For a moment, the atmosphere in the lab turned tense.
Dr. Kyle felt his heart jump into his throat, not even daring to take a deep breath.
His body trembled slightly as he watched Alex walk past him bit by bit.
Then his shoulders suddenly sank. Alex had placed his hands on them.
Right after, he heard Alex laugh beside his ear.
"Just kidding."
"Just kidding."
Alex lightly patted his shoulders, then walked toward the lab door with his hands behind his back.
"I won't disturb you all from saving humanity."
"Carry on with your work."
"Oh, right, I should say—"
"You're doing great."
"If you ask me, you're the real heroes."
"Unsung heroes."
"The task of making life better and people healthier is in your hands."
"Keep it up."
He waved his hand and walked out of the lab.
Then a roar sounded outside, as if Homelander had already flown away. Only then did Dr. Kyle and the assistants let out a breath.
With trembling hands, the doctor sat down in a chair, took the water handed over by an assistant, and drank several cups in a row before finally relaxing.
"Thank god."
"That arrogant idiot didn't dig any deeper."
Dr. Kyle swallowed.
"But how did he find this place?"
"Did we mess something up somewhere?"
"You, go call Shaer over. This is all his fault."
"He was too careless. He actually came straight back here and ended up drawing Homelander over!"
"Good thing he didn't discover anything this time. Otherwise, we'd all lose our heads!"
———
Up in the sky—
Alex looked down at the pharmaceutical company below, expressionless.
"The Chimera Project."
"Heh, like it doesn't have Defense Department authorization."
"What a hypocrite place."
"Talking about morality and righteousness all the time. While behind the scenes, letting these people carry out inhumane research."
"As expected, the brighter the light, the darker the shadow."
"But whatever."
"Looks like the 'Mutant Crisis' series of disaster events will spawn at Willis Pharmaceutical Company."
"Fine. I'll spare your miserable lives."
"That way, I can take on the 'Mutant Crisis' series of disaster events."
He let out a short chuckle as he browsed the information floating across his retina.
[You have successfully resolved this incident.]
[Incident threat level assessment: E+]
['Successful' evaluation reward: Dim Proficiency Essence ×39]
[New items have been added to your shop.]
Without checking the new items, Alex shot off into the sky, disappearing in an instant.
———
"What was that just now?"
"Don't tell me some superpowered bastard just flew past?"
The bearded Butcher glanced out the window. He wore sunglasses and a baseball cap.
Stormfront, who was driving, said, "Where exactly are we going?"
Butcher lowered his sunglasses, revealing his eyes behind the lenses, "To see an old friend."
"There are some things I need her help with."
Stormfront let out a short laugh, "You'd better tell me what you're actually planning."
"Otherwise, go by yourself. I'm not tagging along."
Butcher propped his legs up on the console, "It's about Frenchie and Mother's Milk."
"You contacted them?", Stormfront immediately pulled the car over and spread her hands, "I thought we were teammates, and you contacted your crew without telling me?"
"Are you trying to get me killed?"
Butcher laughed, "Look, here's the thing."
"That cape-wearing bastard is called Homelander, not God."
"So I don't think he can know what we're doing."
"Otherwise, he'd have shown up in front of us in a flash and fried us with his laser eyes."
Stormfront smiled, "You're right, he's not God."
"But Vought's tech is no joke. When you contacted your cute little teammates, you might've already been monitored."
Butcher shook his head, "I've dealt with them for years. I know how to handle them."
"If I was exposed, do you think we'd still be driving around like this?"
Stormfront tapped the steering wheel, started the car again, and said, "So why did your friends contact you?"
"They want to clear their names. Get rid of their fugitive status and go back to living normal lives," Butcher didn't hide it.
Stormfront laughed, "I didn't expect you to have that kind of ability."
"To clear two escaped criminals."
"Mate, that's a prison break."
"Not petty theft."
"If you don't know what that means, I can explain it to you."
Butcher pushed his sunglasses, "Strictly speaking, they haven't been in prison yet."
"So it's not really a prison break."
"But whatever. Anyway, the person I'm going to see should be able to figure something out."
The car drove out of the city and arrived at a villa in the suburbs.
Butcher got out of the car, "Wait here."
"Yeah? If something goes wrong, you'll come save me, right?"
Stormfront chewed her gum, "If you're that scared, why not put on that scrap armor of yours?"
Butcher shook his head, "That would expose my trump card."
He waved his hand and walked toward the villa.
———
In the woods behind the villa, he met the person he came for.
Grace Mallory. She had once been Butcher's superior, a colonel.
Years ago, a former member of The Seven, Lamplighter, had killed Colonel Mallory's two grandchildren.
