After a brief moment of disorientation, Homelander was certain that he had returned to the Black Robe Universe.
The moment Little Spider stabbed Osborn to death, he had been enveloped in a mass of black-and-blue flames.
When he came to his senses again, he had already returned.
At this moment, some information appeared across his retinas.
[The Multiverse Invasion Event has ended.]
[Because Peter Parker killed Osborn, you have reaped the fruits of victory.]
[Event evaluation and settlement will now begin.]
[Evaluation complete. Details are as follows.]
[1. You completed this Multiverse Invasion Event and obtained Glory Points *73.]
[2. Under the 'Battle of Good and Evil' mode, you defeated 'Homelander' Starro from Universe No. 34515, causing 'Spider-Man' Peter Parker to take the dark ending. Therefore, you will randomly receive an item containing dark power.]
[Drawing now.]
[Drawing complete!]
[You obtained 'Laughing Gas Toxin' (100 grams).]
[3. You launched an invasion and achieved victory. The Plunderer effect has activated. You will randomly plunder 70% of the loser's items and one talent ability.]
[Plundering complete.]
[You obtained from Starro's inventory: Proficiency Essence *116, Multiverse Crystals *16, Awakening Stone *1, Vibranium Armor *3, 1 ton of Vibranium Metal, Destroyer *1 (Artifact).]
[You plundered Starro's talent: Transformation Ray.]
[4. You completed the third Multiverse Invasion Event and obtained 'Glory Points' *36.]
[Your Glory Shop has been updated with new items!]
After reading this information, Homelander couldn't help whistling.
No wonder his 'brothers and sisters' wanted to launch invasions.
The rewards from an invasion were extremely rich.
Thinking back to the first two times he had been invaded, even though he had won, the rewards had not been this great.
But this time, by taking the initiative to invade, he had obtained quite a few good things.
The Glory Points and 'Laughing Gas Toxin' were just icing on the cake.
The real haul was the plundering in the third item.
After successfully launching an invasion, he could plunder the resources of the loser, including their talents.
The Destroyer was equivalent to Homelander having a second clone. As the guardian of Asgard's treasury, this humanoid armor was quite capable in a fight. At the very least, most superheroes and villains were no match for it.
'Transformation Ray' allowed Homelander to transform everything hit by the ray into 'mechanical lifeforms' that would obey his commands.
Combined with Homelander's own 'Absolute Hit,' the effect would only be better than Starro's.
In addition, through this proactive invasion, Homelander had roughly figured out the risks and rewards of the invasion events.
Invasions were divided into proactive invasions and passive defense.
Proactive invasions required one to bear higher risks and harsher punishments, but if successful, the rewards were abundant.
Passive defense came with certain advantages, but even if the defense succeeded, the rewards were far inferior to those from a proactive invasion.
"Simply put, the invasion event basically follows the principle of 'high risk, high reward.'"
Homelander stretched.
He planned to take a shower and get a good night's sleep.
He wanted to properly relax his mind and body after just completing an invasion event.
———
[Meanwhile, Far on the Other Side of Earth]
Frenchie and Mother's Milk, disguised as workers, arrived outside a military base.
This was a Russian military base. With Mallory's help, they had successfully left the Federation and arrived in this icy country.
The two crouched in the grass, observing the military base behind the high-voltage fence.
"The weapon that can kill Homelander is inside."
The short Frenchie looked at his companion with unusual excitement, "Are you ready?"
Mother's Milk shrugged, "Of course."
Frenchie took out a makeup bag, but when he opened it, it contained some green chemicals and syringes.
"You sure you don't want one?"
This was temporary Compound V, an inferior version of Compound V that could turn the person injected with it into a superhuman for the next 24 hours.
Mother's Milk waved his hands without thinking, "No, I'm not injecting this stuff."
His eyes were filled with strong disgust, "Don't forget why we're doing all this, Frenchie. Even the dead Butcher knew that we're doing this to kill all the superhumans, not become them."
