| Just Became Homelander, and You're Telling Me This is Marvel?
Novel Summary
Having just transmigrated into Homelander and before I could even get excited about not eating beef, news broke that Tony Stark had been kidnapped.
Lin An was dumbfounded. Where the hell did this come from?
You want me to fight Thanos with this pirated Superman data?
Just as Lin An was preparing to flee overnight, the popularity system activated!
[The host can exchange genuine superhuman abilities by reaping the shock, admiration, and other emotions of humanity worldwide!]
[Note: Superhuman artists under the Vought Corporation can also provide popularity points to the host.]
Lin An realized, "I'm going to be a producer, the mastermind behind creating the strongest superhero team in history!"
All seven of them need to reform themselves! (Let's find this trending topic!)
Hughie becomes an agent! Captain Black becomes a disciplinary committee member!
Black Widow, what are you doing here, becoming my internet sensation?!
Playboy Iron Man? Signed!
Spider-Man, still a vigilante on the streets? Signed!
A simple-minded Thor banished to the mortal realm? Sign it!
The entire Avengers are working for Vought International, the number one corporation in the universe!
Live-streaming reality shows, filming Marvel movies—whatever generates traffic, that's what matters!
Every moment of their glory will become a stepping stone for my ascension to godhood!
Homelanders are cheered by the people as they save humanity time and time again.
"Homelander, America's hero!"
Lin An smiled slightly.
"But you, my friend, you are the real hero."
Years later, when Thanos gathered all the Infinity Stones and descended upon Earth, ready to snap his fingers and wipe out half the universe.
What he saw was a silver superhuman whose sneeze could extinguish stars.
Thanos was dumbfounded.
"Sorry, in this age of data-driven obsession, I am the only true god!"
Chapter 1: Just became Homelander, you say this is Marvel?
［Handsome Brain Storage］
［Type 1 to get Homelander's abilities］
［This is an invincible, harem novel. The protagonist has a sex addiction, so move on if you don't like it... Marvel, X-Men, The Boys mashup. The data is random, please don't deliberately research the data or timeline. In short, it's just for fun! Thanks to all the Yan Zus for your support!］
［Purely hand-made, no AI guarantee...］
［Pure AI, no hand-made guarantee...］
...
The night was dark and windy.
The top floor of Vought Tower.
The howling wind poured into his collar, snapping the Stars and Stripes cape behind him.
Under the bright moonlight, Lin An stood on the edge of the Vought Tower's roof, looking down to feel the warmth in his crotch after having just released his load.
He silently zipped up his pants.
Lin An examined himself: a dark blue bodysuit with a red and white cape, and two arrogant eagles on his shoulders.
He was dumbfounded.
A few minutes ago, he had been at home watching the finale of The Boys, and he had smashed his TV screen in anger at that disgusting Joker ending.
Then, a surge of electricity passed through him, and when he opened his eyes again, he was standing here.
With a throbbing pain in his temples, a massive flood of memories crashed into his mind like a dumped trash can.
His vision penetrated the ten-plus layers of thick concrete flooring beneath his feet, looking straight into the 80th-floor conference room where a cleaning lady was yawning.
His super hearing instantly flooded with the clamor of the entire city—car horns, the sound of water in underground pipes, the argument of a couple several streets away—all exploding in his ears.
He quickly concentrated, blocking out these chaotic sensory inputs.
He clenched his fists, feeling the terrifying power within him that seemed capable of easily tearing through reinforced concrete.
This unprecedented, ultimate power made every cell in his body shiver and cheer!
He had transmigrated into Homelander.
Homelander, who had just debuted—nominally the chief Superhero of Vought International, but in reality, a puppet for the company.
Lin An took a deep breath, and then his lips curled up wildly.
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
He could no longer hold it in. He spread his arms wide and let out a wild, unbridled laugh toward the sky, his laughter echoing over New York City and seeming to shake the clouds apart.
"I am a god! I am the only god in this World!"
As long as he didn't learn from that pervert in the original and go do some breast milk play, and didn't become that total villain, with this invincible stat sheet, he could do whatever he wanted in this World!
"From today on, I'm not eating beef!" Lin An raised a middle finger to the sky, venting his endless resentment toward the original ending.
He felt that his life had reached its peak.
Spreading his arms, Lin An was preparing to enjoy the thrill of a free fall followed by soaring back into the clouds.
However, his super hearing caught the sound of a giant news screen broadcast from Times Square, hundreds of meters away.
"The head of Stark Industries, Military genius Mr. Tony Stark, encountered an attack by unknown militants one week ago after conducting a 'Jericho Missile' weapon demonstration in Afghanistan. Currently, Mr. Stark's whereabouts remain unknown, and the Military is conducting a carpet search..."
The smile on Lin An's face froze.
Stark Industries? Tony Stark? Afghanistan?
What the f*ck, where did this bring me?
He immediately looked down, his gaze crossing dozens of blocks to lock onto that LED screen in Times Square, which was touted as the largest in the World.
