139. Chapter 139: Billy's Ambition! I'm Going to Kill More Than Just Stormfront! (Two-in-One Chapter)
Soon, news broke that the No. 718 train departing from Grand Central Terminal was attacked by Terrorists midway, resulting in 121 deaths.
This instantly caused a sensation across the entire United States.
For a time, Google, as the world's largest search engine, saw search volume for related topics surge by hundreds of times.
Not only that, even the number of orders for self-defense tools on Amazon surged by hundreds of thousands. Meanwhile, gun stores on the roadside saw queues that stretched like long dragons, bringing wide smiles to the owners' faces.
Besides them, Vought International also profited.
In just one afternoon, the trading volume of Vought shares directly increased by 78%. Many people realized that under the increasingly severe Terrorist attacks, the Superheroes under Vought would become extremely important and scarce.
At this moment, inside Vought Tower.
Stan Edgar once again convened a meeting of The Seven. He first reprimanded Stormfront, saying, "This train bombing incident has alarmed the entire United States; the event is very serious. Here, I explicitly criticize Stormfront. You actually failed to rescue even one hostage. I am very disappointed in you. I absolutely will not allow this kind of thing to happen again!"
This meeting was fully livestreamed for the broad audience.
"Actually, it doesn't have much to do with Stormfront; she didn't expect a bomb to be placed on the train either."
"Why wasn't Homelander dispatched at the time?"
"We believe Stormfront did her best; it just shows that those Terrorists were too cunning."
...Netizens on the screen left comments one after another, stating that Stormfront couldn't be blamed.
"I'm truly sorry, I didn't handle this matter well. I admit my lack of experience and failed to successfully stop this incident." Stormfront lowered her head, pretending to be extremely remorseful.
"Regarding the train bombing incident, as Vought President, I must also reflect. My decision-making had a huge error. I should have given this mission to Homelander at the time."
Stan Edgar's expression was serious, his gaze sweeping over all members of The Seven.
Xia Shang, standing behind Stan Edgar, saw at a glance that this was a show deliberately arranged by Stan Edgar. His purpose was very simple: to use the advantage of striking first and nip any potential public opinion in the bud. Judging from the audience's comments, it was obvious that Stan Edgar's purpose had been achieved.
Homelander, standing nearby, didn't speak, but his expression was enough to prove his mood at that moment.
If this kind of thing had happened before Stormfront came to Vought, Stan Edgar definitely would have handed it to him to handle.
However, he had just found out the news of the Terrorist attack on the train. Without a doubt, Stan Edgar sending Stormfront was a way to suppress him.
Fortunately, the result was good; that idiot Stormfront actually messed things up.
If Stormfront had rescued so many passengers, her popularity would definitely have seen a new surge, and at that time, his status would be precarious.
"I, Stan Edgar, hereby announce that Vought will establish a charity foundation. Its responsibility is to provide those victims with some life support. In addition, I will represent all Vought employees and observe ten seconds of silence for those who passed away in this incident. May they have no pain in Heaven."
......
On the other side.
Billy gritted his teeth, looking at his mobile phone, at the text message sent by Hughie and the others.
"That damned female animal, I, Billy, will definitely kill you, I swear to God!" Billy already harbored extreme hatred for Supes, and Stormfront's actions further ignited the anger within him.
At this moment, he had already arrived at the secret location mentioned by Mallory.
Billy understood that the current top priority was to rescue Becca. He could only suppress his anger and stuff his mobile phone into his pocket.
The secret location was in the suburbs of New York State, where people were sparse, basically maintaining the appearance of a primitive jungle. After Billy passed through the woods and rivers, he soon saw a cage made of steel walls.
The walls were over ten meters high, and there were Vought guards with guns at the entrance.
Billy took out his binoculars, and through a gap in the walls, saw the villa he had seen before, and Becca tidying the lawn in front of it.
Forcing his way in was definitely a dead end. This place was strictly guarded by Vought International. Let alone outsiders, even a wild dog trying to force its way in would be shot dead on the spot.
Fortunately, Billy was skilled. Under the cover of night, he used tools to climb over the ten-meter-high walls.
Afterwards, to avoid the searchlights, he could only slowly crawl forward.
