If all of these lenses were equipped with infrared, the dense web of them would probably look like a spider’s web.
And it was precisely because of this that the cameras had captured, with perfect clarity, the iron box Blast Vision had taken from his pocket, as well as the serum inside that iron box.
According to the records archived in the Vought Corporation’s history.
Back then, all of the finished batches of the original compound had long since been completely destroyed—and not only that, even the experimental files and the original formula manuscripts had been destroyed as well.
It was utterly impossible for any finished product to still be out there.
So how had Blast Vision gotten his hands on it?
And how had Homelander come to know about it?
Every single day, the man was practically under their constant watch—by all logic, it should have been impossible for him to pull off these little maneuvers right under their noses.
Or was it that, having grown too complacent about this being they had brainwashed since childhood, they had given him certain opportunities?
Edgar couldn’t figure it out, so he simply asked outright.
“It’s a secret.”
However, Alex had no intention whatsoever of satisfying this man’s curiosity, and with a mysterious look on his face he smiled at the other.
Edgar, having been gently rebuffed by Alex, didn’t get angry.
Instead he picked up a cigar that had already been trimmed, lit it, and wore a look of contentment.
“John.”
“In all these years you’ve spent at the company, I’ve watched you grow up, little by little.”
“All this time, you have been the company’s pride.”
“And the company is proud of you.”
“Mr.
Edgar, what is it you’re trying to say?”
Alex smiled, picking up where the other had left off, and spoke with a smile.
“Regarding the matter of the original compound, I can understand that you have your own ideas.”
“But next time, if something similar comes up, you can talk it over with us first.”
“Whatever your needs are—no matter what they may be—the company will do its utmost to fulfill them.
It’s been that way consistently for all these years, hasn’t it?”
As Edgar spoke, he took out a file and handed it to Alex.
“These are some records concerning the original compound.
More of the data was destroyed many years ago, and even the company can’t find it now.”
“I hope it can be of help to you.”
“Also, the main reason we didn’t continue producing the original compound back then was its extremely high fatality rate—out of a thousand people, only a handful would succeed.”
“So, John.”
“I’m telling you all this not because I want to blame you, but because I’m worried about your health.”
Listening to Edgar’s words, Alex found it rather amusing inside.
Showing concern for him now, at a time like this?
It really was a little too laughable.
Back in those days at the laboratory, when Homelander was just a small child, why hadn’t they shown any concern for him then?
Instead they’d subjected him to all sorts of cruel experiments.
And now they pulled this routine.
“I see.”
“And here I thought you’d called me over because you were dissatisfied with what I’d done and wanted to fire me.”
Alex’s teasing words caused the expression on Edgar’s face to freeze for the briefest moment—but it was only for an instant, and without close observation it would have been nearly impossible to notice.
“How could that be?
Just as I said before, you are the company’s pride, the company’s most precious asset.”
“That’s good, then.
If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way.”
“Truly, I’m very grateful for all that you’ve given over the years.
Without you, there would be no Vought as it is today, and there would be no me as I am now.”
As Alex spoke, he gave the two of them no chance to say anything more, rising and walking straight out of the office.
Once Alex had left, the office sank into utter silence.
“Madelyn.”
Edgar took off his glasses; there were two indented marks pressed into the bridge of his nose by the nose pads.
“You were right.
Homelander has already gone out of control.”
Having already left the office and stepped into the elevator, Alex—through his X-ray vision and super hearing—knew every last detail of the exchange between Edgar and Madelyn, perfectly clearly.
Next, all he had to do was wait for them to expose the most important thing themselves.
For instance.
That child who could replace him.
During his idle moments over these past two days, Alex had given the matter serious thought.
It was just that, on this front, he still had no real leads.
In his understanding, the only possibility was Ryan—but for Ryan to grow to his level was obviously not something that could happen in a short time.
To speak of someone capable of replacing him, it certainly wasn’t something that could be accomplished overnight.
So it had to be someone else.
What he needed to know now was exactly where this child was.
Once he had a target, whether it was going to kill them or whatever else, it would be a very simple matter.
“I’ll get in contact with the people over there.
In the meantime, do your best to keep him stabilized.”
“As for any demands he makes, as long as they aren’t too excessive, just go ahead and agree to them as much as possible.”
Edgar instructed Madelyn, his expression grave.
“The virus?”
Madelyn looked at Edgar, speaking tentatively.
“No.”
Edgar shook his head.
“The virus research isn’t finished yet—there’s no finished product at all.”
“And besides, when we first developed the virus, our aim was to target modern superheroes who had been injected with the Vought compound.”
“Homelander has now gotten hold of the original compound from back then, and whether the virus would even work on him is an unknown.”
“On top of that, we currently don’t have any data on hand to send over to them so they can further refine the virus—and there isn’t time for that either.”
“So, what you mean to say is…”
Madelyn’s eyes flickered, hesitating to speak.
“It’s about time to let that child appear in the public eye.”
“Ideally, during this period we can probe indirectly to find out whether there have been any changes in him since he was injected with the original compound.”
Edgar’s expression was calm, his words laden with deeper meaning.
In Edgar’s view, the original compound on its own—aside from granting immortality—fell far short of the present-day Vought compound in every other respect.
The original compound had a high fatality rate, and the abilities it conferred were fairly singular.
Unlike the latest Vought compound, which was not only safe but also far more comprehensive in developing one’s abilities.
This was precisely why the superheroes of today possessed such a wide variety of powers.
“I understand, Mr.
Edgar.”
“I’ll handle all of this properly, just as you’ve instructed.”
Madelyn nodded and answered in a low voice.
“Mm.
Both the company and I have always greatly admired capable employees like you.”
And with that, the two of them concluded their conversation.
Watching it all, Alex found it rather amusing inside.
Capitalists and so-called elites—truly arrogant to the extreme.
So arrogant, in fact, that even power was something dispensable and trivial in their eyes.
Otherwise, how could they be so wildly conceited as to believe they could control one superhero after another?
Even he himself was treated as one of them.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Homelander: