Vought Super Energy Drink

If it were permanent enhancement, he really would not have dared sell it so freely.

What if he created a whole bunch of uncontrollable superhumans? What would happen to his position of dominance then?

But something temporary and limited like this... was the best means of control.

"Doctor, you're a genius." Wu Yanzu smiled in satisfaction.

"Ashley! For now, classify this as top secret. Only Vought's core special operations teams, and the future Seven and their reserves, may use it."

He could not help imagining it: a personal guard where every member could turn into the Hulk for ten minutes at a critical moment...

The image was simply beautiful.

"But, Anthony." Dr. Connor hesitated. "The Starr Group board... they've been asking what we're developing. The investment is too large. We need a product... something we can put on the market."

"A marketable product?"

Wu Yanzu smiled.

He placed the green vial of Temporary Compound Five back onto the tray.

"Doctor, dilute this another ten thousand times."

"What?" Connor froze. "Ten thousand times? Then it won't have any enhancing effect at all! At most... at most, it'll make people feel energized, like they've had a low-dose stimulant."

"That's enough."

Wu Yanzu turned around, the hem of his white lab coat cutting an arc through the air.

"What we're selling is a dream."

He snapped his fingers at Ashley.

"Ashley, take this down."

"Launch the Vought Super Energy Drink production plan."

"Formula: one-thousandth diluted T-Vex solution, plus plenty of sugar, caffeine, taurine, and most importantly—make it blue."

He turned back to Dr. Connor, who was staring in stunned silence, and Ashley, whose face was full of excitement.

"Expand the production lines. Within one month, I want this can of blue sugar water on the shelves of every 7-Eleven across the United States."

"The price... set it at ten times that of ordinary Vought energy drinks."

Ashley sucked in a sharp breath. "Ten times?! Will anyone buy it?"

"They'll fight to buy it."

Wu Yanzu confidently adjusted his collar.

"Because my face... will be printed on the bottle."

"And we're going to make a big move." Wu Yanzu's eyes flickered. "Hide a 'golden ticket' in every million bottles."

"A golden ticket?"

"That's right! Whoever gets one will earn a chance to tour Vought Headquarters, and might even... receive the right to experience a real dose of T-Vex!"

"Of course, we'll package it as a 'mystery grand prize.'"

Wu Yanzu smiled like a demon.

"Think about it, Ashley. How much sugar water will people all across the United States drink for one dose that can make them superhuman for ten minutes?"

Dollar signs had already appeared in Ashley's eyes.

"Sir... you really are... a business demon."

"No. I'm Homelander."

Wu Yanzu walked out of the laboratory, his shadow stretching long beneath the cold lights.

Winter always came suddenly in New York.

It was as though people had still been complaining about the bleak autumn wind last night, only to wake up to a city blanketed in snow.

Vought Headquarters, Advanced Training Center. The climate-control system kept the room at a precise 22 degrees Celsius.

Bang!

A dull impact of flesh against flesh echoed through the training room.

Jessica Jones flew backward once more, sliding five or six meters across the shock-absorbing floor before finally stopping against the guardrail.

Her white training uniform was soaked through with sweat, clinging tightly to her body and outlining the curves that rose and fell with her ragged breathing.

"Fuck!" Jessica lay spread-eagled on the floor, gulping for air as her chest heaved violently. "This isn't science! You're cheating!"

"This is physics, darling." Wu Yanzu stood at the center of the training ground, one hand behind his back while the other slowly drew in, ending in a closing stance. "The principle of leverage, plus a little... Eastern philosophy."

Wearing a loose black training uniform, he walked over slowly and held out a hand. "This is called Listening Jin, Queen. Your killing intent is too strong. Before your fist even arrives, your intention does. In Tai Chi, that's called 'pressing forward,' and it's a major taboo in combat."

"Fuck your Tai Chi." Jessica cursed, but the initial resistance had already vanished from her voice, replaced by a stubborn refusal to give in.

She stared at his hand for three seconds before reluctantly grabbing it. Wu Yanzu gave a gentle tug and pulled her to her feet.

"Training ends here for today." Azu tossed her a towel. "You're improving quickly. At least now, when you get thrown, you know to protect your face."

"Thanks for the compliment, asshole."

Over this period, although their twice-weekly special training sessions left her battered and disoriented every time, she could clearly feel her control over her strength undergoing a qualitative transformation.

Ding! Special Popularity Points gained +1000!

"Take a shower and change." He glanced at his watch. "There's a script meeting this afternoon, for your solo film."

"Can I skip it?" Jessica's face instantly fell. "I'd rather stay here and let you throw me around all afternoon."

"No." Azu gave her a capitalist's smile. "You're a queen. A queen needs her own biopic. It's business."

Vought Studios, conference room.

Ashley was pointing at the PowerPoint presentation on the projector screen, talking animatedly.

"...And that is our concept! Queen Jones: Manhattan Rose!" Ashley waved her pointer excitedly. "This is a feminist epic! We need romance! We need struggle! We need..."

"You need me to wear something that looks like a condom and cry in the rain?" Jessica slammed the draft script onto the table. "What the hell is this? 'Under the moonlight, she looks at her hands, mourning the curse of her strength, painfully breaking up with her true love'? Wow, thanks. I get to have true love too?"

"Viewers love this! Brokenness, redemption, unattainable love!" Ashley argued.

"That's bullshit." Wu Yanzu sat at the head of the table with his legs crossed, idly turning a bottle of blue Vought Energy Drink in his hand—this stuff had already become a massive hit, with convenience stores all over the United States running out of stock.

He spoke calmly, and the conference room instantly fell silent.

"We're not making a seven-thirty soap opera. Cut all that melodramatic emotional crap."

Wu Yanzu stood and walked behind Jessica, placing both hands on the back of her chair as he stared at the screenwriters.

"I want something hardcore. I want to hear bones breaking. I want to see her rolling in the mud, then getting back up and ripping out the villain's spine to use as a whip."

The screenwriters' eyes lit up.

"And," Azu added, "give me a scene. In her moment of despair, she gets a phone call... from me. At that moment, The Light shines in. Understand?"

"Understood! Mr. Starr! That's genius!" Ashley nodded frantically as she took notes.

Jessica rolled her eyes, but secretly let out a sigh of relief. At least she would not have to act out those disgusting romance scenes.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was December 24.

Christmas Eve in New York was cold, but boiling with excitement.

Every tree along Fifth Avenue was wrapped in colorful lights, while tourists packed beneath the enormous Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

And on the giant screens of Times Square, a countdown was underway.

Less than six hours remained until registration opened for Who Is the Next Superhero? auditions.

Wu Yanzu stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse, holding a glass of brandy as he looked down at the ant-like crowd below.

In his previous life, as someone from China, he had never felt any particular attachment to a foreign holiday like Christmas.

At most, he enjoyed watching the spectacle.

Ring, ring—

That number was calling. It was the phone Nick Fury had given him, and only a very small number of people knew its number.

Wu Yanzu glanced at the caller ID and raised an eyebrow.