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"Sorry, I'm late."
"There was a kitten stuck in a tree on the way. You know, I couldn't just leave it."
Natasha stared at him blankly.
To be honest, a man really does look handsome in these life-and-death moments.
"Thank you..."
"You're welcome, Miss Romanoff."
Homelander lowered his head slightly, his face full of smiles.
"I have to say, from this angle... you're even more charming."
"Gained Special Popularity Points +10,000! (From Natasha Romanoff)"
The system notification sounded.
The smile on Homelander's lips grew even wider.
"Hey!!"
A mood-killing voice came from the side.
Jessica Jones flew over, arms crossed, looking at the scene with a displeased expression.
"Have you hugged enough?" She rolled her eyes. "This is a global live broadcast! How much longer are you going to hold her? If this is for a photoshoot, you've already given those fangirls enough material to edit for a whole year!"
"Give her to me! Go do your job!"
Jessica roughly reached out, looking like she was about to snatch her away.
Homelander let out an 'oh' and gave a regretful smile.
"This is my job, Jessica. Saving people comes first."
He reluctantly handed Natasha over to Jessica.
"Take good care of her; she's our prospective new employee."
Jessica took Natasha and snorted irritably.
"Got it, Bond!"
At that moment, the sound of rapid camera shutters rang out all around.
Several news helicopters had arrived on the scene, their searchlights illuminating the area like broad daylight.
"Viewers! I'm a VNN reporter!"
"Just moments ago, Homelander performed a desperate rescue!"
"He saved Black Widow! Now, he is facing..."
The camera turned to the other side—Park Avenue.
This place had now spontaneously become a coliseum for superheroes.
The sound of sirens was drowned out by the roar of propellers.
Dozens of news helicopters circled at low altitude, their searchlight beams weaving a bright net that lit up the block like day.
Homelander slowly landed in the middle of the street.
Behind him, members of The Seven landed one by one.
Firecracker Angela was enveloped in flames, scorching the surrounding air until it warped.
An afterimage flashed by as Speedball Robbie bounced onto the ground like an overinflated ball, taking a defensive stance.
Wanda Maximoff, wearing a new red suit made by Vought, held her hands out, one in front of the other. Faint crimson ribbons occasionally flickered from her fingertips as her gaze scanned the crowd, seemingly searching for something in a panic.
"Don't worry, sweetheart," Homelander comforted her. "Pietro is safe. Once we deal with these guys who are acting out, we'll go get your brother out."
"I'll do whatever you say, Anthony," Wanda said, a sweet smile appearing as she looked at Homelander's back.
After putting Natasha into an ambulance, Jessica Jones leaped down beside Homelander.
She leaned in and whispered into Homelander's ear, "Ashley says... don't end the fight too quickly. The people at Vought Pictures want to get more footage for the next movie, Homelander 3: Civil War."
At the other end of the street, about fifty meters away.
Tony Stark hovered three meters above the ground. Behind him, dozens of unmanned Iron Legion drones lined up in a fan shape, the hum of their palm pulses merging into a single drone.
Thor stood atop a flattened taxi. Though he had lost mjolnir, he had pulled out a lamppost to use as a new weapon.
Hawkeye Barton crouched behind cover, a specialized arrow already notched on his string, locked onto the center of Homelander's forehead.
The air froze.
Every viewer watching the live stream held their breath.
On one side were Vought's Guardians; on the other, the fallen Avengers.
This confrontation felt like a passing of the torch between eras.
The whole World was watching.
This was Homelander's favorite kind of stage.
He cleared his throat and slowly floated forward a short distance, positioning himself at the absolute center of the camera's frame.
"Tony, Thor, and Agent Barton."
Homelander's deep, magnetic voice reached countless households through the numerous microphones on the scene.
He didn't show any anger; instead, his face wore an expression of pained, heartfelt tolerance.
"I know this isn't what you really want."
He spread his arms wide in a gesture of embrace.
"Look at you—once the Guardians of Earth, the Avengers. Now you've turned your weapons against the very city you swore to protect."
Then he turned to the camera, his eyes becoming sorrowful.
"Citizens, please do not blame them. They are sick."
"An evil alien force has used some kind of mental virus to control their minds. Their actions now are not of their own will."
"So..." Homelander turned to Tony, like an elder counseling a wayward youth.
"...Wake up, Tony. We aren't enemies; we're brothers-in-arms!"
"We can be like we were before, having a glass of eggnog together on Christmas Eve and talking about how to make the World safer."
These words were sincere and deeply moving.
In the live chat, the comments exploded instantly.
"Wooo, Homelander is so gentle!"
"This is the true bearing of a leader! Even when faced with a friend's betrayal, his first thought is to save them!"
"Avengers, wake up! Stop fighting!"
"Wooo... I'm a fan for life now..."
...If this were the normal Tony Stark, he probably would have contributed special popularity points by now.
But the current Tony was Lorelei's slave.
"Ha!"
The faceplate flipped up, revealing Tony's face full of disdain.
"Nice performance, Mr. Star-Spangled Banner. Your acting has more layers than your cape."
"But I don't need your eggnog, and I don't need your so-called 'sobriety.' I've never been more clear-headed."
His eyes flickered with obsession for Lorelei.
"The Queen has given me a true purpose. And you..." Tony looked Homelander up and down with a sneer, "your hypocrisy index is higher than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s budget deficit."
"Thor." He turned to the God of Thunder beside him. "Tell him our stance."
"For Lorelei!!" Thor roared to the sky, his fists clenched tight.
Hawkeye didn't speak; he just silently swapped his arrowhead for an explosive one.
Negotiations had broken down.
Homelander sighed and shook his head helplessly.
"What a shame."
He shrugged at the camera, wearing the perfect expression of "I've done my best, but they just won't listen."
In this moment of extreme tension.
"Thump!!"
A dull, heavy thud rang out, and the ground shook violently.
Everyone instinctively looked up.
A massive green figure, like a green meteorite, slammed heavily into the empty space between the two sides.
The asphalt surface shattered instantly, and the shockwave overturned several nearby abandoned cars.
The dust cleared.
Hulk slowly straightened his back.
He looked a bit confused.
Those massive green eyes looked left, then right.
On the left was the blond man who had kicked him around like a ball.
On the right was the tin man who had just blasted him.
He hated both of them.
Hulk scratched his head, a low growl coming from his throat as if he were weighing which one to smash first to feel better.
"In that case..." Homelander continued, ignoring the newly arrived Hulk, "...I'll just have to beat you awake."
"I possess power beyond your imagination."
Tony sneered, and his faceplate snapped shut again.
"You have power?"
"Well, that's unfortunate."
Tony pointed to the middle.
"We have a Hulk."
"Zzap—!"
Just as he finished speaking, Tony fired a repulsor blast without any warning, hitting Hulk directly in the back.
The entire scene froze.
Even Homelander was stunned for a moment.
This wasn't the script.
Had Tony gone mad? Did he think there weren't enough enemies? Why would he actively provoke this uncontrollable Beast?