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Madelyn's funeral was held as scheduled a few days later.
All members of The Seven, except Translucent, were present. Homelander was in charge of delivering the eulogy, speaking of Madelyn's life achievements, and his eyes reddened as he spoke, appearing extremely sad.
He was indeed very sad, to the extreme.
Unaware of Rebecca's situation, and unaware that he had a son, Madelyn was still the person he liked most at this time.
Madelyn's death made Homelander very heartbroken.
Especially since Vought had now turned Madelyn's memorial service into a social dinner party for various celebrities, it made Homelander even more heartbroken and angry.
But he could do nothing.
Because this was something Vought would naturally do.
For Vought, nothing was impossible to monetize.
Madelyn had worked diligently for Vought for so long while she was alive, so it was believed that she wouldn't mind if her funeral was used to sell some things or attract sponsors after her death.
And it wasn't just Madelyn; at Translucent's memorial service, the same scenario would likely play out again.
This was Vought, this was capitalism.
Precisely because of this, Homelander did not stay long at the funeral before excusing himself, and it was unknown where he went.
Kevin socialized at the funeral, accepting media interviews alongside Starlight.
The two were basically an officially confirmed couple now, so they could walk together in public without any reservations.
Annie was very happy about this, energetically setting up a network online and operating a joint fan website for their couple.
Vought also seized the opportunity to make a huge profit, releasing merchandise for the two of them.
Kevin and Annie also gained a new group of fans online who specifically supported them both.
It was something like… the 'Starfish' fan club?
This name always gave Kevin the illusion of being in a SpongeBob SquarePants episode.
In any case, precisely because they were a couple, and with Kevin currently at the peak of his popularity, the two of them attracted most of the media's attention, especially with Homelander absent.
Kevin didn't particularly like this kind of socializing, and Annie didn't either, but seeing Kevin's discomfort, she proactively helped him deflect most of the reporters, giving Kevin some free time.
Coming out of the crowd of reporters, Kevin breathed a slight sigh of relief, but before he could rest for long, Edgar called:
"Kevin, do you have time later?"
"Yes, sir, is there anything you need my help with?"
Finding a quiet place to talk to Edgar, Kevin asked softly.
"There is indeed one thing I need you to do. Madelyn has unexpectedly passed away, and her work needs to be taken over by someone. If you have time, go to Madelyn's office now and organize the things she's been working on recently."
Edgar said on the other end of the phone, and Kevin was stunned:
"Sir, do you mean..."
"I think I've made myself very clear. Go do what you need to do, Kevin."
Edgar's words were as concise as ever. After speaking, he hung up decisively, not giving Kevin another chance to ask questions.
However, there was no need to ask, nor was it necessary. As Edgar himself said, he had made it very clear. Kevin simply needed to go to Madelyn's office and organize her documents.
This period's goal was temporarily achieved, and Kevin was actually very happy internally, but at the funeral's social gathering, he couldn't show too much happiness.
After telling Starlight that he needed to leave for a moment, and apologizing to several business magnates he was conversing with, Kevin left the venue with a nostalgic 'sadness' and headed towards Vought Tower.
Madelyn's office was on the same floor as The Seven's conference room.
Kevin took The Seven's internal elevator to the 99th floor. As he reached Madelyn's office, his hand was already on the doorknob, about to open the door.
But suddenly, Kevin's movements stopped.
The keen five senses brought by his Supe Physique made Kevin realize there was someone inside the room.
"Oh, this is truly..."
Listening to the commotion inside, Kevin's expression was slightly strange. After a moment of thought, he chose to stay outside and not disturb them.
He stood at the door for a while, and only when he was sure that the activity inside had ended did Kevin push the door open.
"!!"
Inside the room, Homelander frantically closed the refrigerator door and turned to look at the entrance.
Seeing Kevin enter, his expression became extremely angry:
"The Deep? What are you doing here?"
"Actually, that's my question, Captain. If I'm not mistaken, you're supposed to be the host of Ms. Madelyn's funeral? How come..."
"I'm asking you now!"
Before Kevin could finish speaking, Homelander angrily strode up to him.
He stared directly into Kevin's eyes, his pupils faintly glowing red, as if if Kevin gave an unsatisfactory answer, his heat vision would shoot out of his eyes and pierce through Kevin's head.
To be fair, Homelander's angry appearance was indeed terrifying. If it were the old The Deep, he would probably be too scared to speak by Homelander's look.
But Kevin, whose physique had been greatly enhanced, was not so easily intimidated by Homelander here.
Adding to that what Homelander had just been doing in the room, it made Kevin feel even more like laughing.
He's just embarrassed and angry, this guy...
Kevin's heart was as still as an ancient well, his smile unwavering. He met Homelander's gaze, neither subservient nor arrogant, and replied:
"Mr. Edgar asked me to come here to organize Ms. Madelyn's work files."
"What?"
Hearing Edgar's name, the red glow in Homelander's eyes immediately dissipated.
