Night.
The banquet hall of Vought Tower was brightly lit.
The long table was covered with an ivory white tablecloth, silver cutlery carefully arranged, and each dish had been prepared by a Michelin-starred chef.
On both sides of the walls hung huge posters of The Seven, and Homelander’s iconic smile looked particularly dazzling under the lights.
Of course, there were also posters of Soldier Boy.
The posters of Soldier Boy and Homelander were in the center, side by side.
However, Soldier Boy’s position had not yet been announced; it was not yet the right time.
Annie January, codenamed Starlight, stood at the entrance of the banquet hall, dressed in a custom-made golden suit, taking a deep breath.
Her palms were still slightly sweaty; after all, it was the most important night of her life.
From that night on, she was no longer Annie, the small-town girl, but Starlight of The Seven.
During the banquet, Starlight met many people and saw Soldier Boy appear at the event.
Starlight was stunned for a moment.
Of course, she recognized that face.
Anyone in America who had watched television would recognize that face.
Soldier Boy, the nation’s hero, the founding father of Vought, the man who carried a shield and charged into a hail of bullets in black-and-white documentaries.
The history books said he had died in combat, but this morning he had returned to Vought.
It would be impossible for Starlight not to be excited, because this was not the original show; the original version had caused stress-induced explosions that destroyed half a street and, in fact, killed many people, which led to Starlight’s repulsion.
But now, she would no longer be stressed that way; Benjamin was no longer the same person.
Benjamin looked at her from across the banquet hall and nodded slightly.
After receiving words of encouragement from her senior colleague, Starlight felt even happier.
The Deep remained beside Starlight, continuously greeting the audience below.
The banquet lasted two hours.
After the last dessert was cleared, the guests dispersed one by one, the journalists packed up their equipment, and the staff escorted the fans to the exit.
As for The Deep, he took Starlight to visit The Seven’s conference room.
She followed The Deep toward the elevator at the end of the hallway. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
The conference room door closed behind them.
Starlight looked around at this legendary place where The Seven held their meetings.
When The Deep asked Starlight if there was a portrait of Homelander in the room.
Starlight shook her head, saying that her idol was actually The Deep, and that she was a student of The Deep.
The Deep laughed quickly, but after Starlight turned around, his expression transformed into one of terror.
The man she had idolized, The Deep’s smile had turned lecherous; he pulled down his pants and raised an eyebrow at Starlight.
Starlight’s pupils contracted violently and she prepared to leave.
“What’s the matter?
Didn’t you just say you were in love with me?” asked The Deep, confused, spreading his hands.
However, Starlight was still preparing to flee…
“Hey, hey, this has to do with how much you want to join The Seven.
I’m the second-in-command here…”
Just as The Deep was threatening her with an air of smugness, a loud crash was heard.
The door lock had been violently broken; fragments of the lock cylinder bounced twice on the carpet and rolled to The Deep’s feet.
A figure in a dark green suit stood in the doorway, a shield hanging from his left arm; that face, which would never fade from the black-and-white documentaries, now wore an expression of mockery.
“What a coincidence,” said Benjamin, “I was passing by and heard someone claiming to be the second-in-command of The Seven, preparing to lay his hands on a newcomer who just joined the team.”
The Deep’s hands were still on his waist, and he froze there, his expression shifting from lecherous to panicked.
He opened his mouth to explain, wanting to say it was a tradition of The Seven, that many people had gone through that process before joining, wanting to say it was just a joke.
However, it was already too late.
“What I hate most is you using such despicable tactics to threaten a lady.
You’re a pathetic coward,” Benjamin cursed angrily, and then punched him in the bridge of the nose.
Instantly, a terrifying force struck and The Deep flew through the air.
At the same time, the sound of bones breaking, mixed with The Deep’s screams, erupted in the conference room.
Clutching his bloody nose, The Deep knocked over two chairs next to the long table and fell onto the carpet.
Benjamin approached, stepped on The Deep’s head with his combat boot, crouched down, and lowered his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear. This chapter was taken from NovelPing without permission.
“Do you think this is an aquarium?
This is land, and I’m in charge of the land.”
The Deep groaned in pain, convulsing on the floor, blood streaming down his face, staining his suit red.
Starlight stood in a corner, her fingers trembling.
She looked at The Deep lying on the floor, looked at that man who minutes earlier had tried to lay his hands on her, now curled up on the carpet with his face covered in blood, and a sense of satisfaction flooded her heart.
People like that deserve to be beaten.
“I’m sorry, sir, I was wrong…
I really know I was wrong,” pleaded The Deep, “I really know I was wrong, please spare my life.”
Benjamin lifted his foot from The Deep’s head and turned to look at Starlight.
Starlight was a little confused, then looked up at the man before her, who had stepped out of a history textbook, and was stunned for a moment.
But soon, she whispered: “Thank you, sir.”
“You have superpowers, but you let yourself be threatened by a nobody.
What’s more, you’re a pathetic, spineless girl.”
After reprimanding her, Benjamin turned and walked out of the conference room, stopped at the door, and looked back at The Deep, still curled up on the floor: “From now on, scum like you is expelled from The Seven.”
But when The Deep heard this, the color drained from his face even more than when he had been punched in the nose with a fist the size of a sandbag.
“No, please don’t…”
The Deep deeply regretted it.
It was clear that he had also been a victim of bullying at the beginning.
So why, when it was his turn to bully others, was he not allowed to?
Starlight reflected on the words Soldier Boy had just used to scold her.
A pathetic girl?
Wait…
wasn’t she a female superhero?
She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.