Chương 10

Butcher looked at Hughie and understood what had happened. Hughie stood in the middle of the basement, covered in blood and pieces of Translucent. The detonator had already fallen from his hand. His eyes were open, but he looked like he was still hearing the blast inside his head. For a second, even Butcher did not speak. Then he walked closer and placed a hand on Hughie's shoulder.

"You did good, lad," Butcher said.

"That took balls." Hughie blinked slowly, but he did not answer. Frenchie stood a few steps away, staring at the cage and the mess around it. He looked like his mind had stopped working for a moment. Then he suddenly looked around.

"Where is Adam?" Frenchie asked. Hughie's eyes moved at that name. Butcher also looked toward the stairs. The moment Adam's name came up, anger began to show on Butcher's face. He had seen enough outside to know Adam was not normal. A man who had walked in like a normal bystander had gone out and fought Homelander like another Supe. Before Butcher could say anything, the door above opened. Adam came down the stairs. He was breathing heavily.

His clothes were dirty, and the zinc mask he had used outside was still partly bent around his face. He looked tired, but he was still standing. Butcher turned toward him at once.

"Who the fuck are you?" Adam stopped near the last step. He had expected this. Adam had hidden the biggest thing about himself, and Butcher was not the kind of man who would let that pass. Adam came down slowly and stood in front of him. Butcher reached behind his back and pulled out his gun. The gun pointed straight at Adam. Adam did not move away. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Butcher's eyes were hard.

"You got fucking superpowers, and you lied to us." Hughie stared at Adam. Frenchie also looked at him with wide eyes.

"Superpowers?" Hughie asked quietly. Adam let out a deep breath. He had already prepared a story for this moment. It was not the truth, and it was never going to be the full truth. If he told Butcher the real source of his power, none of them would believe him. Even if they did, it would only make things worse. So he used the story he had built. It only had to make Butcher listen for a few seconds.

"I had no choice," Adam said.

"If I told you on the first day that I had power, you would not have taken me with you. You would have tried to fight me along with Translucent." Butcher's finger stayed near the trigger. Adam continued, "I could not let that happen. I need Homelander. I need to get close enough to kill him. If I have to use my power for that, then I will use it." The basement became quiet. Hughie looked more confused now. Frenchie looked between Adam and Butcher. Butcher's anger did not disappear, but his voice became lower.

"How did you get these powers?" Adam looked straight at him.

"I stole their main weapon," Adam said.

"Compound V." The words changed the air in the room. Hughie and Frenchie both looked shocked by the name. Butcher's reaction was different. Butcher had heard the name before, and Adam's words pushed one of his old doubts closer to the truth. Adam saw that reaction and stepped into the next part of his lie.

"I am just like you, Butcher." Butcher's mouth twisted into a small smile. It did not reach his eyes. He cocked the gun.

"Fucking hell," Butcher said.

"You are like me?" Adam gave a faint smile.

"Yeah," he said.

"Just like you lost Becca because of Homelander, I lost someone too." Butcher became completely still. The anger on his face went quiet. There was no open expression now, but his eyes looked worse than before. The rage had not gone away. It had only moved deeper. Hughie and Frenchie both looked at Butcher. Adam knew he had touched the right nerve. That was why he had used it. If he wanted Butcher to even listen, he had to make the lie reach the one wound Butcher never let go of.

Adam spoke again before Butcher could explode.

"I will go as far as I have to," Adam said.

"I will kill Homelander with my own hands. You can help me or not. That part is your choice." Nobody spoke. Butcher stood there with the gun still aimed at Adam. Then he fired. The sound cracked through the basement. For Adam, the bullet seemed slow. He could see it crossing the short distance between them. His body could react. He could move away if he wanted. The bullet was not heading for his heart or head. It was coming toward his shoulder. Adam turned his body slightly and let it hit.

He believed his body could take it. After all, he had just survived a clash with Homelander. He had surprised the strongest Supe in the world and even sent him through buildings. His confidence was high. Then the bullet struck his shoulder. Adam's body jerked. The bullet did not bounce away. It entered a little into his shoulder and stopped there. A thin line of blood slowly began to leak from the wound. It was not deep, but it was real. Adam looked down at it. His confidence dropped at once.

He had been lucky against Homelander. The zinc mask had hidden him. His sudden attack had caught Homelander off guard. If Homelander had taken him seriously from the first second, Adam might not have returned like this.

"Butcher!" Hughie shouted. Frenchie turned toward him too.

"What are you doing?" Butcher did not lower the gun.

"I thought you might be strong enough to stand against Homelander," he said.

"Looks like I was wrong. You got some cheap fucking power." Adam did not feel angry. He only stared at the blood on his shoulder.

'I need to synchronize this template as fast as possible,' Adam thought.