On the screen, a pretty news anchor had a pained expression, accompanied by a photo of Tony wearing sunglasses and a flamboyant smile.
In the scrolling subtitles below, it clearly stated that Vought International's stock price was fluctuating due to the turmoil at Stark Industries.
"Sh*t!!"
Lin An hurriedly searched through the memories that had just merged in his mind.
Vought International did exist, and it was a super-giant that rivaled Stark Industries, focusing on biomedicine and entertainment.
This wasn't The Boys World at all.
This was a death-match arena stitched together with the Marvel Universe.
Lin An felt a chill run through his entire body, and even the cape behind him trembled slightly.
He clenched his fists and cursed loudly.
"In the later stages of Marvel, it's a battle of gods. My pirated Superman stats can't even take one punch from Thanos, this is impossible to play."
This was Marvel.
Not to mention that madman who wore a glove and snapped his fingers.
Even at this point in time, the Sorcerer Ancient One hiding in the shadows or the old man Odin of Asgard would find it no harder to crush him than to crush an ant.
What did The Boys' super stats count for in Marvel? Trash!
If he actually got hit by a high-yield nuclear bomb, he'd lose a layer of skin.
This is called invincible?
Just as he was calculating whether to keep a low profile and honestly survive until the moment the Universe reset, a crisp mechanical prompt sounded in his mind.
"Ding! Detected violent emotional fluctuations in the host; currently in a state of extreme survival crisis warning."
"Supernatural Popularity System bound."
"As long as you obtain strong emotional fluctuations from the public, such as shock, worship, or awe, they can be converted into Popularity Points."
Lin An was stunned for a moment.
A semi-transparent blue virtual panel expanded in his vision.
Name: Lin An
Current Stats: Vought Defective Superman (Weakness: Fears extreme physical attacks, extremely low mental resistance, no magic resistance)
Popularity Level: Debut Newbie (Current Popularity Points: 12,500, Source: Early publicity accumulation by Vought International)
System Function: Popularity Points can be used to upgrade to a genuine Superman.
Below was an eye-catching line of red text:
Note: Secretly doing good deeds grants no Popularity Points; there must be witnesses or camera records. The host's camera and live streaming network can ignore firewalls and other restrictions.
Lin An's heart began to race.
He clicked on the system's exchange prize pool and took a look; his breathing stopped.
Steel Body, Kryptonian bloodline, Silver Age Supermanstats, magic immunity aura.
Various entries that would make anyone drool were lying there, but the strings of countless zeros in the suffix were a bit painful.
As long as he was popular enough, he could become infinitely strong.
Even if Thanos eventually brought the Infinity Gauntlet, he could crush him with the physical body of a Silver Age Superman.
His train of thought was completely clear now.
Lin An narrowed his eyes, looking at the bustling New Yorkstreets below.
The profit-seeking PR department at Vought Internationalwas simply a top-tier tool tailor-made for this system.
To survive in Marvel and live exactly as he pleased, he had to be an absolute top-tier celebrity.
He couldn't be a wage slave for the Avengers, and he certainly couldn't pay attention to the rules and regulations of S.H.I.E.L.D.
With his thoughts clear, Lin An curled his lips, revealing a bright, sunny, but cold smile. He turned, left the roof, and strode back into Vought Tower.
Ten seconds later, he had appeared like a ghost in another top-floor office of Vought Tower—the office belonging to Madelyn Stillwell.
Madelyn was sitting behind her million-dollar mahogany desk, elegantly making a phone call, handling Vought International's business layout following the crash of Stark Industries' stock price.
The office doors and windows were closed, and she hadn't noticed that an extra person had appeared behind her.
"...Yes, have the departments get ready. This is an excellent opportunity for us to seize the Military and energy markets."
A cold voice rang out behind her, making the hair on her body stand on end instantly.
"Madelyn."
Madelyn spun around suddenly. Seeing Lin An's expressionless face, she patted her chest, still shaken.
She immediately put on that iconic, cloyingly gentle smile: "Oh, dear, you scared me to death. How did you get in here so suddenly?"
She thought this was just another one of Homelander's pranks to seek attention.
"Tony Stark is missing," Lin An said, ignoring her performance.
"I want the whole World to watch me bring him back."
Madelyn's smile froze. She stood up, attempting to use her usual manipulative rhetoric to control the situation.
"Are you crazy? Stark Industries is in a mess right now; this is the perfect time for Vought International to replace them.
"Who gave you permission to make decisions on your own? Be good, listen to me, stay at headquarters. You don't need to intervene in this matter."
As she spoke, she habitually reached out her hand, wanting to stroke his cheek, using the method she used to coax a giant baby to calm him down.
But her hand stopped in mid-air.
Lin An's eyes had changed.
It was no longer the longing for motherly love, but an indifference like looking at a dead object.
Deep in his eyes, a terrifying red light flickered. He took a step forward.
An invisible, almost tangible, terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire office.
Madelyn felt like prey being stared at by a prehistoric beast; even breathing became difficult.
"John..." The words she wanted to say stuck in her throat.
