The Vought International headquarters building suffered an unprecedented retaliatory attack from a super-terrorist.
The location of the Human Resources Department was blasted apart by lightning by a Superhuman suspected to be Stormfront, and Garrett Fowler was killed on the spot.
The superheroes still stationed at Vought Tower mobilized immediately, but while many could use Flight, very few had the speed and strength to match the attacker.
After four or five flying Superhumans pursued and severely injured the attacker amidst a high-altitude bombardment, the superheroes could only watch helplessly as the attacker made a calm escape.
But this might not even be the worst of it.
Madelyn Stillwell received a phone call from Homelander and stood there stunned, as if struck by a bolt of lightning.
On the other end of the line, Homelander's voice was very calm: "Madelyn, the era that belongs to you has arrived..."
Some time had passed since that viral event, discussed by countless people, of the Superman and Supergirl couple versus the Vought superheroes.
However, the popularity had not waned, and Vought estimated that the resulting impact could not be quelled even now.
At that time, every member of 'The Seven' who appeared had seen their popularity decline to varying degrees, and Homelander was only slightly better off.
Only three members were minimally affected.
They were The Deep, Black Noir, and Lamplighter, who had not arrived at the scene due to other off-site missions.
Because Homelander was in a bad mood after returning, the three of them had been intentionally harassed and oppressed; they did this to avoid being an eyesore in front of their boss, and also to ensure they could live a little longer.
The three of them were rarely gathered together at this moment, holding a small superhero rally in Manhattan's Central Park with the theme: 'How to improve the living environment for Superhumans and become a true superhero.'
Just as The Deep was on stage giving a vigorous performance, an explosion was heard from the distant Vought Tower.
Ordinary humans couldn't hear the sound at this distance, but the billowing smoke at the tower was exceptionally eye-catching, making it impossible to miss.
"My god, that's the Vought International building!"
"Have the aliens finally invaded Earth?!"
"It's on fire, I see someone flying, this isn't an ordinary fire!!"
"What the f*ck! That's Vought International, the superhero headquarters! This is even more surreal than America being attacked by a nuclear bomb!!"
As the gathering place for superheroes worldwide, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Vought International a holy land for Superhumans, and it held an irreplaceable, lofty status in the minds of the general public.
This unnatural fire at Vought International ignited.
It didn't just burn down a Human Resources Department.
In the hearts of the public, it was as if something had also vanished along with the flames.
At this moment, no one was listening to The Deep's nonsense.
Even The Deep himself was stunned, "Where is Homelander? Someone actually dares to cause trouble at Vought Tower?!"
What kind of enemy could that be...
"The gathering is over, let's hurry back and check it out!"
Lamplighter raised his torch and called out to the silently gazing Black Noir and the frightened Deep.
The three utilized their Superhuman speed and rushed back, leaving a few assistants and staff members to clean up the mess.
Black Noir was the fastest; when he arrived, Queen Maeve happened to be leaping down from the high building.
"She can use Flight, she's very fast, and she has already escaped."
Seeing Black Noir, she slowly shook her head: "I don't understand why Stormfront suddenly has such guts; she killed the HR director, Garrett. Black Noir, do you know what's going on?"
Black Noir gazed at the billowing smoke on the high building; the thick black color obscured the entire Vought Tower, like a ten-thousand-pound weight pressing down on the heart of every Vought superhero.
What does this have to do with Garrett?
Black Noir slowly shook his head, indicating that he had just arrived and knew nothing.
Queen Maeve looked toward the empty space beside them: "Translucent, have you seen Homelander?"
Translucent's voice rang out: "No, he doesn't seem to be nearby at all."
During their conversation.
A large number of staff members evacuated from the building entrance, helicopters began circling in the sky, and large water trucks arrived to coordinate manual fire suppression efforts.
A few minutes later, Lamplighter and The Deep also arrived.
The Deep stood to the side, shielding his forehead with his hand, lifting his head to observe.
After a moment, he shook his head: "How unfortunate, our annual bonuses won't be gone, right?"
"Be careful, the fire is too intense; your concern is not unwarranted."
The torch in Lamplighter's hand flared up, and he shouted loudly: "Guys, let me go up!"
With him there, the fire was quickly brought under control.
Homelander was resting at a ranch owned by Vought International.
Ever since being taught a lesson by Superman and Supergirl in person, he and his 'The Seven' had faced the most difficult hurdle in their careers.
The solution before him, the only effective one, was to re-prove that he was the strongest Superhuman.
Any other method was just a distraction.
Was he stronger than Superman?
After the most recent encounter, John knew the answer very clearly, but precisely because he knew, he felt unsure at this moment.
"That old bastard Voughtbaum said I was his greatest invention, but he can't understand the existence of the Superman couple; is he still Vought's chief scientist?!"
"Edgar ordered not to act rashly, saying Vought International has a way to investigate everything clearly, and that we will still be the strongest superheroes then; what does that mean?"
"It sounds more like a lack of trust in us; aren't we the strongest right now? We haven't truly failed yet!!"
The pressure was mounting, and after fiercely berating a few team members for holding him back, he chose to come to the ranch to relax.
'Gulp, gulp...'
After downing a large bucket of fresh milk he had milked himself, Homelander wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand, feeling much more at ease.
'Ugh~!'
Homelander burped, a look of satisfaction appearing on his chiseled face: "To hell with all these headaches. Without idiots holding me back, I, Homelander, am still the strongest; Superman might not be able to defeat me!"
"Is that so?"
A clear voice rang out from outside the farm, from high in the sky hundreds of meters away.
Homelander's expression changed drastically; he would recognize the owner of this voice even if they were turned to ashes—who else could it be but Superman?!
Visible to the naked eye, Homelander's eyes turned sinister.
He looked up at the roof of the barn, his X-ray vision passing through the wooden planks, instantly locking onto a small red and blue figure.
The other party was flying over his head at an extremely fast speed.
If this isn't a provocation, what is?!
Am I not even allowed to grumble a little on my own turf?
Homelander had never taken such mockery before, and he was furious on the spot: "Superman, if you have guts, don't run! Don't think I'm actually afraid of you!!"
His voice wasn't loud, but he knew that even at such a vast distance, Superman could still hear him.
But Superman's personality was different from his; it was as if he didn't buy that at all. After dropping a nonchalant taunt, he prepared to slip away without looking back.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, Homelander gritted his teeth.
He flashed out of the barn, raised his hands upward, and bent his legs inward.
The next moment.
'Hum——!!'
Homelander shot into the sky amidst a sonic boom, chasing after the fleeing figure.
'Where is he going?'
Watching Superman's figure as he didn't look back, Homelander felt a flash of confusion.
He would soon find out; given his and Superman's speed, it wouldn't take much time to traverse all of America.
When the two of them were chasing each other at full speed, the destination was reached almost the next moment.
'Crack~!'
Homelander's cape fluttered, and he hovered high in the sky, looking at the broken floor-to-ceiling glass on the top floor of Vought Tower, his brow furrowing slightly.
The next moment, he didn't hesitate and flew inside.
PS: Support the new book, please!
plz support my patreon
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AZofficial
patreon.com/AZofficial
it is 30 chapter ahead