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"I'm here to tell you... I have proposed a new bill to Mr. President, and it has received the full support of the White House and Congress..."
Homelander turned to look at Ellis, who immediately nodded in cooperation, though his smile was a bit stiff.
"Starting today, the Federation will pass a new emergency bill—the 'Alien Disaster Worker Protection Act'."
"No enterprise or employer shall terminate any employee or deduct their wages for reasons such as work delays, absences, or evacuations caused by alien invasions or supernatural disasters!"
"If they do so..."
Homelander faced the camera, a hint of a dangerous sneer appearing on his face.
"They will face the maximum fines from the federal government, and..." Ellis glanced at Homelander and picked up the sentence, "...and prosecution by federal prosecutors."
"Mr. President is right, and I personally will have a... nice chat with their boards of directors."
As soon as these words were spoken, the World went into an uproar.
Countless workers, who were worried about unemployment due to frequent disasters, were now moved to tears. Some even knelt before their televisions, repeatedly saying, 'God bless Homelander.'
"We don't have to fear being fired anymore?"
"Thank God! Thank Homelander!"
"That damn boss won't dare deduct my salary again!"
"Oh my god... during the last Battle of New York, I was three days late because the roads were blocked, and my boss told me to get lost. Now... someone is backing us up?"
People could not believe their ears.
In this country where capital reigns supreme, someone was actually standing on the side of the workers?
And that person was a major capitalist himself?
But on Wall Street, countless corporate titans smashed the coffee cups in their hands.
"Crazy! This is absolutely insane!"
"This is destruction! This is a trampling of the free market!"
"How dare the President? How dare that man in the cape?"
But at this moment, their roars seemed so insignificant.
Because beyond that, in millions of ordinary homes, on crowded subways, and in cramped rental rooms,
The cheers that erupted covered the entire U.S. like a landslide or a tsunami.
Prompt! Harvested popularity value +79,001!
Prompt! Harvested popularity value +89,223!
Prompt! Harvested popularity value +104,410!
Prompt! Harvested... but this was not yet the end.
Homelander raised his hand to press down, signaling for everyone present to be quiet.
"I also know that during the previous Battle of New York, the Dark Elves, and the Ultron incident, many people lost their homes, fell into debt, and lost their credit records because of these damn disasters, ending up on the streets."
"It's not fair."
"You are victims; you should not be abandoned."
"So, today, on behalf of Vought International, I officially announce—"
Homelander raised his voice and spread his arms, making a gesture of embracing the World.
"The Vought Deep Space Exploration and Resource Development Administration is established today!"
"Regardless of whether you have a residence, whether you are bankrupt, or whether your credit score is zero or negative."
"Even if you are just a homeless person."
"As long as you are willing to work and willing to contribute to the future of humanity."
"Come to Vought."
"We will provide housing, health insurance, and a dignified salary."
"We don't look at your past; we only look at the future."
"Because when facing the Universe, we have only one name—Humanity."
...Boom—!!!
If the labor bill just now was a nuclear bomb, then these words were a World-shattering impact that overturned the World!
Whether it was the homeless people already on the streets in rags;
Or the middle class struggling on the brink of bankruptcy with massive mortgages;
Even those who were prepared to take risks out of desperation.
At this moment, they all saw the light.
Crowds of pedestrians in Times Square stopped in their tracks, looking up at the giant screens in the square.
In their eyes, that man was more sacred than Jesus at this moment.
"Long live Homelander!!"
No one knew who shouted it first.
Immediately after, the entire square boiled over.
Hats were thrown into the air, and people hugged each other, cheering and jumping for joy.
Countless people took to the streets, waving Stars and Stripes and homemade 'V' signs. The cheers even penetrated the soundproof glass of the top floors of office buildings.
If anyone dared to step out and say a single bad word about Homelander at this time, even if he were the richest man in the World, he would be torn to pieces by the angry people... In a trailer park in California.
"Mom, I want to sleep in a bed... I don't want to sleep next to the trash cans anymore..."
A single mother whose house had been repossessed by the bank was sitting on a park bench with her child, looking at the sky in despair.
Homelander's voice came from the LED screen outside a shopping mall.
"Providing housing... providing health insurance..."
She was stunned.
Looking at the man in the screen who seemed to be shining with radiance, tears flowed down her cheeks.
Then, she tightly hugged the child in her arms and cried out loud.
"We're saved... baby, we're saved."
"We can go to Vought... we can survive."
Despair was replaced by hope.
"It's okay, baby." She kissed the child's forehead, "...Homelander will protect us."
...New York.
A group of homeless people were gathered around a battered portable television.
Most of them were ordinary people who had gone bankrupt due to several alien disasters, had their houses taken by the bank, and lost hope.
When they heard the words "regardless of credit, providing work and housing."
A middle-aged man with a stubbly face clutched half a bottle of cheap liquor, his face covered in tears.
"We're saved... we're saved..."
He stood up tremblingly and let out a hoarse roar at the man in the cape on the television:
"Long live Homelander!!"
...Queens, New York.
Peter Parker sat in the small living room, watching the live broadcast on TV.
May Parker was in the kitchen calculating bills, her brow furrowed. Since Ben Parker passed away, the family's financial situation had been very tight.
"Aunt May!" Peter jumped up excitedly, "Did you hear that? Homelander said people can't be fired casually, and they're hiring regardless of conditions!"
Aunt May put down the bills and looked at the confident man on the TV, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes.
"It sounds... too good to be true, Peter. Too good to be real."
"But he's Homelander!" Peter clenched his fists, "If it's him, it must be true!"
"Aunt May, why don't you go work for Homelander too!"
...Also in Queens, in a dilapidated warehouse.
Adrian Toomes, nicknamed the 'Vulture'.
He was currently sitting dejectedly at a table piled with junk.
His engineering crew had been driven into bankruptcy by Stark Industries' Department of Damage Control, his government contract had been torn up, and he was deep in debt.
Just five minutes ago, he was discussing with his brothers whether to rob an armored car using weapons made from scavenged alien junk.
"Boss... look at this."
Phineas the Tinkerer handed a tablet to him.
On the screen was Homelander, broadcasting live.
"...Giving you a chance to start over!"
Toomes looked at that face and listened to those words.
His hands were shaking.
Robbing was for survival, to give his family a bite to eat.
If he could have a decent job, if he could live upright in this damn World... who would want to be a criminal? Who would want to be on edge all day?
"Boss..." The workers under him all looked at him, hope shining in their eyes.
Toomes took a deep breath and suddenly stood up.
He glanced at the mechanical wing in the corner that had just been half-welded.
"Dismantle that thing."
Toomes's voice was a bit choked up.
"We're... not going to rob anything."
"Pack up!"
He pointed at the Vought logo on the screen.
"We're going to Vought! To sign up!"
"As long as Homelander keeps his word... we'll work our lives away for him!!"