After leaving Vought Tower, Lucas was in no hurry to return to his apartment.
He flew over Brooklyn, hovering in the air to take in the scenery.
A news notification popped up on his phone.
[Official Vought International Statement: Guardian has officially joined the Vought system. Serving as a special advisor on Supe threats, he will carry out high-level crime-fighting operations independent of The Seven.]
Below was a polished photo—the one of him saving a mother and child from the fire scene.
He didn’t know if that reporter had a shot at a Pulitzer, but Vought’s PR department had already bought and used the photo.
They were fucking fast!
The comment section was highly polarized.
One faction felt that Guardian had been bought out by Vought, becoming another corporate lapdog.
Another faction believed that by joining Vought International, Guardian would be able to fully unleash his potential, as going rogue was never as legitimate as being official.
The two sides argued fiercely. Whether they reached a conclusion or not, it certainly kept the topic trending.
Current Evolution Points: 34,287 / 100,000
Still over sixty thousand away from Lv.3.
Lucas opened his panel and checked the list of key characters.
The key characters he had already interacted with were checked off: Hughie, Homelander, Maeve, A-Train, and Madelyn.
In the uncontacted list, one name was highlighted by the system.
[Annie January (Starlight) — Expected to join The Seven within three days]
[Key Event Warning: On the night she joins, The Deep will attempt to assault her]
Lucas recalled the plot.
On the night Starlight joined, she was threatened by The Deep and forced to her knees in the locker room.
The young girl’s idol-worshiping filter shattered completely that very night.
Thinking about it carefully now, the way The Boys designed this plotline probably had a deeper metaphor, didn’t it?
Three days was a wait he could afford.
Next, Lucas threw himself into the work arranged by Vought.
In his capacity as a special advisor, he handled two Supe crime cases, both driven by Vought’s intelligence department.
Originally, Madelyn had Ashley arrange scripted events, but Lucas insisted on real situations.
In the end, they had no choice but to grant him a special exception.
However, this had one benefit: at least there was no need to prepare scripts for filming.
Surprisingly, the final marketing results were exceptionally good!
Because unlike other Supes, Guardian had meticulous control over his power, unlike the other members of The Seven who would overdo it at the slightest provocation.
With the other members of The Seven, actors playing opposite them would actually end up as casualties due to their lack of control.
It had gotten to the point where Vought had to source villains for their shoots from death row inmates.
Lucas fought crime day and night, requiring absolutely no rest.
Especially at night, in Brooklyn and Queens, crimes were practically endless.
It was just that Supe crimes had decreased significantly lately.
The sporadic crimes were small-scale, mostly petty theft, which didn’t contribute many Evolution Points.
During this time, he visited Hughie’s electronics store again.
"Hey!" Hughie’s expression was visibly warmer than last time when he saw him. "You really joined Vought? The news is saying... we need heroes like you!"
"Oh, I’m just an advisor."
"Then... do you still have to go to meetings with The Seven and stuff?"
"Occasionally."
Hughie hesitated, lowering his voice. "A-Train that day... was he really mind-controlled?"
Lucas looked at him.
This kid wasn’t stupid!
He had seen A-Train’s demeanor when fighting Guardian with his own eyes. That was no mind-controlled state; he looked completely like a junkie high out of his mind.
"What do you think?" Lucas asked back.
Hughie’s lips parted, but he said nothing.
A-Train was his idol, and deep down, he couldn’t bring himself to believe A-Train could be that kind of person behind closed doors.
[Key Character: Hughie Campbell]
[Emotional Change: Deepened trust / Beginning to question Vought’s grand PR narrative]
[Evolution Points Obtained: +1,344]
...
On the night of the third day.
Vought Tower was brightly lit.
Today was the induction ceremony for the newest member of The Seven.
Annie January, codenamed Starlight, officially joined The Seven.
The induction ceremony was a high-profile internal event, not broadcast live to the public for now, but Vought had sent a camera crew to record the entire process.
The footage would later be edited into promotional videos to build momentum for Starlight.
Lucas attended the welcoming ceremony in his capacity as special advisor.
He stood in a corner of the venue, holding a bottle of champagne, taking a sip every now and then. His style was rather... uninhibited.
He believed that not a single person present welcomed him.
Except for the newcomer, Starlight.
On stage, Annie wore a white and gold suit.
Young, blonde, with a bright smile.
Aside from being a bit nervous, she was practically the definition of an American-standard blonde sweetheart.
She perfectly hit the sweet spot of the American public’s preferences.
Lucas looked at that face, feeling quite nostalgic.
When he watched the later seasons of the show, Starlight’s face didn’t look like this at all.
