"It seems you are indeed anxious."
At the cockpit door, Russell expressionlessly confronted the exasperated Homelander. His eyes seemed to contain rolling, boiling lava, emitting a dangerous deep red glow. Their gazes clashed as if striking sparks.
"Laser eyes?" Maeve didn't expect Russell's eyes to also light up with laser beams, the exact same ability as Homelander.
"No one can challenge me!"
Homelander's brow twitched, his expression turning colder. Concealing a fleeting surprise, he lowered his voice and roared.
"Who do you think you are?"
Just because you have some inexplicable bio-field ability to save a plane I disdained to save, and you have the same laser eye ability as me, you think you can offend me, offend the most powerful superhuman in the World!"
He took a step forward, ready to act.
"What is he doing? Homelander seems to be threatening Infinitoid!"
"I just saw it. When Homelander killed a Terrorist, his heat vision damaged the plane, which is why we kept falling!"
"Homelander's expression looks like he's lashing out in embarrassment and anger."
"Instead of reflecting on himself, he's taking his anger out on Infinitoid who came to save people! Impossible, right?"
They couldn't hear the two talking, but the sight of Homelander's eyes glowing red, ready to strike Russell, truly fell into their eyes. The passengers who were about to disembark from the cabin immediately became agitated. They absolutely would not allow the hero who had just saved them to be reprimanded and have anger directed at him for this.
"What are you doing, Homelander."
"Hey, stop!"
Some even threw empty milk cartons at Homelander.
Splat!
Hit in the chest, Homelander instinctively glared fiercely in the direction the milk carton came from. The fierce aura with his eyes glowing red instantly terrified the person, making their legs turn soft.
Seeing Homelander's ferocious appearance, completely different from what they saw on television, others also felt fear and stepped back.
"He wouldn't attack us too, would he?"
"I... I'm not..."
Homelander, whose mind was clouded with anger, reacted, hurriedly extinguished his Cyclops, raised his hands, and explained to the passengers with a stiff smile.
"Haha, everyone, don't misunderstand, I was just joking with Infinitoid."
Homelander's psychology is extremely twisted, he is moody and ruthless, yet at the same time, he can never be without the love and attention of others.
He dared not strike in public, showing his brutal and savage side, for fear of losing all his fans.
Slap!
Homelander reached out, wanting to put his arm around Russell's shoulder to show that they were actually friendly. While other superhumans might have gone along with it, Russell mercilessly slapped his hand away.
"Next time, if you dare not act, don't bare your fangs too early like a dog that is fierce in appearance but timid in heart."
Leaving behind a cold taunt, he departed.
This scene confirmed that things were not as Homelander had said.
The two were at odds. The passengers at the cabin door naturally sided with Infinitoid who had just saved them. They didn't think it was Infinitoid's fault, whispering to each other while looking at Homelander with strange eyes as they walked off the plane.
"Homelander doesn't seem as perfect as he is in the news."
"Is he jealous of Infinitoid, stealing his thunder?"
"Infinitoid, Infinitoid!"
The passengers followed Russell out of the cabin. The entire stadium erupted in another earth-shattering cheer. Watching the crowds rushing onto the baseball field and lifting Russell high, hearing the discussions, Homelander gnashed his teeth, shaking with anger for the first time in his life, daring not to erupt.
Homelander, who had always been the most popular, became a foil, even overshadowed.
Some young people also wanted to go up and take a photo with Homelander, but were stopped by the passengers from the plane, who recounted what they had seen with wary expressions.
The young people immediately cast suspicious glances.
...
"When Infinitoid safely landed the out-of-control Boeing 737 in the center of the baseball field, the entire World seemed to hold its breath at that moment."
—A Superhero named Infinitoid prevented the 'Second World Trade Center Disaster'."
In the live video footage used in the news report, the massive passenger plane plunged down from the sky emitting black smoke, but the camera quickly turned to a white-caped figure silhouetted against the light, rushing straight into the clouds without hesitation.
Around the World, hosts with different faces broadcast the same exciting news in different languages. Global attention was focused on the Boeing 737 hijacked by Terrorists being safely rescued, and over a hundred lives were saved. Some hosts even had trembling voices due to excitement:
"Superhero rising star—Infinitoid has just prevented a disaster potentially more tragic than the Twin Towers attack!"
Major media outlets were frantically rolling out headlines:
The New York Times: "Man of Steel—Infinitoid Single-Handedly Saves Hundreds!"
The Washington Post: "This Time, the Hero Stepped Forward—Infinitoid Stopped Tragedy Before It Happened."
Social media exploded instantly, #HeroInfinitoid surged to the top of global trending topics. Countless people uploaded blurry footage they filmed—the moment Infinitoid lifted the plane, his silhouette flying towards the sunset, the scene of rescued passengers kneeling and weeping.
On the big screen in New York's Times Square, the footage of Infinitoid lifting and landing the plane was played on repeat. Crowds stopped and looked up, some raising their phones, others waving their arms and shouting the hero's name.
Everything about Infinitoid became a global hot topic.
