Chapter 34.
"Are you really quitting? Why?" Billy and Frenchie turned to Hughie, their expressions serious. Billy stayed silent, but Frenchie asked curiously.
"I don't want to live like this anymore. I'm just a regular guy—I can't fight superhumans!"
Hughie's voice trembled with emotion. "Did you not see what just happened? That guy flicked his hand, and a blue orb completely erased Translucent — no trace, nothing left! That man was invincible, and we had no way to stop him. How are we supposed to fight people like that?"
His tone rose with desperation. "I still have a father at home. I can't risk dragging him into this. I have to quit."
Billy and Frenchie fell silent, shaken by Hughie's outburst. He wasn't wrong. How could they possibly stand against such monstrous power?
"Alright, get it out of your system," Billy finally said after a long pause. "But when you're done, we still need to talk strategy. We need to figure out how to approach Popclaw."
"I said I'm done! I'm quitting, dammit!" Hughie suddenly shouted at Billy, his voice raw with stress.
"Go chase down Popclaw yourself! I just want to go home. I need to be with my dad!"
Billy's expression darkened. "I get that you're shaken. We all are. But if you're going to quit, don't act like you're leaving a band. This isn't a club. You killed Translucent. Your hands are already stained with blood. Whether you like it or not, you're in this now."
"I didn't do it!" Hughie snapped, retreating a step. "He killed Translucent! It wasn't me…"
"Don't lie to yourself," Billy said coldly, stepping closer. "We all saw you press the button. If that man hadn't acted, the room would've been splattered with Translucent guts. You did that. You crossed the line. And if you back out now, I'll make sure the public finds out exactly what you did. You, your father—neither of you would be safe from the Seven."
Hughie's back hit the wall. He looked horrified, trembling under the weight of Billy's words. For a moment, he looked more afraid of Billy than of any superhero.
The room was thick with silence. Billy stared Hughie down, while Hughie was frozen, too scared to speak.
"Alright, enough!" Frenchie cut in, quickly stepping between the two. He placed a hand on Billy's chest, pushing him back. "We just survived a brush with death. The last thing we need is to tear each other apart."
Then he turned to Hughie. "And you—stop talking about quitting. We've finally passed our first major test. Why throw it away now? We all want the same thing. If we stick together and trust each other, we have a real shot."
He extended his right hand. "Come on. Let's make it official."
Billy, still tense, eventually placed his hand on top of Frenchie's. After a long pause, Hughie, encouraged by Frenchie's gaze, sighed and placed his hand on top of theirs.
"From today on, our team is officially formed. And we have only one goal—take down those bastards in the Seven!"
"For that goal…"
"Let's do this!"
The three of them shouted together—Hughie's voice was the weakest, but he still shouted.
"Now, let's start planning how to get close to Popclaw."
Meanwhile, Li Yue had no idea what was happening between Billy and his crew. And honestly, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
His own goal was crystal clear: to gain the full strength of Homelander.
With that goal in mind, Li Yue had spent nearly a week at Vought Tower. Aside from sleeping and using the bathroom, he never left Homeland Homelander 's side, always staying within twenty meters of him.
Even when Homelandwe lingered outside Madeleine's office, peeking in like a creepy teenager, Li Yue stayed close—though always out of sight. He'd found a good spot nearby with a table and some chairs, perfect for pretending to relax and sip coffee.
Homelander didn't seem to mind Li Yue's constant presence. In fact, he made no effort to push him away.
Over the week, the city had apparently turned into a criminal playground. Every day, the police sent new emergency alerts. And every time, Homelander would grab Li Yue and soar off to the scene.
Because the two of them frequently appeared in public together—fighting crime, saving people—Li Yue's popularity skyrocketed. Crowds would cheer, point, and even mob him in the streets. The attention was overwhelming.
After just one experience of being swarmed, Li Yue swore never to go out alone again. He wasn't used to being a celebrity—especially not one treated like an animal at the zoo.
The next day, a local news channel aired a clip of Li Yue stumbling awkwardly through a crowd, completely flustered. The media milked it for all it was worth. When Li Yue saw the footage, he nearly stormed their office in a rage.
"Thunder, stop sipping coffee—we've got a situation!" Homelander had finished his latest round of stalking and approached Li Yue, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed Li Yue by the arm and launched them both out of the tower, rocketing toward the latest crisis.
Seconds later, they landed outside a heavily-guarded bank–. Police barricades were everywhere, but the officers weren't moving in.
"What's the situation here?" Homelander asked one of the officers.
"A gang broke into the bank and took dozens of hostages—men, women, even kids! They're heavily armed and have bombs strapped to their bodies. We can't risk a move… we had to call you."
