American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

457. Helping Each Other.

Now that Alex had provided a solution to their problem, the next step was to begin the preparations.

The task of creating the bomb was fully entrusted to Frenchie and MM. Both had considerable expertise in firearms and explosives, especially Frenchie, whose knowledge of weapons was top-notch in this world.

Meanwhile, Alex casually found a table and began setting out the food he had just purchased.

"It's still warm. Don't tell me you just bought this," Butcher and Hughie walked over, drawn by the aroma.

They were both starving, and the smell of the food only made it harder to resist. Before Alex could finish laying out the dishes, they had already picked up chopsticks and started eating.

"I picked it up along the way. The restaurant was busy, so I had to wait a while. Otherwise, I'd have been here earlier," Alex said, grabbing a dumpling for himself.

With teleportation abilities like Blink's at his disposal, Alex could go wherever he wanted almost instantly. And it wasn't just Blink—there were plenty of mutants with teleportation abilities, such as Nightcrawler and Azazel.

Butcher nodded, not dwelling on the topic. As long as Alex had arrived on time and come up with a solution, that was all that mattered. It saved them a lot of time.

After a pause, Butcher casually asked, "Last time we met was in New Jersey. What brings you to New York?"

Alex knew this was Butcher's way of trying to get information out of him, but he didn't mind. Smiling, he replied, "I took a trip to Vought. Heard they recruited a new member for the Seven, so I went to check it out."

"I've heard about that. The one replacing Lamplighter—Starlight, right? You're interested in her?" Butcher asked.

Frenchie and MM, who were working on the bomb, perked up at the mention of the topic.

"I just wanted to see what kind of person she is—whether she's planning to go along with Vought's corruption, that's all," Alex replied.

"And if she is?" Butcher pressed.

"Well, then I think Vought would need to pick another replacement for Lamplighter," Alex said with a faint smile, startling Hughie so much that he nearly choked on his food.

Hearing this, Butcher nodded thoughtfully. Then, with a curious look, he smiled and asked, "Judging by your tone, I'm guessing she passed your test. So, what's she like?"

"A naïve girl," Alex shrugged, a complicated expression crossing his face.

"She's just a small-town girl who climbed her way up. No skeletons in her closet, no criminal record. Putting her powers aside, she's incredibly pure, kind, and... foolish."

As Alex described Starlight, everyone's expressions shifted. It was hard to imagine that Vought had recruited someone like that this time.

They had assumed Starlight was someone groomed by Vought from a young age under a secret contract, trained until she was ready to join the Seven.

But it turned out her story was exactly as her official profile described—a small-town girl turned big-city hero.

"Maybe it's because audiences these days prefer that sort of thing. A young girl working her way up to become a member of the world's most powerful team is inspiring in its own way. She's got high approval ratings online, and even Vought has to respect public opinion," Alex said with a small laugh, shaking his head before continuing.

"Besides, it's easier to manipulate someone who's fresh out of the countryside. Add to that Vought's need to distract from their recent scandals—the Dolphin incident and A-Train's accident. Starlight is the perfect choice for some positive PR."

"Fair enough. Speaking of which, let me introduce you properly—A-Train's accident victim was Hughie's girlfriend," Butcher said, patting Hughie on the shoulder as he turned to Alex.

Hughie's smile immediately vanished.

"Oh, no offense, Hughie," Alex glanced at him.

"It's fine." Hughie forced a bitter smile.

Butcher finished the soup in his bowl, let out a heavy sigh, and brought the conversation back on track.

"A naïve girl isn't bad! Throwing someone as innocent as a blank sheet of paper into a cesspool like Vought, God knows what she'll have to endure. Vought isn't exactly a clean place."

"Who could argue with that?" Alex shook his head, recalling last night's events. "I'd say it'll be tough for her to hold out. Right now, she's at her most vulnerable and in need of support."

"What do you mean?" Butcher raised an eyebrow.

"She's being suppressed at Vought, and none of the other members of the Seven are paying her any attention. Her only family, her mother, doesn't care about her struggles and just wants her to be a star. So…" Alex set down his chopsticks.

"You want to get close to her," Butcher realized.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Alex nodded. "If we can pull her into our camp, it'll be like driving a wedge into Vought. Taking them down would become much easier."

"Additionally..."

Alex pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket, scribbled with numbers representing IP addresses.

"I know you have some solid connections. Since I've done you guys such a big favor, you can return the gesture."

Taking the note, Butcher glanced at the numbers and quickly understood. He had assumed it might be a phone number, but it turned out to be a series of network IPs.

"Consider it done. I'll make some calls."

Butcher shot Alex a quick look, his expression laced with subtle curiosity.

To Butcher, tracing an IP address wasn't a big deal. Anyone with a few years of computer experience would know how to do it. In their line of work, knowledge of tech and computers was almost a given.

But Alex, despite wanting to be a superhero, didn't even know this "basic" skill. Combined with his sudden appearances and disappearances, his focus on young, attractive female heroes like Starlight, and the fact that he had stopped to grab dinner instead of rushing over when called—these details made Butcher suspicious.

Looking at Alex's seemingly mature appearance, Butcher suddenly realized he might have been mistaken about something.

Since their first encounter, Alex had presented himself with this appearance, leading Butcher to assume he was a peer—someone of a similar age.

But on closer thought, Alex's desire to be a superhero, his lack of basic tech skills, and his impulsive, carefree behavior pointed to someone much younger in spirit.

It dawned on Butcher that the man before him, despite his outwardly seasoned demeanor, might have the mindset of a teenager.

Only someone in their teens would have the reckless passion to run around pulling stunts like this.

In hindsight, Alex's actions and words could be chalked up to "playing grown-up." After all, with his ability to alter his appearance, Alex—known as "Crow"—could conceal his true age. For all anyone knew, he could be hiding his gender, too.

While Butcher pondered Alex's true nature, the latter, having finished his meal, stood up out of curiosity. He leisurely strolled over to the room where the Translucent was being held.

After staring at the door for a moment, Alex suddenly turned his head and spoke to the others.

"Help me put on a little show, will you? I've been wanting to try chatting with this big hero under a different identity."

.....

30 advanced chapters on p@treaon
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
458. The Translucent's Breakdown.
459. Infiltrating the Sage Grove.
460. The Lamplighter and the Iceman!
461. Anti-Pollution!
462. The World Beyond the Well.