In Washington, the White House spokesperson held an emergency press conference, announcing that the President would be preparing to award Infinitoid the 'Medal of Freedom'—the highest civilian honor, never before awarded to a 'superhuman' in history.
And on the streets of New York, people spontaneously gathered below Vought Tower, holding signs that read 'Infinitoid, You Are Our Hero'.
Street vendors were selling T-shirts and hats printed with the Infinitoid logo, and children were drawing the hero in a black suit with crayons on paper.
The passengers from the plane became honored guests on various talk shows, recounting that miraculous moment over and over.
A mother tearfully recalled: "I was holding my daughter, thinking it was all over... then, he came. He was like a beam of light, pulling us out of hell."
A white-haired old woman trembled as she said: "This is God's will, Infinitoid... He is different, he is an envoy sent by God."
A young couple choked up: "We should have died on that plane... but he gave us a second life."
There were also baseball field spectators interviewed. A little boy wearing a baseball cap said that when he grew up, he wanted to become a firefighter, a hero who saves people like Infinitoid.
Meanwhile, Homelander's disastrous performance and terrible character in this hijacking incident became a major source of controversy.
On talk shows, guests debated fiercely on the matter, each holding their own opinion.
Some believed that Homelander and Maeve had resolved the hijackers regardless, but others thought that those two or three hijackers could have been easily dealt with by a large number of Superheroes.
Perhaps other Superheroes wouldn't have made such a mess of it.
If it weren't for Homelander's heat vision, the plane wouldn't have crashed. In fact, there was an off-duty pilot on the plane at the time, who was returning from a vacation in Paris, flying for free as an employee benefit.
People online argued endlessly. Some past videos of Homelander saving people were also dug up. He would kill at the drop of a hat, always acting recklessly, completely disregarding innocent civilians around him, and the crimes of some criminals were not even punishable by death.
The once perfect Homelander, within just a few days, became a controversial problem hero, plagued by discussions.
For some reason, this time, the 'massive fan base' that used to flood the internet with support for Homelander, drowning out all other voices, significantly shrunk in numbers.
The saintly image Vought had previously cultivated for Homelander faced the most intense backlash and reckoning, with a trend of escalating intensity.
Conquest Points: 18902
"Sir, Stormfront is back."
Inside the penthouse apartment, Edgar walked in to report. Russell, in a good mood, shifted his attention away from the rapidly fluctuating numbers.
"She is at the company right now. She just found me and said she wants to join The Seven."
"Oh?" Russell was slightly surprised.
At this point in time?
"How is Homelander?"
"After he returned to the Tower, he threw a massive tantrum, smashing many things. Seeing the online public opinion, he came to me, questioning why Vought's public relations weren't pushing harder, and if it was your instruction?"
Edgar said.
"I stated firmly that it was all his fault, too many people saw him damaging the plane.
He recently leaked Compound V. The company nurtured him, owes him nothing, and he has no right to demand the company do anything for him..."
Homelander then returned to his room, sometimes depressed, sometimes angry, pacing the room with a gloomy expression.
Like a male lion in a circus, abused and so anxious it wants to leap out of its cage immediately, yet hesitant, fearing a severe beating if it tries to break free.
"Sir, Homelander's emotions have become increasingly unstable over the past two days, seeming to be on the verge of losing control."
Edgar felt it necessary to remind him.
Russell merely nodded. Homelander's reaction did not exceed his expectations.
At this moment, Stormfront appeared, likely with the intention of 'taking advantage of the situation', wanting to seize the opportunity to get close to Homelander and once again promote her theory of Aryan superhumans ruling the World.
Knock knock!
"Find a place. In a while, bring Stormfront to see me." Russell tapped the table, a hint of coldness in his words.
Stormfront is also considered among the strongest superhumans in the same tier as Homelander and Soldier Boy. He wasn't sure if his mind control ability could continuously control her.
Like Kate Dunlap repeatedly brainwashing Golden Boy, Golden Boy still ended up remembering everything.
Furthermore, Russell didn't plan to spend much effort controlling this madwoman who attempted to assemble a superhuman army to slaughter all of humanity. It would be better to simply make her disappear from the World.
Just a Joker trying to take advantage, he could deal with her easily. Russell was more concerned about another issue.
"How is the formation of the temporary superhuman squad progressing?"
"Sir, over the past few days, we have screened death row inmates from about a dozen prisons across the U.S., giving them a few minutes' dosage of the serum. Most of them have ordinary abilities, but two death row inmates might have abilities that could be useful."
Edgar said.
He really wanted to accomplish this matter quickly for the supreme Master in his heart, but reality does not shift according to personal will.
Two people are still far from forming a complete squad.
Considering the necessary miscellaneous tasks such as negotiating and signing contracts with state and federal prisons, and Vought needing to allocate and arrange personnel to ensure they can still control the subjects, screening a dozen prisons in a few days is already very fast.
"Two? Do they have the ability to fly?"
"One does, the other can barely fly, but not very fast."
Tapping the table back and forth with his fingers, Russell's eyes flickered slightly. After thinking for a moment, he decided to wait and see first.
