That same night.
At the Claw Girl's apartment.
Landlord Lutz scratched his head, pushing open a door that had clearly been repaired multiple times, then gestured for the two men outside to come in. "Claw Girl lives in this room," he said, stepping into the living room.
The two who entered were Black Noir and Elemental, following Homelander's orders to investigate Blue Hawk's death.
Earlier, they had tracked down freelance journalist Dodge Wilson's residence, a place Blue Hawk had recently visited. There, they discovered some human tissue, and lab analysis confirmed it was Blue Hawk's.
Following that lead, they reviewed the building's security footage and identified a man in a metal battle suit as the one who killed him. Their investigation eventually led them here—to Claw Girl's apartment.
As they entered, Elemental pointed to one of Claw Girl's selfies hanging on the wall. "She used to be my idol... What a waste."
Black Noir had no opinion on her "wasted" talent; he simply didn't care.
Walking over to the TV, he paused and picked up a picture frame. Inside was a photograph of Claw Girl and A-Train together.
"Hm?"
Elemental came up behind him. "Is she... A-Train's girlfriend?"
Black Noir neither confirmed nor denied, but Lutz, the landlord, chimed in, "A-Train came here often, though I couldn't say for sure if they were dating."
"Well, I think they probably were. You know, every time he came, something in this place would break." Lutz shrugged, chuckling a bit. "I heard superhumans tend to... lose control."
Black Noir turned his head, casting a look Lutz's way despite the mask concealing his eyes. The landlord immediately shut his mouth, backing away.
Elemental, meanwhile, glanced at the door to Claw Girl's room. "The guy who killed Blue Hawk was here. But why was he looking for Claw Girl?"
Black Noir pointed to A-Train's picture in the frame.
Elemental's eyes widened. "You think he was investigating A-Train? That's why he came here?"
"So where's Claw Girl?" he asked. "Was she taken? Or... did she meet the same fate as Blue Hawk?"
---
In another part of the city that same night.
In a quiet, dimly lit neighborhood park, there was no breeze, yet some bushes seemed to tremble as if in anticipation.
Butcher sat down by a merry-go-round, lighting a cigarette. He'd barely taken a puff when another figure joined him—Jeff, the man recently booted from Olga Weapons R&D.
"Normally, I only go out at this hour if it's a date. And definitely not in a place as creepy as this." Jeff's tone was sardonic, but there was a sharp edge to it.
Butcher smirked. "Then you better hope you've got something damn important to say. Otherwise, I'll put this cigarette out in your mouth."
Jeff pushed his glasses up his nose, staring at the empty playground. "I want you to do something for me."
"Need you to sneak into Olga Corp. and retrieve something."
Butcher rose, exhaling a stream of smoke. "Not interested."
He turned to leave, dusting his hands.
Jeff casually popped a piece of gum in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he continued. "They kicked me out. Aren't you even a bit curious why?"
Butcher turned back, eyeing the man from under his bushy brows. "What, you got tired of selling your soul?"
Jeff gave a slight smile. "They're on the verge of a deal with the Department of Defense. And you know, only companies with a spotless reputation get those contracts."
"But here's the problem. In gathering data, we broke several federal laws. One of which was handing unauthorized weaponry to... people like you."
Butcher shrugged, unaffected by the comment.
"So they kicked you out and hung you out to dry to save themselves. Classic," Butcher said, rolling his eyes. "So, what? Now you want revenge?"
Jeff remained silent.
Butcher made a dismissive gesture. "Not my problem. Find someone else."
Jeff didn't try to stop him but added, "If anything goes wrong with your suit, no one else can repair it. Plus, there's a security protocol embedded in it. Let's just say Olga Corp. could turn you into roast meat at the push of a button."
"They'll probably cover their tracks by submitting a list to the feds, too. I'd bet your name will be on it, Butcher."
Butcher chuckled, running a hand through his beard as he turned back. "You bastards really are something. Fine, tell me what you need me to retrieve."
---
The next morning.
After a workout, shower, and fresh change of clothes, Homelander listened to Angelina's report.
Last night, according to the plan, she'd shown herself in a public place and even made sure she was seen leaving alone. But, as he'd expected, the Liquid Man hadn't taken the bait.
Homelander chuckled. "Completely normal. He's clearly a professional hitman—sneaking into the Seven Tower proves that much. It'll take more than that to lure him out."
"Just be patient."
He pulled out his copy of The Daily Planet. It had been a few days since he'd read it, and the paper had indeed updated.
The top story was about General Zod's recent visit to Earth. The Man of Steel storyline was already over, and the paper covered the aftermath in Metropolis in great detail.
Photos showed the city heavily damaged, just like in the movies.
"Guess it's Batman's turn to make his move next."
He casually flipped through the back pages, about to set the paper down when he stopped, his eyes widening slightly.
In a side column, there was a photo in a small feature article.
It showed an Asian woman wearing sunglasses and holding a cane, emerging from what looked like a solid wall of rubble.
The headline read: "Shocking! Woman Emerges from the Ruins—Alien? Superhuman?"
It turned out that, in the aftermath of the Metropolis disaster, a civilian rescue team witnessed an Asian blind woman stepping out from a sealed, rubble-filled room. She disappeared into the crowd shortly after, leaving the mystery unresolved.
If there hadn't been a photo, Homelander might have dismissed it as tabloid nonsense.
But with that photo, he couldn't look away.
Because the woman in the picture was someone he knew—the Chinese blind woman he'd met at the Walmart mall.
Lin Aida.
She had appeared in the Daily Planet, in the world of DC's Superman!
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