Chapter 41 Starlight's Culinary Masterpiece
I have to admit, the marketing department of Vought Company is truly genius.
The new suit they designed for Starlight is a bit revealing when worn in front of the public, but as a playful tease, it is simply too perfect.
The chest is a deep V-shape, and it even comes with a zipper on top.
As long as the zipper is unzipped, the two soft, fair mounds will eagerly pop out to breathe the air.
As for the lower part, it looks like a triangle bikini, tightly gripping the thighs and outlining smooth curves,
making it completely impossible to wear any other clothing underneath.
Therefore, with just a pull to the side, the gates are wide open, ready at any time to welcome the master's entry.
"I was so foolish, actually thinking I was the chosen one."
Starlight looked at Locke lying flat on his back, a self-deprecating smile appearing on her face,
"I thought God made me awaken my superpowers to bestow upon me a noble mission, and that I was destined to become the superhero of my dreams."
"Although your superpowers weren't given by God, you can still choose what to do with them and what kind of person to become," Locke said.
Starlight nodded. She had already accepted the truth; what else could she do if she didn't accept it?
"Locke, you are a naturally born Superhuman, while I am actually just an ordinary person who took an injection..."
Starlight looked seriously into Locke's eyes and asked, "Do you think I am worthy of you?"
"Of course," Locke said with a smile, without the slightest hesitation,
"Others call you Starlight, but to me, you are Annie. Even if you were an ordinary girl, you would still be worthy of me."
"What I like is you as a person, not your superpowers, understand?"
Hearing Locke's words, Starlight pursed her lips, deeply moved.
At this moment, her love for Locke was almost overflowing.
"Love me."
Starlight leaned down, first preparing the ingredients and washing them once to let them get moistened,
and then began her true culinary masterpiece, properly showcasing her cooking skills to Locke.
Although Starlight had little experience and was cooking for the first time, Locke had even less experience—zero.
Originally, Starlight's dishes were so delicious that Locke wouldn't be able to eat much before stopping,
but unfortunately, he had awakened the Viltrumite Bloodline, making his physique much stronger than Starlight's, so his appetite was good and his digestive capacity was even more formidable.
After half an hour or so, Starlight had made quite a few dishes and was already tired.
Locke, having learned quite a few cooking methods, stood up to start cooking, letting Starlight lie down and rest for a while.
Both of them were immersed in the joy brought by cooking.
The lights in the room flickered on and off, flashing continuously.
Starlight's mouth was slightly open, and her eyes involuntarily emitted a golden-yellow light.
As time went on and the more dishes Locke made,
her whole body began to emit a soft glow, like an angel bathed in sunlight.
Not only that, because the two took turns cooking,
even Locke felt warm all over, surrounded by a deep sunny orchard.
"...deception... superpowers... compound v..."
Starlight murmured vaguely, fully experiencing the immense joy of cooking for the first time.
She seemed to see God, complaining that God did not grant her superpowers, so she wanted to make God watch the dishes she was currently making.
As a Christian girl, this time she was going to blaspheme God.
Outside the door,
Maeve was wearing loose pajamas, holding a bottle of whiskey, leaning against the wall with a slightly flushed face.
Hearing the sounds from the luxury suite, Maeve gave a helpless, bitter smile, and then continuously poured alcohol into her mouth.
I don't know how much time had passed, but the sky was already growing faintly bright.
Starlight leaned weakly against Locke's chest. Even though she was a Superhuman, she was ultimately no match for the Viltrumite Bloodline.
Locke's stamina far exceeded hers.
Throughout the night, many of the dishes Locke made turned into Viltrumite energy, which Starlight absorbed into her body.
Starlight was very satisfied with this culinary competition, experiencing the cooking talent brought by the Viltrumite factor.
Locke casually picked up the phone beside the pillow; it was already 5:00 in the morning.
Starting from 12 midnight, they had been doing it for four or five whole hours!
He couldn't even believe that his strength was so formidable!
As expected of a Viltrumite physique.
"Locke, it seems like there is another scent on your body," Starlight said softly and sweetly.
"Is there? I don't know either."
Locke thought about it; it should be because he had killed too many Flaxans earlier.
Although Eve had washed him with subatomic energy, there was still a lingering scent.
Fortunately, the scent wasn't heavy and would dissipate quickly.
"It doesn't matter, I like whatever scent you have."
A sweet smile curled the corners of Starlight's mouth; that special scent actually made her even more immersed in cooking.
Suddenly, Starlight thought of something, her eyes widening slightly,
"Locke, you didn't bring anything, I won't get pregnant, right?!"
"It should... not be that easy," Locke hesitated slightly.
The Viltrumite gene is powerful, and generally it's not easy to get someone pregnant,
but what if?
"If you mind, you'll just have to be wronged and take medicine," Locke stroked Starlight's blonde hair and said softly.
"No."
Starlight stretched out her finger, drawing circles on Locke's smooth abdominal muscles, and said with a pout,
"If I really get pregnant, it'll be just right to give birth to your child, so you'll never be able to run away."
"As long as you like it," Locke smiled.
He didn't really care whether there were children or not; if there really were, Locke would also be responsible for teaching them.
He just wondered what kind of child would be born from the combination of the Viltrumite gene and the compound v gene.
"Taking advantage of the fact that no one is here, I'll go back first. If others discover me, it'll be a bit awkward."
Starlight put on her suit again; this clothes was only worn for Locke to see.
Locke also put on his clothes; he was going to practice Flight at an altitude of ten thousand meters in a moment,
and only by practicing more at limit speed could his speed stats increase faster.
"Oh, god."
After opening the door, Starlight suddenly covered her mouth and let out an exclamation.
Locke walked over and saw Maeve sleeping against the wall, with empty wine bottles scattered on the ground.
"Why is Maeve sleeping here?" Starlight asked with a surprised look.
Locke said in a calm tone, "She must be drunk; Maeve often drinks heavily."
Starlight nodded; this was something many people knew.
"Then what about her?"
"You're dressed a bit revealingly, go back first, I'll send Maeve back to her room."
"Alright." Starlight lowered her head to look at her chest, blocking it with her hands as she left.
Locke picked Maeve up, walked to her room, and pushed it open with a gentle nudge.
Maeve hadn't closed the door when she came out last night.
Locke didn't know why Maeve was lying at his doorway, just assuming she was binge drinking once again.
However,
when Locke put Maeve on the bed, she suddenly wrapped her arms around Locke's neck,
and murmured in her mouth, "Don't go... Locke... Don't go..."
Locke frowned slightly, forcefully placing Maeve onto the bed and covering her with the blanket.
If Maeve was drinking because of him, Locke would be angry;
if you have something to say, just say it, why harm your own body.
Right at this moment, Maeve on the bed opened her eyes slightly, suddenly sat up, and kissed Locke!
Then, in less than three seconds, she fell straight back onto the bed and fell asleep again.
Feeling the scent of alcohol on his lips, Locke shook his head helplessly, opened the window, and flew out.
He would settle accounts with Maeve when she woke up.
Chapter 42: My friend, you are the true hero
Locke's announcement about forming the Guardians of the Globe caused a huge uproar on the internet.
However, when people happily searched for information about the Guardians of the Globe,
they found that there wasn't even a basic application website.
Consequently, many people thought that the Vought Company didn't take this matter seriously at all, and some Superhumans who wanted to join for the high benefits instantly lost interest.
Locke hadn't had time to find someone to build a website yet, but this was also a good thing, filtering out those people with crooked intentions.
