108. Chapter 108: Vought President Stan Edgar's Private Meeting
"Please, have a seat."
Stan Edgar was looking down, organizing the documents in his hands. He wore a tailored black suit, his expression as stern and unsmiling as ever.
"You handled the matters concerning The Deep and Translucent well." At this point, Stan Edgar looked up at Xia Shang sitting before him.
"You haven't been at Vought for very long, and by rights, you aren't qualified for your current position."
Seeing that Xia Shang's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, Stan Edgar nodded in satisfaction and continued, "But you've used your ability to prove your value to us. You deserve a better contract."
"Oh, Mr. President, I don't know what to say." Xia Shang accepted the new contract Stan Edgar handed him, a look of surprise on his face.
He flipped through the contract. Unlike the previous one, this new contract offered him a higher salary and dividend incentives. However, the confidentiality clause had also increased significantly, and if he breached the contract, he would have to pay a staggering penalty fee.
"Then say thank you," Stan Edgar joked lightly with Xia Shang. "But don't get too excited yet, there's a price to pay."
"The price is that you are about to become a true Vought executive."
"Mr. President, it's my honor," Xia Shang said with a smile.
Afterward, Stan Edgar took a sealed folder from his drawer. He tore open the seal and took out the document inside. "This is a Vought classified document. Only a few high-level executives within Vought have the right to view it, and you are now one of them."
"Take a look."
Besides outlining Vought's future development goals, the classified document also included detailed information about Compound V. Although Xia Shang already knew about Compound V, he still feigned a look of shock.
"Those Superheroes are actually products of Vought's experiments? God, that's unbelievable," Xia Shang exclaimed.
Stan Edgar wasn't surprised by Xia Shang's reaction. Instead, he spoke about Vought's Compound V strategy over the past half-century and placed a tube of blue liquid in front of Xia Shang.
"It's precisely because of these charming little darlings that Vought is built today. Oh, and Madelyn's military bill has passed. I actually never quite agreed with her approach, but I didn't expect her to succeed."
Madelyn Stillwell was Vought's Vice President after all, so Xia Shang felt it was inappropriate to participate in the discussion about her.
Seeing Xia Shang remain silent, Stan Edgar continued, "But I have to say, she succeeded. The Pentagon will pay Vought over forty billion US Dollars in orders annually.
However, in my opinion, Vought International has always been a pharmaceutical company. The Superhero Industry is just a subsidiary. You know? At the end of World War II, Vought created thousands of supersoldiers using the first generation of the Compound. When these supersoldiers were deployed to the battlefield, they achieved astonishing results. They eliminated hundreds of thousands of the United States' enemies."
"That record is indeed astonishing. I imagine Vought International was even more glorious back then than it is now."
Xia Shang understood that what Stan Edgar was saying wasn't classified information. The main event was likely yet to come.
As expected, Stan Edgar's tone shifted. "Unfortunately, due to a sudden incident, the US Military directly tore up its contract with Vought."
If Xia Shang wasn't mistaken, the sudden incident he referred to was likely the Mallory incident from back then. At that time, Payback was the one who went on a killing spree against Mallory's people on the battlefield. It was because of this incident that Mallory developed an intense hatred for Supes, leading her to recruit Billy and others to fight against Supes.
This ultimately led to a tragedy: Mallory's grandson was burned alive by Lamplighter.
However, speaking of which, there was a reason why Payback killed Mallory's subordinates back then. At the time, Payback's internal dynamics weren't harmonious; Crimson Countess and others strongly disliked Soldier Boy. To allow Russia to successfully take Soldier Boy, they deliberately created chaos.
*Tap tap!* Stan Edgar tapped the desk.
Xia Shang, snapping back to reality, offered an apologetic smile.
"You should know that Compound V has now been improved to the fifth generation. Its side effects are smaller, and its success rate has greatly increased, which is why the number of Supes is exploding. So you must understand, no Superhero is irreplaceable. They are merely products Vought uses for marketing."
Truthfully, Stan Edgar was a pure businessman. Everything he did was aimed at selling Compound V again.
To him, all Superheroes were products, even Homelander was no exception.
In his view, products could be replaced; only the Compound V formula was the foundation of Vought International.
"Are you planning to release Compound V onto the market?" Xia Shang asked, somewhat confused after hearing Stan Edgar's words.
