Homelander's deep blue combat suit and Stars and Stripes cape fluttered, but his classic attire could not conceal his haste and vigilance.
After landing, he slicked his golden hair back to appear composed, then clasped his hands behind his back. His gaze swept past Edgar in the seat and landed on Superman, who stood not far away.
Homelander narrowed his eyes slightly: "Superman, why did you lure me here?"
'Swish—!' Shawn was like a phantom, appearing beside Edgar in the blink of an eye.
Edgar was clearly startled, but with his immense psychological fortitude, he forced himself to hold it together.
Shawn: "Don't be nervous."
He patted the Vought International CEO on the shoulder with one hand, turned his head to look at Homelander, and said with a smile: "I've brought Edgar a gift."
Homelander remained unmoved.
It wasn't that he didn't want to intervene and rescue him, but rather it was meaningless.
At such a close distance, given the physical strength of both of them, protecting Edgar was like a giant trying to pick up a small ant while expecting it to remain unharmed.
That was simply impossible.
Outside the CEO's office.
On another floor of the Vought International building.
Further away in the sky, Clara, shrouded in light purple lightning, flew in, quietly approaching the building from another direction.
Homelander glanced sideways slightly, but then ignored it, "You think Edgar is important to me and intend to threaten me this way?"
At this moment, Superman was his only target.
In all fairness, he had previously planned to use Supergirl to hold Superman back, but that plan didn't just die in the cradle; it collapsed at light speed.
Therefore, he assumed Superman had the same idea.
Shawn: "John, don't run your mouth; you aren't actually that important."
"I won't fall for your schemes."
Homelander's face showed displeasure as he shook his finger: "Vought International indeed raised me, and you can state your terms, but if you intend to defeat me in such a disgraceful way, don't even think about it!!"
Since when did Homelander start talking like such a righteous character?!
Shawn was annoyed and applied a little pressure with his palm.
Edgar, in the seat, immediately felt a piercing pain radiating from his shoulder.
"John..."
He was a tough man; he gritted his teeth to avoid crying out, and instead, with a calm expression, said: "I'm glad you're looking out for me, but I believe Mr. Superman really is here for me. He might have a slight misunderstanding about me. It's fine, it's not a big deal."
Homelander stared at Edgar without speaking.
Edgar turned his gaze to Shawn, his voice slow: "Let's talk. There is nothing in this world that can't be resolved by sitting down and talking, right? Whatever the terms or demands are, Superman, as long as you state them, Vought International will do its best to satisfy them."
"Fine, you're the boss here, you call the shots."
Homelander pursed his lips, his eye twitching. Finally, he spread his hands and rolled his eyes with a strange expression.
He found a random seat and sat down, like a well-behaved student auditing a class.
Edgar looked at him.
"What's wrong?"
Homelander: "I'm sure you need me right now."
Shawn looked at Edgar, "Heh, he's right."
This old fox tried to soothe his own emotions with a few words. If not for his slightly accelerated heartbeat, one really wouldn't be able to tell he was feeling any trepidation or fear.
With acting skills at this level, it's no wonder he could command such a large group of Superhumans as an ordinary human.
Shawn: "John is my friend, and you bossing him around makes me very unhappy."
Homelander was stunned.
As Shawn said this, he started laughing first: "Edgar, you should understand that Superman never kills righteous or innocent people. Do you know why I'm looking for you?"
"I don't know."
"I believe there is no such thing as a completely innocent person in this world."
The cigar burned Edgar's fingers, but he adjusted it without changing his expression.
The Vought International CEO spoke as calmly and composedly as ever: "But there are people who strive to make amends after making mistakes."
"Amends?" Shawn shook his head: "I don't need any amends."
Edgar: "But you are isolated and helpless; you surely need help, don't you?"
Seeing that Shawn remained silent, he added: "I am sure I can do something for you, Superman."
Shawn was noncommittal: "Oh? So confident?"
Edgar: "Vought International has the resources to back that up."
Shawn smiled: "I want to save the world! Can you help me?"
"No problem, I can help you!" Edgar didn't hesitate, his mind racing.
"Vought International has nearly a thousand communication satellites in the sky. With the GPS system as the core, they can provide high-precision positioning with global coverage, supporting precise operations for various superheroes."
"We have a mature combat analysis department equipped with dozens of data analysts. It's much more efficient than acting alone. This is an advantage Vought International has accumulated over decades."
Edgar looked at Shawn, "Superman, as long as you nod, Vought International can provide these services to you free of charge from now on. I think this will be of great help to you in saving the world. What do you think?"
Shawn hadn't answered yet.
"Heh-ha-ha~~!" Homelander was already a bit angry, to the point that he laughed out loud.
"No, no, no, sorry, forgive me for interrupting." He shook his finger and spoke in a low voice:
"Mr. Edgar, I don't think Vought International is so worthless that it needs to sell off its assets to buy Superman's mercy."
"Furthermore, I don't think Superman necessarily cares for these things of Vought's. Am I right?" He looked at Superman out of the corner of his eye, his attitude extremely arrogant.
"..." He was talking a bit too much, disrupting the CEO's rhythm.
Under Superman's pressure, Edgar glanced at Homelander as if looking at some failed product.
"This is John." He said to Superman, not without disdain: "Do you think Homelander can manage a company?"
Shawn was surprised by the other party's keen insight: "Do you think I admire John?"
Edgar: "I know him better than you do."
"To be honest." Shawn thought for a moment: "Aside from being a bit sensitive, I feel like his brain is fine."
Being discussed so casually, Homelander stood on the side with an unreadable expression. He wanted to get angry, but his rage felt insufficient.
Edgar wasn't afraid of Superman speaking; he was afraid of him not speaking.
At this moment, he forced down the excitement in his heart and continued: "Heh, do you think he would be more restrained than me? No, no, no, I am not threatening you; I am just stating a fact. If you kill me, it's equivalent to handing the remote control to an out-of-control nuclear bomb."
Homelander's eye began to twitch again.
Shawn laughed: "Replacing you with someone else would also work."
The Black CEO barely held it together.
It wasn't like Edgar absolutely had to die.
Edgar shook his head decisively: "You might be able to throw me off this building, or twist my head off, but that is completely unnecessary. Because even if it's not Homelander, tomorrow morning, Vought International will still appoint someone younger, crueler, and better at manipulating Superhumans to sit in this chair."
His tone was sincere: "I manage this company not because I want to create more chaos, but because I know better than you what they would do if they weren't managed. What you see is the evil I tacitly allow; what you don't see is the part I prevent."
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