In the room, Charlie caught a strange scent.
"Hey, boy, wanna join?"
The moment he stepped in, Magik—Popclaw—eagerly sought comfort.
She pulled Charlie onto the couch, straddling him. Before he could respond, the drugs kicked in, and she was already lost in her own world.
Charlie rolled his eyes.
Clearly, she'd just injected Compound V. Her nerves and body were in overdrive, her physical strength noticeably enhanced. An ordinary person wouldn't handle her growing power.
A crushed skull would be inevitable.
But the invincible Spider-Man was made of steel, totally unfazed.
Still, Charlie considered himself a pure man.
Getting Spider-Man's body wouldn't be that easy!
So, channeling Old Steve, he grabbed her hair just as Magik neared her peak.
"Spill it. Where's the stuff?" he growled, face fierce.
"Ah~"
Magik yelped in pain, but her expression was one of twisted enjoyment.
"Come on! Like that."
"Hit me!"
"Just like that, oh no, baby…"
Watching Magik's "self-directed" performance, Charlie's face darkened.
This wasn't how he pictured it.
Old Steve's moves were useless.
He'd have to do it his way.
Outside, Hughie and the others, eavesdropping, exchanged weird looks.
"Oh my God, he's intense," Robin said, glancing at Hughie with envy.
Hughie: "…"
Clark frowned. "The noise is getting louder. He shouldn't mistreat a woman. It's wrong."
Butcher side-eyed the naive Clark. "That's not mistreatment. It's tactics."
"Tactics?" Clark didn't get it.
"Yeah, tactics."
Butcher stared at the door, as if trying to see through it.
He crossed his arms. "Sometimes, to get what you want, you gotta give something up. The boss is doing it right."
Robin nodded, agreeing.
"The boss gets what we need and keeps her quiet. She doesn't want A-Train finding out."
Hughie checked the time. "How long we waiting? Wanna grab coffee and chill?"
The group exchanged glances, liking the idea.
As they turned to find a café, the door swung open.
"Hey, found it." Charlie held up a half-tube of blue Compound V, grinning. "She had it, alright."
Their looks grew weirder.
"You're done?" Hughie stood straighter, glancing at Robin, smug inside.
See?
Only a few minutes?
I'm the real champ!
Robin caught his pride and rolled her eyes.
What was wrong with men these days? So quick.
But Butcher saw the scene behind Charlie.
"Oh, shit, you're inhuman."
Even the slaughterer was shocked by Charlie's ruthlessness.
Magik hung upside-down from the ceiling, bound by webbing, her face swollen like a pig's, utterly pitiful.
Absolutely brutal!
Hughie and the others saw it too, floored.
Robin was the most shocked.
"Oh my God, she's not even—"
She looked at Charlie. "You did that? Gotta say, you're the most resolute guy I've met." She gave a thumbs-up.
Charlie, hands on hips, laughed. "Haha, no big deal. This level doesn't even tempt me. You should know, back in the day—well, let's just say I've got a past. To get me, you need a perfect body, movie-star looks, tons of physics knowledge, top-tier physical stats, and unique insights into magic and neurotoxins. Only then can you use dirty tricks to snag your boss."
"Wait." Hughie raised a hand. "I get the looks and body part—you're picky. But why physics knowledge?"
Robin raised her hand too. "My question: I get the physical stats, you're lazy. But magic and neurotoxins? How's that relevant?"
Butcher, caught up in the vibe, raised his hand too.
It was embarrassing, but he had to join in.
"My question: Why 'dirty tricks'? I'm betting you like being the passive one."
They turned to Clark.
Clark blinked. "I—I don't have a question. Wait, I do."
He mimed holding a microphone to Charlie's mouth. "So, mister, what's your deal with Diana?"
He finally voiced his long-held curiosity.
He was dying to know.
She was the first goddess he'd ever met.
You know, mythical goddess.
Charlie dodged their questions.
Only an idiot would play along.
Right then, he injected the Compound V in front of them.
As the serum coursed through him, his muscles twitched, nerves fired up, body trembling.
But seconds later, the feeling vanished like an illusion.
Clearly, it only worked on this world's superhumans, who were born from Compound V.
The invincible Spider-Man was already a god. This stuff couldn't even spice things up, let alone boost his power.
He tossed the syringe back into the room and waved. "Let's go. She gave me a lead. Next stop."
"Where?"
"Noodle shop."
"Oh, awesome, I'm kinda hungry."
Soon, at a nearby noodle shop.
Charlie and crew walked in. Clark, per Charlie's plan, slipped into the kitchen.
Thud thud thud~
Muffled thumps came from the back. Charlie timed it.
"Three seconds. Not bad, Clark."
He grinned, leading Hughie and the others into the kitchen.
Clark had just knocked out the last worker.
The kitchen's grime hit Hughie and crew hard.
They swore never to eat noodles again.
"Search!"
At Charlie's command, Hughie and the others scoured for A-Train's hidden Compound V.
Clark approached Charlie.
"Why are we so set on finding this stuff?" He handed Charlie a blue vial.
Charlie: "…"
"You found it?"
"Yup."
"Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"I was gonna."
"But you didn't."
"Sorry, I should've."
"Fine, I forgive you. Doesn't matter."
Charlie took the Compound V, explaining, "Vought developed this. It gives normal people superpowers, but it's unstable."
Clark nodded thoughtfully. "So that's why you suspect Vought's up to no good."
