Chapter 114: The Return of Mister Marathon
Bombsight wasn’t good at expressing himself, and he sure as hell wasn’t used to thanking someone who used to be his enemy.
But this time, Bombsight thanked him anyway.
"Thanks, Ben."
After that, Bombsight looked down at the V5 in his hand.
Without hesitating, he pulled off the needle cap, lined the needle up with a vein in his arm, and pushed it in steadily.
The deep blue liquid slowly entered his body.
The instant the serum hit his system, his whole body went rigid.
With no Superpowers left to cushion the impact, the rejection reaction from the V5 was especially violent.
Burning pain erupted from the injection site and raced through his veins, like someone had shoved a red-hot wire straight into his bloodstream.
His muscles spasmed uncontrollably, his teeth clenched hard enough to creak, veins bulged across his forehead, and cold sweat soaked through his back almost instantly.
Fortunately, the agony did not last long.
It was different from an ordinary person taking V5.
When Supes lost their Superpowers and then injected V5, they could regain their Superpowers with almost no risk.
Besides, Bombsight had already survived the V1 experiments. The pain back then had been hundreds of times worse than this.
Before long, Bombsight’s body slowly relaxed.
He drew in a deep breath, straightened up, and flexed his fingers.
That familiar power was back.
His sense of speed awakened again in his nerve endings, and the explosive force buried in his muscle memory once more filled his entire body.
He had regained his original Superpowers. The only thing missing was that near-cursed immortality.
He had become his old self again, but he was no longer the prisoner trapped by eternal life.
Bombsight could protect the Golden Geisha again.
Then he raised his head and looked at Benjamin.
"Ben, you really are one hell of a bastard, but I’ve gotta say it. Thanks for this."
Benjamin shrugged, his face slipping into an indifferent look.
"I just think you’re a fucking idiot. Trading a V1 that gives you immortality for a V5? No matter how you do the math, that’s a shit deal."
Bombsight laughed at that.
He knew Benjamin said it like that, but deep down, he probably did not really mean it.
That was just the kind of man he was.
He could never accept someone’s thanks like a normal person.
He had to say something nasty and ruin the mood before he felt comfortable.
"Say whatever you want, Ben."
Bombsight pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it over.
"I’m leaving. This is my number. Call me if you need anything."
Benjamin glanced down at the paper and frowned.
"Call you for what? I’m not into dudes, for fuck’s sake."
Yeah.
Soldier Boy had not changed at all.
Bombsight cursed inwardly.
A moment later, Benjamin took the paper and casually stuffed it into his pocket.
Bombsight watched him, the corner of his mouth curving slightly, but he said nothing.
The next second, his body turned into a blur, vanishing into the distance like a gust of wind before shooting up into the sky.
After Bombsight left, Benjamin turned his gaze to Mister Marathon.
"Mister Marathon, what do you think? Once you’ve got your shit together, come to Vought?"
Mister Marathon nodded. "Of course, sir. I’ll come to Vought tomorrow... no, I’ll come tonight, as soon as I’m ready."
Benjamin nodded, then climbed onto Rena’s back.
With Benjamin on her back, Rena quickly left Los Angeles and returned to Vought.
...
That night, Mister Marathon arrived as promised.
And Mister Marathon was stunned by what he saw.
In New York, the city that never sleeps, a massive LED screen in Times Square was looping footage of Mister Marathon in all his glory.
Fans lined both sides of the street, waving glow sticks. They were all fans who had once supported Mister Marathon, and their screams rose and fell in waves.
Mister Marathon.
This former member of The Seven, one of Vought Corporation’s veteran heroes, stood beneath the spotlight and froze for a long moment.
Soon, he flashed a bright, sunny smile. Although he was no longer an official member of The Seven, he still had the presence of an old-school hero, and his fan base remained huge.
On top of that, he was about to join the Speedsters. The Speedsters had already been warmed up in advance, with a status second only to The Seven. With his former identity as a member of The Seven, he would still draw plenty of attention.
Benjamin, or Soldier Boy, as Vought Corporation’s true man in power, had naturally shown up in person to back the event.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome... Mister Marathon!"
The host’s voice rang out.
Mister Marathon blurred onto the center of the stage.
The event went smoothly.
Mister Marathon struck a few of his signature poses, interacted with fans, took photos, and even put on a short high-speed running display.
Of course, he was nowhere near as fast as he had been in his prime.
But that was enough. Regular people could not tell the difference with the naked eye anyway.
It was enough to drive the crowd into a frenzy, and enough to send the topic straight to number one on the social media trending charts.
However, the real highlight of the event was not merely Mister Marathon’s return.
As the event neared its end, Benjamin stepped into the center of the stage.
He raised his hand, and the whole venue instantly went quiet.
"Today, we’re not only here to welcome back an old friend," Benjamin said in a low voice. "We’re also here to honor history."
As his words fell, the enormous curtain behind the stage slowly drew open.
Lights flared, illuminating a grand row of statues.
They were statues of every generation of The Seven, from the earliest founding members to the later replacements. Every single one was there.
The Lamplighter’s statue held a lamp, his face solemn. Mister Marathon’s statue was frozen mid-sprint, every muscle line filled with power.
There were also the heroes who had passed away or retired. Their statues stood there quietly, as if silently telling the story of Vought Corporation’s decades of glory.
And at the very center of all those statues, in the foremost position, stood the largest statue of all.
Soldier Boy.
The statue was nearly twice as tall as the others. Benjamin stood with his arms crossed, his shield hanging at his waist, his gaze looking down on the crowd with arrogant dominance, like a god of war.
On the base of the statue, a line of large golden letters was engraved:
"The First, and the Greatest."
Standing beneath his own statue, Benjamin nodded in satisfaction.
He had personally pushed for these statues to be rebuilt. From finding the right people to the design and construction, he had asked about every step himself.
The Lamplighter’s statue had also been placed in a very visible position.
Any Lamplighter who knew about this, or saw it with his own eyes, probably would never set himself on fire again for the rest of his life.
As for the other members of The Seven throughout history, every last one of them had a statue made, and all of them would eventually be placed inside Vought.
Benjamin had done this not only to keep former teammates from feeling abandoned, but also to show the public how Vought treated its veteran heroes.
Homelander stood in the crowd below the stage, watching everything unfold, though a trace of confusion was hidden deep in his eyes.
He did not understand why his father would go to so much effort to build statues for these washed-up old guys, especially Mister Marathon.
What was worth making such a big deal over a sprinter who could barely run anymore?
And those dead or retired ones. They had no value left, so why let them keep taking up the spotlight?
But Homelander did not say any of this out loud.
Although he did not really understand why his father was doing it, since it was his father’s decision, there was nothing Homelander could do about it.
The event finally ended amid the noise and flashing cameras. The fans reluctantly dispersed, the staff began cleaning up the venue, and the media broadcast trucks drove away one after another.
Mister Marathon’s eyes were red.
In his eyes, Soldier Boy was nothing short of a goddamn benefactor.
From now on, he would be Soldier Boy’s Deadpool!
No! That was way too disloyal!
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