Chapter 226: The Concept of a Multiverse Alliance
Meteor Base, outer space.
Chu Hang stood in the center of the control room, his hands spread wide.
Golden light surged from his palms, spreading across the floor into a ten-meter-wide circle.
Ten pillars of light—Space, Time, Power, Life, Death, Spirit, Reality, Soul, Body, and Devouring—swirled around the edge.
This time, there was an eleventh one.
Golden-red.
The flames of the Phoenix Force danced between the pillars of light, stringing all the laws together.
Chu Hang closed his eyes.
The experiences of his clone in the X-Men Universe flashed through his mind.
From the first day at Xaviers School, to copying Charles's telepathy, to seizing molecular manipulation and ability amplification in Apocalypse's tomb, and finally, the moment Jean saved him.
Every memory was clear.
The clone and the main body shared a Soul, so the feelings were the same.
Chu Hang could recall the warmth of Jean's body pressed against him, could hear her crying in his ear, and could feel the warmth when she infused him with Life energy.
And there was the Soul fragment she had left within his source.
That fragment was now floating beside the black hole of the Devouring Law, a golden-red speck of light, radiating the mark of the X-Men Universe.
Chu Hang opened his eyes and exhaled.
Cosmic Overlord level, intermediate stage—stable.
Breaking through in power was only one aspect; more importantly, the connection to the Multiverse had been established.
With Jean's Soul fragment as a key, he could freely enter and exit the X-Men Universe without being repelled by its barriers.
A strategic victory.
Footsteps came from behind him.
Chu Hang turned around.
Wanda stood at the doorway, wearing a black dress with red patterns, her long hair draped over her shoulders.
She didn't speak, just looked at him. Her expression was a bit complicated.
Chu Hang knew he couldn't hide it from her.
Wanda's Chaos Magic was connected to his Law Domain, and she could sense his Soul fluctuations.
"You're back," Wanda said.
"Yeah."
Wanda walked a few steps closer and stood at the edge of the Law Domain. The golden-red flames danced at her feet.
She stared at those flames and was silent for a few seconds.
"There's someone else's aura in you."
Chu Hang did not deny it. "Jean Grey. She saved my clone and left a Soul fragment in my source."
Wanda looked up, meeting his eyes.
"Just saved?"
Wanda's eyes dimmed, but she didn't lash out.
She reached out, her fingertip touching Chu Hang's chest.
Chaos Magic surged out, red light seeping into his body, probing deep along the Law Domain.
She wanted to see that Soul fragment.
Chu Hang did not stop her.
The red light touched the edge of the Devouring Law black hole and found that golden-red speck of light.
Jean's Soul fragment floated quietly, its energy fluctuations gentle, bearing the mark of the X-Men Universe.
Wanda withdrew her hand.
"She loves you very much."
Her voice was very soft.
Chu Hang was stunned for a moment and didn't reply.
Wanda turned and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside was the starry sky, with countless points of light pinned against the black curtain.
With her back to Chu Hang, she said:
"I can feel her feelings for you. It's not worship, not dependence. It's love."
"The kind of love that is willing to give away one's Soul."
Chu Hang was silent.
"How long did you stay in that Universe?"
"A few months."
"A few months, and you made a girl give up her Soul for you." Wanda smiled, with a bitter taste. "You're still the same; wherever you go, there's someone going crazy for you."
Chu Hang walked to her side and put his arm around her shoulders.
"I didn't deceive her. My clone stated his purpose from the beginning: to learn more power."
"Her saving me was her own choice."
Wanda leaned on his shoulder, her voice trembling:
"But you accepted it. You kept her Soul fragment, and you established an unbreakable connection with her."
"What difference does that make from deception?"
Chu Hang did not refute her.
Wanda was right.
He could have refused Jean's rescue; he could have let the clone dissipate. But he didn't.
He accepted that Soul fragment, used it to break through to the intermediate stage of the Cosmic Overlord level, and also established a connection with the X-Men Universe.
This was his true nature.
Greed.
Never satisfied.
Wanda turned around, cupping Chu Hang's face in her hands, her eyes red:
"I don't blame you. I know who you are."
"I've known since that day in Sokovia."
"You will do anything to become stronger, and you will use everything you can."
"But you must promise me one thing."
"Say it."
"No matter how many Universes you go to, no matter how many people go crazy for you, I am your anchor."
"Deep in your source, the most core position will always be mine."
Wanda's voice was very soft, but every word was clear.
Chu Hang was silent for two seconds, then pulled her into his embrace.
"It always has been."
Wanda closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks.
She knew Chu Hang wasn't lying. She could feel that in the deepest part of his Law Domain, at the core of the Devouring Law black hole, there was a mass of red light.
That was her mark.
Deeper and more stable than Jean's Soul fragment.
It was left when Chu Hang first mastered Chaos Magic and had already merged with his source.
But this didn't mean she could rest easy.
The Multiverse was too vast, with too many variables. Every Universe had strong individuals, and every Universehad people willing to sacrifice themselves for Chu Hang.
Jean was just the first.
There would be a second, a third, in the future.
Wanda looked up and wiped away her tears:
"What did the Time Variance Authority say?"
Chu Hang released her and walked toward the console. The screen lit up, displaying a communication request from Loki.
He pressed accept.
A projection appeared. Loki was sitting in front of the Time Loom, wearing green robes, his expression serious.
"Chu Hang, you're back."
"Yeah," Chu Hang replied. "The matter in the X-Men Universe is dealt with. I obtained the Phoenix Force and broke through to the intermediate stage of the Cosmic Overlord level."
Loki's eyes lit up:
"Intermediate stage? So fast?"
"Someone helped," Chu Hang said without going into detail. "What's the situation now?"
Loki's expression darkened. He waved his hand, and the projection switched to a map of the Multiverse.
Countless timelines stretched through the void, dense and numerous. But some lines had turned gray, fractured, and disappeared.
Loki pointed to one area:
"Kang-117. One of the variants of Kang the Conqueror, with strength reaching the peak of the primary stage of the Cosmic Overlord level. He has destroyed seven Universes in the past three days and absorbed their time energy."
Loki zoomed in on one of the fractured timelines, and the screen showed a void. There were no stars, no matter, and even space itself did not exist.
"He's not just destroying them; he's erasing them completely. He's excising the entire Universe from the structure of the Multiverse, leaving no historical record behind."
Chu Hang frowned.
This method was more ruthless than any Kang the Conqueror he had ever seen.
Wanda stood beside him, looking at the void, her voice tight:
"Why is he doing this?"
Loki shook his head:
"I don't know. But we intercepted a communication of his; he was talking to some unknown entity."
The projection switched again, this time to an audio waveform.
A man's voice sounded, deep and with a mechanical texture:
"The seventh Universe has been sacrificed. The purity of the time energy meets the standard; we can proceed to the next step."
Then another voice, deeper, as if coming from the depths of the void:
"Very good. Continue collecting. When you have sacrificed thirty Universes, I will give you what you want."
Kang-117's voice was filled with fanaticism:
"The uniqueness of the Multiverse?"
"Yes. You will become the only Kang; all variants will be erased, leaving only you."
The audio ended.
The control room fell into silence.
Chu Hang narrowed his eyes.
Sacrificing thirty Universes in exchange for the uniqueness of the Multiverse. The object of this transaction was no ordinary entity.
"Who do you think it is?" Chu Hang asked.
Loki hesitated for a moment:
"There are two possibilities. First, the Anti-Monitor. He is lurking in the Land of Nihility and needs a large amount of time energy to recover. Second..."
He paused, his expression grave:
"Eternity."
Wanda gasped.
Eternity, one of the five cosmic entities of the Multiverse, representing time and existence. If it were behind the scenes, the nature of the whole matter would be completely different.
Chu Hang thought for a few seconds and shook his head:
"It's not Eternity."
"Why?"
"Eternity represents the existence of the Multiverse itself. If Universes are erased in large numbers, it will be directly damaged. It is impossible for it to actively plan such a thing."