What he wanted were Guardians of the Globe members like The Immortal in the Invincible world,
not opportunists who wanted fame and high salaries.
When Locke came back from training extreme Flight, Ashley found him with documents in hand,
"Mr. Locke, yesterday the Vought customer service department received more than a dozen calls from people wanting to join the Guardians of the Globe."
"After my initial screening, I had three of them come over for an interview. Would you like to see them?"
Locke had only mentioned it in passing, but Ashley was already starting to do her job as a secretary,
truly living up to her name as the pressure-resistant queen, with top-notch working ability.
"Sure, take me there."
Locke would personally interview the initial candidates, which was also to show how much he valued them.
Ashley led Locke to a training room on the fifth floor.
This was requested by one of the blind youths who wanted to showcase his abilities.
Locke saw a youth wearing a black blindfold nimbly vaulting over various obstacles, displaying his close-combat skills,
and even accurately thrusting a weapon into the vital spots of a wooden dummy.
A man and a woman nearby were chatting while watching the youth train.
"This kid is called Blindspot. Even though he's blind, his hearing is very strong, and he can even figure out what people look like just by listening with his ears."
Ashley introduced, "Those two over there—one is Supersonic, whom you should have met yesterday."
"The other woman is Mindreader, and her superpower is the ability to read minds."
Locke raised an eyebrow; these three people were quite interesting.
In the original plot, the blind youth Blindspot had his ears slapped to pieces by Homelander, rendering him completely useless.
After losing a race to A-Train, Supersonic had already been abandoned by the Vought Company.
As for this heavily made-up middle-aged woman, her superpower turned out to be mind-reading. Interesting.
"You must be Mr. Locke! I saw you on the live television broadcast yesterday!"
Right at this moment, Blindspot ran over and said with an excited expression.
Locke was a bit surprised. "You can even see the images on TV?"
"I heard them, sir."
Blindspot pointed at his ears and corrected Locke, "When you have clairaudience, you don't need clairvoyance."
"You're not bad." Locke smiled.
Seeing that Locke approved of Blindspot, Ashley was very happy inside.
This blind youth had it very rough; he was abandoned by his parents since childhood and grew up strongly on his own until now.
Ashley also felt some sympathy for him, which was why she selected him.
"Mr. Locke, do I have a chance to meet Homelander?"
Blindspot said expectantly, "He has always been the hero I worship."
Locke was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself that you'd better not go courting death.
"Homelander hasn't been in a very good mood lately. I suggest you don't disturb him."
"Alright." Blindspot pursed his lips, indicating understanding.
"Mr. Locke! Nice to meet you!"
Supersonic and Mindreader walked over and enthusiastically extended their hands.
After shaking hands with both of them, Locke looked at Supersonic,
"Why do you want to join the Guardians of the Globe?"
Hearing this, Supersonic had a slightly awkward look on his face.
"Actually, ever since I knew I had superpowers in terms of speed, I've always wanted to do things other than just running,
like saving an old grandma on the street who's about to be hit by a car, or rescuing a little girl from a burning building..."
"Alright." Locke signaled that he didn't need to continue, and looked at Mindreader,
"Since your ability is mind-reading, take a look at what these two are thinking right now."
Hearing that Locke wanted to test her, Mindreader took a deep breath and then grabbed Blindspot's arm,
"I need to make physical contact to read minds." She explained.
Mindreader closed her eyes and opened them five seconds later,
"Blindspot is worried inside, wondering if Mr. Locke will discriminate against him for being blind, and wondering if he can join the Guardians of the Globe."
Locke patted Blindspot's shoulder and encouraged him: "I won't discriminate against anyone. What the Guardians of the Globe need are people who truly want to become superheroes. As long as you have the heart for it, you can join."
"I will work hard! Mr. Locke!" Blindspot said excitedly.
Seeing Blindspot get his ticket, Supersonic felt very anxious inside.
Mindreader took her hand off Supersonic's back and said hesitantly:
"Because Supersonic lost to A-Train, he has already been abandoned by the Vought Company,
his thought is that no matter what, the Guardians of the Globe are still under the Vought Company,
and coming here to work is better than not being able to find a job. But in his heart, he also wants to do things, and he's willing to join even if the salary is very low."
In Mindreader's words, there was still some bias towards Supersonic,
because she knew the difficulty of Superhumans finding good jobs in society.
For example, if Supersonic went to deliver food, the boss couldn't afford the high salary, but if the salary was low, he would find it too humiliating.
Joining the Guardians of the Globe was like entering the establishment; no matter what, it was a bit more decent.
Superhumans care about their dignity too.
Locke smiled slightly. He could understand Supersonic's thoughts and looked at Mindreader,
"Then what about your own heart?"
Mindreader gave a wry smile,
"Mr. Locke, my heart is very simple. I also just want a decent job, and no matter what I do with my superpower, as long as it's not a bad thing, it's fine.
In the past, I relied on taking some emotional counseling to make a living—the kind of work where you can figure out which spouse is cheating. But that kind of job offends people too easily, and it made me feel very uncomfortable."
Locke suddenly had a whimsical idea, stretched out his left hand, and said: "Try to read my mind."
Mindreader was a bit nervous, swallowed her saliva, and then gently gripped Locke's wrist.
Suddenly, dense information flooded into Mindreader's mind, assaulting her inner self!
Mindreader trembled all over; she couldn't bear such dense thoughts.
Just as she was about to give up, Locke seemed to have learned to hide his thoughts, leaving only a few pieces of information lingering in his heart.
Mindreader opened her eyes and took a few deep breaths to recover from her fear.
First, Locke genuinely wanted to establish the Guardians of the Globe,
then Locke also wanted to utilize other Superhumans to enhance his own strength through training,
this was what Mindreader saw.
As for the last piece of information, it left Mindreader completely unable to understand.
Locke wanted to become the new emperor of the Viltrum Empire!
What was the Viltrum Empire?
Mindreader had never heard that such a country existed in the world.
She felt that the young Locke in front of her was full of secrets, and she couldn't see through him at all.
Locke gave a meaningful smile and then said to the three of them:
"Congratulations to all of you for passing the interview. My friends, I believe that you are the true heroes!
Welcome to join the Guardians of the Globe!"
"Yes!" Blindspot clenched his fists happily.
Supersonic and Mindreader looked at each other, both pleasantly surprised,
never expecting that Superhumans like them, who had been abandoned by the Vought Company, could actually join the Guardians of the Globe!
"Thank you, Mr. Locke!"
Locke waved his hand and asked Ashley to settle them in the office building next to Vought Tower.
He had already asked Edgar to fund the purchase of that building to serve as a dormitory for the members and staff.
After the few of them left, Locke prepared to take a trip to the technical department,
but ran into Queen Maeve in the hallway.
Chapter 43: Kimiko's Redemption
"Locke, do you know who brought me back to my room?"
Maeve leaned against the hallway wall, one of her fair, long legs straight, the other slightly bent.
Her hands hung down, clasped together, her posture somewhat awkward and unnatural.
Her expression at this moment was slightly embarrassed.
Locke actually saw the shy look of a young girl on Maeve, who was in her thirties.
"I was the one who carried you back," Locke said.
Maeve's eyes widened slightly; she hadn't expected Locke to admit it so directly.
Although she had been drunk at the time, she could feel herself lying in a strong, warm embrace,
and she seemed to have even forced a kiss on Locke!
Maeve had originally thought she was dreaming. If she couldn't do it in reality, couldn't she at least be bold with Locke in her dreams?
