Samuel had no intention of becoming a beacon of light in this world. On the contrary, he felt this world suited him perfectly, precisely because he wasn't a "good person."
In his view, being a good person was equivalent to laying down your weapons and inviting others to slaughter you. There is a saying: a good person must endure eighty-one trials to become a Buddha, while a bad person only needs to lay down their butcher's knife.
If you don't want to be wronged, and if you have no interest in hearing apologies from those who hurt you, then you cannot let others dictate your life. Whatever you want, you must take for yourself.
The superhumans in this world were products of a serum called Compound V, controlled by the Vought Company. Their abilities varied wildly from person to person. Vought was a global titan, a conglomerate spanning pharmaceuticals, security, research, and food, with near-limitless assets. They owned an army of superheroes, the most elite of whom were The Seven, led by Homelander.
The roster consisted of Homelander, Queen Maeve, A-Train, Black Noir, Translucent, The Deep, and The Lamplighter. Samuel already had a few ideas on how to systematically harvest their powers.
Vought Company Headquarters, Manhattan.
Queen Maeve's face was a mask of cold indifference until the moment she stepped out of the building. Instantly, she projected a radiant, heroic smile for the public.
"It's Queen Maeve!"
"Queen Maeve! We love you!"
Cameras flashed incessantly. Under the blinding lights, Maeve maintained her flawless, practiced smile. She struck several poses, waved an apologetic hand at fans clamoring for autographs, and ducked into her custom Hummer in her exclusive parking spot.
As a brand ambassador, Vought required her to use this vehicle, adorned with "Queen Maeve" decals, for her daily commute. She climbed into the driver's seat and slammed the door. When she turned to grab her casual clothes from the back, her eyes widened.
A stranger was sitting in her car.
"How the fuck did you get in here?" Maeve snarled, her heroic persona evaporating. "Get out before you ruin my upholstery!"
She reached back, intending to grab the man and throw him through the window. But the moment she gripped his wrist, he caught hers in a lightning-fast counter-move.
"You motherfucker, you dare resist? I'm Queen Maeve!"
She twisted her arm, putting her legendary strength behind the movement. Then, she froze.
The man didn't budge.
Stunned, Maeve doubled her effort, but he remained an immovable object. Refusing to believe it, she gritted her teeth and exerted every ounce of her superhuman strength. Her arm muscles tensed and bulged, and her beautiful features twisted into a ferocious, desperate grimace.
The result was soul-crushing. This young intruder was like a towering mountain range—solid, eternal, and utterly beyond her power to shake.
Maeve stared at him, her eyes trembling. Samuel met her gaze with a roguish smile.
In terms of pure, raw strength, even Homelander might struggle to match him now. Jessica Jones's Super Strength, combined with the comprehensive enhancement of Isaiah Bradley's Super Soldier Serum, already put Samuel on par with Maeve. But as they locked eyes, a new System notification flashed.
[Ding! Battle detected. Reward dropped: Super Strength (Queen Maeve)]
With this second layer of Super Strength added to his arsenal, Samuel's physical power had likely surpassed Homelander's.
Maeve let go of his hand, glaring in exasperation. "Who the hell are you?"
"The world is so beautiful, yet you're so irritable," Samuel remarked playfully. "That's not good, Maeve. Not good at all."
"Beautiful?" Maeve sneered. "Only the fools who don't know the truth think this world is beautiful."
"Drive," Samuel instructed, leaning back into the leather seat. "Let's find somewhere quiet."
"Why the hell should I?" Maeve snapped.
"Because of that little emotional secret you've been hiding," Samuel said, his voice dropping to a confident whisper. "The one thing you don't want—and don't dare—let a certain someone find out."
Samuel watched the panic flicker across Maeve's face. He treated her like a personal chauffeur, closing his eyes as if to take a nap. Maeve's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. She desperately wanted to punch the smug, handsome look off his face, but she didn't dare turn hostile. Not yet.
The Hummer roared to life, charging out of the parking garage like a wild animal. Half an hour later, they pulled into an abandoned factory.
"Get out," Maeve said, turning her head sharply. Her eyes widened. The passenger seat was empty.
Where did he go?
Her first thought was pure terror: Homelander. Homelander had super-hearing. Had he heard them? Had he snatched the man away? If Homelander knew her secret, she was finished. She knew his selfish, violent nature better than anyone. If he knew about her past... if he knew about her heart...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A sudden knocking on the window made Maeve jump. She forced a stiff, terrifyingly fake smile and turned to look out the glass, expecting the red-white-and-blue cape of the leader of The Seven.
But it wasn't Homelander. It was the intruder.
Relief washed over her, followed immediately by a wave of humiliated rage. She threw the door open, lunged out, and threw a devastating punch at Samuel's playful face.
[Ding! Battle detected. Reward dropped: Super Defense (Queen Maeve)]
Queen Maeve was essentially a weakened version of Wonder Woman. Like Jessica Jones and the Super Soldier, her powers were purely physical. However, her durability far exceeded Jessica's—specifically regarding piercing and ballistic resistance. While Jessica could be hurt by high-caliber rounds, Maeve could take them head-on.
As Maeve's fist blurred toward him, Samuel's smile deepened. He didn't dodge. He didn't block. He simply looked into her eyes and spoke a single name.
"Irina."
The fist stopped an inch from his nose.
Samuel used one finger to gently push her fist aside. Then, with a smug grin, he raised his other hand, curled it into a fist, and delivered a slow, deliberate strike to Queen Maeve's dark gray chest plate.
BOOM!
Maeve was launched like a cannonball. She streaked through the air, smashing into a reinforced concrete wall dozens of meters away. The wall caved in and shattered, disappearing into a cloud of rising dust.