"He... he's really a superhero?" Paxton sized Scott up suspiciously, his eyes full of disbelief.
"Besides wiring things wrong and picking locks, what else can he do? Did your Vought International make a mistake?"
The female executive gave Paxton a cold glance. "Vought International never makes mistakes. Now, please unlock the handcuffs."
Paxton hesitated for a moment, but under the urging of the Precinct Director, he had to take out his keys.
"Daddy, what's your superpower?"
At that moment, Cassie ran to the table, her hands gripping the edge as she looked at Scott with bright eyes, full of curiosity and admiration.
Looking at the expectant gaze of his daughter, Scott felt a bitter smile in his heart.
Superpowers?
He didn't have a single damn superpower. He couldn't even break free from these alloy handcuffs.
To avoid making the atmosphere too awkward, Scott pretended to stretch his wrists, subconsciously pulling outward on the chain of the handcuffs with both hands.
At the very moment he exerted force—
The pendant on his chest seemed to sense Scott's intent once again.
The liquid metal, as if alive, rapidly covered his wrists and forearms.
Under the incredulous gazes of everyone present, Scott's arms transformed into a pair of Silver Heavy Gauntlets filled with a sense of futuristic technology.
Crack! Clang—!
Following a crisp sound of metal snapping.
Those high-strength alloy Police handcuffs were directly shattered into several pieces of scrap iron by the expansion of the metal gauntlets, clattering onto the floor.
Everything happened too fast, so fast it seemed like a hallucination.
But the fragments of the handcuffs scattered on the ground were real proof of everything that had just occurred.
Maggie covered her mouth in shock. Paxton, still holding the ring of keys used to unlock them, froze in place. The look he gave Scott was filled with an inexplicable emotion in addition to shock.
That was true extraordinary power! He really was a Vought superhero!
"Wow!!!"
Cassie's excited scream broke the silence. She hopped and skipped happily on the spot, clapping her little hands.
"Daddy is so amazing! Daddy has iron arms! Daddy is Iron Man!"
Maggie also stood there in a daze.
Recalling her heartless words from earlier, her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
She had always thought Scott was an unrealistic dreamer, a loser who could never take on family responsibilities.
But now, facts proved she was wrong.
He really was a hero. He was doing great work.
"Scott..." Maggie stepped forward, her voice carrying a deep apology, "I'm so sorry. What I said before... I thought you had gone back to your old ways. I was just so worried about Cassie."
"I understand, Maggie. You're a good mother." Scott looked at his ex-wife, and the knot in his heart unraveled at that moment.
Paxton also coughed twice awkwardly, an unconsciously fawning smile appearing on his face.
"Uh... Mr. Lang. This is all a misunderstanding."
He rubbed his hands together somewhat restlessly.
"You know, we Police are just following procedure. If I had known earlier that you were a Vought hero..."
"Well... I don't know if you're free this weekend? If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you over for dinner."
"Maggie's cooking is great... Oh! Sorry, I mean, just for Cassie's sake. She'd definitely love to hear about her father's glorious deeds."
"Daddy! You'll come, right?" Cassie tugged on Scott's arm, acting spoiled.
Scott looked at his ex-wife and her current husband, whose attitudes had done a 180-degree turn, and then at his daughter's happy smile.
He felt like he was dreaming.
But one thing was clear to him.
He had finally managed to crawl out of hell; he could never let himself fall back in.
Since Vought had given him this identity, regardless of their motives, he had to cling tightly to this lifeline.
Scott took a deep breath, straightened his back, and did his best to project the confidence that belonged to a superhero.
"No problem, Officer Paxton. I'll be there on time."
Scott agreed in a calm tone.
Then, he crouched down and lifted Cassie high up.
"Cassie, Daddy has a mission to take care of right now."
He kissed his daughter's soft cheek and said softly:
"See you this weekend, my Little Peanut. Daddy promises to bring you the coolest gift."
"Okay!" Cassie nodded obediently.
"Mr. Lang, we should get going. There's a lot of work waiting for you," the Vought female executive reminded him timely.
Scott stood up, gave Maggie and Paxton one last look, and without saying anything more, turned to follow the Vought people out of the interrogation room.
...
After the group walked out of the Police station, they got into a high-end business van parked at the entrance.
The door closed, sealing out the noise of the outside World.
The interior of the cabin was spacious and luxurious.
On the captain's chair in the back row, Homelander was holding a glass of champagne, looking at him with a smile.
"Daniel!"
The moment Scott saw Homelander, all his previous pretenses dropped away.
"I knew it was you! My god, I don't even know how to thank you."
Scott's voice was a bit choked up.
"Not only did you save my life, but you also fished me out of that damn interrogation room. You even gave me a hero's identity so I can hold my head high in front of my daughter!"
"You pulled me out of hell, Daniel. I owe you too much."
Notification! special popularity value +30,000 gained! (From Scott Lang)
Homelander took a satisfied sip of his wine.
As expected, the more someone has experienced the abyss of despair, the more abundant the emotional value they provide when pulled into the light.
Homelander set down the goblet and shook his head with a smile.
"No need to thank me, Scott."
"If you really want to thank someone, you should thank Homelander."
"Homelander?" Scott was stunned for a moment.
"Yes," Homelander nodded seriously.
"He is the one who guides us, showing that true heroes should not suffer unjust punishment for upholding justice."
"He gave the word 'hero' its true meaning. I am merely carrying out his will."
Although Scott had been serving his sentence in prison for the past three years, he could still often see the television there.
In the past, he had witnessed with his own eyes the noble figure of Homelander saving the World time and time again. Especially that epic battle that ended with him disappearing into deep space, which made the whole World weep.
For that hero who was still missing in the sea of stars, Scott's heart was filled with lofty respect and an inexplicable sense of kinship.
"I admire him very much," Scott said sincerely.
"He is a great man. I pray every day for his safe return."
Notification! special popularity value +5,000 gained! (From Scott Lang)
"But regardless, Daniel, you were the one who personally gave me this chance. I cannot ignore your help. Tell me, is there anything I can do for you?"
Homelander smiled without answering, instead asking a question first.
"Without your consent, I took the liberty of claiming you are a registered Vought hero."
"This is somewhat disrespectful of your personal wishes. So, I am officially asking you once now."
"Scott Lang, are you willing to join Vought and become a true superhero?"