Chapter 140: The Final Rewards
[Heartless] held his gun on Ashley, but his eyes were on Black Noir in the background.
If "Mercenary Tao's" plan had a weakness, it was Black Noir, who had been tasked with helping him hunt down Kalpa's decoys. Without a good reason to send him into the meat grinder of the main battlefield, he was now a dangerous loose end.
When Kaito had told him that he expected Kalpa to be able to kill Homelander, [Heartless] had been speechless. But Kaito's logic had been irrefutable.
Kalpa knows we are backed by Homelander. Why hasn't he fled? Why is he trying to ally with Maeve and the other plot characters? The only explanation is that he has a trump card, a way to win even with Homelander present.
And since The Boys faction had been silent, the answer was clear: Kalpa was trying to kill Homelander. Homelander, according to the plot, was immune to all modern weapons. The only things that could hurt him were Soldier Boy... and the special methods of a Reincarnator.
[Heartless] had thought Kaito would warn Homelander. Instead, he had been presented with a new, even more terrifying plan. Because of their covenant, and because Kaito had given him the lineage item, he had agreed. He had very little risk in this new plan, anyway.
Ashley was now looking at Black Noir with pleading eyes. But at that moment, Noir walked over to the monitor. He watched as the giant fox monster vanished and "Mercenary Tao" emerged from the rubble, holding Homelander's corpse. His whole body began to tremble.
[Heartless], though he had trusted Kaito's judgment, was still incredibly tense. His hand was already gripping the werewolf heart. If Noir made a move, he would use it instantly.
But to the astonishment of Ashley and everyone else, Black Noir began to celebrate, silently pumping his fist in the air. He then, without another look at anyone, turned and vanished at high speed into the Vought Tower.
With their last hope gone, Ashley and the others finally accepted reality. Before they could even make a call, the long-absent Madelyn Stillwell returned, leading a group of people into the Vought headquarters. At their head was a black man with an incredible air of authority. Madelyn herself was a step behind him. It was Stan Edgar, the true master of Vought.
The group entered the operations center. They ignored [Heartless]'s gun. Stan Edgar walked directly to the head of the department's seat and sat down.
"Contact the White House," he said, his voice calm. "Announce that Homelander initiated a rebellion and a massacre. Announce that our hidden trump card, the Asian superhero, [The Savior]… uh…" He paused, forgetting the name.
Madelyn immediately supplied it. "Mr. Mercenary Tao."
Stan nodded and gave his orders to Ashley. "[Mr. Mercenary Tao] has saved America."
[Heartless] finally let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Everything had happened exactly as Kaito had predicted. The masters of Vought didn't care about Homelander's life or the truth of what had happened. They only cared about their own interests and power. Now that Homelander was dead, he was a liability. Vought, however, had to continue. Their only choice was to embrace the Asian man who had killed him, and pin all of the blame on the dead Homelander.
The decision was so logical that Stan and Madelyn had finalized the plan without a single objection. The call was quickly connected. The White House had already observed the terrifying Black Sun. A catastrophic disaster had occurred; they didn't need to count the bodies to know the death toll was unacceptable. But… the government was still the government. And Homelander was dead. America's tomorrow was still bright.
Kaito Shirogane, his pink robe in tatters, his upper body bare, walked out of the blackened, dead city block.
The outer perimeter was already swarming with people.
This was the first time Kaito had ever seen so many humans gathered in one place. People of all races were crowded in the streets. The police and military had formed a cordon with their armored vehicles. In the sky, fighter jets shrieked overhead, and over a dozen Apache helicopters were circling.
Everyone wanted to know what had happened. They all suspected a terrible disaster had occurred, but they needed confirmation. They needed someone to tell them that it was over, that they were safe.
The media's cameras were all set up. The military's actual cannons were also aimed at the street.
Into this scene, Kaito, bare-chested, carrying the aged corpse of Homelander, walked out of the dead silent, blackened ruins.
Click-click-click… The flashbulbs went off like a miniature lightning storm.
Kaito dropped Homelander's body to the ground. He raised his hands. "The super-terrorist who started this massacre, Homelander, has been executed!" his voice boomed like a great bell, carrying for a great distance. "You… are safe!"
In that instant, an immense sense of security washed over the panicked crowd.