Chu Hang called up the data on the Anti-Monitor he had collected in the DC Universe and projected it onto the screen:
"It is more likely to be the Anti-Monitor. The source of its power is devouring Universes and timelines. The energy of those Universes that Kang-117 sacrificed fits its appetite perfectly."
Loki nodded, his expression even more serious:
"If it is the Anti-Monitor, the situation is worse than we thought. It's not just waiting in the Land of Nihility; it's actively laying out plans, using Kang the Conqueror as a blade."
Chu Hang turned to Wanda:
"You said before that Chaos Magic can sense cracks in the Multiverse. Do you have any feeling now?"
Wanda closed her eyes, and Chaos Magic flowed within her. Red light spilled from her fingertips, outlining countless lines in the air.
Those lines intertwined into a web, covering the entire control room.
After a dozen seconds, Wanda opened her eyes, her face pale:
"Yes. Many cracks, distributed everywhere in the Multiverse. The largest one is at the edge of the Land of Nihility and is expanding."
Chu Hang stared at the Multiverse map on the screen.
That largest crack was at the edge of the Land of Nihility, like a wound.
He deduced in his mind. If the Anti-Monitor was truly planning this behind the scenes, then the thirty Universes sacrificed by Kang-117 were just an appetizer.
The real purpose was to tear open the barriers of the Multiverse and let the Void Power seep in.
Loki seemed to have seen his thoughts:
"I have investigated the trajectory of Kang-117's actions. The seven Universes he destroyed were not randomly chosen; there is a pattern."
On the projected map, the seven fractured timelines were marked in red, forming an arc.
"Look, the positions of these seven Universes in the structure of the Multiverse are very special. They are like support points; once they are all erased, the surrounding timelines will lose stability."
Loki zoomed in on the map, pointing in the direction the arc extended:
"If he continues to sacrifice twenty-three more Universes according to this pattern, it will eventually form a huge void in the core area of the Multiverse. At that time, the power of the Land of Nihility can charge straight in, without needing to slowly seep through cracks."
Chu Hang narrowed his eyes.
This method was more vicious. It wasn't a frontal assault, but rather dismantling the stability of the Multiverse from a structural level.
"Can the Time Variance Authority stop him?"
Loki smiled bitterly:
"Tried. I sent three elite squads to intercept and kill Kang-117, and they were all wiped out. The time energy he controls is too pure; he can reverse causality in an instant and erase our attacks."
"And he is very cautious; every time he finishes sacrificing a Universe, he immediately moves, never staying in the same place for more than six hours."
Chu Hang was silent.
Peak of the primary stage of the Cosmic Overlord level, mastering pure time energy, with the Anti-Monitorsupporting him from behind. Against such an opponent, even with his current strength, he wouldn't dare say he could guarantee a kill.
A head-on clash was not a good choice.
He needed more power, more trump cards.
"How is the situation in the C-4 and M-9 Universes you mentioned earlier?"
Loki called up two files:
"The C-4 Universe, which is the DC Universe you mentioned, I have already sent people to contact. But the Guardians there are very xenophobic, and negotiations are not going smoothly."
"The M-9 Universe cannot be entered for the time being; the Multiverse barrier is too thick, and forcing a breakthrough will trigger a time paradox."
Chu Hang thought for a moment and made a decision:
"The anchor for the X-Men Universe has been established. Next, I am going to more Universes and establish connections in the same way."
"It's not just to collect abilities; more importantly, it's to cultivate allies."
He looked at the dense timelines on the Multiverse map:
"The Anti-Monitor is laying out plans, and Kang-117 is sacrificing Universes. We cannot sit and wait for Death."
"I will send out more clones to establish anchors in those key Universes. In each Universe, I will cultivate a Guardianwho can stand alone."
"When Kang-117 has sacrificed enough, and when the Anti-Monitor is ready to break through the barriers, they will find that the Multiverse is not a loose sand."
Loki's eyes lit up:
"You want to establish a Multiverse Alliance?"
"Yes," Chu Hang nodded. "The Time Variance Authoritywill be responsible for coordination and intelligence support, and I will be responsible for cultivating combat power."
"When the threat truly arrives, we will have enough strength to fight back."
Loki was silent for a few seconds and then slowly nodded:
"I agree. But you must be careful; sending clones to other Universes is very risky. Not every Universe is as friendly as the X-Men Universe."
Chu Hang smiled:
"I know the risks. But if I don't do it, the risk is even greater."
"Kang-117 has already destroyed seven Universes; there isn't much time left for us."
Wanda walked to his side and took his hand:
"I'll go with you."
Chu Hang shook his head:
"No. You stay here and help Loki stabilize the Time Variance Authority."
"I will send clones, while my main body stays in the Main Universe. In case of any emergency, I can rush back in time."
Wanda bit her lip and finally nodded.
She knew that Chu Hang was right. A war in the Multiverse cannot be won by one person alone; it requires division of labor and cooperation.
Loki spoke in the projection:
"I will send you the coordinates of the key Universes. Some Universes have different time flows than the Main Universe; you need to pay attention to the time difference."
"Also, if you encounter a Cosmic Overlord level entity, do not fight them head-on. First, establish a connection and win them over to join the Alliance."
Chu Hang nodded:
"Understood."
"Then that's it. I will send out the first batch of clones within three days."
Loki waved his hand, and the projection disappeared.
The control room returned to quiet.
Wanda leaned on Chu Hang's shoulder and said softly:
"You will come back, right?"
"Yes," Chu Hang held her. "No matter which Universe I go to, I will come back."
"Because you are here."
Wanda closed her eyes, tears sliding down.
She knew the path ahead was very dangerous. Kang-117, the Anti-Monitor, and those unknown cosmic threats.
But she had no other choice.
She could only believe in Chu Hang and believe that he would come back alive.
Chu Hang looked at the starry sky outside the window, and that fractured timeline appeared in his mind.
Seven Universes, hundreds of millions of lives, just like that, erased.
He clenched his fist.
He could not lose this war of the Multiverse.
Not just to become stronger, but to protect.
To protect Wanda, to protect this Universe, to protect everyone worth protecting.
"I will win."
He said in a low voice.
Wanda heard him and hugged him tighter.
She believed.
Chapter 227: The Homelander Universe
Meteorite Base Control Room.
Chu Hang looked at the projection in front of him, a list of coordinates sent by Loki hung in mid-air. Over a dozen Universe numbers, each with a note.
He focused on one line.
Universe B-7, with the note: "Superpowers commercialized, social structure distorted, recommended to establish an anchor point first."
Chu Hang opened the detailed file.
The source of power was an artificial compound, named "compound v."
After injection, there was a chance to gain superpowers, and these people were called superheroes.
But they were actually controlled by a commercial company—Vought International.
Heroes protected no one.
They were celebrities, commodities.
Chu Hang narrowed his eyes.
The energy fluctuations in this Universe were strange, not as pure as the Cosmic energy of the Marvel Universe, nor as complex as the mutant genes of the X-Men Universe.
It was more like it had been artificially twisted, forcibly inserted into human genes, creating deformed power.
He pulled up more intelligence.
Vought Company had The Seven, the strongest superhero team in this Universe.
The leader was Homelander, with abilities like flight, Super Strength, Heat Vision, and Super Hearing.
Very similar to Superman.
But the note added: "Extremely mentally unstable, antisocial tendencies, danger level SSS."
Chu Hang stared at that line of text for a few seconds.
He had seen many strong people, and many madmen.
But those marked as "extremely mentally unstable" by the Time Variance Authority were few.
This Homelander had issues.
Chu Hang turned and walked towards the energy core. Golden light hovered there; it was the dimensional clone template he had adjusted after returning from the X-Men Universe.
The clone sent to the X-Men Universe last time only had initial Skyfather level strength; this time, the standard needed to be raised.
Homelander's strength in Universe B-7 was unknown, but anyone who could make the Time Variance Authority wary wouldn't be weak.
Chu Hang raised his hand, and ten Law powers surged out, intertwining in the air to form a human figure.
