Chapter 79 Master Lucas has allocated relief funds!
Ryan watched the entire broadcast on television.
He had always liked Guardian’s image.
Now, he liked him even more!
He even felt that his father, Homelander, was always interrupting from the side, like a child competing for attention, which was a bit annoying!
...
[Ryan — Emotional State: Extreme adoration, yearning, aspiration, determination, growth]
[Evolution Points Gained: +21,340]
...
Ashley stood backstage in the press conference hall, watching the real-time data on the big screen.
She clenched her fists tightly, as if she had seen the perfect PR template in Lucas.
That’s right, that’s right!
If Homelander could follow her plan without a single mistake, the final result would be Guardian.
What a worry-free boss, never causing trouble for his employees!
As Vought International’s PR Manager, CEO, and Guardian’s personal secretary... Ashley had been in the industry for over a dozen years and had never seen data like this.
Within thirty minutes of the press conference starting, Guardian’s approval rating soared from 85% to 94%.
The overall favorability rating for The Seven jumped from 72% to 91%.
The brand trust for Vought International increased by 11 percentage points.
With a single interview, Guardian covered ground that would have taken Vought International years to traverse.
Of course, if Homelander were involved... those years might have to be multiplied several times over.
This was a miracle.
Tears welled up in Ashley’s eyes, and it wasn’t just because she was happy about her career future.
She remembered when she first started in the industry, she was also a young person who believed in justice.
Later, she was worn down by the superheroes and turned into a machine that only knew how to look at data.
But the kindness deep in her heart had not completely disappeared.
She felt as if she had come back to life.
...
[Ashley — Emotional Shift: Shock, adoration, sense of career peak, reignited faith, sense of belonging]
[Evolution Points Gained: +16,780]
...
In an apartment in New York, Hughie and Robin sat on the sofa, staring at the television screen.
The Boys had suffered a huge blow recently.
Butcher’s several operations had been nipped in the bud by Lucas one after another.
Facing Homelander alone had already exhausted everyone, but Guardian’s strength was an even darker cloud hanging over their heads.
It was rare for Hughie to be sent home to live a quiet life with his girlfriend.
Only... the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
After watching the interview on TV, Robin was crying her eyes out.
"Hughie... those children... the youngest was only ( ) years old..."
Hughie didn’t say anything either.
He was a very kind person at his core, one of the few decent people in America.
He didn’t do drugs, didn’t smoke, and had no bad habits.
The only reason he had embarked on the path of opposing Supes was purely by coincidence.
After watching the interview, his mind was in a mess.
Butcher had always told him that Supes were monsters, that Vought International was evil, that they were all soulless wretches in human skin from top to bottom, and that Guardian was no exception.
But... those children who were rescued, they were real.
Everything exposed on Rhode Island was also real, and all the major news media were reporting it.
Half of America was involved in it.
Vought International definitely didn’t have enough power to fabricate fake news of this scale.
So the question arose. If Guardian was a bad guy, a fascist, a racist jerk, would he have saved those children?
Would he have attacked Congress in public? Would he have let his team members stand up, admit the mistakes they had made in the past, and then start over?
"Butcher’s understanding of Supes... is it too extreme?" Hughie muttered to himself.
Robin wiped away her tears and turned to look at him. "Hughie, are you still hanging out with that Butcher?"
"I..."
"Look at what Guardian has done, and then look at that Butcher of yours!" Robin’s tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Guardian is saving children, but what about Butcher? A complete anti-social element, slandering my idol all day long—how could he be a good person?"
Hughie subconsciously wanted to refute his girlfriend, but he had nothing to say. That was the truth.
Although Hughie hadn’t told Robin exactly what he was doing, Butcher and Robin had met. Anyone who had come into contact with Butcher did not have a good impression of him.
Hughie picked up his phone; there were seven missed calls, all from Butcher.
...
In a bar, everyone was looking up at the television, where Guardian’s speech was still being rebroadcast.
Butcher sat at the bar, holding a bottle of whiskey. "Cunning little bastard!" he cursed under his breath.
However, his tone was no longer as firm. It was replaced by a hint of wavering.
If you wanted to say Butcher was a jerk, you wouldn’t be wrong; saying he was a bad guy would also be acceptable. But at his core, Butcher was still driven by good intentions.
He knew this matter was real; it couldn’t be fabricated false information.
But Butcher had to deny it, because only by denying it could he let the hatred in his heart support him to complete his revenge.
He called Hughie, trying to find some solace in this young man who looked so much like Lenny. However, Hughie wasn’t answering the phone. This was the first time.
"Fuck!!" Butcher took a big gulp of whiskey.
Frenchie walked over, holding a laptop in his hands. "Hey! You bastard, we’ve been looking for you for three days! Hiding yourself away to drink horse piss?"
"Spit it out, Frenchie!" Butcher replied impatiently.
Frenchie put the laptop on the table. "I found a new lead. This is a recent terrorist incident where a group of suspected well-trained Supe criminals assassinated a local official..."
"...I tracked their origin through surveillance video. Look at the mark on this clothing, what does it look like..."
Butcher took a careful look. "Looks like a terrorist organization that Raynor is very headache-prone about. I remember, what was it called... The Shining Army?"
"Right!"
"Based on their retreat route, I guess part of the Shining Army’s operational range should be right here!"
Frenchie quickly typed on the keyboard, narrowing the range down to one city block.
"If we can find the Shining Army’s stronghold, maybe we can take the opportunity to find some clues, such as direct evidence that Vought International created Supe terrorists. Then, we can completely reverse this event!"
Butcher turned around, the gloom from just a moment ago swept away. The corners of his mouth curled up, revealing a relieved smile.
"Well done. I’ll go ask Raynor for a batch of equipment, and of course, some operating funds!"
...
"Guardian, what arrangements does Vought International have for the victims moving forward?" The Vought News Network reporter began to follow up with additional questions.
Vought International wanted to use this matter to maximize their benefits. By exposing the Rhode Island incident, they would put Vought International in the spotlight and face targeting from a large number of high-level officials.
However, this allowed Edgar to see an opportunity. More than half of the people in Congress were embroiled in the mess; these people would sooner or later be dragged down, and their positions would become vacant.
Edgar could then take the opportunity to insert his own people. Moreover, he could even have the popular superheroes endorse certain politicians, thereby winning over a large amount of political power.
Facing the question, Lucas easily gave his promise.
"On my own behalf, I am donating 300 million dollars in relief funds. The full amount, not through any charitable foundation, with a supervision program set up, and the entire process will be real-time, public, and transparent, to be donated for the subsequent treatment and rehabilitation of those victims!"
"In addition, a portion of these funds will also be used to help soldiers and veterans who have suffered trauma after the war, lost their ability to be independent due to various issues, or have become homeless!"
Edgar gave him a cap of 100 million dollars. Master Lucas felt that Edgar was too stingy—if you’re going to give, give more! If you’re spending money to buy a reputation, don’t be so shabby about it!
Anyway, it wasn’t his money being spent. As for who would supervise the allocation of the funds, Lucas already had a suitable candidate in mind.