"It's not suspicion."
Charlie pocketed the Compound V, telling Butcher to gather evidence.
"Without tons of human experiments, Vought couldn't have made this. Get it?" he said to Clark.
Clark frowned. "So this world's superheroes are man-made products. Vought uses them for profit and kills innocents. They're scum." His fists clenched.
Charlie patted his shoulder. "Yup, but we can't use violence. We expose their scam the legit way."
"But I already used violence." Clark pointed at the knocked-out workers.
"They don't count as real opponents."
Charlie scratched his backside. "Kinda itchy—what the hell?"
He turned to see a small savage biting his rear, her dark eyes locked on him.
Wild as hell!
"Oh my God, the boss got ambushed!"
Hughie spotted it first, rushing to pull the savage off, trying to make her let go.
"Oh no, she's strong! Robin, help!" Hughie shouted.
"I'm on it."
With Robin's help, the savage struggled but clung to Charlie.
"Oh my God, those teeth! Butcher, help!" Robin yelled.
"I'm here."
Butcher yanked hard, tearing Charlie's pants pocket.
Rip~
Whoosh~~
A cool breeze hit.
Charlie felt the chill.
But a man doesn't sweat a little frost.
He eyed the savage pinned by Hughie and crew.
Not a savage—just a filthy, ragged girl from long captivity.
A girl?
Well, sort of!
Kimiko, a member of the Boys.
If he recalled right, she was rescued here in the show.
Kimiko kept staring at Charlie, her eyes holding emotions he couldn't read.
"What're you looking at? Keep staring, and I'll gouge your eyes out!"
Charlie glared, binding her with webbing.
The tough webbing let Hughie and the others breathe easy.
During a break, Hughie noticed something.
"Boss, she's got her eye on you."
"What?" Charlie didn't get it.
Robin pointed at his crotch. "She's staring there."
"Oh my God, what a wicked girl."
Charlie stepped back, covering himself, then realized.
Every Spider-Man fan knows Spider-Man doesn't have pockets.
Just a crotch.
He pulled the Compound V from his suit. "This what she's after?"
Seeing Kimiko go feral at the sight of the Compound V, Charlie shivered.
Good thing she didn't attack from the front.
He'd be done for.
No more hiding stuff in his crotch—too risky.
Reflecting, Charlie stuffed the Compound V into his torn pocket.
"Mission accomplished. Back to base."
He waved, magical sparks blooming as he vanished into a portal.
Hughie and the others were stunned.
"Oh my God, is that magic?"
"The boss is a wizard."
"Why didn't he use that earlier?"
"Damn it, I wasted ninety-eight bucks on a cab."
…
New York at night, neon everywhere.
The studio's lights stayed on.
It was their workplace and home.
Renting a separate place was too costly.
In the living area, with Robin's help, Kimiko cleaned up.
In fresh clothes, she sat quietly in the living room, calm.
Because Charlie had tied her up again.
But Charlie was freaking out.
"Assholes, the bathroom's clogged! You're getting docked!!"
He roared, storming out of the bathroom.
The group exchanged looks, then went back to their tasks.
Who cares?
Kimiko wasn't an employee. Dock whose pay?
Soon, Charlie, master of unclogging drains, emerged.
"Time for phase two."
He gathered everyone at the table.
"Our evidence isn't enough to convince the public. We need more."
To Hughie: "A-Train's a weak point. Get him to help expose Vought's darkness."
Hughie frowned. "Even if he's not in The Seven anymore, Vought's a giant. Injured, he's too scared to go against them."
"I'll handle it," Butcher said. "I'm great with guys like him."
"Cool, it's yours." Charlie had no objections.
He turned to Clark. "Homelander's got plenty of dirt. You're on that."
"Homelander?" Clark was confused.
"Yeah, he's done a lot of bad stuff in secret. Vought hides it, but with your smarts, you'll find the evidence." Charlie was confident in Clark.
Clark nodded. "I'm on it."
Then Charlie looked at Hughie and Robin.
"Your job is to watch this one."
He pointed at Kimiko. "Teach her basic life skills, make her normal. Most importantly, no biting."
"We're keeping her?" Robin asked, puzzled.
Charlie grinned. "Duh. She's a superhuman. More useful than you."
Robin: "…"
"What about you?" Hughie asked.
"I'll wing it."
Charlie stood, adjusting his black suit.
"Old Steve invited me to a pool party. Gotta snoop on their internal intel to hit Vought harder."
Everyone: "…"
"You sure you're just snooping and not chasing party girls?" Robin said, skeptical.
Charlie nodded. "Totally. I'm pure."
Hughie eyed his suit. "You're going to a pool party as a waiter?"
Charlie smirked. "You don't get it. It's called contrast. Super popular."
Suddenly, Kimiko, freed from degrading webbing, tackled Charlie, ripping his suit to reveal his red-and-blue costume.
"Whoa!"
Butcher grinned slyly. "So it's a cosplay party."
Charlie: "…"
Pushing Kimiko's face away, he stood, brushing off his torn suit.
"Don't sweat the details. It's a party, alright?"
"Gotta go. Later~"
Buzz~
A portal flashed, and Charlie appeared in a glitzy villa.
"Oh yeah!! Let's get wild!!"
Spotlights hit Charlie—Spider-Man's post-restart debut started here!
"Old man, I'm taking on ten!"
"Haha, no problem… Oh crap, it's Carter. Don't let her see you. Hide!"