"—You can always trust Homelander!"
"I have proposed a new bill to the President, and it has received full support from both the White House and Congress…"
Antony turned his head slightly toward President Ellis.
Ellis immediately nodded in agreement, though his smile looked a little stiff.
"Starting today, the federal government will pass an emergency act—the Alien Disaster Workers Protection Act."
"Any company, any employer, is strictly prohibited from firing employees or deducting wages due to work delays, absences, or evacuations caused by alien invasions or supernatural disasters!"
"And if they do…"
Antony looked directly into the camera and gave a dangerous smile.
"They will face the maximum federal penalties, and—"
Ellis glanced at Antony and quickly continued,
"—and prosecution by the Federal Attorney's Office."
"That's right," Antony added calmly. "And personally, I might also pay a visit to their board of directors… for a friendly discussion."
The moment those words were spoken—
The world exploded with shock.
Countless workers who had been living in fear of losing their jobs because of the constant disasters suddenly burst into tears of excitement.
Some even dropped to their knees in front of their televisions, repeatedly whispering:
"God bless Homelander… God bless Homelander…"
"I can't get fired anymore?!"
"Thank God! Thank Homelander!"
"My damn boss won't dare cut my pay again!"
"My God… during the Battle of New York I was late three days because the streets were sealed off, and my boss fired me on the spot! Now… someone is finally standing up for us?"
People could hardly believe what they were hearing.
In a country where capital ruled above everything else, someone had actually taken the side of ordinary workers.
And that person…
Was a billionaire capitalist himself.
-----
Meanwhile—
On Wall Street, powerful financiers smashed their coffee cups in rage.
"This is insanity!"
"This is economic sabotage! An attack on the free market!"
"How dare the President agree to this?! How dare that caped man do this?!"
But at this moment—
Their furious voices were completely drowned out.
Because beyond their skyscrapers…
In millions of ordinary homes…
In crowded subway trains…
In cramped apartments and rented basements…
A tidal wave of cheering erupted across America.
Notification! Popularity +79,001!
Notification! Popularity +89,223!
Notification! Popularity +104,410!
Notification! Popularity +—
And it still wasn't over.
Antony raised his hand slightly, signaling the crowd to calm down.
"I also know that during the Battle of New York, the Dark Elf invasion, and the Ultron incident…"
"Many people lost their homes."
"They were buried under debt."
"They lost their credit records."
"They ended up on the streets."
"That's not fair."
"You were victims."
"You shouldn't have been abandoned."
He paused for a moment.
"Therefore…"
"Today, on behalf of Vought International, I officially announce—"
Antony raised his voice and spread his arms wide as if embracing the entire world.
"The Vought Deep Space Exploration and Resource Development Administration is hereby established!"
"Whether you have a home or not."
"Whether you're bankrupt."
"Whether your credit score is zero… or negative."
"Even if you're homeless."
"As long as you're willing to work…"
"As long as you're willing to contribute to humanity's future…"
"Come to Vought."
"We will provide housing."
"We will provide healthcare."
"We will provide a dignified salary."
"We don't care about your past."
"We only care about the future."
"Because when facing the universe…"
"We only have one name."
"Humanity."
…
BOOM—!!!
If the labor law had been like a nuclear bomb…
Then this announcement was a world-shattering meteor impact.
The homeless man freezing on the street.
The middle-class family crushed under mortgage debt.
Even people on the brink of committing crimes out of desperation.
At this moment—
They all saw light.
…
In Times Square, the dense crowd suddenly stopped walking.
Everyone raised their heads to stare at the giant screens.
The man standing there…
In their eyes, he seemed even more sacred than Jesus.
"LONG LIVE HOMELANDER!"
Someone shouted first.
Then the entire square exploded.
Hats flew into the air.
People hugged each other, cheering wildly.
Countless people poured into the streets, waving American flags and handmade "V" symbols.
The cheers were so loud they rattled the soundproof glass of nearby skyscrapers.
At this moment—
Anyone who dared say a single bad word about Homelander…
Even the richest man in the world—
Would be torn apart by the furious public.
-----
California – A Trailer Park
"Mom… I want to sleep in a bed…"
"I don't want to sleep next to the dumpster anymore…"
A single mother whose house had been repossessed by the bank sat on a park bench with her child, staring at the sky in despair.
Outside a nearby mall, Antony's speech played on a giant LED screen.
"Provide housing… provide healthcare…"
The woman froze.
Looking at the man on the screen—glowing like a savior—tears streamed down her face.
She hugged her child tightly and burst into uncontrollable sobs.
"We're saved… baby, we're saved."
"We can go to Vought…"
"We can survive."
Despair was replaced with hope.
"It's going to be okay," she whispered, kissing her child's forehead.
"…Homelander will protect us."
-----
New York City
A group of homeless men huddled around an old portable television.
Most of them were ordinary people who had gone bankrupt after multiple alien disasters.
Their homes had been seized by banks.
Their hope had been destroyed.
When they heard the words—
"Jobs and housing regardless of credit history…"
A middle-aged man with a scruffy beard tightened his grip on a half-empty bottle of cheap liquor.
Tears streamed down his face.
"We're saved…"
"We're saved…"
He staggered to his feet and shouted hoarsely at the television screen—
"LONG LIVE HOMELANDER!!"
-----
Queens, New York
Peter Parker sat in the cramped living room watching the broadcast.
In the kitchen, May Parker was calculating bills with a worried frown.
Since Ben Parker's death, their finances had been extremely tight.
"Aunt May!" Peter jumped up excitedly.
"Did you hear that? Homelander said companies can't fire workers anymore—and Vought is hiring everyone!"
May set down the bills and looked at the confident man on the television.
A faint spark of hope appeared in her eyes.
"It sounds… wonderful, Peter."
"Almost too wonderful to be real."
"But it's Homelander!" Peter clenched his fists excitedly.
"If it's him, it must be real!"
"Aunt May, maybe you should apply to work for Vought!"
-----
Also in Queens – An Abandoned Warehouse
Adrian Toomes, also known as The Vulture, sat gloomily at a cluttered workbench.
His construction crew had been driven into bankruptcy after Stark Industries' Damage Control Department took over cleanup operations.
Government contracts had been canceled.
He was buried in debt.
Just five minutes earlier, he had been discussing something with his crew.
Robbing an armored truck.
Using weapons built from scavenged alien technology.
"Boss… look at this."
Phineas Mason, the Tinkerer, handed him a tablet.
On the screen—
Antony's speech was playing live.
"…giving you a chance to start over."
Toomes stared at the screen.
His hands trembled.
Robbery wasn't his dream.
It was survival.
It was about feeding his family.
If there was a chance for a decent job…
If there was a way to live honestly in this broken world…
Who would choose to become a criminal?
Who would want to live every day in fear?
"Boss…"
The workers looked at him, hope shining in their eyes.
Toomes took a deep breath and suddenly stood up.
He glanced toward the corner of the warehouse—
At a half-finished set of mechanical wings.
"Take that thing apart."
His voice was hoarse.
"We're… not robbing anyone."
"Pack up!"
He pointed at the Vought logo on the screen.
"We're going to Vought."
"To sign up."
"If Homelander keeps his word…"
"…then we'll work for him."
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals