3 chapters will be uploaded on daily basis i.e. 21 Chapters will be uploaded every week apart from the bonus chapters.
1 Bonus Chapter will be uploaded for every 50 Power Stones or 1000 Collections.
All interested readers can read advanced chapters on: Free Members of Patreon can read 12 Chapters ahead of Webnovel for FREE.
[email protected]/Heroicverse
×××××××××××××××
"Then, that is to say…"
Selena paused slightly, seemingly deliberately imitating Karl to play with General Ross's emotions.
When she saw General Ross instinctively lean forward, his face revealing a conflicted expression of wanting to urge her but not daring to, the corner of her mouth curved into a satisfied arc.
She then continued:
"If General Ross can obtain the information on these Vampire cult strongholds in advance and then send troops for a comprehensive Eliminate, not only will he successfully reverse the current defeat, but he can even become a national hero who saves the people…"
Selena did not continue.
But General Ross on the opposite side had already understood.
His aged but still robust body trembled slightly from excitement and exhilaration.
The chance to turn the tables had really come!
And it was the kind that could lead to an overwhelming victory.
If Karl were present, he would most likely kneel on one knee and say, "If you do not disdain me, Ross is willing to acknowledge you as his foster father."
This time, General Ross would absolutely not miss it no matter what.
"Then, Boss… ah no, what does Mr. Karl need me to do?"
General Ross was not a rookie in the workplace; he naturally understood the simple truth that "there is no free lunch in the world."
And mutual assistance between allies is essentially based on the exchange of interests.
"Two demands!"
Selena slowly raised two fingers, as smooth and white as jade, and said in an undeniable tone:
"First, all properties and territories of the eradicated Vampire cults shall belong entirely to the Wizard Society, and humans shall not infringe upon them for any reason!"
"Second, the White House must re-sign a new Non-Aggression Pact with the Wizard Society.
From now on, the human side shall not, for any reason or excuse, plunder or suppress the Wizard Society and any of its properties or spheres of influence…"
"In exchange, the Wizard Society will exterminate Vampire teams and individuals within its jurisdiction who do not abide by the rules and actively instigate large-scale massacres or conflicts!!"
To put it simply:
First, use your troops to eliminate our common enemies; the benefits are mine, and the reputation is yours!
Second, the Wizard Society must coexist equally with humans from now on!
"No problem, I will immediately request instructions from the White House."
General Ross agreed without hesitation.
Although no matter how he looked at it, the other party was using his military power to "settle personal scores" and "eliminate dissidents."
But did he have a choice now?
There was no choice at all!
If he followed through with everything, he could at least maintain his current position and incidentally gain a good reputation as a "national hero."
However, if he refused, not only would he be disgracefully driven out of the center of power, but he would also likely be burdened with numerous trumped-up charges such as "failing to provide assistance," thereby taking the blame for the higher-ups!
Therefore, General Ross knew better than anyone how to choose at this critical juncture.
Moreover, from the moment he agreed, it meant that he had officially and deeply tied himself to the Hyperspace Group, this train that was moving (rising) at high speed.
And this was precisely what General Ross had been dreaming of.
Because through this incident, he suddenly realized that it was indeed better to rely on a big tree for shade!
Soon.
Both conditions proposed by Selena were approved by the White House and the Department of Defense.
The new Non-Aggression Pact was also drafted directly by the White House as a written document, sent by fax to General Ross's command post, and signed by the latter on behalf of Selena.
The entire process did not exceed 1 hour.
This might be the fastest time for all procedures, from drafting resolutions to signing and executing, since the establishment of America.
Because they couldn't afford to be slow!
It was only a few hours until nightfall again.
Fighting Vampires then would increase the difficulty by more than threefold.
What's more, the scale of this event was more than ten times larger than the "Seven Cities Crisis."
Even President Ellis could not bear this responsibility.
At this critical moment, nothing else could go wrong!
"These are the places."
After completing the Non-Aggression Pact, Selena very readily marked the locations of the Vampire cult strongholds belonging to Salus on the map one by one.
She was not worried that the America high-level would go back on their word and discard her after using her.
Because what Salus could do, she, now the new "Vampire Queen," could also do.
And she would do it even more brutally and cruelly than the former!
For Selena, anyone who dared to disrupt her Boss's plan would only have one path: death.
"Thank you for Mr. Karl's help, I will always remember today's kindness…"
Before General Ross left, he did not forget to appropriately express his "loyalty."
Having been immersed in the workplace for many years, he knew that people who were "both virtuous and hypocritical" often did not end well.
Since he had made up his mind to deeply bind himself to Karl, things like saving face were no longer important.
What's more, he only needed to act submissive in front of Karl alone.
Normally, he was still the illustrious, majestic, and domineering Army Three-Star General, Thaddeus Ross!!
"Leader… no, now it should be Queen My Lord."
On the way back, a female Vampire guard sitting in the passenger seat said with a smile, "You look a bit different today than usual."
"Is… is that so?"
Selena's cheeks immediately flushed, and she looked out the window somewhat guiltily, "How am I different?"
"Hmm, that's really a bit hard to describe."
The female Vampire guard thought seriously for a moment, then said, "The most intuitive change should be in your temperament… Today, you don't look like a Moon Goddess, but like a true Queen!"
Selena did not speak, but her mind couldn't help but recall the madness and sweetness of last night in the bathroom.
Compared to yesterday, a hint of maturity and charm was clearly added between her brows.
This also allowed the Moon Goddess, always known for her cold beauty, to successfully ascend to the true "Vampire Queen"!
However.
When Selena recalled the latter half, her brows couldn't help but furrow slightly.
