Joining The Seven!

Madelyn gave him a helpless yet indulgent look, then turned her gaze back to Solomon, her tone formal but warm.

"JS, welcome to Vought's Seven. Just go to the office next door and find Ashley. She'll handle all your onboarding paperwork, identity registration, and subsequent arrangements."

Solomon gave a slight nod and, without saying anything more, turned and walked straight out of the office.

Once the door closed, only the two of them remained. Madelyn walked slowly over to Homelander and raised a hand to gently stroke his cheek, her voice tender and affectionate.

"My John, you did wonderfully. It's all thanks to you."

She led Homelander to the sofa and had him rest his head on her lap, softly praising the volatile superhero in a gentle voice.

Meanwhile, the moment Solomon left the office, he activated his power and turned invisible again. At the same time, he shed his disguise as a white man and returned to his original appearance.

Though shapeshifting was useful, the longer he maintained a transformation, the greater the strain on his body and mind became, leaving him sore, exhausted, and deeply uncomfortable.

Unless necessary, invisibility was always his safest, most hassle-free choice, with no flaws and no burden.

He reached Ashley's office and raised a hand to knock lightly.

"Come in."

Solomon pushed the door open and entered. Inside, Ashley was buried in a mass of paperwork.

As Madelyn's chief assistant and The Seven's head of personnel and public relations, she wielded real authority and was swamped with all kinds of business every day, keeping her extremely busy.

When she looked up and saw that familiar figure, she instantly froze, her pupils contracting sharply as her face turned deathly pale.

"Trans... Translucent?! Aren't you dead?!"

Ashley's voice shook violently, and she involuntarily rolled backward in her chair, utterly consumed by terror.

Ashley's voice was trembling as she stared at Solomon's figure in horror, involuntarily retreating along with her chair.

She had seen Translucent's dismembered remains with her own eyes, and she had personally arranged the subsequent cleanup of his body and destruction of all traces. She knew better than anyone that the previous Translucent could not possibly have survived.

Solomon dropped his invisibility at the right moment, revealing a completely unfamiliar face, and spoke calmly.

"My name is JS. You can also call me Translucent."

At the sight of the unfamiliar face, Ashley's taut nerves instantly relaxed. She let out a long breath, patted her chest, and stood up, still shaken.

"You scared me to death. I thought..."

She collected herself and quickly switched into work mode, explaining at a rapid pace:

"I understand. You're the new replacement. Your timing is perfect. Translucent has been out of contact for too long, and there are already plenty of rumors circulating. You only need to briefly wrap up a few routine appearances he left unfinished and keep public opinion steady."

"After that, we'll gradually lay the groundwork and officially announce your new identity to the public-JS, the new Translucent, officially joining The Seven. You'll then have your own fan base, personal shows, and preferential access to resources. But until then, you absolutely cannot show your face at will. You must maintain Translucent's public persona."

"I don't need to put on frequent public performances."

Solomon spoke evenly,

"Homelander already promised me."

Ashley nodded:

"I'm aware of that. You only need to do the bare minimum of public appearances to maintain the public's perception."

This arrangement suited Solomon perfectly. He wanted no part in boring public performances or putting on a false persona.

Solomon turned invisible again and added calmly:

"Also, Homelander promised me complete files on all superhumans."

Ashley paused briefly at this, hesitation appearing on her face:

"What do you want those files for?"

Solomon's tone was neither meek nor overbearing.

"You don't need to ask. If you don't believe me, you can ask Homelander yourself."

Ashley's expression stiffened, and she immediately fell silent.

Ask Homelander?

She did not have the nerve. Who would dare question a decision made by that volatile being at the very top?

"Since Homelander personally agreed, I'll arrange your access later."

Ashley reluctantly conceded,

"For now, I'll show you around Vought International and familiarize you with all the previous Translucent's information, persona, and work requirements."

Under Ashley's guidance, Solomon went through Vought International's entire onboarding process.

Data entry, identity registration, access authorization-every step was rigorous and rigid, with checks at every level.

And the final step for every Vought employee and superhuman, as well as the most unavoidable one, was a subdermal chip implant.

A miniature tracking chip was implanted beneath the skin of Solomon's upper arm. It was tiny and almost imperceptible, yet it allowed Vought's backend systems to pinpoint his location around the clock and monitor him in real time.

This was Vought's ironclad rule. No one was exempt.

Whether ordinary office workers or powerful superhumans, all were required to have chips implanted, keeping them firmly under the company's control.

In all of Vought Tower, only one person stood above the rules.

That was Homelander!

Once all the formalities were complete, Ashley took Solomon into a dedicated high-speed elevator and headed straight to the ninety-ninth floor of Vought Tower, the top floor of the entire building.

This was The Seven's exclusive private area, combining private residences, executive meeting rooms, and recreational spaces, shut off from all the noise and bustle below.

The top floor's panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows offered a clear, sweeping view. A glance outside revealed the city's bustling splendor below, lights stretching in every direction and buildings standing in dense rows, with an exceptionally expansive vista.

The previous Translucent's private quarters had now been completely renovated.

All the former occupant's personal belongings and traces of daily life had been cleared away. Every furnishing had been replaced, leaving the room clean and tidy, without a single old item remaining, quietly awaiting its new owner.

The nearly hundred-square-meter space had a sensible layout and a simple, sophisticated style.

The open-plan living room was bright and spacious, the separate bedroom private and quiet, with a bathroom and recreational area fully provided. Small as it was, it had everything needed, fully meeting the requirements of daily living and rest.

Solomon looked around, quite satisfied.

"If there's anything you'd like changed in the room, you can let me know at any time."

Ashley stood beside him, her tone professional and warm,

"We can renovate and remodel it entirely according to your tastes and style."

After speaking, she glanced down at the schedule on her phone, then continued:

"If there are no issues, we'll move on to the next step. The PR department is ready and waiting. Translucent has been out of sight for too long, and rumors are spreading everywhere. We need you to make a brief appearance on camera now to steady public opinion."

Meanwhile, on the street directly opposite Uncle Egg Noodle House in the city center, an inconspicuous van sat quietly amid the traffic.

Inside the van, Mother's Milk and Frenchie had been on stakeout for three full days. They took turns keeping watch, eating and sleeping in the vehicle, their eyes on the noodle shop opposite the entire time, but they had not picked up a single useful lead.