Just like a lyric says, the scariest thing is when the air suddenly becomes quiet.
How embarrassing! Having just stolen something from someone's house, only to turn around and run into the owner. Could anything be more tragic than this?
After a moment of silence, Popclaw snapped back to reality, her gaze falling on the medicine box in Marvin's arms, her pupils instantly constricting.
Their target was Compound V!
This stuff was strictly forbidden from circulation. If the Vought found out, her life would be over!
"Put it down!"
Popclaw possessed immense strength. In her agitated state, she stomped her foot, shattering the floor.
Leaving a deep indentation in the wooden planks, she lunged like a cheetah towards the three people inside the doorway.
Fortunately, Butcher reacted quickly, slamming the door shut.
Bang!
The apartment door was four or five centimeters thick, but it was still pierced by a bone spike.
A mere door could not stop a crazed Supe. The cement around the door frame rattled loudly from the impacts, and it looked like it wouldn't hold much longer.
"What the hell are you still standing there for?!" Butcher quickly pushed a nearby cabinet to block the door, hoping to buy some time, then turned and yelled at the two stunned people.
"Quick, go through the window, jump down! If you're any slower, we'll all die!"
The wooden door behind them had already been smashed open, splinters flying everywhere.
Popclaw squeezed through the gap, her face veined with bulging blue lines, glaring ferociously as the three jumped out the window.
The apartment she rented was on the third floor, nearly six meters above the ground, and there was no cushioning area nearby. Jumping directly would definitely cause injury!
There was still a chance! She still had a chance!
As Popclaw pondered, her body erupted with astonishing power, tearing through the last layer of obstruction.
But by the time she rushed to the window in a few strides and peered out, she found that where the three had landed, there was a black minivan.
Although they had taken a hard fall, the three still managed to get into the minivan, and then she could only watch helplessly as the black minivan carried the three away, leaving behind only her unwilling roars of anger.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
Sitting in the car, Marvin continuously spewed colorful language, cursing Butcher's family.
He angrily grabbed Butcher's collar, slammed him against the car door, his eyes bloodshot: "I shouldn't have agreed to you, Butcher, what the fuck do we do now!?"
"Hey, buddy, calm down!"
Butcher tried to keep his tone even, not to provoke his emotions: "It's not that serious. Didn't we all get out? It's fine, trust me!"
"I trust your mother's ass! I fuck your whole family, Butcher!"
Marvin was still furious, gripping Butcher's collar, his spittle spraying on his face as he roared: "You fucker! That woman saw our faces! Vought will find us soon!"
"No, you're wrong, Marvin."
Butcher wiped the spittle from his face and said calmly: "Vought won't find out about this, because I bet that bitch wouldn't dare tell Vought."
"Why?"
Marvin calmed down a bit after hearing this, but he was still suspicious.
"Compound V is Vought's top secret."
Butcher pried Marvin's fingers open and calmly straightened his messy collar: "Her Compound V didn't come from a legitimate source, remember? She's A-Train's underground girlfriend, so those compounds must have been stolen by A-Train and given to her for safekeeping. So, do you think she'll tell Vought?"
Looking at Marvin, whose emotions were gradually calming down, Butcher smiled: "No, she won't tell Vought, otherwise I guarantee she'll die faster than us!"
This was why he wasn't afraid of being seen.
Something like Compound V, its origin was already unclear; everyone had dirty hands.
If this matter were brought into the open, how would Popclaw explain it to Vought? And where did her Compound V come from?
Some things seem insignificant until they're exposed, then they become a huge problem. It's that simple.
"What about A-Train?" Marvin frowned, still uneasy: "If Compound V is lost, A-Train will definitely track us down. What then?"
"I'll figure out a way to solve this."
Although he said he would solve it, Butcher actually had no confidence, but if he dared to say so, Marvin's iron fist would surely be waiting for him.
A few seconds later, he added: "Oh, and for now, you guys better have your families hide until this matter is resolved."
"What about you?"
Marvin and Frenchie stared, grinding their teeth, at this despicable bastard.
He kept saying there was no problem, then immediately told them to take their families into hiding. They shouldn't have agreed to this bastard in the first place!