Space Law constructed the skeleton, Law of Strength filled the flesh, Law of Life injected vitality, and Law of Spiritshaped the consciousness.
A few minutes later, a figure identical to Chu Hang stood in the center of the control room.
The clone opened his eyes, his gaze colder than the original's.
"Your mission is to establish an anchor point, find the root of this Universe's power, and replicate the most valuable abilities," Chu Hang said.
"If possible, recruit or eliminate Homelander."
"Do not expose your true body, and do not clash head-on with Cosmic Overlord level beings."
"Understand?"
The clone nodded.
Chu Hang raised his hand, and Space Law unfolded.
A rift appeared beneath the clone's feet, and golden light surged out.
That was the passage to Universe B-7.
The clone leaped directly into the rift.
The light swallowed his figure, and the rift closed.
The control room returned to calm.
Chu Hang walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the starry sky outside.
The second clone sent out had the goal of establishing more anchor points and cultivating more allies.
But he knew that not every Universe would be as smooth as the X-Men Universe... New York, Manhattan, three in the afternoon.
A Spatial rift opened on the rooftop of an abandoned building, and the clone stepped out.
He landed, and Super Hearing automatically activated.
Sounds surged in like a tide.
Car engines, people talking, the hum of advertising signs, the roar of the subway.
These were no different from New York in the Marvel Universe.
But mixed in with these sounds was something else.
Lies.
Lies were everywhere.
The clone frowned, closed his eyes to adjust the Super Hearing frequency, filtering out noise, focusing on human conversations.
"The Seven saved another plane today, Homelander is so handsome."
"Handsome my ass, it's all staged."
"Are you crazy? How dare you speak ill of Homelander?"
"So what if I did, those Vought Company people are liars, superheroes are just celebrities they promote."
"Keep your voice down, you'll be finished if someone hears you."
The clone opened his eyes.
Humans in this Universe were divided into two types.
One worshipped superheroes, treating them as gods.
The other hated superheroes, treating them as monsters.
There was no middle ground.
He turned and looked at the towering building in the distance.
That was Vought International Headquarters, with a giant poster of The Seven on its glass facade.
The one in the very center, wearing a star-spangled bodysuit, with blond hair and blue eyes, smiled brightly.
Homelander.
The clone stared at that face, activating his telepathy.
His mental power spread out like a net over the entire city.
He wanted to find Homelander's location and perceive his mental fluctuations.
But as soon as he touched the edge of the other party's consciousness, the clone stopped.
No.
Homelander's mental state was not simply unstable.
It was completely twisted.
The clone could feel a black mass hidden deep within Homelander's consciousness.
That mass was churning, screaming, craving destruction.
But the surface consciousness was desperately suppressing it, covering it with a fake smile and a heroic image.
This sense of tearing was too obvious.
Homelander could collapse at any moment.
The clone retracted his mental power.
He needed more information.
Telepathy alone wasn't enough; he needed to know how superpowers originated in this Universe, what exactly compound v was, and what tricks Vought Company was playing.
The clone leaped from the rooftop, adjusted his posture in mid-air, and landed silently in the shadows of the street.
He walked into the crowd, changed into ordinary clothes, and used Reality Warping to subtly alter his face, becoming a Caucasian male around thirty years old.
Then he walked into the nearest internet cafe, sat in a corner, and opened a computer.
Information about The Seven flooded the internet.
News, interviews, advertisements, movies, merchandise.
Vought Company packaged superheroes as an entertainment industry; every hero had a fan club and commercial endorsements.
Homelander had the most fans, over 300 million.
But in some underground forums, the clone found another voice.
He scrolled the mouse and clicked on a post titled "Vought Company's Dark History Revealed."
The poster was called "Truth Seeker," and their ID had a string of warning labels, showing that the account had been banned seventeen times, but was re-registered each time.
The post listed a large amount of evidence.
Clinical trial records for compound v, showing seventy percent of subjects died or mutated.
Real background investigations of The Seven members, revealing Homelander was not an alien, but an artificial Superman cultivated in a laboratory.
There were also dozens of covered-up hero out-of-control incidents, with Death tolls exceeding four digits.
The most shocking was a video.
The clone clicked it open.
The picture was shaky, like it was secretly filmed.
A passenger plane lost control in the air, and two members of The Seven, Homelander and Queen Maeve, rushed to the scene.
Homelander flew outside the cabin and used Heat Visionto cut open the cockpit door.
But his power control was too crude; the Heat Visionburned through the control panel, and the plane completely lost control.
Queen Maeve rushed in to save people, but Homelanderstopped her.
"Can't save them, the plane is going to crash," Homelander's voice came from the video, terrifyingly calm.
"We can save people!" Queen Maeve roared.
"Save what? You carry one, I carry one, what about the other two hundred-plus people?" Homelander sneered.
"And if people see that we can't save everyone, what do you think tomorrow's headline will be?"
"The Seven are incompetent? Homelander is a waste?"
Queen Maeve was stunned.
Homelander turned and flew directly away from the plane.
Queen Maeve stood at the cabin door, looking at the packed passengers, and finally gritted her teeth and flew away too.
The plane crashed into the sea, and all 128 people on board perished.
The next day's news report was: "The Seven's full rescue effort, tragic loss of flight, Homelander speaks with tears."
The video ended.
The clone stared at the black screen, silent for a few seconds.
He had seen much darkness.
Thanos slaughtering Universes, the Time Variance Authority pruning timelines, the Anti-Monitor devouring Worlds.
But those were beings on a higher level, making sacrifices for some grand goal.
This Universe was different.
The darkness here wasn't for some lofty ideal; it was purely the ugliness of human nature and the greed of commerce.
Vought Company treated superpowered individuals as commodities and human lives as numbers.
And those superpowered individuals packaged as heroes were either Vought's puppets or completely insane monsters.
Homelander was both.
The clone closed the webpage and left the internet cafe.
He needed to meet the heroes of this Universe.
Not by secretly observing with telepathy, but face-to-face.
He wanted to confirm with his own eyes what kind of being Homelander truly was... Vought International Building, ninety-ninth floor.
The clone stood at the street corner opposite the Vought Building, looking up at the structure piercing the sky.
The glass curtain wall reflected the setting sun, dyeing the entire building golden.
It looked magnificent, but the clone knew it was just an illusion.
He activated his telepathy, and his mental power extended like invisible tentacles into the building.
The ninety-ninth floor, the exclusive floor for The Seven.
He sensed the mental fluctuations of six superpowered individuals.
The Deep was in the gym, Black Noir was reading a script, A-Train was asleep in the lounge, Queen Maeve was smoking on the balcony, and Starlight, who had just joined the team, was undergoing training in the conference room.
And one more.
On the top-floor terrace.
That mental fluctuation was abnormally strong, yet terrifyingly chaotic.
Like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment, calm on the surface, but filled with magma underneath.
Homelander.
The clone narrowed his eyes, deepening his perception.
He saw it.
Homelander stood at the edge of the terrace, hands clasped behind his back, overlooking all of New York.
His blond hair fluttered in the wind, his cape rustling.
His posture was perfect, like a statue.
But his eyes were red.
Not using Heat Vision, but bloodshot pupils.
The clone heard his thoughts.
That was not a normal human thought pattern.
It was fragments, screams, countless voices speaking simultaneously.
"They all love me..."
"They're all liars..."
"I am a hero..."
"I want to kill them..."
"Madelyn would be proud of me..."
"Madelyn hates me..."
"I am a god..."
"I am nothing..."
Homelander's consciousness was leaping between different personalities, tearing itself apart every second.
The clone saw something deeper.
Homelander's childhood memories.
No parents, no friends, no sunlight.
Only the white walls of the laboratory, scientists in protective suits, and test after test.
Strength tests, speed tests, endurance tests.
And punishment.
Whenever Homelander showed humanity, showed emotion, he would be locked in a completely enclosed room.
No light, no sound, nothing.
For days at a time.