Frenchie shrugged, "But we don't know what dangers we'll encounter in there. To make sure we can get out, I think sometimes going against your principles isn't exactly some huge mistake."
"My father once said that if a man can't hold his own line and becomes someone without principles, then he's a failure."
Mother's Milk said with unusual determination, "So even if you beat me to death, I'm not injecting this crap."
"Fine."
Frenchie patted him on the shoulder, "If there's any danger, I'll protect you."
Then he picked up one bottle of temporary Compound V and used a syringe to inject it into his body.
After injecting the temporary Compound V, Frenchie grunted, "Good thing you didn't inject it. It feels a little unpleasant, like a hangover."
He shook his head, "But it's okay. The feeling comes and goes quickly."
Mother's Milk spread his hands, "So what kind of superpower did you get?"
Frenchie looked at his own hand, "I don't know. Maybe I'll know when danger comes."
Mother's Milk shook his head, "Sounds unreliable."
Frenchie stood up and walked over to an electrical box, "Let's cut their power for a while."
He pulled out some plugs from the electrical box, but the base didn't change at all.
"What the hell?"
Frenchie fiddled with things inside the electrical box, pressing here and pulling there.
The military base still showed no reaction.
"Can you do it or not?", Mother's Milk began to worry about tonight's operation.
"Damn it!", Frenchie irritably punched the electrical box. As a result, when he struck it, his fist suddenly glowed brightly with a hum, and arcs of shining electricity shot out.
The electric arcs traveled across the electrical box. The circuits immediately short-circuited and sprayed sparks, and the lights of the military base behind the fence instantly went out.
"Haha!"
"See that, brother? This is my superpower," Frenchie showed off as he waved his fist, which was still flickering with electric arcs, at Mother's Milk.
"Stay away from me. I don't want to get electrocuted," Mother's Milk walked over to the high-voltage fence and checked it with a voltage tester. The fence had already lost power.
Only then did he take out a pair of wire cutters, quickly cut through a section of the wire fence, and crawled through.
The military base suddenly losing power caused a guard to turn around and look.
Frenchie and Mother's Milk took the opportunity to approach.
Mother's Milk grabbed the soldier's head and twisted it hard. The soldier died before he even had time to grunt.
Frenchie searched the soldier and found an access card. He called Mother's Milk over to a steel door and used the access card to open it. Mother's Milk dragged the soldier's body inside and threw it into a dark corner.
Frenchie took out a flashlight and turned it on. He quickly moved forward, "We need to hurry. We have five minutes at most."
As he walked, Mother's Milk said, "But we don't even know what that weapon looks like."
"Check their records or experimental reports. We should find something," Frenchie opened another laboratory door and entered.
He swept the flashlight around. After confirming that there was no one inside the laboratory, Frenchie signaled for Mother's Milk to come in.
Then the two divided the work and began searching through the records and experimental reports in the laboratory.
Frenchie made a round of the place, but found nothing. He held his head in both hands and looked around.
"That doesn't make sense."
"If there were a weapon here, we should have found it already."
"Could it be hidden?"
He immediately looked toward a sealed container in the depths of the laboratory. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like exactly the kind of thing used to store a secret weapon.
Frenchie was just about to go over and see what was inside when a series of footsteps suddenly sounded outside.
"Mother's Milk, we've got company!"
Frenchie quickly warned him, while he himself immediately crouched behind a steel cabinet.
He had just pulled out his pistol when the laboratory door was kicked open, and a squad of fully armed soldiers rushed in.
Mother's Milk shouted, "They got here way too fast."
At the same time, Mother's Milk was already firing at the soldiers.
Those soldiers weren't pushovers either. They immediately spread out, took up their positions, raised their rifles, and fired at Frenchie and Mother's Milk.
These soldiers were well-equipped and their firepower was fierce. In the dim laboratory, gunfire flashed everywhere, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.
"They've got too much firepower," Mother's Milk covered his head and crouched behind a filing cabinet, with no chance to fight back.
Frenchie emptied his magazine and shook his head, "Leave it to me."
He shouted and thrust his hand toward the doorway.
