The White House, the Oval Office.
President Ellis sat with his hands clasped under his chin, watching the White House Chief of Staff standing before him with an expressionless face.
"Mr. President! This is simply trampling on the law!"
The Chief of Staff waved the report in his hand vigorously.
"Vought International now dares to arbitrarily occupy the global public broadcasting system! They have unilaterally announced unconfirmed doomsday threats and designated restricted zones to evacuate civilians without authorization! They are even bypassing the federal government to interfere with the operation of the financial system!"
The Chief of Staff became angrier as he spoke: "The most critical point is that for such a major operation, they did not submit any application to seek the federal government's consent beforehand! They only sent a perfunctory notification letter to the White House after the press conference!"
"This is clearly acting out of arrogance, overstepping their authority! Where do they place the authority of the federal government?"
The Chief of Staff leaned closer to the desk, trying to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.
"Mr. President, if this continues, the public will only know of Vought, only know of Homelander, and won't even know the federal government exists! If things develop this way, it is only a matter of time before they replace the government and rule the World!"
"We must stop this trend immediately!"
Ellis listened quietly to the Chief of Staff's long-winded speech, his face showing no emotional fluctuation.
"So, what do you suggest?"
Hearing the President ask for his opinion, the Chief of Staff felt a surge of joy, believing his words had moved the President.
He immediately straightened his back and threw out his well-thought-out plan.
"I suggest we immediately find a reason to sue Homelander. The severity of the charge doesn't matter; anything will do!"
A hint of shrewdness flashed in the Chief of Staff's eyes.
"We need to make him stand trial in a federal court! He is a Superhero; he must care about his positive image in front of the public and will definitely not openly defy the government's legal summons!"
"At that point, the judge can just give him a symbolic fine or some community service. What we want is the deterrent effect!"
The Chief of Staff smiled triumphantly: "We want the public across the entire Federation to see clearly that even Homelander cannot stand above the federal government and the law!"
"The government still holds the supreme power!"
The office fell silent.
Ellis watched the Chief of Staff quietly for two seconds without offering any opinion.
He simply pressed the summoning button on his desk silently.
"Have the Secret Service Director come in immediately."
Before long.
The Secret Service Director, accompanied by two armed Agents, walked in quickly.
"Mr. President." The Secret Service Director lowered his head, awaiting orders.
President Ellis pointed his chin at the Chief of Staff and said casually: "Handle him as a spy."
The Chief of Staff's face lit up with joy, thinking the President had adopted his suggestion.
He waved his hands hurriedly: "Mr. President, isn't charging him with espionage a bit too heavy? Why don't we have Homelander come to the White House first to see his attitude..."
Ellis gave a cold smile: "Do I need to trouble Homelander to deal with a Skrull spy who has infiltrated the White House?"
As soon as these words were spoken.
The color drained completely from the Chief of Staff's face.
"No... Mr. President, you've misunderstood! I am not..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the two Agents pounced like tigers descending from a mountain, clamping down on his arms tightly from left and right.
"Take him away! Hand him over to the Supreme Security Bureau for interrogation to dig out his accomplices." President Ellis waved his hand with an expression of disgust.
"No! I am not a Skrull! I am a real human!" The Chief of Staff screamed and struggled in terror.
"You can't do this to me! I am a veteran, I have bled for the Federation! I am Glory... Mmph—!"
The Agents did not give him a chance to continue babbling, directly sealing his mouth with riot tape and forcibly dragging him out of the Oval Office.
President Ellis rubbed his temples.
The most fatal problem with humans is that such self-righteous idiots always pop up at critical moments.
Moreover, these idiots often hold high positions of power.
It seems if this Galactic President wants to find a way to stay in office, this position can only be controlled by a smart person like himself.
Ellis picked up the secure line on his desk and dialed a mysterious number.
After the call connected, he reported what had just happened and promised that the federal government would fully cooperate with all of Vought International's operational deployments during this crisis.
After hanging up, Ellis picked up the coffee on his desk and took a sip.
"The Glory Society... pfft." He gave a cold, dismissive sneer.
...
Manhattan, Vought Tower, Homelander's office.
Homelander was comfortably drinking 37-degree hot milk.
The press conference had concluded, the atmosphere had been set perfectly, and the evacuation work was proceeding steadily.
According to his vision, people all over the World should now be plunged into extreme panic over the unknown Loki, hiding under their covers shivering, and devoutly praying for him, this God of Mankind, to descend.
"Skynet." Homelander called out.
"I am here, sir."
"After the doomsday warning was issued, what was the public's reaction?"
"Are they all panicked and plunged into despair? Are they all expecting, praying, and in urgent need of the powerful Homelander to come forward to soothe and encourage them, to light up that ray of hope for them?"
Homelander asked knowing the answer, his tone revealing undisguised smugness.
He had even started to conceive in his mind how touching a speech he would give next.
"Sir."
"According to global data monitoring feedback, not only are people not panicked, but the public's activity, pleasure, and happiness indices have all shown an upward trend."
Skynet's answer, however, poured a bucket of cold water on him.
"This...?" Homelander was stunned.
He opened his phone, scrolling through the funny memes posted by netizens and jokes poking fun at Dormammu, and could hardly believe his eyes.
This vibe is all wrong!
Facing a terrifying threat that would devour Earth, shouldn't you be crying in fear and praying on your knees?
What's with you all placing bets here?!
Do you think you're watching a Marvel blockbuster?!
"What's going on? Skynet." Homelander frowned and asked Skynet. "Is the data wrong?"
Skynet analyzed methodically:
"Sir, the data is accurate."
"In just a few short years, Earth has experienced multiple major crises in succession."
"The public has developed a desensitization response to the concept of the end of the World; they are used to it."
"The more core reason is that the public has developed a blind trust in you. They firmly believe that no matter how terrifying the threat, you will always be able to perfectly solve everything."
"And Vought Media's day-and-night, all-encompassing, no-blind-spot propaganda has greatly reinforced this notion."
After hearing Skynet's analysis, Homelander fell into silence.
He raised his hand to wipe his face, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
Damn it, the propaganda went too far!
How lonely it is to be invincible, how much being invincible delays things!
If the public loses their sense of urgency, loses that fear of life hanging by a thread, then the gold content of saving the World will be greatly discounted.
If this continues, even if he saves the World, the popularity he reaps will be greatly diminished.
***************************
Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