While the clone entertained The Seven, Hughie and Billy began their mission.
They were following Marcus's orders to investigate Compound V.
Over recent days, they'd managed to find several leads, tracking down where A-Train had been before his abilities went haywire.
According to Marcus, A-Train couldn't control his speed that day because he'd been injected with Compound V to enhance his abilities.
They'd traced the source of A-Train's loss of control to his girlfriend's home—Popclaw's apartment.
Surveillance footage clearly showed A-Train's abilities becoming erratic after leaving Popclaw's residence.
"Are we really going after Popclaw?" Hughie asked Billy quietly. "She may not be one of The Seven, but she's still a superhuman with enhanced strength."
"Of course we're going after her, but not yet. We don't have evidence she possesses Compound V. We need to investigate first."
Billy replied. While he hated superhumans, he primarily targeted The Seven.
Popclaw barely registered on his radar.
Although she was technically superhuman with abilities beyond normal people, she wasn't much stronger than regular humans.
Her only enhancement was retractable claws extending from her arms.
To Billy, she was practically ordinary—with proper caution, he could handle whatever trouble Popclaw might pose.
"Investigate how? I'm just an electronics store clerk."
Hughie felt lost. He wasn't Billy—he'd never dealt with this kind of work. Last time, installing the listening device had nearly gone disastrously wrong.
"We'll pose as network maintenance technicians and install surveillance equipment in her apartment. But first, we need to recruit some help."
Just the two of them wouldn't be efficient enough, even with Marcus guaranteeing their safety. They needed additional support to improve their operational effectiveness.
Billy already knew exactly who to contact—some old friends from his CIA days.
After Marcus recalled his clone, The Seven slowly picked themselves up from the ground.
This marked their second defeat, even more thorough than the first.
Homelander had been specifically targeted for humiliation, batted around like a tennis ball in mid-air.
The public beating devastated Homelander's ego. He was a global superstar, yet this armored vigilante had left him completely helpless, fueling his internal rage.
Queen Maeve and A-Train suffered similar humiliation, though A-Train had it worst—every bone in his body was broken, and he could barely stand through sheer willpower.
Among the group, only Starlight seemed confused, her clothes dirty but her mind strangely clear.
She felt like something had changed within her—or perhaps returned to normal. The hatred and anger that had been consuming her heart had completely vanished.
Most importantly, her somewhat paranoid thoughts had normalized, leaving her feeling suddenly enlightened yet bewildered.
Though she'd learned the truth about these so-called superheroes on her first day in The Seven's headquarters, her companions now seemed even more alien than before.
Hiss~
At the sound, Starlight looked over to see Homelander firing heat vision at the ground with furious intensity.
Under his laser assault, the pavement rapidly melted into a pool of molten lava.
There's something wrong with that armored man. He seems to be manipulating our emotions!
Starlight realized with growing clarity. She didn't like anyone in The Seven except Queen Maeve, her fellow woman.
The changes in these men filled her with vengeful satisfaction, especially watching The Deep suffer.
If there was one person she hated most among The Seven, it was The Deep.
If not for needing to remain with the team, she might rush over right now and castrate the aquatic pervert.
But Starlight remained curious about the armored warrior's motives. Why did he keep targeting The Seven specifically?
A loud explosion interrupted her thoughts.
Turning around, she saw the lava pool where Homelander had been standing was now empty. Molten rock had scattered everywhere, some landing on The Deep and igniting his costume, transforming him into a human torch rolling frantically on the ground.
The others ignored The Deep's plight, racing toward Vought Tower through their own methods of travel.
After this battle, their corrupted hearts had spawned countless revenge fantasies. They could barely restrain themselves from acting on their darkest impulses.
Before taking action, however, they needed to have a serious conversation with Vought management. If the corporation couldn't meet their demands, they wouldn't hesitate to cause chaos throughout the building.
Vought International - Vice President's Office
Homelander smashed through the wall, startling the vice president who was caring for her infant.
"Homelander, what happened to you?"
The supposed leader looked bruised and battered, as if he'd been severely beaten.
But Homelander was the most powerful person alive—who could possibly do this to him?
"I need my milk!" Facing the vice president, Homelander's grim expression softened slightly.
But the baby's sudden crying darkened his mood again.
Glaring coldly at the stroller beside the vice president, Homelander felt a violent impulse—he wanted to kill that infant.
Only seeing the vice president's face allowed him to restrain himself from murdering the baby that triggered his jealousy.
"Where's the president? I need to see him!"
"You want to see the president?" The vice president looked up while holding her child.
She was clearly shocked by Homelander's demand.
Since The Seven's formation, Homelander rarely met with the president directly—she served as the intermediary managing both him and the team.
"I have to see him. I must!"
Seeing Homelander's childlike tantrum, the vice president understood the situation.
She could guess why he wanted to meet the CEO. After being beaten this badly by an unknown opponent, Homelander wouldn't rest until he learned about the armored warrior's origins.
"Tell me what happened first. Why do you look like this?"
The vice president reached out to touch Homelander's face, regarding him with maternal concern.
Seeing her curiosity, Homelander's expression eased as he began recounting their encounter, his frown deepening with each detail.
The armored man had beaten them all. He'd been bounced around like a ball...
As Homelander's narrative continued, the vice president finally grasped the full situation. The same person who'd attacked Vought Tower had returned!
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