"When you're a superhero, it's the opposite. Others only need suspicion, while you have to produce evidence to prove you're innocent. If you can't, then you're guilty."
A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Ron's mouth.
"Sometimes, being too powerful and making people uneasy is a crime in itself."
Starlight had not been a superhero for long, but Superman should have had plenty of experience with this sort of thing.
An alien who had worked tirelessly to protect Earth, fought his own kind for its sake, painfully killed his own people with his own hands, destroyed the hope of rebuilding Krypton, and saved the world more than once.
Yet he was still often suspected and guarded against. Some believed he was too powerful and that protecting Earth would hinder its development, so they tried to find ways to kill him. Others believed he might turn evil and threaten Earth, secretly preparing plans to deal with and kill him.
Kryptonite, Superman's weakness, had ended up everywhere. Any slightly capable villain or laboratory could pull out a couple of pieces.
Superman could have become a god among men with his abilities, yet weak ordinary people had left him in a miserable state, blamed by everyone, struggling without thanks.
"That's so unfair."
Starlight could not help complaining.
"It's almost time. Didn't Ashley tell you to go to Madelyn's office?"
"I'll go with you."
It was nearly ten o'clock. Ron smiled.
"Let's see what they have to say."
Madelyn's office.
Ron and Starlight walked in.
"Ron, why are you here?"
Madelyn, who had been sitting on the sofa, rose in surprise.
"Am I not welcome?"
"No. If you need anything, you can come to my office anytime."
Madelyn's gaze subtly moved between Ron and Starlight, who were standing close together. Her heart skipped a beat, but she smiled.
"Ms. Madelyn."
Starlight nodded, greeting her somewhat nervously.
"Please, sit."
Besides Ashley, there were several other people in the room.
They watched Ron and Starlight sit close together on one sofa.
This is bad!
Ashley, who was good at reading people, inwardly cried out in alarm. Her expression immediately turned awkward as she hurried over with a hint of ingratiation.
"Starlight, relax. You know, things have taken a turn. The girl you saved saw the video online and came forward to testify for you, describing exactly what happened."
There was no trace of the furious woman from that morning who had cursed at and berated Starlight. Her attitude had changed completely.
"What?"
Starlight, unsettled by Ashley's attitude, froze for a moment. Then she realized what Ashley meant and asked in disbelief.
"You mean... this has been resolved?"
She had been prepared to be scolded or even fired.
"Yes. Your popularity has surged, and you've gained a large number of female fans. They feel that you make them feel safe."
Madelyn spoke.
"That's wonderful."
Starlight was overjoyed.
"Hello, Starlight. We're from the marketing department. We have a few ideas. We believe that perhaps both the company and you can gain more from the attention this incident has brought."
At that moment, several people from marketing eagerly followed their prepared routine and spoke excitedly.
"We believe you should seize this opportunity, appeal to your current female fan base, change your image, and display even greater female empowerment."
"What do you mean?" Starlight asked in confusion.
Ron's gaze turned cold. Vought's understanding of female empowerment was quite different from that of normal people.
Ashley's face stiffened slightly. She secretly looked to Madelyn for instruction, but before Madelyn could say anything—
"Ta-da!"
One of the three people pulled the yellow cloth off a mannequin that had been covered in the room, revealing a revealing new costume that was practically a one-piece bikini.
Its colors and style made it obvious that it had been prepared for Starlight.
"Oh, I won't wear that."
Seeing the costume, Starlight felt humiliated. Her reaction was intense, and her tone was firm.
"Why not? It's so beautiful!"
The three people from marketing stared at her in shock and questioned her, still wanting to persuade her.
"Look at it. In two days, it'll be the day of A-Train and Shockwave's race of the century. Imagine appearing in the stadium wearing this. You'll definitely become the center of everyone's attention."
Ron let out a mocking laugh.
Yes, how could she not be the center of attention?
Anyone who wore a one-piece bikini as everyday clothing and appeared in public would absolutely draw attention.
Only because the organizations in this world were not strong enough had Vought not learned what it meant for one punch to split the heavens.
"Ron..."
Frowning, Starlight looked at Ron for help.