Could all of this actually be true?!
"I didn't do anything weird, did I..." Maeve bit her lip.
"You forced yourself on me. You have to take responsibility for me."
Locke walked up to Maeve, leaning in slightly, his firm muscles pressing against her spiral-patterned breastplate.
Feeling Locke's thick breath so close to her, Maeve gently turned her head away, but her body was already burning up.
"Just kidding," Locke whispered in her ear.
"Phew~"
Seeing Locke step away, Maeve couldn't help but sigh in relief, yet she felt a trace of disappointment in her heart.
Locke already had Starlight; he wouldn't want her anymore.
"I'm going to the tech department. Do you want to come along?"
Locke turned back and asked.
Maeve adjusted her breastplate and followed Locke; she had nothing better to do anyway.
The two arrived at the Vought Crime Data Analysis Department on the 50th floor.
From here, they could access surveillance feeds in real-time, track the locations of Superhumans, and gather data from all cities across the United States,
knowing instantly where there was a crisis or where criminal activity was occurring.
Unfortunately, Vought Company was not trusted by the United States government and had not yet been allowed access to the military systems.
Thus, even within the United States, the data Vought could collect was not entirely accurate.
Not to mention other countries in the world, which would never dare to open up to Vought Company.
Unlike the Global Defense Agency in the world of Invincible, which possessed immense authority and could basically monitor the entire globe.
"You must be Annika, right?"
Locke walked up to a dark-skinned girl and proactively extended his hand.
The girl was of African descent, with delicate features, wearing glasses, and her long black hair was tied in a bun.
Seeing Locke, she flusteredly pushed the potato chips on her desk aside, stood up, deeply flattered, and shook his hand.
"M-Mr. Locke, what brings you here?"
Annika was a senior crime data analyst. While everyone else was slacking off—some even fast asleep at their desks—
she had a massive workload. Aside from monitoring various data, her hobbies were eating snacks and surfing the web.
Lately, she had been obsessively browsing news related to Locke.
After all, Locke was young, handsome, incredibly powerful, and lacked that terrifying aura that Homelanderpossessed.
In the past, every time Homelander came to the Crime Data Analysis Department, Annika's heart would race with fear, keeping her constantly on edge.
Especially recently, with Locke announcing the establishment of the Guardians of the Globe to recruit genuine superheroes instead of those putting on a show as celebrities,
this made Annika admire Locke tremendously.
Because this was something no one else dared to do, nor would they ever do.
Having worked at Vought Company for several years, she was privy to a vast amount of information and data.
She also knew exactly what kind of people the former members of The Seven were;
they had killed more people than they had saved.
"I heard you have extensive work experience, so I want you to serve as the head of data for the Guardians of the Globe."
Locke said with a smile.
"Head of data? Me?" Annika's eyes widened, completely unable to believe it.
She was just an ordinary employee at Vought. Although she handled most of the work in the Crime Analysis Department,
her position and authority were merely that of a low-level worker.
Why would a young hero like Locke seek her out?
"You heard right," Locke said with a laugh.
"Your job will be to monitor and organize intelligence from various cities in the United States, and then assign missions to the members of the Guardians of the Globe."
"However..." Locke leaned closer to Annika and whispered,
"right now it's just the United States, but in the future, it might expand to other countries, or even cover the whole world. So you'll need to train suitable subordinates yourself, otherwise you'll work yourself to death."
Annika looked at Locke in shock. This handsome youth's ambition was incredibly grand!
Vought Company only wanted to integrate into the United States military system,
yet Locke actually wanted the Guardians of the Globe' coverage to span the entire globe!
She couldn't help but feel immense pressure, fearing she wouldn't do a good job and would fail Locke's trust in her.
"Mr. Locke... I don't..."
Just as she was about to tactfully decline, Locke placed his hand on her shoulder and said seriously, "I believe in you."
"The executives in every field develop their skills gradually. I am willing to nurture you."
"I understand." Since Locke had put it that way, Annikatook a deep breath and accepted the position of head of data.
In the original plot, Annika was killed by Homelander with his Heat Vision because she had passed information to Starlight.
This time, Locke made full use of her talents and poached her to his side, securing a talent while saving her from death.
Furthermore, Locke had another objective: to slowly hollow out Vought Company!
Bringing Ashley over as his secretary, putting Annika in control of the Crime Analysis Department...
Step by step, he would drain Vought Company of its talent and utilize the company's resources to serve the Guardians of the Globe and work for Locke!
Because if Locke wanted to build a guardian force responsible for the entire world, then Vought Companyhad to disappear!
...
"Annika, first help me look up the locations of a few people."
Locke gave Hughie and the others' information to Annika.
Using Vought Company's monitoring system to mobilize city-wide surveillance, Annika quickly located The Boys.
The footage showed Hughie and the other two slipping into a small roadside supermarket.
Locke narrowed his eyes. Just like that, Kimiko's location was revealed.
Kimiko, whose regenerative abilities surpassed even Wolverine's, was a member Locke desperately wanted for the Guardians of the Globe.
So, he wouldn't let The Boys get to her first.
"Good job, Annika."
Locke patted Annika on the shoulder, then said to Maeve,
"I'm going out to handle a quick matter. I'll be back soon, and we'll have lunch together."
Watching Locke's departing figure, a smile appeared at the corner of Maeve's mouth.
Locke's willingness to have lunch with her meant he wasn't trying to distance himself from her.
This brought Maeve comfort. This was actually quite nice; even if she couldn't be with Locke...
as long as they could spend time together every day, she would be satisfied.
...
In the most remote street of Midtown Manhattan,
Hughie and the other two followed a man into the supermarket's underground warehouse.
They had previously obtained this location by blackmailing Popclaw, in order to find compound v.
In a prison-like room within the underground warehouse, Frenchie
discovered a girl with disheveled hair, curling up under a table and staring at a TV screen.
"I think we should let her go."
Frenchie had an intuitive feeling. Although he didn't know this girl, he felt immense sympathy for her and wanted to save her.
"No, no, no, we're here to find compound v. Let's not complicate things," Marvin said, shaking his head.
But Frenchie ignored the warning and insisted on opening the door.
"Don't let it out!"
Just then, the three men responsible for guarding the underground warehouse ran over, screaming in panic.
Seeing that the other side had guns, Hughie and the others quickly hid behind the shelves.
The three men had no time to pay attention to The Boys; they raised their guns and fired wildly at the girl.
However, the girl was not afraid of bullets at all. Ignoring them completely, she rushed forward and tackled one of the men to the ground!
Claw-like hands gouged into the man's eyes, ripping his eyeballs straight out!
After snapping his neck, she pounced on another man.
The second man fared even worse; the girl's claws stabbed into him repeatedly at high speed, spilling his guts all over the floor!
The last man, seeing the girl's cold, emotionless eyes looking like a wild beast's,
pressed his pistol against his chin in utter terror and decisively pulled the trigger to commit suicide!
Between a quick death and being tortured to death, he knew how to choose.
After they died, the girl turned her head and coldly looked at Hughie and the other two.
"Run!" Hughie cried in terror, tugging at the clothes of the other two.
This girl was too terrifying!
She was like a natural-born killing machine!
Just as the girl was about to catch up to them,
Boom—!
A loud explosion erupted above the supermarket, followed immediately by two gaping holes blasted straight through the supermarket's roof and floor!
A figure descended into the underground warehouse like a god!
Amidst the swirling dust, the girl stopped in her tracks, her attention drawn by the newcomer.