Lin An didn't yell or scold; he just lowered his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the mahogany desk in front of her that symbolized power and wealth.
The next second.
Zzz—!!
Two beams of terrifyingly hot crimson Heat Vision shot from his eyes, precisely cutting the solid desk in half down the middle.
The cut was as smooth as a mirror, without even a trace of burning smoke; the wood had carbonized to ash the instant it touched the rays.
A pungent, burnt smell filled the air.
The upper part of the cut table slowly slid off and hit the carpet with a bang.
Madelyn screamed in terror and retreated repeatedly until her back hit the cold floor-to-ceiling window.
Lin An slowly raised his head, his cold gaze re-locking onto her face, which was filled with horror. His voice was as low as a whisper from hell:
"Madelyn, are you teaching me how to do things?"
————PS: One more thing to say: The protagonist is very selfish and not at all a saint; all his actions serve his own interests, and "justice hero" is just a label. Although this is a pure "cool" novel, the IQ is online, the characters are not OOC, and if any appearing characters change, it is only because they are working for him under the protagonist's schemes.
Chapter 2: Global Livestream: Saving Iron Man!
Madelyn collapsed to the floor. The million-dollar mahogany desk had been precisely sliced in two, the smooth cut emitting a pungent, burnt odor.
Fear, like a cold current from the deepest ocean trench, instantly froze her limbs and bones.
The rhetoric she had prided herself on, those cages woven from interests and emotions, now appeared to be nothing more than an absurd joke.
She finally saw clearly that what she had been meticulously raising was not a pet at all, but a monster that had long since broken free from all its shackles!
Just then, that terrifying pressure, enough to crush one's spirit, suddenly dissipated.
Lin An retracted the red glow in his eyes, and his face was once again adorned with that sunnily fake, perfect smile. He walked elegantly over to Madelyn, slowly crouched down, and brought his gaze level with hers.
"Madelyn."
His voice was as soft as a lover's whisper, yet it made Madelyn's body tremble like chaff in the wind.
"Now, immediately, mobilize all of Vought International's resources."
Lin An extended a finger, gently hooked her trembling chin, and forced her to look directly into his ice-blue eyes.
"I want an unprecedented global livestream. Let the whole World watch me bring Tony Stark back."
Madelyn's lips quivered; she couldn't say a word.
From the depths of those seemingly gentle eyes, she saw only pure, emotionless indifference.
He wasn't losing control. He was simply no longer pretending.
"Do you understand?" Lin An's smile remained unchanged, but his tone had lost all patience.
"I... I understand!"
The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything else. Madelyn scrambled to find her phone, but due to extreme fear, her fingertips slid across the screen several times without managing to unlock it.
Lin An held a smile at the corners of his mouth, but his eyes were cold. This woman was a useful tool; it wasn't time to discard her yet.
The call finally connected.
"Ms. Stillwell? Regarding Stark Industries' stock price..."
"Shut up!" Madelyn let out a hoarse scream with all her might. "Listen! Right now! Point all satellites at Afghanistan! I want real-time footage!"
The person on the other end of the line was stunned by the shout: "Ma'am, that requires authorization from the Department of Defense..."
"I don't care what method you use! Hack in, or throw money at them until they open the doors! Ten minutes! I want to see the footage! Notify all media outlets, prepare to connect to the highest-priority global livestream!"
As she shouted all this, she could clearly feel the cold gaze behind her, like a laser scalpel pressed against the back of her head.
Hanging up the phone, she looked up humbly, like a dog waiting for instructions: "It's... all arranged."
"Very good."
Lin An stood up with satisfaction, brushed off non-existent dust from his body, and then turned to walk toward the huge bulletproof floor-to-ceiling window.
"Remember, Madelyn," his voice came calmly, "From today on, Vought International will have only one voice. As for those old fogies on the board..."
A cruel arc curled at the corners of his mouth. "When I return, I will go 'persuade' them personally."
Before he finished speaking, BOOM!!!
The special glass, capable of withstanding anti-materiel sniper rifles, shattered like thin paper before him!
Lin An transformed into a streak of blue and red light, engulfed in a sky full of crystalline glass shards, shot into the sky, and instantly disappeared among the buildings of New York.
...Three hours later, New York Times Square, London's Piccadilly Circus, Tokyo's Shibuya... tens of millions of screens across the globe were switched to an emergency livestream channel.
Under the "V" logo of Vought International, a striking headline shocked the World: [Hero Arrives: HomelanderLivestreams Global Rescue of Tony Stark!]
The camera zoomed out, finally focusing on the other side of Earth—Afghanistan, the barren mountainous region of Kunduz Province.
In the dark and damp cave, the sound of metal clanging was rapid and piercing. "Hurry! Ethan! They're breaking down the door!" Tony Stark was drenched in sweat, welding the final seam of the armor on his chest.
BOOM!!! The iron door was violently knocked open, and several Ten Rings Gang members holding AKs rushed in with sinister smiles. "Game over, Stark!"
Tony's heart sank. It's over.