They wanted to mold him into a perfect weapon, needing no emotion, only obedience.
But the craving for love was etched into human genes.
The more Homelander was deprived, the more twisted he became.
He learned to disguise himself, learned to smile for the cameras, learned to say the things a hero should say.
But deep down, he just wanted to destroy everything.
Destroy Vought Company, destroy the people who worshipped him, destroy this World that treated him as a commodity.
The only thing stopping him was the illusion he had created for himself.
He fantasized that he was truly a hero, fantasized that people truly loved him, fantasized that Dr. Madelyn was truly his mother.
As long as these illusions remained, he could suppress the darkness.
But the illusions were becoming increasingly fragile.
The clone retracted his mental power and took a deep breath.
Chapter 228: [Alchemy Law]
Vought Tower, 72nd floor.
Chu Hangs Clone, dressed in a suit, walked down the corridor with a tablet in his hand.
His face had been changed using Form Mimicry. He was a white man in his mid-thirties, with a receding hairline and glasses on his nose. He looked like an ordinary middle manager.
Telepathy was constantly active. A mental network covered the entire floor.
The receptionist was thinking about what to wear for her date tonight, the department manager was worried about the quarterly report, and the security guard was scrolling through his phone, looking at news about The Seven.
No one noticed him.
Form Mimicry not only changes appearance but also simulates temperament. Chu Hangs Clone now exuded the frequency of a standard Vought employee—tired, anxious, and obsequious to superiors.
Perfectly integrated.
At the archive room door, he swiped a card.
Access granted.
The card was taken from the manager's pocket ten minutes ago using Space Law's ability to retrieve objects from a distance; the manager hadn't even noticed yet.
The archive room was large, with metal cabinets lining the walls. Several computer terminals were in the middle.
Chu Hangs Clone walked to the innermost part, sat down, and entered the manager's account password.
The screen lit up.
He clicked on "compound v Research and Development Archives."
Dense documents scrolled from 1971 to the present, fifty years of experimental records.
He quickly browsed.
compound v was first developed by Nazi German scientist Frederick Vought. After World War II, he was recruited by the United States and continued his research with government funding.
The Military later gave up; the Death rate was too high.
Vought Company took over and changed direction. They didn't pursue stable Super Soldiers but rather Superheroes that maximized commercial value.
A high Death rate didn't matter; a one percent success rate was enough to screen out usable superpowered individuals.
Chu Hangs Clone opened a confidential document.
compound v ingredient analysis report. A dozen basic chemical substances, three enzymes extracted from unknown organisms. The report didn't say what those organisms were, only their codenames: X-17, X-23, X-31.
The core content appeared.
compound v is not a drug; it's a catalyst. It forcibly activates dormant potential gene fragments in human DNA, creating superpowers. But the process is completely random; no one can predict what the injectee will gain.
Flight, strength, speed, regeneration, mind-reading, invisibility, elemental manipulation—all depend on luck.
Those three mysterious enzymes came from three different superpowered individuals.
Vought Company captured three naturally gifted individuals in the 1970s, confined them in a laboratory, and repeatedly extracted genetic samples to refine these enzymes.
Those three people had long since died.
But the gene fragments were copied, cultured, mass-produced, and injected into thousands of test subjects.
Chu Hangs Clone continued to scroll down.
Homelander's file.
Date of birth listed as unknown. He was actually created in a laboratory in 1981.
Vought Company injected a newborn infant with a pure version of compound v.
The pure version dosage was ten times that of the regular version. The infant's body underwent seventeen genetic collapses within three days, each time near Death, eventually stabilizing.
He became the most perfect superpowered individual.
Flight, Super Strength, Speed, Super Hearing, Heat Vision, invulnerability.
Almost a replica of Superman.
The cost was written in the file.
"Subject exhibits severe emotional deficiency and antisocial tendencies. Recommend terminating project."
1985 assessment report.
Below it was a red stamp:
"Rejected. Continue cultivation, implement Mental Controlif necessary."
Chu Hangs Clone stared at that line of text.
He understood.
Homelander was a failure from the start. compound v gave him Superman's power but also destroyed his humanity.
Vought Company didn't give up because he was too valuable. Packaged and put on stage, he was a perfect cash cow.
Mental problems? Suppress with drugs, control with psychological suggestion, numb with spotlights and applause.
Chu Hangs Clone closed the file and stood up to leave.
He needed to observe Homelander up close. Not by peeking with telepathy, but by witnessing compound v's biological operation firsthand.
The elevator ascended, directly to the ninety-ninth floor.
The Seven's exclusive floor was heavily guarded. But for an existence that mastered Space Law, these defenses were nonexistent.
As the elevator door opened, Chu Hangs Clone used Space Law to distort the surrounding light and sound waves, placing himself in a perceptual blind spot.
He silently passed through the corridor, avoided cameras, bypassed two armed guards, and arrived outside Homelander's private lounge.
The door was unlocked.
Homelander never worried that anyone would dare to break in.
Chu Hangs Clone pushed the door open and entered silently.
The room was large and luxuriously decorated, with a panoramic view of New York outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. But the atmosphere was oppressive, curtains drawn, with only a few dim yellow lights.
Homelander sat on the sofa, a bottle of milk on the coffee table in front of him.
He slowly drank from a glass, his eyes hollow.
Chu Hangs Clone stood in the shadows, activating Super Hearing and telepathy. He doubly analyzed Homelander's state.
He heard a sound coming from inside Homelander's body.
Not a heartbeat, not blood flowing.
It was the DNA chain vibrating.
The cells modified by compound v were operating at high frequency, performing millions of energy conversions per second. Those cells were not naturally evolved; they were forcibly twisted into this state.
Chu Hangs Clone used Law of Spirit for a deeper observation.
In the microscopic structure of Homelander's body, each cell nucleus contained a cluster of purple substance. It wasn't a normal DNA fragment; it was the imprint left by compound v.
That substance was absorbing surrounding energy. It frantically drew from blood, air, and light, then outputted superpowers.
But the process was unstable.
The purple substance was expanding, contracting, and competing with normal cells for living space. Homelander's body was constantly in a cycle of self-destruction and self-repair, on the verge of collapse every second.
This was the essence of compound v.
It doesn't grant power; it transforms humans into unstable energy containers, using Life as fuel to forcibly ignite superpowers.
Chu Hangs Clone looked even deeper.
At the core of the purple substance was a rune, extremely tiny, carved at the molecular level.
It wasn't naturally formed; it was artificially designed.
Traces of Alchemy.
Not magic, not technology. It was somewhere in between. Using material recombination to forcibly rewrite the underlying code of Life.
Chu Hangs Clone's pupils contracted slightly.
He understood why compound v could mass-produce superpowered individuals.
Because its essence was the application of Alchemy Law. Treating humans as raw materials, forcibly transforming them into superpowered individuals with specific catalysts.
Low success rate, severe side effects, serious mental damage—these were all the costs of Alchemy.
Equivalent exchange.
To gain power, one must pay a price. compound v's price was humanity, sanity, and lifespan.
Homelander put down the cup and stood up.
Chu Hangs Clone held his breath, Space Law enveloped his entire body, concealing his presence.
Homelander walked to the window and pulled open the curtains.
The setting Sun streamed in.
Homelander looked out the window, a smile forming on his lips.
That smile was fake, as if practiced countless times.
He whispered:
"I am a hero."
"Everyone loves me."
But his hands were trembling.
His fingernails dug into his palms, blood dripping onto the carpet. Super healing caused the wounds to close, then he clenched again, piercing them once more.
Over and over.
Chu Hangs Clone watched this scene, realizing that Homelander was using pain to suppress the darkness within him.
This was the only way he could control his outlet.
If he didn't, that darkness would swallow his sanity. It would make him rush out of the building and burn down all of New York with his Heat Vision.
Chu Hangs Clone raised his right hand, a faint golden light glowing in his palm.
The superpower copier activated.
A system prompt sounded deep in his consciousness: Detecting special ability system, analyzing.