Locke looked at Kimiko, who had disheveled hair and tattered clothes like a beggar, and a joyful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
If Kimiko hadn't been smuggled into the United States, Locke would have really found it difficult to locate her.
Looking at Locke, who was hovering two meters above the ground, Kimiko mistook him for an enemy coming to capture her and rushed straight at him!
Kimiko leaped high from the ground and clung onto Locke.
She wanted to use her fingers, as hard as sharp claws, to gouge out Locke's heart!
However,
no matter how hard she tried, she found she couldn't penetrate him at all!
It was as if an invisible protective film existed on the surface of Locke's body; she couldn't break his defense at all!
Looking at Kimiko clinging to him like a koala,
Locke smiled faintly, naturally grabbed her legs to wrap them around his waist, and then soared into the sky!
Hughie and the other two stood there with their mouths agape, blankly watching Locke carry the girl away,
completely unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Locke seemed to have come specifically for this girl.
Who was she?
Why was she so highly valued by Locke?
He even made a special trip for her.
"I have a gut feeling about her..."
Frenchie muttered to himself, looking at the sky through the hole Locke had smashed.
Although he didn't know that girl, he inexplicably felt a sort of fondness for her.
Even after seeing her brutally murder those men, he didn't feel that afraid.
But now, the girl had been taken away by Locke.
Frenchie felt an emptiness in his heart, as if something important had been snatched away from him.
Chapter 44: Trust
Several thousand meters up in the sky, Locke was flying, while Kimiko was relentlessly attacking him.
Locke supported Kimiko's legs with both hands, letting her cling to his waist so she wouldn't fall,
otherwise, if she splattered into a puddle of mush, he would have to scrape her up and wait for her body to regenerate.
That scene would have been far too grotesque.
However, Kimiko was not cooperative at all.
Her hands clawed, gouging fiercely at Locke's chest, face, and even his eyes!
But no matter how hard she tried, she was kept at bay by Locke's Atomic Force Field.
The gap in their stats was simply too vast.
Name: Kimiko Miyashiro
Title: The Female
Rank: City Level
Strength: 120 Tons
Speed: Mach 0.3
Constitution: 12t/cm²
Abilities: Super Endurance, Super Senses, Super Agility, Extreme Self-Healing Regeneration, Close-Quarters Combat Killing Techniques
Weaknesses: No ranged attack methods, multiple ways to suppress regeneration ability
[To Be Updated]
Kimiko's three basic stats were only that of an ordinary City Level Superhuman.
But her self-healing ability was absolutely insane.
A laceration on her skin could heal right before one's eyes in less than a few seconds!
Even if her body was sliced into thousands of pieces or blown into minced meat, she could still recover!
It would just take a very long time.
Based on this alone, Kimiko was perfectly suited to be a top-tier agent and to take hits for her teammates.
"Argh!"
Seeing that her hands couldn't hurt Locke, Kimiko resorted to using her mouth, biting down with her teeth!
Crack!
Several of her teeth chipped and fell out, yet she still couldn't even touch Locke's skin.
Kimiko raised her head, looking at Locke with a dazed expression.
Combined with the missing teeth in her mouth, she looked quite silly and actually rather comical.
Locke looked down and couldn't help but laugh.
He knew what Kimiko had been through and what kind of girl she was,
so Locke had more than enough patience to tolerate her, even pampering her a little.
Seeing the unfamiliar youth in front of her seemingly mocking her, Kimiko panicked.
She couldn't let him take her away and lock her up in some endless, dark laboratory.
She still had to find her younger brother.
So, Kimiko began to struggle frantically, trying to break free from Locke.
Even if she fell onto some rooftop below and her body shattered, it would still be better than being imprisoned.
Smack!
Locke slapped Kimiko's backside, stopping her from continuing to act up.
"Stop squirming. I can help you find your brother."
Hearing this, Kimiko's eyes widened, and she looked at Locke in astonishment.
How did this strange Superhuman youth know she was looking for her brother?
But his tone didn't sound like he was lying, and Locke's body felt incredibly warm.
Kimiko gradually stopped struggling and decided to trust Locke just this once. Worst case scenario, she would find a way to escape later.
...
With the filthy girl clinging to him, Locke flew back to the 99th floor of the Vought Tower.
Since she was looking forward to having lunch with Locke, Maeve had been waiting around for him to return.
Seeing Locke carrying a girl clinging to him like a koala, Maeve was stunned.
"Who is she...?"
"A poor girl, and a member of the Guardians of the Globe I personally recruited,"
Locke said as he set Kimiko down, turning to Maeve.
"Do me a favor: give her a bath and help her change into some clean clothes."
Maeve nodded without asking further questions. Taking the girl's hand, she led her into her room.
Kimiko was much less wary of women, and Maeve looked like a gentle older sister, so Kimiko didn't resist.
Locke breathed a sigh of relief. Snatching Kimiko away from under the noses of The Boys made him feel incredibly pleased.
What was the point of using uranium radiation and forcing Kimiko to endure immense pain just to create a chest laser?
She deserved to be a beautiful superhero, going shopping and eating delicious food like any normal girl,
and then reuniting with her only brother.
What would be the point of Locke coming to the world of The Boys if he couldn't change a few things?
Half an hour later, Maeve led Kimiko into Locke's room.
Seeing a completely refreshed, sweet, and cute Kimiko, Locke smiled.
"Mind telling me what this is all about?" Maeve asked, looking at Locke.
"Her name is Kimiko. When she was young, the Flash Army broke into her home, killed her parents, and forcibly abducted her and her brother, locking them up in a Philippine war zone,"
Locke said calmly.
"They forced children to fight to the death there, and anyone who dared to cry or complain of pain was executed immediately."
"To survive, Kimiko completely shut herself off, never daring to speak again, which left her with permanent selective mutism."
Maeve frowned. She hadn't expected this gentle-looking girl to have such a tragic past.
"She must have failed an escape attempt, got handed over to a gang, smuggled into the United States, and then was forcibly injected with compound v by Vought Company to turn her into a killing machine."
Locke continued, "As for her brother, he's probably still abroad, or maybe he managed to sneak out as well."
Hearing this, Kimiko frantically gestured in sign language, wanting to ask about her brother's whereabouts,
and also how Locke knew about what she had gone through.
"Wait," Maeve noticed something and frowned.
"What is compound v?"
Right now, only Starlight had just found out; Maeve still knew nothing about compound v.
Locke gave a brief explanation and then walked over to Kimiko.
Kimiko instinctively backed away, her hands tensing into a claw-like attacking posture, baring her teeth to look fierce.
But the next second, realizing she couldn't hurt Locke anyway, she slowly lowered them.
Locke smiled slightly, stepped forward again, and gently held Kimiko's head in his hands,
"Your brother is safe right now. I will help you find him."
Kimiko leaned docilely into Locke's embrace, deciding to trust him this once.
Maeve had already harbored suspicions, so she accepted the truth about compound v much faster than Starlight had,
she then raised another question, "How can you be sure that Vought Company forcibly injected her with compound v?"
If this was true, then Vought Company was deliberately creating Superhuman criminals and letting them wreak havoc!
"We'll have to ask A-Train about that," Locke said indifferently.
Chapter 45: A-Train's Change
Popclaw was pacing back and forth in her apartment, looking panicked,
because A-Train had previously said that if he won the race against Supersonic, he would publicly announce their relationship.
However, during the post-race press conference, in order to keep his popularity from declining, A-Train claimed he was still single.
This made Popclaw furious, and she injected herself with compound v.
