Scott's plan was simple.
He would use his skills to steal the items from that safe. Then, he'd follow the trail to drag out the mastermind hiding behind the scenes who tried to use them as cannon fodder, gather evidence, and bring them to justice.
Finally, in the role of a messenger of justice, he would return the items intact to that old man who owned them.
"That way, not only will I have done a good deed, but that rich old man might even give us a generous reward out of gratitude."
With that legal reward money, he could pay child support, see Cassie with his head held high, and even hold his head up proudly in front of his ex-wife and her Police officer current partner.
"I'm going to prove to them that Scott Lang isn't a thief—he's a true hero!"
...
Time reached the afternoon.
Inside the Presidential Suite of the Fairmont Hotel.
Miss Skynet had already changed into a dark professional suit, her long hair pinned back, wearing a pair of rimless glasses; her entire being radiated an elegant and intellectual temperament.
"Sir, President Jones's high-level meeting will begin in forty minutes, and I am among the attendees."
Skynet walked to the bedside, leaning down to leave a faint lip print on Homelander's cheek.
Homelander reached out and gave her slender waist a gentle squeeze, eliciting a shallow, flirtatious moan from Skynet.
"Go get to work then. Help that silly girl Jessica shoulder a bit more of the burden; she always likes to push herself too hard."
"As you wish, sir."
Skynet stood straight and walked out of the suite with elegant strides, leaving the room to return to silence.
Homelander let out a slight sigh of relief, resting his hands behind his head as he looked up at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling.
For someone with a Skyfather Level Steel Body like him, even if he fought for a month without sleep or rest, his muscles wouldn't accumulate any lactic acid, and there was no fatigue to speak of.
Though his body wasn't tired, the mental exhaustion was very real.
Skynet was no ordinary human woman; her core driving force was the Mind Stone. During their unreserved, deep exchange last night, the high-frequency mental fluctuations emitted by the Mind Stone had been bombarding his cerebral cortex every second.
Sustaining such a highly excited mental state for a long time made Homelander feel as if there were several bees buzzing in his head right now.
"It seems being physically invincible isn't enough; I need to find an opportunity to patch up the shortcoming in my mental strength too."
If he encountered bald Mutants on the level of Charles or the White Queen Emma in the future and his mental defenses weren't high enough, it would always make him feel insecure.
He didn't want to be flying perfectly fine in the sky only to have someone suddenly cram a bunch of messy illusions into his head.
However, with no one to disturb him in the room now, it was a good time to take stock of his assets and see if there were any surprises.
"System," Homelander called out the interface in his mind, "Check my current special popularity value balance."
[Current special popularity value balance: 399,005.]
"Being stuck at the number three hundred and ninety thousand feels really uncomfortable," Homelander rubbed his chin. "System, draw one superhero blind box and one skin blind box each."
[Command confirmed. Deducting 200,000 special popularity value points.]
[Blind box drawing in progress...]
The system's CG animation flashed, and two high-speed rotating star vortices suddenly appeared before his eyes.
One shimmered with an ambiguous pink light, while the other presented a tech-heavy azure blue.
With a thought, Homelander opened the pink vortex first. The light exploded, turning into countless tiny rose petals that condensed into a phantom heart outline in the air before sinking into Homelander's chest.
[Congratulations to the Host! Obtained Rare Skin: Heartthrob Arsonist.]
[Skin Attributes: After wearing this skin, the host's appearance will not change. However, for members of the opposite sex aged 18 and above, the host will gain the 'Perfect Lover' aura.]
[Passive Effect 1: Attraction to the opposite sex increased by 200%. Every move and every smile of the host will be processed through a 'perfection filter' in the eyes of the opposite sex, perfectly matching their deepest subconscious aesthetic preferences for men.]
[Passive Effect 2: Favoritism. When any member of the opposite sex launches any form of attack against the host, they will involuntarily withdraw 30% of its intensity.]
[Passive Effect 3: Seduction Domain. Centered on the host, members of the opposite sex within a 20-meter radius will significantly lower their psychological guard against the host. Simultaneously, the host's presence will continuously stimulate their brains to secrete higher concentrations of oxytocin and endorphins, creating a strong sense of dependence and pleasure.]
After reading this long list of skin descriptions, Homelander sat on the bed, stunned for a full three seconds.
Then, he couldn't help but let out a low chuckle.
"What is this? A System-certified Aquaman? A mobile hormone generator?"
This meant that even if Captain Marvel charged at him with fire in her eyes, as long as she got close to him, her hands and feet would inexplicably go soft, her heart would flutter, and she might even think his posture while getting hit was handsome.
Moreover, there were quite a few powerful women in Marvel; he just didn't know if Death and Infinity were recognized as females by the system, as those were T0-tier existences in this World.
"Equip immediately," Homelander gave the command.
There were no light or shadow special effects, nor any energy fluctuations.
Homelander threw back the covers and walked to the full-length mirror. In the mirror, he was still the handsome version of himself with blond hair and blue eyes; his features hadn't changed at all.
To test the effect, Homelander pressed the service bell for the Presidential Suite and put on the Widow Veil II again.
"Hello, Mr. Daniel, how may I help you?" The professional, standard female voice of the front desk receptionist came through the communicator.
"Send a dessert up,"
"Certainly, please wait a moment."
Ten minutes later, the suite's doorbell rang.
Homelander walked over and pulled open the door.
Standing outside was a young waitress pushing a dining cart.
She had originally been looking down at the silver tableware on the cart, but upon hearing the door open, she looked up out of professional habit, preparing to smile and greet the guest.
"Good afternoon, sir, your dess..."
The waitress's words got cut off halfway, as if they were stuck in her throat.
She stared blankly at Homelander standing inside the doorway, her cheeks heating up slightly.
On her retinas, this youth was clearly just standing there simply, but that casually open collar, that slightly messy black hair, and those black eyes meeting hers all radiated an irresistible attraction.
All of this caused the waitress's breathing to gradually become rapid, and her heart beat violently and uncontrollably in her chest. Two flushes of red spread from her neck all the way to the tips of her ears, and her legs couldn't help but press together.
"What's wrong?" Homelander tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth curling up into a faint smirk. "Is there something wrong with the dessert?