NOVEL WEB [3] : Homelander’s Soft Spot, Children’s Smiles
Don't Forget to Review!!
**Bang, bang, bang—**
"Don't come any closer!!"
The masked robber frantically pulled the trigger at Roger, with bullets hitting him and falling to the ground. Despite this, the robber didn't stop his actions.
Fear was evident in the robber's eyes, and it was fear of Roger.
Roger understood why. Although this was a Vought setup, Homelander in the past had never cared about the lives of such people. If he was in a good mood, he might spare their lives; if he was in a bad mood, he'd use his heat vision to pierce through their bodies or throw them into the sky for a free fall.
These people were all death-row inmates, and since they had signed contracts for their lives, their deaths were inconsequential.
But… who would willingly want to die if they could survive?
The robber in front of Roger was one such person. Even though he knew what awaited him, he couldn't help but resist.
The bullets hitting his body didn't hurt. Roger observed the fear in the masked man's eyes, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly acted. With super speed, he appeared in front of the robber, crushed the gun in his hand into pieces, and then punched the robber in the head, knocking him out.
If it were the old Homelander, he would probably have shattered the robber's body. But Roger didn't want to do that.
Firstly, it was too brutal, and secondly… there were children nearby.
"Wow! It's Homelander!!"
"Homelander!!"
"Can Homelander give me an autograph!"
Several children gathered around, cheering for Roger and completely forgetting about the robbery. Seeing the smiles on the children's faces, Roger couldn't help but smile as well.
He picked up a few children, smiled for the camera crew, and let others take their pictures.
This heartwarming scene was captured by the cameras, boosting the TV ratings once again.
But after signing autographs for the children and watching them be escorted away by the police, Roger's smile suddenly vanished.
Maeve, who had been observing from the side, asked in surprise:
"What's wrong? Were you dissatisfied with the filming just now?"
"The children from earlier, the oldest one is no more than seven."
"So?"
"They actually arranged for these children to be used as victims?"
Roger's expression turned grim.
"When did you start caring about this?"
Maeve looked at Roger as if he were an alien.
Roger didn't want to argue with her. He planned to go to Vought to ask Madelyn about it, but after taking a few steps, he stopped.
—Help!! Someone save me! Oh God!
He heard another cry for help.
"…The company arranged for other events as well?"
Roger suddenly asked Maeve.
Maeve shook her head. "No, there was only this one in the morning. We have other things in the afternoon. Why?"
"You wait here for me. I'll be right back."
"Wait, Homelander—"
Maeve was about to ask what was going on when Roger flew out through the window, disappearing in moments.
Using his super hearing, Roger searched for the source of the cry for help.
Soon, Roger found the person in distress—a woman at the edge of a fire, crying and hesitating whether to jump down.
The fire was on the fifth floor. At such a height, even if she survived the fall, she would be severely injured. Seeing the flames spreading, the woman was forced to consider jumping.
Just then, Roger arrived.
"Homelander! It's Homelander!!"
"Oh my God, the girl is saved!"
"God bless, God bless!"
The onlookers below took out their phones to film the scene, and Roger descended before the girl like a divine being. He extended his arm to her and said:
"Ma'am, you're safe now."
With that, he carried the overjoyed girl away from the fifth floor.
Boom!
As Roger left with the girl, an explosion caused by the gas engulfed the spot where the girl had been standing, eliciting gasps from the crowd.
Nearby, Queen Maeve, following Ashley's instructions, arrived at the disaster scene to rescue people on camera, but she found that she had arrived too late. Roger had already rescued everyone from the fire.
Without any cameras around.
"Maeve, have you arrived?"
On the other end of the phone, Ashley, who couldn't hear what was happening, asked in surprise.
Maeve looked at Roger, who was smiling amidst the crowd, and after a long pause, responded to Ashley:
"I'm here, but it's no longer needed."
"Hmm?"
"Homelander has already rescued everyone… Are there any reporters or surveillance cameras nearby?"
"No reporters have arrived yet, and the nearby surveillance cameras are broken."
"So… he really did rescue people this time?"
Maeve murmured to herself, struggling to believe it.
...
Under the flash of cameras, Roger wore a sincere smile. He suddenly found himself enjoying this feeling.
Standing under the spotlight, surrounded by admiration and attention.
However, Roger quickly came to his senses. He knew this feeling was pleasant but shouldn't become too engrossed in it, or he'd be no different from Homelander except for a bit of conscience.
Moreover, over time, it was hard to ensure that the last shred of conscience wouldn't be swallowed by vanity.
So Roger quickly adjusted his mindset until he was called over by Vought's Vice President, Madelyn.
Waving to the photographers, Roger turned and flew toward Vought's headquarters.
According to the original script, after Homelander destroyed the plane to eliminate the enemy, he was supposed to go to Madelyn to take credit.
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to reveal what happened, but it didn't stop Homelander from showing off in front of Madelyn, like a child who thought he had done a good deed and waited for praise from his parents.
"I did something good, but I won't say it. I'll wait for them to find out and praise me."
That's the mentality Homelander had.
But… sometimes children do good things with bad intentions.
Arriving at Madelyn's office, Roger knocked on the door and entered. Vought's Vice President, Madelyn, was sitting at her desk.
Madelyn, in her late thirties, almost forty, looked youthful due to good maintenance and had the charm of a mature woman, subtly revealing some maternal qualities.
This was one reason Homelander liked her.
However, it was Homelander who liked her, not Roger.
"I heard you were looking for me?"
Entering the room and sitting on the sofa, Roger casually asked Madelyn.
Noticing Roger's strange demeanor, Madelyn didn't immediately suspect that Homelander had switched personalities. She organized her thoughts and said:
"Yes, I was looking for you. Have you heard about the Baltimore mayor?"
Upon hearing Madelyn's words, Roger thought to himself, as expected.
The Baltimore mayor was one of the passengers on the plane Homelander had personally destroyed yesterday.
That was the Baltimore mayor's private jet.