Chapter 40 Homelander is the Big Brother
The host forcibly changed the subject.
"We all saw earlier that you used Heat Vision to penetrate the bunker, completely melting the ground within a one-kilometer radius. Can you control its intensity?"
"That’s called Omega Beams, and I can freely control its intensity."
"Then, how much power did you use to destroy Farid’s bunker?"
Lucas thought about it seriously for a moment, then held up three fingers.
"About... thirty percent?"
A look of surprise appeared in Jessica’s eyes.
Thirty percent.
That attack which melted the ground had only used thirty percent of his power.
If Guardian were to output his full power...
Jessica didn’t even dare to imagine it.
She hurriedly changed the subject.
"Mr. Guardian, we noticed that you brought two young team members with you on this mission. Could you introduce them?"
"Those are Cate and Jordan, interns I specifically recruited from Godolkin University."
"Interns? You took interns to counter-terrorism?"
"Yeah, I couldn’t just let them watch SpongeBob in the office, could I!"
The interview lasted less than ten minutes.
Just as Jessica was planning to throw out some hard-hitting questions, the door opened.
Homelander walked in.
Dressed in his full combat suit, with a bright smile and pearly white teeth, he looked like a walking America flag.
"Hey! I’m not late, am I?"
Homelander strode toward the sofa area and sat down next to Lucas.
The host and the audience were all stunned.
Because this was an exclusive interview for Guardian, Homelander shouldn’t have appeared here.
Lucas, however, wasn’t surprised by this.
In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised by anything Homelander did.
As a professional host, Jessica immediately adjusted her mindset.
"Oh! Everyone, please give a warm round of applause to welcome Homelander! Homelander, welcome to our interview!"
"Thanks, Jessica. I heard you were interviewing my good brother, so I wanted to come over and show my support."
Homelander put his arm around Lucas’s shoulder, beaming with smiles.
"After all, Guardian is a member of our Vought big family!"
Lucas glanced at him; this guy had almost squeezed him out of the frame entirely.
He was here to ride his coattails.
A panel prompt popped up.
[Key Character: Homelander — Current Emotions: Jealousy, Resentment, Desire for Attention]
[Evolution Points Gained: +156]
"So Homelander, what do you think of Guardian’s performance yesterday?" Jessica, not afraid of stirring up trouble, intentionally poked at Homelander’s heart.
"Oh, that was simply amazing!"
Homelander gave a thumbs up. "Guardian is one of the most powerful Supe beings I have ever seen. His performance yesterday let the whole world see Vought’s strength!"
"As his good brother, I am proud of him!"
Homelander’s smile was perfect, and his tone was sincere.
If not for the emotions shown on the panel, Lucas would have almost been fooled too.
Jessica nodded and turned to Lucas.
"Guardian, your relationship with Homelander..."
"Homelander, could you please scoot over a little?"
A young cameraman, holding a camera, frowned.
"You’re blocking my shot of Guardian."
Cameraman, danger!
The studio went quiet, and everyone looked at that cameraman.
Homelander’s smile was still on his face, but everyone could see that he was actually a bit embarrassed.
Everyone could see that Homelander was riding the coattails of the hype, using Guardian’s fame to boost his own presence.
But no one dared to say it, except for that naive kid.
[Key Character: Homelander — Sudden Emotional Shift: Jealousy, Anger, Humiliation, Killing Intent]
[Evolution Points Gained: +892]
Six hundred and sixty-six, as expected, farming Homelander’s emotions is fast!
Homelander quickly adjusted, pretending not to have realized it, and apologized to everyone.
"Oh, of course."
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to steal Guardian’s spotlight."
"After all, I was just so happy! Sorry!"
The smile was still perfect.
But Homelander’s heart rate had already spiked to 116 beats per minute.
You didn’t need to guess to know that the cameraman would be out of a job soon.
"Jessica," Lucas suddenly spoke up, "I think there’s something that needs to be clarified."
The host wiped away cold sweat and pretended to be calm.
"You... you say?"
"Yesterday’s mission wasn’t entirely my own credit."
Jessica raised an eyebrow slightly.
Homelander’s gloomy mood was interrupted, and he turned to look at Lucas.
"This Middle East mission could have originally been assigned to Homelander."
"With Homelander’s strength, solving Farid’s issue would never have been difficult."
"But Homelander voluntarily gave this opportunity to me."
A subtle change appeared in Homelander’s expression.
There was a giant question mark hovering over his head.
Did that happen?
He didn’t even know this mission existed; Edgar had arranged it directly, bypassing him.
But Lucas’s acting skills exploded.
"Homelander once said something to me. He said: ’Guardian, you’re still a newcomer and need an opportunity to prove yourself. You go on this mission, and I’ll support you from the rear!’"
Lucas’s expression was sincere, saying it so well that even Homelander almost believed it had happened.
The camera immediately zoomed in on Homelander, and the global broadcast magnified his face.
At Vought headquarters.
Edgar expressionlessly turned off the TV.
He had clearly deliberately put Guardian in the spotlight, even specifically arranging the reporters, just to make Homelander jealous of Lucas, thereby causing discord between the two.
And yet, his Guardian was arrogant and conceited in private, but maxed out his performance skills in front of the camera?
Are you cheating!!
"Haha, that’s right!"
Homelander sat back on the sofa and put his arm around Lucas’s shoulder.
"I did indeed say that! Guardian is a newcomer and needs opportunities. As the big brother of the team, it is my duty to take care of the newcomer!"
This time, Homelander’s smile was genuine.
Guardian is too awesome!
This is a good brother; when one gets rich, we help each other!
Panel prompt popped up:
[Key Character: Homelander — Emotional Change: Satisfaction, Surprise, Respect]
[Evolution Points Gained: +445]
Lucas started stacking the prize pool.
"And it’s not just this time; usually at Vought, Homelander is always taking care of me."
"He’s like the big brother of the team, always giving opportunities to others and leaving the difficulties for himself."
"Honestly, I think Homelander is like a candle."
Jessica cooperated and asked: "A candle? Why do you say that?"
"Because he consumes himself to illuminate others." Lucas patted Homelander’s shoulder. "He shares his light with every one of us, allowing us to stand in the spotlight, while he silently supports the entire team from behind!"
"Homelander has bled and fought for Vought; he is the soul of Vought!"
"Vought is glorious because of Homelander!"
"Homelander is the only true hero of Vought!"
After Lucas finished speaking, he took the lead in applauding.
The staff in the studio seemed moved as well and immediately stood up to applaud.
As a veteran host with years of experience, Jessica squeezed out two tears.
"Homelander, what do you think of Guardian’s assessment of you?"
Homelander sat on the sofa, unable to suppress his excitement.
The whole world was watching this live broadcast, and every word Guardian had just said had put him in the limelight.
That’s right, he is the great hero of Vought!!