"I'm going to find someone to help solve this problem."
Butcher dropped that line, then patted Hughie, who was driving: "Stop the car, I need to get out."
"Butcher, you better solve this," Marvin gritted his teeth in anger, glaring at him, "otherwise, I swear, I'll use a steel pipe to screw your ass, and trust me it won't be pretty!"
Butcher, however, had already ducked into an alley and disappeared.
Marvin, still fuming, turned to look at the dazed Hughie, finding him increasingly irritating: "Drive, fuck! You idiot, do you want us to get caught?"
Emrys drove to the location specified in the message, an abandoned factory that had been vacant for a long time.
Such a place would indeed not attract attention, and few people would come there, making it an ideal trading spot.
Feeling the 'Deflection Field Generator' in his arms and ensuring it was activated, Emrys finally relaxed and strode into the old factory.
Butcher sat on the factory steps, trying hard to control his emotions; in his eyes, there was a hint of excitement mixed with a chilling coldness.
"Stop, just stand there, don't move!" The moment he saw Emrys, Butcher immediately shouted a command.
"Alright, I'll stand right here."
Emrys stood calmly at the factory entrance, about fifty meters from Butcher.
"The Compound V you want is right here." Butcher opened the medicine box, inside which six blue reagents lay quietly: "Now, it's your turn. Tell me where Rebecca is!"
"I need to check it, Butcher."
Emrys chuckled softly and said: "Only after confirming it's Compound V can I tell you about your wife, isn't that right?"
Butcher hesitated for half a second, then took out a reagent from the medicine box and carefully rolled it over.
"Mutual trust is a good start." As the reagent rolled to his feet, Emrys smiled, bent down, picked it up, and examined it for a moment.
It looked very similar to how it appeared in the story, a sea-blue liquid flowing within the reagent tube, seemingly emitting an invisible charm.
["Item detected: Compound V (Temporary)"]
["A product of genetic engineering, capable of altering human hereditary gene sequences to induce superpowers, but when diluted, it only lasts for 24 hours."]
["Energy provided: 0 units"]
"Can you confirm it now?" Butcher asked nervously.
"No, not quite yet."
Emrys pressed the bottom of the reagent, and a syringe popped out from the other end.
Under Butcher's horrified gaze, he smiled and directly plunged the syringe into his skin; the liquid inside was squeezed by the air and flowed into his body.
"Oh, no, you son of a bitch!"
Butcher's face was filled with horror, he wanted to stop it but it was too late.
Almost without thinking, he decisively imitated Emrys, took a reagent from the medicine box, pressed it, and popped out the syringe.
But just as Butcher was about to inject himself, he suddenly felt an invisible force forcibly stop his movement!
Immediately after, the temperature inside the entire factory seemed to plummet to freezing point.
The factory floor, and even the abandoned facilities, were covered with a thin layer of frost. The atmosphere seemed to echo with a cold wailing sound, sending shivers down one's spine!
Butcher's fingers, tightly gripping the syringe, were pried open by an invisible force!
And he was utterly powerless to stop it; under the influence of that force, he could only watch helplessly as the syringe slowly floated towards Emrys.
Around Emrys, one could even vaguely see chilling flames flickering with an eerie blue light, and dazzling electric flashes occasionally bursting from the void!
"Butcher, I told you there's no need to be so hasty."
In Emrys' deep brown pupils, dazzling colors seemed to be reflected. He lightly reached out and caught the reagent: "I'm not a bad person, and I won't break my word. I'm just doing this to test the authenticity of 'Compound V.' I'm sure you can understand, right?"
What good is it if he doesn't understand?
Circumstances were stronger than any individual, and even if Butcher had a million curses in his heart, he could only swallow them all back now.
"I understand, I understand very well." He forced a strained, ugly smile, suppressing his anger, and said with a fake cheerfulness, "I've given you the item. According to our agreement, you should tell me Rebecca's location now, right?"
"According to the agreement, you trade Compound V for the whereabouts of your wife."
