Chapter 43.
Thunder's flying speed at this point was something to behold. He had only used one-tenth of his full speed, and he was already traveling at thousands of kilometers per second!
Why had Thunder taken to the skies? It was simple—he had been able to fly for over a month now, and after his fight with Homelander the day before, he had flown for a while. But today, he was more interested in enjoying the thrill of free flight, something he hadn't truly experienced yet.
The location of the protagonist wasn't too far from him—at least, not in the same city. Therefore, it didn't take long for Thunder to reach his destination. Less than a thirty seconds passed, and he had already flown over the area where Hughie and Billy were.
He slowly descended and landed in front of a nondescript warehouse. There, he –saw the group gathered, deep in conversation. Without hesitation, Thunder raised his hand and knocked on the rusted iron door.
For nearly a month, Billy and Hughie hadn't made much progress. It wasn't clear whether they were abiding by the agreement with Thunder or simply had other matters to attend to.
In fact, their team had expanded a bit. One day, Billy brought a mysterious black man back with him, someone with an odd name—Mr. XX. (The details of his name were censored.)
When the strong black man met Frenchie, they immediately clashed. It seemed they had some past history, and unresolved tensions were evident. But after some persuasion from Billy, the two finally reconciled, managing to get along without further fights.
Though they were somewhat constrained by their deal with Thunder—unable to directly interfere with the actions of Homelander—they didn't remain idle. Instead, they focused on monitoring Popclaw, a former superhero they learned about from the Translucent. They secretly installed a few cameras in her rented home to keep track of her every move.
Popclaw, once a superhero, had fallen into obscurity. She had no special skills apart from her superpowers, and her career as a hero had dwindled to nothing. Now, she struggled to pay rent, living from hand to mouth, with no stable source of income.
At that moment, inside the warehouse, Billy and the others were having a serious discussion.
"That Thunder told us not to approach the Homelander, but he ended up fighting him?" Frenchie spoke up first, surprised.
"Now, Homelander hasn't shown up for so long—it's probably a done deal. But Thunder's made a huge splash on the internet with that new information. What's he planning?"
Billy and Hughie were also puzzled by Thunder's sudden actions. They had been diligently working on their plan, gathering information on Compound V, thinking they had a weapon to take down Vought Company. But now, with the news about it being released so quickly, their plans felt like they had just been exposed to the public.
Hughie was confused too. After so much effort, they had just gotten some intel. But now, it was all out in the open, shared for everyone to see.
Billy, on the other hand, was silent. For him, the news about the death of the Homelander brought mixed feelings. This was the man who had ruined his life, the reason for his wife's disappearance. Billy had always dreamed of avenging her—he wanted to be the one to end Homelander's life, not Thunder.
But now, it seemed that chance was gone. Even though the exposure of Compound No. 5 might take down Vought Company, there was no satisfaction in it for Billy. The company remained unscathed, and his personal quest for justice, for the truth about his wife's death, seemed to be slipping away.
At that moment, they all heard a knock on the door. A sharp, clear sound that interrupted their conversation. Who could be at the door now?
Frenchie stood up and walked cautiously toward the rusty iron gate. The black man followed him, holding a dark iron rod in his hand. He positioned himself near the door, ready to act quickly if things took a turn for the worse.
Frenchie looked at his companions and gave them a silent nod. After a brief exchange of glances, he opened the iron gate.
The gate creaked loudly as it swung open, its thick, rusty hinges making an unsettling noise.
"It's you? How did you find us?" Frenchie exclaimed as he saw the person standing outside the door. His face was filled with surprise.
Thunder, unfazed by Frenchie's shocked expression, simply walked past him and entered without waiting for an invitation.
Behind the door, the black man looked at Frenchie's startled face and, seeing no signal from him to stop, decided to act first. Gripping the iron rod tightly with both hands, he swung it at Thunder with full force, intending to strike him.
"Don't—" Frenchie shouted, realizing what was happening, but it was too late. Hughie and Billy, who had been watching from a distance, also noticed the black man's actions and called out in warning.
However, the black man's strike was interrupted mid-motion, as if time had slowed down. Thunder, anticipating the attack, effortlessly turned around in an instant, his eyes locking on the incoming blow. To him, the iron rod moved at a snail's pace.
With a smile on his face, Thunder extended his right hand, raised a single finger, and a dazzling blue light flickered at the tip. He lightly tapped the iron rod.
The moment the blue light made contact with the rod, –it quickly spread across its entire surface, transforming it into a shimmering blue starlight before it vanished completely.
The black man was left holding nothing but air, his hands empty. He was stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened. As he tried to make sense of it, Thunder, who had turned to face him, flashed a small silver lightning bolt in his direction. The black man couldn't react in time.
"NO!!!" he screamed, but before he could even finish, a powerful shock coursed through his body.
Boom!
The black man collapsed, his body twitching on the ground as he lost consciousness. Thunder had purposefully spared his life, merely knocking him out rather than killing him.
