Don't even mention Butcher being shocked.
Homelander and Levin were no different. One second she was a teammate fighting side by side, the next she betrayed them and sold Butcher out at lightning speed.
It left the two of them stunned.
This woman really broadened their horizons.
She didn't even have the slightest psychological barrier.
Let alone any sense of guilt.
For her, something like guilt probably didn't exist at all.
Only then did Butcher speak, "Are you freakin' serious?"
Stormfront let out a soft laugh and threw him a charming look.
"Can't be helped."
"I can't beat Homelander."
"Other than surrender, what else can I do?"
Butcher showed a rogue's grin, "Is staying alive really that important?"
"Important enough that you'd go against your own principles and become this bastard's lapdog?"
Stormfront nodded seriously, "Of course staying alive is important. Forget being his lapdog, I'd even be his dog."
She looked at Homelander again, piling on a smile, "Homelander, please believe me. You'll soon find that I'm very useful."
Homelander laughed. He wasn't afraid of her deceiving him.
With his hands behind his back, he casually threw an "Insight" at her.
Stormfront's inner voice immediately echoed in his mind.
['He'll believe me, right?']
['I really don't want to die.']
['Selling out one Butcher? So what if I sell out everyone?']
['What's more important than staying alive?']
'Hmm, that was genuine.'
Of course, Homelander wouldn't just trust her like that.
"I can spare you."
"Now tell me, what's his plan?"
"And who else is trying to go against me?"
Stormfront immediately stood up, smiling brightly, "This guy plans to use Compound V to expose Vought's dirty dealings to the media. Personally, I think it's a pretty stupid idea."
"But for him, there's really no better option."
Homelander rubbed his nose, glanced at the bearded man, and smiled, "You actually managed to get Compound V?"
Butcher lifted his chin, his face full of defiance, "There's always more solutions than problems."
"Daddy's got plenty of ways to kill you."
Homelander chuckled, then looked at Stormfront again, "How did he get Compound V?"
Stormfront walked over to him, leaning closer.
Homelander didn't give her a pleasant look and stepped back directly, "Don't get too close. We're not that familiar."
Stormfront kept smiling, "My mistake."
"Starlight."
"We contacted Starlight."
"She's willing to steal some Compound V for us."
Homelander laughed, "Is that so?"
"Starlight…"
"What a foolish girl."
He glanced at Butcher, "To deal with me, you dragged in a girl who had nothing to do with this."
"Buddy, you're not much better than me."
Butcher's eyes shifted slightly before he said, "When an avalanche happens, not a single snowflake is innocent."
"In this matter, no supe can stay out of it."
Homelander shook his head, "Hypocrisy."
"If you just admitted you're selfish, I'd think a bit more highly of you."
"But instead you hide behind excuses like this."
"Looks like I overestimated you."
He looked back at Stormfront, "What else?"
"Mallory. A retired old woman."
"I overheard their conversation. That woman should be his superior."
"Former superior," Stormfront added without hesitation, selling Mallory out as well.
Homelander did know that woman.
He nodded, "Very good. I'm starting to believe your sincerity."
"But it's still not enough."
Stormfront spread her hands, "What do you want me to do?"
"Want me to strip naked?"
"No, no, no."
Homelander shook his head. Although she looked young, in reality she was already an old woman.
He had no interest in an old woman.
He reminded her, "If I remember correctly, you attacked me before."
Stormfront smiled, "So that's it."
"Easy."
"How about this?"
"I'll punish myself."
After saying that, she looked up at the sky.
Her eyes began to glow.
Very quickly, dark clouds gathered above, thunder rumbling and lightning flashing.
It was as if a storm was brewing.
Stormfront raised both hands as if grasping something in the air, causing the lightning within the clouds to start converging.
They gradually gathered in one spot, forming a patch of lightning.
It rumbled loudly.
Then, a bolt of lightning as thick as a tree trunk tore through the clouds.
It struck Stormfront directly.
The woman let out an extremely painful scream within the lightning. Her clothes rapidly burned and charred.
Her skin quickly glowed red, then ignited, and finally turned blackened.
The lightning continued to wash over her. After about two or three seconds, there was a flash.
Stormfront was blasted away.
She flew out like a cannonball and crashed into the ground, carving a deep trench into the grass.
Stormfront lay in the trench, her clothes burned into strips, exposing many parts that shouldn't be exposed.
Unfortunately, there was no beauty in it.
Because large areas of her skin were charred.
Even her hair was burned down to half.
The muscles at the corner of Butcher's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected this woman to be so ruthless toward herself.
It was as if she wanted to kill herself, pulling down such terrifying lightning from the sky.
Homelander was also surprised.
He gained a new understanding of Stormfront.
He chuckled, "You really leave an impression."
Over there, Stormfront climbed back up, patting her body.
The charred skin on her body had already begun to peel away, revealing new skin underneath, like a baby's, faintly flushed.
"As long as you're happy."
"I don't mind."
"If you think it's not enough,"
"I can do it again."
