"Ashley, how many years have you been working at Vought?"
"...Seven years."
"Seven years, from a grassroots PR specialist to Deputy Director of Public Relations, working at least sixteen hours a day... tsk tsk."
"Can you even count how many times you’ve cleaned up messes for The Seven?"
Ashley didn’t speak; she seemed to understand what Lucas meant.
"It’s a pity, even if you work yourself to the bone like a beast of burden, you’ll always have Madelyn looming over you."
"She only needs to lift a finger and sign a paper, and those of you below have to run your legs off, and if something goes wrong, you’re the ones who take the blame and shoulder the responsibility."
"If the project succeeds, the credit goes to her. Tell me, is that fair?"
Lucas pushed the water glass toward her.
Ashley finally reached out and picked up the glass of water.
She knew full well that Lucas was sowing discord, but everything he said was spot on.
"Guardian, what exactly are you trying to say? I’m not Homelander!"
Lucas understood.
"I know you don’t have Homelander’s invulnerability, and you can’t withstand Madelyn’s torment."
Lucas stood up and walked to the window, looking at the skyline outside. "But what if... what if you had a backer no weaker than Homelander?"
Ashley’s hand trembled, and water splashed out of the glass.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Heh, as a seasoned veteran who has been in the workplace for years, you know exactly what I mean." Lucas wasn’t in a rush to demand an answer from Ashley.
"Go back and think about it."
"Madelyn’s current situation isn’t as good as you think. Homelander’s trust in her is wavering, and Edgar is also questioning her ability to maintain control after several project failures."
"At a time like this, if there were someone who could do better than her, someone who better understands how to balance the relationships between all parties..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
There was no need to spell things out for a smart person.
Lucas then tossed a file on the table over to her. "One more thing. This file contains my recommendation report. New members of The Seven can be selected from Godolkin University. The kids there have clean backgrounds; they just need a little bit of grooming, don’t they?"
Ashley took the file, knowing it was time for her to leave.
When she reached the door, she turned back and gathered her courage to ask, "Mr. Guardian, were you sent by a rival faction of Vought?"
"Of course not!" Lucas smiled. "I’m just a Superhero who does this as a hobby."
The door closed.
Lucas sat back in his chair, watching the numbers pop up on his panel.
[Key Character: Ashley Barrett — Emotional Change: Wavering, Ambition]
[Evolution Points Gained: +634]
Current Evolution Points: 78,208 / 100,000
A seed full of ambition had been planted. The next step was to prepare for it to take root and sprout.
Ashley the corporate drone; will she be able to successfully climb the ladder like in the original story?
...
Godolkin University.
The only institution of higher learning for Supes in America, and also Vought International’s most important talent reservoir.
To put it bluntly, it’s Vought’s breeding ground.
Supes who graduate from here either sign with Vought to become heroes under their banner or are assigned to various cities as second or third-tier law enforcement.
Those without connections are sent all over the world to maintain America’s hegemony.
Those who can make it into The Seven are few and far between.
Don’t look at A-Train and The Deep as people who don’t do human things; back in the day, they were top-ranked Supes at Godolkin University.
Lucas drove the black Audi RS provided by Vought all the way from Manhattan to the campus. He could have easily flown, but he didn’t want to appear as Guardian today.
He wore a black casual suit, no battle gear, and his hair was casually brushed back.
He looked just like a young Vought executive.
The car stopped in front of the main campus building. As soon as Lucas got out, a middle-aged man walked up to greet him.
"Mr. Guardian! Welcome, welcome! I’m Richard Brinker, the Dean of Godolkin University."
This man smiled like a Maitreya Buddha, bowing and scraping with an intensity comparable to The Deep.
"Ms. Madelyn has already notified us that you would be coming to evaluate the new batch of outstanding students to prepare for personnel adjustments in The Seven."
"Mm."
"I have already arranged for the twelve most outstanding students to wait in the lecture hall, and their files are also..."
"No need." Lucas interrupted him. "I’ll look around myself."
The smile on Brinker’s face froze for a moment.
"Of—of course! I’ll have someone show you the way..."
"No need for that either."
Lucas had already walked away.
Brinker stood there, his mouth agape.
He had seen plenty of people from Vought, but this was the first time he’d seen someone who didn’t play by the rules.
If you wander around on your own, how am I supposed to recommend my own people?
...
The Godolkin University campus was huge, with an architectural style typical of elite American universities.
Red brick walls, ivy, and large lawns.
All kinds of facilities were fully equipped.
But Lucas’s Super Hearing told him that this place wasn’t so simple.
For example, from the direction of the training grounds, screams rang out one after another; someone was engaged in live combat training, and the intensity was quite high.
In the dormitory area, someone was using their Supe abilities to do things that couldn’t be written about.
In the teaching building, a professor was lecturing students on "how to display the best smiling angle in front of the camera."
That vibe is just too intense!
Lucas shook his head and continued walking.
On the panel, two names were flashing.
[Cate Dunlap — Location: Training Ground Zone B]
[Jordan Li — Location: Teaching Building 3rd Floor, Lounge Area]
In Gen V, these two enrolled earlier, while Marie Moreau was a freshman who enrolled a few years later.
Lucas planned to make contact with the one nearby first.
...
Teaching Building, 3rd Floor, Lounge Area.
Two boys were sitting in a corner playing video games, while another person sat alone on a sofa by the window, legs crossed, holding an iced Americano and scrolling through their phone.
Jordan Li.
This was a Supe who could freely switch between male and female forms.
At the moment, Jordan was in female form.
It had to be said, Jordan’s female face was quite pretty.
Short black hair tucked behind her ears, delicate features, slightly upturned outer corners of the eyes, carrying a bit of natural aggression.
But not that stereotypical ABC look.
Lucas walked over and sat on the sofa opposite her.
Jordan looked up at him, then lowered her head to continue scrolling through her phone.
"This area is not open to the public."
"I shouldn’t count as an outsider."
Jordan looked up at him again.
"Sorry, I’m a bit blind. Who are you?"
"Someone from Vought. I came this time mainly to tour the legendary Godolkin University."
"I’ve seen plenty of people from Vought." Jordan put down her phone and tilted her head to look at him. "You don’t look like those greasy, middle-aged men in suits and ties."
"Miss, that’s because I’m neither middle-aged nor greasy, okay!"
The corners of Jordan’s mouth twitched; she seemed to find this person quite interesting.
"What’s your name?"
"Lucas, though people outside call me Guardian."