American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

After changing into a new work uniform, the Lamplighter curiously examined his hands.

Looking at the flames leaping across his palms, he felt for the first time what true power meant. The immense energy capable of destroying everything was far stronger than anything he had ever experienced before.

Although he was somewhat displeased with Alex's decision to enhance his powers without his consent, the Lamplighter had to admit that this power had indeed been a great help.

He remembered a freshman at Godolkin University named 'Golden Boy,' who was hailed by the media and the school as the most likely to surpass the country's greatest heroes.

Regardless of how inflated these comments might be, the fact that so many people supported him and were willing to blow up his reputation at least suggested that his superpower was stronger than most.

Golden Boy's power, like his own now, involved erupting with intense flames. While he hadn't seen Golden Boy in person, the Lamplighter believed that Golden Boy's combat ability wasn't nearly as strong as his current form.

"Your abilities are much stronger than before, but you should note that while you're immune to fire, your clothes aren't made of fire-resistant material," Alex casually remarked.

The Lamplighter looked at his clothes and silently nodded. "I'll be careful, but I can't make any guarantees."

"I don't want to fight alongside someone whose clothes will explode the moment they go into battle. I'll try to get you a set of heat-resistant combat gear, but that stuff costs billions. It's a bit difficult to get my hands on it right away."

Right now, the Lamplighter was like a high-level human torch, but the problem was that Alex wasn't like Mr. Fantastic, who could find the right materials to make high-tech suits.

If Alex were to come down to this universe personally, it would be fine. He had plenty of advanced materials in his magical space, including Asgardian armor and Black Panther's vibranium suit that he could use freely.

If worse came to worst, Alex could even lend the Lamplighter the Human Torch's suit, since the Torch was already dead, and who else would use his clothes if not someone else?

But unfortunately, due to the peculiar nature of this universe, those items were hard to bring here. This made it difficult for Alex to come up with a good solution, so he had to search for materials in this universe instead.

"What should we do now?" The Lamplighter asked, looking at Alex.

"Try to back up the information here and get me some Compound V. This should be easy for you, right?" Alex thought for a moment before speaking.

"That's easy. I've been here for almost a month now, and the people here trust me. But there's one person you should be wary of," the Lamplighter replied.

"Who?" Alex looked up.

"Stormfront," the Lamplighter said seriously. "You've met her before—the woman I sent out. She's the head of this research facility, or you could say, she's the head of the entire Vought company."

"I remember her. She's the wife of Vought's founder and probably the first successful superhuman subject. During the war, Vought was originally a German powerhouse. When they realized defeat was inevitable, they switched sides to the U.S. and transformed into the company that created heroes," Alex mused, thinking back on the history of Stormfront and Vought.

"They helped the U.S. form the first superhero team, 'Payback,' with Soldier Boy, Mindstorm, The TNT Twins, Gunpowder, Crimson Countess, and Black Noir all being their creations."

The Lamplighter was stunned, surprised that Alex knew so many inside details. Some of this information even the Lamplighter wasn't sure about.

But upon thinking it over, it made sense. With all the powers Alex had, it wasn't surprising he would have access to such insider information.

After a pause, the Lamplighter nodded. "I've also done some digging on Stormfront. She was active under the name Liberty in the last century, around the same time as Soldier Boy. The two of them even formed a so-called 'Herogasm'."

"Ugh, don't remind me of that," Alex groaned, rubbing his forehead, feeling disgusted.

"Fine. At least from what I've gathered, Liberty was known for her physical strength back then and hadn't revealed her ability to control lightning, which was why she was considered a second- or third-tier hero," the Lamplighter continued.

Recalling his conversation with Stormfront earlier, he added, "But now, she's going by the name Stormfront and is preparing to join The Seven. I suspect she's planning to stop hiding her powers, or maybe she has some deeper conspiracy in mind."

Upon hearing this, Alex fell into thought.

He believed Stormfront was quite capable. Although she was a despicable person who deserved to die, she had a strong grasp on manipulating people's minds.

After joining The Seven, she had managed to surpass the popularity of the country's heroes in less than a week, becoming the most famous member of the group. She had stirred up public sentiment and even influenced the elections.

Such methods... Well, it's no surprise. After all, she was over a hundred years old.