Instantly losing her mind from the high, she began going wild with her landlord, who had come to her door, right on the floor.
But unable to control her strength, Popclaw ended up popping the landlord's head!
This entire process was recorded by The Boys, who used it to blackmail Popclaw and force her to reveal where A-Train was delivering compound v.
Popclaw gave the supermarket address to Butcher,
and she was currently extremely nervous, terrified that things would blow up and A-Train or Vought Companywould find out.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept by, and A-Train's figure appeared in front of Popclaw.
Looking at A-Train, who was staring at her, Popclaw asked with a guilty conscience, "Reggie, wh-what's wrong?"
A-Train looked at his girlfriend and said with a frown,
"One of the locations where I deliver compound v was discovered. Madelyn was extremely angry when she found out, and she ordered me to find out who leaked the address.
I've been thinking it over, and I only ever told you about that supermarket's location."
"You suspect me?" Popclaw raised her voice, a look of shock on her face. "You actually suspect me?!"
A-Train shook his head with some conflict,
"You don't understand how serious this is. If this gets exposed, Vought Company will be massively affected."
Vought manufactured Superhuman criminals around the world and then sent their own heroes to deal with them to reap greater profits,
If this were exposed, Vought would be completely ruined and become the target of global condemnation.
So Madelyn had ordered A-Train to find the leaker and execute them privately.
"I love you, baby," A-Train said affectionately,
"I'm willing to make our relationship public, but you have to be honest with me."
Popclaw hesitated for a moment before giving up on hiding the truth.
"Alright, I told four people..."
A-Train took a deep breath. He had dated many girls in the past, but Popclaw was his favorite.
He had even thought about marrying her.
But Popclaw had betrayed him, and Vought's upper management already knew about it.
A-Train steeled his resolve, and just as he was about to inject Popclaw with a lethal overdose,
Locke's figure suddenly flashed through his mind.
He thought of what Locke had said while standing in mid-air at the stadium that day.
Locke was so young and powerful; he could have easily become an even more sought-after superstar than Homelander,
yet he chose to establish the Guardians of the Globe to recruit Superhumans who truly possessed a sense of justice.
As for A-Train himself, his childhood dream had also been to save people, but what good deeds had he actually done?
Ever since joining Vought's The Seven, his days had been filled with shooting commercials, filming movies, and boosting his own popularity.
Supersonic, whom A-Train had defeated, had only joined the Guardians of the Globe this morning,
yet he had already rescued over a dozen passengers from a bus that was about to plunge into the ocean.
Bystanders had recorded the rescue and posted it online, instantly earning him a massive number of fans,
Some comments even said that Supersonic was a better fit for The Seven than A-Train!
Thinking of this, A-Train abandoned the idea of killing Popclaw.
After all, it was Madelyn's order, and A-Train wasn't actually afraid of her.
If Homelander had ordered him to kill Popclaw, he would have had no choice but to comply.
Because if Homelander got angry, he would literally kill him!
And right now, Homelander was still cooped up in the training ground.
"You're in deep trouble. The company won't let you off for this,"
A-Train told Popclaw. "You have to leave the United Statesright now and go hide somewhere abroad."
"Reggie, I..." Popclaw wept with regret.
"Don't say anything else. Leave today."
A-Train sighed reluctantly, then sped away at super-speed.
...
Inside a luxury suite on the 99th floor of the Vought Tower,
Maeve was teaching Kimiko how to use a smartphone.
Neither she nor Locke knew sign language, so if they wanted to communicate with Kimiko, they had to teach her how to type.
Locke opened the door and walked into the room. Seeing the two beauties sitting on the bed, a smile played on his lips.
He had gone out earlier and had Annika pull up the surveillance footage from Popclaw's apartment.
The cameras had been installed by The Boys, and after hacking them, they could just tap right into the feed.
Locke raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw that A-Trainhadn't killed Popclaw like in the original storyline.
In truth, A-Train wasn't entirely evil at heart. Later on, he would even willingly die at Homelander's hands to save The Boys,
leaving behind his own moment of glory.
Locke was glad to see that A-Train was changing.
Since A-Train held evidence of Vought Companymanufacturing Superhuman criminals, this would be of great help to Locke when he took over Vought in the future.
"Annika, create a secret archive for the Guardians of the Globe and seal this surveillance footage away. No one can know about it, including Madelyn and Edgar."
Locke instructed Annika.
"I understand, Mr. Locke," Annika nodded.
Compared to being a crime data analyst at Vought, Annikapreferred this job with the Guardians of the Globe,
She had already decided that she would only listen to Locke from now on.
It was worth mentioning that Annika had already designed the official website for the Guardians of the Globe.
It featured a registration portal, basic information about the Guardians' members, and the missions they had completed.
Supersonic's rescue of the bus passengers had already been recorded, earning him an extra bonus.
Members of the Guardians of the Globe could save people, perform acts of justice, and get paid for it, which attracted the attention of many Superhumans.
In less than an hour, dozens of Superhumans had already submitted their applications,
Although they were all Superhumans rejected by Vought Company, their various unique superpowers made them highly suitable for the Guardians of the Globe.
...
"Kimiko, you've been admitted to the Guardians of the Globe without having to go through the trials,"
Locke said to Kimiko, who was holding her phone.
"What is the Guardians of the Globe?" Kimiko typed a few words on her phone and showed them to Locke.
"Just think of it as a superhero organization that does good deeds and helps people."
Locke stepped forward, stroked Kimiko's soft black hair, and said with a smile,
"Your home has been destroyed, so there's no point in going back. Once I help you find your younger brother, you two can live here."
"Besides, you won't be assigned any missions for now. You've just been rescued, so take some time to adjust first."
Kimiko looked up at Locke. She noticed that Locke really liked to pat her head,
but she could also feel his genuine kindness toward her, so she didn't dislike it.
Seeing Locke treat Kimiko this way, Maeve, who was standing nearby, felt a bit jealous.
But she quickly caught herself. She wasn't even Locke's girlfriend, so why on earth was she jealous?
Besides, Locke was probably just sympathizing with this poor girl.
"It's almost noon. Weren't you going to buy me lunch?"
Hearing Maeve's words, Locke smiled. She really hadn't forgotten about it.
Locke said to Kimiko, "I'll have someone bring your meal over. You can eat in my room."
Kimiko had been locked up for a long time and was currently quite sensitive to the outside world, so Locke decided not to take her out just yet.
"Let's go, Maeve."
Seeing Kimiko nod gently, Locke and Maeve walked out of the room together.
"Aren't we supposed to go downstairs?" Maeve asked in confusion as Locke led her onto the rooftop of Vought Tower.
Locke looked at Maeve, who had changed into a tube top outfit and looked both sexy and elegant, and said with a laugh:
"Flying is faster. Don't you like the feeling of flying?"
Before Maeve could respond, Locke scooped her up in his arms and soared into the sky!
"Ah~"
Chapter 46: A-Zu, You Can Lift the Plane!
Out of nowhere, Maeve felt the wind flowing all over her body,
making her unable to resist holding Locke tightly.
Every time Locke flew with her in the sky, it gave her a strange and unusual feeling.
Perhaps because she had feelings for Locke, Maeve almost couldn't help but get aroused.
This time, Locke and Maeve came to a Chinese restaurant,
where the owner recognized Locke's unique Asian face and insisted on treating him for free.
Locke found it hard to refuse such hospitality, and it just so happened that he hadn't brought any money.
"Are you and Starlight... together now?"