The reporters surged forward, but a line of men in black suits cut them off. A beautiful woman then took the stage. It was Neuman. Kaito had thought she'd been killed by Kalpa's possession, but here she was. As a well-known anti-Supe politician, she was the perfect government representative for this moment.
She walked up, an excited smile on her face, and immediately embraced Kaito. "Thank you, Mr. Tao. You are a true hero. No… you are the savior of America…"
Kaito let her hug him, but he kept one hand on her spine, ready to kill her if she showed any sign of using her powers.
[You have gained an incredible amount of reputation with the Pan-Order Faction in this world. You have completed the special Milestone: Savior (Exceedingly Rare)]
[Savior (Exceedingly Rare): When equipped, you will start with at least a Friendly reputation with all Order-aligned factions in any world where order exists. Your final mission evaluation will be increased by a half-step.]
Kaito played his part, giving Neuman and the cameras a flawless smile. The photo of the handsome Asian hero quickly appeared on every media outlet in the world.
Internally, a series of changes were happening. Neuman seized the opportunity to gain a massive amount of political capital. Kaito also, through this, figured out who it was that had hidden her away at the critical moment.
Half a day later, Kaito was sitting in the CEO's office in Vought Tower, looking at the calm face of Stan Edgar. The man was a true titan. He had not only successfully protected his daughter, Neuman, but he had also keenly sensed Kaito's intentions and had Neuman cooperate, preserving Vought and getting her appointed as the new Vice President in the process. And with the current anti-Supe sentiment, Neuman would very likely become the first female president of the United States.
"You are very smart," Stan Edgar said, his praise genuine. He felt this Asian was far superior to that idiot Homelander. He was just… a little too smart.
"You're not so bad yourself," Kaito said, leaning back in the chair, completely relaxed. His main quest was already at an S-rank completion. He could leave at any time. And his praise for Stan was also sincere. This mission had given him many unexpected discoveries. The initiative and the adaptability of the plot characters had far exceeded his expectations. He now realized that the plot characters in these derivative worlds were not just mindless NPCs. Each of them was a player, trying to win the game from their own perspective. If a Reincarnator was too arrogant, it was entirely possible for them to be out-schemed and killed by the very plot characters they looked down on. Just as he and Kalpa had been, in their own ways, played by Butcher.
Stan looked away. The man had no flaws. His mind was too clear. The tactics he had used on Homelander would not work on him. "Let's speak frankly," he said.
"You brought a great disaster to our country, to our city. But at the same time, you have given Vought an opportunity to atone."
Tap. Tap.
Kaito tapped the desk, cutting him off. "Don't waste my time with this nonsense that we both know is fake."
"I want the formula for Compound V. Once I have it, I will disappear from the public eye in a… reasonable manner."
Stan shook his head, without a second of hesitation. "You and I both know that is impossible. Compound V is the foundation of Vought. We would never give it to anyone."
Kaito raised his hand. A golden ki began to condense. Stan's eye twitched. This man was much calmer than Homelander, but he was also much more unpredictable.
"Or," Kaito continued, "I can kill you, and negotiate with your successor. And I can also expose the fact that the new female president is a Supe herself…"
Stan, hearing the whistle of the energy in the air, felt his hatred for Supes grow even deeper. But his face remained calm. "That technology is not in the hands of the CEO. The formula is split into parts and held by multiple shareholders, some of whom are scattered all over the world. Mr. Tao, be realistic. Our time is precious, isn't it?"
His own life, his daughter's future… Stan cared about these things, but not as much as he cared about Vought.
Kaito looked at the man. He was tempted. If he killed him, what was the probability that the Compound V formula would drop? An agent that could mass-produce Supes… it had the potential to change an era. Clearly, an item like that couldn't be obtained just by threatening a single plot character. The difficulty would be immense.
Fzzt!
The Dodon Ray shot past Stan's head, melting a hole in the bulletproof glass behind him before dissipating. Kaito smiled, his killing intent gone. "Haha! Mr. Stan, you really are calm in a crisis. You have far more presence than Madelyn."
"Alright. Give me ten vials of Compound V. And, find me a list of certain rare herbs…"
"With Vought's resources, that shouldn't be too difficult."
Stan considered for a moment, then nodded, agreeing to the deal. He shook Kaito's hand, a smile on his face.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Savior."