"Please," the officer added, "you have to save them."
"Don't worry," said Homelander, confidently. "Now that we're here, we'll handle it. Just tell us everything—how many attackers, their positions, any demands. We need every detail."
Homelander smiled as he asked the police officer who had welcomed him.
"There are at least twelve armed gangsters inside," the officer reported. "Some of them are strapped with bombs and carrying remote detonators. If they press the button, the explosion will be strong enough to kill all the hostages inside the bank!"
"I see. Don't worry, we've got this," Homelander said with a confident smirk. "Also, tell your men to fall back a bit, just in case."
"Understood. I'll have them move back immediately," the officer responded, then turned and began ordering his team to retreat from the scene.
Once the police had cleared the area, Homelander grabbed Li Yue and, in an instant, the two vanished from view, shooting straight toward the bank. Within moments, they arrived inside an empty room of the building—faster than any car or train could ever move.
"There are twelve gangsters in total. Should be no problem for you, right?" Homelander said, using his X-ray vision to scan the bank's main hall. "Take them out and rescue the hostages. Your popularity will skyrocket after this. Keep this up, and soon you won't need to stick by my side anymore."
Li Yue stood silently, slightly speechless.
'I don't care about fame. I'm only following you to fulfill my real goal,' he thought. But of course, he couldn't say that out loud.
"…Got it," Li Yue replied, forced to accept Homelander 's "good intentions."
Li –Yue knew he couldn't just walk into the lobby this time—there were too many hostages. If he barged in, the gangsters might panic and detonate the bombs. That couldn't happen.
So instead, he activated his Thor state. His body began to spark with silver lightning, the arcs concentrating in his right palm. The energy danced like a living creature, flickering and snapping like a snake coiled to strike.
Using his own X-ray-like vision, Li Yue scanned the room. Hostages were huddled together, squatting with their hands over their heads. Armed gangsters stood around them, while a few others were grouped together, whispering about their next move.
They all wore demon masks, hiding their faces—but Li Yue could still see through them. Not that it mattered; he didn't recognize any of them.
"Boss, we're screwed!" one of the gangsters complained. "The police surrounded us faster than we expected! What do we do now?"
"Shut up," the one holding the remote growled. "We've got plenty of hostages. The cops won't dare storm the place!"
"But what if the Seven show up? If Homelander comes, we're done for!"
"Then we blow the place sky-high! Everyone dies together!"
The gangsters chuckled, clearly underestimating the threat they were actually facing.
Li Yue had heard enough.
He noticed the one holding the remote was the closest to him. In a blink, Li Yue appeared in front of the man. The gangster barely had time to react before Li Yue's fist, like a sandbag, slammed into his head. The man crumpled instantly, unconscious—or possibly worse.
Li Yue didn't stop. He raised his right hand, lightning gathering again. With a sharp gesture, the silver arc burst out, leaping like a living snake toward the next target. One by one, the gangsters dropped before they could even lift their weapons.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Within seconds, the room fell into silence. All twelve gangsters lay on the ground, their fate unclear—but they were no longer a threat.
The hostages slowly began to recover from their shock. One by one, they lifted their heads and stared at Li Yue in awe and confusion.
"It's okay now," Li Yue said with a warm smile. "You're all safe. You can stand up."
But just as the atmosphere started to settle, an unwelcome voice cut through the silence.
"We didn't ask you to save us, Asian guy! We wanted Homelander or Queen Maeve! Not you!"
Li Yue's smile froze.
He turned and spotted a young white man among the hostages—the source of the voice.
"Yeah!" another man chimed in. "We don't need an Asian wannabe hero. Where's the real protector? Call Homelander!"
"Get out! Get out! Get out!"
More joined in, shouting in unison, their tone full of contempt. They had no gratitude—only disdain.
Li Yue's fists clenched. He'd just risked his life to save them, and this was their response?
'I should've let those bastards blow you all sky-high,' he thought bitterly, rage boiling inside him. He struggled to keep his anger in check.
Just when he was about to explode, a soft, innocent voice called out behind him—in Mandarin.
"Big brother don't be sad. Here, I'll share my lollipop."
Li Yue turned and saw a tiny girl—no older than five. Her big eyes sparkled with kindness as she held up a brightly colored lollipop, the wrapper already peeled off.
She stretched her tiny arm as high as she could, trying to offer it to him. Unfortunately, she could barely reach his waist.
At that moment, Li Yue's rage melted away. He crouched down slowly, looked into the girl's eyes, and took the lollipop with a gentle smile.
"Thank you," he said softly.
In that moment, her small gesture meant more than a thousand cheers from an ungrateful crowd.
...
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