While waiting for the food to be served, Maeve asked hesitantly.
Locke nodded; he wouldn't deceive anyone when it came to feelings.
Receiving an affirmative answer, Maeve lowered her head with a look of disappointment and fell silent.
Looking at Maeve, who was wearing a black tube top with her long blonde hair pinned up and exuded a very housewifely charm, Locke asked back,
"Why did you get drunk and sleep at my room's doorstep? And why did you call out my name in your sleep?"
Hearing this, Maeve's face flushed slightly, and she stammered, "That was just an accident..."
"Do you like me?"
"Ah?" Maeve looked up, staring at Locke in surprise.
She hadn't expected Locke to be so direct—he was practically more American than Americans.
Locke smiled and said casually, "I'll tell you a secret that only you know."
"Only me? Even Starlight doesn't know?"
Maeve's interest was piqued by Locke.
"Actually, I have the Viltrumite Bloodline. My father, a Viltrumite, is an alien."
Maeve widened her eyes in astonishment; the existence of aliens had not yet been confirmed in this world.
"Then what about your parents?"
"They are no longer around." Locke shook his head.
"I'm sorry." Maeve thought Locke's parents had passed away.
Locke's mother had indeed passed away, and his father, Omni-Man, was in another world, which was practically the same as not being around.
"It's fine. What I mean is, Viltrumites are not monogamous. They can have many offspring—the more, the better.
Because there aren't many of our people left, we need to branch out and multiply for prosperity."
"What do you mean by that?" Maeve was a bit puzzled.
"If you like someone, speak up boldly. Don't make yourself unhappy and leave behind regrets."
Locke looked at Maeve and smiled, "I like you, Maeve. Don't you like me?"
"But, Starlight..." Maeve was thrilled to hear Locke's words, but she quickly became conflicted again.
"We can have almost eternal life, Maeve. In such a long life, isn't it nice to have a few more sisters?"
Locke would definitely obtain Compound V1 in the future, mass-produce it, and give it to Maeve and the others to grant them immortality.
"I will be with you forever, Maeve."
Hearing Locke's words, Maeve hesitated no longer. She already had many regrets and didn't want to leave herself with any more.
Once she sorted out her feelings, a smile remained on her face. Wasn't she together with Locke right now?
...
Vought Tower, 99th-floor training ground.
Madelyn came here in person and saw Homelander still practicing his martial arts, though he didn't seem to be putting much power into it.
She didn't know that Homelander was deliberately controlling his strength.
"John, take a break."
Madelyn took a towel and gently wiped Homelander's face.
Homelander closed his eyes comfortably.
Although Madelyn had lied to him, Homelander still had feelings for this mother figure.
Seeing this, Madelyn said softly,
"John, I received word that Flight 37, a transatlantic flight from Paris to Chicago, has been hijacked in mid-air by three criminals.
There are over a hundred passengers on board, including many important figures. If you can rescue them, Vought Company can integrate into the United States' military system. This is very important to us."
She gently caressed Homelander's cheek. "Your popularity will also surpass Locke's once again."
Hearing this, Homelander opened his eyes, grabbed Madelyn's hand, and set it down.
He didn't just want to surpass Locke in popularity; more importantly, he wanted to surpass him in combat strength!
Still, after training for so long, this was the perfect opportunity to test the results of his strength control on a few hijackers.
"I'll head over right away," Homelander said solemnly.
...
Ten thousand meters in the air, inside Flight 37,
over a hundred passengers stared in terror at the hijackers. Anyone who dared to move was threatened with a knife.
Suddenly!
The cabin door was violently ripped open, and Homelanderstepped inside!
Seeing this, the three African-descent hijackers rushed forward together, knives in hand.
In the past, Homelander would have pierced through all three of them with a single blast of Heat Vision.
But this time, Homelander assumed a close-combat stance.
Although the daggers couldn't pierce his skin, he still did his best to dodge, and then used the combat techniques he had learned to knock the three hijackers to the ground!
He controlled the power of his punches, beating the hijackers until their faces were covered in blood, but he didn't punch through their stomachs as he used to.
However, Homelander's control was still far from perfect, failing to limit his strength to that of a normal human.
After a few consecutive punches, the faces of the three hijackers caved in, and their brains splattered everywhere!
Homelander shook his hands, feeling very satisfied with himself.
His combat skills had improved significantly; he was no longer someone who relied solely on raw strength stats to brute-force his way through.
This made Homelander feel that Locke was right.
Yet, he also felt puzzled—by guiding him, wasn't Locke afraid of being surpassed?
"Homelander! Homelander!"
The passengers in the cabin cheered in unison.
"Alright, everyone, it's all over!
You're safe now, you'll be fine!"
The passengers applauded enthusiastically, "Thank you, Homelander!"
"No need for that. Now, it's time to celebrate for yourselves."
Homelander tossed his head back, his mouth twisting into a wide grin.
He had saved everyone on the plane. Once this news spread on the internet, his popularity would surely surpass Locke's!
Just then,
Homelander noticed that the plane's flight direction was off!
He went to the cockpit and saw that one of the pilots had already been killed, while the other pilot was being held at gunpoint by a hijacker.
The pilot was so terrified that he had his hands raised, leaving the plane completely unmanned and plunging toward the open sea!
Weren't there supposed to be only three hijackers?!
"Put the gun down," Homelander warned.
The hijacker was terrified. Knowing that putting the gun down meant death anyway, he decisively pulled the trigger.
Homelander was utterly enraged. At the same moment the gunshot rang out, the Heat Vision from his eyes shot forth!
The hijacker's body was burned into two halves, but the pilot was also shot in the head by the pistol.
Worse still, the plane's control panel had been incinerated by the Heat Vision, making it completely impossible to control the aircraft!
Homelander's expression shifted unpredictably before he finally decided to abandon these people.
Because he couldn't possibly carry all the passengers safely to the ground one by one,
nor could he lift the plane—without any leverage, his body would just rip right through the fuselage.
Seeing Homelander leave the cockpit and walk straight toward the cabin door,
the passengers asked in a panic, "What's happening, Homelander?"
"Everything is normal. Everyone stay calm," Homelandersaid with a wave of his hand.
But the violent turbulence made the passengers realize that a major crisis must have occurred.
"Homelander! Please save me!"
The passengers surged forward, running toward the cabin door as well.
"Stay back, or I'll laser you to death! Fuck!"
"Get back!"
Seeing Homelander's eyes glowing red, the passengers backed away in terror.
However, just as Homelander was preparing to leave the plane, a familiar voice drifted over,
"A-Zu, you can lift the plane."
Chapter 47: Locke and Homelander's Deep Brotherhood
"What?"
Homelander turned his head to look and saw Locke wearing a black bodysuit, suspended high in the air with his arms crossed over his chest.
"What are you doing here?" Homelander frowned.
Although he had decided to give up on saving the passengers on the plane, he didn't want others to find out,
especially Locke!
This would make Homelander feel humiliated.
"The Guardians of the Globe discovered this accident, so of course I had to come over."
Two minutes ago,
Locke was having a meal with Maeve at a Chinese restaurant, planning to have an intense battle in the room tonight.
Suddenly, Starlight called.
Maeve was startled, thinking Starlight found out she liked Locke and was calling to interrogate her.
However, she was overthinking it.
"Locke, just now on the high seas, a Flight was hijacked by thugs. Madelyn couldn't find Queen Maeve, so she asked Homelander and me to handle it together,
but Homelander demanded to go alone. I was worried something might happen, so I wanted to let you know. Where are you right now?"
