RNP Chapter 13 Invincible
Chapter 13 Invincible
"Cheers!"
Stan Edgar raised his glass, smiling as he toasted everyone on the board.
Shortly after the annual shareholders' meeting concluded and the announcement of the new product "Superman," Vought International's stock price surged 10% and closed at the daily limit. This trend is expected to continue for the next two or three days. For a listed company, there is nothing more worthy of celebration.
On the surface, Vought International is an entertainment and media company that operates superheroes, but in reality, both he and the powerful figures on Wall Street who truly run the country know what the foundation of Vought International's existence is.
It is 'Compound No. 5'.
By injecting or using Compound V on a wide variety of people, including but not limited to pregnant women, infants, teenagers, adults, and IVF babies, and then removing most of the waste, the most outstanding individuals are selected from among them to form a team of superheroes.
Homelander was the most outstanding product of this project. This test-tube baby born from the laboratory was even more outstanding than his predecessor, a superhuman from the moment he was born.
He was born tearing his mother's uterus apart, learned to fly before the umbilical cord was cut, and then his heat vision killed almost all the doctors and nurses in the delivery room.
But Homelander has existed for decades, from 1984 to 2019. To outsiders, Homelander was just a coincidence, and Vought International might not have been able to create another Homelander. But today, with the appearance of Superman, all doubts have vanished.
Stan Edgar clinked glasses with one shareholder after another, knowing in his heart that this was the real coincidence. Superman was not created in Vought's own laboratory. His origins were a mystery and his whereabouts were unknown. Moreover, he was mixed up with Nazi remnants like Storm, and in the future, he might become a more dangerous thing than Homelander.
But there's an old saying in the East—"Drink today, for tomorrow we may die." With the expectation of doubling the stock value within a quarter, there's no need to act like the only one sober in a world of drunks. After all, the success or failure of the Water Corporation is not necessarily linked to the success or failure of an individual.
In their view, no matter how strong these so-called "superheroes" are, they cannot defy the laws of society and physics. True power always comes from authority, not brute force.
~~~~
"What does it mean that the seven members must have tracking devices implanted?"
On his first day officially starting his superhero career, Joey was amused by the little girl in front of him who blocked him outside the office: "Do I have to report to you guys where I'm going?"
Seeing this, Ashley quickly went over and pulled her headstrong assistant away. Damn it, are all these new young people always this brave?
"I'm sorry, 'Superman'... well, she meant it was for your safety, in case something happens and we don't have time to rescue you."
When Ashley works, she encounters superhumans who are all living ancestors; there are even those who would break two of your bones at the slightest provocation.
You have to be gentle with superhumans, especially those connected to the board of directors. If they get upset and cripple you, who can you complain to?
"Let's see who this is. He's disobeying company management on his very first day of work."
Joey turned her head and saw Homelander dressed in a uniform almost identical to her own. Aside from looking in the mirror, this was the first time Joey had ever seen "Superman." Apart from having his hair dyed blonde, he looked almost exactly like the Supermen she had seen in movies and TV shows before.
"What's up, Homelander!"
Joey greeted him warmly, giving him an unexpected and enthusiastic hug. This caught Homelander, who had been sternly preparing to bully this ungrateful newcomer, completely off guard.
"Which planet are you from again? Do you still have that spaceship you had when you were a kid? Can I borrow it?"
Joey had previously looked up information about Homelander online, and the results were a mixed bag. Some said he was from outer space like Joey himself and was raised by local parents, while others said he was born on the planet. But it never hurts to ask; what if they were actually from the same planet?
"Of course I'm not an alien, I was born in the United States."
The man from the motherland was somewhat surprised that this young man actually knew his origin story from when he first debuted, but unfortunately, it had already been rewritten by the editorial department and himself.
How many major crises has this world experienced? Have any extraterrestrial visitors come looking for us?
"Kid, you're watching too many comic books and VCU videos."
When Homelander saw this new Seven member surrounding him like a comic book fanboy, bombarding him with questions, compared to the other guys who were always two-faced, he suddenly didn't find this new guy so annoying after all.
"Listen, why don't you bring a tracking device? Being a superhero isn't safe. If something happens, I can get there and clean up your mess."
Joey certainly thought there was some truth to what he said, especially since it came from "Superman." If it were the so-called Superman from the main universe who said this, he certainly wouldn't have any doubts.
But after witnessing what kind of people A-Train, Queen Maeve, and the other superhumans were, and given that Homelander clearly couldn't match the code, everything seemed especially suspicious.
However, it's worth checking out what kind of tracking device this is. At worst, you can keep it for yourself and flush it down the toilet later.
"You want to implant this thing under my skin?"
In the equipment section next to the Waters Criminal Analysis Division, Joey looked at the tiny object in his hand that resembled a vacuum tube but was only slightly larger than a grain of rice, then glanced at the surrounding equipment:
"That's unlikely. Do you know how much effort it takes me to shave every day?"
"Everyone who comes here thinks they are invincible."
The clerk responsible for implanting the tracker waved the probe in his hand:
"A nanoscale telescopic probe, quick in and out, you can insert that thing as long as there's a small, shallow wound."
"bring it on."
Joey boldly stretched out his arm. Some people didn't believe in such nonsense, since it wasn't his responsibility to break the expensive drilling probe anyway.
.....
"F**k!"
The clerk operating the probe finally gave up after breaking the third needle.
"This is the last one. We absolutely cannot waste it on you. If we need to get a new batch, we'll have to go through the OA system, and our entire department will have to shut down for one to two weeks."
"How about this then—"
Joey reached out and took the tracker.
"I'll take the tracker, and we'll pretend we've both finished our jobs, okay?"
~~~~
Stan Edgar watched the equipment department's video recording on the 82nd floor, lost in thought.
So this "Superman" is indeed the same as Homelander... an "invincible man".