Emrys crooked his finger, and the remaining vials of Compound V flew to him. As Butcher watched with hopeful eyes, Emrys deliberately sighed, "But, you should understand the meaning of 'but', right?"
"You tricked me? You bastard, you promised me!"
Hearing 'but', Butcher's heart instantly went cold, and he roared like a mad bull, as if he had gone crazy.
"No, no, no, I think you might have misunderstood, Butcher."
Emrys shook his head and said calmly, "I just want to tell you that these vials are Temporary Compound No. 5, at best 'inferior goods', and do not meet our transaction conditions."
"Temporary Compound No. 5? What does that mean?" Butcher, who had been enraged, suddenly calmed down.
"It means that these vials of Compound V, while they can grant superpowers, only last for 24 hours." Emrys sighed lightly, feigning regret, "Therefore, I cannot tell you your wife's exact location. However, as compensation, I can give you a clue."
Butcher calmed down. He knew the other party was doing this on purpose, but with his weakness exposed, he had no choice but to swallow his anger. "Fine, a clue is a clue!"
"Vought, search for Dr. Vogelbaum."
Emrys turned and slowly left the factory, his voice echoing inside, "Once you find the complete 'Compound V', you can come back and trade with me."
It wasn't until his figure completely disappeared that the chilling temperature inside the factory finally began to warm up.
Butcher, whose mobility had returned, had veins throbbing on his forehead and bloodshot eyes, glaring in the direction Emrys had left. "Next time, I'll make you—"
Emrys used his last few dollars to check into a low-grade hotel.
The advantage was that it was not far from Vought, allowing him to directly observe the vicinity of Vought; the disadvantage was that the hygiene was questionable.
However, in the eyes of a lower hive scavenger, it was already quite luxurious.
"Is this, in some sense, a case of wanting to cry but having no tears?"
Emrys rubbed his throbbing temples, trying to control the power and prevent it from spilling out. "I never expected that the superpower I awakened would be Psyker!"
Whether it was the sudden drop in temperature in the factory, the frost covering the ground and facilities, or the eerie blue flames and lightning when using his ability.
Undoubtedly, all pointed to the most terrifying power in the Warhammer Universe: Psyker!
Psykers are the only true blessing from the chaotic Warp, or the deepest curse upon all of humanity!
When a psyker fights, their soul projection in the Warp becomes like a blazing fire!
In the eyes of the demons lurking in the Warp, psykers are like high-brightness indicator lights, attracting an endless stream of demons who try to devour the psyker's soul projection in the Warp!
And the status and living conditions of most psykers, to describe them in one sentence, are even worse than those of scavengers in the lower hive!
In the Warhammer, under the Imperium of Man's oppressive policies, illegal psykers are extremely dangerous existences, often targeted by Gods of the Warp, turning into walking nuclear bombs.
Moreover, the Imperium of Man constantly has a large number of Black Ship fleets, cruising various Worlds to capture, hunt, or receive psykers!
Then, they are either sent to the Terra Throne World to be burned as fuel for the Astronomican, or they are imprisoned until death.
Emrys did not want to be captured and taken to the Throne room to be burned as fuel for the Astronomican, nor did he want to run into a fanatical Inquisitor and be finely chopped into minced meat.
So, there was only one path left for him.
Learn to control his power as much as possible and hide his identity as a psyker!
"According to the Imperium of Man's 24-tier classification, I should be an Theta-class Psyker." Emrys breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling a bit fortunate.
It wasn't that he didn't want to become stronger, but if his Psyker level went any higher, like Zeta-class and Epsilon-class, he would be subjected to strict Imperial control upon discovery.
And the more powerful a Psyker is, the larger and hotter their soul projection in the Warp, and the more likely they are to attract the attention of the Chaos Gods!
So, from a certain perspective, Emrys was quite fortunate that he was still at a relatively safe level.
At least he wouldn't be noticed by the Chaos Gods, or the Imperial Inquisition, or the Astropathic Choirs.
'Thank you Emperor for small mercies.'
"Next, it's Vought's turn."
Emrys looked at the charming night view outside the window and glanced down at his watch. "Hmm, it's time."
