[Chinatown Apartment]
In the room opposite Caitlin—
Alex had just stepped into the blue flames one second, and the next second he stepped out again.
In that brief in-and-out moment, he had already spent five days in the DC universe.
Watching the blue flames shrink back into the "Traveler's Ring," Alex lifted his head, and lines of information appeared on his retina.
[You have returned from the multiverse. Settling costs.]
[You stayed in the DC universe for 5 days. Deducting 5 "Dim Proficiency Essences."]
[Multiverse event "Suicide Squad" has ended!]
[Now conducting event evaluation and settlement.]
[Evaluation complete. Details as follows.]
[1. You changed the fate of the Suicide Squad members. Obtained "Proficiency Essence" ×25, Suicide Squad summoning phone ×1.]
[2. You changed the fate of Amanda Waller. Obtained "Proficiency Essence" ×5.]
[3. You advanced Superman Clark's beliefs. Obtained "Proficiency Essence" ×20.]
[4. You completed your third multiverse event. Obtained Multiverse Crystals ×6.]
[Event settlement complete!]
[New items have been added to your shop.]
'Hmm, the gains this time are much less than in the Marvel universe.'
'Probably because "Suicide Squad" doesn't count as a major event?'
Alex rubbed his chin, "Still, I came into contact with the Mother Box and even triggered its power."
"I gained abilities in the information domain."
"That counts as a kind of hidden profit."
"Too bad, still a bit short on multiverse crystals, otherwise I could exchange for the 'Hercules Bracers.'"
"This time the rewards are mainly 'Proficiency Essence,' total 55."
"That means I now have 61 'Proficiency Essence.' Maybe I should consider upgrading a talent?"
"What the hell is a Suicide Squad summoning phone?"
Alex opened his inventory, saw a phone option inside, and took it out.
A phone immediately appeared in his hand.
At the same time, corresponding information showed up on his retina.
[Suicide Squad Summoning Phone: A tool used to summon members of the Suicide Squad. Dial any member's number in the contact list to summon one member to fight for you..A summoned member can act for up to 48 hours. Once dead, they cannot be summoned again. You may summon different members or all members at once, but after each summoning, there is a 72-hour cooldown.]
Alex let out a whistle, "So it's like those 'Black Bat Circus Coins,' a summoning item."
"But this phone is way more reliable than coins."
"I can choose who to summon, or call the whole team."
"Everything's fine, except the Suicide Squad members are pretty underwhelming."
"Deadshot is basically the DC version of Hawkeye."
"Harley Quinn can be seen as a crazier Black Widow. Well, she does have… other uses."
"Captain Boomerang? What, throw him in to die?"
"Killer Croc's at least somewhat useful, can handle underwater work."
"The most useful one on the team is probably the Enchantress. She can transform into a fire demon and has large-scale destructive abilities."
"Just that her mana pool is tiny. One attack in fire demon form and she's out of juice."
He put the phone back into his inventory, "Whatever, it's not bad for show."
"Free is free."
He opened the fridge, took out a bottle of beer, and sat down in a recliner.
"Next, let's see what the shop updated."
The shop contents appeared on Alex's retina.
[Enchantress Heart: Using this item allows you to summon an ancient sorceress. She possesses various extraordinary abilities and can effectively help you complete different tasks. Note: Although Enchantress has no time limit after being summoned, she will constantly seek to reclaim her heart. Once she succeeds, she will immediately betray you. Remark: Once Enchantress is summoned, the heart cannot be returned to the inventory.]
[Price: Proficiency Essence ×100]
"Well damn, I can summon that 'dirty chick'?"
"Yeah, Enchantress's abilities are pretty decent."
"She can teleport, read minds, engage in close combat, and create corrupted warriors."
"Good figure too, kind of an unconventional beauty."
Alex shrugged, "But I can't afford it."
He continued looking down.
[Runestone "Touch of Nightshadow": After equipping, you can summon 6 to 8 nightshadow tentacles from the Nightshadow Space. The tentacles will send anything they touch into the Nightshadow Space, achieving an annihilation effect.]
[Price: Proficiency Essence ×30]
[Mental Dominator (Necklace): A derivative item from the Mother Box. After equipping, you can control others' mental states, though it can be resisted.]
[Price: Proficiency Essence ×100]
[Sonic Cannon: Fires white-noise sound waves. Versatile, with decent power.]
[Price: Proficiency Essence ×10]
Alex looked further down. That was the end of the shop list.
Just like the rewards, not many new items this time.
The items themselves were decent, except the Sonic Cannon being a bit underwhelming.
The others all had some value.
The most valuable were definitely the Enchantress Heart and the Mental Dominator.
