Marvel : Mutant God

Starlight approached the warehouse door and raised her right hand. She pointed her palm at the metal entrance, activated her powers, and her eyes illuminated with a brilliant golden light.

As her eyes glowed, the same radiant energy began to manifest in her raised palm, growing more intense by the second.

In an instant, the concentrated energy in Starlight's hand shot toward the warehouse door like a supercharged projectile.

BOOM!

The impact blasted a massive hole through the sturdy metal door, the thunderous noise echoing throughout the entire warehouse.

From Richard's perspective, Starlight's abilities weren't particularly impressive compared to other heroes he knew.

But measured against ordinary humans, she was undoubtedly formidable—capable of absorbing electricity and converting it into potent light or heat energy.

Her strength, durability, and healing abilities far exceeded human limitations as well.

If she had any weakness, it was her body's inability to store absorbed electrical energy for extended periods.

Each time she used her powers, she needed to draw electrical energy from external sources before converting it into blasts of light or heat.

After releasing the energy burst that shattered the warehouse door, Starlight—clad in her form-fitting uniform—strode confidently inside without a word.

Though unaware of the exact situation within or what weapons the jewelry store robbers might possess, she wasn't particularly concerned about getting injured.

Her physical durability, while not as extraordinary as Homelander's or Queen Maeve's, vastly surpassed that of ordinary humans.

Simply put, standard pistols, submachine guns, and rifles posed little threat to her.

Only large-caliber sniper rifles presented a genuine danger.

In other words, unless the jewelry thieves happened to have military-grade weaponry, her life wasn't at risk.

This superhuman resilience explained why, despite walking into an unknown situation, her face showed neither tension nor fear.

As Starlight entered the warehouse with confident strides, her high-heeled boots clicking against the concrete floor, Richard followed at a measured pace.

Unlike Starlight, he had used his Super Senses to thoroughly assess the warehouse interior before entering.

The setup inside was straightforward—just an ordinary storage facility.

The jewelry thieves possessed only basic weapons: a few handguns and a shotgun.

Such firepower couldn't seriously harm Starlight.

Though there was always the remote possibility that carelessness might result in a bullet striking her eye or another vulnerable spot, potentially causing significant injury.

But the probability of that happening remained quite low.

While Starlight was relatively new to the Seven, she had spent several years as a hero in Des Moines, Iowa.

That city had its share of armed criminals, giving her substantial experience handling these situations.

Shortly after entering the warehouse, she spotted the thieves who needed apprehending.

They appeared in her line of sight, weapons already drawn.

Upon seeing Starlight enter, the robbers didn't hesitate. From their positions beside cargo containers, they opened fire indiscriminately.

Despite her superhuman durability, Starlight wasn't foolish enough to simply stand there absorbing bullets.

As the robbers fired, she activated her powers once more.

She raised both hands, causing her eyes and palms to simultaneously emit a brilliantly blinding light capable of temporarily disorienting anyone looking directly at it.

The sudden flash had the effect of a stun grenade, forcing the robbers to instinctively shield their eyes and duck behind the cargo containers for cover.

While the thieves ceased fire due to temporary blindness, Starlight—completely unaffected by her own light—launched her counterattack.

She sprinted toward one robber with the speed of an Olympic athlete, delivering a powerful kick that sent him flying across the warehouse.

Then, pivoting toward the other two criminals, she raised her right hand, channeling the electrical energy stored in her body into concentrated light blasts.

BANG! BANG!

There was no contest. The two robbers struck by the energy bursts had no chance to react before being knocked backward, crashing heavily into cargo containers behind them.

Within seconds, Starlight had neutralized three of the male robbers.

Just as she prepared to deal with the final thief—a woman—and turn all four over to the NYPD, the female robber unexpectedly tossed aside her pistol and raised her hands high above her head.

"I surrender!" she shouted loudly.

Hearing this declaration, Starlight lowered her hands, the golden glow fading from her eyes.

Perhaps because the robber was another woman, or perhaps because the criminal's acting skills were exceptionally convincing, Starlight let her guard down after seeing the apparent fear on the woman's face. She began walking toward her.

However, after taking just a few steps, the "surrendering" robber demonstrated remarkable sleight of hand, swiftly drawing a concealed revolver from her belt.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Without hesitation, the female robber fired six shots directly at Starlight's chest, emptying the revolver's cylinder.

Though more powerful than standard 9mm handguns, the revolver's rounds still weren't lethal to someone with Starlight's enhanced durability.

However, "non-lethal" didn't mean harmless.

At such close range, the revolver bullets struck with considerable impact force.

The powerful blows not only halted Starlight's advance but knocked her completely off her feet.

Seeing Starlight fall, a look of smug satisfaction crossed the female robber's face.

She bent down to retrieve the pistol she had discarded earlier, intending to continue her assault on the fallen hero.

However, before her fingertips could touch the weapon, two finger-thick beams of golden energy—like concentrated lasers—materialized in front of her. The intense heat rays instantly vaporized her head.

The source of these golden beams was Richard, standing near the warehouse entrance.

In terms of raw power, these golden energy rays—acquired from Ikaris—weren't as devastating as either the Alpha-level heat vision Richard already possessed or the red beams granted by his Superboy-Prime template.

But aesthetically, the golden color was more visually striking than red.

Though less powerful than his red heat vision, the golden beams were more than sufficient for dealing with ordinary threats.

After eliminating the female robber, Richard glanced at Starlight sprawled on the floor and sighed internally.

Still too green!