Locke glanced at Maeve across from him, "I'm eating outside. Help me find a black bodysuit, then wait for me on the roof of Vought Tower. I'll be right over."
A classic scene from The Boys was coming, and this was also a great opportunity for Locke to advertise,
so he said to Maeve, "Sorry, I feel that given Homelander's personality, he might not be able to save those passengers, so I'm going to handle it in person."
"It's fine."
Maeve smiled and said, "I know you have justice in your heart and want to save those people. That's the most important thing right now, and it's also what I like about you."
"When you come back, I'll reward you."
Hearing about a reward, Locke raised an eyebrow, then stood up, walked outside the restaurant, and soared into the sky.
He brought Starlight along as well.
Although Starlight could not use Flight freely yet, she could manage stable levitation.
And the reason he brought Starlight was...
...
"The Flight deck of this plane has failed. There's nothing I can do."
Homelander looked at Locke and spread his hands.
"John, you're not powerless. You can lift the plane, and you can save these passengers," Locke said with narrowed eyes.
Homelander shook his head again, "Without a leverage point, the plane can't bear my strength. If you want to lift it, you lift it. I'm definitely not lifting it."
He certainly didn't want to do all the hard work for no reward,
because if he failed in the end, it would only further prove how incompetent Homelander was.
Besides, it was just over a hundred lives; Homelanderdidn't care at all.
Locke's expression suddenly turned serious,
"John, how would you know you can't do it if you don't try?"
"I believe in you, and netizens all over the world believe in you too!"
Locke moved aside in mid-air, revealing Starlight behind him, who was holding up her mobile phone to livestream the accident scene.
At this moment, the screen was facing Homelander's face, causing him to instantly freeze in place.
[What's going on? Is this plane going to crash?!]
[My husband and son are both on it! Save them!!]
[What did Homelander just say? Is he going to abandon this plane and give up on these passengers?]
[The one in black clothes is Locke! He created the Guardians of the Globe, so he'll definitely save these people, right?!]
With his super vision, Homelander saw the real-time chat comments on the screen, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He hadn't expected Locke to be so insidious as to start a livestream!
If the whole world found out that he gave up on saving the passengers, Homelander's popularity would plummet to rock bottom!
"What on earth do you want?!" Homelander gritted his teeth and said in a low voice to Locke.
"I'm here to help you, John."
Locke said calmly, "There are some things you can only know your potential for once you do them."
"This is also to let you experience what a true superstar is."
He pointed at the plane behind Homelander,
"You're worried that one person will crash straight through the plane. So the two of us will take the front and back, find a stable leverage point, maintain balance, and lift the plane together."
Hearing this, Homelander thought about it in his mind; the method Locke described might actually succeed.
As long as the front and back of the plane maintained balance, and Homelander controlled his strength a bit and held back some power, maybe he really could make the plane withstand his lifting force!
Most importantly, they were livestreaming right now. If he refused, he would be forever overshadowed by Locke.
"Fine, are you taking the nose or the tail?" Homelanderasked.
Locke glanced at the plane. The nose was facing down, plunging towards the sea below,
He flew straight towards the falling nose, "You take the tail."
Locke possessed the Atomic Force Field, which was similar to Superman's bio-electric force field,
and could control his power much better than Homelander,
so it was safer for him to go to the nose.
Seeing Locke supporting the bottom of the plane with both hands and then rising slowly,
while the plane's outer shell suffered no damage at all,
Homelander's expression turned to shock. He suddenly realized that Locke could lift the plane all by himself!
Then why did he insist on having me join in?
Homelander still couldn't figure it out.
"John!"
Hearing Locke's shout, Homelander snapped back to reality and immediately flew to the tail, supporting the tail fins upward with both hands,
Snap!
Several cracks appeared on the surface of the tail's outer shell.
Seeing this, Homelander hurriedly controlled his strength, lifting the tail more gently.
With the two of them at the front and back, the plane finally maintained balance!
[Look! The plane has stabilized!]
[Mom, there are two Superhumans!]
Netizens in the livestream room were extremely excited upon seeing this scene,
and the viewer count even reached hundreds of millions!
Locke and Homelander lifted Flight 37 together, flew away from the high seas, and landed at Chicago Airport in the United States,
When the plane steadily stopped on the runway, the passengers poured out of the cabin, having narrowly escaped death!
They hugged each other, crying and laughing!
They had truly despaired earlier, thinking they were dead for sure,
completely unexpected that they could still survive in the end!
"Locke! Thank you for saving us!"
"Locke! I love you! I want to sleep with you!"
"Locke! Locke! Locke!"
Locke stood in mid-air, looking at the passengers below with a smile.
Homelander, on the other hand, had a dark expression. Everyone was thanking Locke, as if he didn't exist at all.
"Locke! Homelander! I will thank you both for the rest of my life!"
Hearing his name at last, even though it came after Locke's, Homelander's expression improved slightly.
Locke motioned for Starlight to aim the livestream at the two of them, then put his arm around Homelander's shoulder and said with a smile:
"People of the world, whether it's saving a single person or saving the world, it is the duty of the Guardians of the Globe.
As you can see, although Homelander had some flaws in handling this accident, it was his first time encountering such a situation after all. Therefore, with my assistance, Homelander perfectly rescued more than a hundred passengers!
Let's give him some encouragement!"
Netizens in the livestream room were typing chat messages to encourage and thank Homelander,
Hearing Locke's words, the passengers below also expressed understanding and broke into applause.
"Oh! Homelander, I forgive you for intimidating me on the plane! Thank you for saving us!"
"Next time, don't aim your Heat Vision at us anymore. It looks pretty scary!"
Some passengers even joked humorously. Homelanderforced a smile,
wishing in his heart that he could burn them to death with his Heat Vision right on the spot!
Locke tightened his arm around Homelander's shoulder and continued,
"Homelander and I are as close as brothers, and we are also the highest leaders of the Guardians of the Globe.
The Guardians of the Globe are dedicated to upholding justice, protecting not only the civilians of the United States, but in the future, protecting civilians all over the world from harm!
We hope that Superhumans and ordinary people who dream of becoming superheroes will join our big family!"
This time, the Guardians of the Globe completely made a name for themselves.
After all, last time it was just Locke speaking alone,
whereas this time, Locke and Homelander, the two strongest Superhumans, joined forces to save all the passengers on a plane!
This let countries and civilians all over the world see that the Guardians of the Globe were truly saving people, rather than being a showy organization.
"Who says you and I are as close as brothers?"
Homelander forced a smile in front of the livestream camera while saying in a low voice to Locke,
"Besides, I fucking didn't join your Guardians of the Globe!"
Locke smiled and looked at Homelander,
"John, haven't you realized that the passengers and netizens below sincerely like and support you right now?"
"In the past, when you carried out missions, it was more about slaughter rather than redemption,
that's not what a superhero should do.
Whether your superpowers were bestowed by God or artificially manufactured,
you are already an adult and have the right to decide what you should do, instead of obeying Edgar and listening to Vought Company."
"Your cruel experiences in childhood should not become the hostility for you to retaliate against others,
but should constantly remind you not to let other children suffer your cruel childhood.
You should protect them, treat them as your childhood self, and make it up to them."
Hearing Locke's words, Homelander fell into deep contemplation.
Because he had been locked in a laboratory since childhood and subjected to various cruel treatments such as loneliness, burning, and freezing,
coupled with having no parents and a severe lack of love in his heart,
it fostered his personality of craving familial affection, emotional instability, loving violence, and psychological distortion.
