
"First, I'm done with the star-spangled cape."
The head designer frowned. "But Homelander, the American flag represents your patriotism. It ties into your name—"
"That's not my name."
"That's just a title."
Homelander corrected him, his voice firm. "I am who I am. I'm not anyone's property, and no one—not even this country—can define me."
"And just so we're clear, this isn't a negotiation. It's an order."
"I'm ordering you to have a new design ready by next Monday."
"My new suit must have nothing to do with the country."
"It needs to represent me."
"Understand?"
The design team members nodded vigorously, like a flock of pecking chickens, then hurried out of the command room without a word.
Homelander's eyes glowed as he dialed up the intensity of his laser vision, incinerating the star-spangled cape to ashes.
"After being reborn, something still felt off."
"Now, it feels right."
A smirk tugged at his lips as he watched the flag burn.
Just then, The Deep's voice rang out, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Boss, what are you doing?"
Homelander looked up to see Queen Maeve leading the rest of The Seven into the room.
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