What, You're Just Leaving?

The Seven conference room.

"Hi, Dark Star.

How did your first day with the company feel?

Did you run into any trouble?"

In the conference room, Ashley, the PR director and assistant to The Seven, saw Ron enter. Beaming obsequiously, she hurried over and reached out, wanting to shake his hand.

Ron remained expressionless and ignored her as he walked past. He glanced at Starlight and took a seat.

Ashley, The Seven's assistant, looked nothing like her pleasant-sounding name suggested. She was snobbish, timid, bullied the weak and feared the strong, and slept around.

He had no desire for any physical contact with someone like that.

Sitting nearby, Starlight quietly felt envious.

When she had arrived at the conference room, Ashley had only exchanged a few casual words with her. She had been nowhere near as enthusiastic as she was with Ron.

"You two will be carrying out your first operation tomorrow night."

The ignored Ashley coughed awkwardly twice and pretended nothing had happened. Although Ron had only recently joined the company, his status was special. Vice President Madelyn had specifically instructed her about him.

"The company has sent me and some colleagues to explain the matters you need to pay attention to..."

Queen Maeve and Black Noir were already familiar with this sort of thing. Ron and Starlight were different; the two newcomers needed training in advance.

"That's great..."

Although Ron treating her like a stranger had hurt and angered her, the thought of her first operation after joining The Seven filled Starlight with surprise and excitement.

"Vought's operations are different from what you imagine."

Ron folded his arms and spoke coldly.

Soon, this girl from a small Iowa town would no longer be so naive. She would see a corner of Vought's darkness.

"What do you mean?"

Starlight asked in confusion, but received no answer.

Ashley led in people from the Crime Analysis Department and began explaining the next night's events.

More than ten minutes passed. As Starlight listened, she gradually became confused and lost.

The company had designed an operation route for each of them, with veteran members leading them in fighting crime.

According to the company's intelligence, crimes were highly likely to occur at several points along the routes. By the time they finished walking them, they would definitely encounter opportunities to "show off their skills."

"Sorry to interrupt, but is this intelligence accurate?"

After hesitating, she could not help asking.

"Our department specializes in satellite data. Combined with several information sources, we compile and verify everything. According to our analysis, there is over a ninety percent chance that crimes will occur at the several locations you'll pass tomorrow night."

The Crime Analysis Department employee spoke confidently, then added disdainfully.

"Even the New York police don't have intelligence as good as ours."

"Why... don't we inform the police and work together? If several cases happen at once... we might not make it in time."

Having received a definite answer, Starlight asked hesitantly.

"Starlight, don't you understand that superheroes and the police are competitors?"

Ashley exchanged a glance with the employee, as if she had heard some hilarious joke, and mocked her.

"Do you want the police to outshine you during your first publicity appearance?

The police deploy a huge number of officers that night and stop several crimes at once, while you and Dark Star each only solve one?"

"Come on, the public will think you're not even as good as the police. Why would they like you?"

After saying that, she left the operation routes behind and departed with the employee. Before leaving, seeing how naive Starlight was, she sternly instructed her.

"Starlight, this is the company's order, not a discussion. It must be carried out this way tomorrow night."

Only Ron and Starlight remained in the conference room.

Starlight sat in her chair, alone in her confusion. But wasn't this treating ordinary people's lives like a joke?

Weren't the duties of superheroes and police alike to protect citizens?

Why were two sides that could clearly cooperate regarded as competitors?

"This is what Vought's superheroes are like."

Ron stood up and sneered. He called to the bewildered Starlight as he walked toward the door, signaling for her to follow him somewhere.

"Come with me. I'll take you somewhere."

"Where? A hotel or motel?

Or your house?"

In a foul mood, Starlight raised her head. Remembering yesterday's events, she could not help growing angry.

She thought Ron wanted to change locations and "use the same trick again."

"A place where you can see what many Vought superheroes are really like in private."

Leaving those words behind, Ron walked away without caring whether she followed.

He believed Starlight, who had just glimpsed a corner of Vought's darkness and realized something was wrong, would not refuse to follow.

"What superheroes are really like in private?

Wait for me."

Thinking of Deep and Maeve being different from their television image, Starlight hesitated for only two seconds before quickly catching up.

"Where are we going?"

That night, before a deserted alley stood a tightly shut iron door.

"Go knock on it."

Ron gestured.

He had brought Starlight to a private club that Vought International secretly arranged specifically for superheroes' private indulgences, intending to shatter her naive fantasies.

"What is this place?

Why aren't we going in through the front entrance?"

She looked around. Faint music could be heard from inside. It looked like the back entrance to a nightclub or bar. Changed into casual clothes, Starlight had tied up her loose golden hair, making her look much prettier. She stepped forward and knocked on the iron door, turning back to ask strangely.

"This club is only open to a very small number of people. It has no sign, no front entrance, and no windows."

"Why?"

"Because everything inside has to stay hidden from the light."

Someone inside opened the peephole. Seeing Ron's face and comparing it with the file, they hurriedly opened the iron door and welcomed Ron and Starlight inside like honored guests.

"Welcome, Mr. Dark Star."

Starlight followed the expressionless Ron inside stiffly.

More than ten minutes later.

"Superheroes? These are the superheroes I've admired for over twenty years?"

The scene shifted back to the alley. Starlight walked out with vacant eyes, as though sleepwalking, muttering to herself.

She looked as if she had been completely broken, her worldview thoroughly overturned.

Ron had simply taken her around the club once. He had done nothing else, yet that alone had shattered her twenty-plus years of admiration and longing for superheroes.

Inside, she had seen many familiar superheroes: Termite, Ghost, Captain Parallel... even Ezekiel, the superhero whom devout believers revered as their representative.

But they were completely different from how they appeared under the spotlights and on television.

They had women on both arms and in their embraces.

Everything inside had no limits. It was filthy and vulgar beyond human imagination. Everyone snorted "white powder" and partied freely without any concealment, making her sick.

"In some respects, superpowers let them perform to their fullest."

After leaving the nightclub and breathing in fresh air, Ron, who was also visiting this place for the first time, looked back and could not help commenting.

"In a sense, these people are talents too."

As he spoke, he glanced at the nearly ten thousand additional Ability Points and prepared to leave.

"Yesterday, you shattered my fantasies about you. Today, you shattered my fantasies about every superhero in the world too."

Leaning against the wall and recalling the scenes inside, all that disgusting filth, Starlight wanted to vomit but could not. Her face was pale.

"You're just leaving?"

"What else would I do?"