Just at this critical moment, from the sky outside the cave, a terrifying, eardrum-shattering sonic boom suddenly erupted! BOOM—!
The sound came from far to near, fast to the extreme! Before anyone could react, another Earth-shattering roar followed! BOOM!!!
The entire top of the cave was violently smashed through by an object like an extraterrestrial meteorite! Gravel and dust fell like a rainstorm, and blinding sunlight poured in, illuminating the dim cave as bright as day.
In the midst of the smoke and light beams, a figure slowly descended. A deep blue suit, an eagle emblem, and a Stars and Stripes cape flapping in the wind—he looked like a god.
Dozens of micro-drones circled him, flashing red lights, conducting 360-degree, no-blind-spot filming.
The Terrorists who rushed in were stunned for a second, then immediately raised their guns and roared: "Fire!!" DA-DA-DA-DA-DA—!
The piercing gunfire echoed wildly, and dozens of tongues of fire instantly engulfed the figure.
However, the next scene made the gunfire come to an abrupt halt. Countless 7.62mm rifle bullets poured onto him like a rainstorm, but they couldn't even make him flinch in the slightest!
The moment the bullets touched his skin, they were repelled by terrifying kinetic energy, flattened, melted, and fell to the ground with a clatter as a pile of scrap metal.
[Popularity + 110, + 125, + 150...]
Watching the numbers jumping wildly on the virtual panel, Lin An's heart burned with excitement. He flashed a perfect smile at the camera, then contemptuously crooked his finger at the terrified group of Terrorists below.
Under the steel mask, Tony Stark stared fixedly at the hovering man through his crude eyepiece.
"What the hell... which department's secret weapon is this? Vought International's PR has reached the battlefield now? And which idiot designed this flashy costume?"
Lin An ignored the shock below, coolly gave an "OK" gesture to the drone camera, and then slowly lowered his eyelids.
HUM— His azure eyes were instantly consumed by scorching crimson. The air heated up rapidly, and two destructive crimson beams locked onto every fear-twisted face on the ground.
Lin An hovered in mid-air, listening to the crisp sound of bullets bouncing off his bodysuit. Hundreds of rifle bullets hit the eagle emblem on his chest, not even leaving a scratch.
He looked down at the Ten Rings Gang militants below, who were frantically pulling their triggers. Is that it?
In his past life, when watching movies, he thought these Terrorists were quite scary, but now facing them in person, it felt like a group of kindergarteners holding water pistols. Truly weak. So weak that he didn't even have the desire to lift a finger against them.
But he knew that the whole World's cameras were watching him now. Vought International's PR department had long since pushed the live feed to every screen in the World that could light up.
This was the perfect stage for him to accumulate popularity. "I, Homelander, will make America great again!" Lin An flashed a perfect, standard eight-toothed smile at the micro-drone camera circling him.
Chapter 3: The 100,000-Level Draw Begins!
The next second, his azure eyes were instantly filled with scorching crimson.
Zzz—!
Two crimson beams, as thick as an adult's thigh, erupted from his eyes with destructive heat.
There was no intense firefight, no deafening explosion.
Only pure, unreasonable physical evaporation.
The red light swept across the heavy machine gun position at the cave entrance; the Soviet-made heavy machine gun, still spitting fire, along with the fat, hulking gunner behind it, melted into a pool of boiling dark red molten iron in a tenth of a second.
He didn't even have time to scream.
Lin An turned his head slightly. The movement of his neck was minimal, but the red light shooting out was like a death lightsaber hundreds of meters long, sweeping across the entire valley position.
Several Terrorists holding RPG Rocket launchers had their bodies carbonized into ash the instant they touched the edge of the beam, drifting away with the wind.
The two T-55 tanks parked in the distance were like butter sliced by a red-hot table knife.
The hard composite armor was as good as non-existent in front of his Heat Vision.
The turret and the hull separated smoothly, and a blinding incandescent light shone from the cuts.
Immediately after, the ammunition inside the tanks was detonated by the high temperature.
Boom!!!
Two huge orange-red fireballs soared into the sky, instantly engulfing the armed militants within dozens of meters.
The entire process took less than five seconds.
The Ten Rings Gang armed forces on the outskirts of the valley, along with their positions, armored vehicles, and weapons and ammunition, were completely wiped from the surface.
All that remained was molten iron flowing all over the ground and the pungent smell of scorched flesh mixed with melted metal in the air.
Lin An retracted his Heat Vision with satisfaction, and the red light in his eyes gradually faded.
This skill is just too useful.
No need to use hands, no need to dirty his clothes, point and shoot—it's simply the ultimate tool for showing off.
He could even imagine that the people in the public relations department must be frantically taking screenshots right now, preparing to turn these few seconds of footage into Vought International's promotional poster for next year.
At the same time, in front of screens around the World, billions of viewers fell into a deathly silence.
In New York Times Square, the originally noisy and crowded crowd looked as if they had been hit by a freezing spell.
A white-collar worker holding a coffee had his mouth wide open, completely unaware that the scalding coffee was spilling onto his leather shoes.
