"Heartbeat, that's the first gift You gave Me." Starlight did make Samuel's heart flutter a bit, but there are many kinds of heart flutters!
She will definitely pay a price. Instead of benefiting The Deep, why can't it be Me?
Isn't the biggest advantage of knowing the plot using foresight to snatch benefits?
"I believe that sentence, but..." Starlight examined Samuel, not believing he could get her into The Seven, "If You want to get to know Me, You don't need to use such a clumsy lie that will be easily exposed."
I wonder who was tricked into paying a price with just a few words. The Deep's lie wasn't that clever, was it?
"Ring ring ring -- Ring ring ring --"
Samuel's phone rang. The only person who knew this number was Queen Maeve.
He answered and put it on speakerphone. Queen Maeve's slightly anxious voice came through --
"It's Me, Maeve, there's a mission that Homelander and I need to handle, I... I'm worried there will be trouble."
Queen Maeve was worried that Homelander would take the opportunity to attack her during the mission.
She knew that Homelander was capable of doing something like that!
"Can You... can You come over?"
Even through the phone, her cautious eagerness could be heard.
Samuel glanced at the shocked Starlight, put his arm around her shoulder, leaning against her, and she didn't resist.
"You are My person. If You're in trouble, of course I won't ignore it. Send Me the address."
Queen Maeve breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay, I'll send it to You right away."
"By the way, The Lamplighter retired and left The Seven. Do You have the qualifications to recommend a new person to join?" Samuel suddenly asked.
Starlight suddenly looked up, her eyes eagerly looking over.
"I can recommend a new person directly into the final selection. As long as their abilities aren't too bad, there shouldn't be a problem."
"What about with Homelander?"
"Then there's even less of a problem!"
Samuel hummed, took a deep look at Starlight, and asked meaningfully, "Then, refusing the entry of a certain new person should also not be a problem?"
"Yes, that's even easier!"
"I understand. See You in a bit."
"See You in a bit."
After hanging up the call, Samuel looked at Starlight, who was hesitant to speak and had a complicated expression. Although she had some naivety from not having experienced the World, she wasn't stupid. She naturally understood the meaning behind Samuel's words.
"Now it's not that I want to get to know You, but that You must get to know Me --" Samuel handed over his phone.
Starlight hesitated for a few seconds, took it, entered her number, and dialed out.
After connecting, she hung up and returned the phone to Samuel.
"Waiting for Your call." Samuel shook his phone and silently disappeared under Starlight's gaze.
Starlight reached out in astonishment towards where Samuel had disappeared. It was empty; there was nothing there.
...
"Da da da -- Da da da --" The last remaining bank robber was forced into a dead end. Homelander and Queen Maeve easily approached from the left and right, the bullets hitting them scattering on the ground.
"Don't kill Me -- Don't kill Me -- Please -- Don't kill Me." The bank robber threw away his gun. The intense fear made him unable to help but kneel and beg for mercy.
"You shouldn't be alive!" Homelander came in front of the bank robber with a cold tone, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him up.
Queen Maeve looked at Homelander, who had turned his head and was staring at her, with a gloomy expression, "What do You want to say!"
Homelander looked at Queen Maeve with vicious and cold eyes, as if he wanted to tear her apart alive.
"I said -- You shouldn't be alive!" As the cold voice fell, his hand directly pierced the bank robber's chest.
In an instant, Homelander's viciousness and the long-standing shadow he cast made Queen Maeve have the illusion of empathy for the bank robber, as if the person being pierced was not him, but herself.
Her body trembled slightly uncontrollably, her eyes instinctively dodged, and she wanted to lower her head.
"Don't be afraid. Now I don't need to be afraid of him anymore. He... he is no longer an invincible devil."
"Yes, don't be afraid!"
Queen Maeve took a deep breath to encourage herself, and her gaze towards Homelander gradually became firm.
For Homelander, this firm and fearless gaze was a provocation and blasphemy against him.
He let out a heavy cold snort, threw the already dead bank robber onto the ground like trash, and his eyes staring at Queen Maeve gradually turned red, as if ready to kill her with his 'gaze' at any moment.
"Bang!"
A scorching red Hot Ray suddenly hit Homelander's knee bend. Caught off guard, Homelander directly knelt down in front of Queen Maeve with a thud.
"Who is it!"
The angry Homelander gritted his teeth, turned his head, and roared, and then -- just like a surging flame meeting the ocean, a barking dog seeing the stick in its Master's hand, a bullying villain losing their backing -- he instantly cowered!
"It's Me. What do You want to say?" Samuel slowly descended from mid-air. The redness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a hint of playfulness.
The shadow Samuel cast on Homelander was like the shadow Homelander cast on Queen Maeve. It couldn't be said to be completely similar, only that it was exactly the same!
Homelander was the person Samuel least wanted to see, but Samuel was the exact opposite; he was very happy to see Homelander, because every time they met, he could gain benefits.
For example, the Hot Ray from last time, and the Flight he just obtained.
"Is there nothing you want to say? Then I'll speak!"
Samuel walked to Queen Maeve's side and looked down at the silent Homelander: "She is my person now. If you don't have the ability to flip the table when facing me, then don't do anything."
"If you're a dragon, you have to coil up; if you're a tiger, you have to lie down; if you're a dog, don't mess with me."
"I think you know better than anyone that no matter who it is, after being disemboweled and skinned, they're just a piece of meat."
"Now, is there anything you want to say?"
Facing Samuel's warning, besides silence, what else could Homelander say?
Picking up the bank robber's gun and handing it to Queen Maeve, Queen Maeve looked at Samuel with some confusion.
"Didn't you guys do this often before? After killing someone, you create the illusion of being attacked or resisting. This time, it's your turn to shoot."
Queen Maeve reacted, and with a strange expression, she pulled the trigger at the already standing Homelander.
"Da da da — da da da —"
Gunshots were like thunder, and bullets were like rain.
In the past, when creating illusions, Homelander would shoot himself, but he didn't expect there would be a day when it was the other way around. Although this wouldn't harm Homelander, Queen Maeve felt this feeling — truly exhilarating!
Samuel felt even more exhilarated.
The rewards for watching the battle dropped, as expected.
"Ding!"
"Detected battle, dropped reward —"