"Understood." Ashley quickly worked on her tablet. "Charm first, looks second, abilities don't matter."
"Have the semifinal rules been finalized?" Wu Yanzu asked.
"They have. All voting will be online, under real names, with three votes per person." Ashley smiled like a capitalist. "We're also launching Hero Support Cards. For $998, a contestant's portrait can be displayed on the big screen in Times Square for ten seconds."
"Not enough. Add a Fan Support Pack too. For example, Vought Energy Light Signs—$10 each, adding 10 exposure points. Homelander Rockets—$1,000 each, adding 1,000 exposure points, and your name will scroll above the contestant's video. Expand on that idea!"
"...You truly are a genius, sir." Ashley praised him sincerely.
"Oh, right." Wu Yanzu suddenly sat up straight. "Did that silver-haired kid and that red-clothed lunatic make it into the semifinals?"
"You mean Pietro Maximoff and Wade Wilson?" Ashley nodded. "They did. Pietro is very popular. His bad-boy persona is a huge hit, and he really is fast. The visual impact is explosive!"
"As for Wade..." Ashley's expression turned somewhat strange. "You should probably see for yourself..."
A video window appeared on the screen.
A guy wearing a crude mask and a cheap red-and-black hooded sweatshirt was filming himself while sitting on a toilet.
"Hey! I'm Wade! Wade Wilson! But I prefer calling myself 'Badass Hero,' because I'm seriously fucking awesome!"
The Wade Wilson in the video held a katana and made indescribable motions at the camera.
Ashley looked embarrassed. "Well... he's a little crazy, but he's extremely popular online. People think he's... obnoxious, but they like obnoxious..."
Wu Yanzu watched Deadpool act like an idiot on the screen, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Let him into the semifinals. As long as the audience wants to watch him, he has value!"
"Yes,