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[email protected]/Heroicverse
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The next day.
Vought Corporation.
99th floor, CEO's Office.
Stan Edgar stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, a glass in hand, looking at the New York streetscape with a melancholic expression.
Just last night at the press conference, he was backstabbed in public by his adopted daughter, Victoria Neuman, whom he had secretly supported for many years.
This meant that his career as CEO was about to end.
Next, he would likely face very serious criminal charges and imprisonment.
Of course.
Regardless of the reason, Vought Group could not allow an elder like him to spend the rest of his life in prison.
But for Stan Edgar, who had always been cautious in every step of his life, this was undoubtedly an unprecedented defeat!
Originally, he had planned to use three to five years to help Vought Group complete its transformation and completely get rid of the "superpowered marketing model" led by Homelander.
Thus, by selling Temporary Compound V, he would pull the 'derailing' Vought Group back to its leading position as a pharmaceutical company.
But who would have thought that the venture would collapse halfway through…
"How about it? The view here is beautiful, isn't it?"
Just then, a triumphant voice suddenly came from behind Stan Edgar.
Then Homelander walked in like a victor, strutting proudly.
"Honestly, you really should fly into the air and look down; that panoramic view is simply incredible."
"But, speaking of which, didn't the administrative staff inform you that your 'temporary leave' has been approved by the board of directors?"
"If you ask me, you executives just like to play complicated word games. What temporary leave… why not just say permanent suspension?"
As he spoke, Homelander had already sat down in the chair symbolizing the CEO's power.
Homelander had always been very vengeful.
Ever since Stan Edgar took office, he had deliberately suppressed him at every turn.
So now that he had finally succeeded in bringing down the other party, if he didn't take the opportunity to step on him a few times, wouldn't all the past humiliations have been in vain?
However, Stan Edgar on the opposite side seemed indifferent, turning a deaf ear to Homelander's sarcasm and taunts.
Although he had unexpectedly stumbled this time and fallen into the hands of his adopted daughter.
But if you were to ask who within Vought Group knew best how to control Homelander, even 'nanny' Madelyn would have to rank behind him.
Sure enough.
Not seeing the expected exasperated look on the other's face, Homelander felt an unprecedented sense of frustration.
Even the pleasure of victory was diluted significantly.
His lips twitched several times, and Homelander continued with some reluctance, "I suppose you must be blaming Victoria a lot right now, aren't you? But don't blame her…"
Before he could finish speaking, Stan Edgar interrupted him without turning his head, "I don't blame her."
"These are all survival lessons I taught her: to be adaptable… It seems she is even more outstanding than I imagined now."
At this point, Stan Edgar showed a knowing smile, then turned his head slightly, scanning Homelander with the corner of his eye and asking,
"But what truly fascinates me is, what did you use to win her over?"
Homelander immediately beamed with joy, blurting out with a victor's posture, "Nothing much, just a little respect… If you had given me some back then, you probably wouldn't have ended up in such a pathetic state now."
This time, Stan Edgar finally turned around, looking directly into the other's eyes without fear, and calmly retorted, "But what good would that do?"
"In my opinion, if your soul is filled with insecurity, then no matter how much respect you are given, it will be of no use at all."
The smile on Homelander's face instantly froze. He wanted to get angry but forced himself to hold it back, saying casually, "Heh heh, perhaps you don't know, there was a period when I was indeed very afraid of you. As for the reason, you should be able to guess…
However, now, you are no different from those ordinary people in my eyes!"
"Then why did you specially come here to tell me all this?"
Stan Edgar had clearly seen through the other's thoughts, mercilessly mocking, "I guess you didn't specially come here to see me off, did you?"
"Or are you still like a rebellious child, treating me as the father you imagined, specifically coming over to show off to me and seek my approval?"
"Stop deceiving yourself… Even if I was truly like a strict father before, if your heart were truly as strong as you just said, then you wouldn't need my approval long ago!"
"Yes, I have to admit that your method of turning Victoria was very effective, and now you have finally gotten your wish and taken control of the company.
But I dare say, it won't be long before you regret it, because no one will stop you from doing those stupid things like I did!!"
Homelander seemed to have been hit where it hurt by these words, and he angrily demanded, "Why do you say that?"
Stan Edgar smiled slightly, "Because soon the whole World will see how foolish you are, how incompetent, how disappointing!!"
"So, now I will answer your previous question… I don't respect you because you are simply not worth my respect."
"You are not a god; you are just… a terrible product created by Vought Group!!"
With that, Stan Edgar put down his wine glass and walked away elegantly.
Since he was no longer the CEO of Vought Group, he naturally no longer needed to worry about the consequences of breaking ties with Homelander.
During this process, Homelander constantly monitored his physical changes.
Even if Stan Edgar's heartbeat sped up by half a beat, or if he secreted too much sweat, Homelander would immediately use Cyclops to cut him in half.
On the contrary, the more assertive his attitude, the less Homelander dared to act against him.
This was a psychological hierarchy suppression, unrelated to individual strength.
It was the last safeguard deeply embedded in Homelander's personality by Vought Group, who had specially hired the World's top psychological hypnotists through long-term intervention and induction, back when Homelander was a teenager.
To prevent this powerful superpowered individual from completely losing control and going on a killing spree in the future!
Stan Edgar was aware of Homelander's 'masochistic' trait, which was why he dared to display such a strong attitude in front of him.
