Marvel : Mutant God

Though Richard had released his grip, Homelander continued to feel death's shadow lingering over him.

Compared to other superhumans like A-Train and Translucent, Homelander was undeniably powerful.

Yet before Richard, he was no different from an ordinary human.

If Homelander didn't still possess some strategic value, Richard would have dispatched the emotionally stunted man-child long ago.

After taking several deep breaths to suppress his panic, Homelander spoke carefully. "I'll take my leave now."

Richard didn't respond, merely turning his gaze back to the panoramic view beyond the window.

Sensing that no further humiliation was forthcoming, Homelander exited the meeting room without hesitation, not daring to look back.

...

Brooklyn. 937 Church Avenue apartment building.

After departing the Seven Tower, Translucent arrived promptly at his surveillance destination.

Following Richard's directive to monitor Butcher, he had returned to his quarters without comment, stripped off his clothing, activated his powers, and transformed into his transparent state—invisible to the naked eye.

Once prepared, he had left the Tower and made his way to this apartment complex to begin his surveillance operation.

Though he didn't understand why Richard wanted Butcher monitored, he had no intention of questioning orders.

Curiosity kills the cat!

Translucent had no desire to suffer Deep's fate.

In Vought's public statements, The Deep had been reassigned to combat escalating marine pollution issues.

But Translucent knew this cover story merely concealed the truth: The Deep had been eliminated by Richard.

While he hadn't witnessed Richard killing The Deep and couldn't produce evidence proving it, Translucent felt certain of what had happened.

After infiltrating the apartment building, he easily located the unit where Butcher and his team had established their base.

Hopefully this surveillance assignment won't drag on too long!

With that silent complaint, Translucent used adjacent balconies to reach Butcher's apartment, carefully positioning himself in a corner to begin his covert, round-the-clock observation.

While Translucent initiated his surveillance operation, A-Train successfully acquired the requested Compound V from Vought's laboratory.

After securing the vials in a black duffel bag, he activated his Super Speed and departed the Tower in a blur.

...

Time passed swiftly.

A week elapsed before Richard realized it.

Similar to the previous month, he hadn't undertaken any particularly noteworthy activities during this period.

The one significant deviation from his routine was his trip to Russia, where he had successfully located the imprisoned Soldier Boy.

Though he had confirmed Soldier Boy's confinement location, Richard didn't immediately attempt a rescue. Instead, he planned to delegate the "task" of liberating Soldier Boy to Butcher and his team.

Beyond pinpointing Soldier Boy's location, Richard had also uncovered what the Russian military had been doing to their captive superhuman.

After capturing Soldier Boy, Russian scientists had immediately begun comprehensive studies—literally comprehensive.

While the Russians hadn't successfully reverse-engineered the Compound V formula from Soldier Boy's tissues, they hadn't emerged empty-handed either.

Using Soldier Boy's blood as their foundation, they had developed their own version of "Compound V."

Moreover, they had used Soldier Boy as a laboratory subject, conducting numerous experimental procedures on him.

The specifics were best left unmentioned.

In essence, after his capture by Russian forces, Soldier Boy had endured undeniably inhumane treatment.

Seven Tower. Luxury apartment, 96th floor.

Richard, having just concluded his "sparring session" with Starlight, entered the bathroom alone and began washing up.

After cleansing himself, he wrapped a towel around his waist and returned to the bedroom.

"Time to get up. We have a film shoot scheduled soon," he announced to Starlight, who remained in bed.

Upon hearing his words, Starlight immediately tossed aside the covers, stood up, and headed toward the bathroom.

The sight of her alluring figure instinctively ignited desire within Richard.

However, he quickly suppressed this primal response.

Physical encounters with Starlight remained pleasurable, but repetition had somewhat dulled the novelty.

Shortly thereafter, Starlight emerged from the bathroom, retrieved her uniform—which resembled a form-fitting swimsuit—from Richard's closet, and quickly dressed herself.

Within moments, she stood fully attired in her uniform with matching high-heeled boots.

Most women would now begin applying makeup—a process that might require anywhere from ten minutes to an hour.

Starlight, however, skipped this step entirely.

With a professional makeup team at her disposal, there was no need to handle cosmetics herself.

Professional matters were best left to professionals!

Otherwise, the substantial salaries Vought paid these makeup artists would be wasted.

Once Starlight had dressed, Richard—now wearing a black windbreaker—approached her and encircled her slender waist with his arms.

Teleportation!

Without hesitation, Richard activated his ability.

In an instant, they transported from the Seven Tower to a trailer at the filming location.

Opening the trailer door, Starlight proceeded alone toward the makeup department.

Richard, meanwhile, made his way to the actual set.

Upon seeing his approach, the director—who had been reviewing footage with A-Train and Queen Maeve—immediately stood and offered his chair.

Though Richard had never studied filmmaking formally, he found directing intriguing.

Despite this interest, he remained acutely aware that he lacked the technical expertise required for professional direction.

"Play back this morning's footage," Richard instructed after settling into the director's chair.

"Yes, Mr. Wesley," the director responded promptly.

Time passed gradually.

After reviewing the morning's shots, Richard added, "Contact the writers and have them add more scenes for Homelander."

"No problem."

Though Richard hadn't specified what type of scenes he wanted for Homelander, the director agreed without hesitation.

In terms of personality, Homelander admittedly had significant flaws.

But one fact remained undeniable—his acting abilities were exceptional.

Compared to A-Train and Queen Maeve, Homelander—who had essentially been "performing" since childhood—possessed theatrical skills that far surpassed theirs.

Richard and the director hadn't spoken loudly.

Yet Homelander, standing dozens of meters away, clearly heard their conversation thanks to his enhanced hearing. A satisfied smile immediately spread across his face.

