Mallory noted down what Kevin said about The Woods, and Butcher did the same.
Their eyes met, confirming their future strategy regarding Godolkin University.
After getting the information from Kevin, Mallory indeed asked no more questions.
The content of their previous 'deal' was that Mallory would let Kevin meet Big, and Kevin would then give her a piece of information or evidence related to Vought.
Now that their deal was considered done, Mallory was a person with a sense of contract.
Or rather, facing a Supe rumored to be even more powerful than Homelander, they had to have a sense of contract.
Otherwise, once the contract was broken, they would be the ones to suffer in the end.
Seeing Mallory and Butcher so obedient, and thinking about the hearing in a few days, Kevin suddenly smiled, and with a mischievous look on his face, he said to them:
"Oh, consider this a freebie, I'll tell you another piece of news."
"?"
Mallory and Butcher exchanged glances.
Kevin suddenly offering them new information was indeed unexpected, but no one would complain about having fewer cards to play against Vought, so the two tacitly remained silent and simultaneously looked at Kevin, waiting for him to drop the new information.
"Victoria Neuman, I think you should know this person."
Kevin said a name, and Butcher quickly responded:
"That recent, outspoken congresswoman against Vought? Is there something wrong with her?"
"What she's doing is not the problem; the problem is her identity. She is a Supe."
"!!!?"
"WT…"
As Kevin's words fell, Mallory's eyes instantly widened in shock as she looked at Kevin.
Butcher also nearly blurted out a curse word.
That 'female warrior' who had always advocated for Vought's Supes to obey government orders, and who had always targeted Vought and The Seven, the congresswoman with high approval ratings in Congress—she was a Supe?!
Even more shocking things were yet to come.
"Not only that, she's also Edgar's person. Your world's Susan was probably also head-popped, right? I won't keep you in suspense; the one who killed her was Neuman."
"Her superpower is blood manipulation; she can control the flow of blood in the human body to concentrate it in the brain, causing a 'pop' explosion effect. That's how Susan died."
Kevin's smile remained, as he calmly stated the fact of Susan Raynor's death.
Susan, former Deputy Director of the CIA, one of Mallory's 'students,' and Butcher's old lover.
Her position in Mallory's and Butcher's hearts was extremely high, and her death was one of the reasons Mallory re-emerged.
Mallory had been investigating who killed Susan, and now, here, she learned the truth about Susan's death from Kevin, a visitor from another world.
Kevin could see that upon hearing this news, Mallory's fists instantly clenched.
Her old, wrinkled hands now had veins bulging and throbbing.
Butcher caught Mallory's reaction, and still shocked by Neuman's identity, he quietly asked Kevin:
"Are you telling the truth?"
"What benefit would I get from lying to you? Of course, I don't have evidence to prove her identity on me. If you want to know if what I said is true, you can investigate it yourself, but my advice is, do it quickly."
"…Why?"
"Because aren't you preparing for a hearing? Ms. Mallory should have already contacted Neuman, right? Once the evidence is gathered, you will hold the hearing."
"But if Neuman is Edgar's person, and also that head-popping woman, what do you think she will do when the hearing begins?"
Kevin posed the question.
Mallory, who had experienced quite a bit, instantly snapped back to reality and answered Kevin's question:
"She'll use her disgusting ability to pop the witness's head."
"And then blame the attack on 'Super Villains'."
Butcher echoed her, stating what Neuman might do.
But Mallory felt she had overlooked something:
"If the witness dies in court, even if we don't know who did it, we wouldn't suspect Super Villains. We… even the public would suspect that Vought is silencing them…"
Kevin nodded, agreeing with Mallory's speculation:
"Then just don't let the public know that Vought is silencing them, wouldn't that work?"
"How would she…"
Mallory subconsciously asked, but the next moment, her pupils suddenly constricted, and she guessed what Neuman would do then.
Kevin smiled at her reaction and clearly enunciated each word:
"Indiscriminate attack."
"Damn it!"
When that phrase appeared, Mallory instantly cursed aloud.
If only attacking the witness would make everyone suspect Vought was silencing them, then why not just prevent them from suspecting Vought was silencing them?
An indiscriminate attack on everyone present, killing anyone related to Vought, unrelated to Vought, or even core Vought employees—that way, everyone would believe the attack was the work of Super Villains.
