Chapter 186: I Don’t Need His Gratitude
As soon as the meeting started, Krist Hank turned to his chief economist.
"Vincent, share your opinion."
The economist named "Vincent" was in his forties, with his hair combed back, wearing plain glasses, and a neatly trimmed beard.
Upon hearing this, he nodded, looked at Angelina, and spoke slowly:
"The commercial value of the N174 site is roughly 800 million. Considering its future appreciation potential and other surrounding benefits—"
"I believe 1 billion would be a reasonable acquisition price."
Immediately, the team brought by Angelina erupted in protest.
"1 billion? Are you robbing us?"
"We spent 2.5 billion to acquire this land!"
"No premium is one thing, but you want to buy it for just 1 billion? Isn't that a bit too far-fetched?"
Faced with the other team's objections, economist Vincent remained unmoved, not even blinking.
After all, tonight's 1-billion acquisition bid was instructed by Krist Hank.
He had backing.
Naturally, he wouldn't waver.
At this moment, Krist Hank deliberately added, "Yes, Vincent."
"The N174 site was bought by Angelina for 2.5 billion. We're offering only 1 billion—isn't that price too low?"
Regardless of Vincent's low offer of 1 billion or Krist Hank's pretense, Angelina remained indifferent.
She knew very well that since the master had arrived tonight, she wouldn't suffer a loss.
So, she wasn't anxious at all.
Instead, she wanted to see what tricks Krist Hank would play.
Economist Vincent gave his master a slight nod and then said,
"Mr. Hank, you may not be aware."
"The N174 site was never worth such a high price in the first place."
"That night, if it weren't for Miss Angelina's malicious bidding—"
"It wouldn't have been driven up to 2.5 billion at all."
"My assessment is not mistaken."
"That land is worth at most 1 billion."
"Miss Angelina clearly has room for improvement in her judgment."
After speaking, Vincent looked at Angelina.
Angelina neither got angry nor rushed to refute him. She remained calm—or rather, seemed absent-minded.
As if she didn't care about the outcome of the negotiation.
She turned the ring on her finger, then glanced at Azu, smiling.
Krist Hank snorted in his heart but outwardly acted magnanimous, saying,
"I see. However, since Miss Angelina made a special trip here tonight, how can I let her suffer a loss?"
Vincent pondered for a moment, then said,
"In that case, let's acquire it for 1.2 billion."
"This is already the highest price; it can't go any higher."
"However, our company doesn't have that much cash flow at the moment."
"My suggestion is—"
"We first pay Miss Angelina 500 million, and the remaining 700 million will be paid off over five years."
"Is that so?" Krist Hank smiled at Angelina. "Miss Angelina, what do you think of this arrangement?"
Angelina finally looked at Krist Hank.
"You're offering 1.2 billion for the N174 site, but only paying 500 million upfront?"
"And the rest will be paid over seven years?"
Krist Hank nodded. "That's right."
"Miss Angelina, I hope you don't feel you're at a loss."
"This is already a very fair price."
"Moreover, you will gain the friendship of the Krist family."
"You should know that in Italy, companies lining up to befriend us would form a long queue."
"But this is the Federation, not Italy."
At this moment, Angelina heard Azu's voice in her mind and received his instructions.
Angelina calmly said,
"Therefore, I refuse your unreasonable request."
"However, if the Krist family wants to cooperate with us, I welcome that."
"Here's a proposal—I'll allocate a section of the N174 site and lease it to the Krist family."
"As for rent, it will be 200 million per year for 10 years."
"2 billion in rent isn't much. I'm sure Mr. Hank would be happy to pay?"
The meeting room fell silent.
No one expected that Angelina would not only reject the Krist family's acquisition bid—
But also propose leasing a portion of the site to them.
And with a rental price of 200 million per year.
Even if they rented the entire N174 site, 200 million per year would still be too expensive.
Let alone just a portion of it.
This was absurd!
Krist Hank wanted to refuse, but when he opened his mouth, what came out was:
"No problem."
Immediately, Vincent and the Krist Group personnel all turned to Krist Hank.
They couldn't believe their ears.
Such an obviously exploitative deal—Krist Hank actually agreed?
Angelina gestured, "Then let's draft the contract now and finalize this tonight."
Krist Hank heard himself say, "Alright, let's do it."
At that moment, Angelina's team already had lawyers drafting the contract.
No!
No!
What's happening to me?
Am I possessed by a demon?
How could I agree to such a ridiculous deal? No, I don't agree!
Krist Hank's eyes darted around, but he couldn't utter a word—his body seemed out of his control.
The events of the auction night were repeating!
Vincent hurriedly stood up to intervene.
"Wait a moment."
"For such an important matter, we need a meeting."
"Mr. Hank, please step aside for a discussion."
But he saw Krist Hank shake his head and say,
"No need, Vincent."
"I fully support Miss Angelina's proposal."
"There's no need for further meetings—it's settled."