"Or you can pick a spot, like a sensitive area on my body."
Homelander quickly waved his hand, "No, I'm not interested in that."
He continued, "So, how do you think Butcher should be dealt with?"
Stormfront walked toward the bearded man, smiling, "Leave it to me."
She suddenly accelerated, turning into an afterimage as she slammed into Butcher's chest.
Her hand pierced straight through his chest, blood dripping continuously from her fingertips.
Butcher's eyes widened as he spat a mouthful of blood onto her face, "Bitch!"
Stormfront stuck out her tongue, licking the blood at the corner of her mouth, smiling, "Thank you."
Then her hand crackled with electricity, and in an instant Butcher caught fire and began to burn, though the bearded man no longer felt anything.
The penetrating wound to his chest combined with the high-voltage current killed him instantly.
Stormfront pulled her hand out, pushed down Butcher's corpse, wiped her hand on herself, and returned to Homelander's side.
She dropped to one knee and looked at him, "Are you satisfied?"
"You acted a bit too fast."
Homelander frowned, "You could've at least let me ask where that Mallory lives."
Stormfront tapped her head, "I remember where the house is."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
The two rose into the sky, paused briefly, then flew toward the outskirts.
Thus, only Levin remained at the scene.
———
Very soon, Homelander and Stormfront landed at Mallory's villa.
Their arrival caused the ground to tremble slightly.
Stormfront rushed in first, smashing through a floor-to-ceiling window and quickly sweeping through the house.
A moment later, she came back outside, her expression not looking good.
"That woman isn't here."
"Looks like she's already left."
Homelander narrowed his eyes slightly. Streams of information flowed from his fingertips, connecting to the nearby network.
Then he took control of all the cameras in the villa.
Very soon, in several of the feeds, he saw Mallory hang up a phone call and leave in a hurry.
"She just left."
Homelander continued tracking Mallory's movements. Through the street surveillance system, he saw her drive away from the villa and head into the city.
But after entering the city, the surveillance on the road she took was completely disrupted.
Homelander couldn't see anything.
"Heh! As expected of a former CIA agent. She's got some tricks."
He stopped tracking.
As a former CIA expert, Mallory definitely had ways to evade surveillance.
Homelander didn't want to waste time.
He glanced at Stormfront.
"You need a shower."
Stormfront showed a flattering expression, "Want to join me?"
"No."
"Come to Seven Tower tomorrow to find me."
After saying that, Homelander flew into the air and headed back to Seven Tower on his own.
Only then did Stormfront step back, sit down on the grass, and clutch her chest.
"Finally kept my life."
———
On the other side of the city, Mallory walked into a house.
This was one of several safe houses she had prepared.
Mallory kicked off her shoes and poured herself a cup of hot water.
She gulped it down.
"Butcher, you really are a walking disaster."
"But at least I won't have to deal with you anymore."
"You… if you had listened to my advice, you wouldn't have died so miserably."
Right when Homelander caught Butcher and Stormfront betrayed him, Mallory received a call.
The call was from Butcher.
Throughout the entire call, Butcher didn't speak.
But the conversation between Homelander and Stormfront was transmitted to Mallory word for word through the signal.
The moment she heard Stormfront surrender, Mallory knew things were bad.
She immediately packed up and left the villa.
Not long after she left, she heard Butcher's scream.
The communication ended there.
Mallory knew her former subordinate was most likely doomed.
But she didn't have time to mourn him.
What she needed to worry about now was how to escape Homelander and Stormfront's pursuit.
———
["Good morning, New York(Night City)."]
As the morning radio program played, Starlight pulled open the curtains.
Sunlight shone onto her body.
It made her feel warm all over, like she wanted to go back to bed for just one more minute.
But she walked into the bathroom. Soon, the water from the showerhead soaked her hair.
It spread across her smooth skin and delicate collarbone, then flowed downward, sliding over her thighs before finally dripping onto the floor.
After taking a shower, Starlight opened her wardrobe.
Inside hung over a dozen identical sexy combat suits. Every time she wore one, she felt like her body was being exposed to the public eye.
She tightened her hand, looking toward the old-fashioned suit with a cape placed deep inside the wardrobe.
Then she still took out the latest version, removed her clothes, put on chest covers, and changed into the suit.
After that, she took out golden gloves and long boots from another cabinet.
Once she put everything on, she walked out of the room.
After breakfast, Starlight received a notice.
Homelander was summoning all the superheroes.
He said a new superhero would be joining today and would be introduced to everyone.
Starlight let out a long breath, put a friendly smile on her face, and walked toward the command hall.
———
After arriving at the Command Hall, as soon as the door opened, she saw Queen Maeve.
This superhero had been working at the Department of Defense recently. Homelander had entrusted her with heavy responsibility, letting her share the department's workload.
To be honest, Starlight envied her.
Although Maeve wasn't doing typical superhero work now, it felt more meaningful and substantial.
Unlike herself, running back and forth between various sets every day.
