"How... how dare he!"
Homelander's jawline was taut, almost trembling, the masseter muscles on his cheeks bulged in a sharp arc, and his eyes could barely contain the fiery glow threatening to erupt.
But as soon as he looked up, his eyes met Edgar's indifferent gaze.
"What are You going to do, Homelander?"
Edgar just watched him quietly.
Those eyes were like two deep wells—no dilated pupils from fear, no change in blinking frequency caused by adrenaline surges, not even the most basic avoidance reaction.
Physiologically expected tremors, cold sweat, and accelerated heart rate were all absent in this human wearing a tailored suit.
It was as if the person standing before him was not a Superhuman capable of tearing tanks apart with his bare hands, but merely a product that could be replaced at any time.
"I really don't like his eyes."
Homelander was the first to look away, his body seemed to shift slightly, the hem of his cape unconsciously brushing against his knees—this subtle retreating movement made him feel ashamed.
Even though he, as Vought's CEO, knew his power best—
Edgar's attitude made Homelander extremely wary, fearing that Vought, the behemoth that had created him in a lab, had some incredible trump card.
Unfortunately, Homelander didn't know that Vought had no trump card; Edgar's natural poker face was just good at bluffing.
Otherwise, today Russell wouldn't have just made him lose face and made his life uncomfortable, but would have taken him down without a word.
"Everyone else, step out first," Edgar ordered indifferently. "Homelander and Madelyn, stay."
The others didn't dare to linger. Before leaving, Starlight and a few others couldn't help but cast curious glances at the young man named Infinitoid until the conference room door closed.
Edgar stood by the floor-to-ceiling window with his hands behind his back. If his gaze before was indifferent, now it held a hint of coldness. Though he hadn't spoken, the atmosphere in the room already felt suffocating.
"Homelander, look at what You've done!"
"What did I do?"
"Don't You know what You did?" the young man who had been sitting in the chair watching the show slowly spoke.
Homelander immediately stepped forward, his eyes glowing with a dangerous scarlet light, glaring at him like a male lion whose territory had been invaded.
It was as if he was just waiting for Russell to speak.
"Do You know who You're talking to, kid!"
"Let me remind You, You are currently facing the most powerful Superhero on Earth, You need to maintain at least some respect!" The lasers in Homelander's eyes, capable of incinerating a person in a second, seemed ready to erupt at any moment.
But, damn it.
He actually found another person today who remained expressionless and whose heart rate was perfectly steady when facing his anger!
"Superheroes who only know how to sing, dance, and act?"
Russell always had an indifferent smile on his face, not taking Homelander's threat seriously at all.
"Do You know who You are talking to now, Homelander!" Edgar snorted coldly and turned back.
"Who is he?
Some Superhuman kid You dug up from who knows where? Do You think he can challenge my position!" Homelander turned his head angrily, almost unable to suppress his rage.
"Let me tell You, Infinitoid is a member of the Vought board," Edgar glanced at him coldly. "You are the one who should show him the minimum respect!"
"Board member?"
Madelyn was startled and quickly glanced at Russell.
So this impossibly young Superhuman was a member of the Vought family.
It was as if it was no wonder Mr. Edgar didn't care about this young man's rude behavior. Strictly speaking, the powerful Mr. Edgar was merely a professional steward chosen by the Vought family to manage the company!
"A young generation of the Vought family?"
Hearing this identity, Homelander looked at the young man before him with surprise and suspicion, visibly less agitated.
The reason he was like gunpowder ready to explode was not only because the young man in front of him showed him no respect, but mainly because Edgar treated Russell better than him, and he subconsciously developed a sense of crisis, fearing his position was threatened.
If the young man before him was a member of the Vought family, then it was understandable. Although Homelander was still very unhappy, his attitude softened somewhat.
He had long heard that Frederick Vought, who single-handedly invented Compound V to create Superhumans, seemed to have exhausted the wisdom and talent of several generations of the Vought family by himself.
Since then, the Vought family had produced no more talents, only a bunch of foolish pigs who only knew how to live off inherited wealth and indulge in eating, drinking, and merrymaking.
"A rich kid who took Compound V and came out to play the game of being a Superhero?"
"Ah, how rude of me, Infinitoid." Homelander dramatically spread his hands, displaying superb acting skills, and patted Russell's shoulder forcefully, his voice dripping with honeyed, false apology. "You're so young, I really didn't expect You to be on the Vought board."
The force that could easily make someone stumble did not budge the figure before him in the slightest.
Homelander was surprised.
*Slap!*
Russell glanced at his shoulder, raised his hand, and slapped his palm away, his movement as casual as brushing away a speck of dust.
Even though he was using a sneaky trick and his hand was unceremoniously slapped away, Homelander's face showed anger.
"Spare me Your clumsy act, Homelander, my appearance is not without reason." Before he could say anything, Russell let out a sneer, his gaze sharp enough to tear through the complacency in everyone's hearts.
"I am specifically here on behalf of the entire board to ask You, who allowed You to leak Compound V?"
Vought knew about him leaking Compound V?
Homelander's expression stiffened, his heart sinking.
At this moment, Edgar turned his head, his stern gaze also shooting towards him, as if waiting for a satisfactory answer. The temperature in the conference room dropped several degrees instantly.
...
The conference hall door was tightly shut. Starlight and a few others stood in the corridor, exchanging glances. Maeve leaned against the wall, her gaze thoughtfully fixed on the door.
—Edgar's cold reprimanding voice could faintly be heard from inside, but the specific content was unclear.
"What on Earth happened?" The Deep, Homelander's fearful lackey, asked in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the equally bewildered Locomotive and the still silent Black Noir.
No one could answer him.
Suddenly, the door opened.
Edgar stepped out, his suit immaculate, his face stern, his eyes so cold they sent shivers down people's backs. Everyone held their breath, as if something had angered this Mr. CEO.
Madelyn hurried to follow the departing CEO.
"Mr. Edgar, I can explain—I had no knowledge of this matter." She tried to speak, her voice tinged with panic.
Edgar didn't look back, merely raised his hand to signal her to shut up and not bother him. Madelyn instantly fell silent, but then remembering something, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and faced the others.
"The company has decided," her voice was slightly stiff, but she still maintained the Vice CEO's authority, "to temporarily adjust the leadership structure of The Seven. Homelander's Captain position is internally suspended, and Infinitoid will act as the interim decision-maker."