Vought, worried about a full-scale conflict with Mallory, forced Lamplighter out of The Seven.
They also did a lot behind the scenes to settle the matter.
After that, Mallory became disheartened and chose to retire.
At this moment, the former colonel was observing something with binoculars.
She suddenly said, "Don't come closer. Your scent will scare them."
Without specifying what she meant, Mallory lowered the binoculars and looked at Butcher, "What, did you switch to selling ice cream?"
Butcher smiled, "It's a side job, but I make pretty good ice cream. Want to try some?"
"I'll pass."
"If you could get out of my sight right now, that would be even better," Mallory said bluntly.
Butcher forced a smile, "Don't be so heartless, ma'am."
"We worked together for years."
Mallory smiled faintly, "Anyone who gets involved with you ends badly. See? I lost two grandchildren."
Butcher shook his head, "I didn't want that."
"Yeah, you didn't."
"You only cared about investigating Becca. Everything else didn't matter to you."
Mallory sneered, "I suppose you don't care whether Frenchie and the others live or die, do you?"
Butcher sighed, "I'm here for them."
"You know it has nothing to do with them."
"But now they're wanted criminals."
"So I was thinking, maybe you could help them get back to a normal life."
Mallory replied without hesitation, "I'm just a retired old woman. I don't have that kind of power."
"Damn it."
Butcher stepped forward, "Mallory, don't forget, you were the one who came to me first!"
"You tried to use me!"
"And I didn't mean to get your family killed."
"So the least you can do is help me with this!"
Mallory looked him up and down, "You've changed. You'd think about your team?"
"Is this really the Butcher I know?"
"Come on, tell me, what's your real goal?"
Butcher rolled his eyes, "That's it."
"You clear Frenchie and the others, and we're even."
Mallory chuckled, "Even? That's funny."
"The fact that you're still alive is already us being even."
"Otherwise, Butcher, do you think you'd still be alive?"
"No. After that damned Lamplighter did what he did—"
"I would've found you and burned you alive!"
"But you're right. I dragged you into this. I owed you."
"That's why I didn't come after you. So you see, we've already settled it."
Butcher looked at the strong-willed woman in front of him. After a moment of silence, he said, "Fine. Let's try another way."
"You like deals."
"How about this, I take down Vought. In exchange, you help me."
Mallory laughed, "God, Butcher."
"You still haven't given up."
"You're like a ghost that won't go away."
"Give it up. You can't bring down Vought."
Butcher grinned shamelessly, "Then let me give you some good news."
"I'm going to get Compound V. You know what I can do with that."
Mallory shrugged, "Even so, what does that have to do with me?"
"Oh, come on, Mallory."
Butcher smiled, "I know you like I know how many hairs I've got."
"If you don't want revenge, I'll cut off my own head and let you use it as a ball."
"Then do it now," Mallory said after a pause.
"After all these years, you still won't let it go?"
"You bastard, don't you know how to quit?"
"Give it up, Butcher."
"While you can still breathe through your own nose, stop chasing this."
Butcher stepped forward, grinning, "You know what?"
"These things haunt me like ghosts. I can't sleep peacefully at night."
"So yeah, I'm not giving up."
"Either I die, or I take a chunk out of that bastard."
Mallory shook her head.
Butcher smiled, "So, we have a deal?"
Mallory closed her eyes, then nodded.
"Love you, ma'am," Butcher kissed her on the cheek, then laughed as he walked away.
Mallory wiped her face and let out a long sigh.
———
In a dim basement, a man's screams mixed with the smell of disinfectant.
Levin frowned as he looked at himself in the mirror, wondering if he'd end up with a skin disease.
After all, the bed he slept on was full of a moldy smell.
And he had no idea how long he'd have to stay here.
Of course, compared to being noticed by Homelander and being able to stand again, this kind of suffering was nothing.
He washed his face, walked outside, and saw Mother's Milk bandaging a gang member.
Frenchie, meanwhile, tossed a box of homemade bombs to someone and took a stack of cash.
Just then, Frenchie's phone rang.
After answering it, a smile gradually appeared on his face, and he cheered.
After hanging up, Frenchie first sent the gang member away, then announced,
"That bastard Butcher contacted me. He said he found Mallory, and she agreed to clear our names."
"But that guy wants us to go back and help him."
"He said after this job, we'll never see him again."
Mother's Milk snorted, "He'd better keep his word. Otherwise, I'll blow his ass open with a rifle."
Frenchie then looked at Levin, "We'll meet him tomorrow. I'll introduce you then."
"You'll get along."
Levin nodded lightly, "Then I'll go back to my room and sleep."
He returned to his room and closed the door.
Took out his phone and sent Alex a text message.
———
Soon, the next day arrived.