And facts proved he was right.
"Fu*k!!"
After Stan Edgar left, Homelander roared into the air.
He was clearly the one who had won.
Why did he seem like a loser in front of this guy?
"John, you've done very well. You successfully ousted that meddling guy from the CEO position… Now, Vought Group is yours. Go forth and create your glorious future!!"
In his mind, that magical voice sounded again.
"Yes, I am the winner."
Feeling affirmed, Homelander felt as if he had found a kindred spirit, so he pulled out his phone and called his bald female assistant, Ashley Barrett, saying ambitiously,
"Get me a plan right away. See what the public cares about most right now…"
"I want to make Vought Group more famous and influential under my leadership… At least stronger than when that bastard Stan Edgar was in charge!!"
...…
…
New York, Greble University campus.
At this moment, a large group of students were gathered around a patch of grass, watching a familiar scene unfold with strange expressions… a campus bullying!
Dr. Curt Connors, who had specially come here to look for Peter Parker, also stopped out of curiosity when he passed by, straining his neck to barely see what was happening inside.
But then, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
The two people standing in the middle of the lawn were Peter Parker and Flash Thompson, the star player of the school's football team.
However, this time, the roles of bully and bullied seemed to have been swapped.
Flash Thompson scrambled to his feet in a disheveled state, not bothering to brush off the mud and grass clinging to his T-shirt, or wipe away the trickle of blood from his nostrils that had resulted from the recent head-on collision.
Like an enraged brown bear, he charged towards Peter Parker, who was holding a football in one hand and covering his eyes with the other.
Bang—
However, just as Flash Thompson's fingertips were about to touch the football, Peter Parker slightly twisted his wrist, directly pushing the ball into the former's face.
The immense force instantly sent the burly Flash Thompson flying, and he rolled several times on the grass, clutching his nose in pain.
The students watching around them all showed expressions of disbelief.
Who could have imagined that the 'useless Parker' who was once trampled upon had now transformed into a strong man who brutalized the school bully, Flash Thompson?
Has this guy been possessed by Hulk?
Dr. Curt Connors on the periphery couldn't believe his eyes.
That familiar thin figure, that Peter Parker who usually gave off an impression of being gentle and timid, could actually easily defeat that strong man?
Clearly, during this past period, some unknown extraordinary change had occurred in this young man.
And the first thing Dr. Curt Connors thought of was… the "Trans-species Gene Serum" using lizard genes, which Peter Parker had previously helped complete!
But the problem was, even he, in professional experiments, couldn't easily produce such high-end gene agents. How could a mere poor student like him complete it independently?
At this moment, Peter Parker, in the middle of the crowd, slowly lowered the hand covering his eyes, then, mimicking the tone Flash Thompson used to taunt him in the past, he loudly said,
"Come on, useless Thompson, don't be a sissy, show some manliness! Didn't you always say you run like lightning?"
"Then use the way you used to teach me and snatch the ball back?!"
"What's wrong… Why don't you get up like a man from the ground? You're not waiting for someone to save you, are you?"
"Parker, I'm not done with you!"
His nose bleeding profusely, Flash Thompson, feeling utterly humiliated, struggled to his feet, dropped a harsh threat, and tried to run away.
But Peter Parker directly stopped him, grabbing the back of his neck with one hand and pulling him forward, mercilessly mocking,
"Do you know how long I've waited for this day?"
"Now, shouldn't we properly settle those old scores from all these years?"
Flash Thompson struggled desperately, but it was in vain; the other's large hand was like an iron clamp, not moving a bit.
The increasingly real sensation of suffocation caused a panic in his heart.
Although he didn't know what had happened to the still-thin Peter Parker in front of him.
But one thing was certain: the other party was no longer the weakling he used to bully.
A wise man knows when to retreat.
Flash Thompson immediately cowered, his face flushed, and he begged for mercy, "Parker, I'm sorry, it was all my fault before… I promise it won't happen again."
Upon hearing this belated apology, Peter Parker felt incredibly refreshed!
This time, he didn't rely on Gwen, but successfully defeated the school bully with his own strength.
No wonder people always say a man's dignity is earned with his fists!
"You'd better keep your promise, otherwise, next time, I won't give you another chance."
Although Peter Parker deeply hated this bastard who had bullied him for several years, the other party did not deserve death, so after a warning, he let go and allowed him to escape.
Ultimately.
He and Gwen were roughly the same kind of person.
They loved and hated clearly!
And because there was a shred of kindness in their hearts, they would not be completely lost in rampaging power, committing acts of indiscriminate killing.
In Warp, Khorne watched this strangely familiar scene and shook his head repeatedly: Why are all the people I've recently recruited such cowards who like to reason? Just kill him, dammit!!!
As Flash Thompson fled without looking back, the crowd that had gathered around quickly dispersed discreetly.
"Peter."
Dr. Curt Connors looked at Peter Parker with fervent eyes, as if he wanted to dissect him on the spot to get to the bottom of it, "After a few days apart, you seem to have undergone a great change?"
Peter Parker felt a chill, and somewhat guiltily changed the subject, "Um… Dr. Connors, are you just passing by, or did you come specifically to see me?"
Curt Connors smiled slightly upon hearing this, "Oh, I just happened to be passing by here, so I came specifically to thank you!"