American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

484. The Hero Appears.

Becca was visibly tense as she stood next to this unfamiliar man.

It was as if he had appeared in her home out of thin air, without alerting anyone. He had even managed to evade every surveillance camera in the house, standing silently in a blind spot, waiting for her arrival.

God only knew how this man had gotten here. Becca vividly remembered her reaction upon seeing him.

She had just dropped Ryan off at his private school and returned home. Before she could even relax, she found an unfamiliar man sitting in her room as if he belonged there. Becca almost screamed.

"Now, do you believe me?" Alex turned his gaze toward Becca, smiling faintly as he spoke calmly. "I'm a friend of Butcher's. Naturally, I'll ensure your and Ryan's safety."

Hearing Alex's voice, Becca slowly began to calm down.

She had been deeply wary of Alex before, but after hearing Butcher's voice over the phone earlier, her heart had settled somewhat.

Although she was still curious about Alex's identity, the fact that he could contact Butcher and seemed familiar with him suggested he wasn't an enemy.

However, Becca wasn't a naïve woman. She didn't fully trust Alex, nor could she afford to trust anyone completely at this point.

"Sir, you really should leave now. Vought designed this neighborhood, and every inch of it is under their surveillance. This house alone has countless cameras."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Don't worry about that. As long as I'm here, no one will notice me," Alex replied nonchalantly.

"No, you don't understand. This house has listening devices. Even if you avoid the cameras, our voices will still be picked up. They may already be on their way here," Becca said seriously.

"Do you understand vibrations?" Alex asked suddenly, ignoring Becca's warning. "Sound is essentially the vibration of air, and listening devices capture these vibrations to detect frequencies."

Becca frowned, confused by Alex's words.

Alex smiled and explained, "If you can control those vibrations, alter sound frequencies, or manipulate sound waves, then no matter what we say or do here, no one will hear it."

Hearing this, Becca froze momentarily. But then something clicked, and her expression changed as she looked at Alex.

"You're a supe?"

"Something like that," Alex admitted without hesitation.

Becca immediately took two steps back, her gaze filled with caution and hostility.

To her, all supes were nothing more than Vought's pawns. Long before the secret of Compound V was exposed, Becca was one of the few people outside Vought who knew about it.

Naturally, she also knew that every supe had a tracking system implanted in their body by Vought.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not with Vought, and I don't have a tracker in my body. And yes, you're right—I can read minds, which is how I know what you're thinking."

To communicate more effectively with Becca, Alex had activated Professor X's telepathic ability upon arriving. By understanding her thoughts, he also skimmed through some of her memories.

It appeared that Becca had indeed been forced by Homelander. However, after discovering her pregnancy, she followed Vought's directives and came to live in this community to protect her child.

This entire situation was the result of various parties striking deals. Becca wanted to ensure Ryan didn't grow up to become another Homelander, while Vought saw Ryan as a potential trump card against Homelander.

After reaching an agreement, things had developed into what they were now.

"Why are you here?" Becca frowned. She didn't believe Alex would seek her out for no reason.

"You've already guessed," Alex replied, sitting casually in a chair and calmly observing her. "I need Butcher to do something very important for me, and until he completes it, I have to ensure your safety."

"You're using me to threaten him?" Becca asked, glaring at Alex, already categorizing him as an enemy.

"You could see it that way, but I prefer to think of this as a transaction."

Alex spread his hands and gestured toward Becca. "Butcher helps me take down the giant that is Vought, and I, in turn, ensure your safety. It's a win-win, don't you think?"

"He's just an ordinary man! You're sending him to his death by asking him to take on Vought! If you have a problem with Vought, why don't you handle it yourself? You're the one with powers!" Becca said angrily.

"No, you don't understand. Now is not the time for me to act."

Alex pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket, glanced at it briefly, and then placed it on the bedroom table. He spoke softly, "When I first started working with Butcher, I asked him to investigate the IP address written on this paper. Do you know how he responded after looking into it?"

"What was his response?"

Becca had no idea what Alex was talking about. Their discussion was about Vought, so why had the topic suddenly shifted to IP addresses?

