Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 463 The hero appears
For the first time, Anne felt like her life was a dream.

Click, click——

The flashes of cameras on both sides of the red carpet made her a little dizzy. One camera after another reported on her, and one New York citizen after another waved and cheered for her, welcoming their hero.

Starlight
She looked down at the hero uniform she was wearing, which she had designed herself. Although it was a bit childish, it matched her hero name perfectly.

Someone grabbed her arm from behind. When she turned around, she saw her mother. Her mother's face showed a tremendous surprise, pride, and relief, along with a hint of bewildered panic—something Annie had almost never seen before in her life.

How could you not find it dreamlike?

From a young age, her mother would repeat certain things to her over and over again: she said she was God's chosen one, that her superpowers were a gift from the Lord, and that Starlight was born to be a hero.

From a young age, she taught herself to design hero costumes, participated in all sorts of minor hero beauty pageants that she didn't like, and trained her superpowers every day, almost without a break, all for the day when she said she would one day join Vought International, join the Seven, and become one of the most successful heroes in the world.

People will cheer and shout their names over and over again. All the cameras will be pointed at the hero named "Starlight." He will walk down the red carpet into the Vought International building, bringing heroism and hope to those in need.

Saving the world and achieving fame and fortune along the way—there's no happier dream than this.

Although the judges dismissed Annie's dream of "saving the world," she still believes that "hope" is important.

And now, everything before his eyes was exactly the same as the scene in his dream.

"Starlight! Starlight! Starlight!"

The shouts made her feel even more like she was in a dream, as if she were floating on clouds, having a beautiful dream.

Welcome to New York.

A middle-aged woman in a suit walked towards Starlight at the end of the red carpet. She looked to be in her thirties or forties, with a bright smile on her face and a folder in her hand: "Welcome to New York, Starlight—my name is Ashley Barrett, Director of Talent."

"Oh, hello. Are all these people here to see me?"

"Ah, of course, darling, but they're also waiting for another hero."

"what?"

Starlight then noticed that Barrett's gaze seemed to be scanning the surroundings, looking for someone else, not just her.

"There's another hero...? Wasn't only one member of the Seven supposed to retire?"

"Oh, darling, we've become a group of eight. This decision wasn't made recently, so it's normal that you don't know yet."

“Is this normal?”

Starlight was immediately bewildered. For more than a decade, the news people read about the "Seven Heroes" had been full of stories. Adding another hero's seat was something that had never happened before.

Just then, Ashley's gaze suddenly focused on the sky.

"They're here, they're finally here!" Her amazement was mixed with a hint of relief. "If they hadn't come soon, we would have been late."

"Who?"

"Hello, I'm Clark, you can call me Superman."

A gentle male voice came from the sky. Starlight looked in astonishment and saw a person dressed in red and blue battle armor slowly descending to the ground.

"No. Was that really a person?"

Under the dazzling sunlight, Starlight couldn't help but squint. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the scorching sun, feeling that the hero who descended with his back to the light was the embodiment of strength and beauty, and his aura was as dazzling as the sun.

"It was just like a god descending to earth."

“Ah, of course I’m not a god.” Clark’s hearing was excellent, and Starlight’s mutterings sounded no different from everyday speech to him.

After landing, he smiled at Xingguang again, a smile that made Xingguang feel dazed.

She felt as if she had indeed seen a small sun.

"I'm like you, someone with some superpowers, and I want to be a hero."

The scene, which had been as noisy as a tsunami, fell silent for a few seconds.

"Superman! Superman! Superman!"

"What is your relationship with Homelander?"

"Superman! Can I take a picture with you?"

The storm of cheers and flashing lights was more than twice as intense as before, to which Superman responded with a slightly helpless smile.

He had encountered similar situations in Metropolis before, but several years had passed, and people had become accustomed to Superman's existence and had also experienced his approachability to some extent. The media and citizens no longer directly worshipped him as a god.

Having no choice but to walk the red carpet now, Clark is still a little unaccustomed to it.

"Hello, Starlight; hello, Ms. Barrett."

Clark politely extended his hand to greet the two of them.

"Superman, we've finally waited for you!"

Barrett's smile widened, and her attitude was far more attentive than when she was with Starlight. Superman's handsome face and perfect muscles were indeed very easy to like, and Vought's higher-ups, namely her boss Madeline Stivell, had repeatedly emphasized Superman's importance to her beforehand.

"Just treat him like a second Homelander."

These are Madeleine's exact words.

“Let’s go,” she suggested. “It’s almost time.”

"What time?"

"The time of the shareholders' meeting."

At the end of the red carpet, on the stage of the theater inside the Wot Corporation, a woman in a white shirt and black skirt was presiding over this important briefing meeting.

She looked older than Barrett, around forty or fifty years old, but her tone was still strong and passionate. She exuded the confidence of a powerful woman, remaining calm and composed under the spotlight.

She is Madeline Stivell, Vice President of Superhero Management. She has held a high position for many years and is very capable. At this age, she should be working hard.

"Without a doubt, now is the perfect time to join the superhero industry!"

With a smile, she proudly showcased Vought's recent achievements to everyone: "Our net income has increased by fourteen percent, our latest superhero movie has grossed 1.7 billion worldwide, and this autumn, construction will begin on a superhero-themed movie outside Paris. Ladies and gentlemen, our brand influence is limitless!"

The applause from the audience was thunderous, and the huge profits filled everyone with excitement.

"But more importantly, it's about managing, supporting, and guiding our heroes—please look at the big screen."

Following her guidance, short, meaningless videos of boasting and exaggeration began playing on the big screen.

Meanwhile, backstage, Starlight and Superman prepared to enter.

(End of this chapter)