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At the hearing.
Before the hearing began, everyone was quietly conversing in their respective waiting areas.
Homelander and Stormfront were standing together, his eyes cold, staring intently at the woman conversing with someone on the other side of the hearing room.
Grace Mallory, former Deputy Director of the CIA.
The accusations against Homelander and Vought were brought by the CIA, represented by Mallory.
They seemed to have crucial evidence against Vought, which was why Homelander and Stormfront were sitting here representing Vought.
"Vought definitely has no way out this time," Stormfront whispered in Homelander's ear.
Homelander's gaze shifted from Mallory and he asked, "Even Edgar can't think of a solution?"
"Don't assume everything is under his control. At least, he didn't foresee Neuman's death, and Neuman might have been crucial to this matter. Now that she's dead, Edgar probably has no other options," Stormfront explained softly.
She didn't know how Edgar would have used Neuman as a pawn if Neuman were still alive.
But Stormfront knew that once the pawn named Neuman was kicked off the board, this game of chess was no longer under Edgar's control.
The fact that Vought had not yet issued a statement was the best proof.
It wasn't that Vought didn't want to issue one, nor that they didn't want to delay the court date; it was that they couldn't do so now.
Vought, having already revealed its weakness, was like an old wolf with a wound in the eyes of Congress and the CIA.
They were waiting to tear apart the colossal Vought, and they would never give it a chance to breathe.
Stormfront had a premonition that perhaps today would be the end of Vought.
But that was fine too; if Vought truly fell, Homelander would no longer have any reservations.
This was what Stormfront wanted to see.
"Ahem, the hearing is about to begin. Please be quiet and return to your seats."
At the front of the hearing room, the host, responsible for notarizing, tapped a small hammer, signaling for everyone to sit down and be quiet.
A hearing is different from a courtroom.
The main purpose of this meeting was not to pass judgment on a criminal, but to evaluate the various pieces of evidence presented by both sides, with each side debating, and finally, the meeting host making a judgment.
This was not a verdict for Vought; it was merely to determine, before the verdict, whether the witnesses, testimonies, and evidence provided by the CIA were valid.
After all, Vought was a large corporation, and the CIA was not a small organization. If the two sides were to truly go to court publicly, they would at least need to confirm the authenticity and practical effectiveness of the evidence.
The hearing quickly began. People from the CIA and Vought all sat down, listening to the host at the front read out the introductory statement for the hearing.
Soon, only the host's voice remained in the room.
But in a place no one noticed, the hearing room door was quietly opened. Kevin, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, found an unnoticed corner in the back and sat down.
He was here to ensure that things wouldn't escalate into a worse situation.
Or, more precisely, to ensure that Homelander and Stormfront wouldn't go insane and attack everyone in the room after hearing the evidence he provided.
Unlike the plot, Kevin was certain that this time, Vought truly couldn't recover.
Including Homelander and Stormfront.
Because what Kevin provided to Mallory were classified intelligence he stole from Vought, as well as the video footage of Homelander abandoning the passengers on Flight 37.
These things were truly enough to send Vought to hell, and this was no joke.
So, Vought in this world was truly doomed.
"Don't blame me; I simply don't have time to play games with you," Kevin thought to himself, his gaze under his sunglasses fixed on Homelander.
If Kevin had plenty of time, he wouldn't mind genuinely playing the hero-villain game with Homelander and the others, and incidentally, boosting his recognition as the 'God of Mist'.
The more people knew this title, the faster Kevin would approach being a Lord of Dimensions, and the faster the blurry skill icons on Kevin's skill tree would appear.
But unfortunately, Kevin didn't have that much time now.
Through Flashback, Kevin already knew that the The Boys world was intersecting and colliding with countless parallel worlds.
If this matter wasn't dealt with quickly, it wouldn't be long before the colliding parallel worlds would annihilate each other and disappear into the long river of time.
This was the worst-case scenario of intersecting parallel worlds that Ancient One had mentioned.
Kevin's remaining sliver of hope vanished without a trace because of this.
This matter had to be dealt with; there was no alternative. If it wasn't dealt with, both here and Kevin's The Boys Universe would be doomed.
And before dealing with this matter, Kevin planned to thoroughly resolve the troubles of this The Boys world first.
At the very least, he needed the subsequent skill icons to appear and determine his future path.
That's why Kevin was sitting here.
As Kevin pondered, the hearing's host had already stated the main purpose of this meeting.
And invited one of the crucial figures of this meeting.
"…Now, please welcome Dr. Vogelsbaum, former chief Science Officer of Vought International."
As soon as the hearing host finished speaking, the surrounding reporters became noisy.
When the meeting room door was opened and Dr. Vogelsbaum entered in a wheelchair, the sound of camera shutters clicking incessantly grew even louder.
Flashbulbs flickered like stars on both sides of the hearing room, and Dr. Vogelsbaum, under everyone's watchful eyes, arrived at the very center of the hearing.
On his left were the people from the CIA, and on his right were Homelander and Stormfront.
