President’s Office The blinds in the office are drawn tightly.
Stan Edgar stood behind the huge desk, looking at the company's financial and asset report that had just been sorted out in his hand.
"All the hush money for the sewer rat mutation incident has been paid out. We have also silenced the tabloids that took blurry pictures of the incident through acquisitions."
Madelyn stood in front of the desk and reported his work skillfully, "However, President, with the destruction of Payback Team and the retirement of several veteran heroes of the company during this period, we now have very few cards in our hands. Branches across the country are complaining that there are not enough heroes to deal with the street crimes that need to be exposed."
Edgar put down the report, crossed his hands on his chin, and his eyes were as cold as a piece of ice.
This is also his biggest headache now.
The bonus period of the early 1980s when Payback was domineering has completely passed.
Now Vought International is in an awkward window period. The old heroes have been eliminated, but the new ace is tightly held by Lynn.
In the crisis in the sewer yesterday, John solved everything in just ten seconds, and by the way, he also gained the fanatical admiration of all New York.
But those ten seconds made Edgar realize one thing deeply.
John is too strong, strong enough to ignore all the rules set by Vought International.
And this invincible boy only listens to Lynn.
"Lynn protected those children so hard."
Edgar's voice was low, as if talking to himself, or giving new instructions to Madelyn,
"We need a new team, a team that is completely controlled by the company, does not need to look at Lynn's face, and can support Vought's stock price on the bright side."
Madelyn was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly spoke, "But President, the talents of those children in Vanguard Camp cannot be copied. Most of the adult Superpower ers we are looking for outside are just street gangsters with weak abilities and bad conduct. Packing them into a top team is too risky."
"No matter how great the risk is, we must do it."
Edgar raised his head and stared at Madelyn sharply, "Send out all the people from the Public Relations Department and Talent Scouting Department. Go to orphanages, juvenile detention centers, and even underground black boxing rings across the country. As long as they have been injected with Compound V and have some respectable abilities, no matter what they did before, bring them all back to the headquarters."
Edgar straightened the collar of his suit, his tone unquestionable.
"Since Lynn wants to be Long Island's nanny, let him be. We need to create a the Seven prototype that belongs to the company before John reaches adulthood. Remember, the first requirement of this team is not strength, but absolute obedience."
Madelyn felt a layer of cold sweat break out on her back, she immediately bowed her head and quickly exited the office.
She knew that Edgar was preparing for the worst that might happen in the future.
Capitalists will never put all their eggs in one basket, let alone that basket that is still being held by someone else.
Long Island In the early autumn afternoon, the sunshine became soft and lazy.
Lynn moved a wicker chair and sat in the corridor of Backyard, holding a copy of today's morning paper in his hand and flipping through it casually.
The breeze blew through Lawn, bringing a fresh earthy smell.
Reggie was tired from running and was lying sprawled on the grass to catch his breath.
Annie finished painting and was dozing off on Buddy's furry belly.
John walked quietly behind the pillar in the corridor and raised Polaroid in his hand.
In the camera, Lynn is looking down at the newspaper. The sunlight shines on his shoulders through the gaps in the eaves, outlining a warm outline.
The background is green Lawn and sleeping Annie.
John took a deep breath and gently pressed the shutter button with his finger.
Click.
The white photo paper was slowly spit out.
John did not go over to disturb Lynn. He took the photo paper and walked to the steps in the corner of the yard and sat down.
He stared blankly at the gradually developing photo.
Manhattan, Vought Tower Thirty floors underground.
On both sides of the long corridor are spacious rooms that have just been renovated.
Madelyn was wearing high heels and looking at the scene in the room with a frown through the one-way glass.
The room was deliberately decorated into a brightly colored children's room, with soft cartoon carpets on the floor and expensive toys piled in the corners.
A little boy of about seven or eight years old was sitting on the carpet, holding his head in his hands and crying heartily.
Opposite him stood a man and a woman wearing home clothes with stiff smiles on their faces.
"Stop crying, Mesmer, mom and dad brought you your favorite ice cream."
The woman playing the mother tried to make her voice sound gentler, but the hand she had just touched by the boy was shrinking back unconsciously.
"No! You are all thinking about how to get the bonus from the company!"
Little Mesmer yelled in collapse, with tears and snot all over his face, "You think I'm like a monster, and you were just wondering why I didn't die!"
Outside the door, Madelyn rubbed his temples irritably.
"Is this the result you showed me?"
Madelyn turned his head and looked coldly at the researchers behind him who were holding record boards.
Stan Edgar came over at some point. He was still wearing a crisp suit, with his hands behind his back, and he looked calmly at the collapsed mind-reader boy in the glass.
"President."
Madelyn quickly stood up straight, with a hint of helplessness in his tone,
"According to your instructions, we completely replicated the hardware facilities of Lynn in Long Island Estate, established three new Vanguard Camp bases, and even hired professional psychological actors with high salaries to portray these When children become parents, they try to copy Lynn's family-style upbringing model, but this doesn't work at all. These children are too sensitive. People like Mesmer who can read surface memories can see through the actor's disguise in an instant."
Edgar looked at the little Mesmer who had retreated into the corner and shivered, without a trace of sympathy in his eyes.
"Madelyn, you made a logical mistake."
Edgar turned his head and said in a calm voice without any ups and downs, "We are not recreating Vanguard Camp to cultivate a second Homelander with destructive power. Lynn's method of raising monsters as real family members. Vought International is the only one who dares to do it, and only he can do it."
Madelyn was stunned.
"We don't need them to have souls, and we don't need them to actually feel love."
Edgar looked at the closed rooms deep in the corridor, "Go to orphanages and juvenile detention centers across the country to find defective products that have been injected with compounds, increase the salaries of these actors, and tell them that if they can't even act well, go clean the toilet. We have to use strict behavioral psychology to tame these children. As long as they look like obedient babies in front of the camera, they can make money for the company and provide fresh blood for the future the Seven. That's enough."
Edgar knows very well that Long Island Estate's miracle cannot be copied. It is Lynn's private domain.
What he has to do now is to use a huge number to build a hero pool that belongs to the company.