In a bar on the streets of London, several drunks who were about to cheer for a football match dropped their beer glasses one after another, shattering them on the floor.
After a brief silence, the barrage on the live stream exploded like a burst dam.
"Fuck! What the hell is that? Shooting lasers from the eyes?!"
"A Superhero from Vought International? This is a human nuke, right?!"
"Mom, look! It's Superman!"
"He saved Tony Stark! He is a hero! Long live Homelander!"
"So cool, that cape is just awesome! Vought International's stock is going to skyrocket!"
[Ding! Shock from New York citizens, Popularity + 10,000!]
[Admiration from London, Popularity + 10,000!]
[Awe from Tokyo, Popularity + 10,000!]
[Shock from China, Popularity + 10,086]
On the translucent blue panel in the upper right corner of Lin An's vision, the numbers were jumping frantically at a dazzling speed.
He hit the jackpot.
He suppressed the impulse of ecstasy in his heart and tried his best to maintain an expression of compassionate justice.
This is the correct way to do things.
Why work for capitalists? Why take their crap?
As long as he stands in the spotlight and shows these visual spectacles to the whole World, he can continuously reap power.
Being a globally trending true god is the only way out.
Tony Stark sat slumped in a pile of rubble in the cave.
Through the rough and heavy iron mask of the mark i, he stared fixedly at the man slowly descending outside.
Tony's mind went blank.
Shit, did Superman come?
This entrance is a bit too violent... Superman wouldn't be this brutal, right!
Tony's pride and joy, the Jericho missile, was like a low-quality firecracker in front of the two red beams shooting from this man's eyes.
He originally thought that the Iron Man Suit he had built was already a miracle of human survival in desperate straits.
But now, looking at the molten iron all over the ground outside, Tony developed a deep sense of self-doubt.
Is technology really useful in the face of true extraordinary power?
Lin An stepped over the dark red molten iron all over the ground and walked into the cave.
Ignoring the high temperature around him that would have roasted an ordinary person, he walked straight to Tony.
Micro-drones immediately swarmed in like sharks smelling blood, adjusting their angles to give the two of them an epic close-up shot together.
Lin An even took a moment to smooth out the golden hair on his forehead that had been messed up by the airflow, facing the camera.
Ensuring his hairline was flawless in front of the camera.
"Mr. Tony Stark?" He reached out his hand, his voice as gentle as a choir lead singer, "I've startled you. Homelander from Vought International is here to save you!"
Tony swallowed hard.
He looked at the fair, clean hand in front of him, without a single callus, and then looked at the hell on earth outside.
"You... are you a Mutant?" Tony's voice came through the mask, clearly dry.
"I am an American, just like you," Lin An corrected.
Who wants to be one of those Mutants who are wanted every day and can't even get enough to eat?
I am a legitimate product of capitalist god-making, with official status.
Tony hesitated for a moment but still didn't reach out.
The mark i was just too cumbersome; he was struggling just to lift that arm welded with steel plates.
"Fine, American," Tony panted, "No matter who sent you, whether it's Vought International or the Military. Just take me away from this hellhole immediately; I don't want to stay here for another second."
"As you wish."
Lin An didn't waste any words.
He stepped forward and grabbed the thickest steel plate on the back of the mark i.
"Wait, what are you doing—"
Before Tony could finish his sentence, Lin An slightly bent his legs.
With a loud boom.
The hard rock under his feet was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and then it collapsed with a roar.
The violent airflow blew away all the remaining debris and weapon crates in the cave.
Like an intercontinental missile flying in reverse, Lin An, holding the hundreds-of-pounds heavy Iron Man Suit with one hand, smashed straight through the remaining cave roof.
Amidst the flying gravel, the two of them soared into the sky!
The wind howled shrilly in his ears.
Tony only felt a strong sense of weightlessness hit him instantly, and the acid in his stomach surged crazily.
He looked down through the narrow slit of the mask.
The barren mountains of Afghanistan shrank rapidly in his line of sight, turning into wrinkles on a sandbox in the blink of an eye.
The clouds were violently smashed by them, and the cold water vapor hit the hot armor, making a hissing sound.
"Slow down! Fuck! You're flying faster than an F-22!" Tonyroared in the communication channel, his voice distorted by the gale.
His pride and joy, the Iron Man Suit, was like a plastic toy in this man's hands.
Completely powerless to resist.
An unprecedented sense of powerlessness struck deep into Tony's heart.
He was Tony Stark—genius, billionaire, playboy.
He was used to controlling everything.
But now, his life hung in the hands of this man wearing a spandex suit.
Lin An looked down at the iron lump hanging in his hand.
"Mr. Stark, your outfit is really quite unique. Are you planning to attend a medieval knight convention?" Lin Anflew as leisurely as if taking a stroll at an altitude of ten thousand meters, even having the mood to tease.
"Shut up! This is a miracle I hammered out from a pile of scrap metal!" Tony retorted through gritted teeth.