At the same time, a hint of confusion appeared in her ice-blue eyes.
Because when Karl carried her back to the bedroom to continue their passion, she couldn't clearly remember the process and scenes from that time.
This part of her memory seemed very blurry, only able to feel waves of extreme pleasure.
Was it because I was too overwhelmed… C-c-cough, Selena, what on earth are you thinking about?!
...…
…
Vought Corporation.
66th floor.
"Yes, that's it!!"
Homelander looked at the large screen, where Vought Corporation's stock price had finally stopped falling and was slowly rising, and he was ecstatic.
Clenching his fists, he proudly showed off to the assistant standing beside him with a serious expression:
"See, I already guessed that the stock price would rise… and this is just the beginning."
"As long as I continue to focus on these supernatural events, I believe it won't be long before I surpass the achievements created during Stan's tenure."
"By then, Vought Corporation will usher in a new era under my leadership… Write down this last sentence for me, and put it in my speech when I give an interview in a few days!"
"Alright." Ashley Barrett wrote furiously while fawning with a smile on her face:
"Sir, your fan count has increased by over two million as of now, and it's still continuously rising."
"The public is full of praise for your heroic performance in resolving the 'Seven Cities Crisis' this time… On the other hand, the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. are now being slammed on trending topics."
"Many even suggest directly incorporating The Seven into the Department of Defense's defense system to replace the increasingly unreliable Avengers!"
"Serves them right." Homelander was incredibly smug and comfortable.
The Stifled of being deliberately suppressed by S.H.I.E.L.D. all these years was finally released this day.
"Oh, by the way, there's more good news."
Ashley Barrett said excitedly, "In order to quickly complete post-disaster reconstruction, boost morale, and help the affected urban areas resume production and life…
Currently, the City Halls of the other six affected cities, excluding Binghamton, have officially extended an invitation to you,
Hoping that you can serve as the image ambassador for the respective cities, and the six mayors will personally present you with honorary certificates!!"
"Agree to them."
Homelander said impatiently.
But then, as if he thought of something, his expression suddenly turned cold, "What's going on with Binghamton? Have they forgotten so quickly who saved them?"
"Uh…" Ashley Barrett replied timidly:
"Because Starlight drained the electricity from more than half of Binghamton's urban area during the battle with the Vampires, not only did she fail to defeat the enemy, but she also caused a large number of civilian deaths due to the darkness…"
"So Binghamton's City Hall is currently drafting matters related to claiming huge compensation from Vought Corporation."
"That useless bitch."
Homelander was furious.
Why were there always such obstacles on his path to success?
Immediately, murderous intent surged.
He asked seemingly casually, "How is Starlight doing?"
"She's still in a coma… The Doctor said that if there are still no signs of waking up tonight, she might never regain consciousness."
Ashley Barrett did not feel sad for Starlight's plight; instead, she said indignantly:
"She brought this upon herself… If it weren't for her and Queen Maeve acting on their own and being defeated by those Vampires, the company's stock price would probably have risen much more than it has now."
"Sir, should we take this opportunity to kick those two troublesome bitches out of The Seven?"
…
Evening.
Queen Maeve, upon learning that she had been removed from The Seven, disregarded her unhealed injuries and angrily went to the 66th floor where Homelander resided, immediately questioning him:
"What do you mean? Why did you fire me and Starlight?"
As a veteran member of The Seven.
Queen Maeve, like Homelander, had long been accustomed to being in the spotlight of major news media every day.
She enjoyed that wonderful feeling of being worshipped and adored by fans.
Furthermore, because she spent lavishly and had enormous expenses, once she lost her identity as a member of The Seven, her commercial income would inevitably plummet.
It wouldn't be long before she fell into a severe financial crisis.
Therefore, no matter what, Queen Maeve had to maintain her position today.
"Do you even need to ask?"
Homelander blew on his freshly heated milk and said contentedly:
"Of course, it's because you two damned bitches brought extremely negative impacts to my otherwise perfect operation!"
"I've already been very merciful by not killing you two… So, disappear from my sight immediately, or you know the consequences."
He spoke the most ruthless words in the gentlest tone.
It must be said that Homelander had grown a lot recently.
However, with his exceptionally strong desire for control, he usually could not tolerate those around him disobeying his orders.
Clearly, Queen Maeve and Starlight's unauthorized actions had touched this bottom line.
If it weren't for the consideration that "infighting" might cause fan backlash and cause Vought Corporation's recently recovered stock price to fall again.
Homelander's punishment for them would absolutely not have been so light!
However.
As Homelander's former lover and the female lead of their on-screen CP for a long time, Queen Maeve, the second strongest member of The Seven, would obviously not be easily intimidated by such threats.
She pursed her lips and sneered, threatening, "Hmph, have you not considered the consequences of doing this?"
"What if I tell the media everything you've done in private all these years?"
"You can try it."
Homelander stared at Queen Maeve, his expression gradually turning icy, and said in an extremely forceful tone:
"By then, I will first kill everyone you care about, especially your lesbian girlfriend… and then it will be your turn!"
Seeing that the other party had brought up her girlfriend, Queen Maeve immediately panicked.
Because if there was anyone she cared about the most, it would definitely be her girlfriend.
And based on Queen Maeve's understanding of Homelander, he would absolutely do such a thing.
If it came down to who had more despicable and bottomless methods, she was definitely no match for Homelander.
Therefore, after realizing that the threat approach was not working, Queen Maeve immediately changed her strategy, shifting the topic and asking:
"I want to know, how exactly did you defeat those seven Vampires… ah no, demons, that day?"