"But—" Vincent frowned.
"But what!"
Krist Hank roared, "Am I the boss, or are you?"
Vincent could only nod and sit back down.
Soon, the contract was drafted and printed. Krist Hank signed it decisively and instructed the finance team to pay the first three years' rent in a lump sum to Angelina.
After receiving the money, Angelina nodded, stood up, and said,
"Well then, we'll take our leave."
She walked over to Azu, smiling.
"Mr. John, let's go."
"Alright." Azu smiled and stood up, letting Angelina take his arm.
However, just as they were about to leave—
Krist Hank regained control of his body.
He suddenly screamed,
"Wait!"
"You witch!"
"You devil!"
"What did you do to me?!"
"The contract just now is invalid! I don't acknowledge it!"
"You must have used some magic to control me—otherwise, how could I have agreed to such ridiculous terms?!"
Vincent and the others were stunned, looking at Krist Hank in concern.
Angelina turned back and calmly said,
"Mr. Vincent, a signed contract holds legal effect."
"Just a reminder—it contains breach clauses."
"If you default, you'll owe double in penalty, which is 4 billion."
"You—!"
Krist Hank suddenly pulled out a small pistol from his coat.
A gun that could only fire one bullet.
He pointed it at Angelina.
At that moment, Azu looked at him.
Krist Hank's body froze.
Vincent quickly stood up.
"Mr. Hank, calm down! Put the gun down!"
But then, Krist Hank burst into laughter.
"Relax, Vincent."
"I was just joking with Miss Angelina."
"See them out for me."
Vincent hesitated at Krist Hank's sudden change in attitude but followed instructions, escorting Angelina and Azu out.
Yet, just as they entered the elevator—
A gunshot rang out in the hall, followed by screams and exclamations.
---
The next day.
Inside the Seven Towers' command hall, Maeve was reading the newspaper.
Then, the automatic doors opened, and Ashley walked in.
"Hey, everyone."
"Did you guys read today's newspaper?"
"Krist. Hank committed suicide last night."
"My god, this is absolutely crazy!"
"That's the Krist family we're talking about."
"Last year, our company even recommended a superhero to serve them."
"Who would have thought that Mr. Hank would commit suicide last night?"
Maeve closed the newspaper and said, "Maybe the pressure was too much."
"I heard that Mr. Hank lost his composure at an auction not long ago because he failed to win his target bid."
The Ice Princess said, "I've heard about that."
"And also—"
She lowered her voice and said, "Do you know who snatched Krist. Hank's prized possession that night?"
Everyone looked over.
The Ice Princess glanced at the door. "It was Miss Angelina."
"Yes, our Vice President."
"But she has another identity."
At this moment, the door opened, and Starlight, with her wavy hair and sexy battle suit, walked in.
"Good morning, everyone."
"What are you all talking about?"
Ashley quickly changed the subject. "We were just discussing the 'Seven's Reserve Team'."
"Starlight, the 'Seven's Reserve Team' has all its members now."
"And you're the captain. How does it feel? Excited?"
Starlight said somewhat shyly, "I'm not ready to lead a team. I think it would be better if Homelander led us instead."
As soon as she finished speaking, a voice came from behind.
"I believe you can do the job well."
Starlight turned around.
She saw Homelander, dressed in a black battle suit with a red cape, walking in.
Homelander smiled and patted Starlight on the shoulder.
"Congratulations, Captain Starlight."
"Starting today, you have your own team."
Starlight humbly said, "I have a lot to learn from you."
Homelander said generously, "No problem. If you ever have any questions, you can come to me anytime, as long as I'm available."
Ashley seized the opportunity and said, "Sir, the Seven's Reserve Team members are all here."
"They all admire you greatly."
"Would you have time to meet them?"
Homelander agreed readily. "Of course."
"Have them gather in the training hall. I want to see what kind of lucky guys get to be in Starlight's team."
Starlight beamed.
Ashley went off to make arrangements.
Homelander glanced around the hall and casually asked, "Where's Stormfront?"
The Ice Princess said, "She hasn't appeared in about a month."
"Oh."
Homelander smirked slightly, planning to visit the crime analysis department later and have Annika check Stormfront's chip location. He wanted to see what this so-called 'Lady Liberty' was up to.
After that, he arrived at the training hall.
Six superheroes had already gathered there.
Four men and two women.
Seeing Homelander arrive, they all clapped and shouted his name.
Homelander smiled and nodded at them.
Then Ashley began introducing them.
"This is 'Redemption Girl' Sophia. Her idol is 'Saint Joan of Arc'. She has a strong sense of sacrifice and is also a devout believer."
'Redemption Girl' Sophia was a young woman in her early twenties, wearing a battle suit with a strong religious vibe.
Homelander glanced at her and chuckled, "Joan of Arc didn't end well. Trust me, you wouldn't want to be roasted on a stake."
Sophia's expression changed instantly, but she forced a smile.