"It is quite a miracle. But I have to remind you, hold on tight." Lin An deliberately shook his arm, "If you fall, I can't guarantee I'll be able to piece together a complete Stark Industries heir. By the way, did you wet your pants?"
"I didn't wet my pants!" Tony shouted subconsciously.
Although his legs had already clamped together involuntarily.
He tried to reach out to grab Lin An's thigh, but that tacky Stars and Stripes spandex suit was slippery, and he couldn't find a grip at all.
"I just think... this height is affecting my view a bit." Tonywas still being stubborn, but his body was honestly clinging tightly to Lin An's arm.
Lin An almost laughed out loud.
This tsundere personality really hasn't changed a bit.
But the more it's like this, the easier it is to fleece this sheep.
One of the tech ceilings of the Marvel Universe—if he could work for him in the future to build equipment, and incidentally serve as a traffic ATM, that would be a beautiful sight.
Lin An stopped paying attention to Tony's protests, locked onto the direction of the United States, and continued to accelerate.
Sonic boom clouds exploded in circles behind them.
He diverted some of his attention to look at the system panel in his mind.
That long string of numbers finally broke through a critical node.
[Ding! Detected that the host's current Popularity has broken through the 100,000 mark!]
[Novice stage mission accomplished.]
[System Store officially opened, unlocking the unique Novice Pack, 100,000-level Novice Draw Pool!]
[Do you want to immediately consume 100,000 Popularity to draw?]
Lin An's heart skipped a beat.
100,000!
Just one live stream, a few minutes, and he had increased the foundation the original owner had accumulated in months as a puppet at Vought International by tenfold!
Sure enough, in this disaster-ridden Marvel Universe, being a high-profile savior is the only way out.
Doing good deeds in secret?
Screw that.
Without hot searches, without cameras, that's called wearing fine silk in the dark.
He looked at the deep blue ocean below, a fanatical arc curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Draw."
Lin An muttered in his heart.
A translucent virtual turntable appeared in his vision and began to spin crazily.
Golden light flickered on the edge of the turntable, and the pointer swept across one mouth-watering entry after another.
Kryptonian Bio-electric Field, Doomsday Healing Factor, Primary magic immunity...
Lin An stared fixedly at the pointer.
Give me something solid.
Don't let me face those old schemers from S.H.I.E.L.D. with this defective panel that fears extreme physical strikes.
The speed of the pointer slowed down more and more.
Finally, in a dazzling golden light, it stopped steadily on a grid.
Chapter 4: Bio-Field, Nick Fury Appears
The strong wind whistled in his ears.
The airflow at ten thousand meters high scraped by like knives, but for Lin An, it felt like soaking in a warm bath.
He held the metal part at the back of the neck of the Tony Stark armor with one hand, while the other hand leisurely brushed back his golden hair, which had been messed up by the wind.
"Hey! Buddy! Can you fly a little slower! Or give me a wind shield or something! I feel like my mask is about to be blown off!"
Tony shouted at the top of his lungs from below, his voice torn to shreds by the strong wind.
"Bear with it, Mr. Stark. Superhero rescue services do not include first-class treatment." Lin An replied casually, without slowing down at all.
His mind was now entirely focused on the blue virtual panel in front of him.
"Don't give me trash, don't give me trash, give me a god-tier survival skill..." Lin An silently prayed in his heart.
A golden light flashed suddenly.
[Ding! Extraction successful!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: KryptonianBio-Field (Basic)]
[Entry Analysis: An innate ability of the Kryptonian from the DC Universe. It forms a form-fitting, invisible force field on the surface of the body, which can greatly resist physical and energy attacks. This force field can extend to close-fitting clothing, completely solving the host's problem of clothes tearing during high-intensity combat. Currently at the basic level, it can ignore conventional nuclear weapon strikes.]
Lin An's breath hitched.
He got a gold card.
He clearly felt a warm energy pumping out from his heart, instantly flowing through his entire body.
This energy finally condensed on the surface of his skin, forming an invisible armor as thin as a cicada's wing yet indestructible.
He tried gathering a trace of Heat Vision energy on the back of his hand and swiped it.
It didn't even leave a white mark.
It's stable.
Lin An let out a long breath.
The slight fear of firepower in the Marvel Universe he had felt earlier instantly vanished.
Ignoring conventional nuclear bombs meant that humanity's existing conventional weapons had completely lost their meaning against him.
Even better, this force field could also protect his clothes.
From now on, he would never have to worry about ending up on the headlines bare-assed just from a fight.
"Hey! Buddy, are you even listening to me! This piece of junk iron is about to fall apart!" Tony's desperate scream came from below.
Lin An looked down and saw that the iron plates of the mark i were indeed teetering in the wind.
"Hold on tight, Tony. We're landing."
Lin An suddenly dove, bringing with him a shrill sonic boom, heading straight for New York.
New York, the core square in front of Vought Tower.
It was already packed with thousands of reporters and fanatical citizens.
The surrounding streets were filled with broadcast vans, and several news helicopters hovered in the sky.
Madelyn, wearing a well-tailored professional suit, stood at the end of the red carpet.
