Night, St. Mary's Hospital.
In the special ward, the TV on the wall was broadcasting the news.
On the screen was a building, with helicopters circling above it.
A beam of light shot down from the helicopter, landing on a figure.
As the camera zoomed in, it became clear that it was a man with a pale face and a small ponytail.
"Isn't that Arnold, the CEO of Orga Company?"
Lying on the hospital bed, after several days of rest, Supersonic, who had regained much of his vitality, spoke up.
Sitting on the sofa nearby, dressed in casual clothes and eating an ice cream, Starlight nodded vigorously.
Out of her superhero suit, she now had the youthful sweetness of a girl next door.
Especially her two small feet, which had kicked off her shoes and were now dangling restlessly on the armrest, making her look even more adorable.
At this moment.
The voice of a field reporter came from the TV screen.
"Dear viewers, I'm reporter Yacha Li."
"I'm currently at the Orga Company building, bringing you live coverage."
"Just ten minutes ago, we received news that Mr. Arnold, the CEO of Orga Company, has gone up to the rooftop, seemingly intending to commit suicide."
"This is truly shocking."
"Speaking of which, Orga Company has been in the news frequently lately."
"First, not long ago, a senior official from the Department of Defense revealed that Orga Company had successfully reached several purchase agreements with them."
"Then, two days ago, Orga Company announced its merger with Vought Corporation, with Homelander taking majority control."
"And now, Mr. Arnold is preparing to take his own life. This makes me wonder, what exactly has Mr. Arnold experienced?"
"What kind of ordeal has left him so disheartened that he would choose this path of no return?"
"No one knows the answer to that."
Just then, exclamations erupted from the scene, and the camera zoomed in for a close-up of Orga Company's rooftop.
But due to the distance, the image was somewhat blurry. Still, it was clear that a figure had jumped off.
Instantly, screams filled the air.
"No, no, no!"
"Oh my god, he jumped, he jumped!"
"It's over, it's over. There's no way he survived."
"This is insane, absolutely insane."
Amid the cacophony of voices, the camera shook as the reporter rushed toward the base of the building, only to be stopped by the police.
Other reporters from different networks were also held back, and they began their respective broadcasts in front of the camera.
Staring at the TV, Starlight forgot about the ice cream in her hand.
Only when it melted and the cold, watery liquid dripped onto her hand did she snap out of it.
She quickly took a big bite, smearing the melted white liquid all over her mouth.
At that moment, a light tapping sound came from the window.
Starlight and Supersonic turned to look and saw a figure floating outside the window.
Homelander!
Azu smiled and asked, "May I come in?"
Starlight hurriedly wiped her mouth with a tissue. "Please, come in."
Azu's figure became incorporeal, passing through the window like a ghost and entering the ward.
"Oh—"
Starlight and Supersonic gasped softly in unison.
Azu, who had switched back from his spiritual form to his original state, smiled and said, "I hope I'm not interrupting."
Supersonic quickly replied, "Not at all, sir."
"Starlight has already told me."
"That you saved me."
"I was actually hoping for a chance to thank you in person, sir."
Azu waved his hand. "No need to be so formal, Supersonic."
"Though you're not part of the Seven, you're still one of my employees."
"So, just consider it an employee benefit."
Azu cleared his throat and said, "I came tonight."
"First, to check on Supersonic and wish you a speedy recovery. Starlight needs your help."
"Second, to remind you both not to disclose anything about that parasite. We don't want to cause unnecessary panic."
"After all, it's already been destroyed by me. There's no need to scare everyone, right?"
Starlight nodded obediently. "We'll follow your lead, sir."
Since the incident last time, Starlight had become very compliant. Azu gave a satisfied "Hmm."
Then he glanced at the TV.
"Poor Arnold."
He shrugged and smiled. "Well, that's all I had to say. I'll take my leave now."
Azu gave Starlight a once-over and added, "This outfit suits you better than the superhero suit."
With that, his figure vanished from the ward.
After a moment.
Supersonic finally spoke. "Homelander's abilities seem to have grown a lot. He couldn't do these things before."
Starlight pursed her lips. "Or maybe he just never showed us before."
"Who knows?"
"Even though I see him every day, I always feel like we only know the tip of the iceberg."
"He's just that mysterious and powerful."
A certain glimmer flickered in the girl's eyes.
When Azu returned to the Seven Tower, he suddenly paused, then walked into the command hall with his hands behind his back.
In the hall, he saw Storm.
The woman pressed a hand to her chest and gave a slight bow.
"Good evening, Homelander."
Azu noticed she had brought a suitcase with her.
To ensure safety, Azu scanned the suitcase and found a corpse inside.
Not a bomb or anything like that.
"Good evening, Storm."
Azu walked over with a smile. "I was just thinking lately, why haven't I seen you in so long? Did you run away?"
Storm laughed. "How could I? Even if I fled the Federation, you'd find me in no time."
"So, did you find Mallory?" Azu had no patience for word games with a woman in her seventies or eighties, even if she looked like she was in her late twenties.
Storm nodded and patted the suitcase. "Mallory's body is right here."
Then she said with utmost sincerity, "I'm sorry, Homelander."
"I originally planned to capture her alive, but this woman was too cunning."
"I was afraid she'd escape, and in the heat of the moment, I ended up killing her."
Azu chuckled. "Open the suitcase."
Storm opened the suitcase, revealing a charred, unrecognizable corpse.
"That's quite a slip-up. You ruined her face." Azu gestured to his own face.
Storm raised her hand, letting arcs of electricity dance across her palm. "Perhaps my powers are a bit too rough for ordinary people."
Azu crossed his arms and pointed at the corpse with his chin. "Her face is completely destroyed. How am I supposed to know if it's really Mallory?"
"And based on my years of experience,"
"Usually, such faceless corpses aren't the real deal."
Azu looked at Storm, his smile widening. "Could it be that Mallory offered you some kind of benefit to let her go?"
The atmosphere in the command hall instantly grew tense. Even the night breeze that had been blowing earlier seemed to have died down.
[🎉 Shoutout to Hope, David, Vinayak & Joshua for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y