The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 409, 734, and 735: Boss was indeed a prophet.
"Very well, go down."

After taking the injection gun, Stan Edgar waved to the burly man with a domineering CEO air, and the latter respectfully left the ward.

"This is... [Compound No. 5]?"

Victoria Newman's face immediately showed a look of shock when she saw the dark blue liquid inside the injection gun.

"Don't be so surprised."

While injecting Starlight with Compound V, Stan Edgar explained, "As the former CEO of the Vought Corporation, isn't it perfectly normal for me to have Compound V?"

“Even if I had Compound No. 5, I would never agree to you injecting it into Zoe.”

When mentioning his granddaughter, Stan Edgar's face showed a rare look of doting affection.

"Can……"

Before Victoria Newman could even ask, Stan Edgar spoke first: "I know, you want to know why I, being in prison, am so aware of what's going on outside, right?"

"I'll say it again: as the former CEO of [Wot Corporation], even if it's Homelander, it won't be so easy for him to completely bring me down!"

Without a doubt, Stan Edgar taught his adopted daughter another valuable lesson through his actions.

Just then, a rapid breathing sound, like that of a drowning person, suddenly came from the hospital bed. Immediately afterwards, Starlight, who had been unconscious for a long time due to the damage to her soul, miraculously woke up.

It appears that Compound V successfully strengthened the remaining undamaged part of her soul, 'saving' her from an endless coma?

"Welcome back to life, Starlight."

Stan Edgar said to Starlight, who was lying on the hospital bed looking completely bewildered, "I've always felt that we get along very well."

"Mr. Edgar? Where am I...?"

Slightly regaining her senses, Xingguang's memory was still stuck on the moment she was injured. However, when she saw Victoria Newman, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she instinctively raised her hand to be on guard.

Unfortunately, she had only just learned the truth about the woman being the "headshot woman" from her boyfriend, Hugh Campbell, before she lost consciousness.

Therefore, Xingguang was afraid that if he was not careful, the other party would take the initiative and he would be shot in the head on the spot.

"Don't be nervous, she's with me."

Stan Edgar smiled and said, "Starlight, a lot has happened while you were unconscious. I think it would be most appropriate for Newman to explain it to you personally."

Seeing her adoptive father and the starlight on the sickbed both looking at her, Victoria Newman, though somewhat reluctant, truthfully recounted the series of actions and ultimate fates of Billy Butcher, Hugh Campbell, and others.

"What did you say? Hughie...he's dead?" Starlight's eyes widened suddenly, and she shook her head frantically in disbelief.

"No...impossible! Didn't you say he gained the ability to teleport by injecting [Temporary Compound V]? If he wanted to escape, even Homelander couldn't do anything to him!!"

"That's right, that's how it is under normal circumstances."

Victoria Newman nodded with a complicated expression. "But Homelander found a very useful ally—Spiderwoman!"

"The opponent's ability seems to be a perfect counter to Hughie's ability..."

Then, she invited with a sincere look, "Listen, Starlight, I know Hughie's death must be very sad for you, but now is not a good time to be sad."

"If you want revenge for Hughie, then cooperate with me!!"

Starlight stood frozen in place, seemingly oblivious to Victoria Newman's words, only repeating to herself, "Impossible, Hughie can't be dead, we're not even married yet."

“Alright, ladies, we’re pressed for time.” Stan Edgar glanced at his watch and said to the distracted Starlight:

"You only have two paths before you: one is to cooperate with us to defeat Homelander and avenge your boyfriend, and the other is for you to leave New York, escape to a place where Homelander can never find you, and live out your days in a daze..."

"No, I want to avenge Hughie!" Starlight's eyes gradually cleared, and she said with unwavering determination.

“Very good, you made the right choice.”

Stan Edgar seemed to have anticipated this outcome, and then said to Victoria Newman, "Let's go, let's head west now, that's where we need it."

After changing their clothes at Xingguang, the three of them left the hospital by car.

What they didn't know was that their every move in the ward had been under close surveillance by the Wizarding Guild.

……

"Your Majesty, after leaving the hospital, those three people headed west towards the outskirts of the city. Should our men continue to follow them?"

Immediately after Stan Edgar and his two companions left the hospital, a Deathwalker reported the news to Selena.

After all, this hospital is actually owned by the Wizarding Guild, which is under the rule of Selena.

"It's alright, let them be."

Selena waved her hand dismissively, as if she didn't care about the three leaving at all. However, her heart was far from as calm as she appeared on the surface.

"The Boss is indeed farsighted and has a brilliant foresight!!"

Selena had been wondering why, after S.H.I.E.L.D. refused to pay for Starlight's treatment, Carl still allowed the hospital to maintain Starlight's vital signs.

Indeed, after Billy Butcher and Hugh Campbell's assassination attempt on Homelander ultimately failed, S.H.I.E.L.D. ruthlessly cut off Starlight's continued medical expenses.

For Nick Fury, reputation is neither important nor valuable!

Especially when dealing with a few dead people, isn't keeping your word a rather foolish thing to do?
After all, the money saved can all go into his own private stash...

Even though Selena had some doubts, she still carried out the orders given by her boss without hesitation.

But today, it all seems to have been preordained. This inevitably caused Selena to develop an almost morbid adoration for Karl... or rather, an obsessive feeling.