She was smart. Vice President Madelyn and Ashley must have approved this decision beforehand, or they would not have presented it to her. She alone probably could not change the decision regarding her new costume.
"Damn it..."
Looking at the three people who still had no idea what was happening, Madelyn covered her forehead. She had not expected things to develop this way, and she had a bad feeling.
Ashley looked frightened and even felt the urge to hide.
"I think it looks pretty good."
Ron slowly smiled.
Starlight was stunned and urgently wanted to say something.
He gave her a slight look, signaling for her not to worry yet.
"Really?"
The three people from marketing were excited.
"I told you this costume was bold and courageous." One of them, a middle-aged female designer with large square-framed glasses, adjusted her glasses proudly. She had designed Homelander's costume.
"Do you have extra costumes?"
"Yes, of course. We made several in advance in case one was damaged and needed replacing."
"Bring them out for me to see."
The three of them brought out several identical new costumes.
"Not bad, not bad."
He stroked his chin as if admiring them, then leaned back and ordered, "Put them on and let me see."
"Ms. Starlight..."
The three people from marketing happily looked at Starlight while holding the costumes.
"No, I mean you put them on and let me see."
A voice laced with coldness interrupted them. Ron's expression was blank.
"Us?"
The three people from marketing froze, pointing at themselves as they stood there in bewilderment. They looked at one another, wondering if they had heard wrong.
There were two men and one woman among them: a skinny Mexican man, a burly Black man, and a middle-aged woman with sagging skin.
"Yes, you."
"Mr. Ron, we..."
The three of them resisted and hesitated.
"Ron..."
Madelyn opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
"I said—put them on and let me see. Don't make me say it a third time!"
Ron gave her no face at all. Terrifying crimson light gleamed in his indifferent eyes. His voice was like a freezing wind blowing from the Arctic, sending chills down everyone's spine as he slowly spoke.
"Unless you never want to hesitate over what to wear again!"
Humans were social animals. No one had never hesitated over what to wear in front of others, unless they were dead.
For a moment, the air in the room seemed frozen, filled with a terrifying, shudder-inducing pressure.
Madelyn closed her mouth. Ashley was so frightened that she barely dared breathe.
"O-okay, okay, we'll wear them!"
Under the terrible threat, the three turned pale and went into the room. Before long, they emerged in the new one-piece bikini-style costumes, not knowing where to put their hands or feet as they shuffled out step by step.
The scene was ridiculous, yet almost unbearable to look at.
"What?"
"You don't seem to like the costume all that much either."
Ron watched them with a mocking smile.
The three of them flushed red, wishing they could crawl into a crack in the floor. None of them dared say a word.
"That's enough, Ron."
Starlight felt that this was not quite right, though for some reason she also felt a sense of satisfaction. She gently tugged Ron's arm.
Ron waved a hand, telling them to leave.
The three of them fled as if granted amnesty, leaving in disgrace without daring to raise their heads.
Ron glanced at the panel.
Ability Points: 100,200
It had increased by several thousand again, surpassing one hundred thousand.
His Ability Points had increased once before. Ron guessed it was because he had sent Translucent to the hospital, saving his life and preventing him from discovering the bug and following the original plot to find Hughie and The Butcher, where he would have died.
This time, he had not only changed Starlight's new costume. More importantly, he had let Madelyn see the relationship between them. All of Starlight's difficult circumstances at Vought would disappear as a result, and she would directly gain the greatest freedom beneath only him and Homelander.
After the matter was over, Ashley found Starlight. In a low and awkwardly fawning voice, she repeatedly apologized for her rude scolding that morning, hoping Starlight would not take it to heart.
Starlight felt even better, and she was touched by Ron's actions in protecting her and standing up for her.
That night, Starlight was unusually proactive.
Two days later, Vought's heavily promoted race of the century between A-Train and Shockwave arrived.
In a massive New York stadium capable of holding over a hundred thousand people, the crowd was immense. Every seat was filled, and the place buzzed with noise and excitement.
The two would compete to determine who was truly the fastest man in the world, making the event immensely significant.
At the highest viewing platform.
"Dark Star, look over here!"
"Black Noir!"
"Queen Maeve and Starlight, we support you!"
The Seven appeared with Ron and the other three, drawing enormous cheers.
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