Chapter 45 Purple has a lot of charm
Lucas supported the plane and began to slowly change direction.
JFK International Airport.
He flew there in three minutes.
He maintained a steady speed to avoid shaking the passengers inside the cabin and smearing them evenly against the cabin walls.
The runway at JFK Airport was already packed with fire trucks and ambulances, and the control tower kept calling the plane.
Lucas gently placed the plane on the runway until it came to a complete stop, and deafening cheers erupted inside the cabin once again.
"Guardian!!!"
"Guardian!!!"
"Guardian!!!"
Lucas flew out from under the plane and hovered beside the fuselage.
Reporters on the ground began pressing their shutters, the camera flashes nearly blinding the passengers.
The system panel continued to flicker.
[Global media exposure bonus: Event popularity × 3.7]
["Guardian lifts a passenger plane to a safe landing single-handedly" — Global trending #1]
[Evolution Points gained: +18,200]
[Total Evolution Points gained from this event: +32,548]
Current Evolution Points: 111,207 / 250,000
Not bad, only halfway to the next level up.
...
After the plane came to a complete stop, the cabin door was kicked open.
Many people collapsed to the ground as soon as they exited, kissing the earth, some even sprawling out in a star shape or lying on the ground.
What a way to screw the heavens and the earth!
Homelander and Maeve followed closely behind the crowd.
After Homelander landed, he was immediately surrounded by reporters.
"Homelander! Can you tell us what happened just now?"
"Did you save the plane?"
"Guardian was also on the scene; were you working together?"
Homelander flashed his signature smile.
"Of course, this was a team effort. Guardian is my good brother, and we worked in perfect sync..."
"But what we saw was Guardian alone under the plane?"
Homelander’s temples began to throb.
He silently noted the reporter’s company.
"That’s because I was inside the cabin protecting the passengers, ensuring no one was hurt. We just had different roles!"
"Oh! I see! Then may I ask..."
The reporters continued to press him.
Lucas and Maeve stood to the side, not trying to steal the spotlight.
Two little girls ran over to thank Maeve.
Judging by Maeve’s expression, she really enjoyed being a superhero.
"Thanks to you, I can ride on your coattails and significantly boost my approval rating."
Maeve’s approval rating had been dropping recently.
Vought International had always had Homelander bring Maeve along; appearing together helped boost their approval ratings.
But to be honest, Homelander’s image had also been hit hard recently.
First, The Seven kicked out two members, and as leader, he faced a lot of condemnation. Then there was the suspicion of him trying to ride Guardian’s coattails, which really hurt his reputation.
Combined, their approval ratings were dropping instead of rising.
"Do you really care about your approval rating?" Lucas shook his head, indicating he didn’t believe it.
There were only two good people in The Seven: Annie January and Maeve.
If you count A-Train after his eventual awakening, maybe three.
"What else? I represent female empowerment. If my approval rating keeps sliding, I’ll end up as a third-rate, has-been hero."
Maeve crossed her arms, watching Homelander bask in the camera flashes, her brow slightly weary.
"I heard you’ve been living with Annie January recently?" Maeve asked as if it were just a casual question.
"Yeah."
"Don’t hurt her. Seeing you two, it’s like seeing my former self," Maeve said.
Maeve remembered when she first joined The Seven; she was full of longing and expectation for heroic deeds, but Vought International dealt her a heavy blow.
Then came Homelander.
They had dated for a while, but eventually, Maeve realized that Homelander was just a monster in human skin.
He disregarded human life and was only interested in his public persona.
If she hadn’t called Guardian, Homelander had originally planned to abandon the plane, and there were children on that plane!
What kind of person would let children die just for the sake of reputation?
"Don’t look for the shadow of your past in other people. No matter what happened in the past, you can embrace a new life."
Lucas put his arm around Maeve’s shoulder and suddenly flashed his signature smile.
"Don’t resist, the reporters are starting to take photos of us!"
...
The interview ended.
Homelander faced the cameras and began a tearful performance, the content of which was nothing more than the bill Vought International had recently been pushing.
If the military were willing to share data and recruit Supes into the army, they would be able to respond faster, instead of being dragged in to save the day only at the moment of crisis.
You have to realize that was over a hundred lives, including children.
His acting was so good that even Lucas couldn’t help but give him a thumbs up.
An Oscar-winning actor, bro!!!
"Take me away. I don’t want to stay here anymore." Maeve was still shaken.
The two left the airport.
Homelander just glanced at their retreating figures and continued to brag to the reporters about his heroic deeds.
Let them sleep together, whatever. Brothers are more important than women anyway.
Besides, he dared to hit on Maeve right in front of him.
He really wasn’t afraid of him.
Where else could he find a brother like that?
Lucas flew with Maeve for a while and landed in a quiet alley in Lower Manhattan.
There was no one in the vicinity.
Maeve crossed her arms, looking guarded.
"I asked you to take me home, why did you bring me here?"
Lucas looked Maeve up and down.
To be honest, Maeve was quite good-looking too.
Annie January was the pure, girl-next-door type. (Must picture Starlight before her plastic surgery)
Maeve was a mature, aggressive kind of beautiful.
She was tall, athletic, with deep features and sharp eyes.
Such a woman had been turned gay by Homelander.
He felt an obligation to turn Maeve back; yin and yang harmony was the way of the universe!
"What are you looking at?"
Maeve knew Lucas had X-ray vision and felt uncomfortable with his gaze.
"I’m looking at you."
"Are you done looking? Is there any material that can block your X-ray vision? I want to order some for my next suit."
Maeve frowned.
"Oh, oh!! Don’t get me wrong, I’m neither Translucent nor Homelander; I’m not that much of a pervert."
Lucas insisted on his innocence; other than being a bit lecherous, he was nowhere near as perverted as those other teammates.
Compared to the others, he was practically a lotus flower rising from the mud without being stained.
"Do you like going to the beach?"
"Huh?"
"Is it Beast Master?"
"Huh?"
"Elephant or cat?"
"What are you talking about?"
Maeve looked Lucas up and down, her expression strange.
"No way, are you, Guardian, actually a living saint?"
Lucas thought to himself:
Maeve doesn’t like sunbathing on the beach.
It’s Beast Master.
Neither, purple has a certain charm.
"You can always trust my character!"
Lucas vouched for his own noble character.
Maeve always felt something was wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
"Would a noble person bring a woman to a place like this in the middle of the night?" Maeve looked around, "This place looks like a damn crime scene!"
"The reason I brought you here is to do this."
Lucas braced one hand against the wall and cupped Maeve’s chin with the other.
He then leaned his head down gently.
Maeve punched him in the shoulder, but Lucas didn’t budge at all.
Three minutes later.
A little blood oozed from the corner of Lucas’s mouth, and he licked it nonchalantly.
Maeve’s hair was disheveled, her breathing slightly heavy.
She reached up and wiped the blood from her lips.
The boss lady had a fiery temper; she wasn’t an easy catch.
"I will slowly collect on the favor you owe me!"
Lucas took off into the sky.
Left behind, Maeve gently stroked her chest, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Guardian is much more overbearing than Homelander!