Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 484 Secret Talks in the Clouds

Mayor Steve was in a relaxed mood on his private flight to Baltimore.

He patted his son's head and handed him the autographed photo of Homelander. Seeing the little guy staring intently at the photo, he couldn't help but smile.

Logically, he shouldn't be in such a good mood after his talks with Walter fell apart, but in reality, the business deal hadn't actually fallen apart—just half an hour before he boarded the plane, about twenty minutes after his unpleasant parting with Madeline, he received another phone call.

That was Madeline's phone call.

"Stilwell, I never thought you'd call me again."

"Two hundred and thirty million US dollars per year, with all other conditions remaining unchanged."

“A very reasonable price.” Steve’s expression remained unchanged, showing no surprise at Madeline’s abrupt change of topic. He simply nodded and said, “Thank you.”

“There’s one more thing, Steve.”

Madeline paused for a moment, then spoke again, her tone slightly serious: "Anything you hear about 'Compound Five' is slander or a lie, but rumors always spread very easily."

“Of course, I’m well aware of how bad these kinds of rumors can be for a company,” Steve replied. “But as I said, Walter is my friend, and I’m never hesitant to help my friends out of trouble.”

At this point, the two reached a tacit understanding, and Madeline's tone became much more relaxed.

"Well then, thank you for your friendship, Steve."

"You're welcome, Stylwell, have a safe trip."

With the matter settled, Steve thought to himself that he had been mentally prepared for the negotiations to break down.

However, his mention of Compound V at this time was not without reason—Madeline had arranged a dinner for Vought Corporation, and tomorrow night, half of the Senate Appropriations Committee members would be attending the dinner at Vought Corporation. Their attitude would determine whether Vought Corporation's superheroes could enter the U.S. defense system.

That's right, this is a collaboration proposal initiated by Vought International. Madeline is very ambitious about it. She is a very ambitious woman. Once superhumans can enter the military, Vought International's power will reach its peak, and of course, its stock and profits will also reach new heights.

At this point in time, she would naturally try to eliminate any risks that might affect the content of her proposal. Steve was not 100% sure about this; he admitted that there was an element of gambling involved, but he did win the gamble.

He closed his eyes, leaned back on the soft cushions of the back seat, and enjoyed a moment of rest.

Until the plane shook.

"dad."

"Don't worry, it's just a small airflow."

He patted his son's head.

"No, Dad, why is Homelander outside the airplane window?"

"what?!"

A chill ran through Steve's mind. He turned to look out the window and saw a blurry figure weaving through the dark clouds. He turned back to look at the father and son in the plane, their faces expressionless, cold and indifferent.

"Homelander is here to kill me."

The idea immediately popped into his head. Just a second before, he didn't know much about Compound 5, only guessing that it could be a very effective card against Vought Corporation.

It wasn't until he saw Homelander that he realized this card might have been too effective. He really should have investigated Compound V more thoroughly before carefully choosing his bargaining chips. His bluff had stepped on Vought's real minefield.

Just as a faint red light began to flash in the eyes of the man, a hand landed on his shoulder.

“It’s getting late. We should get back to Water Company soon, or Madeline won’t be able to find you.”

The red glow in the eyes of the people of the motherland has faded.

He turned his head and looked behind him. Superman's blue suit and red cape shone beautifully in the moonlight, appearing dazzling.

"Why are you here?" Homelander's voice was hoarse with anger. He hated Clark at this moment, but he knew he was helpless against him.

“I saw you chasing the plane into the sky, so I came to check it out.”

Superman replied, "Luckily I followed you, otherwise you would have made a terrible mistake."

"A huge mistake? Do you know what he's done? I did it for Walter!"

"We are superheroes, not criminals."

Superman's answer was without hesitation: "There were children and women on that plane. Whatever he did, what you did was not heroic."

"What the hell are you talking about?! Have you been brainwashed?"

Homelander would rather Clark find some other reason to stop him, even if it was purely out of hostility towards him, or for the long-term planning of Vought Corporation, than hear such childish excuses.

"Does being a superhero mean being better and more outstanding than ordinary people? We are much stronger and more capable than ordinary people, yet we have to abide by the rules and constraints of ordinary people?"

"Do you really want to be a saint? To play God in the eyes of ordinary people? To be a good boy in the eyes of the upper class? To be a handsome and charismatic puppet? Would that give you a sense of accomplishment?"

Superman glanced at the passenger plane that was gradually heading into the distance. The child and the governor were looking at him through the plane's glass window. The child's face showed a happy and surprised expression, while the governor looked somewhat frightened.

He turned back and slowly flew towards the Vought Building, seemingly unperturbed by Homelander's words.

"Superheroes are not saints, not gods, not good children or puppets. Superheroes are just people, who are a little better than normal people in some ways, but they are still human."

He didn't care whether the Homelanders followed or not, and just calmly talked to himself.

“I’ve seen many ordinary people who are stronger than me, Homelander, not in terms of physical strength, but in all other ways—can you imagine an ordinary person without superpowers training day after day, fighting alone against the criminals of an entire city for more than a decade?”

"Can you imagine a promising young detective voluntarily going to the city with the highest crime rate, bearing more than a dozen gunshot wounds and having been on the verge of death several times?"

Can you imagine an ordinary person leaving their hometown for their wife, spending all their savings to seek medical treatment everywhere, and vowing to live and die with her?

"Homelander, I am stronger than many people, but I always have great respect for many people. Before becoming a Vought hero, I was a superhero, and before becoming a superhero, I was a human being."

"I've thought countless times about whether I could be as brave, resilient, and persistent as they are if I were in their position, and the answer has always been no."

"Human courage amazes me more than superhuman strength."

(End of this chapter)