Ashley’s voice was still echoing in his ears.
“Now, go see The Deep.”
“He’s gotten himself into trouble again.”
Before Lynn could even get to his feet, the door to his office was shoved open from the outside.
A man wearing The Seven’s uniform—styled conspicuously to showcase every contour of his physique—burst into the room, beaming with an exaggerated smile.
It was The Deep.
“Hey! Dr. Lynn!” He spread his arms warmly, as though they were old friends reuniting after years apart.
“I heard all about it! Your session with Homelander was a massive success! Absolutely fantastic!”
Striding over, he casually dropped into the chair across from Lynn.
Leaning forward, he lowered his voice, his expression a mix of fawning eagerness and anticipation.
“Did he… did he mention me?”
“You know, about that oil tanker rescue the other day—the press coverage was totally unfair. The dolphins did a ton of the heavy lifting, and I’m the only one who can command them.”
Lynn regarded him in silence.
Here was the member of The Seven with the most awkward standing, and the one most desperate for external validation.
A complete and utter clown.
Yet to Lynn, even a clown was useful experimental material.
“Mr. Homelander did not mention you,” Lynn answered plainly.
The smile on The Deep’s face stiffened for an instant before he forced it back into place.
“Oh, haha, well, that makes sense. He’s a busy guy with a lot of big things on his plate.” He offered a dry laugh, scrambling to recover his dignity.
“Seriously though, Doctor, my abilities are crucial. I’m the bridge between The Seven and the entire marine world.”
“Yes. Your abilities are truly unique,” Lynn began, offering an initial crumb of affirmation.
The Deep’s tension drained away instantly, his chest puffing up with pride.
Then Lynn dropped the next question.
“If you believe you are so indispensable, why do you care so much about Homelander’s opinion?”
The words acted like a needle, puncturing The Deep’s inflated balloon of confidence with surgical precision.
His smile vanished.
[Mild emotional fluctuation detected from target ‘The Deep’!]
[Defense-Break Points +10!]
[Reward: Underwater Adaptation Shard × 1.]
*It worked.*
Lynn confirmed his hypothesis.
The system was effective on every member of The Seven.
In his eyes, the team was no longer a cabal of perilous superhumans.
They were a walking cache of experience points.
The Deep’s mortification did not last long; he quickly papered over it with an exaggerated bark of laughter.
“I just respect the guy. He’s our leader, isn’t he?”
Lynn did not press the issue.
Instead, he turned his attention to the computer terminal on his desk.
His temporary Level 2 clearance was already active.
Entering his credentials, the austere, corporate interface of Vought International flickered onto the screen.
He clicked open the encrypted folder labeled “The Seven: Psychological Health Profiles.”
Row after row of names and corresponding dossiers unfolded before him.
[Homelander: Maximum Threat Level. Assessment: Extreme narcissism accompanied by antisocial personality disorder; pathological attachment to maternal figures; fundamental structural defects in emotional processing. Recommendation: Prioritize placation; direct confrontation strictly prohibited.]
[Queen Maeve: Assessment: Severe clinical depression, alcohol dependence, pronounced self-destructive tendencies. Entrenched in chronic, violent conflict between heroic posturing and personal morality; exceptionally high psychological defenses. Recommendation: Maintain passive observation; await proactive requests for assistance.]
[A-Train: Assessment: Severe anxiety regarding performance decline; established chemical dependency (Compound V). Pathologically competitive; will resort to any means to preserve status. Recommendation: Monitor substance intake; evaluate ongoing commercial viability.]
[The Deep: Assessment: Severe inferiority complex; desperate need for mainstream validation; displays sexual cognitive impairment and consistent tendencies to objectify women. Unstable personality, exceptionally easy to manipulate. Recommendation: Suitable primarily for low-risk public relations deployments.]
[Starlight: Assessment: Newly inducted member; remains in idealistic developmental stage. Possesses high moral standards and strong empathy, presenting latent ideological conflict with Vought International’s corporate values. Recommendation: Intensify ideological guidance; execute comprehensive corporate conditioning.]
[Black Noir: Security Clearance Level S. Access Denied.]
Lynn read through each entry, arriving at a single, unavoidable conclusion.
This was no superhero team.
And Vought International was merely the deranged superintendent—one that fed them, withheld treatment, and pushed them onto the stage purely to turn a profit.
While Lynn browsed the files, The Deep squirmed in his seat.
Taking Lynn’s silence as total indifference, he finally failed to contain himself and spoke up, his voice tinged with a faint note of pleading.
“Dr. Lynn… do you… do you think I have a shot at becoming someone like Homelander?”
He had voiced the deepest, most pathetic yearning in his heart.
Lynn pulled his gaze away from the monitor and looked directly into The Deep’s eyes.
His voice was calm, yet it sliced through The Deep’s remaining shreds of dignity like a scalpel.
“You don’t want to become Homelander.”
The Deep froze.
Lynn enunciated every word with deliberate clarity: “You just want people to stop treating you like a joke.”
[Moderate emotional fluctuation detected from target ‘The Deep’!]
[Defense-Break Points +25!]
[Reward: Underwater Adaptation Shard × 3.]
This time, every trace of expression drained from The Deep’s face.
It looked as though all the strength had been sucked straight out of his body.
His lips parted and trembled, but not a single sound emerged.
After an agonizing silence, he rose without looking at Lynn again, shuffling out of the office like a shattered shell of a man.
Lynn watched his dejected departure without a ripple of sympathy.
Just as he was about to organize the intelligence he had gathered, a silhouette blocked the light streaming through the office doorway.
A blonde girl in a brand-new uniform stood framed in the entrance.
It was Starlight.
She glanced in the direction The Deep had vanished, her expression deeply conflicted.
Then, turning her eyes toward Lynn, she regarded him with sharp scrutiny and undisguised bewilderment.
“I heard everything just now.”
Her voice was clear, laced with an edge of wariness.
“Are you actually trying to help them, or are you just tearing them apart?”