Frenchie's palm immediately lit up. Bolts of electricity shot out from his palm, intertwining together and striking two soldiers, sending their entire bodies flying backward.
Amid their screams, the two soldiers crashed outside the doorway. Their chests were charred black, smoke rising from them, and the air took on the smell of roasted meat.
"Haha, this is so exciting!"
Seeing that his attack had worked, Frenchie didn't hesitate. He stood up and continuously fired electricity at the soldiers.
Streams of electricity crossed the laboratory, striking the bodies and sending the soldiers flying.
Occasionally, when they missed, the electricity traveled along the wires.
Perhaps because of the stimulation from Frenchie's electrical currents, the indicator light outside the sealed container in the depths of the laboratory lit up, changing from red to green.
Then the container's hatch opened, and a figure fell out. It was a man whose beard had grown long from going untrimmed for a long time.
There were many needles stuck into his body. Because he fell to the ground, all the needles came out of his body.
Frenchie and Mother's Milk were too focused on the battle to notice this scene.
Electricity flashed.
Finally, the last soldier fell.
Frenchie excitedly looked at his hands, which were still crackling with electricity, and said excitedly, "See that, brother."
"This is amazing. I can knock down so many soldiers with ease."
"With this power, I'll never have to be afraid of anyone again!"
Mother's Milk shook his head, "Listen to what you're saying."
"You're becoming just like those bastards."
Frenchie shook his head, "I'll never become one of those damn superhumans."
Mother's Milk was about to say something when he suddenly caught sight of a figure from the corner of his eye.
Mother's Milk quickly turned around and saw a man standing beside the sealed container deep inside the laboratory, supporting himself against it.
It was the bearded man.
He had already awakened, but he was still somewhat confused about the situation.
He shook his head, trying to make himself more clear-headed.
When he looked at Mother's Milk.
Mother's Milk's entire body shook.
His memories of the past came flooding back like water.
After swearing, he said, "What the hell? How are you still alive?"
"Soldier Boy!"
That's right, the man before them was Soldier Boy.
Even though he was naked.
Even though his beard had grown longer.
Mother's Milk would not mistake him.
Seeing this man who had killed his father, Mother's Milk could not control himself. He shouted and charged toward Soldier Boy.
At this moment, Soldier Boy held his head and groaned in pain. At the same time, the grains of sand on the ground all began gathering toward him.
It was as if an invisible force of gravity had appeared around him.
At the same time, Soldier Boy's chest quickly lit up, as if there were a high-powered searchlight installed inside his chest.
Suddenly, Soldier Boy shouted and straightened his body at the same time. A dazzling and brilliant mass of light immediately shot out from his chest.
"No."
Frenchie rushed toward Mother's Milk, wanting to knock him down.
But just as he started moving, Mother's Milk had already been struck by the stream of light shooting from Soldier Boy's chest, and his body suddenly exploded apart.
The cannon-like stream of light roared forward, directly blasting a passage through the military base.
Frenchie looked at the fragments of Mother's Milk's body scattered across the ground. He held his head and repeatedly shook it.
He refused to believe that Mother's Milk had died just like that.
Frenchie glanced at Soldier Boy, gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran.
As he ran, a voice echoed in his mind, 'Frenchie, you coward.'
'You already have superpowers, don't you?'
'Why don't you kill Soldier Boy for Mother's Milk!'
He forcefully shook his head, driving those voices away, and rushed out through the door.
Inside the laboratory, Soldier Boy seemed to have regained consciousness as well.
He looked at the charred passage he had blasted open, then left through it.
———
Sleeping until you naturally wake up, counting money until your hand cramps.
These are the two great joys of life.
Homelander didn't know exactly how much wealth he had now, but he knew that if it were converted into cash, he would definitely count until his hand cramped.
After returning from the Spider-Man Universe, he slept.
By the time he naturally woke up, it was already daylight.
Looking at the ceiling, Homelander was in a good mood.
If not for the 'Administrator,' his mood would have been even better.