Throughout the past week, Homelander had stopped pestering Richard for additional exposure opportunities and had cooperated fully with all of Richard's directives.

Though he still harbored resentment toward Richard, he had gradually adapted to his new position within the hierarchy.

Seeing Homelander's pleased expression, A-Train and Queen Maeve immediately glanced toward Richard.

Lacking Homelander's superhuman hearing, they remained unaware of what Richard had just told the director.

However, Homelander's reaction alone provided sufficient context for them to form reasonable guesses.

After instructing the director regarding Homelander's additional scenes, Richard didn't linger on set. He activated his teleportation ability and returned directly to the Seven Tower.

Specifically, he materialized in the president's office on the 82nd floor.

Witnessing Richard's appearance before him, Edgar, Vought's president, immediately said:

"I've prepared several candidates for your review. Please examine them and determine if any are suitable."

He stood and handed Richard a tablet computer.

Taking the device, Richard quickly scrolled through the profiles.

As he had anticipated, Stormfront's information appeared among the candidates Edgar had proposed.

Predictable as always!

Though this world contained numerous superhumans, few qualified as Edgar's true assets.

Stormfront ranked among this elite group.

As the wife of Vought's founder and historically the first human injected with Compound V, Richard found Edgar's alliance with Stormfront entirely unsurprising.

Though Edgar knew Stormfront's true identity, he overlooked one critical detail.

Stormfront didn't genuinely respect his authority.

To Stormfront—a committed Nazi—Edgar's black heritage marked him as inherently inferior.

If Edgar weren't currently Vought's president, Stormfront wouldn't collaborate with him under any circumstances.

Collaboration would be the least of his concerns; Stormfront would gladly eliminate Edgar personally if given the opportunity.

Richard soon finished reviewing Edgar's candidate list.

"All these candidates seem qualified. I have no objections."

"As Vought's president, the final decision regarding new Seven members rests with you."

Richard set down the tablet and spoke with deliberate casualness.

Though the public remained unaware, through Richard's careful orchestration, Translucent had indeed perished at Butcher's team's hands.

However, unlike the television series Richard recalled, Translucent hadn't died from an anal explosive device. Instead, Butcher had killed him using a heat ray after injecting himself with "Temporary Compound V-24."

The source of Butcher's V-24 was straightforward—he had acquired it from Vought's laboratories.

Though Butcher's team had diverged from the path Richard remembered from the show, they had still uncovered significant information.

For instance, they had confirmed Compound V's existence.

After this discovery, subsequent steps became manageable.

Continuing their investigation into Compound V, they uncovered various illegal Vought operations and learned about the experimental "Temporary Compound V" still under development.

They had specifically targeted a Vought R&D employee, threatening his family's safety to force him to smuggle several doses of both standard Compound V and the temporary variant from the laboratory.

Hearing Richard's response, Edgar spoke carefully: "I'm inclined toward Supersonic. His Latin American heritage could expand the Seven's influence among Hispanic demographics."

The "Supersonic" Edgar mentioned was none other than Starlight's former boyfriend.

Playing the retreat-to-advance strategy with me, are you?

Very well—I'll indulge your little game!

"Supersonic seems like an excellent choice," Richard replied with a smile.

The moment he spoke, surprise flickered across Edgar's features.

Quickly recovering, Edgar continued: "Supersonic would indeed be valuable, but his inclusion presents a minor complication."

"What complication might that be?" Richard asked, though he already anticipated Edgar's concern.

"Supersonic and Starlight were romantically involved previously."

"Though they've since separated, Supersonic joining the Seven would inevitably revive public speculation about their relationship."

"This could undermine the public image you and Starlight have cultivated as a couple."

Edgar's expression remained professionally serious.

"In that case, Supersonic would indeed be problematic," Richard conceded.

"Currently, the Seven consists of four men and two women."

"From a gender representation perspective, female representation remains disproportionately low."

"Perhaps Stormfront should join instead, adjusting our configuration to four men and three women. This should enhance the Seven's appeal among female demographics."

Richard delivered this suggestion with calculated nonchalance.

"Your reasoning is sound. Let's proceed with Stormfront," Edgar replied quickly, inwardly relieved.

Richard offered no further comment. He simply stood, activated his teleportation, and vanished from the presidential office.

The moment Richard departed, Edgar lifted the desk phone and dialed the public relations department head.

Though the public remained unaware of Translucent's death, Edgar had instructed PR to prepare a comprehensive strategy for announcing the news.

With the new member decided, they could immediately implement their prepared narrative about Translucent's "heroic sacrifice."

After speaking with the PR director, Edgar retrieved his personal phone and dialed another number.

The connection established quickly.

"He has approved your addition to the Seven. The performance now falls to you."

Having delivered this message, Edgar terminated the call without waiting for Stormfront's response.

Given a choice, he would have preferred avoiding collaboration with a committed Nazi.

Unfortunately, current circumstances left him with few alternatives.

...

Early morning. A pier in Queens.

A container truck slowly departed the dock, heading toward a residential area.

As the vehicle approached the port exit, the driver spotted a blond man standing directly in the roadway.

Homelander!

The figure blocking the road was indeed Homelander, who had arrived under Richard's orders to intercept the departing truck.

Beside him on the roadside waited a Vought camera crew.

Initially, Homelander hadn't understood why Richard had assigned him this seemingly random task.

But upon arriving at the dock, comprehension dawned quickly.

Using his Super Senses to scan the area, he discovered twenty to thirty people crammed inside a container recently unloaded from a cargo ship.

Human traffickers!

This realization immediately crystallized in Homelander's mind.

What he didn't yet understand was that these weren't merely ordinary smuggled immigrants.

Hidden among this group of trafficked individuals were three recently-created superhumans.

...

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