Light overflowed from his palm, transforming into invisible tentacles that extended towards Homelander.
The tentacles didn't touch his body; they directly penetrated Space, contacting the purple substance.
Homelander suddenly turned around, his eyes turning red.
"Who's there?"
Heat Vision was ready.
But he saw nothing.
Chu Hangs Clone stood in the spatial interlayer. Form Mimicry, combined with Space Law, placed him in the gap between the physical World and the void.
Homelander scanned the room with Super Hearing and used Super Vision to see through every corner.
He found nothing.
"Damn it."
He rubbed his temples and turned back around.
Chu Hangs Clone's replication was complete.
The system prompt sounded again: Replication successful, obtained concept—Alchemy Law.
Not Homelander's Super Strength, not Heat Vision, not flight.
But the underlying logic that created all of it.
Alchemy Law.
Using material recombination, energy transformation, and Life distortion to forcibly bestow superpowers upon ordinary people.
Chu Hangs Clone felt a new field of knowledge appear deep within his consciousness.
Not a specific ability, but an entire theoretical system. How to extract gene fragments, how to design catalysts, how to carve runes at the molecular level, how to transform humans into superpowered individuals.
compound v was just one application case of this theory. And it was a crude version.
True Alchemy Law could do much more.
The modification isn't limited to humans; any Life form can be modified. The success rate can be increased, side effects can be reduced, and even desired abilities can be designed specifically.
But the price still existed.
The core of Alchemy Law is equivalent exchange. To get something, you have to pay a corresponding price.
Chu Hangs Clone closed his eyes, digesting the new knowledge.
A few minutes later, he opened his eyes, turned around, and left the room.
Homelander still stood by the window, immersed in his own World, unaware that anyone had been there.
Chu Hangs Clone silently passed through the corridor, entered the elevator, and descended to the underground parking lot.
He walked out of Vought Tower, returned to his original appearance, and stood on the street corner.
Night fell, and the neon lights lit up.
Chu Hangs Clone looked up at The Seven's logo at the top of Vought Tower. The giant glowing number was particularly dazzling in the night sky.
Alchemy Law was now in his hands.
The power system of this Universe had been completely analyzed by him.
Chapter 229: Vought International's Judgment Day.
New York, East Side, abandoned warehouse, 3:00 AM.
Chu Hangs Clone sat on a rusty iron chair, seven laptops in front of him.
Code scrolled rapidly on the screens, tearing through Vought International's firewall line by line.
The engineering proficiency copied from Tony Stark wasn't just for building armor; cracking encryption systems was also a basic operation.
Military-grade firewall? It was no different from an unlocked door.
Fingertips tapped on the keyboard.
The architecture map of Vought International's global servers emerged, with seventy-two nodes distributed across six continents.
Each node hid dirty secrets—compound v experimental records, reports on handling out-of-control heroes, internal transaction fund flows, and hundreds of non-disclosure agreements.
Chu Hangs Clone narrowed his eyes and activated the Law of Spirit.
His consciousness turned into thousands of tentacles, drilling into every server along the network.
Administrator privileges were forcibly obtained, and encrypted file keys were all broken.
The alarm at Vought International headquarters sounded, but it was already too late.
Data was being packed, copied, and transmitted to one anonymous node after another.
Chu Hangs Clone pulled up the dirtiest part.
The complete video of the compound v infant experiments.
137 children injected, 112 died on the spot.
Of the 25 survivors, 19 went insane, 4 mutated, and only 2 successfully gained superpowers.
Homelander's cultivation file—every test from infancy to adulthood, the duration of being locked in a closed room, and forced drug treatment after mental breakdowns.
The last line of the psychologist's evaluation report read: "Recommend termination; the subject is no longer capable of normal social interaction."
The Seven's criminal list—The Deep sexually assaulted eight women, A-Train ran over a civilian and fled, Black Noir abused his power to blackmail businessmen, Queen Maeve allowed a flight to crash.
Each item had evidence: videos, recordings, emails, bank transfers.
Chu Hangs Clone packed and compressed these.
The folder title was just two words—Truth.
Then, he sent it.
The first recipient, The Deep.
Billy Butcher's email received an anonymous email three seconds later, with a 12GB attachment.
The second recipient, global media.
BBC, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, 320 news organizations received it simultaneously.
The third recipient, every networked device.
Chu Hangs Clone stood up, his right hand raised, golden light surging in his palm.
The Space Law and the Law of Reality were activated simultaneously, weaving into a global communication network.
He didn't use hacking methods; he directly rewrote the rules of information dissemination from the level of the laws.
All connected screens, all running devices, everything that could display images, were forcibly taken over at this moment.
TVs, computers, mobile phones, billboards, subway displays, mall screens.
The images all switched.
The first video started playing.
A scientist in a white coat faced the camera, with a laboratory behind him.
"My name is Alan Fletcher, former head of Vought International's compound v R&D department. Every word I say today is the truth."
He turned around, and the camera followed him to a row of glass pods.
Each pod contained an infant with tubes inserted all over their body.
"These children were bought from orphanages. Vought spends $20 million annually purchasing infants from third-World countries for compound v human experiments. The survival rate is less than 15%."
The screen switched.
Laboratory surveillance footage, date shows June 1998.
An infant twitched in a glass pod, skin ulcerating, bleeding from seven orifices.
The alarm sounded, but no one rushed in to save him.
The scientists stood outside the pod recording data until the infant stopped breathing.
The camera zoomed out, and similar scenes were playing out in a dozen glass pods simultaneously.
Billions of people around the World stared at the screens.
In Times Square, the giant LED screen played these images.
People on the street stopped, some covered their mouths, some began to scream.
In a bar in London, all TVs switched to this channel simultaneously.
The customers froze, and someone dropped their glass.
In Shibuya, Tokyo, an outdoor big screen was playing an advertisement for The Seven, when the image suddenly changed to a pile of corpses in a laboratory.
The crowd became restless.
The video continued.
The second segment was Homelander's training record.
A five-year-old blonde boy was locked in an all-white room.
The walls, ceiling, and floor were all white.
No windows, no toys, just a bed and a toilet.
Scientists outside the room gave instructions through a microphone.
"Use Heat Vision, target temperature 1,000 degrees, duration 30 seconds."
The boy complied, red light shooting from his eyes, burning through the steel plate opposite.
"Very good. Now stop breathing, hold it for five minutes."
The boy held his breath, his face gradually turning purple.
No one went in to help him.
Five minutes later, he collapsed on the ground.
The scientists recorded the data, pressed a button, and the room released oxygen.
The boy woke up, curled in a corner, shivering.
A cold voice came from the microphone:
"You did a good job. Continue tomorrow."
The screen switched again.
This time it was The Seven's criminal records.
The Deep attempted to force himself on the new Starlight in the locker room, and the camera captured it clearly.
A-Train ran wildly down the street, hit and killed a girl, and ran away without looking back.
Afterwards, Vought spent money to settle with the family and blocked all media.
Black Noir used his superpowers to threaten a businessman into signing a contract, and after the businessman refused, he threw him from the tenth floor.
Vought's legal department changed the cause of Death to suicide.
Queen Maeve and Homelander stood in front of the crashed flight, their conversation recorded by the flight's black box.
"We can save them." Queen Maeve's voice had a crying tone.
"Save them, my ass. It will ruin our image." Homelandersneered.
"Over a hundred human lives!"
"That was their own choice." Homelander turned and left.
The video stopped abruptly.
The World fell into dead silence.
Three seconds later, an explosive reaction swept through every city.
On Fifth Avenue in New York, a woman rushed to the Vought International building and spat at the glass curtain wall.
A dozen people rushed up, some picked up trash cans and smashed them against the gate.
In Hollywood, Los Angeles, a giant poster of The Sevenwas torn down and trampled underfoot.
Someone lit a lighter, and the flames engulfed Homelander's smiling face.
London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Seoul.
All shops displaying The Seven merchandise were stormed, shelves overturned, and figures smashed.
Social media completely exploded.
