Chapter 113: Bombsight’s Gratitude
Benjamin withdrew his hand and turned to Rena beside him.
"Rena, go find Homelander and get a vial of V5 serum from him," he ordered. "Tell him I asked for it."
Rena lifted an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes.
V5 serum? Right now?
But she did not ask any questions.
Because Master’s orders were absolute.
"Understood, Sir."
Before she had even finished speaking, silver light flashed around Rena. Her body turned into a sharp streak of silver and vanished from sight.
...
Bombsight came back even faster than he had left.
A blurred afterimage dropped from the sky like a bolt, slamming straight into the ground and carving out a huge crater.
Mister Marathon’s heart ached all over again as he watched the damage Bombsight had just smashed into his garden.
Bombsight now had a metal box in his hand.
The box looked old. Its paint was mottled and peeling, the corners were worn smooth and shiny, and even the latch had a thin layer of rust on it.
No matter how you looked at it, it was just an ordinary old metal box.
But Benjamin knew what was inside.
V1.
Bombsight landed back on the ground and, without the slightest hesitation, handed the metal box over.
"Take it."
Benjamin took the box. It felt heavier than he had expected.
He opened it and checked inside. It was a blue vial. Then he casually put it away.
He knew Bombsight would not lie to him.
That judgment was not based on trust. It was based on understanding.
Bombsight was not exactly some shining pillar of honesty, but at the very least, he was not the type to play cheap tricks over something like this.
If he had not wanted to give it up, he never would have agreed in the first place.
And since he had agreed, he was not going to shove some random blue drink into the box and try to bullshit him.
"Let’s do it," Benjamin said.
Nuclear Blast was his core ability, and also the hardest one for him to control precisely.
The destructive energy inside him was like a captive sun.
But right now, he was not trying to unleash that power and wipe everything out.
He only needed to release a tiny bit of it, just enough to avoid hurting this hundred-year-old man too badly.
Honestly, that was a hell of a lot harder than going all out.
Benjamin’s chest began to glow.
At first, it was only a faint glimmer, but it quickly grew brighter and turned into golden light.
The golden glow fell across Bombsight’s face, lighting his handsome features in shifting flashes of brightness and shadow.
The light reflected in his eyes. His pupils tightened slightly, but his body did not move an inch.
Rena and Mister Marathon both took cover behind Benjamin.
Soon, the golden light in his chest burst outward.
Even so, not even Benjamin could control it with perfect precision.
Bombsight’s body jolted hard. Several tiny cuts suddenly split open across his skin, and blood began to flow.
When it was over, Bombsight lowered his head, touched one of his wounds, and stared at the bright red blood on his hand.
He raised his hand in front of his eyes and examined it closely, rubbing it lightly between his thumb and forefinger as he felt that unfamiliar yet very real sticky texture.
Then Bombsight smiled.
"This is the first time I’ve ever seen my own blood," Bombsight said.
His voice was full of surprise.
A man who had lived for who knew how many years was seeing his own blood for the first time.
Even Bombsight himself found it absurd the moment the words came out.
Back when he had V1, he had been nearly immortal.
Just then, silver light appeared beside Benjamin without warning.
Rena had returned.
There was a vial in her hand now. Inside the transparent container was a liquid that glowed with a faint, eerie blue sheen, refracting an unreal cold light under the sun.
This was V5.
Benjamin glanced at her from the corner of his eye, gave a slight nod, then turned his attention back to Bombsight.
Bombsight was just about to leave.
V1 had been destroyed, and the metal box had been handed over. The deal was done.
He turned around. The wounds still seeping blood made him look a little battered, but his steps had a lightness to them, as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted.
"Wait," Benjamin called after him.
Bombsight stopped and looked back, confusion in his eyes.
"Take this."
Benjamin took the vial of V5 serum from Rena and tossed it over.
Bombsight caught it on instinct. When he looked down, he froze.
"Ben, what the hell is this supposed to mean?"
His confusion was genuine.
V1 was gone. The deal was finished. Benjamin did not owe him a damn thing.
And now he was giving him V5?
What was going on?
Benjamin looked at him and said flatly, "V5 doesn’t make you immortal. You’ve lost your Superpowers now, and we both have plenty of enemies. With just the Golden Geisha’s abilities, she won’t be able to protect you."
The words were blunt, even a little harsh, but they were the truth.
Bombsight was silent for a few seconds.
Of course he understood what Benjamin meant.
After all these years, he had offended so many people that he could not even count his enemies. His biggest enemy had been Soldier Boy, standing right in front of him. Of course, by now, there was not much of a grudge left between them.
Back when he had Superpowers, he had not been afraid of anyone coming for him. Almost no one could beat him.
But now it was different.
Now he was just an ordinary person, someone who could bleed, break bones, and die.
If his other enemies came knocking, what could he do?
More importantly, while the Golden Geisha did have Superpowers, she was nowhere near strong enough to handle everything on her own.
If real trouble came, not only would he be unable to protect her, he might even become a burden instead.
Benjamin had thought of that.
And after handing over V1, Bombsight himself had completely overlooked it.
"I understand."
Bombsight looked again at the comrade standing in front of him, his eyes filled with complicated emotion.
Benjamin was stronger than before, but Bombsight kept feeling that Benjamin had somehow changed from the man he used to be...
Had all that torture from those damn Russians changed him?
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