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"You came to me just to ask about a missing employee? When did you start caring about ordinary people like that?"
Kevin expressed his confusion.
However, he was pondering what Homelander had discovered.
Unlike the Homelander in the show, who immediately disliked Stormfront at the beginning of Season 2, the current Homelander, while still disliking Stormfront, was distracted by other matters.
That was the death of Madelyn.
In the original plot, Madelyn's death was intentional on Homelander's part because he discovered that Madelyn didn't love him at all; not only that, she was deceiving him, trying to control him, and also fearing him.
Love turned to hatred, coupled with the knowledge that he had a son, Homelander's obsession and love for Madelyn instantly vanished, and he personally killed the person he once loved.
But now it was different.
Homelander knew nothing about what Madelyn had done; he didn't even know that Madelyn didn't like him at all, but instead feared him.
Nor was he aware that he had a son.
Therefore, Homelander was quite saddened by Madelyn's death, and after her death, he had been trying to find the murderer.
During this time, Black Noir was helping him, and Vought's crime analysis department was also assisting him.
Kevin did not intervene in this matter; having something to distract Homelander, Kevin was happy to be at ease.
But unexpectedly, Homelander, Black Noir, and Vought's crime analysis department together actually managed to find something.
Otherwise, Homelander wouldn't have thought of Rebecca.
Kevin was still thinking when Homelander, seemingly prepared, said:
"Yes, if she were just an ordinary person, I certainly wouldn't pay attention to her, but what if... she's connected to Madelyn's murderer?"
"What did you find?"
"Not much, just that I've found there seems to be someone who is always targeting me. His name is William Billy Butcher, and his wife is Rebecca Butcher."
Homelander actually found Butcher?
Hmm, perhaps he saw Butcher somewhere and suspected him as the murderer but hadn't confirmed it yet, otherwise Butcher would have been wanted by now.
"So you suspect that he's taking his anger out on you because of his wife's disappearance, targeting you, kidnapping Ms. Madelyn, and committing such... heinous acts?"
Kevin continued Homelander's line of thought.
Homelander nodded: "Yes."
"Then what do you want me to do? I have no impression of Rebecca at all."
"She used to be an employee of Vought and worked under Madelyn, so I think... your employee records should have information about her."
"Even if I do, what then? She's already missing. With just this information, do you think I can find her? Or do you think you can find her with this information?"
Kevin indeed had information about Rebecca, and not only that, he now also knew the whereabouts of Rebecca and her son.
But Kevin did not intend to tell Homelander about these things now.
Homelander's son, Ryan, inherited most of his abilities and was in a relatively warm environment.
Kevin wanted to train Ryan to become a true Superman-like existence, with a moral compass and easy to control.
Homelander's influence would make Ryan's personality unpredictable, so even if this matter were to be told to Homelander, it should at least wait until Ryan was a bit older.
Not now.
"Help me look into it. As for the rest... I'll investigate myself."
Homelander didn't want to argue with Kevin. Ever since they reached an unspoken agreement, Homelander rarely argued with Kevin face-to-face.
Although his personality wasn't great, he surprisingly had a sense of contract, which was probably one of Homelander's few virtues.
So even if Kevin knew nothing now, Homelander said nothing else, just asked Kevin for help with the investigation.
Homelander asking for his help seemed somewhat inconsistent with his usual persona, but since it wasn't a big deal, Kevin nodded in agreement:
"Okay, I'll keep an eye on this. Do you have anything else?"
Homelander shook his head and stood up, preparing to leave.
But as he was about to leave, he seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to Kevin:
"Is Stormfront your person?"
"Huh?"
"I know Shockwave was arranged by you, but Stormfront... she doesn't seem to have much to do with you?"
"Didn't I say before that she was arranged by Mr. Edgar, and her qualifications are very deep? I don't have much power to control her."
"So, no matter what I do to her, you won't intervene, right?"
Homelander's words were full of hidden meaning.
Kevin knew why.
After Stormfront's unauthorized live broadcast that day, The Seven's fans already knew about Stormfront, the new member who was about to join The Seven.
Even if Kevin said that her joining needed to be re-negotiated, fans still believed that Stormfront was the new person about to join The Seven.
And some extreme fans even left messages saying that if Stormfront wasn't allowed into The Seven, then there must be some shady dealings among Vought's higher-ups.
Everyone liked Stormfront very much.
The reason was simple: Stormfront had created a persona for herself on the live-streaming platform as someone who spoke her mind and was outspoken.
She vehemently criticized government officials and Vought executives, saying they only paid lip service and didn't actually do anything.
She used sharp language to point out some of Vought's mistakes, and she used a fiery sister's tone to curse at those who were two-faced.
And surprisingly, fans loved this approach.
They were tired of the 'good students' who performed on screen and were also bored with 'saintly' characters.
Stormfront's personality, saying whatever she wanted and cursing whoever she caught, instantly gained a huge number of fans, and her momentum soared, subtly rivaling Homelander and Kevin.
She might even have surpassed Kevin, especially since Kevin was now intentionally downplaying the influence of his 'Deep' identity on himself.