He knew very well that Vought would never risk letting Homelander interact with a You-Know-Who who knew his past, so he needed to add some fuel to the fire.
Opening his phone's Twitter page, sure enough, a video was quickly pushed to the top of the feed.
The content of the video was simple: in the image of 'Jigsaw', it mentioned Compound V and parts of Homelander's background, and issued an ultimatum to Vought: within 24 hours, if Homelander did not rescue Invisible Man, it would release all the remaining content!
Although Vought reacted quickly and deleted the video, he had backed it up multiple times and sent it out at scheduled intervals using multiple IPs.
He believed that Vought would soon be unable to sit still, after all, Homelander's identity and Compound V were their biggest secrets for survival!
Emrys briefly replied to Starlight's messages, then lay down on the bed to rest.
Vought, just a street away, clearly had many people who wouldn't be sleeping tonight.
The sudden outburst of public opinion on Twitter caused the company's stock price to plummet, evaporating billions of U.S. dollars out of thin air. Vice President Madeline was practically furious.
"Find him for me! Find this bastard at all costs!" This woman, who usually masked herself with shrewdness and competence, now seemed utterly insane, screaming hysterically, "I don't care how you do it, find this bastard immediately, do you hear me?!"
Ashley silently endured the Vice President's wrath, her face splashed with water, trembling. "Yes, we will find him as soon as possible."
Just then, Homelander pushed the door open and coldly glared at Ashley. "You, get out."
Ashley fearfully glanced at Madeline, who, with her arms crossed, waved her hand as if shooing away bad luck. "Get out quickly, I don't want to see your stupid face!"
Ashley, having received the order, bowed her head and hurried away as if rescued.
Closing the door, Homelander finally looked at Madeline, a hint of infatuation in his eyes, but it quickly faded, and he said in a deep voice, "I should be the one to handle this. No one is more suitable than me!"
"No, no, no, you absolutely cannot go!"
Madeline firmly shook her head, pointing at Homelander and raising her voice, "Did you hear me clearly? We will handle this. You stay here obediently and don't go anywhere!"
"Who else is more suitable than me?"
Homelander was furious, his face becoming distorted and hideous, completely devoid of any heroic appearance, and he roared, "You should know very well, Madeline, that guy knows my past. If I don't go, then all my fans in America will know what I used to be like!"
Just now, after that Twitter video went viral, Homelander's approval rating dropped by 10%!
This was what truly terrified him; once the public knew that he had been controlled since childhood and lived in such an environment, his approval rating would be completely ruined!
"Listen, you are not allowed to go. This is a company order!"
Madeline couldn't explain to him that the company was afraid Homelander would lose control, so she could only try to soften her tone, opening her arms as she used to. "Come, Junior, come into my arms."
Homelander's throat was dry and itchy. He swallowed, walking towards her step by step.
Then, Madeline embraced Homelander gently, as if holding a newborn baby, and lifted her outer shirt.
Homelander greedily sucked on her breast, showing a satisfied and comfortable expression.
"Good, just like that, Junior."
Madeline closed her eyes, gently rocking Homelander in her arms.
However, what she failed to notice was the distorted face of Homelander in her arms, and the rebellion and aggression flashing in his eyes.
...
The next day, Vought mobilized all its resources to search for that scoundrel.
But the results were minimal; the IP addresses from which each video was sent were not fixed, clearly indicating the other party anticipated their reaction, and analyzing the videos yielded no results.
As it was nearing 24 hours, Homelander grew increasingly agitated and stormed directly into the Information Department.
"Don't tell me you still have no news?"
Homelander's oppressive presence was too strong, especially with his current unstable emotions, rendering the entire Information Department silent.
Finally, in the extremely oppressive atmosphere, someone broke the terrifying murderous intent that permeated the office.
"We… we found it!"
Aisha from the Information Department was utterly terrified, her voice trembling: "It's… it's the Invisible Man's signal, about seventy kilometers south, in an abandoned factory."
"Very good. Do not tell anyone about this matter."
Homelander glanced at Aisha, raised a hand to caress her head, then looked around the entire Information Department, his voice chilling: "Otherwise, I will make you understand the consequences!"
