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Nearby, the two randomly found a relatively quiet bar and walked in.
As a public figure, Kevin generally wouldn't frequent such a common place. The bar he usually went to—or rather, the bar the former Kevin used to frequent—was specifically for supes.
It was under Vought International umbrella, highly confidential, and various superheroes would go there to unwind and have fun.
A-Train was a regular there, and The Deep would occasionally visit a few times, though not too often.
However, for a drink with Hughie, there was no need to go to that place.
Hughie was just an ordinary person, and Kevin didn't particularly like that place anymore, so choosing a bar nearby would suffice.
Upon entering the bar, Kevin disguised himself. Given his past experience of being recognized by Hughie, Kevin even wore sunglasses this time.
Hughie led him to a less conspicuous corner, ordered two drinks, and then began to thank Kevin:
"Thank you for saving me just now. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what would have happened to me."
"Although I wasn't exactly trying to save you... never mind, I'll accept your thanks."
Kevin accepted Hughie's thanks without hesitation.
Hughie gave an awkward laugh, unsure of what to say.
Kevin, however, changed the subject and asked:
"By the way, what were you doing there so late? Was your girlfriend's funeral over?"
"Just a little something... Wait, you remember me?"
Hughie answered subconsciously, then realized what Kevin had just said, his face filled with astonishment.
In Hughie's impression, he had only met Kevin once in Vought International elevator.
To Hughie, Kevin was a member of The Seven, a famous superhero and superstar. It was normal for him to remember and recognize Kevin.
But what about The Deep, a member of The Seven?
Hughie was just an ordinary person, not even a Vought International employee. How could The Deep, a superhero who saw ordinary people every day, possibly remember someone like Hughie?
Hughie thought this, and so, in their previous conversation, he hadn't mentioned that he had met The Deep before.
After all, the other person might have forgotten him. If he brought it up now and the other person truly couldn't remember, wouldn't that be awkward for both of them?
However, Hughie hadn't expected that The Deep actually remembered him.
Of course, I remember. You're the protagonist; it'd be strange if I didn't.
Kevin thought this, but his mouth offered a different explanation:
"Yes, the family member of the innocent bystander killed by A-Train. I remember it clearly."
As Kevin said this, he didn't know that Hughie felt a different kind of emotion upon hearing it.
After meeting Butcher, Hughie had seen the dark side of many of these superheroes, especially A-Train, whom he used to admire the most. Not only did A-Train run over and kill his girlfriend, but he also showed no remorse for it.
Initially, due to his admiration for A-Train, Hughie even tried to find excuses for him in his heart, thinking that A-Train had indeed killed his girlfriend to save the world.
He didn't need anything, just a sincere apology from A-Train, and Hughie would let the matter go.
But unfortunately, there was none.
Not only did A-Train show no remorse or apology for the incident, he even treated it as a joke to be told during casual conversations, sharing it as a funny story in a bar.
His girlfriend's life was just a joke in their mouths.
This made Hughie furious. In his anger, he agreed to Butcher's terms and personally went to The Seven's tower to install a bug.
He wanted revenge on these superheroes.
And then he met The Deep there.
To be honest, The Deep initially left a good impression on Hughie. The comfort he offered in the elevator didn't seem perfunctory.
But then, Translucent's tailing and almost being beaten to death by Translucent in the store made Hughie realize that these superheroes, every single one of them, were mostly jerks.
The Deep looked harmless, but who knew what he was like in secret?
Butcher said he even slept with fans...
Hughie had thought this, until their meeting today, when Hughie re-evaluated The Deep.
This superhero, also a member of The Seven, didn't seem as...jerky as A-Train and Translucent.
At least he remembered Hughie's poor girlfriend who was run over and killed.
The more he thought about it, the more complicated Hughie's feelings became. He looked at Kevin sitting opposite him, unsure of what to say.
Finally, Hughie simply picked up the drink on the table and downed it in one gulp.
"Hey, hey, are you alright?"
Seeing Hughie chug a drink with a not-so-low alcohol content, Kevin immediately asked in surprise.
He hadn't realized Hughie had such a good alcohol tolerance.
"I'm fine, thank you... thank you, thank you for saving me, and thank you for remembering..."
Hughie, having drunk, thanked Kevin with extreme sincerity.
"No need to thank me. You still haven't answered my previous question."
"What?"
"I said, what were you doing there so late?"
Kevin asked again. This was what puzzled him, as Hughie was never robbed at night in the original story.
"Uh..."
At the mention of it, Hughie opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.
He had originally gone out to buy late-night snacks for Frenchie and Translucent at the warehouse, but who knew he'd encounter two muggers on the way?
This area used to have pretty good public safety.
"I was actually just out buying something..."
Hughie was about to continue talking to Kevin, but suddenly, his phone on the table rang.
It was a call from Butcher.
Whoosh!
Seeing the name displayed on the phone, Hughie quickly and deftly put away his phone and changed his tune:
"I have something else to do..."
"Oh, I understand. You can go, but next time, be careful not to get robbed again."
"Okay... thank you!"
Hughie thanked Kevin once more and quickly left the bar.
Hughie left in a hurry, while Kevin sat in the bar, slowly drinking, not in a rush to leave.
Instead, he casually opened his skill tree to check it.
As expected, he had gained another skill point. He wasn't sure if it was because he changed Starlight's fate or because he met the protagonist, Hughie.
"Buying something?"
Recalling Hughie's answer just now, Kevin narrowed his eyes slightly.
If Hughie going out to buy something was something that happened but wasn't mentioned in the original plot, then why did he get robbed this time?
Kevin couldn't figure out why Hughie encountered something different from the original plot. Perhaps it was due to the butterfly effect after Kevin's arrival?
"Forget it, thinking too much gives me a headache. Time to go home and sleep."
Whether it was a butterfly effect or Hughie unintentionally provoked someone, the trouble was now resolved. Kevin felt it was more important to go home and rest early.
After all, he had to work tomorrow.
...
The next morning, Kevin arrived at the company to clock in as usual. As soon as he entered the meeting room, he saw Starlight sitting there with a displeased expression.
The girl had arrived even earlier than Kevin. Seeing Kevin approach, she immediately stood up and complained to him:
"Do you know what happened last night after you left?"
"Of course, I do."
Kevin pulled up a chair and sat down:
"A superhero's heroic act. I should have called the company. There shouldn't be any problem with this, right?"
"That's the biggest problem!"
Starlight slapped the table, looking very angry.
Kevin raised an eyebrow at her:
"What's wrong?"
"Ashley actually warned me not to do that again next time! Oh my god, I was saving someone! I thought I'd get praised, but instead, I got scolded? That's so unreasonable!"
Hearing Starlight say this, Kevin finally understood the reason for her anger.
Last night, after teaching the two thugs a lesson, Vought International's logistics team indeed arrived immediately.
They first stopped the girl who was about to leave, asking her to provide testimony, and then had the PR department temporarily release a media news report, pre-emptively reporting Starlight's heroic act at night.
However, this was considered temporary overtime, and Starlight wasn't even wearing her hero costume at the time, which led to her true identity being recognized, making the PR department scramble.
This made Ashley very angry.
She immediately gave Starlight a severe dressing down.
This was also the reason why Starlight was in a bad mood now.
...Because the later plot has been set, yesterday's chapter was only slightly modified and couldn't be largely changed.
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