Look, even important Vought employees died there, so how could it be something Vought did?
Regardless of what the CIA and other groups hostile to Vought might think, ordinary people, most of whom would see this through the news, would certainly think that way.
Knowing the seriousness of the matter, Mallory could no longer sit still. She immediately stood up and ordered Butcher:
"Your job has changed now. Go immediately and investigate Neuman's identity. I need to confirm that her identity is truly as Mr. Kevin said!"
"What if that damned bitch really is a Supe, and Edgar's person?"
"Do you even need to ask? Do what you're supposed to do."
Mallory said without hesitation.
What Butcher was supposed to do was eliminate Supes.
Unlike other Supes, Neuman was a congresswoman and had already received clear support from many congressmen who disliked Vought.
These were all Neuman's political resources.
What if Neuman, relying on these political resources, climbed higher and higher, reaching the position of president…
Mallory dared not imagine what the world would be like then!
Vought in the business world, and Neuman, connected to Vought, in the political world.
At that point, Vought would truly be unstoppable!
So, other Supes were one thing, but if Neuman's identity was truly confirmed, she had to be eliminated no matter what!
Mallory's and Butcher's reactions were not beyond Kevin's expectations.
He revealed Neuman's identity precisely because he wanted to see this scene.
And to stir the waters even muddier, Kevin, after leaving the CIA, mysteriously said to Butcher:
"Give me two of your usual sniper bullets."
"…?"
"What do you need sniper bullets for?"
"If Neuman is a Supe, her skin might be able to withstand ordinary bullets, just like Starlight. And I… I have a way to make ordinary bullets penetrate Supe skin."
Kevin's face seemed to bear a faint, mischievous smile.
Since he had decided to be a villain, he naturally had to carry out 'villainous' behavior to the end.
Attacking a congresswoman should also count as something a villain would do, right?
He just wondered what expression Edgar would have when he found out Neuman was dead.
Thinking of this, Kevin felt a little anticipation.
…
Investigating Neuman actually didn't take long at all.
Once there was a target, by following that target and investigating Neuman's past life and activities, many problems could be found.
First was Neuman's past.
According to current information on Wiki and relevant government internal documents, Neuman was said to have been born into an ordinary family in a remote state.
Through her own efforts, she attended high school and university, and then began to get involved in politics… blah blah blah…
These things, if not investigated carefully before, could hold up.
But once seriously investigated, it could be found that in the high schools and universities Neuman mentioned, there were hardly any classmates or teachers who knew her.
Even the name Victoria Neuman was very likely an alias.
The falsification of her identity alone was enough to prove that Neuman indeed had problems.
If there was further evidence of her contact with Edgar, then her identity as a chess piece planted by Vought in Congress would be a done deal.
Two days.
In just two days, Butcher, with his executive ability and investigative skills, found irrefutable evidence of Neuman's contact with Vought.
Those were photos of Neuman and Edgar meeting privately.
Although the photos were blurry, and didn't even show their full faces, only profiles, this evidence wasn't meant for Butcher and Mallory to see anyway.
As long as Butcher found that Neuman had indeed met Edgar, that was enough for him to pronounce Neuman's death sentence.
"This bitch really is Vought's person…"
After discovering the truth, Butcher's face was ashen.
Before this, he had a very high opinion of Neuman.
Even though she was a politician Butcher disliked, she had the courage to confront Vought, and even dared to question Homelander to his face.
This alone was enough for Butcher to admire her.
But the result…
Now Kevin told him that all of this was fake, that Neuman was not a fighter against Vought at all; she was just an actress, and everything was a script arranged by Vought.
This gave Butcher a nauseating feeling, like he had eaten a plate of flies.
So disgusting he wanted to vomit.
So, there was no need for Mallory to issue orders, nor for Kevin to fan the flames.
After confirming Neuman's identity, Butcher took his sniper rifle and the two bullets Kevin had given him, and briefly left the hiding place of The Boys.
The two bullets Kevin provided, enhanced with the magical runes Kevin added, might not have much effect on Supes like Homelander and Soldier Boy.
But they were highly effective against Supes like Starlight and A-Train.
As long as Butcher's marksmanship was accurate, two bullets would be enough for him to pop Neuman's head.
Yes, just like Neuman had once done to Susan.