Homelander looked at Dr. Vogelsbaum with a complex expression, and Dr. Vogelsbaum also looked back at him, but quickly averted his gaze, looking straight ahead.
Dr. Vogelsbaum was Homelander's adoptive father.
His feelings for Homelander were not as heartless as he claimed.
Although he said he only treated Homelander as an experiment, if that were truly the case, why would he have given Homelander his own name?
Dr. Vogelsbaum's full name was John Vogelsbaum.
And Homelander, he was also named John.
While this might be a coincidence, perhaps because the name John also carried the meaning of 'nameless one', it at least proved that Dr. Vogelsbaum was not entirely without feeling for Homelander.
But he still appeared here, accusing Homelander and Vought.
Butcher's threat might have been part of the reason.
But more likely, he probably wanted to atone for his mistakes.
The mistake of bringing Homelander into this world.
"Dr. John Vogelsbaum, thank you for coming. Now, please raise your right hand."
The hearing host said to Dr. Vogelsbaum through the microphone.
Dr. Vogelsbaum's right hand formed a fist and slowly lifted.
The host continued to ask:
"Do you swear that you will answer truthfully, and that every statement you make at today's hearing will be true and without falsehood?"
"I do."
Dr. Vogelsbaum said without any hesitation.
Upon hearing this, Homelander closed his eyes.
Stormfront held his hand, purple electricity flickering in her eyes. She didn't speak, but from her demeanor, she was clearly plotting something.
The hearing continued.
After Dr. Vogelsbaum made his pledge, the host continued:
"Very well. You now have five minutes to make your statement and answer questions. First, regarding the accusations against Vought.
"Is it true that Vought has been producing Compound V for years, distributing Compound V around the world, injecting it into newborns, and secretly experimenting with Compound V on adults?"
"It is true."
Dr. Vogelsbaum still did not hesitate.
And as soon as his words fell, countless flashbulbs flickered again.
Dr. Vogelsbaum, a former key member of Vought, was responsible for all of Vought's scientific research.
To ordinary people, he was an undisputed expert.
What such a expert said would, of course, be correct, and therefore, the information he provided was frantically recorded by the reporters.
Because for the reporters present, this was a major news story that could shock the entire world.
The host seemed unsurprised by Dr. Vogelsbaum's answer. His expression was calm as he continued to address Dr. Vogelsbaum:
"Now, regarding this matter, please explain the process and your experiences in detail, thank you."
"…There's nothing to say, Mr. Host. I can confirm that all the accusations against Vought presented before you are entirely true and accurate."
"So the Sage Grove Center is also confirmed to be one of Vought's experimental bases?"
"Confirmed."
"Very well. Now, we summon the former member of The Seven of Vought…"
"I object!"
Just as the host was about to call Lamplighter, Homelander stood up and pointed at Dr. Vogelsbaum:
"He's just a liar! A liar who wasn't content to retire, so he turned around and sought revenge on Vought!"
As Homelander said this, the muscles in his face twitched.
His blue eyes were fixed on Dr. Vogelsbaum, as if the next second he would unleash his heat vision and utterly kill Dr. Vogelsbaum.
But facing Homelander's gaze, Dr. Vogelsbaum remained calm:
"I just swore an oath. Everything I said is true, without any falsehoods."
"You—!"
"Homelander! It's not your turn to speak yet, please sit down!"
Homelander was about to speak again when the host raised his gavel and tapped it, signaling him to sit down and not disrupt the hearing's order.
Homelander's gaze instead shifted to the host. He gnashed his teeth, the muscles in his face bulging slightly with the movement, his furious expression making one worry he might go on a rampage right there.
Fortunately, Stormfront stopped him.
Stormfront was clearly more rational than Homelander, understanding that under so many cameras, they shouldn't do anything excessive here. So she pulled Homelander, making him sit back down.
Homelander's eyes blazed with fire, but in the end, he sat down as Stormfront said.
However, his eyes remained fixed on Dr. Vogelsbaum.
The host continued to repeat his previous words, wanting Lamplighter to come out and provide testimony.
But someone else interrupted him.
This time it wasn't Homelander, it was Mallory.
"Excuse me, Mr. Host, before we proceed with the summons, please allow my side to present new supplementary evidence against Vought."
"…Request granted. Ms. Mallory, please speak."
Although the host was helpless, this was a reasonable request that he could not refuse, so he gestured to Mallory, inviting her to present the new evidence.
Mallory walked down from the stands, holding the documents Kevin had given her, and displayed them to everyone.
"According to our witness, the latest intelligence shows that what Vought has done goes far beyond what was done at Sage Grove Center."
"In the middle section of Vought Tower, there are experiments and supervision of Supe children. Most of these Supe children are orphans. They undergo ability assessments periodically, and those who fail the assessment… will be 'cleaned up' by Vought."
"Yes, 'cleaned up.' I think everyone understands what that word means."
Mallory said, handing the document and its copies to the witnesses at the host's table.
Immediately after, Mallory took out another document and continued:
"Also, beneath Godolkin University, there is an experimental facility called 'The Woods,' where experiments on Supes are also being conducted. However, the difference is that the experiments there are focused on methods against Supes."
