Godolkin University, the small garden behind the library.
Supe students carrying backpacks and clutching textbooks came and went.
On a secluded, empty bench beneath the swaying shadows of trees, Annie, dressed in simple jeans and a hoodie, pulled down her sunglasses to look around. "Where's Vivian? Didn't she say she'd wait for me here?"
Wade flew over the garden with his backpack in hand, heading straight for the library while sensing the airflow around the garden and observing the passersby.
'No ambush, no abnormalities... Is she really just here for a heart-to-heart?'
He recalled the scenes of his interactions with Annie while transformed into the little fangirl "Vivian"—from sending letters and private meetings in the park to offering comfort at the meet-and-greet. He had never gained any material benefit; it was all just verbal communication.
'What's wrong with an idol star having a true career fan? This is a private matter; no one can interfere.'
Thinking this, he flew all the way into a restroom on the third floor of the library.
A minute later, a short-haired Asian girl wearing a plaid shirt and jeans walked out of the library's back door.
Wade trotted over and waved at the person on the bench. "Annie, I'm sorry... I, I got so absorbed in my book that I lost track of time."
Annie took her hand, her smile a bit forced. "It's okay. It was presumptuous of me to come and bother you."
After the two sat down, she didn't immediately start pouring out her heart as usual.
Annie fell silent for a few seconds, her gaze sweeping over the simple and outdated plaid shirt of the person beside her. "Yesterday, I asked a friend at Godolkin University to check the student directory. They said... there is no student named 'Vivian' at the school at all."
Wade's heart skipped a beat. A look of panic flashed across his face as he lowered his head. "Annie, I..."
"Why?" Annie's pupils glowed with light, her face full of confusion. "Why did you use a fake identity to get close to me?"
After a long, suffocating silence.
Wade looked up, his eyes filled with tears. He cried as he said, "Because... the real me isn't worthy of sitting by your side. I... I'm not some top student from Godolkin at all."
"I live in Brownsville. I'm just... a low-level Supe who can only scrape by doing odd jobs and can only puff out tiny sparks."
As she spoke, she puffed out a flame the size of a finger, tears streaming down her face. "When I first saw you on TV as a kid, I felt you were different... so real and kind."
"I saved up money to have someone deliver letters just because I wanted... to be a little closer to you. But I was afraid... I was afraid that if you knew who I really was, you'd look down on me... That's why I made up this identity."
"I never intended to hurt you or get anything from you... I just wanted to watch you from afar and support you... I'm sorry, Annie... I really am..."
Annie was stunned. She had imagined countless possibilities—paparazzi, malicious anti-fans, Vought's internal testing—but she never expected the truth to be so... humble and heartbreaking.
She looked at the girl before her, whose shoulders were trembling from crying. She thought of the hypocrisy and calculation she felt within The Seven, then looked at this clumsy yet fervent adoration. The suspicion in her heart melted away like snow.
"Don't say anymore... Vivian, or... whoever you are, whatever your name is." Annie cupped her face, wiped away the tears with her hand, and said softly, "I'm the one who should say sorry. We're... still the same as before, okay? You'll always be my most important friend."
"Okay." Wade looked at her with teary eyes, nodded heavily, and managed a smile through the tears.
For the next half hour, Annie poured out her grievances: the hypocrisy within The Seven, Homelander's suffocating control and tyranny, the company's ruthless exploitation of her image, and her own helplessness in using dirty tactics to coerce others.
Wade listened patiently, knowing that her heroic dreams and beliefs were being shaken.
She pressed her hand on Annie's palm and asked quietly, "Then, about those things on the internet lately... has it been even harder for you at the company?"
Annie was silent for a few seconds, then just shook her head. "The big shots up there... will handle it. These things... are very complicated."
She quickly raised her hand to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye and forced a change of subject. "Let's not talk about that... Next week, in Iowa, there's a huge Believe Expo organized by the charity 'Samaritan's Embrace'."
"It's organized by a superhero I've known since I was a kid, Pastor Ezekiel, also known as 'Gospel'. He invited me to attend as a guest to help raise charity funds. Do you think I should go?"
Wade toyed with her slender fingers. "Of course you should go. Do what you want to do. Aren't heroes supposed to help people?"
Annie held her hand, her tone sincere. "It's a completely different environment; believers from all over the country will be there. Vivian, you... can you come?"
"I feel like if you're by my side, I'll have more courage to face all this... I can also help you find a job, or you could just come to relax."
Thoughts raced through Wade's mind.
The Believe Expo organized by 'Samaritan's Embrace'—a grand event bringing together tens of thousands of believers!
Not only could he investigate the connection between Vought and religious forces, but he could also further dig up dirt on Vought. It would be a huge help for his plan to strike at them further.
Wade hugged her excitedly, gently stroking her back. "I'll be there, I promise."
"Thank you. With you there, I feel... very much at peace." Annie hugged tighter and didn't let go for a long time.
After a moment, she let go and looked her up and down. "But seriously, your frame... next time we meet, I have to take you for a good meal to build you up a bit."
Wade patted his flat chest and said in a muffled voice, "What do you know? This is a streamlined physique optimized for street fighting! Clothes look good on it, and it's easy to move... unlike you, carrying such a heavy burden. Aren't you afraid of being off-balance when you fight?"
"Alright, I can't win an argument with you!" Annie was amused and playfully slapped her arm. "Being too big really is a hindrance! See you next Saturday."
"Bye-bye." Wade smiled and waved goodbye.
Seeing her figure receding into the distance, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, his back covered in a fine cold sweat.
'Phew—that was a close one. Using lies to cover up lies really isn't a good thing.'
He touched his damp neck and shivered as he recalled what he had just said.
'What a pain... Once I've fully acquired the abilities, I'll bury this Vivian identity for good.'
[Abilities:
Photoelectric Manipulation/Absorption-Conversion, Super Strength, Super Defense
Genetic Sequence Recording... 40%]
He leaned against the bench and rubbed his temples. 'Relying on this sporadic physical contact to obtain Supe genes is too inefficient, and the uncertainty is too high.'
'Instead of waiting passively, it's better to create opportunities. I might as well find a suitable moment later, manufacture a small accident, knock her out directly, and just draw a vial of blood.'
The clarity of this thought made Wade feel a bit better. He stood up and walked toward the library.
His focus now was to prepare for tonight's memorial service and plan... how to make some big waves at that high-profile Believe Expo next week.
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