Wade quietly watched Butcher, discerning beneath his disgruntled expression a deep-seated anxiety, hope, and desperate resolve to achieve his goals quickly.
He knew very well that Butcher's ultimate purpose in forming The Boys was not justice or revenge, but to find his wife, Becca, who had been 'dead for eight years'.
Striking at Supe criminals and Vought was merely Butcher's way of venting his anger while pursuing clues.
Wade put down his drink can and said coldly:
"This is childish, Butcher."
"If you want to go die fighting Homelander, I won't stop you. But if you want to drag everyone else down with you... I don't mind cleaning up this mess myself."
Butcher flipped him off with both middle fingers: "So what you're saying is, you can't get anything that can kill Homelander, right?!"
"Did you not hear a single word I just said?" Wade pointed at his nose and cursed, "Homelander is a Tier Four! He's the strongest Supe alive! What do you think Temporary V Compound is? Wholesale soda sold on the street?!"
Seeing the tension, Hughie quickly stepped in to mediate.
He grabbed Butcher's arm and said earnestly, "Butcher, stop! We really were too impulsive this time."
MM stood in the middle, hastily explaining, "We saw Black Noir and them indiscriminately slaughtering people, so... we couldn't hold back."
Frenchie also nodded quickly, agreeing, "Yes, yes, we were wrong, Chameleon. Next time, we'll use our brains first and gather intelligence."
Kimiko, unable to speak, bowed deeply to Wade, making urgent 'ho-ho' sounds in her throat to express her apology.
Wade looked at them, his anger slightly subsiding, and waved his hand: "Alright, that's enough about this."
He opened the refrigerator and casually asked, "What happened after you were caught? Why didn't Black Noir and A-Train kill you on the spot?"
Butcher shoved Hughie away and grumbled, "They thought we were just a bunch of idiot Supes who popped up out of nowhere, and they confiscated the packet of Compound."
"Those two bastards checked the Compound and wanted to pry information about its source out of us, so they didn't go for the kill."
"What did you tell them?" Wade pressed.
"What else could we say?" Butcher spat, "Just that we bought it for a hefty price on the black market and knew nothing else. They didn't believe us and wanted to take us somewhere else to interrogate us slowly, but you intercepted them halfway."
At this moment, MM seemed to recall something, his face full of vexation: "Wait... that packet of Compound! A-Train took a whole box then, saying he'd take it back for analysis. The rest should still be in that truck."
Wade drank his beverage, unconcerned: "Let them take it, if the Compound is gone, we can buy more. The problem now is that your faces and identities have been completely exposed."
Butcher nodded: "Everyone knows that. Vought will soon use all its resources to find us. For the next period, we'll be hiding."
Hughie pointed at the computer screen: "Look, Vought's PR machine is in full swing. They've completely downplayed Translucent's confession video, guiding public opinion to say it's AI face-swapping and malicious editing... Now the internet is arguing about 'terrorists' and 'the boundaries of national security,' and there are still many people who support Vought."
Butcher looked at Wade and quipped, "Did you kill that politician? It'll be terrible if they trace it back to us!"
"I'm not sure, I sneaked into the memorial service, placed the hacking device Hughie gave me, and then slipped out." Wade glanced at the clamorous debates on the screen, his heart completely unmoved.
His goal in releasing those videos and killing SpeakerSimon that night was never these easily swayed common people.
He wanted to deter and win over the politicians and investors who could see Vought's threat and held real power.
"No matter who did it, the longer the public opinion ferments, the more it benefits us." Wade sat on the sofa, raising his hand and saying, "After I killed Black Noir, Homelander caught me. He's definitely looking for me everywhere like a mad dog now... I'll have to lay low for a while too. I'll go find the boss and get you guys some good stuff."
As he spoke, he unwrapped a sterile syringe from the table and looked at Kimiko: "Come here, give me some blood."
At these words, Butcher's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh: "Good idea, should've done this sooner!"