Stan Edgar shook his head. "Not yet. Compound V still needs further improvement."
"I thought you were planning to have me promote Compound V."
"The time isn't right. It's not stable enough. I'm telling you this just so you understand what Vought's true core is. As long as we possess Compound V, we are the future winners." Stan Edgar's words contained a strong sense of confidence. "Your current mission is the same as Madelyn's: promote our Vought products and, at the same time, maximize profits."
After leaving the Vought President's office.
Xia Shang encountered Homelander walking towards him. Homelander ignored Xia Shang completely and pushed open the door to Stan Edgar's office.
Returning to his own office, Xia Shang poured himself a cup of coffee. Stan Edgar's philosophy was similar to his own; everything he did was to promote Compound V. But he was too conservative and unwilling to venture into more areas.
In Xia Shang's view, Vought had a lot more potential to explore. For example, they could get involved in film and television, games, literature, politics, the Army, social media, news, environmental protection, finance, and other industries. Only then would Vought truly be a monopoly group. As it stands, the foundation is too fragile.
So much so that a single piece of negative news about Compound V could potentially lead to Vought's bankruptcy.
...
Since the SEAL team annihilation incident, the higher-ups in American politics finally realized something was wrong. Their current military strength had no deterrent effect against those super terrorists overseas. Unless they used weapons of mass destruction like Patriot Missiles, it would be difficult to contain those guys.
Although they were shameless enough to find various excuses to interfere in other countries' wars.
They still had to consider international public opinion.
Furthermore, they were worried that those super terrorists might sneak into the United States, ultimately causing unimaginable disasters.
Thus, with a full vote in the Legislature, Madelyn's military bill was successfully passed.
From then on, Homelander had the right to fly anywhere and participate in any action. He completely transformed into a slaughtering butcher draped in the American flag. Compared to the terrorists fallen in a pool of blood, it was Homelander, wearing a smile as bright as sunshine, who instilled more fear in the soldiers present.
After eliminating a terrorist organization in Syria, Homelander claimed he found Compound V in their base.
Vought Tower, Madelyn Stillwell's office.
Albright Williamson, the Secretary of State from the US Department of Defense, while examining the Compound V in his hand, sneered at Madelyn, "Are you saying they stole Compound V from Vought International and then independently replicated a new Compound V? I imagine they must have received help from aliens, which is why their technological level advanced so rapidly."
"Perhaps that's the case," Madelyn smiled.
"Madelyn Stillwell, I'm not joking with you. We want to know how your formula leaked? Did a tourist casually pocket the Compound V formula from your laboratory? Or was there an insider..."
He was interrupted by Madelyn before he could finish.
"Mr. Secretary of State, we feel the same way you do. We are eager to investigate exactly what happened."
Williamson clearly didn't believe her nonsense. "Frankly, I'd love to put you, this arrogant person, in prison on charges of corporate fraud. Maybe then you'd straighten up."
"What is Lockheed Martin Corporation's number one product?" Madelyn suddenly asked.
Subsequently, Madelyn stated that times had changed. The weapons of the past were now just worthless dirt, outdated scrap metal. Relying solely on this scrap metal couldn't handle those super terrorists at all.
"So the origin of Supes isn't important. Frankly, there's no need to delve into how the enemy got hold of Compound V. The important thing is, they have it now. This is a brand new era..."
Madelyn looked at Williamson before her and said, "Currently, only one company's products can counter them... and that's my company, my products."
Williamson was silent because he understood that Madelyn was right. Until they could decipher Compound V, they would have to be patient for a while longer.
From this point on, the government completely became Vought International's shield.
"Oh, right, we need the Department of Justice to help us hunt down a few people nationwide. They are the real culprits behind Translucent's murder. Vought and Translucent's fans both hope they can be brought to justice quickly," Madelyn said, taking out a stack of photos and handing them to Williamson.
Just as Williamson was about to turn around and leave, Madelyn called out to him.
"To celebrate Vought International signing an agreement with the Ministry of Defense, we will be holding a celebratory party tomorrow night. We hope you can attend."
"I might not be free," Williamson said, scowling, and quickly left.
Watching his hurried retreating back, the corner of Madelyn's mouth slightly lifted. She crossed her arms over her chest, revealing a calm smile.
(end of chapter)