Fortunately, this Starlight didn’t have appearance anxiety; she would just keep being this beautiful.
While Lucas was observing Starlight, her eyes were also scanning every face below the stage, like a young girl who had just moved to a new place, sizing up her new work environment.
When her eyes landed on Lucas, Starlight froze.
In such a high-class welcoming party, how could someone look so relaxed?
However, reality didn’t let her daze off for too long.
Homelander took the stage to give a speech, welcoming the new member.
The furious Homelander and the PR Homelander were two completely different people. At this moment, his smile was perfect, his wording appropriate, and he even cracked a few jokes, drawing thunderous applause from the audience.
The Deep was also on stage, his gaze lingering on Annie.
A prompt popped up on the panel.
[Key Event Countdown: The Deep assaults Starlight]
[Estimated Time of Occurrence: Tonight 23:00 - 00:00]
[Location: The Seven’s Exclusive Floor — Locker Room Area]
Two hours later, the guests began to disperse.
Lucas didn’t leave.
He still had some "work" to handle.
Time passed second by second.
Lucas’s Super Hearing picked up signals; two people were moving in the same direction.
The Seven’s meeting hall.
Lucas stood up.
He flew straight out of the window, ascending vertically two floors along the exterior wall of the building, and slipped into the room adjacent to the meeting room.
"Do you know what it takes to survive in The Seven? It’s not your superpowers, and it’s not your pretty face."
"It’s connections."
"And I... can help you build those connections."
This was undoubtedly The Deep’s voice.
"But I... I don’t need..."
"You don’t need them?" The Deep’s tone changed, turning cold and harsh. "Who do you think you are? A newcomer who just got in—what right do you have to say you don’t need them?"
"Get on your knees."
Lucas nodded. It was time.
He walked to the meeting room door and kicked it open.
He didn’t hold back much, so the doorframe tore straight out of the wall, and the entire door flew inward, smashing onto the conference table with a deafening crash.
"Who’s there?"
The Deep, with his pants only half-pulled down, was startled by the flying door.
The scene in the room froze.
The Deep was standing in the middle of the meeting room, one hand placed on Annie’s shoulder, trying to press her down.
Annie’s knees were slightly bent, her face a mix of humiliation and fear.
Both of them turned to look at the door at the same time.
Lucas floated in slowly, his streamlined suit emitting a cold, stern glow as the Viltrumite runes flickered faintly.
He gave The Deep a cold glare.
Like he was looking at a disgusting bug.
The Deep quickly pulled his hand back from Annie’s shoulder.
"Let me explain, th-this isn’t what you think—"
Lucas landed, the floor cracking beneath his feet.
"Shut up!"
He cut off The Deep’s excuses and turned to look at Starlight.
Annie’s eyes were already red, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"Are you okay?"
Annie opened her mouth but couldn’t find her voice, ultimately just shaking her head.
Lucas turned back to The Deep.
"Get out!"
The Deep’s legs were shaking, but he still tried to put up a front. "You have no right to order me around! I’m one of The Seven, a veteran!"
Lucas raised his hand.
It was only a slight movement, but The Deep reacted as if he had seen something terrifying, turning on his heel and running.
He didn’t doubt for a second whether Lucas would attack him.
A-Train’s cautionary tale was right there.
This guy had no taboos and even dared to provoke Homelander, yet Homelander couldn’t do anything to him.
Soon, only Lucas and Annie were left in the meeting room.
Starlight stood in place, her hands gripping the hem of her suit so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"He’s just a pathetic piece of trash who’s completely insignificant in The Seven. Don’t let him fool you."
Annie wiped her tears and nodded heavily.
She had originally quite liked The Deep, but his actions had shattered the young girl’s illusions.
People are always hurt the most by those they admire.
The panel flashed frantically.
[Key Character’s Fate Significantly Rewritten!]
[Annie January (Starlight): Originally destined to be sexually assaulted -> Event prevented]
[Key Character’s Emotions Fluctuating Wildly: Fear -> Grievance -> Gratitude -> Trust established]
+3,847
+2,156
+1,934
[Milestone Achieved: Prevented a Key Evil Act (First Time)]
[Milestone Reward: +5,000]
Total this time: +12,937
Current Evolution Points: 54,676 / 100,000
Excellent!
Lucas suppressed the wild joy in his heart. As expected, Starlight was the real deal.
He pulled a dry towel from the meeting room’s storage cabinet and handed it to Annie.
"Wipe your face, then go back and get some rest."
"Come find me if you need anything."
Annie took the towel, wiped her face, and sniffled hard.
"Are you... Guardian?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
"You’re welcome."
Lucas turned and left.
Starlight watched his departing figure as he flew away, standing frozen in place for a long time.