"A campus that outwardly cultivates Supe heroes, but secretly is a research facility experimenting on Supes, Vought… you've really done a 'beautiful' job."
Mallory said calmly, simultaneously handing over the information related to The Woods to the witnesses.
This was not the end. Besides The Woods, there were many other experimental facilities under Vought.
These facilities might not be as well-known as Sage Grove and The Woods, but their existence alone was enough to explain everything.
Mallory's appearance made the surrounding reporters even more frenzied, and also greatly surprised Homelander and Stormfront.
Homelander stared at Mallory with wide eyes, then turned to look at Stormfront, wanting to know if these things were true.
Stormfront, who had been calm just moments before, was now uncharacteristically flustered.
She realized that Mallory knew many things, knew about Sage Grove, and even more things that should not be exposed.
But she couldn't fathom how Mallory could produce so much 'incriminating evidence' related to Vought.
This was practically exposing Vought's deepest secrets; Vought seemed to have no secrets at all in front of her!
Mallory, CIA… they absolutely couldn't have achieved this level.
Someone must be helping them, and it must be an important member of Vought, and the only one who could know all of this would be Vought's CEO…
Upon realizing this, Stormfront felt like her head must be malfunctioning.
Edgar would betray his own group?
How could that be?
But if not Edgar, then who could it be?
Homelander and Stormfront were both greatly shocked.
But what shocked them even more was yet to come.
Just when they thought what Mallory was saying now was everything, they saw Mallory take out a small camera and show it to everyone.
When she took out the camera, she even deliberately glanced at Homelander.
This gave Homelander a very bad premonition.
Sure enough, Homelander's premonition came true the next moment.
"And, I hereby accuse Homelander of destroying Flight 37 and sitting by as the victims of Flight 37 crashed. This is the last video left by the passengers on Flight 37."
Mallory held up the small video camera, displaying it to everyone, then also placed it on the notary table.
And at that moment, Homelander felt sweat break out on his back for the first time.
Vought was being accused, and their actions were being exposed.
These things had no impact on Homelander whatsoever.
What was Vought? They weren't a Superhero group, nor were they some… corporation that could control the entire world. Did their survival have anything to do with Homelander John?
Without Vought, Homelander would still be a Superhero!
He would still be Homelander!
So he didn't care at all what would happen to Vought.
But what Mallory had presented now left Homelander no choice but to care.
Being liked, revered, and worshipped as a god by millions of fans was the fundamental basis for Homelander's existence.
If Mallory were to truly hand everything over to the hearing, Homelander would lose everything!
This was something Homelander could not tolerate!
The anger at Mallory for revealing this, and the panic of losing everything, made Homelander lose his composure.
He immediately stood up, his red heat vision instantly firing, the crimson rays heading straight for the camera in Mallory's hand!
If that strike hit, the camera in Mallory's hand, and her wrist holding the camera, would be shattered into pieces!
That's right, Homelander attacked.
He had no choice but to attack. After all, with this attack, as long as he destroyed the evidence about Flight 37, he could say whatever he wanted to the public later.
Anyway, the evidence was already destroyed, and no one could accuse him.
Conversely, if he didn't destroy the evidence, he would truly be finished!
Homelander, who appeared to have lost his mind, actually retained a sliver of rationality, and it was precisely because of this consideration that Homelander chose to use his powers at the hearing.
It was just a pity that Homelander did not succeed.
Crack—
A sudden sound of glass, like a discordant note in a melody, caught Homelander's attention.
As the sound of glass rang out, Homelander found that the laser he had fired was strangely refracted in mid-air.
It bypassed Mallory's hand and the evidence in her hand, flew upwards, and then, after another strange refraction, hit Homelander's own shoulder.
Homelander was knocked flying by his own ray, shattering the chair he was sitting on and falling awkwardly to the ground.
The people sitting behind him scattered at the sight, and the reporters, who finally realized what was happening, quickly raised their cameras, aiming them at Homelander, faithfully recording everything.
Clap, clap—
Within the slightly noisy hearing room, a crisp sound of applause emerged.
A certain 'bystander' sitting in the back row of the hearing stood up from his seat, applauding as he walked to the front of the stage:
"You've really put on quite a show for me, Homelander."
"!?"
Homelander, who had been knocked to the ground by his own laser, looked up in astonishment at the voice.
Although the newcomer wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, these items could not block Homelander's X-ray vision. Through the voice and the appearance beneath the sunglasses, Homelander quickly analyzed the identity of the person.
It was someone who absolutely shouldn't be here.
And someone who absolutely shouldn't be alive in this world!
"You are… The Deep!? That's impossible!!!"
"No, no, no, that's not right."
The newcomer slowly walked to the front, turned around to find a good angle facing the cameras, like a stage actor making an entrance, standing at the eye-catching center, raising both hands in a gentlemanly bow:
"Please call me… God of Mist."
He said this, and bowed to every viewer in front of their televisions.
The one who came here was not The Deep.
It was God of Mist.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones=1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr | 16 novels being updated, I can't read all comments