129. Chapter 129: Homelander's Ambition on Full Display!
Just as Billy and the others were entangled with the New York Police.
A news report about Compound V instantly spread throughout the major News Media outlets, dominating the trending lists on all social media platforms. The speed at which public opinion fermented was like pouring gasoline onto a pile of straw; a single spark ignited a massive fire, spreading across the entire United States like a prairie fire!
"Next, NBC brings you the latest news from Vought. According to the CIA, they have obtained key evidence of Vought's illegal activities and crimes. They will be filing criminal charges and civil lawsuits against Vought International on multiple counts, including the injection of illegal drugs into children.
It's hard to imagine that those Superheroes are actually products manufactured by Vought International. It's truly shocking and infuriating.
If Vought International is found guilty, it means that the belief that 'Superheroes are God's Children,' which has been passed down for over half a century, is a monstrous lie! I cannot imagine how many babies died in this experiment, or if their parents were even aware of this? NBC will continue to follow this chilling scandal for you."
In the Living Room of a Villa, Xia Shang was enjoying breakfast in front of the television: a sandwich, a thick-cut steak, and a glass of pure milk.
After listening to the NBC report, he picked up the remote control and switched to several other channels. ABC, CNN, and other News Media outlets seemed to have coordinated in advance, simultaneously launching a relentless attack on Vought, attempting to spread the news across the entire United States as quickly as possible.
Xia Shang didn't believe the US Government wasn't behind these News Media outlets.
At this moment, the TV screen was broadcasting interview videos of Maeve's Father and other Supe relatives.
"Queen Maeve's Father and Starlight's Mother have publicly stated that they were unaware of the existence of Compound V. As for whether Vought injected Compound V into their children, they claim to be unaware.
Currently, Vought International has not issued any official statement. We hope Vought will step forward and officially respond to this matter!"
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Starlight's Mother and Queen Maeve's Father immediately distanced themselves from Vought International and portrayed themselves as unaware victims.
Online, public opinion was in an uproar. The public was worried about whether their own children had been injected with Compound V by Vought. In an instant, Vought's stock price plummeted, a shocking, nearly vertical red line was apparent!
Just then, Xia Shang's mobile phone, which was placed on the coffee table, vibrated intensely.
Xia Shang picked it up and saw that the caller was Vought President Stan Edgar.
"Mr. Edgar, it's me, Mr. Jervis."
"In twenty minutes, I'm holding an emergency meeting. Call all the executives from the Public Relations Department to the Meeting Room. Oh, and when you come to Vought, remember to buy a copy of the New York Daily News. It has the reason for my meeting." With that, Stan Edgar, his face gloomy, hung up the phone.
Afterward, on his way to Vought Tower, Xia Shang bought a copy of the New York Daily News from a roadside newsstand.
When he got back into the car and unfolded the newspaper in his hand, he saw that one-third of the space was related to Vought. The headlines were incredibly exaggerated, designed to grab attention immediately.
"The Biggest Scandal in History! Listing Vought's Crimes!"
"The CIA Speaks Out, Is Vought Really Finished?"
"Children's Hospital and Vought Colluded to Secretly Manufacture Supes!"
"Several Superhero Parents State They Were Unaware; They Are the Victims of This Incident!"
"The Apocalypse of the Superhero Industry is Approaching!"
"Will Vought Disappear into the Dustbin of History?"
These headlines and the content within, without exception, were all saying one thing: Vought was finished! Completely finished! As the saying goes, when one giant falls, others thrive. Seeing that Vought was about to collapse, some companies competing with Vought immediately fell into a frenzy.
When Xia Shang's pickup truck parked downstairs at Vought Tower, sharp-eyed reporters immediately recognized it as the Vought Vice President's car.
"That's Vought Vice President Mr. Jervis's car! Quick, stop him! Don't let him get away!"
Watching those reporters swarm towards him like zombies, Xia Shang couldn't help but utter a curse: "Shit!"
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and drove the car into Vought's Underground Parking Garage, then took the elevator from the parking garage to the First Floor Lobby of Vought.
He saw that the staff members in the Lobby were in a chaotic mess. Most of them were whispering nervously to each other, looking like headless chickens.
Only when Xia Shang, dressed in a suit, appeared did the situation slightly stabilize.
"Vought didn't hire you to chat with each other. You have three minutes to get back to your workstations, or don't blame me for being ruthless." Xia Shang's indifferent gaze made the staff members present all lower their heads.
Meanwhile.
In the Hero Conference Hall on the Ninety-ninth Floor of Vought Tower, Stan Edgar had already convened The Seven for a meeting.
"I know I rarely come to the Ninety-ninth Floor, and I apologize for that, but times like these often force us to be clear-headed, don't they? Please don't forget that we coexist in symbiosis with a great, harmonious, and massive company called Vought.