Sixth day of missing my boss~~
……

Guided by Stan Edgar, the three of them drove west and arrived at a farm in the suburbs a few hours later.

Stan Edgar pushed open the car door and stepped out first, looking at the three-story building in front of him and saying:
"Actually, I've rarely come here in recent years because the smell here is awful."

"But if you want to conduct a secret research project discreetly, this is undoubtedly the best place."

Victoria Newman stepped forward, glanced at the half-open door, and frowned involuntarily, clearly indicating that something had happened here.

Starlight also noticed something was wrong, so she followed Victoria Newman and cautiously pushed open the door. Soon, the two found a series of bloody handprints in front of the basement corridor. Following the bloodstains downwards, they soon found a secret laboratory in the basement filled with experimental equipment.

However, the laboratory was in a mess and no one was found, as if some kind of emergency had occurred.

"Something seems off here..."

Starlight pointed to a metal cage in the corner, stained with blood, containing some kind of small animal. Looking at Stan Edgar, who was walking at the back, with a puzzled expression, he asked:
"What's going on? Are you conducting some kind of secret experiment here?"

"Don't look at me like that." Stan Edgar was also completely bewildered. "I'm just as surprised as you are about what's happening here."

Victoria Newman bent down slightly in front of a drain, then picked up a broken glass container from the ground. From the dark blue reagent remaining inside, it was easy to tell that it contained [Compound No. 5]. Judging from the degree of dryness of the solution, the accident must have happened recently, otherwise the solution inside would have dried up long ago.

"Are your people using Compound 5 for animal experiments?"

Before Stan Edgar could answer, Starlight found some marked blank test tubes in another refrigerator on the other side.

“Look at this… It’s not hard to tell from the label that someone is conducting some kind of virus iteration experiment here, but all the reagents seem to be missing.”

The two of them immediately turned to look at Stan Edgar, who maintained his indifferent expression and explained nonchalantly:
"This used to be my private entertainment room, but after I was ousted from power by the Homelanders, I had it converted into a virology laboratory."

"Virus?"

Victoria Newman seemed to have guessed something, and a burning light suddenly appeared in her eyes. Stan Edgar, seeing this, said with a face full of approval:

"That's right, just as you guessed. They're developing a special virus here that can disable Homelander's superpowers."

Stan Edgar then glanced around and shrugged helplessly. "But whatever happens here, it has absolutely nothing to do with me."

"A virus that can disable Homelander's superpowers?" Starlight scoffed dismissively. "More like a virus that will make all superhumans lose their superpowers..."

"But it doesn't matter, as long as I can avenge Hughie, I don't care even if I lose my superpowers!"

Stan Edgar smiled slightly and praised in a tone that was sure to infuriate people: "That's probably why I like you so much. Compared to those arrogant good-for-nothings in the Super Seven, you're at least a decent cannon fodder!"

Next, in order to find out what exactly happened in the laboratory, the three continued to walk into the farm.

Pia~~
Stan Edgar accidentally stepped into a small puddle. The dirty water slid across his fine leather shoes but did not stain them.

Victoria Newman, walking beside him, said with some disdain, "You clearly have more than 60 pairs of expensive leather shoes, why do you always like to wear this pair?"

“Because these shoes were a gift from Prince Andrew,” Stan Edgar said nonchalantly. “It suddenly reminded me how much I used to hate this place.”

"is it?"

Victoria Newman smiled, a rare sight on her face. "I used to really like it here... because it made me feel what true freedom was!"

"However, you shattered this beautiful memory once again by secretly turning this place into a virus laboratory."

"That's just how it is."

Stan Edgar said casually as he walked forward, "At the time, I could only assume that you would one day turn against Homelander and then look for a way to counterbalance... or even defeat him."

"After all, that guy is exactly the kind of person Freud described: a terrible combination of severe insecurity and random impulses!"

"Including myself, no one can control that kind of guy for long, so..."

Stan Edgar slowly stopped, looked directly at Victoria Newman beside him, and said with a serious expression:
"Your previous actions have put both Zoe and yourself in a precarious and dangerous situation."

"Do not."

Unexpectedly, Victoria Newman disagreed with her adoptive father's statement and immediately retorted indignantly, "It wasn't me, it was you. You're the one who put me and Zoe in such terrible danger."

“You’ve been using me all along, just like you use other insignificant people, which is why I made that decision back then… because someone had to protect Zoe’s safety!”

"Is that so?" Stan Edgar's expression darkened slightly, seemingly angry. "The safety you're talking about, you mean injecting her with [Compound Five] to turn Zoe into a superhuman?"

"Do you know that your foolish actions have turned a passionate girl who should have had a bright future into..."

Before he could finish speaking, Victoria Newman angrily interrupted, "Tell me! What did I turn her into? Are you saying a monster?"

"I suppose that's why you kept me hiding my true identity all along?"

“I still remember what you said… things like never climbing too high, always living in other people’s shadows, that’s safer…”

“That’s right.” Stan Edgar’s face showed obvious anger for the first time. “But I did it to protect you.”

"Do not."

Victoria Newman, however, did not back down and retorted with reddened eyes, "Stop telling those high-sounding lies. You're just saying that because you think I, as a superhuman, would bring you shame!"

"Therefore, I once swore that I would never let my daughter experience the same kind of life I had in my childhood..."

(End of this chapter)