It was still the same luxurious detached villa.
In the study.
Stan Edgar had just finalized with his daughter Neuman the arrangements for lobbying Congress over legislation related to Vought International when the landline on his desk suddenly rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, told his daughter, "Godolkin University," then casually picked up.
"Dean Shetty."
"Mr. Edgar, I'm sorry to bother you. I'm calling about the latest experimental report from The Woods and the progress of the project going forward."
Stan nodded slightly and said evenly, "I'm listening, Dean."
Indira Shetty's composed voice came through the receiver. "Over the past half month, Professor Cardosa and I have completed the third round of live trials for the supe-suppressing toxin. The results show..."
Dean Shetty's report was detailed, but the call—which shouldn't have gone directly to Stan Edgar in the first place—had only two main requests.
First, she wanted additional funding for research and development. Her normal application had been held up internally, so she hoped the CEO would step in to resolve the issue.
Second, she wanted more samples of the original virus, to supplement those sent from Sage Grove Psychiatric Hospital.
Finally, Dean Shetty stressed, "Sir, developing a new suppressive virus that only weakens superpowers, allowing supes to be restrained and controlled, requires an ample supply of raw materials."
"I hope you'll hand over the entire source of the original virus samples to me!"
After listening to the whole call, Stan Edgar fell silent for a moment.
With Homelander showing ever more signs of losing control, he had indeed once hoped to develop a virus capable of suppressing supes' powers.
But it had ultimately been nothing more than a contingency plan he'd casually put in motion—a backup option to keep in reserve.
So, ever since the project had been approved, he'd never looked into it closely or given it much thought. He'd simply let The Woods proceed as planned.
Who would have thought that his unintentional effort would bear fruit, and the lab would be on the verge of a breakthrough?
This... should have been something to celebrate.
But the source of those virus samples...
Edgar's voice held a hint of bitterness. "Dean Shetty, I can't give you the source of the original virus samples. I'll have someone pack up every remaining sample of the original virus at the Sage Grove lab and send them all to you immediately."
"As for the funding, you don't need to worry. I'll take care of it."
With that, he hung up.
Stan Edgar lowered his eyes, feeling a weight of unease in his heart.
Across the desk, Neuman asked softly, "Father, is something wrong? If you need me, I can take care of it for you."
Edgar shook his head, his voice tinged with helplessness at the unexpected turn of events. "You never know what life will bring."
"I just got word that the three hypnotized supes Stormfront took away have all been killed by Maeve and Billy's group."
He sighed, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes. "I should have thought of it sooner. That supe's power was a virus that suppresses supes, but I treated him as nothing more than a disposable pawn."
"His value..."
Ring, ring—
Before he could finish, the phone on his desk rang again.
The caller ID showed a number he didn't recognize.
"This is Stan Edgar. Who is this? How did you get this number?"
A woman's voice quickly came from the other end of the line. Neuman, who was also in the study, could clearly hear that the caller was a woman.
Her father listened quietly for a while, then seemed to agree to some secret deal.
Then, after giving the caller a very vague address, he said, "Since you're looking for a solution, then as far as I know, he's being kept here."
"Yes, there's no need to be surprised, Ms. Becca."
Stan Edgar chuckled. "I can guarantee you'll rescue a Soldier Boy who's been 'alive' even after the Russians studied him for decades!"
"And he'll definitely make Homelander afraid!"
The call ended again.
Edgar stared at the silent phone for a moment, then suddenly felt his spirits lift.
Neuman, however, was confused. "Father?"
"Ha, it's nothing."
Edgar said it was nothing, but he couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud.
He even laughed so hard he doubled over, not caring at all about his dignity.
After laughing for a while, he finally managed to regain control of himself.
Then he looked at his daughter and suddenly asked, "Neuman, a person's love can be divided, right?"
Before she could answer, he supplied the answer himself. "Like how, ever since you had a daughter of your own, the love you have for me has inevitably diminished."
"Father, I..."
"No need to explain. I understand."
Edgar nodded at his daughter, then looked away from her and turned to gaze out the window.
At the same time, he told himself, Since I don't have the beast's leash in my hands, I'll find another one.
Vought Tower, Ryan's private suite.
Homelander had wanted his son to share a room with him, but Ryan had politely declined, saying, "Dad should have a private life of his own, too."
So Black Noir, who had originally been staying next door to Homelander, had made room for him.
After returning from a cozy family dinner for four, Homelander found himself in a foul mood again. With his emotions having been manipulated lately, the volume of his "heroic rescues" had plummeted, and public support was about to drop by a full percentage point.
But today, in a better mood than ever before, he planned to make another public appearance that night.
"...Vought Studios' annual blockbuster has officially begun production, and the buzz keeps building. Our station has learned that the star of this film is none other than Homelander..."
The evening news was once again reporting on the day's opening ceremony.
Onscreen, Maeve was leading him down the red carpet. Ryan watched for only a moment before his thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
As he focused his mind on the system, he couldn't help but marvel.
Wasn't this exactly what you'd expect from the Best Actor System?
Now that the movie was officially in production, and they'd only filmed the first scene today, he'd already gotten this many experience points?
[On-location filming, daily experience settlement: 4100]
"Four thousand one hundred! There's no way I'll get this much every day, right?"
Ryan was surprised that one scene had given him enough points to unlock a level-one skill, with some to spare, but he figured he couldn't possibly get this much every day.
Otherwise, he wouldn't need to do anything else.
He could just take his time filming this one movie and keep at it until he became a Superman.
"I'm the lead, but not every scene will be like today's, a major solo scene."
"But whether I get a lot or a little, as long as I'm making a movie and acting properly in front of the camera, my performance experience will never be lower than what I get from my everyday act!"
Ryan was certain of that, and it was easy enough to test.
Even with Vought International's ability to mobilize resources and personnel, it would still take two or three months to finish an entire film.
Over that long a period—close to sixty to ninety days—he could easily earn the 200,000 experience points needed to bring Steel Body to level five.
"Wait, today's scene wasn't even one of the major ones."
"Maybe the scenes after Homelander joins the cast will earn even more experience."
"By the time the entire film wraps, I'll have earned enough performance experience to easily max out Steel Body, and I'll be able to level up my other skills a bit, too."
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