Starlight’s exclusive interview took place the very next day.
It was held at an independent news platform.
Called "Voice of Truth."
This was a small online media outlet with only 300,000 subscribers, known for daring to speak the truth, and it had a quite good reputation among the younger demographic.
Because it was independent media, not controlled by Vought, it had high public trust.
At the same time, a small platform also meant a low barrier to entry, which could avoid interference from Madelyn.
The host of "Voice of Truth" was a girl whose temperament was very close to Starlight’s; the two young women sitting together chatting created an inherently infectious image.
Girl help girls.
The result was that within five minutes of going live, the number of online viewers exceeded two million.
It hit the trending searches on multiple platforms simultaneously.
Ten minutes later, the number reached five million.
Lucas witnessed once again the terrifying traffic and popularity of Starlight.
The host began the questioning.
"Annie, have you seen that video circulating online?"
Starlight nodded. She wasn’t wearing The Seven costume today; she was dressed like an ordinary person, looking very pure.
She looked just like an ordinary girl, rather than an aloof Supe or superhero.
This was also the narrative perspective provided by Lucas.
To package oneself as a victim, one must return to the identity of an ordinary person; otherwise, people wouldn’t be able to empathize.
Just like celebrities always saying they have it hard, that making money is difficult, that filming is exhausting, yet their income is thousands of times that of ordinary people.
How are you supposed to make the common people empathize with that?
"Is what happened in that video real?"
"It is real."
Starlight’s voice trembled, and she was on the verge of tears.
Her posture was pitiful.
Even Homelander, watching from behind the screen, couldn’t help but exclaim at her good acting.
"The night of my second day joining The Seven, The Deep found me and made a move on me in the conference room."
"I was very scared at the time, and I didn’t know what to do. He was a veteran, I was a newcomer, and I wasn’t even sure if resisting him would make me lose my position in The Seven."
The live stream’s chat exploded after hearing this.
[ My heart aches for Annie! ]
[ The Deep is a beast! ]
[ What on earth is Vought doing? ]
[ This is oppression! This is tyranny! ]
[ Damn The Deep, no wonder I’ve always disliked him, damn it! ]
[ Do you guys think Starlight is still a virgin? ]
[ Kid from above! Don’t make your sister Annie laugh! ]
The host handed her a tissue, which Starlight held in her hand as she continued.
"But that video is not complete; the second half was deliberately cut out by someone."
"What was in the second half?" the host immediately asked.
"It was Guardian who kicked open the door and stopped The Deep."
The host timely cut to the complete version of the video.
On screen, Lucas kicked the conference room door flying with one kick, the runes on his suit particularly eye-catching.
He stood in front of Starlight, blocking The Deep.
"Shut up!"
The Deep wanted to explain, but was suppressed by a single sentence from Lucas.
Immediately after, the two confronted each other.
The Deep tried to rely on his status to suppress Guardian.
But Guardian was dauntless, upholding fairness and justice.
In the end, Starlight really didn’t just give in!
The number of online viewers in the live stream directly exceeded ten million.
The speed of the chat scrolling was so fast that the human eye couldn’t clearly see it; one could only see the subtitles like a torrent.
Swish swish swish!
[ Guardian!!! My superman! ]
[ You are the true hero! ]
[ I’m crying, really crying. ]
[ Big head or small head? ]
[ Vought doesn’t deserve a hero as wonderful as Guardian! ]
[ He really is! I’m crying to death! ]
[ I didn’t expect Guardian to not be dyed into their likeness by Vought’s big dye vat; well done!! ]
Next, Starlight began the Homelander narrative.
"Afterwards, Guardian reported this matter to Homelander."
"Homelander was very angry; he had been secretly investigating the problems with The Deep and A-Train, collecting evidence."
"This press conference was the formal decision Homelander made after mastering sufficient evidence."
"But someone didn’t want the truth to be revealed in the correct way, so they stole the video, deliberately cut out the second half, and wanted to turn this into a scandal to strike at The Seven."
"They are not only hurting me, but also hurting Guardian, hurting Homelander, and hurting everyone who believes in justice!"