But comparatively, Alex preferred the Enchantress Heart. Having a "dirty chick" serve him, wasn't that pretty cool?
And Enchantress could do quite a lot. Just her ability to create corrupted warriors alone meant Alex could have an army in any universe.
As for the Mental Dominator, Alex felt that since he already had abilities in the "mind domain," there was no need to exchange for it.
The Sonic Cannon, though, could be worth getting and handed to Deadshot when summoning the Suicide Squad.
That way, Deadshot's combat power should go up a notch.
But none of this was urgent, including upgrading talents.
He had just returned from the DC universe and wanted to rest, to ease his mental state.
So he disappeared for two days.
———
Two days later, Alex finally arrived at the Department of Defense building.
Walking into the "Superhuman Supervision Department" office, Alex saw Maeve busy at work.
Ever since he transferred this woman into the Department of Defense, she seemed like she was glowing.
Full of energy, highly motivated.
Completely different from the Maeve in the TV show.
Facts proved giving Maeve a feeling of being recognized and entrusted with responsibility, made her for proactive.
"Good morning."
"You guys carry on, no need to mind me," Alex greeted with a smile.
Seeing him arrive, Maeve immediately walked over, grabbed him, and said, "Come on, let's talk in the office."
Alex smiled, "Why the rush?"
Maeve paused, then rolled her eyes, "There's something serious to discuss."
"I think that kind of thing is pretty important too," Alex said with a meaningful tone.
The two walked into the office, and Maeve said, "Setting up this department is just making things difficult for us."
Alex closed the door and drew the curtains. Now the office and the outside were like two separate worlds.
Maeve continued, "I just received a task assigned from above. They're using us as a shield, planning to use superhumans against superhumans."
"That way, we'll take the blame for everything."
"They'll take all the benefits, while we bear the resentment from other superhumans."
Alex walked over, brushed her hair aside, and said, "I can see you're full of resentment right now."
"Working with emotions isn't good."
"I think it's necessary to help you vent those feelings."
Maeve laughed, "And how are you planning to help me?"
"Well, let's start by reducing the load. For example, this belt, it looks pretty heavy."
"Come on, let me help you loosen these restraints."
When it came to "undressing," practice made perfect. Alex was very familiar with it now.
Maeve glanced outside the office, "Are you crazy? This is the Department of Defense."
"And don't you think the soundproofing here isn't that great?"
Alex nodded, "Exactly why it depends on you. Just make sure, absolutely make sure, no one outside hears anything."
Outside the office, several staff members were working with their heads down, inputting data for all registered superhumans.
They were very focused, so they didn't notice the occasional faint sounds coming from the office.
.
.
.
Two hours later, they saw Maeve and Alex walk out.
It looked like they had talked for quite a while.
Maybe because the air conditioning wasn't on, Maeve's face was flushed, with a bead of sweat on the tip of her nose.
Perhaps from standing too long in the office, her legs seemed to go weak as she walked.
She sat down at her desk and drank several large glasses of water before catching her breath.
Alex, on the other hand, held a stack of documents and said with a smile, "The people working here are all schemers."
"They're experts at bribery and sowing discord."
"Look, they just made up some excuse and tried to buy me off."
"Then they plan to use me to deal with superhumans. Isn't that sowing discord?"
"When the time comes, they'll pull some in, beat some down, kill some, suppress others."
"After all that, we superhumans will have no choice but to obey."
"That's politicians for you. This is what they do. It's normal that you can't beat them."
"Let me handle it."
"Who gave you these things again?"
Maeve's voice was slightly hoarse as she said, "Connor Jobri, head of the Special Operations Department."
"Oh, the Department of Defense has such a department?", Alex shrugged, then took the documents and walked out.
———
It took some time, but Alex finally found the Special Operations Department office among nearly twenty thousand rooms.
People were constantly going in and out. Alex walked straight in, smiled slightly, and said, "Is Minister Connor Jobri here?"
His voice echoed through the entire office, suppressing all other sounds.
A door opened ahead, and a short, thick-waisted man walked out, "I'm Connor Jobri."
Since Alex wasn't wearing his suit today, the minister didn't recognize him at first.
Only when Alex showed his ID did Minister Connor hurriedly put on a smile and politely invite him inside.
Alex shook his head and casually tossed the stack of documents onto the table, "The Department of Defense wants us to handle superhuman crime and terrorist incidents. That's fine."
"But you need to give us manpower. Here's the deal, hand over command of Delta Force to me."
Delta Force was one of the four major special forces of the federation. Well-trained, well-equipped, a fierce fighting unit. Known as a national weapon.
Minister Connor never expected Alex to ask for command of this special force right off the bat.
He froze for a moment, then said, "Homelander, that's beyond my authority."