Homelander both wanted people to fear him and yet wanted people who didn't fear him to exist, treating him like an ordinary person, like a brother and friend.
The more someone lacked fear toward Homelander, the more likely they were to gain Homelander's respect and recognition.
Locke was just such a person.
Moreover, after Homelander steadily set down the plane just now, a genuine sense of achievement welled up in his heart.
This was something he had never felt during any of his previous missions.
'Could what Locke said be right? Is the meaning of my existence redemption?'
Homelander thought intensely deep within his heart.
Sitting in her office, Madelyn saw Locke and Homelanderarm-in-arm on the livestream, and the corners of her mouth curled up to the sky.
She could take this opportunity to build a dual-superstar combination,
and by marketing Locke and Homelander together, Vought Company would make even more money!
Chapter 48: A-Zu Gets Beaten Up Again
"John, let me test the results of your training over the past two days."
Locke sent Starlight down to do a livestream interview with the passengers, continuing to promote the Guardians of the Globe,
then took Homelander and flew up to an altitude of five thousand meters.
Homelander looked at Locke with a sharp gaze. He didn't know if he was Locke's match right now,
but he felt that his strength was much greater than before, so he had to give it a try.
Name: John
Title: Homelander
Level: National-level
Strength: 550 tons
Speed: Mach 3.6
Physique: 28t/cm²
Abilities: Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Physique, Super Hearing, X-ray Vision, Heat Vision, Flight
Weaknesses: Lack of love, extreme mental instability, zinc metal, high-intensity radiation
[To be updated]
Locke glanced at Homelander's stats; both his strength and speed had increased slightly.
This indicated that Homelander's potential was still waiting to be unlocked and was far from reaching its limit.
"Let's begin."
Homelander and Locke faced each other, hovering on opposite sides of the sky, about ten meters apart.
Zzzt—!
As soon as the words fell, Homelander still opened with his Heat Vision, crimson lasers instantly bursting from his eyes!
Locke raised an arm to shield his eyes. The Heat Visionblasted against his forearm, slowly pushing his body backward.
Knowing that his Heat Vision couldn't hurt Locke, Homelander immediately charged forward the moment he saw Locke blocking his eyes!
At the same time, he kept firing the lasers to distract Locke's attention.
Sensing the incoming attack, Locke raised his right arm again, blocking Homelander's left fist,
but in the next second, Homelander's right fist slammed hard into Locke's abdomen!
Over five hundred tons of force sent Locke's body flying, plummeting diagonally downward.
A smug smile appeared on Homelander's face. Training in martial arts really was useful!
More importantly, although the Heat Vision couldn't injure Locke's body, its massive kinetic energy could generate a pushing force,
making it harder for Locke to charge forward.
Furthermore, Locke seemed worried about his eyes being burned by the Heat Vision. As long as he targeted his eyes, he could keep Locke at bay.
Homelander believed he had found the way to defeat Locke!
"Hmm?"
The smile froze on Homelander's face. Just like the night he first met Locke, Locke's body had vanished once again.
He looked around warily, trying to see where Locke had flown.
Suddenly!
Homelander sensed a strong airflow behind him. He had just turned his head and hadn't even reacted yet, let alone had time to punch or block—
Locke's speed was too fast, reaching over Mach 5!
Homelander only perceived a dark shadow instantly appearing before his eyes,
and in the next second, he took a heavy punch to the face. Nearly seven hundred tons of force sent Homelanderflying!
After flying backward for several hundred meters, Homelander forced his body to a halt.
He touched the corner of his mouth; it was already bleeding, and his cheek was swollen.
Homelander glared furiously at Locke in the distance.
Why!
Why were Locke's strength and speed even greater than a few days ago?!
Homelander had barely seen Locke training at all, and he completely couldn't understand how he was improving so quickly!
Was this what Locke meant by the powerful potential of a natural-born Superhuman?!
Homelander didn't know that Locke, existing in two worlds, was essentially living two days in one,
and combined with Locke's Viltrumite Bloodline, his improvement was far faster than Homelander's.
Even Mark had only awakened a few days ago and had trained for an even shorter time, yet all his stats were currently higher than Homelander's.
There was no helping it; this was the power of the Viltrumites.
Like Saiyans, they were a natural-born warrior race!
"John, if your eyes can't keep up, use your Super Senses."
Locke said calmly, and then vanished from Homelander's sight once more at Mach 5.
He deliberately circled around Homelander, flying back and forth in a highly erratic pattern.
Homelander couldn't see Locke clearly; only a dark shadow flitted past him from time to time.
"Super Senses..."
Homelander closed his eyes, using his perception and hearing to pinpoint Locke's location.
Sensing an anomaly in the airflow on his left, Homelanderhastily raised his left arm to shield his head!
Bang!
Homelander felt as if his arm had been struck hard by a sledgehammer!
This time, his body only slid dozens of meters to the right before coming to a halt.
It worked!
Homelander opened his eyes, but before he could celebrate, he took another punch to his right cheek.
"Stay focused. Don't think you're safe just because you blocked one hit."
Locke's voice drifted into Homelander's ears, yet no figure was in sight.
Homelander shook his slightly dizzy head, closed his eyes again, and constantly sensed Locke's attack trajectory.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
Homelander stood in midair, getting sent flying back and forth by a dark shadow like a spinning top.
Yet Homelander's blocking movements grew increasingly proficient; at first, he could only block half of the punches,
but after half an hour, he was already able to block seventy percent of the attacks.
However, Locke's strength was a hundred tons greater than Homelander's. Even when he blocked, Homelanderfelt his arms go numb with pain!
After an hour, Locke stopped his assault.
By this time, Homelander had been beaten black and blue, his face swollen and his head covered in bumps.
His nose and the corners of his mouth were bleeding.
His arms hung limply, trembling uncontrollably, nearly devoid of sensation.
Getting beaten up wasn't without its benefits for Homelander.
His physique was subtly strengthening. He believed that with a few more beatings, he could increase it from 28t/cm² to 29t/cm².
Although it wasn't as fast as Invincible Mark's improvement from getting beaten up, it was already the highest stat in The Boys World.
Click!
"What are you doing?" Homelander looked at Locke, his eyes so swollen they were squinted into mere slits.
Locke smiled and waved his phone. "Taking photos of you, of course. I'm sure embarrassing photos of Homelanderwill fetch a pretty penny."
Even if Homelander wanted to get angry right now, he was powerless to do so.
Although he had been brutally beaten by Locke this time, he could clearly feel his strength had improved.
Homelander was highly confident. The gap between him and Locke was narrowing. As long as he kept training, he would surpass this bastard Locke one day!
...
"Father, what happened to you?!"
After Locke and Homelander returned to Vought Tower, Little Ryan asked in surprise upon seeing Homelander's wretched state.
Homelander didn't want to speak. He couldn't very well tell his son that he had been beaten to a pulp by his Uncle Locke.
That would be far too embarrassing.
"Your father and I encountered a very powerful exotic beast outside. After a fierce battle, your father killed the beast, but he also sustained some superficial injuries."
Locke casually made up a story.
"Really?" Little Ryan looked at the two suspiciously.
Although he was only eight years old, he was no fool.
Soon, Ryan stopped dwelling on it and said happily to Homelander:
"Father, I saw you on TV lifting an airplane and saving so many people! You're so amazing!"
Seeing Ryan's admiring gaze, Homelander once again wondered,
'Could it be that for me, saving people is the right thing to do?'