The top ten trending topics on Twitter were all related.
#VoughtInternationalLies #HomelanderIsAMurderer #CompoundVTruth #WeveBeenDeceivedForFiftyYears
Each one had tens of millions of reposts.
Someone broke down crying on a livestream, saying they had admired Homelander since they were ten, and now felt disgusted.
Someone swore to burn everything related to The Seven in their home; in the video, they threw a collection worth tens of thousands of dollars into a fire.
People organized protests in squares, holding signs—Vought International must pay the price, Homelander get off Earth.
Vought International headquarters, 99th floor.
In the emergency conference room, board members sat around a long table, each person's face livid.
CEO Ashley stood in front of the projection screen, watching the real-time updated public opinion report, sweat on her forehead.
"Stock price plummeted 73%, seventeen countries have frozen our assets, and the Federal Bureau of Investigationis already downstairs." Her voice trembled.
A board member slammed the table and stood up:
"Who did this? Who leaked this?!"
"I don't know." Ashley shook her head.
"The intrusion came from over two thousand IP addresses worldwide, every one of them fake. The technology the other party used is something we cannot track at all."
"Are those videos real?" another board member asked.
Ashley was silent for a few seconds:
"The archives department confirmed that all videos and files came from our servers. There is no forgery."
The conference room fell into dead silence.
Someone said in a low voice:
"We are finished."
Ashley took a deep breath:
"The only way now is to find a scapegoat. Push all responsibility onto the late former CEO, claiming the current management was unaware. Then immediately announce the suspension of compound v production, disband The Seven, and cooperate with the investigation."
"What about Homelander?"
Ashley gritted her teeth:
"We must cut ties. Publicly declare him an out-of-control product, and the company will fully assist in his arrest."
As soon as she finished speaking, the floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room suddenly shattered.
A golden-red figure hovered outside the window.
Homelander.
His eyes were red, not from charging Heat Vision, but bloodshot to the extreme.
His cape fluttered in the wind.
Homelander's voice came through the broken window, terrifyingly low.
"You want to cut ties with me?"
Ashley took a step back, and the board members stood up one after another.
Homelander slowly flew into the conference room, his boots landing on the long table.
He walked over step by step, each step causing the tabletop to sink.
"I have worked for you for thirty years. Filming commercials, appearing on shows, saving people, killing people. I did whatever you told me to do. Now you say you want to abandon me?"
"Homelander, calm down." Ashley tried to keep her voice steady.
"This is not directed at you, it's the company's crisis PR—"
"Shut up."
Heat Vision surged from his pupils, and Ashley's words were stuck in her throat.
Homelander turned and looked at the other board members:
"Every one of you knows the truth. You know how I came to be, you know how those children died, you know what The Deep, A-Train, and Black Noir have done."
He smiled, a twisted smile:
"But you don't care. As long as you make money, as long as the stock price rises, you don't care about anything."
A board member spoke up, trembling:
"We can talk, we can give you more resources, higher dividends—"
"I don't need it." Homelander interrupted him, "I don't need anything anymore."
He looked up at the ceiling.
Super Hearing expanded, covering all of New York.
Millions of people on the streets were cursing his name, smashing his posters, burning his figures.
People who once worshipped him now wished he would die.
Homelander closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Then he opened them.
"Since you all think I'm a monster, then I'll show you."
He turned and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling windows, preparing to fly out.
The conference room door suddenly opened.
Queen Maeve stood at the door, followed by Starlight and Black Noir.
"Don't go." Queen Maeve said, "I know you are very angry right now, but going out will only make things worse."
Homelander stopped and looked back at her:
"Worse? How much worse can it get?"
"You haven't killed anyone yet." Queen Maeve stepped forward, "The things in the video are Vought International's sins, not yours. If you go out and slaughter civilians now, then you're truly beyond saving."
Homelander was silent for a few seconds, then laughed.
"Do you think I care if I can be saved?"
He flew out the window and disappeared into the night sky.
Queen Maeve rushed to the window, watching his distant figure, and clenched her fists.
Starlight walked to her side, her voice trembling:
"Where is he going?"
"I don't know." Queen Maeve turned to look at the board members, "But if he really loses control, none of you will escape."
Ashley slumped in her chair and took out her phone to dial.
"Connect me to the Department of Defense, tell them Homelander has lost control. Initiate the highest-level emergency plan."
Meanwhile, in the abandoned warehouse.
Chu Hangs Clone turned off all the computers and got up to walk to the window.
He looked in the direction of the distant Vought International building and sensed that the darkness within Homelander had completely erupted.
The price of the Alchemy Law had arrived at the time of settlement.
What choice would an artificial Superman make—one who had been stripped of his humanity, instilled with false hope, and finally had even his hallucinations shattered?
The answer would be revealed soon.
Chu Hangs Clone raised his right hand, and a Spatial Riftappeared in his palm.
His mission was half complete; the myth of Vought International had collapsed, and the superpower system of this Universe had been completely exposed to the light.
Next, it depended on what Homelander would choose.
Chapter 230: The Rampage of Homelander
4:00 AM, over New York.
Homelander hovered in mid-air, looking down at the city beneath his feet. His Super Hearing fed every sound into his ears—the vibration of phones, the curses of people, the loud crashes of objects being smashed.
Millions of people were cursing him, hating him, wanting to kill him.
Thirty years.
He had acted according to the script written by Vought International for a full thirty years.
Now the script was torn to shreds, the applause had vanished without a trace, and only endless hatred remained.
Homelander turned abruptly, his gaze locked onto the Vought International building ten kilometers away. At the top of that seventy-story structure, the massive logo of The Seven was still flickering in the darkness.
Once, it had been his pride.
Now, it was just a cage.
He dove suddenly, a sonic boom exploding behind him.
Three seconds later, he reached the rooftop, scorching red light gushing from his eyes.
His Heat Vision slammed violently into the logo of The Seven; the metal melted instantly, and the entire logo collapsed amidst the twisting.
A piercing alarm resounded through the night sky.
Homelander landed on the edge of the rooftop, and his Heat Vision fired again. This time, the red beam of light was like the scythe of the God of Death, sweeping across the top floor of the building, easily slicing through steel bars, glass, and heavy load-bearing pillars.
The entire building began to tremble violently.
The 98th floor, the 97th floor, the 96th floor... The glass curtain wall shattered like a waterfall, steel bars snapped in response, and concrete blocks collapsed one after another.
Homelander flew five hundred meters away and hovered quietly in mid-air.
The upper half of the Vought International building began to tilt slowly. A dozen seconds later, the entire top section completely detached, crashing toward another office building nearby, kicking up sky-high dust.
Pedestrians on the street screamed and fled in all directions.
Homelander watched all of this indifferently, his face devoid of any expression.
He turned around and flew toward Long Island.
Vought International had a secret laboratory there, which was also the place where he had been created back then.
Two minutes later, he landed.
Outside the laboratory, armed guards stood in rows. The leader raised his gun and shouted: "Stop! We have received orders—"
Before he could finish, his Heat Vision swept past.
Three people fell to the ground.
The remaining people threw away their guns and turned to run.
Homelander walked into the building, smashed the front desk with one punch, and lifted the carpet. Beneath it was a heavy metal door leading underground. He grabbed the handle and yanked hard, tearing the three-ton blast door right off.
The stairs led to the second basement level. The smell of disinfectant, chemical reagents, and some kind of rot mixed together, nauseating to the senses.
On both sides of the corridor were glass cabins, with test subjects still lying in three of them.
Homelander walked to the first cabin. Inside was a boy of about ten years old, his skin gray and white, his body covered in various tubes.
The file tag read: [Subject D-117, dosage 150%, survival time 231 days, performance: failure.]
Homelander pressed his hand against the glass and pushed hard.
The glass cabin exploded instantly, the boy's body slid out, and the Life monitor let out a long beep, turning into a flat line.
The second cabin, the third cabin—he smashed them all to pieces.
Then the experimental tables, petri dishes, refrigerators... all containers holding compound v were destroyed by him, and purple liquid covered the entire floor.
