After reading the description for Laser Eyes, Ivan's brow furrowed slightly. Getting two hundred milliliters of blood out of Homelander was no easy job.
His defense was complete. Breaking the bio-force field on the surface of his body required super strength.
It was like opening a multi-layered nesting-doll safe. Super strength was the first key.
Not many people held that key. Queen Maeve was one of them. Ivan had analyzed her ability a long time ago, but her hyper-sensitive perception had kept him from making a move.
Now that he had fused Miserable's power, both the degree of flesh transformation and the hardening time had improved massively.
In front of the coffee machine Ivan slowly opened his right hand. A metal necklace formed from transformed flesh and blood lay quietly in his palm.
Of course, with his current ability he still couldn't turn the cells into real metal structure. It only looked like metal on the outside. In reality it was still mimicked flesh tissue.
Next he just needed the doppelganger to take the form of Maeve's girlfriend and hang the necklace around her neck for him.
...
On the other side.
Butcher arrived on schedule at a high-end restaurant in the center of Manhattan. After the security at the door checked him and confirmed he was carrying no weapons, they finally let him in.
Clearly the restaurant wasn't open for normal business today. In the huge dining room there was only Edgar, dressed in a black suit, sitting at the center table.
"I've always admired your courage, Mr Butcher."
Once Butcher sat down, Edgar studied him with a measuring look.
"What would you like? Foie gras with tuna carpaccio, or salted cheese puffs? The latter, I think. I'm sure you'll enjoy them." Edgar raised a hand slightly and dismissed the nearby security.
Butcher hadn't come here to discuss food with Edgar.
"Let's cut the crap, Mr. Edgar. Better we get straight to the point."
After a moment of silence Edgar laced his fingers together. Looking straight at Butcher he spoke slowly. "You texted me saying you could help me. I don't quite understand what you mean. Don't forget, you're currently a super-criminal jointly wanted by Vought and the government. By all rights I should call the NYPD and have them send officers to arrest you."
Faced with Edgar's threat, Butcher let out a disdainful cold laugh. "But you didn't. Because you know perfectly well I really can help you.
Right now Ryan is in my hands. Without him you've lost the only real way to keep Homelander in check."
"Tell me why you think that." At the same time a security man set a glass of whiskey on Edgar's right side, added a few ice cubes and a squeeze of lime, then left.
"Simple reason. You answered my text and decided to meet me at this restaurant."
"If I'm not wrong, ever since Madelyn died Homelander has become harder and harder to control. You can still suppress him in the short term, but over time his true nature will come out completely. I believe that between the fatherly and motherly love you people gave him, he always leaned harder toward the mother. Madelyn's death means one of the chains Vought used to bind him has already snapped.
So you're desperate to find a second chain that can hold him and take control of it. That chain is his son, Ryan."
Butcher looked completely confident, but in reality he was watching every micro-expression on Edgar's face, trying to confirm whether his guess was right.
Edgar's expression stayed as calm and unreadable as ever. Not a single crack showed.
He picked up the whiskey on the table, took a small sip, then smiled. "That's just your guess. I do need Ryan, but what makes you think I'd betray him and choose to work with you?"
"Because you're the same kind of bottomless piece of shit he is. Don't give me any of that trust or family bullshit. You shoved a racist bitch in front of the public and turned her into America's sweetheart. Is there any word that fits you better than that?" Butcher shot back without hesitation.
Edgar set the glass down. His tone stayed flat. "Stormfront is good at stirring people's anger. That anger makes them desperate for Compound V. Compound V drives Vought's stock higher. Higher stock means my position gets more secure. It's a virtuous cycle, isn't it?"
"Mate, you should look in a mirror and check your own skin color. One day she'll come after you." Butcher looked straight at Edgar.
Edgar pressed his lips together. "Shit, of course I know. She already came after me this morning. But precisely because of my skin color I can't act however I want. That kind of luxury privilege only white people get to enjoy."
Just mentioning Stormfront gave Edgar a headache.
The reason he had chosen to promote Ivan as Vought's vice president wasn't only the man's ability. He had also considered that as a Frenchman, an outsider, Stormfront would never be able to get along with him peacefully.
Ivan, Homelander, and Stormfront mutually restraining one another was good for Edgar's control of the company.
But he had overlooked one thing.
For some reason Homelander had recently started chasing Stormfront like a madman, often walking into her room with a bouquet of flowers and launching straight into the baby-making campaign. If he really understood Homelander he wouldn't have been surprised.
The bastard had inherited the fine tradition of his old man Soldier Boy.
Women were like fine wine. The older the better.
Of course Homelander's taste was still a step below his father's. At least he couldn't get "interested" in actual old ladies.
So Stormfront, whose real age was nearly a hundred yet still kept a young face, became pure lethal temptation for Homelander. In his eyes she was the absolute best of the best.
That also explained why Homelander had disliked her when she first joined Vought, only to become completely obsessed once he learned her real age.
He was even a little curious whether, if Butcher's crew ever released Soldier Boy, the two men would end up fighting over the same woman.
"So you're only doing this for business?"
"Mr. Butcher, look at any event in history. Which one of them wasn't for business?"
After hearing that, Butcher fell silent for a moment, thinking.
"Then what makes you think you can control that racist bitch? The first thing she'll do once she's secure is kick your ass out of Vought."
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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69