This is also the key to solving the problem. We must unite. This must be our primary mission, and it can change the current public opinion."
A-Train was somewhat confused by Stan Edgar's words.
"Do you want us to go arrest people? Catch everyone who's spreading the public opinion? Then you need to notify the Public Relations Department and the Legal Department in advance. I don't want to become a pariah." A-Train spread his hands, indicating he didn't want to help.
"There's no time," Stan Edgar hadn't finished speaking before he was interrupted by Queen Maeve beside him. "Excuse me, I don't think there's any need for us to clean up your mess."
It was clear they were not as united as Stan Edgar had imagined. In the end, Homelander spoke up: "Alright, at a critical moment, we indeed need to unite."
Stan Edgar was just about to praise Homelander, but unexpectedly, Homelander changed his tone.
"You know, after all, it was Vought that cultivated us, not him." Homelander stood up, pointing at Stan Edgar, and continued: "He never cared about us. He only treated us as Vought's products. Since that's the case, who would care about Vought's fate?"
Homelander's remarks made Stan Edgar's face turn ashen. His eyes revealed a hint of threat as he said: "I advise you to think carefully before speaking. Use your brain."
However, Homelander didn't pay attention to his threat.
"It wasn't Vought that made us; it was us who made Vought. We Superheroes are the real family." At this moment, Homelander's ambition was on full display. In Homelander's eyes, it didn't matter if Vought had Stan Edgar or not, but the only one who couldn't be missing was him.
Stormfront, sitting in Translucent's original seat, revealed an expression of someone enjoying the spectacle. Watching the scene before her, a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Bang bang bang!! A knocking sound came from outside the door. Seeing someone knocking, Ashley Barrett inside the Meeting Room hurriedly opened the door, then turned to Stan Edgar and said: "It's Mr. Jervis."
"Let him in," Stan Edgar said in a deep voice.
"It seems I came at the wrong time."
As soon as Xia Shang walked into the Meeting Room, he could feel the extremely oppressive atmosphere within it.
"Listen, I'll bring my family and take care of those guys." With that, Homelander left the Meeting Room with a cold face.
Afterwards, Starlight and the others also left one by one.
The Seven's overt usurpation made Stan Edgar feel very displeased, but he knew that now was not the time to pursue it. Currently, how to solve the public opinion problem was the top priority.
"Notify the Public Relations Department, Publicity Department, and Legal Department to come here for a meeting."
Stan Edgar brought Xia Shang to his usual Meeting Room.
"As you can see, ever since Madelyn Stillwell died, he has become uncontrollable. I really should have stuck a remote bomb up his ass when he was young," Stan Edgar, sitting in the main seat, put on his rimless glasses and said expressionlessly.
"Mr. President, do you still remember Ryan?"
Xia Shang pulled out the chair to Stan Edgar's right and sat down. "Precisely because Homelander severely lacked love, that's why he treated Madelyn Stillwell as a reliance. Now that Madelyn Stillwell is dead, it's equivalent to losing the rope that restrained him, which is why he has become difficult to control. And we only need to tie a new rope around him.
He will become as obedient as before."
"Continue speaking. I'm quite interested in this topic." Deep in Stan Edgar's eyes, a hint of surprise flashed, but he hid it well. He remained expressionless, anticipating Xia Shang's response.
"Ryan is the new rope."
"What we need to do is constantly instill the concept of Vought in Ryan's mind. As long as he is loyal enough to Vought, he can restrain Homelander," Xia Shang smiled slightly.
"Do you still remember my previous plan? Regarding this, I want to establish a new department, the Superhero Education Department, and I already have a Candidate for the minister, that is, the Vice Minister of the Foreign Affairs Department, Mr. Morland."
Using Mesmer's Superpower for prying for information is simply a waste of talent.
Being able to peer into others' hearts, know what the other person wants, what they desire, and then utilize human nature to subtly modify the other person – this is the correct way to use Mind Reading: Brainwashing! An ability that once nearly overturned the world!
"Good idea. We used to do the same thing to Homelander, but you've seen the result. This is an extremely failed plan." Stan Edgar's former idea was to train Homelander to be a Superhero loyal to Vought.
But it failed. This kind of thing might be effective for ordinary humans.
But for a powerful Supe like Homelander, the effect is very poor, even causing a backlash.
However, Stan Edgar didn't completely reject Xia Shang's plan.
"To be honest, when I see you, it's like seeing my past self. Your idea is very good. Binding Ryan to Vought International can indeed effectively restrain Homelander, but to completely control him requires the appearance of an equally powerful competitor."
The equally powerful competitor Stan Edgar mentioned naturally refers to Stormfront.
(End of Chapter)