Deepest inside was the archives room.
Homelander opened the drawer labeled "001", which contained his file.
[Date of birth: None.]
[Date of creation: March 12, 1981.]
[Parent: None.]
He closed the file and walked out of the laboratory.
Flying into the sky, his super vision scanned the structure of the building.
Three seconds later, he locked onto the location of all the load-bearing pillars.
Dive.
He crashed into the building like a missile, charging straight to the second basement level, his fists slamming fiercely into the load-bearing pillars.
One, two, three.
The whole building began to sink.
Homelander rushed out of the ground and hovered a hundred meters in the air. The three-story building behind him slowly collapsed, eventually turning into a pile of rubble.
The third target—the compound v production factory located in New Jersey.
Ten minutes later, he arrived at his destination.
The factory covered an area of five hectares, and the main plant was a massive steel structure with six chimneys continuously emitting exhaust gas.
Homelander landed in front of the main gate.
The guards rushed out immediately, holding stun guns: "Stop! This is—"
Homelander grabbed one by the neck and lifted him up: "How many people are inside?"
"Night... night shift... about eighty..."
"Get lost."
The guard scrambled away.
Homelander walked into the factory, his Super Hearinginstantly unfolding—the sound of production lines running, the chatter of workers, the sound of liquid boiling in chemical reaction kettles, everything was clearly audible.
The broadcast was playing an emergency notice: "Everyone evacuate immediately, Homelander has already—"
He rushed into the main plant.
Workers saw him and were so scared they dropped everything in their hands and fled in all directions.
Homelander walked to the largest reaction kettle, raised his hands, and fired his Heat Vision at full power. Two scorching beams of light slammed into the reaction kettle, and the titanium alloy shell began to melt. A few seconds later, the shell was pierced, and the purple compound vgushed out, immediately emitting large amounts of white smoke upon contact with the air.
He continued to slice open the second and third reaction kettles. More liquid flowed out, gathering into a purple lake on the ground.
The factory's automatic sprinkler system activated, but when the water mist touched the compound v, the chemical reaction became even more violent. The temperature soared rapidly, and the machines began to smoke and catch fire.
Homelander flew out of the plant, rose to an altitude of five hundred meters, and looked down. The fire spread rapidly, black smoke billowed, and the surviving workers were fleeing for their lives from every exit.
...
Downtown Manhattan, in front of the ruins of the Vought International building.
Queen Maeve, Starlight, and Black Noir stood outside the cordon, looking at the still-smoking wreckage.
"He's crazy," Black Noir said, "completely crazy."
Starlight bit her lip, her eyes reddening. She had only joined The Seven three months ago; once, she had worshipped Homelander so much.
"We have to stop him," Queen Maeve said.
But there was not a shred of confidence in her voice. She knew very well the gap between herself and Homelander; if they fought head-on, she wouldn't last ten seconds.
Just then, an anomaly appeared in the sky.
It wasn't Homelander; it was a completely different energy fluctuation.
Space rippled like the surface of Water, and then, a crack appeared out of thin air.
Chu Hangs Clone slowly walked out of the crack and hovered above the ruins.
He was wearing a dark long trench coat, his black hair fluttering gently in the night wind, no armor, no logo, yet he radiated a heart-palpitating aura.
Queen Maeve looked up at him, her heart skipping a beat.
That wasn't fear, but a kind of awe born from instinct.
Her body was telling her that the person in front of her was a hundred times more dangerous than Homelander.
Chu Hangs Clone's Spirit scanned the entire Manhattan. He captured Homelander's location at the New Jersey factory and also sensed that the compound v in the other's body was spiraling out of control.
The molecular structure of those purple substances was collapsing; before long, Homelander would either self-detonate or go completely insane.
Now was the perfect time to act.
But Chu Hangs Clone did not move. He needed the people of this Universe to realize just how fragile the hero system they were so proud of really was.
"Who are you?" Queen Maeve couldn't help but shout.
Chu Hangs Clone looked down at her and did not answer.
He raised his right hand, and a brilliant golden light lit up in his palm. Space Law and Alchemy Law were activated simultaneously, weaving a complex array of runes in mid-air. The array rotated slowly, emitting a fluctuation that made one's Soul tremble.
Far away in New Jersey, Homelander suddenly felt his chest tighten.
He looked down and saw the purple veins under his skin glowing.
Those imprints of compound v seemed to come alive, wriggling crazily inside his body.
Pain.
Unprecedented, excruciating pain.
Homelander clutched his head with both hands, screaming as he fell from the sky, slamming heavily into the ruins of the factory. He wanted to stand up, but his limbs completely refused to obey.
The energy inside his body was going on a wild rampage, and his Heat Vision shot out from his eyes uncontrollably, destroying everything around him.
"What is happening?!"
He gritted his teeth, wanting to suppress it, but it was useless. That mysterious external force acted directly on the genetic level, ruthlessly dismantling the molecular structure of the compound v.
Not destroying, but rewriting.
Over Manhattan, Chu Hangs Clone withdrew his hand, and the rune array in the air dissipated.
He had planted an anchor point inside Homelander's body. This shackle constructed by the Alchemy Law would not only limit the rampage of the compound v but would also permanently weaken Homelander's power by thirty percent.
That was enough.
Chapter 231: Starlight
New Jersey factory ruins.
Homelander crawled out of the rubble, his chest still aching. It wasn't an external injury, but a tearing sensation inside him, growing heavier and heavier.
He glanced at his palm; the purple lines under his skin were still glowing, but much dimmer.
His power was draining.
More accurately, it was suppressed.
Homelander clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. He tried his Heat Vision, and red light surged from his pupils, but its power was only half of what it used to be.
Damn it.
He flew into the sky, activating his Super Hearing. The whole World was cursing him, but he no longer cared.
Vought ruined him, so he would ruin everything Voughthad.
London headquarters, Paris branch, Berlin propaganda center, Tokyo office... not a single one would be left standing.
Homelander accelerated towards the Atlantic Ocean. The sonic boom exploded, and a white wake rippled across the sea... The Pentagon, War Room.
Red alarms blared throughout the room. The screen displayed Homelander's flight path, his speed exceeding Mach 2.
"He's going to London," the Minister of Defense said, his face ashen.
"Twelve F22s have already taken off," the Chief of Staffsaid.
"Are they confident?"
"I don't know. Vought's files say he can withstand a nuclear bomb, but we haven't tested it."
The Minister of Defense was silent for a few seconds:
"Launch."
Thirty thousand feet above the Atlantic Ocean.
Twelve F22s flew in formation, their radar locking onto the high-speed target.
"Target confirmed, fifty kilometers away."
"AIM-120 ready."
"Launch."
Six missiles detached from the wings, trailing white flames as they streaked towards Homelander.
Homelander saw them. The missiles seemed as slow as snails in his eyes. He stopped, hovering in mid-air, and spread his arms.
Boom—
Six fireballs exploded, their Impact dispersing the surrounding clouds.
When the smoke cleared, Homelander was unharmed.
He looked up at the fighter jets, his eyes glowing red. Heat Vision shot out, and three F22s exploded instantly, their wreckage falling into the sea.
The remaining fighter jets pulled up and fled.
It was too late.
Homelander pursued them, smashing his fist through a cockpit. The pilot didn't even have time to react before the fighter jet exploded into fragments in the air.
Three minutes later, all twelve F22s had crashed.
Homelander continued flying towards London.
...Manhattan, Vought International's temporary command center.
Queen Maeve stood by the window, watching the live television broadcast. The Military's fighter jets were as fragile as paper in front of Homelander.
"We have to do something," Starlight walked over, her voice firm.
"Do what? Do you think we can stop him?"
"I don't know, but someone has to try."
"That person won't be you. You only joined three months ago; you're no match for him."
"So we just let him keep killing people?"
Queen Maeve fell silent.
Starlight didn't wait for her answer, turning and walking out of the command center.
