Bang!
Invisible Man furiously threw a punch, and as his fist connected, his expression immediately stiffened.
His overly hard skin, combined with strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, could bend even steel plates, yet striking the head of the person in front of him did not cause the slightest tremor.
There was no muffled groan or unconsciousness as he had imagined; in fact, the other person's head didn't even tilt a fraction, making his punch seem so weak and powerless.
Ron casually glanced at the fist near his temple before looking away.
"It's less forceful than a mosquito bite."
He swung a backhand punch, with no sign of twisting his upper body for power; it looked like a casual strike.
Crack!
But like an iron hammer striking down, a crisp sound of bone breaking, and the hard skin, tougher than diamonds, was as fragile as a thin sheet of glass.
Invisible Man was released, crying out as he knelt on the ground, blood spurting from the hand covering his face; his nasal bridge was shattered, caved in, almost flush with his face, tears uncontrollably streaming down, looking utterly disheveled.
"My nose, my nose!…"
His entire nasal bridge was shattered and could never be restored unless he underwent reconstructive surgery.
"What are you afraid of? With your abilities, having or not having a nose makes no difference."
Looking at Invisible Man kneeling before him, he smiled, then turned and walked away, leaving a parting remark.
"Now you should know me. I hope there won't be a next time."
"Bastard, I will definitely get my revenge.
I'll find you and make you know who I am!"
Invisible Man knelt on the ground, watching Ron disappear around the corridor corner, trembling with pain, growling in anger and resentment.
He was a member of The Seven, his status within Vought Corporation was extraordinary, not someone any unknown small fry could bully.
...
Meanwhile, in the restroom.
"Who do you think you are, you bastard…"
Starlight leaned on the sink, crying, her eye makeup, specially applied for the press conference, smudged by tears.
She wanted to say it was her first time too, that she'd never been in love, but Ron didn't listen to her explanation and impatiently left.
Her first intimacy with a man resulted in this.
"Wipe it clean. Don't let anyone see you looking so disheveled."
Mei, wearing a female battle suit, beautiful and with a hint of heroism, walked out of one of the stalls, casually wiping her hands, and handed her two tissues.
"Men are like this; once the passion fades, they discard women like trash or avoid trouble."
Having heard the entire conversation, she felt no emotional fluctuation, even a little amused, mocking all women who were hurt by men.
"When I was six, my father abandoned my mother and me to leave with that heavily made-up bitch. I learned this lesson early on."
Mei scoffed, casually recounting her childhood experience.
Men are unreliable; relationships between the sexes are merely the base influence of hormones.
She turned to leave.
"Mei, you're Queen Mei, I'm your fan, when I was little, in my room…"
Wiping her tears and adjusting her emotions, Starlight, with red-rimmed eyes, wanted to recount how she idolized Queen Mei as a child and how she used Mei's actions to inspire herself when fighting crime as an adult.
But Mei spoke to her to mock, not to comfort.
"Stop. I don't want to hear any of that."
Facing her superhero fan, Mei did not smile, instead coldly interrupting her.
"I'm practically psychologically nauseated from hearing these words.
If you remain this naive, you won't last long in The Seven."
She knew Starlight was a new member, otherwise, she wouldn't have said things that could cause a huge public outcry if leaked.
But she didn't want to deal with Starlight, because seeing Starlight reminded her of her own foolish and ignorant self from back then.
"What do you mean?"
Mei didn't seem as approachable as she was portrayed on television, and the forced smile on Starlight's face froze.
"Naive little girl."
Without explaining, the beautiful woman in the battle suit coldly shook her head and turned to leave.
...
"Found him. He appeared in my office, demanding to join The Seven…"
On the upper floors of the Vought building, Vice President Madeline nervously reported to the man behind the desk.
"Mr. Edgar, I'm worried Ron is another Homelander!"
"No need to worry."
President Edgar, an elderly black man with gold-rimmed glasses, sat in his boss's chair, calmly twirling a pen, looking at the information on the iPad in his hand.
It showed that at the place where Becca and her two children were imprisoned, the team responsible for impersonating neighbors and monitoring the area had discovered that the anesthetic spray and some other items were missing from the backup warehouse for emergencies, and the traces indicated it had been two or three years.
Two or three years ago, that child seemed to be only a few years old, though he still wasn't big now.
Did he discover the truth about his surroundings early on and plan an escape?
Then, did he awaken his abilities, see a more secure method, endure and give up, and then patiently wait another two or three years?
"He's different from Homelander. He's smarter and more calm and rational than Homelander."
Facing the nervous Madeline, he smiled faintly, as if nothing could alarm him, and said meaningfully.
"And sometimes two lions are easier to deal with than one."
"This is a good thing."
The astute Edgar commented, put down his iPad, and murmured.
"I just don't know what he wants to do by joining The Seven."
Did he lack love as a child and crave fame and adoration? Did he escape his cage to indulge and enjoy? To prove his power? Or to get revenge on an unqualified father?
A myriad of possibilities flashed through his mind in an instant. He calmly instructed Madeline, then turned his boss's chair to look out the window.
"Whatever else he demands, satisfy him as long as it doesn't shake the company's fundamental interests. I want to see what he wants."
He, who controlled Vought, this vast business empire, and kept all the superheroes in line, deeply understood that knowing what a person desired most and what they feared losing most was the key to controlling them.
"Yes, Mr. Edgar."
...
The next day.
Starlight called her mother in the morning. Originally, she had envisioned happily sharing everything with her mother: the novel sights and experiences, the excitement of working with her idols.
Instead, there was only a forced smile.
Deep's behavior and Mei's coldness made The Seven, this superhero group, seem a bit off.
Perhaps her mother was too tired and excited, as she didn't detect the sadness in her voice.
Click. Standing before The Seven's conference room again, the door opened.
Starlight took a deep breath and walked into the bright, spacious hall.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"I had prepared a welcome speech, but Starlight, you're a bit late for your first meeting."
Standing behind the chair at the center of the V-shape, a blonde man in a Stars and Stripes suit slowly turned around, exuding a leadership aura, his smile as bright as the Sun.
"Sorry, Captain."
"Please sit. Just call me Homelander. I don't like the title Captain. Everyone here is an equal family member."
Homelander said with a smile, hands behind his back, his words warm and friendly.
Walking cautiously towards the seat at the end, Starlight suddenly saw a familiar figure, her expression surprised.
"He really succeeded in joining The Seven too?"