Starlight spoke very sincerely because she truly believed in this narrative.
At least most of it was true...
Guardian did indeed save her.
Homelander did indeed kick The Deep out of the team.
The interview lasted forty-five minutes.
The peak number of online viewers reached twenty-three million.
This number allowed "Voice of Truth," this small media outlet, to break out of its niche and become known to the public.
Less than an hour after the interview ended.
The public opinion trend had a 180-degree turn.
Guardian saving the damsel in distress went viral across the entire internet.
The claim that Homelander had been investigating in secret for a long time was also widely accepted; his approval rating not only stopped falling but was rising again.
It was even 0.8 percentage points higher than before the press conference.
Guardian’s public image had already entered the top five in favorability among all Supes in America.
Even Vought’s stock decline stopped and began to warm up.
Edgar put down the newspaper and looked at Madelyn on the sofa next to him.
"You said Guardian was a spy? Now it seems that is not the case."
"He is just a young man with immature thoughts, still holding onto basic ideal justice in his heart. We have seen countless such people in the past, but this time, not only did you fail to discover it, you also invited his annoyance."
"That would be one thing, but you couldn’t even look at the world from the company’s height. Let’s leave this matter at that; I will report it to the board of directors."
"From now on, Ashley will take over the right to speak regarding public relations. You stay put and deal with that Godolkin matter."
Madelyn clenched her fists tightly.
To prevent her from causing trouble, Lucas had deliberately found a small independent media outlet.
She hadn’t even had time to intervene.
Now even Edgar didn’t believe her version of the story.
...
On the other side, Lucas opened the system panel.
The numbers on it began to climb.
Current Evolution Points: 99,214 / 100,000
Lucas watched as the numbers on the panel rose bit by bit.
99,800
99,900
99,950
...
Ding.
[ Congratulations to the host, Evolution Points have reached 100,000 / 100,000 ]
[ Level Up: Lv.2 → Lv.3 ]
[ Unlocking new abilities... ]
Lucas opened his eyes.
An unprecedented power surged from the depths of his body, as hot as magma.
Every one of his cells was reorganizing, strengthening, and evolving.
Muscle fibers, bone density, sensory sensitivity... all climbed significantly.
[ Level: Lv.3 ]
[ Strength: 3,000 Tons ]
[ Speed: Mach 30 ]
[ Defense: Tactical Nuclear Weapon Immunity ]
[ New Abilities: Unobstructed X-Ray Vision, Omega Beams ]
[ Space Flight: 2 Weeks ]
[ Current Evolution Points: 0 / 250,000 ]
Lucas looked at the data on the panel and took a deep breath.
3,000 tons of strength! Mach 30 speed!
A Viltrumite elite warrior!
The weaker kind.
Because what he upgraded was only his bloodline; combat power requires the accumulation of lifespan. According to the age ladder of Viltrumites, Lucas’s current age is about the same as a newborn baby.
But he also gained two more abilities.
X-Ray Vision and Omega Beams.
This is insane!
Viltrumites don’t have X-Ray Vision or beams at all; the system Lucas brought with him seems to be a heavily modified and enhanced version.
Lucas raised his head and looked at the chimney of an abandoned building in the distance.
He narrowed his eyes.
Deep within his eyes, two points of red light lit up.
Sizzle—
Two scorching red beams shot out from his pupils, accurately hitting the chimney 500 meters away.
The metal chimney instantly turned red and softened under the high temperature, slowly collapsing like a candle.
Could these Omega Beams be the Darkseid version?
Lucas blinked, his eyes feeling no discomfort at all.
What he just used was far from full-power output.
Alright!
He can be Homelander’s daddy now!
On the panel, new mission prompts popped up.
[ Mission Updated ]
[ Main Mission: Establish an Irreplaceable Status within Vought ]
[ Side Mission: Find Translucent ]
[ Side Mission: Butcher’s Next Move ]
[ Side Mission: The Seven – Cate and Jordan ]
[ Side Mission: Edgar’s Favor ]