Ashley, feeling a bit awkward, introduced the next superhero. "This is 'Blind Knight' Tony. He's from Indonesia."
"His hearing is extremely sharp. He can detect sounds with his ears, even catching the flight of high-speed bats."
Homelander let out a short laugh. "Then why doesn't he just call himself 'Batman'? That'd be fun."
Ashley coughed repeatedly as if she were choking, then moved on to introduce the third hero.
"This is 'Supersonic'. Besides being a superhero, he's also a singer."
"I really like his album. Oh, and he's also a friend of Starlight's."
Homelander nodded. He had watched the TV show and naturally knew that Supersonic was Starlight's friend.
And ex-boyfriend.
As for whether they had ever had a 'more-than-friends' relationship, that was hard to say.
For some reason, looking at Supersonic, Homelander felt something was off.
Without hesitation, he used his 'True Sight' on Supersonic.
One should always trust their instincts.
If something feels wrong, dig deeper.
And sure enough, after using 'True Sight', Homelander found a problem.
[Name: Supersonic]
[Life Level: Level 4 (Superhuman)]
[Status: Parasitized]
[Ability: Super Speed]
Parasitized?
Now this was interesting.
Homelander immediately read Supersonic's thoughts and surface memories.
And at that moment—
He heard Supersonic's inner voice.
"Help me!"
"Help me, Homelander!"
"Get this monster off me!"
"I'm begging you!"
A monster?
Without changing his expression, Homelander scanned Supersonic and discovered something shocking.
His superhero outfit was alive!
He saw that the 'clothing' had blood vessels, nerves, and organs!
And those 'clothes' had extended numerous nerve-like filaments deep into Supersonic's body, burrowing into his organs and blood vessels.
This had created a 'symbiotic' relationship.
If the 'clothing' were forcibly removed, it would cause irreversible damage to Supersonic!
Of course, Homelander didn't particularly care whether Supersonic lived or died.
However—
That living 'outfit' reminded him of something.
Xenomorphs!
Yes, the mortal enemies of the 'Undying Empire'—the Xenomorphs that fell from the sky.
Creatures that could parasitize both humans and even the 'undying' and kill them!
And now, one of them was right in front of him!
Homelander's eyes narrowed slightly. Without revealing anything, he gave Supersonic some words of encouragement.
After greeting the remaining superheroes, Homelander found an excuse to leave. But before that, he sent a message to Starlight, asking her to meet him later.
At lunchtime, Homelander met with Starlight.
"Homelander, you were looking for me?"
Starlight sat across from him.
Homelander nodded and said softly, "Your friend, Supersonic, has a problem."
"Oh, he's your ex-boyfriend, right?"
Starlight paused, thinking Homelander disliked Supersonic. She quickly explained, "Homelander, Supersonic is a good person."
"Even though we dated before, we have nothing to do with each other now."
"Don't worry, I won't favor him just because of our past."
"So—"
"No, no, no." Homelander waved his hand and shook his head. "I'm not talking about your personal relationship."
"His condition is abnormal."
"He's being controlled."
Starlight froze.
After a moment, she hesitantly asked, "You mean someone is controlling him?"
"That thing—I wouldn't call it human."
Homelander didn't beat around the bush. "I just scanned him, and guess what? His superhero suit is alive."
"Yes, a living organism."
"That thing is parasitizing your ex-boyfriend."
Starlight immediately stood up.
At that moment, Supersonic entered the restaurant, waving at Starlight.
Starlight forced a smile, nodded at Supersonic, then sat back down. "Homelander, are you sure?"
"Of course."
"And that thing is now in a symbiotic relationship with him. If we forcibly attack it, your ex-boyfriend might die."
Homelander took a sip of orange juice.
Starlight exhaled deeply. "Then what do we do?"
Azu shrugged his shoulders without giving an opinion.
He didn't care about Supersonic, but he was quite interested in the "Xenomorph."
After all, he had seen the "Undead," and now the "Xenomorph" had appeared—would the war between these two once again ignite?
Additionally, he wanted to know whether the "Xenomorph" was an extraterrestrial being.
If the answer was yes, then through the "Xenomorph," Azu might be able to further understand the worldview of this universe.
Through the matter of the "Invasion," he could now be certain.
The Black Cape universe he was in was just one similar to the one in the TV series.
And there could be many such Black Cape universes.
That was why there were "Homelander" variants from different universes.
Based on these considerations, Azu decided to capture the "Xenomorph" alive.
Starlight cast a pleading look at Azu. "Homelander, can you help Supersonic?"
"He's a very kind person. I don't want him to be in danger."
Azu smiled slightly and said, "I can think of a way, but I don't have an obligation to help him, do I?"
Starlight said, "Supersonic would be very grateful to you."
Azu let out a hearty laugh, stood up, and said, "But I don't need his gratitude."
After speaking, he turned and left, leaving Starlight with a complicated expression.
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