Chapter 67 : Bluffing
"I need to know about Compound V," Hughie said.
The moment those words left his mouth, Ezekiel’s smile disappeared. His hand extended and closed around Hughie’s neck.
"Where the fuck did you hear that?"
Compound V was not something ordinary people were supposed to know about. The very mention of it immediately changed everything.
Hughie struggled to breathe, but he forced himself to remember Butcher’s advice. Never let the other side see panic. A strained smile appeared on his face.
"I... I have proof of your homosexual activities in the club," Hughie said between breaths. "If something happens to me, my friends will spread everything online.
Ezekiel’s expression hardened. "You’re bluffing."
"Then kill me and see what happens. If I disappear, you’ll be completely fucked."
For several long seconds, Ezekiel simply stared at him. Finally, he let go. Hughie immediately doubled over and coughed before taking several deep breaths.
Ezekiel grabbed the front of his collar. "You better not be bullshitting me."
Hughie steadied his breathing and looked directly at him. "Of course not. Just tell me where the Compound V goes, and you can forget this conversation ever happened."
Ezekiel narrowed his eyes. "And what if you’re lying?"
"Would I really walk up to you alone and bring up Compound V if I didn’t have insurance? If I was bluffing, I wouldn’t be standing here right now."
Ezekiel had no idea how Hughie knew about Compound V — who told him, how much he actually knew, or whether other people were involved.
What he did know was that killing him here would be a disaster. More than most people, Ezekiel understood how Vought operated.
The moment your public image collapsed, you became a liability. And Vought didn’t protect liabilities.
"You little fuck," Ezekiel said quietly. "You’re gonna regret this."
Hughie flinched but held his ground. "Then tell me the truth. What’s the connection between Samaritan’s Embrace and Compound V? Where does it go?"
Ezekiel glanced down the empty corridor before lowering his voice.
"You really don’t understand what you’re sticking your nose into. There are people behind this who make me look harmless — people with money, lawyers, politicians, and superheroes in their pockets."
"If they find out you’re asking questions about Compound V, they won’t care that you’re just some ordinary guy."
His expression remained tense.
"They’ll come after everyone around you. Your family, your friends, anybody they think matters to you. That’s how Vought deals with problems."
Hughie kept looking at him. "So Samaritan’s Embrace is involved."
Ezekiel immediately regretted saying even that much.
"Just stop digging. Take whatever you’ve got on me and walk away. Trust me, kid, there are things in this company far worse than a pastor trying to hide a scandal."
"Just tell me the location," Hughie said.
Ezekiel stared at him for several seconds. The anger was still there, but so was something else — not fear of Hughie himself, but fear of what would happen if this spiraled out of control.
Finally, he exhaled. "It goes to the neonatal ward at Cincinnati General Hospital. That’s all you’re getting from me."
Hughie’s eyes widened slightly. Ezekiel immediately stepped forward and jabbed a finger into his chest.
"And listen carefully. This is the only time I’m doing this. If you ever come back with the same bullshit again, I’ll fucking kill you."
The friendly pastor from the stage was completely gone. What remained was a frightened man protecting himself.
"That’s all I needed," Hughie said.
"Good. Now get the hell out of here before somebody sees us talking." Ezekiel pointed toward the exit.
Hughie didn’t argue. He turned around and walked away, resisting the urge to break into a run. Only after putting some distance between them did he allow himself to breathe properly.
***
"Well, it’s really nice to see you again, Homelander," Mark said, looking at the hero standing in front of him in one of the backstage areas of Believe Expo.
"Nice to see you too, Mark," Homelander replied with the same polished smile he always wore.
The presenters and photographers had already finished.
From Vought’s perspective, this was one of the best possible outcomes — the public loved seeing an independent hero getting along with the Seven, and every photograph helped strengthen that image.
Now that the cameras were gone, neither of them had much reason to keep pretending.
"Your fake smile is already disgusting," Mark said
Homelander’s expression barely changed. "As always, I don’t like you."
He wasn’t stupid. He realized that Mark could see right through the public act.
The usual charm, patriotic speeches, and carefully managed image simply didn’t work on him, and maintaining the performance in private served no purpose.
"Same feeling here," Mark answered.
At least on that point, both of them were completely honest.
"Seriously, it must be exhausting being the second strongest guy in every conversation involving me." Mark said.
"Bullshit. Do you want to try that?" A faint red glow began to appear in Homelander’s eyes.
Mark merely shrugged.
"Before that, you should deal with the Devil. He’s already beaten two members of the Seven. He’s been keeping a low profile lately, but you should handle him first before coming after me."
Without waiting for an answer, he turned around and walked away.
Homelander remained where he stood, jaw tightening. He hated the Devil. And somehow, he hated this guy just as much.
One was an enemy that challenged the authority of the Seven through force. The other looked him in the eyes, saw through every act, and treated him as nothing special.
To Homelander, both deserved exactly the same level of hatred.
A/N : There will be Minor crossover and the next world is Jujutsu Kaisen
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👉 /Mark841
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