"Grab him."
After Edgar's words fell, the conference room stayed silent for three whole seconds.
New Black Noir walked wordlessly to the empty seat at the far end of the conference table, pulled out the chair, and sat down. His movements were smooth, but carried a deliberately rehearsed sense of propriety, utterly unlike the original ninja.
Lucian withdrew his gaze from him and returned it to the young Asian man's face on the screen.
Everyone looked at Edgar, or rather, waited for Homelander to speak.
Amid that frozen atmosphere, Lucian suddenly spoke.
"Even though I just joined," Lucian said, leaning back in his chair, "I have to say, going by the usual arrangements for staging superhero shows, shouldn't you get us a directing team first?"
With that, he winked at Edgar.
His expression was a little playful, but everyone could hear the barb in his words.
Edgar looked at him expressionlessly and did not respond right away.
Hearing Lucian's sly mockery, Annie felt her tension instantly evaporate. Although she didn't know why he was taking a jab at Edgar, she had long been dissatisfied with the company and immediately followed his lead.
"I think Lucian has a point." She folded her hands on the table. "The company always used to tell us to mind our personal image and the company's image. Is this really the right time to act?"
She paused and glanced at the photograph on the screen.
"A lot of people out there still haven't processed the fact that the superheroes they looked up to got their powers from injections, that they weren't some chosen ones. Would sending everyone out at a time like this really look good? What would people think? They'll just think Vought is diverting attention, using a lousy performance to cover up the truth