The smile on her face was flawless, but from an angle where no one noticed, the fingers gripping her phone were white from excessive force.
Just ten minutes ago, the stock price of Vought International had experienced an unprecedented surge on NASDAQ.
A violent straight line had punched straight through the trading limit.
And the stock of Stark Industries, due to Tony's rescue, had also stopped its nosedive and started to recover crazily.
All of this was brought about by the man in the sky.
"He's here!" someone in the crowd shouted.
Boom!
A red and blue stream of light smashed down from the clouds, hovering ten meters above the square with a massive blast of air.
The flashes instantly connected into a white ocean, and the sound of shutters was as dense as a rainstorm.
Lin An paused in mid-air for two seconds, deliberately adjusting to an angle that best showcased the eagle emblem on his chest and the Stars and Stripes cape, before slowly descending.
He let go.
With a clang, Tony Stark, wearing the bulky mark i armor, felt his legs go weak and knelt directly on the red carpet.
"God..." Tony gasped for air, scrambling to lift the heavy iron mask, revealing a face covered in grease and sand.
He felt like his stomach was churning.
Lin An smiled, bent down, stretched out a hand to pull him up, and incidentally patted the dust off his shoulders.
"Welcome home, Mr. Stark." Lin An's voice, through the countless microphones around, spread across the entire square.
"I... I need to have a cheeseburger first, no wait, eat some ice water..." Tony babbled incoherently, his legs still trembling, but facing the camera, he still forced himself to strike that iconic playboy pose.
He glanced at the man next to him wearing a strange tight-fitting suit with a righteous face, a flash of undeniable gratitude in his eyes.
[Popularity points from Marvel core character Tony Stark+5000]
Lin An looked at the prompt popping up on the panel, the curve of his mouth growing wider.
It's just so satisfying to fleece the tsundere billionaire.
Madelyn, with a group of security personnel, walked up quickly.
"Oh, thank God! You did it!" Madelyn walked up in her high heels, opening her arms to give Lin An a hug.
Lin An calmly avoided her hug, simply reaching out to take the microphone handed over by a PR staff member nearby.
"People of America."
Lin An turned around, facing hundreds of cameras.
He stood straight, the smile on his face fading, replaced by an expression of compassion and strength.
The square instantly went quiet, everyone waiting for this true god to speak.
"Today, we have witnessed a miracle. But miracles do not happen out of thin air; they come from our belief in not abandoning any fellow citizen." Lin An's voice was low, deep, and extremely penetrating.
"Vought International will always stand on the side of justice. As long as you need me, I, Homelander, am always here."
A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd.
"Homelander!"
"Oh my god, he is so handsome!"
"This is a real hero!"
Listening to the tsunami-like cheers in his ears and watching the popularity points on the system panel starting to jump crazily again, Lin An felt every pore on his body relax.
This feeling of stepping on the entire World, making billions of people go crazy for you, was even more intoxicating than taking some illegal substance.
In his past life, he suffered from his boss in a cubicle every day, but now? He was the only true god of this World.
He raised his hand, preparing to say a few more nice words to completely milk this wave of traffic.
Just at this moment, a piercing sound of emergency braking violently tore through the cheers in the square.
Screech—!!!
Three pure black Chevrolet Suburban SUVs, completely ignoring the perimeter cordon and traffic rules, drove into the square extremely aggressively.
The leading car even smashed two roadblocks, its tires leaving long black skid marks on the ground, stopping steadily at the edge of the red carpet, right between the media cameras and Lin An.
The cheers came to an abrupt halt.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.
Reporters looked at each other, and security personnel immediately reached for the holsters at their waists.
The smile on Lin An's face stiffened slightly.
His hand holding the microphone paused in mid-air, and his eyes narrowed.
Who the hell has no sense of propriety, daring to steal his spotlight at a time like this?
The car door opened.
A pair of black military boots stepped onto the ground.
A shiny black bald head flashed in the crowd.
Chapter 5: Dimensional Reduction Strike of Public Opinion
He radiated an icy, unapproachable aura; even in the sunny plaza, he felt like a walking block of black ice.
Nick Fury.
Behind him, more than a dozen heavily armed Agents in black tactical gear quickly got out of their vehicles, spreading out in perfect unison to subtly form a perimeter, surrounding Lin An and Tony.
Although the Agents did not raise their weapons directly, the muzzles were all vaguely pointed toward the center of the red carpet.
Madelyn's expression changed instantly.
She certainly recognized this one-eyed man, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., a spymaster hiding behind various governments with immense privileges.
Although Vought International was powerful, it had always kept its distance from these state machines.
"Director Fury, what is the meaning of this?"
Madelyn immediately put on a cold, professional face and stepped forward to negotiate.
"This is the private plaza of Vought International, and we are holding a legal press conference. You have no authority to barge in here."
Fury didn't even glance at Madelyn.
He walked straight past her, his only remaining eye fixed intently on Lin An.
"Legal?" Fury let out a cold laugh. It wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet plaza. "It seems Vought International's legal counsel needs a refresher course."