"Yes, yes, I… I won't tell anyone."
Aisha frantically promised repeatedly that she would not tell anyone.
The rest of the Information Department staff, under Homelander's oppressive gaze, all nodded in agreement to this madman.
Then, Homelander strode out of the Information Department, his eyes dark as he looked towards the President's office: "No one can control me, no one, including you, Madeline!"
Without informing anyone, Homelander flew directly into the sky, dragging a piercing sonic boom, and disappeared into the clouds.
A distance of seventy kilometers was quickly covered by Homelander.
Looking down at the abandoned factory from high altitude, Homelander transformed into a meteor, his body descending from the sky and crashing through the ceiling.
Boom!
The Impact's shockwave directly tore apart the factory.
Amidst the swirling dust, Homelander, like a God, walked through the ruins towards the depths: "Didn't you want to see me? I'm here, where are you? Come out quickly."
He tried to use his X-ray vision to search, but many areas in the factory had zinc alloy, blocking his sight.
Suddenly, a puppet on a bicycle wobbled out from a corner.
"Hello, Junior, I want to play a game with you."
The familiar line immediately enraged Homelander, his eyes flashing with terrifying red light.
"Oh, calm down, Junior,"
The puppet's lower lip moved back and forth, emitting a mechanical sound: "I wouldn't advise you to burn it with your heat vision, otherwise I can't guarantee what the next video will contain."
The terrifying red light in Homelander's eyes actually slowly dissipated, and he forcibly suppressed his anger: "Who exactly are you?"
"I am a businessman, Junior."
The puppet rode its bicycle directly in front of him: "I happen to know some secrets, such as you, Junior, and also the Vought and Compound V."
Those blood-red eyes stared intently at Homelander, making him feel extremely uncomfortable, as if he had been seen through.
"Sometimes, knowing too much isn't a good thing."
Homelander completely dropped his disguise, his gaze sinister and fierce: "If you dare to speak out, I swear I will find you, tear off your limbs, and let you slowly die in agonizing screams!"
"How terrifying, I'm just a puppet."
The puppet shook its head, as if genuinely frightened, but then continued: "What would the public react like if they knew that you are not a natural Hero, nor blessed by a so-called God, but a monster created by the Vought using Compound V?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
Homelander's eyes turned red again, veins bulging on his face as he snarled ferociously.
If it were exposed, his fan support… He couldn't even imagine it; just the thought made Homelander feel like the sky was falling.
He needed to be recognized, he reveled in the feeling of being adored; if he lost that, it would be as if he had lost everything!
Therefore, he couldn't lose these!
"Wow, how scawy, it's Homelander's signature skill, heat vision!"
The puppet rode its bicycle back a few steps, tilting its head and saying: "How about we make a deal, Junior, a deal that benefits both of us, what do you say?"
"What deal?" The red light in Homelander's eyes dissipated, his tone icy.
Though impulsive, he wasn't a fool, and immediately guessed that this was the other party's true objective.
"It's very simple, I need a permanent supply of Compound V."
The puppet said directly: "In exchange, I will tell you a secret that will interest you."
"So your goal is Compound V." Homelander sneered, confidently stating: "What secret could you possibly have that would interest me?"
"Don't you want to know where your son is?"
The puppet said nonchalantly: "Of course, you can go find him yourself, but the premise is, will the Vought really tell you?"
What is meant by killing two birds with one stone?
This is it!
Thanks to Rebecca, as a tool, though they had never met, she was incredibly useful!
Emrys understood Homelander's character flaws; a son with whom he shared blood was enough to make him take notice.
Of course, even if Homelander did go to the Vought for answers, he had a second contingency plan.
As expected.
The information Emrys threw out directly stunned Homelander: "My son?I have a son?"
When did he have a son?
Could it be that the Vought, behind his back, used his genes to directly clone one?
"It has nothing to do with Vought; your son was naturally born and inherited your genes, possessing the same abilities as you from birth." The puppet then dropped another bombshell.
This time, Homelander was completely dumbfounded.
He widened his eyes, showing an incredulous expression, staring blankly at the puppet: "I… I actually have a son, and he inherited my genes?"