His gaze became extremely complex in that instant.
There was doubt, confusion, and disbelief.
Homelander took two steps back, staring blankly at Kevin, then pointed a finger at him:
"You? Edgar... asked you to come? Huh?"
Homelander wanted to laugh, but after two attempts, he couldn't manage to.
What kind of person The Deep was, Homelander didn't even want to elaborate further.
Normally, before Starlight arrived, The Deep was a bottom-tier loser.
He was insecure, weak, not very smart, always trying to get along with the others in The Seven, but always ended up being pranked.
A-Train once threw The Deep's favorite fish into the toilet, and Homelander even deliberately made The Deep eat grilled squid at a dinner party.
This guy, whom anyone could bully, inexplicably changed on the day Starlight joined.
He actively participated in various activities, filmed new movies, changed his image, making himself even more handsome than Homelander.
His strength also increased sufficiently, making A-Train even start to fear him.
Homelander didn't know if this was a change brought about by love for The Deep, but in his opinion, no matter how much The Deep changed, he shouldn't have gained Edgar's favor to take over Madelyn's work.
There were so many high-ranking executives in Vought, countless people who could replace Madelyn.
At worst, couldn't he, the leader of The Seven, do it?
Why The Deep? How could it be The Deep!?
Homelander couldn't accept this fact. He stepped forward two paces, grabbed Kevin's collar, and roared:
"You're lying!!"
Crack—
Homelander's hand was gripped by Kevin's.
Feeling the force on his hand, a hint of astonishment appeared in Homelander's angry expression.
"Captain."
Kevin said, slowly prying open Homelander's hand from his collar, and replied without flinching:
"Whether I'm lying or not, you can just ask Mr. Edgar, and now... please don't disturb my work, okay?"
Kevin smiled, pried Homelander's hand open, and gently patted Homelander's shoulder.
Actually, Kevin's strength was not as great as Homelander's; if it came down to a pure test of strength, Kevin would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage.
But Homelander was first distracted by hearing Edgar's name, and second, he hadn't expected Kevin to have such great strength, which was why Kevin was able to slowly pry his hand open.
Noticing Kevin's strength, Homelander did not continue to press Kevin. His expression was unpredictable as he glanced at Kevin, his mouth twitching slightly.
He raised his hand, pointed a finger at Kevin, wanting to say something but then giving up, finally laughing in anger:
"Your work?
"Good, very good. I'm going to find Edgar right now, and if I find out you're lying, I'll cut off your head and throw it into the sea to feed your fish friends!"
"Please do."
Kevin's expression remained unchanged, and he gestured for Homelander to leave.
In the end, Homelander couldn't do anything to Kevin. He stormed out of the office in a huff, going to find Edgar, leaving Kevin alone in the room.
Kevin didn't take Homelander's threat to heart; in fact, he just found it amusing.
Because Homelander's words were like a child's angry threat, saying, 'I'm going to tell my daddy.'
How could Kevin possibly be scared by that?
After shedding the aura of power and being able to treat Homelander as an equal, Kevin once again deeply understood that Homelander was truly just a giant baby.
"And a baby who needs to drink milk."
After Homelander left, Kevin opened the refrigerator and looked at the empty milk bottle inside, feeling even more amused.
The reason Kevin had chosen to stay outside earlier was because he had heard Homelander drinking milk in there.
The milk stored here was the 'Mother's Milk' Madelyn had prepared for her son, pure and without any additives.
Homelander liked to drink this special 'beverage'.
And perhaps because Madelyn had died, Homelander knew he would never drink it again, so he came here looking for milk, carrying his grief and remembrance for Madelyn.
Kevin thoughtfully chose not to enter and find Homelander while he was drinking milk, giving Homelander time to finish.
Yet Homelander still treated him this way.
To be fair, Kevin was a little sad.
Of course, that was a joke.
After seeing Homelander off, Kevin closed the refrigerator door and sat down behind Madelyn's desk.
Although it was just a seat and nothing else, Kevin felt that something had changed after he sat there.
Kevin knew that the something different was called power.
He now had the power to command The Seven, and even the power to command Homelander.
Although on land, Kevin's strength was still slightly inferior to Homelander's, he now had the authority to order Homelander.
"This is the rule..."
Kevin sighed, leaning back in the office chair.
No matter how powerful you are, as long as you haven't truly reached the level of a god, strong enough to have no weaknesses, then you are still subject to the rules of the world.
Especially Homelander, a guy who wanted to seek more 'love' within these rules, even more so.
"Suddenly I feel a bit despicable. Hmm, I should burn two more incense sticks for Madelyn tonight... No, is that not a custom abroad?"
Spinning in the chair, Kevin thought idly.
After a while, he truly began to organize Madelyn's documents and pulled out a crucial file.
It was a bill concerning Superheroes being stationed in the Department of Defense.
Thanks to Madelyn's efforts, the number of congressmen who agreed was now greater than those who refused.
This bill had been confirmed for implementation.
If there were no accidents.
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