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Command input complete.
"Release."
Homelander snapped his fingers, while simultaneously using the Reality Stone to conceal the Gauntlet.
The strange color in Jessica's eyes dissipated, returning to their usual agility and sharpness.
She blinked, her body swaying slightly.
Then, she found herself sitting on the floor in a high-difficulty split position.
"...?"
Jessica was stunned.
She looked down at her thighs pressed against the floor, then looked up at Homelander with a face full of confusion.
"I... What am I doing?"
Jessica scrambled up from the floor, rubbing her slightly sore inner thighs.
"Did I just... slip?"
"Probably."
Homelander held his milk, shrugging with an innocent expression.
"I have to say, Jessica, if your service attitude was on a ten-point scale, I could only give you a three."
"Tch." Jessica rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as her familiar aggressive posture returned. "You're lucky to even have milk to drink; don't expect me to sing you a lullaby. Since nothing's wrong, I'm leaving."
She turned to leave.
"Wait."
Homelander called out to her.
Jessica stopped and turned back impatiently. "Now what? Do you want me to burp you, too?"
Homelander ignored her sarcasm and silently utilized the power of the Reality Stone.
A small glass bottle containing a blue liquid appeared in his hand.
Of course, the prototype was a bottle of cherry-flavored Vought functional drink.
"Drink this."
"What's this? Some new kind of poison? If you want to silence me, you can just use your laser eyes, pew pew pew." Jessica curled her lip, making a gesture.
"Your sense of humor is really unnecessary sometimes, Jessica."
Homelander shook his head helplessly and pressed the bottle into her hand.
"This is the T-VEX stock solution. Also known as... Compound Zero."
"One of only two bottles left in the World."
Jessica's movements froze. Though she was usually careless, she knew what 'stock solution' meant. It was the source of all T-VEX.
"One bottle fell into HYDRA's hands to save Wanda."
Homelander paused, looking deeply at Jessica.
"And the remaining bottle... is right here."
"Using it permanently enhances your abilities with zero side effects."
"You... what are you trying to do?" Jessica instinctively tried to hand it back. "Something like this should be locked in a vault fifty floors down, or given to Dr. Connor for research. At the very least, it could be auctioned for tens of billions of dollars."
"Why give it to me?"
He didn't take the bottle; instead, he reached out and gently wrapped his hand over hers as she held it.
That warm touch made Jessica's whole body stiffen.
"Jessica, look at me."
Homelander set aside his usual powerful and confident demeanor, showing a rare hint of 'exhaustion'.
"The Chitauri, the Dark Elves, the Asgardian Banshees... you've seen it; trouble comes one after another. And beyond this starry sky, even more terrifying enemies are watching us."
"As strong as I am, I am not an omniscient or omnipotent god."
Homelander reached out and gently rested his hand on Jessica's shoulder.
"I have concerns too, and times when I can't be everywhere at once. One day, I might even meet with an accident and be trapped in the depths of the Universe. Just like last time."
"I need to know that someone is still on Earth watching over things for me."
"I need to know that even if I fall, there is one person who can help me hold everything up."
Homelander's fingers tightened slightly, his eyes staring intensely at Jessica.
"Dammit..."
Jessica cursed under her breath, her eyes growing warm.
"You really are... too cunning."
"Are you putting on this sentimental act just so I can't refuse overtime in the future?"
"If that's your interpretation, that's fine too." Homelander shrugged, that charming smile returning to the corners of his mouth.
"You were my first partner, Jessica."
"From the moment we met, I knew you were different."
"I don't want anything to happen to you. In future crises, I don't want to see you fall before me."
"If there is anyone in this World I can trust unreservedly to watch my back... that person can only be you."
"...As long as you are still on Earth, I have a home to return to."
Jessica stared blankly at Homelander.
In this man's eyes, she was actually... this important?
An unprecedented sense of being needed instantly filled Jessica's heart.
"I..."
Jessica opened her mouth but couldn't find the words.
She recalled her usual attitude toward Homelander—the eye-rolling, the talking back, even calling him an old pervert in her head.
"Dammit, Jessica, you really are a bitch."
She cursed herself harshly in her mind.
Guilt, touch, and an indescribable emotion transformed into an impulse.
Jessica suddenly lunged forward, throwing her arms around Homelander and burying her face in his chest.
"Thank you... thank you for trusting me."
Homelander was taken aback for a moment, then reached out and gently patted her back.
"You're welcome, Miss Grumpy."
The hug lasted only five seconds.
Jessica shoved him away, retreating two steps as if she'd been shocked.
Her cheeks were flushed, but she immediately put on a fierce expression.
"Fine! Do I just chug this stuff? Why isn't it an injection?"
"Oral administration is just as effective." Homelander talked nonsense with a straight face. "Trust me, the taste is pretty good. Cherry flavored."
She didn't hesitate anymore, unscrewed the cap, tilted her head back, and downed it in one go.
"Gulp... gulp..."
The sweet, cloying liquid slid down her throat.
"Burp—"
Jessica let out a loud, cherry-flavored burp.
"The taste... is a bit like Vought functional drink?" She smacked her lips.
"That's a flavoring agent to mask the bitterness of the potion." Homelander's expression remained unchanged. "Now, close your eyes, Jessica. Feel the changes in your body."
"I feel like it's coming."
Jessica obediently closed her eyes.
The moment she closed her eyes.
The Mind Stone on the Infinity Gauntlet flared with brilliant light!
Homelander guided the energy of the Mind Stone, gently permeating it into Jessica's body.
"Strengthen... the physical body."
"Develop... potential."
Jessica felt her body becoming light, her fists filling with power.
Furthermore, the surrounding space became touchable, foldable, and penetrable.
"This is..."
She couldn't help but open her eyes.
The feeling was too marvelous. She looked at the sofa at the other end of the office, and just a thought of 'going over' flashed through her mind.
"Swoosh—!"
There was no fluctuation in the air, no sound of wind.
The next second, she was already sitting on that sofa.
"What the fxxk..."
Jessica looked at where she had been standing, then looked down at her seat.
She looked toward the coat rack by the door again.
"Swoosh!"
Her figure flickered, and she appeared next to the coat rack.
"Did I... travel through time and space?"
"To be precise, it's Blinking."
Homelander nodded with satisfaction.
The Mind Stone had not only developed her physical potential but had also induced another of her talents.