Queen Maeve took two steps to follow, then stopped. She couldn't persuade her. This twenty-three-year-old girl was too stubborn, still believing that heroes should protect people.
On television, Homelander had already arrived in London.
Vought Europe Headquarters was a forty-story glass building, situated on the banks of the River Thames.
Homelander crashed directly through the top floor.
Glass shattered, steel bars twisted.
He rushed to the ground floor lobby, red light shooting from his eyes. Heat Vision swept across the load-bearing columns, and steel melted under the high temperature; the entire building began to tilt.
Alarms blared down the entire street, and pedestrians screamed and fled.
Thirty seconds later, the building collapsed with a roar.
Global media were broadcasting live. The BBC female anchor's voice trembled, trying to remain calm, but every word shook.
Homelander flew out of the ruins, not even a speck of dust on him. He glanced at the London Eye in the distance, then turned and flew towards his next target.
Lower Manhattan.
Starlight stood on top of a skyscraper, watching the television screen.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Light energy began to surge within her, flowing through her blood vessels to her entire body. A golden glow appeared under her skin, and two dazzling orbs of light condensed in her hands.
Queen Maeve's voice came through the communicator:
"Starlight, don't be impulsive."
"I'm not being impulsive, I'm just doing what I should do."
She turned off her communicator and leaped from the rooftop.
Light energy condensed into propulsion under her feet, carrying her flying into the distance. Her speed wasn't fast, but it was steady enough.
Brooklyn, Vought Memorial.
This was Vought's first exhibition hall, built fifty years ago, displaying early data on compound v and the history of The Seven.
When Starlight arrived, thousands of people had already gathered outside the museum. They held signs and chanted slogans, demanding answers from Vought International.
Then they saw the golden-red figure in the sky, and everyone froze.
Homelander landed in front of the door, looking at the crowd.
The crowd began to retreat. Some dropped their signs and ran, some took pictures with their phones, and more just stood there, pinned to the ground by fear.
Homelander didn't look at them, walking straight into the museum.
Thirty seconds later, the entire building exploded from within. Flames shot into the sky, and glass shards rained down.
Homelander walked out of the flames, a few sparks still burning on him. He patted his cape, preparing to leave.
"Stop!"
A golden beam of light descended from the sky, slamming into the ground in front of him. A half-meter wide crater exploded in the concrete.
Homelander looked up.
Starlight hovered in mid-air, her hands still glowing. She tried to make her voice sound firm:
"Don't destroy anymore."
Homelander stared at her for a few seconds, then smiled.
There was no warmth in that smile, only mockery.
"Starlight, right? Vought's new product. Shot a few commercials, made it to the trending topics a few times, and now you think you're a hero?"
Starlight gritted her teeth, not answering.
Homelander vanished from his spot.
Starlight only felt a blur before her eyes, and the next second a hand was clamped around her neck.
The strength was so great that she couldn't even breathe. She struggled desperately, her hands condensing dazzling light, fiercely blasting towards Homelander's chest.
The beam hit its target, erupting in a strong White light.
But Homelander didn't even sway.
He grabbed Starlight's neck and slowly descended in front of the ruins.
The onlookers immediately retreated, but no one dared to run. All the cameras were pointed here; hundreds of millions of people worldwide were watching.
"Do you know?" Homelander said, his voice calm, "Voughtspends thirty million a year promoting you so-called heroes. Making movies, appearing in magazines, holding fan meetings. Making the whole World believe you're here to save them."
Starlight's face turned crimson; she grabbed Homelander's wrist, trying to pry open his iron-vise hand.
"But you're not," Homelander continued, "You're just products. Successful cases of compound v. Voughtpackages you as heroes, sells you to those idiots, and then rakes in the profits."
He increased the pressure on his hand; Starlight felt her throat about to be crushed.
"Now the whole World knows the truth," Homelanderlooked up at the cameras, "Your worshipped heroes are monsters created in a laboratory. The justice you believe in is a fairy tale concocted by capitalists."
He turned his head back, staring into Starlight's eyes:
"And you are part of this lie."
Starlight mustered all her strength to condense light energy, and her hands erupted with unprecedented brilliance. The beam blasted Homelander's face, making it look deathly pale.
But it was useless.
Homelander didn't even squint.
"Is that all the power you have? Not even enough to tickle me."
He let go, and Starlight fell to the ground, coughing violently.
Homelander stepped on her chest, looking down at her:
"I originally wanted to kill everyone associated with Vought. But now I've changed my mind."
He squatted down, grabbed Starlight's hair, and forced her to look up.
"I want the whole World to see how useless their heroes are. I will tear you to shreds in front of everyone. Let them understand that no one can stop me."
Tears welled up in Starlight's eyes, but not from fear.
She remembered the day she joined The Seven, her mother's proud smile, and the children who believed in her.
If she died like this, what would those children think?
Would they still believe in heroes?
Homelander grabbed her hair, lifting her whole body. His right hand glowed red, and Heat Vision began to condense in his pupils.
"Goodbye, Starlight."
Just then, a hand pressed onto Homelander's shoulder.
Homelander froze for a moment.
Then excruciating pain erupted from his chest.
It wasn't an external injury; it was a tearing sensation from within. The purple lines flashed wildly, as if something had detonated inside him.
Homelander screamed, released Starlight, and clutched his chest with both hands.
Starlight fell to the ground, gasping for air. She looked up and saw a strange man standing behind Homelander.
A dark trench coat, black hair, a calm face.
Chu Hangs Clone didn't look at Homelander; his gaze fell on Starlight on the ground.
Space Law condensed in his palm, and a golden light enveloped Starlight. The next second, the two disappeared.
The crowd in front of the ruins froze, cameras still rolling, but the screen only showed Homelander clutching his chest and kneeling... Lower Manhattan, secluded alley.
A Spatial Rift opened, and Chu Hangs Clone appeared with Starlight. He let go, and Starlight staggered back a few steps, leaning against the wall, staring intently at him.
Her hands were still glowing, ready to attack at any moment.
"Who are you?" Starlight's voice was hoarse, her throat still throbbing.
"Just passing by."
"Don't joke. What did you just do? Why did Homelanderact like that?"
Chu Hangs Clone didn't answer, just looked at her.
His Spirit power swept over her body, checking her injuries. There were bruises on her neck and cracks in her ribs, but they weren't fatal. compound v's self-healing ability would repair them within a few hours.
"Your light energy is very weak. If I hadn't intervened just now, you wouldn't have lasted three seconds."
Starlight clenched her fists, and her light grew brighter.
"I know I can't beat him, but someone has to stand up."
"And then? If you die, what will those who believe in you think? They'll think heroes can't save them either, that resistance is meaningless."
Starlight froze.
"If you want to be a hero, you have to live," Chu Hangs Clone turned around, "A dead hero is just a martyr; a living hero can change something."
He raised his hand, and a Spatial Rift opened again.
"Wait," Starlight called out to him, "Who exactly are you? Why did you save me?"
Chu Hangs Clone stopped, looking back at her.
"Because you still have value. This World needs real heroes, not products manufactured by Vought."
"What about Homelander? Will you kill him?"
"No. He will destroy himself; I merely accelerated the process."
As his voice fell, he stepped into the rift and disappeared into the alley.
Starlight stood there, staring at the closed Spatial Rift. She slowly lowered her hands, and the light dissipated.
Her chest still hurt, but her mind was filled with the man's words.
Only a living hero can change something.
She took a deep breath, pulled out her phone, and dialed Queen Maeve's number.
"I'm fine. But we need to talk. About Homelander, about Vought, and... the man who saved me."
A few seconds of silence on the other end, then Queen Maeve said:
"Return to Base. We need to re-evaluate the situation."
Starlight hung up the phone and glanced into the depths of the alley.
That man said she still had value.
What did he mean?
She didn't know. But she knew this wasn't over.
The power within Homelander, the mysterious man's sudden appearance, and his easy subjugation of Homelander, all told her one truth.
There were things in this World more terrifying than compound v.
And she had just witnessed one of them.