Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 535 The Cut of Justice
Why were the passengers on that Boeing plane left to the authorities?

In the office, Madeline's face was extremely pale. If someone were to judge her solely by her reaction, they might even think that the rescue operation had failed.

In fact, Madeline's anger and indignation were genuine; she was truly furious.

"You want me to carry the plane across the Atlantic and run back to New York?" Clark remained calm, seemingly ignoring Madeline's anger, and retorted, "Carry hundreds of tons of weight across a distance of thousands of kilometers across the ocean? And still ensure the safety of the passengers inside?"

"Can't do it?"

"At least I can't, but maybe others can."

Clark and Madeline locked eyes, a palpable tension filling the air. He knew perfectly well why she was angry—from the moment Homelander joined Vought, Madeline had been investing heavily in him, and over the years, Homelander had become her most useful and influential star character.

His IP is a top-tier cash cow, and he himself is completely on Madeline's side. With his full support, there is no doubt that the successor to Edgar in Vought International after his retirement will be this vice president of the superhero management department, whose performance and power far surpass those of others.

Most importantly, Homelander is indeed the strongest superhero in the truest sense. Madeleine used every means to instill wrong values ​​in him and used her body to get closer to him. The time and energy she poured into him at such a cost far exceeded that of others because she knew very well that Homelander was not just a celebrity, but could be called an unstoppable super weapon.

Whether it's someone within the Vought International Corporation trying to do something to her, or the US government's FBI, CIA, or similar agencies trying to do something to her, they should consider the possibility that the entire city of New York could be reduced to ruins by the Homelander's wrath.

Based on the department's test results, at least Homelander really does have this capability. He can catch a nuclear warhead in the air and drop it back to its original position. Whether he can protect the entire United States is still uncertain, but he himself is certainly not afraid of nuclear weapons.

An uncontrollable beast is best appeased; otherwise, when conflicts erupt, those high-ranking figures in the White House and military bases will have no choice but to hide like mice, or they will be no different from the soldiers on the front lines of the battlefield.

The sunk cost of brainwashing a super-powered giant baby is so high, and the returns over the years have not disappointed Madeline's efforts. However, what she did not expect was that an ambitious rescue operation, the most important gamble of her career, would actually cause her to lose her biggest trump card.

She knew that this matter didn't really have much to do with Superman, at least the other side was unlikely to deliberately use this matter to set up Homelander. But it was precisely because of Superman that her plan succeeded in the general direction, but the losses were also huge.

But at this moment, she had nowhere to vent her anger, and she wanted to take it out on Superman.

In her view, the best outcome would be if the three of them worked together to actually save the plane, and minor casualties along the way would be acceptable; the worst outcome would be if the plane crashed and they couldn't be saved, but no one knew anything about the incident, and the three heroes quietly returned, with no one knowing that they had gone to the scene and then abandoned the passengers.

In any case, as long as the three men can leave before the F-16s arrive, the plan is at least guaranteed to win.

Madeline never imagined that things would turn out this way.

"All 123 witnesses have fallen into the hands of the military. Homelander has absolutely no room for defense. There were even a few bastards among them who made high-definition videos with their phones and cameras! Damn, high-definition videos!"

Madeline gritted her teeth, conflicted and tormented: "But the plane was indeed saved by us, do you know what that means?" "It means you have to make a choice."

Clark had no intention of considering Madeline's feelings, so he bluntly said, "If there are no witnesses, you can still protect Homelander to the death. Although Walt will be affected by this, it will allow you to keep your current position in the company. After all, Walt is a star company. Once they control Homelander, even Edgar can't really make you step down."

Madeline's expression changed.

"But the current situation is that there are witnesses and physical evidence, and the evidence is irrefutable. It will be very difficult for you to protect Homelander. At the same time, Maeve and I have received terrible approval ratings for our performance in this incident, and your rescue plan has really been completed."

Superman said, “I’m not like Homelander who’s bad at thinking. I use my brain occasionally, so you can’t control me. But you also know that the chances of this proposal being passed in the House have increased significantly. Superheroes really have a chance to join the military. You only need to do one thing to easily reap this tempting reward.”

"Edgar's approval makes him a potential successor to the position of president of Vought. Vought is poised for a qualitative leap, and the future benefits are countless, all it takes is for you to make a choice."

Superman's words made Madeline close her eyes in pain.

That's right, that's what makes her so angry right now. It's not simply because the plan succeeded or failed, but because the plan is so close to success, yet not quite there yet.

She has to cut off her most important piece of flesh with her own hands to reap the final fruit, which is the thing that people in her position hate the most—sunk costs increase step by step, the initial investment cannot be recovered, and she has to raise the stakes again and again like a desperate gambler, either to win or to lose everything.

If she didn't have huge ambitions, why would Madeleine, who held a high position, take such a big risk?
“It’s no use getting angry at me now,” Clark said. “I’ve done everything I could: get on the plane, give advance warnings, make plans, find an emergency landing site, and save the passengers. Instead of blaming me, think carefully about why Homelander has become like this.”

Madeline was speechless. After a long silence, she waved her hand, signaling Clark to leave the office.

The following day, Wotter Corporation held a press conference.

"We are convinced that Homelander made a great deal of contributions in his heroic career, and his achievements are real."

"But it cannot be denied that Homelander broke the code of superheroes in this rescue operation. Perhaps due to feelings of powerlessness or guilt, Homelander took threatening actions under pressure. But in any case, Vought International will never condone or tolerate such behavior."

Under the spotlight, Madeline spoke with righteous indignation and a powerful tone.

"The Homelanders will receive the punishment they deserve."

(End of this chapter)