After a pause, Alex narrowed his eyes.

"No matter what conspiracy she has, even if she's planning to tear open the sky, once she's dead, it won't matter."

Stormfront was a huge threat. Her influence over the country was even more severe than Madelyn's. After her death, the entire country had spiraled into madness, and its stability had crumbled.

If they wanted to sever this connection, they couldn't allow any contact between the two.

"You want to kill her?" The Lamplighter hadn't expected Alex's resolve to be so strong.

"It's you who needs to kill her," Alex corrected him. "I'll help you, but she must die by your hands. Afterward, I'll find you a place to lay low for a while."

"Alright." The Lamplighter licked his lips.

When he decided to stand with Alex, he was already prepared for the battle.

Opposing Vought had been unimaginable to him in the past, but now, after seeing how his variant lived in other universes, he had made up his mind.

Even if it was just a dream, it didn't matter. At least he fought for it.

At least now, he was living for himself.

Late at night, at the Port of New York.

The newly recruited Starlight was once again standing alongside The Deep. According to Vought's intelligence, criminals were about to appear here.

Feeling the evening breeze against her face, Starlight didn't hide her disgust for The Deep. She didn't even spare him a second glance.

The Deep noticed her expression and smiled, shaking his head.

"You're not still thinking about what happened before, are you? Please, that wasn't even a proper date. Besides, you said you admired me, so it was a perfectly normal thing."

"Shut up!" Starlight angrily turned her head. "You forced me into it, and I asked around—you're not even second-in-command, not even third! No one cares about you. You're just a useless man who can talk to fish."

The Deep's expression froze for a moment, a bit of awkwardness showing.

No one knew better than him the reality of his situation. The Seven had only allowed him to join because they wanted a "sea, land, and air" team.

There were many water-based superhumans, but none could breathe underwater like him and communicate with marine life, with surveillance spread across the ocean.

In a way, The Deep did play a role, but in reality, only The Deep knew that Vought valued him because of the traffic he brought. Compared to the powerful abilities of others, he was nothing.

"But I'm still your senior, aren't I?" The Deep said dryly.

"After this mission, I want you to tell Vought to disband our team. Otherwise, I'll burn your eyes out." Starlight glared at him, feeling disgusted. "God knows how I ever believed your lies!"

The Deep was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered, putting a smile back on his face.

"Time to act."

With that, The Deep leaped into the water, his form sinking smoothly with perfect grace, disappearing beneath the surface.

Seeing this, Starlight quickly snapped out of it. Hearing a sound behind her, she swiftly turned and released a burst of light from her palm, sending a criminal who had attempted to ambush her flying into the wall.

The criminal crashed heavily to the ground. Not bothering to check on him, Starlight activated her powers again. Instantly, the lights around her flickered rapidly, and her eyes glowed brightly.

Compared to Starlight, a superhuman, these ordinary criminals had no ability to resist. In just a few moves, she knocked them all unconscious.

A few criminals tried to escape but were stopped by The Deep, who had been waiting nearby. After a brief skirmish, they were all taken down.

As Starlight was preparing to continue the fight, a group of people carrying cameras rushed over.

Starlight's eyes flickered with panic and confusion as she recognized who they were—Vought's news team.

Leading them was Ashley, who quickly approached Starlight and whispered, "Smile for the camera, quick. Step on this guy's body and say, 'This feels great.'"

"What?" Starlight stood frozen, not understanding what was happening.

Behind her, The Deep had already grown accustomed to the situation. He even waved at the camera crew, cheerfully asking the photographers if they had captured his handsome dive into the water.

Starlight stared at this scene, feeling for the first time a sense of personal insult and defeat.

She had genuinely thought she was part of a real superhero mission, but she never expected that she was walking into a pre-arranged 'script.'

She wasn't surprised that the mission would make it to the morning news, but the question was, how many people knew that these so-called criminals were all actors?

Starlight didn't understand how many people had been deceived by Vought all this time, nor did she know how many were still in the dark.

All she knew was that the distance between her and the goal of becoming a true superhero had grown farther and farther away.

.....

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465. Butcher's Operation.

466. Stormfront's Attack!!

467. Storm and Tempest.

468. The Death of Stormfront!

469. The Collapse of the Tower!!