"Find a place. Have the two inmates ready. You bring Stormfront to see them. I want to see their abilities."
"Yes, Sir."
It doesn't matter if there are only two for now, he still has a few 'special reserve members' he can use.
If the abilities of these two people are even just marginally satisfactory, Russell is prepared to try and make a move against Homelander.
Living around an arrogant, moody giant baby, it's hard not to fall out with him and be disgusted by him unless you humble yourself and fawn over him.
Even having only met Homelander twice, Russell couldn't help but feel a deep sense of revulsion.
In his own company, he would not allow anyone powerful enough to dare threaten him to continue existing.
...
"We love and respect you, Infinitoid, you are the hero of the young generation!"
"Homelander is an executioner. Many people who didn't commit capital offenses died by his hand, losing their chance at a second life."
"Online rumors say that Homelander is actually arrogant and disregardful of life, and during the process of dealing with criminals, he accidentally killed many innocent civilians..."
"Recently, the White House issued a statement, announcing an unprecedented move to award the Medal of Freedom to the superhuman Infinitoid to recognize his contributions. This is an honor that even Homelander has never received."
Inside Vought Tower, in Homelander's luxurious apartment, Homelander sat naked and sprawled on the sofa, watching television.
The light in the room was dim, with only news clips constantly playing on the screen.
The voices praising Infinitoid, and those questioning and condemning him, kept sounding.
Homelander's expression changed several times with the flickering light of the TV screen, as if he were schizophrenic.
Sometimes he looked wronged like a child suffering unfair treatment, sometimes angry like a lion whose territory had been invaded, sometimes filled with the sadness of being surrounded by loneliness, and sometimes ferocious like a killing demon king wanting to go on a rampage.
Anyone who saw this terrifying scene would definitely feel a chill down their spine.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open.
"The most powerful superhuman in the World, actually staying indoors for two or three consecutive days. It's hard to imagine what could keep him tied down."
A woman in a combat suit with a sharp hairstyle casually pushed the door open and walked in, as if entering her own backyard. With her hands behind her back, disregarding everyone, she first scanned the room where the furniture was mostly smashed.
Seeing Homelander naked like a baby, she showed no shyness at all, as if a mature woman seeing a child's body.
"I heard some people like to wear nothing when they are stressed, like a baby returning to the womb, it can relieve anxiety."
"Who are you!" Having someone inexplicably barge into his room and comment on him, Homelander's eyes instantly lit up with red light.
"Don't be nervous, Homelander, I'm here to help you!"
Stormfront smiled.
"Help me? I don't need any help." Homelander gave his final warning, filled with killing intent, speaking word by word, "No matter who you are, I'll give you three seconds to get out, or you'll be carried out as a charred corpse."
"Of course, of course, Homelander is the most powerful Superhero in the World, there is no difficulty that can trouble you."
Stormfront smiled sweetly, with a maternal gentleness and a bit of a woman's allure. Like comforting a sulking child, she lay down and stroked Homelander's chest.
"But even God makes mistakes, walking down the wrong path without realizing it."
Her voice was gentle, like a mother singing a lullaby to comfort her child, making it impossible to feel disgusted.
Only when the woman got closer did Homelander realize that the woman before him was like a woman who had given birth, carrying a unique mature charm. She was the kind of woman he most liked and was infatuated with. Even Madelyn didn't have the same charm in her every move as this woman.
Compared to her, Madelyn seemed as naive as a young girl experiencing things for the first time.
But at this time, he was in a gloomy and agitated mood. Although he didn't immediately shoot lasers, he didn't give her a pleasant look either.
"Ridiculous, God has never made a mistake!"
Homelander's tone wasn't like a believer arguing for God, but rather like someone arrogantly claiming to be God himself, an existence on par with God, beyond doubt.
Stormfront chuckled softly, the joy in her eyes growing even stronger. She gently guided and comforted him.
"No, Homelander, it is true that even God has made mistakes."
Although Stormfront contradicted him, hearing this statement that even God had made mistakes, Homelander's expression unconsciously improved slightly.
"When did God make mistakes, walking down the wrong path without realizing it?"
But he still questioned.
This completely contradicted the image of God as wise, great, and omniscient that people had in their minds.
"God not only made mistakes, but the mistakes were so great that they caused him regret."
A dangerous madness flickered in Stormfront's eyes, like a devil driving people insane. Her voice, full of temptation, whispered in Homelander's ear.
"But fortunately, realizing it belatedly, he immediately corrected the mistakes, cleansing the World he disliked with a great flood.
Leaving behind only the righteous people he had chosen, who devoutly believed in him, allowing humanity to multiply and thrive again, he rectified the mistakes and finally shaped the World into the way he wanted it."
"You mean God's mistake was in creating humans, and the annihilation of the World was to correct the mistakes. What you said seems to make sense, these are indeed written in the Bible."
Homelander frowned, as if he had vaguely grasped something.
He had not committed such a great 'mistake' as creating humans, nor did he have that ability.
But it seemed that as he was gradually losing all love, he always felt that God's method of correcting mistakes seemed to bring him some inspiration.