With Starlight's abilities, she could have easily neutralized all four criminals without sustaining any damage.

Unfortunately, her experience remained somewhat limited.

Or perhaps she was simply too trusting.

Though the female robber had thrown down her weapon and raised her hands in apparent surrender, she was clearly not to be trusted.

Anyone capable of robbing a jewelry store at gunpoint wouldn't surrender merely because her companions had been subdued.

If surrendering came so easily to her, she wouldn't have committed armed robbery in the first place.

"Are you alright?" Richard asked, approaching Starlight.

"I'm fine. Just careless," she replied apologetically as she stood up.

Despite taking six direct shots to the chest, she was uninjured. Not even a bruise marked her skin, the platinum uniform covering her still pristine.

"Don't worry about it," Richard said. "We'll discuss it later. For now, call the police."

He retrieved a cell phone from his dimensional storage space and handed it to Starlight.

"Right," she nodded, taking the phone and dialing 911.

After explaining the situation to the emergency dispatcher, Starlight didn't immediately return the phone. Instead, she called Ashley.

Though Madeline was dead, Ashley continued working as an executive assistant, now serving under the new Vice President, Daenerys Ayala.

After receiving Starlight's call, Ashley—who had been briefing Vice President Daenerys in her office—reluctantly informed her boss that Starlight and Richard had gone out independently to apprehend jewelry store robbers.

Hearing Ashley's report, Daenerys smiled. "It seems our new captain is already training his successor."

"What?" Ashley looked at Daenerys in surprise.

Richard had just assumed leadership of the Seven, taking over from Homelander. Logically, he would remain captain for several years, possibly even a decade or more.

Yet Daenerys was suggesting he was already grooming someone to replace him.

"Couldn't it just be coincidence that he happened to be on a mission with Starlight?" Ashley asked, confused.

"There are no coincidences with him. Everything he does serves a purpose," Daenerys replied.

"Both before and after joining the Seven, he's been nothing like Homelander with his childish impulses."

"Not only that—even if you combined Queen Maeve, A-Train, Black Noir, and Translucent, they wouldn't match his strategic thinking."

"Don't be fooled by his age or appearance. He's a man with extensive experience and meticulous planning."

Daenerys, dressed in a tailored white suit and black stilettos, rose from her desk and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, her expression serious.

"Should we send a media team?" Ashley inquired.

"Absolutely," Daenerys affirmed. "Richard specifically had Starlight call back. He clearly wants publicity for this arrest."

"You should—no, I'll go myself. Contact the film crew immediately."

Daenerys turned to face Ashley.

"Yes, Ms. Ayala," Ashley promptly replied.

Back at the Brooklyn warehouse, while waiting for the NYPD and Vought's media team to arrive, Starlight found some chains and secured the three male robbers.

Afterward, she began examining the thieves' bags containing the stolen jewelry.

Though the exact value was unknown, the quality and weight of the gems suggested they were quite valuable.

Starlight had no intention of keeping anything—she was simply admiring the pieces, her feminine interest naturally drawn to the sparkling stones.

"If you like something, tell the jewelry store to hold the style you prefer," Richard suggested.

"Once the case is closed, you can purchase it properly."

Even though no one would know if they pocketed a few items, neither Richard nor Starlight's moral code would permit such behavior.

They could easily afford these luxuries legitimately, so there was no need for underhanded acquisitions.

Time passed steadily.

Despite New York's reputation for crime, the police response proved remarkably efficient.

Within three minutes, sirens wailed outside the warehouse.

Soon after, several NYPD officers appeared before Richard and Starlight.

Upon realizing the identity of the heroes who had apprehended the robbers, the officers' expressions registered surprise.

A senior officer approached Richard respectfully. "Good afternoon, Mr. Wesley. May I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course," Richard replied.

As the officer began inquiring about the details of the arrest, the distinctive thrum of helicopter rotors became audible overhead.

Richard looked up, using his Super Senses to identify the aircraft. It wasn't a police helicopter but one belonging to Vought International.

Moreover, in the cabin, he spotted Daenerys, the newly appointed Vice President who had taken office just days earlier.

Why is she here? Richard wondered, slightly furrowing his brow.

Though he had met Daenerys previously, he held no particular feelings toward her.

Judging by appearance alone, the 28-year-old Daenerys certainly surpassed her predecessor Madeline, rivaling international supermodels and Hollywood actresses in beauty.

But knowing she was another of Edgar's secretly adopted children—injected with Compound V—prevented Richard from viewing her favorably.

Since witnessing Richard's display of power, Edgar had behaved compliantly.

Yet Richard knew the CEO had never abandoned thoughts of eliminating or ousting him.

Edgar's restraint stemmed purely from inability to find anyone capable of challenging Richard.

If such a person were discovered, Edgar would undoubtedly turn against him without warning.

Though aware of these machinations, Richard remained unconcerned.

Even if every superhuman in this universe united against him, they couldn't defeat him.

In other words, Edgar would never succeed in removing him from the Seven or ending his life.

When the helicopter landed on the street outside the warehouse, Daenerys—in her crisp white suit—led the media team directly inside, bypassing the police officers at the entrance.

Upon entering, she first directed the camera crew to capture footage of the scene and the restrained robbers.

Then she approached Richard directly. "Could I speak with you privately for a few minutes?"

"Now?" Richard asked.

"Yes, now," Daenerys confirmed.

Though curious about her agenda, Richard didn't waste mental energy speculating. "Follow me," he said simply.

Without hesitation, Daenerys accompanied him to an open area within the warehouse.

...

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