MM and Frenchie also immediately understood Wade's intention, their faces breaking into knowing, lewd smiles, their gazes uniformly fixed on Kimiko.
"Getting her ability to regrow severed limbs..."
"Great, then we can be even more daring in the future."
Kimiko's eyes darted left and right, from the fervent Butcher to the smiling MM, finally landing on Frenchie's face, which held a hint of expectation.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Kimiko." Frenchie quickly turned and reassured her with sign language, "With your ability, we can all be safer, and continue to protect you and find your brother..."
Kimiko let out a low growl of grievance and anger, then, as if resigned, moved out from behind Frenchie and reluctantly extended her slender arm.
"Just a little, it'll be quick." Wade deftly drew a tube of blood and carefully put the sample away.
Then, he took out the last box of Compound from his pocket: "Take these, for emergencies, and remember to keep a low profile."
With that, Wade didn't linger, turning and leaving the basement... The heavy iron door of the basement closed, isolating the inside from the outside.
The atmosphere of shock and excitement in the room also settled down.
Butcher picked up the phone Wade had left on the table, weighing it in his hand: "These photos... what do you say we do with them?"
MM crossed his arms, pondering: "Releasing them now would be like telling Homelander directly, 'Hey, we're right here, come bite us'... This bomb needs to be held onto and thrown out at the critical moment for the best effect."
"Agreed." Hughie picked up the conversation, his gaze fixed on the phone in Butcher's hand, "But... Chameleon just left the phone with us so easily? Could there be some... secret inside?"
As he spoke, he reached out to take the phone: "Let me see, maybe I can find some clues about his identity."
"Save it, rookie." Butcher scoffed, deftly avoiding Hughie's hand, and showed the phone screen to everyone, "That guy is as cunning as a ghost. Do you think he's as naive as you?"
He swiped his finger across the screen: "See? This month's latest model, the contact list is empty, and all the apps are system defaults."
"I've observed him for a long time. Every time he shows up, his clothes are new, his belongings are new, never the same... typical disposable consumption, use it and throw it away. You want to find his little secrets from here?" Butcher put the phone back on the table, rolling his eyes, "In your next life."
Hughie picked up the phone and examined it repeatedly, smacking his lips, a look of envy on his face: "Tsk... Chameleon really lives up to his reputation as a drug dealer, being rich is so damn good."
The small interlude seemed to dilute some of the gravity.
Frenchie silently walked over to Kimiko, examining her recently drawn arm, communicating with his eyes and gestures.
Although Kimiko was still a bit pouting, she gently nodded at Frenchie.
MM cleared his throat, pointing at the levels Wade had written on the whiteboard, his expression serious: "Guys, although Chameleon's words are harsh, he wasn't wrong about one thing."
"Before... we really were like headless chickens. Dealing with Supes, relying solely on brute force and those temporary Compounds, is a dead end."
He stood up and walked to the whiteboard, emphatically tapping his finger on the words "intelligence" and "weakness": "We must change our approach. Like hunters, first understand what the prey is, its habits, what it fears, and then make our move."
"I'll be responsible for intelligence gathering." Hughie volunteered, raising his hand, "The internet, social media, public databases... I can always dig something up. I can try to build a Supe database."
Frenchie raised his hand: "Leave weapons and equipment to me. Once I know the target's weakness, I can create targeted items. Electric shocks, sonic waves, freezing, acid corrosion... there's always one that suits them."
He put his arm around Kimiko's shoulder, grinning: "Kimiko can help me test their practicality and effects."
Butcher leaned against the wall, arms crossed: "I have contacts in the CIA; getting some internal information or borrowing some investigation resources shouldn't be a problem."
MM nodded: "Excellent. I'll be responsible for overall coordination and analysis, and for formulating action plans. Remember, we're not street brawlers anymore. From now on, we need to be professional."
Butcher's face regained its violent expression. He scanned the group, a exaggerated curve forming on his lips: "Then it's settled. We'll collect information on each of those spandex-wearing criminals... and prepare for the hunt!"
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