Official Announcement

Homelander had gently closed his eyes, savoring the warmth against his cheek. "Of course." At that moment, Madelyn's tone rose slightly. Homelander opened his eyes at once, his expression straightening into one of attentive listening. "Now we have new options. Perhaps we can hold off on announcing Translucent's cause of death until the timing is more advantageous." As Madelyn spoke, she applied a gentle pressure with the hand resting on his face, naturally drawing the world's greatest superhero into her embrace. She gave a soft hum. "Thanks to Starlight's 'brilliant' speech, under public pressure, the company has no choice but to sideline the instigator, Deep Sea. As luck would have it, Bronze is coming in and can directly take Deep Sea's place." Homelander stared straight at the patch of fabric just inches away, damp from lactation. Taking a deep breath, he said: "Deep Sea? A laughable idiot. I have no objection. But don't forget—his request to leave the team requires my written approval. And as for Stan... I expect a written explanation from him." "Naturally, my Captain," Madelyn agreed without hesitation. She looked down, taking in the hungry, possessive gaze locked onto her chest. Smiling, she unbuttoned her blouse one button after another. As if cradling an infant, she pressed Homelander's head firmly against her bosom and let out a deep sigh. "Good boy... good boy..." Infatuation filled Homelander's eyes. Feeling as if he had ascended to heaven, he sank completely into the moment, utterly helpless to pull himself away. *** While someone was reveling in the adult-baby treatment, Qi Li received his own notification that he would be replacing Deep Sea. "Told you it was Deep Sea," he said, raising an eyebrow at Kate beside him. The two had previously made a bet. Kate had wagered that the man who forced himself on Starlight was Translucent, given his extensive track record. Back when Starlight first joined the Super Seven, he had been making the rounds on various television talk shows, promoting his movie. The recent story claiming he had been sent on some undercover mission, only for Qi Li to take his spot on the Super Seven, had seemed like an obvious cover story to her—a clumsy excuse for Vought cutting ties with him. Qi Li, on the other hand, had reasoned it was Deep Sea. For one simple reason. The deeper a person's inferiority complex, the more desperate they are to reclaim a sense of superiority and control by dominating the weak. A rookie female superhero was the quintessential target for bullying. Now, Kate understood why Deep Sea was being pulled at this exact juncture. Gracious in defeat, she said, "Fine. Next time, I'll wear the Catwoman suit." Qi Li smiled faintly. "No need to wait for next time. I've already got the Catwoman suit ready for you." With that, he brought out a form-fitting black leather catsuit. It wasn't this world's version of Catwoman, but the one from the Batman movies. He had quite a soft spot for Anne Hathaway's iconic look. Unfortunately, although an Anne existed in this world, she was already elderly. Seeing the outfit, Kate said nothing more and went off immediately to change. Suddenly, the dorm door creaked open, and a floating hat drifted inside. "Hey, Qi Li—" Before Maverick could finish his sentence, Qi Li and Kate shouted in unison: "Get out!!" The hat froze midair. Maverick turned around in silence, making sure to shut the door behind him. A few moments passed. "Wait a second. This is my dorm room too!" Granted, he hadn't been back in a long time, but from the looks of it, even his last symbolic claim to the place was about to be wiped out. He couldn't help muttering, "What an obnoxious couple of—" *Click.* The door swung open. Maverick instantly shifted his tone with absolute naturalness: "—true love! Isn't romance beautiful?" *** While romance blossomed, careers marched forward. Two weeks later, a bombshell detonated across global social media. "Official Vought Announcement: The Super Seven welcomes a new member! From Los Angeles, Bronze!" "History made! The first Asian member of the Super Seven in history—and its youngest official member!" "Well-deserved! Bronze finally ascends to the throne that was always meant for him!" "Bronze swiftly replaces the scandal-ridden Deep Sea. A clear declaration by Vought: upholding justice and saying 'no' to toxic masculinity." "How did a mere freshman at Godkin University leap straight onto the Super Seven roster? What untold secrets lie behind this? An underwater conspiracy, or an unstoppable rise? Catch the newest episode of Truth Insight as Tek Knight breaks it all down exclusively for you!" "Breaking news! At tonight's newcomer welcome gala, Starlight—once Bronze's fiercest rival, now his closest teammate—will serve as host to welcome him aboard." "This pair of stunning young supes, bound by history, will share the stage for the first time. What sparks will fly? Tune in live at 6:00 PM on Vought TV, Vought.com, the Vought Free Streaming Channel, and the Vought+ streaming platform..." *** Inside a bar, Butcher sat nonchalantly beside Hughie, watching the barrage of news about Bronze flash across the television. His voice dripped with sarcasm: "Kick out an old bastard, welcome a brand-new prick, all with a female cunt cheering her head off right beside him. That's bloody reality for you, innit?" Hearing that, Hughie tore his eyes away from a panel discussing whether Bronze and Starlight were falling in love. He turned to Butcher and said in all seriousness, "First of all, Annie isn't a prick. Second, what are you even doing here?" Butcher curled his lip in a smile devoid of warmth. "Checking in on our boy, of course. I believe I warned you: all supes are bastards. Stop cozying up to Starlight." Hughie shook his head. "No, Annie isn't like—" "Yes, she is!" Butcher fixed him with a chilling, unyielding glare, enunciating each word: "Every last one of those synthetic freaks is. They're not superheroes, and they sure as hell aren't children of God. God's bollocks anyway! They're nothing but hopped-up, lawless bastards on juice. "You know that, Hughie." After the Race of the Century, Butcher's crew—having originally come away empty-handed—had stumbled upon an unexpected lead through Popclaw. Their subsequent search led them into Chinatown. Although Kimiko had slipped away, they had uncovered clues regarding Compound V at the site where she had been held captive. Following a nerve-racking investigation, they finally unmasked the truth. For decades, the charity known as Samaritan's Embrace had collaborated with Vought, distributing Compound V to hospitals under the guise of polio vaccines and injecting it into infants. Supes were never chosen by God. They were merely byproducts of Compound V. Which meant not a single superhero in this world was born that way. Every last one was purely artificial. Hughie knew this perfectly well, yet he felt Butcher was taking things too far. Just as he opened his mouth to argue, Starlight returned from taking a call from Vought. He quickly bit back his words and looked up. Starlight hurried over, an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, Vought's breathing down my neck. I've gotta run. Makeup, rehearsal, stage marks... God, I swear I'm busier than Bronze, and he's the star of the show!" "Don't worry about it. Go do what you have to do." With Butcher sitting right there, Hughie wanted Annie out of the bar more than anyone. Butcher raised his glass to her. "Cheers, Annie." "See you." Starlight offered a polite smile and a nod to the man she had met once before—the one who had poked fun at Qi Li's accent with her. Time slipped by. At 5:50 PM. In front of Vought Tower, where a long red carpet had already been rolled out, everything was set in place.