The Superhero Idol Project

On the eighty-second floor of Vought Company, where the board members had their offices...

A man stood with his hands behind his back, facing the building's glass windows as he quietly looked down at the ground, enjoying the feeling of standing high in the air, at the peak of power, looking down on all the people below.

"Mr. Edgar..."

Just as the man was enjoying his power, a tall, rather elderly woman pushed open the door and walked in.

"Starlight..."

"I need an explanation. That man named Jupiter Grayson isn't in our records of Compound V use!"

"That means that despite my repeated warnings to keep an eye on Compound V, large quantities of it have still leaked out of our company!"

The man kept his hands behind his back when he heard the voice behind him. He didn't even look at the woman, but his hoarse voice seemed to lower the temperature of the entire office by several degrees.

In his eyes, all Metahumans in the world had been created with Compound V. If someone appeared without being on record, that could only mean they had stolen Compound V from the company! Or perhaps someone was secretly trading the company's Compound V with others...

"Mr. Edgar, this was an accident. We've always maintained strict control over Compound V. No one outside a specific group of people could possibly get their hands on it. That means Mr. Jupiter must have some connection to one of our designated experimental groups. Or perhaps Mr. Jupiter changed his name, and we failed to update our records in time..."

Starlight's forehead was beaded with sweat. She kept trying to explain Jupiter's situation to the man before her. No matter what, she couldn't let Edgar become disappointed in her, much less question her competence!

"That doesn't matter. I absolutely will not allow this situation to happen again..."

Edgar struck the table beside him hard, expressing his irritation.

"I understand. It won't happen again."

Starlight immediately nodded, showing that she understood what Edgar meant and swearing that it wouldn't happen again.

"Good..."

"Tell me about Jupiter's commercial value!"

"That bastard killed one of my cash cows the moment he showed up. If he can't generate enormous commercial value, just like his name suggests, I won't let him get away with it."

Edgar was furious. This was the first time someone had dared to kill a person in his building—and the victim had been one of the most profitable superheroes under his control. If he couldn't make more money from Jupiter, then he'd lose out on the deal. He absolutely wouldn't allow himself to lose money!

"He's perfect in every way! His looks, his abilities, and his remarkable bearing. Most importantly, his bloodline!"

"We can even use him to make more money!"

"Our next movie won't just smash box-office records in the Free Nation. It'll also break records on the distant other side of the world, the second-largest box-office market globally!"

"Then I can make twice as much money! Please let me repeat that: twice as much!"

Starlight looked at Edgar excitedly. She glanced at the figures in her hands and eagerly explained.

"Fuck! That's the best news I've heard in years. Clean up the Invisible Man's body, then hold a retirement party for him. Make it look good~"

Once Edgar had confirmed Jupiter's commercial value, his mood immediately improved. As for the cash cow he'd mentioned—the Invisible Man, who'd been reduced to mush and could no longer make money—he could be thrown down a sewer.

"Of course, Mr. Edgar..."

"By the way, Mr. Edgar, there's also a little problem with Mr. Jupiter's identity."

Starlight suddenly remembered something and asked him about it.

"Then take care of it. Remember, I want to see a perfect Jupiter!"

Edgar didn't care what exactly was wrong with Jupiter's identity. He only needed to know whether the problems could be cleaned up. After all, a product had to be given the best possible packaging. Not the slightest flaw could be allowed!

"No problem! I'll make Jupiter as perfect as possible."

"Then I won't keep bothering you, Mr. Edgar..."

Starlight smiled faintly and left the office.

"Hmph~"

After Starlight left, Edgar hummed a little tune in his office. All he could see was money.

"Move faster!"

"Here, and here! Make sure you scrub them thoroughly!"

In the Seven's lounge, cleaning staff briskly wiped the bloodstains from the floor. Their eyes were lifeless. They were like machines working for Vought Company: Vought told them what to do, and they did it without question.

"Congratulations, Mr. Jupiter. Starting today, you're a member of The Seven~"

Ashley had finally recovered from the brutality with which Jupiter had dealt with the Invisible Man. She forced a smile as she looked at him.

"Mm..."

Jupiter sat in Homelander's seat, seemingly lost in thought. When he heard Ashley, he merely gave a slight nod to show that he'd heard her.

"You don't seem happy?"

Ashley looked at Jupiter cautiously and asked.

"This isn't something worth being happy about. It was inevitable."

Jupiter answered without a moment's hesitation.

"Uh..."

Ashley fell silent, unsure what to say.

"Well, Mr. Jupiter, we'll have the other five members of The Seven meet you in a little while. As for Starlight, she's still on her way here. Tomorrow, after her welcome event, we'll arrange for you to meet her."

Ashley faced Jupiter and spoke with a smile.

"Oh!"

Jupiter's response was still cool and casual.

"Then I'll head downstairs..."

Ashley was annoyed by Jupiter's indifferent attitude. She'd wanted to remind him to get out of the seat he was sitting in, since it belonged to Homelander, but now she couldn't be bothered. Maybe it'd be good to let this arrogant, conceited guy learn the hard way...

"Superhero idol project."

"Turn superheroes into perfect idol superstars."

"Superstar idols run for president of the Free Nation... Isn't that freedom?"

Jupiter kept thinking. He felt he could treat everything in this world as an experiment. If his plan succeeded here, he could replicate everything in this world in his own original world.

"I wonder what my approval rating would be if I ran for president of the Free Nation and my plan went smoothly!?"

Jupiter stood up with his hands behind his back and gazed out at the traffic passing by as he pondered. If his plan succeeded here, he could recreate it all in his original world. He could turn his father, Nolan, into the perfect heartthrob, then build up overwhelming support for him and make him president of the Free Nation in the original world.

A world where he didn't hurt Deborah and kept Blue Star perfectly under control—wouldn't that be wonderful?!

As for how chaotic The Boys' world might become because of Jupiter's sudden idea?

Fuck, what did he care...