The remaining three, watching in stunned silence, were shaken. They wanted to retaliate and strike back at Thunder, but deep down, they knew it would be futile. They were only ordinary people, and no amount of force, even if they attacked a hundred times, could harm Thunder in the slightest. They were well aware of his overwhelming strength.
"Hehe," Thunder chuckled, noticing their hesitation. "It seems like some of you aren't too thrilled with my arrival. Don't worry—he's just knocked out, and his life is not in danger."
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in, before continuing, "And I'm not here with any ill intentions. I just need your help with something."
Thunder ignored the horrified looks they gave him and smiled in a way that seemed disarmingly harmless, even though they knew better. He had just incapacitated their companion with ease, and it was clear that he held all the power in the situation.
When they heard that the black man's life wasn't in danger, they collectively let out a breath of relief. They realized that Thunder wasn't here to harm them—he could have easily done so if he wished. His strength was undeniable, and hurting them would be no challenge at all.
"Help? If there are things you can't solve, how can we help you?" Frenchie was the first to speak after Thunder's request. After all, if someone as strong as Thunder couldn't solve his own problems, why would he come to them? How could they be of any help?
Hughie also looked at Thunder with curiosity, waiting for an explanation. However, Billy stared at Thunder with mixed feelings. After all, Thunder had been the one to avenge him. But Billy couldn't bring himself to thank Thunder, and he didn't like superhumans in general, including Thunder. So now, he was filled with conflicting emotions—whether to thank him or hate him.
"I don't suppose you have any news about Compound V? I'm talking about the news you've gathered yourself, not what's online," Thunder asked, his curiosity evident. He wasn't sure if these people had received the same information about Compound V as in the plot.
Thunder walked directly into the room and glanced around. Sure enough, the computer on the table was displaying some patterns. It seemed like someone's personal space—most likely the Popclaw's room, which they had been monitoring.
"We only know a little bit," Frenchie replied after exchanging glances with Hughie and Billy. Eventually, Billy nodded, and Frenchie continued. "We know about Compound V and its effects, but not as much as you seem to know. And we don't know anything about the 'Baby plan' you mentioned."
They didn't hide anything. In truth, they only knew that Temp. Compound V temporarily enhanced a superhuman's abilities, but it came with serious side effects—superhumans became overly excited after injection. For example, the day when the A-Train killed Hughie's girlfriend, it was because the A-Train had taken the compound and couldn't control his excitement, causing him to run too fast to stop in time.
They also learned from Popclaw that the A-Train didn't know who was transporting Temp. Compound V, and PopClaw herself didn't know much about it either. To find out more or even get a sample of the compound, they would have to get close to the A-Train. But since superheroes were hard to reach, their only real opportunity had been during the race between the A-Train and Shockwave. But that day, both Homelander and Thunder had been present, so the group had refrained from taking action, respecting their agreement with Thunder.
...
"Well, I believe you've seen the information I've posted online. I already know everything, and there's nothing too difficult for you. All I need is for you to help me find some samples of Compound V," Thunder said casually after listening to their explanation.
"Why don't you look for it yourself? Why ask us ordinary people to risk our lives for you?" Hughie asked, still skeptical.
"Of course, there's a reason. But for specific details, I'm sorry, I can't explain," Thunder replied easily, brushing off Hughie's concern.
Thunder had already tried using his abilities to teleport himself to the hospital that delivered Compound V to the baby, but there had been no response. Similarly, when he tried to reach the place where the Asian girl was being held, there was no response. He wasn't sure if the plot was off or if something else was at play.
Either way, getting Compound V himself would require more effort to avoid attracting attention. But sending Billy and the others could work out better—they would avoid trouble, and it also aligned with the group's goals. Of course, Thunder wouldn't admit that he was being lazy.
...
"We don't—"
"We agree!" Billy suddenly interrupted, surprising everyone.
Billy, without hesitation, walked up to Thunder and locked eyes with him, showing no sign of fear.
"We agree to your request, but on one condition—you must help us destroy the Vought Company completely!" Billy said firmly, standing only a foot away from Thunder.
Thunder raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I think you misunderstand. I'm asking you to find the samples I need, not to make a deal with you. So, you don't have the leverage to make conditions with me."
Thunder met Billy's gaze without flinching, and as he spoke, two silver glowing orbs appeared in his hands. He toyed with them like a walnut, casually spinning them between his fingers.
"I've already made myself clear. Either you help me find what I need, or you can try to fight me and end this once and for all."
Hughie and Frenchie immediately noticed the glowing orbs in Thunder's hands, and their faces went pale. But Billy, undeterred, kept his unwavering gaze on Thunder.
The air seemed to thicken as the three of them stood their ground, with tension building between the two groups.
"Don't be so nervous," Thunder said with a grin. "Although I won't agree to your terms, if you help me, I can give you some information in return."
"Like, for example, where your wife is right now!"
The room fell silent as Thunder's words hung in the air, leaving everyone with a mix of emotions—confusion, curiosity, and a touch of fear.
...…..
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