"That's right, his name is 'Ryan'."
Seeing that the time was right, the puppet once again dropped a bombshell: "As a reward, I will also give you another piece of news, about the Vought's contingency plan to prevent you from losing control, a plan to immediately kill you if you cross the line."
Still reeling from the surprise of having a son, Homelander was once again dizzied by the new information.
"No, impossible!" Homelander was clearly angry, growling: "I am invincible, I can do whatever I want, Vought cannot kill me!"
But Homelander's only response was the puppet's eerie silence.
The puppet's eyes, like it was looking at a Joker, let out a chilling sneer.
Without any explanation, silence was the sharpest blade, easily piercing Homelander's confidence, making his expression gradually darken.
"A powerful weapon will inevitably have a way to control it."
The puppet didn't care about Homelander's mood, speaking to itself: "Nuclear bombs are like that, and so are you. Why would you think Vought has no way to control you?"
"I accept your deal, it's settled."
Homelander's brow twitched slightly, a vein crossing his entire face: "Compound V, right? That's simple. How do I contact you?"
"No need, I will contact you."
The puppet rode its bicycle into the shadows.
"Wait, where is Invisible Man?"
Homelander suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit and hastily asked.
"Ah, I almost forgot~"
"He's there and there and there aaaaaaaaaaand theere. He's all over."
The puppet stopped, letting out an eerie laugh: "I'm sorry, that guy was too noisy, he's already been blown to bits."
Remotely severing the data connection to the control puppet, Emrys directly destroyed all evidence.
Leaving not a single clue, and after confirming his identity wouldn't be exposed, he drove away from the abandoned farmhouse.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Emrys pondered what he should do next.
But midway through his drive, he suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, like he had run a marathon after a severe hangover and all-nighter, as if completely drained.
Emrys immediately slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching violently against the road, a brief and piercing noise cutting through the surroundings.
Soon, this inexplicable dizziness and fatigue receded.
But in its place, he experienced severe dehydration from the inside out, as if his physical energy had been completely squeezed dry.
Emrys was drenched in sweat from head to toe, as if he had just been pulled from a lake, and his usually vibrant eyes were filled with deep exhaustion.
He tried to use the power of a psyker, but nothing happened.
It had been almost exactly 24 hours since yesterday afternoon when he injected Temporary Compound No. 5 and awakened his psyker power.
It felt like a beautiful dream, but now the dream was over.
"No, that's not right, power is still there."
Suddenly, Emrys frowned. He could still clearly perceive a power hidden deep within his soul.
The difference was that after injecting Temporary Compound No. 5, trying to harness this power became extremely difficult, like trying to pry up a hundred-meter mountain with human strength—almost impossible.
"Sure enough, this body inherently possesses the abilities of a psyker. Temporary Compound No. 5 acted as a fulcrum, infinitely amplifying my own mental power, which allowed me to leverage power."
Emrys quickly understood the key, revealing a relieved smile: "If, after injecting Compound V, I am an Theta-Class psyker, able to use psionics freely, then the original power of this body was probably Omicron-class, right?"
In the Empire's twenty-four-level classification, only Theta-class and above are considered true psykers, while Omicron-class at most has a little potential, but not much.
Except for a small number of people who unconsciously unleash psionics when facing mortal danger, they are almost unable to consciously control this power throughout their lives.
Presumably, that's why his predecessor survived the attack of a 'cultist psyker'.
"Fortunately, I know not to put all my eggs in one basket."
Emrys gently rubbed his temples, his eyes once again filled with determination: "It doesn't matter, even if it's Theta-class, so what? Once I inject the permanent compound, I'll be a true Eta-Class psyker, one level above, maybe even higher. By then, even in the lower hive, I'll have the power to protect myself!"
He knew very well that being a psyker was a double-edged sword; the more one indulged in this power, the deeper one would fall into the abyss of the Warp!
However, the dangers of the Warhammer Universe were everywhere, and the lower hive was surrounded by cults. Even if he knew the path ahead was a pit of fire, he could only choose to jump in.
At least, even delaying death by one second would be worth it to him!