There weren't many things around to provide cover. Billy fixed his gaze on a car not far away. When he struggled to get close to the car, he unexpectedly found that the car door in the back seat wasn't closed tightly. So, when the searchlight swept past, he directly slipped into the car.
"Phew!" After doing all this, Billy, whose mental focus was highly strained, let out a sigh of relief as if a burden had been lifted.
But he didn't rest. Instead, he stretched out his arm and pressed the car's hazard lights button.
At the same time, Becca, who was preparing to go back inside, noticed the car lights flashing, so she came to the car to check the situation.
Just then, she discovered Billy curled up in the back seat. She calmly got into the driver's seat and drove the car towards a small bridge, because only here was there no surveillance, and the patrol personnel wouldn't check. It could be said to be very safe.
"How did you find this place?" In the car, Becca asked.
"As long as I want to, there's nowhere I can't go."
Their gazes were tightly connected through the rearview mirror.
"There's no surveillance under the bridge, it's very safe." After Becca drove the car into the bridge, the two hugged tightly as soon as they got out of the car. Billy's eyes were a little dazed. He whispered, "Darling, I've been waiting for this moment for seven years. I can't believe this is real."
"What about now?"
Becca cupped Billy's face and kissed him.
The two were like glue, kissing for several minutes, their saliva exchanged countless times. After they let go, Billy still felt like he hadn't had enough.
"I'll take you away from here, away from the United States." Billy said.
Becca looked into Billy's eyes: "Not me, but us. Don't forget Ryan."
"Of course, including him."
"You still haven't forgotten your hatred, can you just let all this go?" Becca had spent such a long time with Billy; she naturally understood him well. She could tell from Billy's eyes that he was lying.
"I swear to God, I've let it go." The place of God in Billy's heart was like a toilet plunger; he could take it out and use it when necessary, and after using it, he would cast it aside.
"Don't try to deceive me, I can tell."
Becca couldn't possibly abandon Ryan and choose to escape alone. If that were the case, she would rather stay here. Billy's complexion was a little gloomy. He took out the text message Hughie had sent him and put it in front of Becca: "Those Supes are the culprits causing chaos in the United States; they are the original sin. If they aren't killed, the United States will eventually fall into complete war! You should be able to imagine how big a disaster it would cause if they lose control."
"Impossible, at least Ryan won't lose control." Becca retorted.
"Are you sure?" Billy took back his mobile phone, brought up the video of Ryan at the selection scene, and then handed it to Becca.
"If that werewolf hadn't dodged Ryan's attack, without a doubt, his heart would have been blown apart by Ryan's laser eyes. He's a freak, a super freak born because of Homelander."
"Impossible!"
Although the facts were right before her eyes, Becca still refused to accept it. "Wait, I'll make a phone call first."
With an agitated expression, she dialed Xia Shang's phone number.
"Hello, Ms. Becca, may I ask if there's something you need, calling me this late?"
"Listen, Mr. Jervis! I demand to terminate our cooperation. This is the price for you deceiving me."
The other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds.
Soon, Xia Shang's voice sounded again: "Ms. Becca, please hand the mobile phone to Billy next to you. I want to talk to him."
"Billy isn't next to me. I don't know what you're talking about?" Becca glanced guiltily at Billy behind her, while her heart churned with monstrous waves. How did the other party discover Billy? Had Billy been exposed?
Becca even wanted to hang up the phone directly and then tell Billy to escape quickly.
Xia Shang on the other end of the phone, standing by the window, said calmly: "You calling me this late, saying you want to terminate our cooperation, indicates that you must have seen the video about Ryan. Recently, only one video of Ryan has gone viral on the internet, and your mobile phone, besides having a calling function, cannot access the internet.
Furthermore, your calls are under strict surveillance by Vought; it's impossible for anyone to have told you this.
Therefore, if I'm not mistaken, Billy must have found you and then, in front of you, played that video of Ryan losing control."
As soon as Xia Shang finished speaking.
Becca almost threw the mobile phone away as if it were a venomous snake.
"Who are you talking to on the phone?" Billy came to Becca's side with a face full of questions and asked, looking at Becca's panicked expression.
"I am Mr. Jervis, Vice President of Vought International."
Becca pressed the speakerphone, letting Xia Shang's voice be heard.