"Is it?", Alex smiled and slapped the stack of documents against Connor's face.
"Then how do you dare ask me to handle superhuman crime and terrorism?"
"Do you really think I can't see through your little tricks?"
Cold sweat poured down Connor's face as he forced a smile, "This might be a mistake from above. How about I check for you?"
"What's there to check."
"No need."
"I'm more than happy to handle these matters."
"But to do that, I need people. So, I want command of Delta Force!"
"Don't make me say it a third time!"
Connor swallowed and quickly said, "Then let me go see Mr. Wilson. This has to be decided by him."
Only then did Alex nod, "Go. I'll wait here."
"If there's no answer by noon, I'll personally pay a visit to Defense Minister Wilson's office."
Connor nodded repeatedly, grabbed the documents, and hurried out.
———
In the corridor, he gave a bitter smile, 'This really backfired.'
'We thought we could make the superhumans fight among themselves, but instead Homelander used it as leverage and made such a demand.'
'If he gets command of Delta Force, he'll have real power.'
'It'll be much harder to check him in the future.'
'But if we don't give it to him now, he's going straight to see Minister Wilson.'
Shaking his head, the minister, who was only following orders, quickly took the elevator to the top floor.
.
.
.
Moments later, Connor entered a conference room.
Inside, he not only saw Wilson, but also Dr. Vogelbaum, who was in charge of the "Enhanced Soldier" project, Dr. Kyle with a cybernetic eye, a general, and several colonels.
It looked like they were in the middle of a military meeting.
Connor quickly leaned in and relayed Homelander's demand to Wilson.
The gray-haired, stern-looking Defense Minister listened and nodded, "Understood. You may leave."
After Connor left, the Defense Minister looked around the room with a serious expression, "Minister Connor just brought us some news."
"Homelander is demanding command of Delta Force in exchange for handling superhuman crime and responding to superhuman terrorist activities."
"What, is he insane?", The general slammed the table, "How can Delta Force be handed over to a superhuman, to some so-called superhero?"
"What is this, Delta Force isn't a circus. How can it be given to that clown!"
A colonel said worriedly, "Maybe we shouldn't have brought Homelander into the Department of Defense in the first place. Not long ago, Director Jenny of the Contract Management Bureau suddenly jumped to her death."
"Although there's no direct evidence, many believe it might be related to Homelander."
"Because Jenny Cloment had just left the Superhuman Supervision Department office when she jumped."
"And someone saw Homelander staring at Director Jenny in the office at the time."
The other officers nodded.
"Homelander is a huge threat, a ticking time bomb."
"Keeping him in the Department of Defense could endanger us at any moment."
"And no one can control him. Mr. Wilson, we can't let this continue."
Voices rose one after another.
Wilson put on his reading glasses and looked at Dr. Vogelbaum, "Doctor, how is our research progressing?"
Dr. Vogelbaum said in a low voice, "Minister, I told you before, this project won't yield results so quickly."
"However, to prepare for situations like this, I did make some arrangements."
He took out a palm-sized box and opened it. Inside was a syringe.
Liquid swirled inside it.
"What is that?", Minister Wilson adjusted his glasses to see more clearly.
"An emergency measure."
"Injecting this will allow an ordinary person to gain superpowers for a short time," Dr. Vogelbaum said, raising it slightly, "It has already passed clinical trials and is guaranteed to be 100% effective."
"However, there are some flaws."
"For example, its effect only lasts about 30 minutes."
"And the abilities generated are random and unpredictable."
"Finally, it cannot be used multiple times."
"At most three times. Beyond that, it could be fatal."
"And even within three uses, it will cause irreversible damage to the body."
"In mild cases, it leaves chronic illness. In severe cases, it may shorten lifespan."
The general immediately said, "Then what's the point of this thing?"
Dr. Vogelbaum looked at him, "It can turn a coward into a superhuman, even if only temporarily. At least when you're threatened by Homelander, you can resist a little, or gain a chance to escape."
"Another thing, it can be mass-produced."
The conference room fell silent.
If it could be mass-produced, it could be used in the military, influence the course of war, and provide greater leverage in international negotiations.
That small syringe immediately drew attention.
At that moment, the door suddenly opened.
The general was about to get angry, but then saw a blond man walk in with a smile.
"Wow, quite a crowd."
"Having a meeting?"
Alex first looked at Minister Wilson, "Sorry, something came up and I couldn't wait until noon, so I had to come ask for your decision now."
Then his gaze shifted, finally stopping on Dr. Vogelbaum.
From the original owner's memories, he knew this was the very doctor who created Homelander.
Alex's smile widened, "What a coincidence. Didn't expect to run into an old acquaintance here."
"Dr. Vogelbaum, when did you join the Department of Defense?"
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