Gripping the steering wheel, eyes fixed ahead, Emrys pressed the accelerator. His handsome face was etched with resolve.
"Even if the path ahead is filled with thorns, I will carve out a road. I don't want to die, and I especially don't want to die in the lower hive, like forgotten garbage, until I rot and wither away!"
"I want to live!!!"
On the deserted highway, Emrys' roar echoed through the long, dark night.
The suppressed emotions were released at this moment. He laughed loudly, driving into the depths of the night.
The next day, Butcher, hidden in a secret Base, received a call from Emrys.
And Emrys, on the other end of the line, nearly scared Butcher to death with his first words!
"Butcher, do you want to kill Homelander?"
Butcher's pupils constricted. He struggled to control his face, distorted by shock, and asked in a low voice: "Are you crazy? Do you know what you're doing? That's Homelander!"
"I know exactly what I want to do. It's you who doesn't know what you want, Butcher."
Emrys' voice on the phone was light and calm, as if it wasn't him who had just suggested killing Homelander.
Glancing at his companions in the Base, Butcher quietly went to an empty spot, covering the phone, and growled: "What exactly do you mean, Emrys!"
"Don't you think there are too many superhumans in this World?"
Emrys' light words hit Butcher's heart like a heavy hammer, making it skip a beat for a second, then pump even faster.
"Butcher, have you ever thought about what this World would be like without superhumans?"
"Gods should exist in stories, not in the real World, especially when a madman becomes a god in the eyes of the populace, it will only lead this country to ruin, won't it?"
Blood instantly rushed to Butcher's head, violently assaulting his reason and thoughts. He gritted his teeth and said: "Is that your true intention, to kill all superhumans? Emrys, you're a complete madman!"
"If a madman holds the button to destroy the world, would you place your hope in that madman's kindness?"
Emrys' unhurried tone was like the devil Mephistopheles tempting Faust, stirring the demon deep within Butcher's heart: "Now, who do you think is the madman?"
"Don't forget, your wife was raped by Homelander, and you were powerless."
"You once cooperated with the CIA, secretly handling many things, and precisely because of that, you know even more clearly what the essence of those superhumans is."
This sentence added another heavy weight to the already tilted scales in Butcher's heart.
His eyes were bloodshot, his face became furious and hideous, like a beast that had lost its reason, letting out heavy, bovine-like gasps.
"Butcher, this world is sick."
Emrys' deep, hoarse voice seemed to contain pity and compassion, as if he were truly mourning for the entire World: "And those who possess superpowers are the root cause of this world's illness. We must remove the root cause to allow the world to return to normal."
On the phone, only heavy gasps remained.
After a long time, Butcher seemed to have gone through a difficult psychological struggle, finally leaning towards that end of the scales, guided by his true inner thoughts: "What do you plan to do?"
"The day after tomorrow, I will make Homelander appear alone somewhere."
Emrys did not reveal the entire plan, deliberately concealing a part: "I will give you three Temporary Compound No. 5s. Then, we will act on my signal and ambush Homelander together."
"Are you sure he'll appear alone?"
Butcher frowned tightly, somewhat suspicious: "What if there are other 'Big Shots'? What then?"
"Don't worry, no other 'Big Shots' will appear."
Emrys reassured him: "I guarantee that day, only Homelander will be there, and I have a drug that can temporarily strip him of his superpowers."
"Alright, I'll trust you this once!"
Butcher also seemed to have fallen into a frenzy, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "Even if we can't kill Homelander, we can at least cripple him!"
He hung up the phone.
Emrys toyed with the Temporary Compound No. 5, the corners of his lips slightly upturned: "Very good, all the conditions are now met, just waiting for the final moment."
From the very beginning, Butcher had fallen into his trap.
Because, in essence, the plan to exterminate superhumans was Butcher's truest desire, and it was the action he would undertake in the future.
Emrys merely exploited Butcher's anger, bringing this timeline slightly forward, releasing that demon.
Milk Boy, are you ready?
Next up is the 'fan meeting'.
Of course, the fans might be a little 'enthusiastic', but the Milk Boy will surely love this gift Emrys has meticulously prepared for him!