Madeline was instantly horrified.
Being stared at by those eyes, which converged terrifying energy, was like facing a merciless and terrifying monster; there was a suffocating sensation, and every cell in her body warned of extreme danger.
"Calm down, calm down."
Her body recoiled in fear as she waved her hands, forcing out an awkward smile, her voice trembling as she changed the subject.
"It seems I don't need to ask how you left that place."
The familiar scene immediately reminded her of Homelander, who would activate his Cyclops to kill at the slightest disagreement, though Homelander had never shown her such a terrifying appearance.
Now she also experienced that feeling and understood the fear others had of Homelander.
Yet, when he was born, the Vought Corporation had checked his cells and found them to be those of an ordinary person, with a shortened lifespan and extremely weak cell vitality that died quickly after leaving the body, leading the Vought Corporation to deem him a failure who hadn't inherited Homelander's abilities.
So how did he have them now?
"You seem to dislike and resist Homelander?"
Seeing him extinguish his Cyclops and move further away, Madeline swallowed and cautiously asked.
She wanted to know if the young man in front of her was aware of his identity.
"Superheroes seem to be highly sought after outside.
I want to join The Seven."
Ignoring her question, Ron stood up and straightened his clothes, speaking coldly as if he wanted to be a superhero.
"The Seven? If the World knew we were employing an eight-year-old child to perform dangerous superhero work...
The Vought Corporation would likely be in big trouble."
Madeline told a joke, gave two dry laughs, and tried to subtly refuse.
She didn't want Ron and Homelander to meet.
If Homelander found out she had deceived and hidden important things from him, the cruel, man-eating lion would not be so friendly to her, his tamer.
Rip!
"This is not a request."
His Cyclops instantly cut through the thick office desk not far from them, scattering its contents. His crimson eyes glowed as he looked at Madeline.
Grabbing her collar, a tremendous force easily pulled her from the sofa like a lightweight ragdoll, bringing her close to his face. His voice, like a cold wind from the South Pole, slowly 'reminded' her.
"Homelander and I still have one thing in common.
I never hesitate to use my power to achieve my goals.
Even if some people have to die for it!"
"Okay, okay, you can join The Seven!"
Their gazes met, inches apart, crimson filling her vision. The intense threat of Death made Madeline gasp for breath, and she quickly nodded in compromise.
Seeing Ron's strong, capricious, and unpredictable personality, she immediately understood that regardless of anything else, she first needed to stabilize Ron.
Otherwise, no one knew what he would do.
"Damn it, another Homelander.
And a younger, more unfathomable, and even more terrifying Homelander!"
She thought in panic, it was simply terrible; the Earth had gained another large, unstable bomb.
"I can immediately find some reasons to kick out Starlight, who just joined The Seven."
"No, that Starlight, keep her."
Walking to the window, Ron looked at the bustling night view outside, overlooking the tall buildings below, and said.
"Kick someone else out."
Starlight was the protagonist of the story; without her, things would be much less fun.
"Someone else? The members of The Seven are all decisions made by the Vought Corporation's executives after much discussion and careful consideration."
Walking beside him, Madeline tried to soften her tone and cautiously persuaded him.
"Who do you want to kick out?"
"That green-clad Joker."
He looked outside, expressionless, and scoffed.
"Did your Vought Corporation executives add him because he can talk to fish and perform ocean shows at the Vought Corporation's annual meeting?
Or do some people like to eat his deep-sea caviar?"
The Seven was positioned against DC's Justice League, and Aquaman's presence and role in the Justice League were already quite low.
The Deep, this ultra-low-end Aquaman, was even more useless.
His most glorious moment was when he first appeared and acted like a big shot, sexually harassing Starlight; the rest of the time, he was simply a Joker.
"The Deep? He is very popular with environmentalists, especially marine environmentalists; almost no other hero can replace him in that regard."
Everyone knew how weak The Deep was.
But the Vought Corporation prioritized popularity; regardless of power, there were no super-criminals in this World, so being a superhero didn't require much power.
"Aren't the series of products produced by your Vought Corporation considered environmental polluting trash by environmentalists? Who would buy them?"
Ron raised an eyebrow, looking at her as if she were an idiot.
The Vought Corporation's main business, besides the rental fees for heroes stationed in various cities to assist with public order, was primarily selling various superhero merchandise.
For a commercial Vought Corporation, isn't popularity meant to be monetized?
What's the use of popularity that cannot be monetized?
"??"
With a strange expression, Madeline seemed to have discovered a blind spot and fell into deep thought.
The Deep's merchandise had always sold well, but was it because he was a member of The Seven heavily promoted by the Vought Corporation, or because he was very popular with environmentalists?
...
Everything that happened today felt like a dream to Starlight.
From participating in the audition, to being selected, attending the press conference for joining The Seven, and now being led by The Deep, one of her childhood idols, to The Seven's operations command center.
The large door slowly opened, revealing a solemn and majestic hall, with pillars and a dome like a temple, and screens displaying various high-tech data on one wall.
It combined both epic and technological grandeur.
"Wow."
Stepping into the dream hall that opened for her, her eyes shining, Starlight couldn't help but exclaim excitedly.
Stepping in here meant officially becoming a member of The Seven.
"Pretty impressive, right?"
"Look at this, we have two satellites in low Earth orbit that can clearly read the license plates of fleeing vehicles from thousands of miles up."
The Deep, who had just been an old team member and participated in Starlight's joining of The Seven, was mature and confident, acting like a team leader. With his hands behind his back, he introduced the data on a nearby screen to Starlight.
"All crime cannot escape these two eyes; they have always been our capable assistants in fighting crime."
"Oh, this place is truly..."
Starlight was a bit reserved, cautiously saying that she used to fight crime with a police surveillance device bought online for over a hundred U.S. dollars, and compared to here, it was like heaven and Earth.
"Yes, you won't have to use that anymore."
The Deep shook his head and smiled softly.
"Oh, and there's the restaurant. You must see the restaurant specially equipped for us later; they've hired great chefs. Perhaps I can recommend some of my favorite dishes to you..."
"There, that seat is his, right?"
Mid-sentence, Starlight interrupted with a slight excitement, cautiously pointing.
Under the dome, a V-shaped conference table, like a pair of Angel's outstretched wings, yet with sharp lines.
And at the center of the V, there was only one chair; the other seats were arranged on either side, as if everyone else were subordinates of the person sitting in that chair.
"Uh... yes."
"I bet your childhood home was covered in Homelander posters."
Who else could sit there but Homelander? Mentioning Homelander, a trace of unnaturalness and fear flashed across The Deep's face, and he forced a smile.
"No, actually, Homelander feels like Jesus or something; he's too sacred, making him feel unapproachable."
Walking to the end of the room, looking at the night view outside through the glass floor-to-ceiling window, Starlight, like a nervous young girl just entering university, muttered to herself.
"Actually, when I was little, I did have a poster of you in my room."