In a park, Levin saw Butcher, just like the photo Homelander had shown him.
Butcher frowned when he saw Levin, "Who's this kid?"
Frenchie smiled, "Levin."
"Didn't you see the news?"
"The soldier who got his back broken by Maeve in the Manhattan incident."
"He saved me and Mother's Milk."
Butcher looked Levin up and down, "Then how is he standing?"
Frenchie didn't know either.
Mother's Milk stepped forward, "He hates The Seven, so we brought him along. He can help us."
"Is that so?", Butcher remained doubtful.
Frenchie said from the side, "Let's shake hands first."
Butcher shrugged and extended his hand, "Hello, Levin."
"Hello."
At that moment, Levin suddenly transformed into a werewolf. Short gray-white fur covered his body, and long, sharp claws extended from his hands.
He lunged straight for Butcher's head, aiming to rip it apart.
This sudden turn stunned everyone.
Frenchie and Mother's Milk were completely confused, unable to understand why Levin had suddenly attacked.
At that moment, streams of electricity shot over, striking Levin and blasting him away.
Then someone landed on the ground.
Stormfront!
The woman raised her head to look at Butcher and said with a grin, "See? I told you."
"No good deed goes unpunished. The moment you try to do something good, trouble is right around the corner."
She smiled, walked forward, then suddenly accelerated, slamming into Levin and sending the werewolf flying, crushing a bench beneath him.
Butcher looked at Frenchie and the others, his face darkening, "You'd better give me a good explanation later."
Then he ran back toward the ice cream truck, shouting as he ran, "Forget him, Stormfront!"
"Let's move!"
Stormfront kicked Levin again, then turned around.
But Levin pounced again, his fur turning from gray-white to black as he transformed into a bear-like form.
With a roar, he grabbed Stormfront from behind, not letting her leave.
"What do we do? What do we do now?", Frenchie shouted anxiously.
Mother's Milk grabbed his head, "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"
"How would I know it'd turn out like this?"
"Damn it, let's go!"
"We probably can't go back to your basement anymore."
Frenchie nodded, and the two hurried off in another direction.
At that moment, held in Levin's bear hug, Stormfront suddenly erupted with electricity all over her body.
With a shout, she burst out a surge of lightning, blasting the bear-man away.
Then she turned and thrust both hands forward, sending out a wave of electricity that blew Levin away.
Only then did she fly toward the ice cream truck.
Just then, two golden beams shot down from the sky, carving a deep trench into the ground in front of her.
Dirt and rocks exploded upward. Stormfront stopped.
She looked up, her expression turning grim.
In the sky, Alex's eyes returned to blue.
He smiled faintly, then dropped to the ground.
BOOM!
He crashed down like a meteor, sending a wave of debris outward and flipping the already-started ice cream truck behind him onto its side.
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
Inside the truck, Butcher, who had fallen to the floor, cursed as he got up and rushed toward the back where the armor was stored.
"I knew I shouldn't try to do good."
"That crazy woman Stormfront was right, good people get nothing good!"
"Why the hell did I go soft!"
Cursing, Butcher climbed in, trying to put on the armor.
At that moment, two beams swept in, passing over the armor.
They blasted the suit apart, scattering its pieces everywhere. Even picking them up and putting them on would take a long time.
Crack!
The rear half of the ice cream truck was completely sliced off by Alex's heat vision, exposing the stunned Butcher inside.
Alex stood with his hands behind his back, smiling, "Hello, Mr. Butcher. We meet again."
He then looked at Stormfront, "I'm warning you, don't move, and don't think about running."
"Right now, neither of you is getting away."
Alex was completely different from when he first met Butcher.
After receiving Levin's message, when he arrived, he had already marked their minds.
No matter where they ran, Alex could track them and instantly appear beside them using "mind transfer."
After warning Stormfront, Alex kept smiling as he walked toward Butcher.
"So, how was the game of hide and seek? Having fun?"
Butcher spat and stepped out of the truck, "Don't get cocky, you bastard."
"Gonna kill daddy?"
"Come on."
"But once you kill me, your good days are numbered."
Alex let out an "oh" and smiled, "Care to tell me why?"
Before Butcher could respond, Stormfront called out, "We're about to get Compound V."
The bearded man froze, then snapped, "Why the hell would you tell him that?"
Stormfront then made a move that shocked him.
The woman dropped to one knee in front of Alex and said, "Homelander, I surrender."
"As long as you spare me, I can tell you his plans and expose everyone who wants to harm you."
"You see, I'm still very useful."
"I can become your loyal servant."
"And I'm not bad-looking. I can satisfy many of your needs."
Butcher stood there dumbfounded, not expecting Stormfront to sell him out so quickly.
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