"Immortality does not mean you cannot die."
"Opposing Homelander is a dead end."
"In this World, no one can defeat Homelander. Not alien fleets, and not Gods. You're counting on a cowardly Evil God follower to fight him?"
The old man in the red robe pulled his withered lips into a bleak smile.
"Have you thought about dying once? Gentlemen."
Everyone fell silent again.
Homelander—this was an inescapable nightmare.
Those eyes that fired red lasers were a sword hanging over the heads of all his opponents.
Oppose him? The mere thought of it made one shudder.
There was not a word spoken in the council chamber.
This agonizing silence lasted for over ten minutes.
"Click."
The oak doors of the council chamber were pushed open once again.
A trusted confidant of the blue-robed council member walked in quickly.
"Get out! Who allowed you to come in!" The blue-robed council member, currently irritable, cursed loudly.
The confidant ignored the blue-robed council member's anger and spoke directly.
"Respected council members, there is an emergency situation. Please watch the television immediately."
As he spoke, he pressed the remote control in his hand, and the holographic projection in the center of the council chamber started up.
On the screen, a live news broadcast was playing.
A reporter was excitedly conducting a live report to the camera.
"Dear viewers! Vought has once again achieved a major victory in fighting global crime! The lair of 'The Hand,' a terrorist organization that has entrenched itself in the World for many years, was completely destroyed by Vought Heroes today!"
The news headline scrolled across the bottom of the screen: [Vought Strikes Hard, Millennial Evil Organization The Hand Completely Annihilated!]
The scene changed.
Homelander flashed his signature cordial smile at the camera.
"Citizens, the cancer that has manufactured multiple terrorist incidents across the World has been uprooted today! I would like to grandly introduce the greatest contributor to this operation!"
The camera panned over.
The "Armored Knight" Scott, covered from head to toe in silver high-tech armor, was waving his arms excitedly at the camera: "Hey! Cassie! Daddy is on TV! Did you see that!"
The old men in the council chamber stared blankly at the holographic projection, the light of the projection reflecting on their pale faces.
The Hand was gone.
This meant that the longevity serum was also gone.
The old men's faces were ashen.
At this moment, there were only two paths left before them, both of which were dead ends.
Either wait for death slowly in decay, or jump out and be burned to ashes by Homelander's laser eyes.
"Turn it off." The old man in the main seat closed his eyes, looking as if he had aged another ten years.
"Wait! Gentlemen, please look carefully."
The confidant did not turn off the projection, but instead froze the image at the moment Homelander turned to point at Scott.
He quickly operated the terminal, constantly zooming in on the part of Homelander's raised arm.
The image became clear after algorithmic frame interpolation.
The confidant pointed to the inner side of Homelander's blue spandex sleeve.
There, there was a tear about two inches long.
A drop of bright red liquid seeped from the edge of the tear.
Through the tear in the suit, a long, thin wound could be clearly seen.
"This is... blood..." The blue-robed council member's eyes widened, his finger trembling as he pointed at the projection.
"How is this possible?" The yellow-robed council member struggled to stand up, even knocking over his wheelchair to the side.
In their impression, Homelander was synonymous with invincibility.
He had never been injured.
Even during that confrontation against the God Ego, who was as strong as a Planet, where the fighting shook the heavens and earth, Homelander only had his hair turn white.
Obviously, although The Hand's strength was not bad, it was limited to mortals.
It was impossible for them to break Homelander's defenses and make him bleed.
Unless...
The red-robed council member's eyes suddenly widened.
Unless the people from The Hand had grasped Homelander's weakness.
Or, they had inadvertently triggered his weakness during the battle!
But regardless of which it was, this wound indicated one thing.
Homelander had bled.
As long as he could bleed, he was no longer invincible!
This discovery caused the heart rates of all the dying old men present to accelerate, their blood pumping.
"Go ask Master Kaecilius to return." The old man in the red robe suppressed the madness in his heart and gave instructions, "Tell him we agree to cooperate."
"Also..." He scanned the crowd, "Immediately use all your resources to find the remaining members of The Hand. I want to know exactly what it was that injured Homelander!"
...
On the outskirts of New York, V.G.D. Headquarters.
Jessica Jones was drinking whiskey and impatiently bringing a few people to complete the registration procedures for Superheroes.
Danny, on the other hand, was looking around excitedly.
In this massive Base, there were super-powered individuals everywhere displaying all sorts of strange abilities.
Danny had mixed feelings.
Ever since he absorbed the power of Shou-Lao in K'un-Lun, branded the dragon mark on his chest, and officially became the 66th Iron Fist.
He had returned to New York full of ambition, believing that his power could change the World and save the common people.
But reality had slapped him hard in the face.
The changes in the entire World made him unable to keep up.
In New York now, Superheroes were everywhere.
He even saw with his own eyes two heroes fighting over who would catch a petty thief who stole a bag.
In comparison, the power of his "Iron Fist" he relied on did not seem as powerful as he had imagined.
Danny realized it at this moment.
Being a Superhero was not just a job; it required professional leadership, top-tier logistics, and systematic training.
And the one who brought this about was the head of Vought, Homelander.
Danny had carefully studied Homelander's background information.
A rich second-generation whose parents died, survived a disaster in his youth, then underwent trials unimaginable to ordinary people, eventually gained powerful skills, and returned to protect the World.
This highly similar experience made Danny empathize deeply.
Therefore, when Jessica extended the olive branch of Vought, he did not hesitate at all and agreed on the spot.
"Sign here." Jessica handed him the tablet, "Also, a reminder: it is strictly forbidden to spar with others in the cafeteria."
Danny quickly signed his name and grinned: "No problem, Officer."
Jessica turned to look at another person.
Matthew Murdock, code-named Daredevil.
Matt's purpose for joining Vought was very clear; he didn't care about fame or money. He only hoped to use Vought's efficient intelligence network to find his missing girlfriend, Elektra.
Who was the "Black Sky" resurrected and brainwashed by The Hand.
Matt had searched every corner of New York and still found nothing. He could only pin his hopes on Vought.
"The rules are the same, sign it," Jessica said.
Matt took the tablet and felt his way to sign his name.
Suddenly, Matt's body stiffened.
His radar sense captured a heartbeat falling from the sky.
***************************
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! 🙌