"A third of these IP addresses can be traced back here," Alex began. "After narrowing them down, Butcher discovered a strange pattern. Almost all the information sources traced back to Vought Tower.

And based on the timestamps on the paper, the content being edited on those computers at the time was quite intriguing."

Alex locked eyes with Becca and slowly began to speak, enunciating each term.

"'The Secret War of 1949,' 'The Death of Soldier Boy,' 'Blood Debt Disbandment,' 'The Origin of the Seven,' 'Justice Eternal,' 'Vought's Blackest Night.'

"These are from the 20th to early 21st century. In recent years, however, the titles have shifted to things like 'Translucent's Transparent Brother,' 'Queen Maeve's Ecstasy,' 'Mighty Noir,' and 'Starlight Takes the Train.'"

"I don't understand what you're saying," Becca replied, staring at Alex with a puzzled look. "What do these have to do with Butcher? They're just the tasteless trash created by Vought."

Clearly, Becca was aware of what Alex was referencing. Even if she hadn't seen them herself, the latter titles were enough for her to guess.

"Death by entertainment, Becca," Alex said, leaning back in his chair and casting her a meaningful look.

"In your eyes, these are just movies Vought produces to make money. But in other worlds, this kind of content is like a plague—uncontrollable and insidious.

"You hope Ryan will grow up to be a true hero, different from that bastard Homelander. But have you ever asked yourself, Becca—what does it mean to be a hero?"

He paused for a moment and then continued, "Or, why do people worship heroes in the first place?"

"Why… do people worship heroes?" Becca frowned, unsure of the intent behind Alex's question or what he was trying to convey.

"Why do we admire heroes? Because heroes embody resilience, an indomitable spirit, the courage to face adversity, and the ability to turn the impossible into reality," Alex said, answering his own question.

He then shifted his gaze to a poster of an animated superhero on the wall. Smirking mockingly, he continued, "But those films I just mentioned—the ones Vought produces, featuring their so-called heroes—do you think they're truly 'heroes'?"

Becca fell silent at Alex's words.

She slowly sat down on the bed, her head bowed as she pondered. In that moment, she began to understand what Alex was trying to convey.

Why do people worship heroes? It's because they want to see them endure hardship and triumph against the odds. They want to see heroes vanquish evil.

But what had these originally beautiful ideals turned into?

"Death by entertainment," Becca muttered as she reflected on the term. Then, lifting her gaze to Alex, she spoke softly.

"Vought is exploiting the symbol of heroism. They have no intention of creating real heroes. What they truly want is to turn so-called heroes into clowns in a circus, designed solely to thrill the masses."

And that was the essence of corruption.

Hearing Becca finally articulate the conclusion he was guiding her toward, Alex's lips curled into a subtle smile.

The next moment, Alex snapped his fingers. Instantly, the wall-mounted television flickered to life, and Vought Tower appeared on the screen.

Under normal circumstances, this community—built specifically for Becca and Ryan by Vought—would not receive any external TV signals. Yet somehow, the screen displayed footage that had never been shown before.

On the television, a massive crowd of protesters had gathered outside Vought Tower. They held up signs and wore clothes emblazoned with phrases like "Reveal Compound V" and "Stop Hiding the Truth."

In front of the protesters, countless superheroes stood at the entrance of Vought Tower, attempting to maintain order.

It seemed that Vought was truly desperate. Even on the screen, Becca could see heroes like Ezekiel, Termite, Angel, Shockwave, Polarity, and even Supersonic and Black Lightning.

Of course, compared to the Seven, these individuals were mostly second- or third-tier heroes. If Vought weren't so cornered, they would never have called these people in.

"What… what is this?" Becca asked, staring dumbfounded at the television.

She had been living in this community under Vought's watchful eye and rarely received news from the outside world. The scene on the screen left her at a complete loss.

"Just watch," Alex said, his deep gaze fixed on the screen.

"The heroes are about to take the stage."

.....

📢30 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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485. Gathering at Vought Tower!!!
486. Ready to Explode!
487. Chaos!!
488. Homelander vs. Soldier Boy!!!
489. Chaos and Darkness!!