He stopped three steps away from Lin An, pulled a document stamped with a red 'Classified' seal from his trench coat pocket, and flicked it open.
"Homelander."
Fury spoke the name in that condescending tone, as if he controlled everything.
Lin An didn't speak; he just watched him perform quietly.
But inside, he was sneering.
Marvel's famous troublemaker, control freak, and security Captain of the HYDRA nest had finally sniffed him out.
"According to the International Security Treaty and the Special Superhuman Management Act."
Fury held the document up in front of Lin An, a dangerous glint in his lone eye.
"You are suspected of unauthorized border crossing without the approval of any sovereign nation or the International Security Council, and of committing large-scale armed slaughter within Afghanistan."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole crowd erupted in an uproar.
Reporters frantically clicked their shutters; this was an even bigger piece of breaking news than the rescue of Tony.
S.H.I.E.L.D. arresting a Vought International Superhero in broad daylight?
Tony Stark frowned and stepped forward to block Lin An's side.
"Hey, One-Eye. No matter what department you're from, he just saved my life. The 'armed slaughter' you speak of was killing the Terrorists who kidnapped me. If you want to take him away, you'd better ask the Stark Industries legal team if they agree first."
Fury glanced at Tony, his tone blunt: "Mr. Stark, we will follow up on your case later. But right now, this is a matter of national security."
He locked his gaze back onto Lin An's face, seemingly trying to find a trace of panic on that perfect face.
But he was disappointed.
Not only was Lin An not panicked, but the curve of his mouth actually grew wider.
"So what?" Lin An tilted his head slightly, looking at Fury.
Fury pushed the document forward, his tone icy.
"Homelander, you are suspected of unauthorized transnational armed operations. Come with us."
"Suspected of transnational armed operations?"
Tony Stark looked as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
He shoved aside the Agent blocking his path and charged straight up to Nick Fury.
Although he was still wearing those tattered clothes stained with oil and his face was as pale as paper, the billionaire's aura was instantly in full effect.
"Is that one eye of yours not only blind, but did it also mess up your brain?"
Tony pointed at Fury's nose, his spittle almost flying onto that black face. "When I was in that damn cave, being forced to forge iron by Terrorists, where were you secret departments using taxpayer money? Drinking coffee and reading newspapers in your offices? Now my friend—"
Tony looked back at Lin An; what was this guy's name again...
But he immediately turned back and continued his frantic rant.
"Now this hero, who pulled me out of hell, is standing right in front of you, and you're telling me he broke the law? What law? You can't save people without the permission of your bullshit council, right? If your efficiency was even half as good as his, I wouldn't have had to eat sand in Afghanistan for so many days!"
Lin An stood to the side, watching Tony block in front of him like a mother hen protecting her chicks, and almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.
This tsundere billionaire was really on point.
Just ten thousand meters in the air, he was screaming in terror, but now that he had landed, he was already helping him bite people.
However, this assist from Tony came at the perfect time.
This was a global broadcast, with hundreds of millions of eyes watching.
Fury, that old schemer, had volunteered to be the villain; if he didn't make good use of it, he would be doing a disservice to all those god-tier skills in his system waiting to be fed.
If you want traffic, direct confrontation is cool, but sometimes playing the victim—being a tragic hero oppressed by the powers that be—can better stir up the public's protective instincts.
Especially Americans, who are born with a love for individual heroism that resists the system and challenges authority.
Lin An gently pushed past Tony's shoulder and walked to the front of the cameras.
He put away that condescending, god-like demeanor from earlier, let his shoulders slump slightly, and let just the right amount of shock and hurt show in his eyes.
"Director Fury."
Lin An's voice carried across the plaza through the microphone; it was no longer the deep, powerful tone from before, but instead carried a hint of incredulous hoarseness.
"I just heard a fellow countryman's call for help. Mr. Starkwas suffering; he was bleeding. I didn't think about much else; I only knew I had to save him."
He turned to look at the dense sea of camera lenses, his eyes even realistically turning slightly red.
"I thought that in this country, saving lives didn't require waiting in line to fill out forms. I thought the meaning of being a hero was stepping up when others were in need."
Lin An lowered his head, looking at the Stars and Stripes badge on his chest, his fingers gently stroking the eagle pattern.
"If I broke your laws because I flew to Afghanistan to save someone without filing a report in time..."
He raised his head, looked directly into Fury's lone eye, and his tone became firm and tragic.
"Then I plead guilty. You can put handcuffs on me. If cold, unfeeling rules are more important than a living, breathing life, and if this is the order you want, I am willing to comply."
Having said that, he proactively extended his hands and brought them together in front of Fury.
His wrists pressed together in a posture of waiting for the executioner.
Lin An was applauding himself wildly in his heart.
What level of acting was that? The Oscars owe me a statuette.
A spymaster like Fury, who spent his whole life hiding in the gutters plotting schemes—did you really think you could crush me just by holding a legal document?
I'm the darling of the American people now!
We are peers, I originally didn't want to use a dimensional reduction strike!