"Mr. Jervis? Do I know you?"
Billy took the mobile phone from Becca's hand, then frowned and put the mobile phone to his ear and spoke.
"You don't know me, but I know you. The now infamous leader of a terrorist organization, the one who killed Translucent, exposed Compound V, attempted to destroy Vought International, and the mastermind behind manipulating terrorist attacks, Billy Butcher." Xia Shang's voice was calm and unhurried, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
"The one who killed Translucent wasn't... never mind. Say whatever you want, I'm not admitting I did any of that anyway." Billy guessed the other party might send people to capture him, so he silently said to Becca: "Key, car key."
Becca understood what he meant, immediately took the key from her pocket and handed it to Billy.
"Do you think I'm stalling for time, preparing to send people to capture you? Put down the key in your hand. Without Vought's permission, you won't be able to get out even driving Becca's car." Although Xia Shang was in a detached villa in the suburbs of New York, he knew Billy's every move like the back of his hand.
"You're very smart, worthy of being Vought's Vice President. Tell me, what do you want to cooperate with me on?"
Billy's face was dark, and he returned the car key to Becca.
"Why aren't you talking? Since you don't plan to capture me, it means I have value to you; there's no need to hide it, just be straightforward."
"Smart. But it's not me who wants to cooperate with you; it's Homelander." Xia Shang, holding the phone, the corner of his mouth slightly curved upwards.
"Homelander?"
Now even Billy couldn't figure out what scheme Xia Shang was up to. After the matter with Becca, he and Homelander had basically formed a deep blood feud, the kind that was undying and immortal.
"You should know Stormfront. Recently, she's been gaining a lot of momentum, severely threatening Homelander's status. Homelander wants you to kill her. As remuneration, he can agree to let you freely enter the secret base where Becca is held." Xia Shang said concisely.
In an instant, the confusion between Billy's brows immediately dissipated. He suddenly understood; so it was infighting among Superheroes. However, this did indeed seem like something Homelander would do. He didn't think Mr. Jervis was deceiving him.
Because there was absolutely no need for that.
"I can kill Stormfront, but I want to take Becca with me." Billy's voice gradually gained confidence.
Xia Shang hesitated for a moment before saying: "Vought needs to know Becca's place of residence and has the right to interfere with her life."
"Deal!" Billy agreed without hesitation.
In his opinion, a verbal agreement was just hot air. As soon as Becca left this place, he would immediately arrange for someone to take her abroad.
Once they left the United States, the sky would be the limit for birds to fly, and the sea vast for fish to leap!
Of course, Xia Shang was well aware of his little scheme. As long as Ryan was still in his hands, Becca wouldn't be able to fly high or leap far!
"To prevent you from being unable to handle Stormfront, Homelander will arrange for a few Supes to stay with you. As for subsequent operations, I will notify you via text message. Oh right, I've already informed the base side; you can just go out directly." After speaking, Xia Shang hung up the phone.
Seeing the call end, Becca, who was burning with anxiety nearby, quickly asked: "What's the situation? What did you make a deal with him about? Is he willing to let you leave?"
Billy nodded. To prevent Becca from worrying, he didn't tell her the detailed contents of their transaction.
"He said he wants me to do something for him. After it's done, I can take you away from here."
"Is it dangerous?" Becca pressed.
"Just a small matter, it's very easy."
Billy didn't stay long. After returning the mobile phone to Becca, he walked out of the base normally.
Outside the base, Billy called his aunt Judy. Judy lived in a community in the suburbs of New York and was a drug lord who had been lurking underground in New York for decades. She had a large collection of contraband items, as well as chemical raw materials measured in barrels. She was a terrorist in the true sense!
"Hey, good evening, Auntie."
"You calling me never means anything good. Spit it out!" At this moment, Judy was making white sugar in the "Candy House". In fact, the so-called Candy House was Judy's secret room for making drugs. The walls of the room were made of steel; their thickness could even rival a bank vault.
"Could you help me prepare some raw materials for chewing gum? I'll need about several dozen kilograms." A sinister smile appeared at the corner of Billy's mouth.
He was going to kill more than just Stormfront! (Author's note: Had an old classmate reunion today, missed a bit, truly sorry, will make it up tomorrow, Niu Niu bows!)
(end of chapter )