She carried the title of a superhero but did the work of an idol celebrity.
Even though it brought her considerable income and a large fanbase, this wasn't the life she wanted.
Thinking that, Starlight walked into the hall and greeted her.
"Good morning."
Maeve looked up, saw it was Starlight, and gave a slight nod.
Soon after, a tall figure like a supermodel, the Ice Princess, walked in. Behind her came Element Woman and Electric Man.
Once they had all arrived, Homelander's voice rang out.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Looks like you're all in great spirits."
Wearing a black suit with a red cape, Homelander walked into the command hall.
His face carried a bright, sunny smile.
Starlight smiled as well, looking at that man, but in her heart she was thinking,
'I've already gotten the Compound V. I can hand it over to Ms. Stormfront tonight.'
'This fake hero game can finally end.'
'Hopefully, after this is over, superheroes can return to what they're supposed to do.'
Then she heard Homelander say with a smile "Ever since we lost Translucent and Black Noir, our Seven has been short-handed."
"That's forced Electric Man to take on more work."
"But today, our team will welcome a new member."
"I believe with her joining, the Seven will only get better."
"Now, let's welcome…"
Starlight saw Homelander start clapping, and she followed along.
Then she heard him say, "Stormfront!"
Starlight's whole body jolted.
She forgot to clap.
Maeve beside her glanced at her strangely.
But at that moment, Starlight's mind was already in chaos.
'Stormfront?'
'How could it be Stormfront?'
'Wasn't she against Homelander?'
'How could she join the Seven?'
'I must have heard wrong!'
One question after another made her head feel like it was about to explode.
Then she saw a familiar figure walk in.
Petite, asymmetrical hairstyle, wearing earrings, dressed in a black and green combat suit, Stormfront walked in.
"Hello, everyone."
"I'm Stormfront."
"It's an honor to become a member of the Seven today."
As soon as she entered, Stormfront enthusiastically greeted everyone.
She grabbed the Ice Princess's hand, "Wow, you look even prettier in person than on TV."
"Your skin is amazing, I'm so jealous."
She then took Maeve's hand, "Queen Maeve, I'm your fan."
Starlight watched this woman greet one person after another, not even sparing her a glance.
She thought Stormfront was deliberately pretending not to know her, and quietly let out a breath of relief.
Then Stormfront came up to her. Starlight heard her say,
"Hello, Starlight."
"We meet again."
"You must be surprised, running into each other here."
Maeve smiled and casually asked, "You two know each other?"
Stormfront laughed, "I'm her fan."
"And yes, we know each other."
"Our first meeting was on the subway, right, Starlight?"
Starlight's whole body trembled.
She didn't know why Stormfront would say that.
She didn't know what she was trying to do.
"Oh, you met on the subway?", Maeve asked curiously, "What did you talk about?"
Stormfront laughed, "At the time, I had some misunderstandings about Homelander, so I said some bad things about him to Starlight."
She looked at Homelander, "You don't mind, do you, sir?"
Starlight saw Homelander smile warmly, "I don't mind."
"You're so kind," Stormfront said, like a coquettish little girl.
Then she said to Maeve, "Back then, I wanted to cause trouble for Homelander."
"So I encouraged Starlight to do something."
"But I didn't expect she'd actually agree."
"Looks like she doesn't like Homelander."
Gradually, not just Maeve, even the others could hear the implication in Stormfront's words.
They all turned to look at Starlight.
Starlight looked at Homelander in panic, then shook her head, "No, I don't dislike Homelander, I—"
Stormfront placed a finger on her lips, "Don't speak, dear."
"Before you talk, you'd better organize your words in your head."
"Otherwise, things will get very awkward for everyone."
Starlight looked around helplessly. The thought of smashing through the floor-to-ceiling window and escaping the Seven Tower even flashed through her mind.
Then she heard Stormfront continue, "Starlight went to steal something for us."
"So, Starlight, you got it, right?"
"Is it in your hands?"
"I mean Compound V."
Starlight's eyes suddenly lit up. The lights and screens in the command hall flickered.
Electric currents crackled, even the lights above her head sparked as she suddenly raised her hand toward Stormfront.
She pushed out a stream of light, sending Stormfront flying.
But Homelander caught her.
In an instant, Maeve and the others all stood up, looking at Starlight warily.
Only then did Starlight realize how foolish her action had been.
"I…"
"I…"
She looked at Homelander, "Homelander, I can explain."
But at that moment, Homelander's eyes lit up, like suns rising within them.
Then he said, "Put your hands down, miss."
"What are you doing?"
"You attacked Stormfront."
"You'd better sit down right now and tell me what's going on."
At this moment, there wasn't the slightest smile on Homelander's face.
The overwhelming pressure made Starlight's body go weak. She was terrified, like a child caught red-handed after doing something wrong.
Maeve tried asking, "Starlight, is there some misunderstanding here?"
"You can try explaining it."
Starlight looked at Maeve, "I…"
[🎉 Shoutout to Vey, Felix and Erik for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.