Homelander was always merciless towards those who could threaten him.
If Kevin hadn't decided to withdraw from The Seven and remain in Vought as Vice President, he would probably have been targeted by Homelander long ago.
Stormfront's current provocative behavior naturally attracted most of Homelander's attention.
Homelander was already annoyed with her, but due to Kevin and Edgar's presence, and Stormfront being a newcomer, he hadn't made any moves.
But now that it was confirmed Stormfront had no relation to Kevin, Homelander wouldn't let Stormfront continue to be so arrogant.
Who did she think she was?
"I won't interfere; this is an internal matter of The Seven. But don't go too far. If you go too far... I'll have a hard time in front of Mr. Edgar."
"Heh, I won't make it difficult for you."
Hearing Kevin mention Edgar, Homelander, perhaps misunderstanding something, gave Kevin a mocking laugh.
Kevin ignored him. After saying these things to Homelander, he continued to bury himself in preparing for the next day's work.
But before Homelander left, he suddenly said to Kevin:
"You know, Deep, compared to the current you, the old you was more pleasing to the eye."
"The old Deep who groveled to you? Haha."
Kevin laughed and shook his head, as if Homelander had told a funny joke.
But who knew Homelander would give a negative answer:
"No, I mean, the you when you first took over as Vice President. At that time, you would at least choose to cooperate with me and do things Edgar didn't like, but now... don't you think you're overly concerned about Edgar?"
"..."
"Deep, no matter what conflicts exist between you and me, you must always remember that we are the same kind. That guy who only knows how to hide on the 82nd floor and give us orders is not."
After Homelander finished speaking, he gave Kevin a deep look, then pushed the door open and left.
After Homelander left, Kevin took his fingers off the keyboard, leaned back in his chair, and narrowed his eyes, looking at the door.
Homelander was no longer there, but his words made Kevin unable to stop thinking.
After Madelyn's death, no one used 'love' to control Homelander, causing Homelander's personality to seemingly become even more extreme.
And now, on the surface, there seems to be a rift between Homelander and Stormfront, as if they are irreconcilable, but in reality... Homelander has already been influenced by Stormfront.
He now vaguely had the idea of dividing humans and Supes into two categories.
Or rather, he always had it, but it was always hidden.
And now, this idea was triggered by Stormfront.
"...Another trouble."
Homelander had a hint of racism, which could easily be exploited by Stormfront. It wouldn't be long before these two would get together.
How to deal with them then would become a headache for Kevin.
If the plot still followed its original course, Kevin wouldn't worry, as Stormfront would die in the end anyway.
But now...
Vought had the upper hand. If Stormfront wasn't crippled by Ryan, the group wouldn't abandon her. If Kevin wanted Stormfront to die, he would have to find a way himself.
However, if Cate could listen to him, Stormfront wouldn't necessarily have to die.
Kevin thought for a while, felt a headache, and simply took out a magic book to relax his mind.
Forget it, thinking so much makes my hair fall out. Anyway, with my current strength, I don't need to overthink; I'll just deal with problems as they come.
Compared to that, it's better to study the magic book for a while longer.
Kevin had basically read most of the magic theory books he brought from the Marvel World, with only one left that he hadn't fully understood.
Once he understood it, Kevin could use skill points to return to the Marvel World and learn magic from Ancient One, thereby unlocking his second profession.
Wouldn't unlocking a second profession be better than racking his brain here?
Thinking this, Kevin gave up on thinking.
...
At night, inside a convenience store, Annie and Kimiko were selecting daily necessities for their soon-to-be new home.
Annie took a roll of toilet paper from the cleaning supplies section and put it into the shopping cart behind her.
Kimiko, pushing the shopping cart, looked left and right, and as she passed the kitchen and bathroom section, she reached out and picked up a very cute decorative hook.
"No, I don't think Kevin's house needs this."
Seeing Kimiko's actions, Annie helplessly stopped her.
'But it's cute.'
Kimiko responded with sign language.
"I know it's cute, but Kevin might not like this."
'I think a girl's opinion is very important, and three girls are going to live in his house next.'
Kimiko smiled, joking with Annie.
Annie tilted her head and thought:
"When you put it that way... it does make some sense..."
'So, it's a go?'
"Alright, alright, whatever you want, but don't buy too many... I mean, don't buy too many cute-looking things."
'Okay.'
Kimiko responded with a smile, quickly and deftly tossing the items she liked into the shopping cart.
The two were selecting home furnishings for their 'new home,' a scene that should have been very heartwarming.
But suddenly, a sudden loud bang completely shattered this warm scene!
The loud bang interrupted their conversation and caused passersby throughout the mall to scream sharply.
The mall descended into chaos, as if the end of the world was about to come.
Annie instinctively hugged Kimiko, protecting her, and looked towards the source of the loud noise.
In Annie's line of sight, near the street-facing windows of the mall, an out-of-control car crashed into the mall at an extremely high speed, continuing forward without slowing down.
And looking at the target of the out-of-control vehicle, it seemed to be Annie and Kimiko!
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