But now, he himself was also moving in the direction of becoming an 'Administrator.'
So it didn't feel too bad.
He got up, washed up, put on casual clothes, and came to the command center.
As soon as the automatic door opened, he saw Maeve and Ashley talking about something. Neither woman looked very good.
"Good morning," Homelander greeted them with a smile.
The two women looked over, and Ashley quickly hid a tablet behind her back.
Homelander glanced at it, "Ms. Ashley, what did you hide?"
"Is there something you don't want me to know?"
Ashley immediately began stammering.
Maeve shook her head, "Tell him. He'll find out sooner or later."
Hearing Maeve say that, Homelander became even more curious.
Only then did Ashley take out the tablet, "It's like this, sir."
"Didn't the police just destroy an illegal organization called the Homeland Society?"
Homelander nodded. Of course he knew. More precisely, he had personally dealt with this organization.
"And then?"
Ashley cleared her throat, "That organization used your name to scam people. Now the victims have spoken out online, believing that you should take responsibility for this."
Homelander was stunned, "Me?"
Ashley nodded, "Yes, sir."
"They believe that the Homeland Society used your name to deceive people out of their property, and you should have noticed and stopped it immediately."
"But you didn't. You allowed these bad things to happen, causing the victims to suffer financial and even psychological losses."
"So they're demanding that you take responsibility and provide compensation."
Homelander laughed, "They're leaving the criminals alone and instead refusing to let go of me. What kind of logic is that?"
Ashley looked at Maeve. After receiving encouragement from the latter, she said with some trepidation, "Those victims are demanding that you compensate each of them one hundred thousand dollars, and the organizers of the Homeland Society don't have the money to pay."
Homelander understood, "So that's what this is."
"They are thinking I am an easy mark."
Ashley quickly said, "Don't worry. Even if they sue you, the court won't support them."
"Because this is completely unreasonable. It's just, it's just…"
Homelander saw that she was hesitating and asked, "Just what?"
Ashley scratched her hair, "It's just that quite a few people online support them."
"Some of the comments have already received more than one hundred thousand likes."
Homelander shook his head, "Looks like they've been living too comfortably. People shouldn't eat too well. If I'd known, I should have let that damn meteor fall, or let that giant jellyfish kill them all."
"Why should I save them?"
Maeve said softly, "Not everyone knows how to be grateful."
Homelander held out his hand, "Let me see what they've been saying."
Ashley hesitated.
Homelander glared at her.
She didn't dare insist any longer and quickly handed the tablet to Homelander.
Homelander took it and saw that the first comment on the tablet read:
[Don't Eat Apples: Didn't Homelander promise that Earth was safe and the Federation was safe? Then why did something like this happen right under his nose? Now that there are victims, he hasn't said anything. Is he planning to stay silent, or is he pretending he doesn't know about this? Isn't this having it both ways?]
Homelander let out a scoff, "When did I ever promise that Earth was safe and the Federation was safe?"
"And 'having it both ways' isn't used like that."
He continued reading.
[Result, I'm First: Homelander is a brain-dead idiot. For all we know, the Homeland Society really was established under his orders. Otherwise, why didn't he stop it immediately? Now I seriously suspect that his previous fight with that giant jellyfish was just movie special effects. He threatened the Federation government into putting on a show with him, all to create an image of himself as a savior!]
[Badu20227: Raise your hand if you agree that Homelander is trash.]
[The Internet Isn't a Lawless Place: If you ask me, Homelander is just an idiot. And you people still had such high expectations for him. What savior? I'm going to throw up.]
[Under the Misty Night: What, Homelander isn't a moron? Let me secretly curse him here. He won't know, right? Even if he does know, he's a great hero, so he shouldn't hold it against me, right?]
[Dark Lemon: If I say Homelander is trash, is he really going to crawl through the internet cable and beat me up?]
After reading these comments, Homelander returned the tablet to Ashley.
He silently walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. After a moment, he smiled and said, "Looks like I need to have a good talk with these keyboard warriors."
"A face-to-face talk."
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