190. Chapter 190: Victoria Neuman's Speech! An Enraged Homelander!
Billy took out the silver Lighter that originally belonged to Lamplighter from his pocket. He flicked the lid, making a clicking sound.
Seeing Lamplighter lower his head without a word, he continued, "Ms. Mallory will be here in ten minutes. You need to understand, this is your only chance for redemption."
...
The next morning, Xia Shang, who had just absorbed Compound V, went to the refrigerator and took out a bag of instant oatmeal and a box of milk.
After tearing open the packaging, he poured both into a bowl and stirred. Although the preparation was simple, it tasted quite good.
Holding his breakfast, Xia Shang sat in front of the television and pressed the remote control.
He ate the oatmeal, eating it while watching the congresswoman on the TV screen speak passionately.
Not only that, but he also glanced at the Panel from time to time.
[Supersonic… Fusing, current progress 51%]
[Fantasy Value: 2550 (Incident not yet concluded, unable to perform settlement… Do you wish to expand to view details...)]
"Expand." This was a hidden function of the Fantasy Value section. After all, the Panel didn't come with an instruction manual, and Xia Shang had figured it out by chance. Since the original plot was always changing, with Fantasy Value coming in dozens of points at a time, Xia Shang tried to see if he could settle it all at once, and it turned out he could.
The Panel gave two options. The first option was to maintain the original state; as long as the original plot changed, no matter how subtle, Fantasy Value would be sent promptly. The benefit of this option was that it could replenish his Fantasy Value at any time without waiting for settlement.
The second option differed from the first in that it couldn't send Fantasy Value at any time. Settlement could only be performed when the Incident ended or after a month passed. This could be understood as a type of idle game, but the Fantasy Value gained while idle could only be claimed periodically.
When Xia Shang chose to expand, the first thing that caught his eye was The Deep, who had accumulated 270 points of Fantasy Value. Next were Homelander and Ryan, who had accumulated 225 points and 120 points of Fantasy Value respectively. As for the other superheroes, they hadn't accumulated much. This was because The Deep was tied to the Nuclear Pollution Incident, Homelander was tied to the Black Public Opinion Incident, and Ryan was tied to the Supe Selection Event.
"Speaking of which, the Supe Selection is almost at the Finals. I'll have to go there myself then."
Besides the above Incidents, Billy and Stormfront were also frantically generating Fantasy Value.
At this speed, accumulating ten thousand Fantasy Value was simply within reach.
Meanwhile, on the TV screen, Congresswoman Victoria Neuman was giving an impassioned speech in front of Vought Tower.
"Vought International must be held responsible for Paige's death! We will absolutely not tolerate Vought International pretending nothing happened! The United States clearly stated in the Declaration of Independence issued in 1776 that all men are created equal! And in the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Rights Act, Black people have already been recognized as free citizens of the United States!" Victoria Neuman's remarks standing at the microphone earned her intense applause!
The Black Group who had gathered to protest were all tear-eyed, constantly waving and cheering.
"Although I am a white person, I can fully understand your feelings. We need to unite with each other and issue a deafening warning to Vought International!"
At this moment, in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor of Vought Tower, Stan Edgar, wearing a black suit, listened to the speech coming from the television behind him, the corner of his mouth slightly turned up. Standing beside him was Homelander, whose complexion was extremely gloomy. "Look at how much trouble you've caused Vought. Currently, Vought's stock price has evaporated by tens of billions of US Dollars. The directors on the Board of Directors are very dissatisfied. They told me to re-select a superhero to serve as the Leader of The Seven." Stan Edgar put away his smile and gazed at Homelander with a solemn expression.
"But considering your considerable contribution to Vought over the years, I suppressed this matter."
Keeping Homelander in line had already become Stan Edgar's daily routine.
"So you called me here just to warn me?" Homelander's face was taut, like a lion ready to devour anyone. His eyes glowed red, and his clenched fist was enough to crush steel. "Don't forget, only I can serve as the Leader of The Seven, because I am Homelander! They can only submit at my feet!"
"You should calm down first. How to handle your current problem is the key."
Facing the enraged Homelander, Stan Edgar said with a calm expression.
Then, he walked towards the sofa. "Anger cannot solve any problems. If this continues, your fans will abandon you one after another and fall into someone else's embrace."
Homelander did not speak, but instead turned and left the Meeting Room.
On the podium, Victoria Neuman raised the microphone. "I cannot be like an ostrich burying its head in the sand. I cannot ignore this unjust fact. If I choose to escape, then I will be unable to face my inner self. After returning home, I also cannot look directly at my daughter's tender and pure eyes, and even less can I face you!"
The entire crowd's applause was thunderous! Some people even excitedly shouted, "You, Victoria Neuman, you are the true hero, our hero, I love you!"
"Down with Vought!" One of the Black people raised their arm and shouted! Soon, their slogan began to ring out throughout the crowd.
"Down with Vought! Severely punish the murderers! We can't breathe! We yearn for freedom!"
"Down with Vought…"
"We can't breathe! We oppose racial discrimination!"
On the stage, Victoria Neuman pressed her hands down. "I have heard your anger, but compared to Vought, we have nothing. Vought has power and influence. They can make the News Media across the United States fall into silence, and they can also make those judges in the court keep their mouths shut. How should we fight back?"
"It's really lively." Hughie, who was woken up early in the morning by the noise, was currently holding a sandwich and eating it with relish. He stood on tiptoe and took a look at the packed crowd. "I bet there are at least five thousand people."
"Should be more than five thousand people." Mother's Milk, wearing a black hat, shook his head.
"No matter what, Vought has encountered big trouble this time."
Hughie said gleefully.
"Their trouble has just begun." Billy's gaze, through his sunglasses, looked towards Victoria Neuman on the podium.
"Ms. Victoria Neuman, then how should we fight back?"
Someone among the crowd asked.
"Unite! We need to unite! I will help you! The House Judiciary Committee will help you! Hereby I announce that we are about to convene a Hearing regarding Vought, because their crimes are already enough to write a book! I need your support! Only then can we succeed!!"
Victoria Neuman's tone gradually became impassioned! Her speech was highly inflammatory!
(end of chapter)