I, the anti-superman, have hacked into the chat group.

"In other words, to expose their true colors, we need to take down the Vought Corporation first," Carl said. "Bronya, have you compiled any information on the Vought Corporation?"

“Of course, this company also has some major problems,” Bronya said.

"Vought International is an entertainment and film company, that's how it's registered, but its predecessor existed during World War II. At that time, Vought International was a pharmaceutical company, and the first group of superhumans appeared around that time."

Upon hearing this, the group members immediately started to think outside the box. The pharmaceutical company had suddenly become an entertainment company that seemed completely unrelated, which seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at it. This was compounded by the company's complicated relationship with superpowered individuals and the fact that both were founded around the same time.

"So, you mean the origin of superpowers is Vought International's drugs, Bronya?" the doctor chimed in.

“It’s just a guess,” Bronya said.

At this point, Carl said, "Things seem to have suddenly become simpler."

The group members were a little confused about what Karl meant. Didn't this make things more complicated?

Carl explained, "Right now everyone thinks that superhumans are lucky ones who are born naturally. But if that's a lie, and the creation of superhumans is entirely controlled by Vought International, it means that Vought International has already controlled the lives of a group of people, which the authorities would never allow."

That makes sense, but the group members are still worried about what will happen if the authorities can't control it. You know, in superhero-themed works, the authorities have always been portrayed as incompetent background figures.

Carl laughed and said, "Don't worry, a company is just a company. Its foundation can't compare to that of a country. And even if they're desperate, we're still here, aren't we?"

They were acting with great restraint to avoid causing too much panic. If the Water Company were to make a big fuss, they would be the ones who would suffer.

The group members instantly felt much more relaxed. They had absolute confidence in Karl, meaning that no matter how badly the mission was messed up, with him there was a safety net, and they didn't need to feel any psychological pressure.

"How reliable. In that case, leave the investigation to me. I'll make sure I uncover all their secrets. As for the hero activities, leave them to my two clones," Kurumi Tokisaki said.

She can use her time-traveling abilities to peer into past memories, but she needs a medium and the accuracy is ultimately low. However, by finding a few high-ranking company executives, the investigation is not a problem.

The group members are investigating the Wot Corporation, while the Wot Corporation is also eager to investigate the group members.

P.S.: Consider yesterday a day off. I'll update more often from now on.

Chapter Ninety-One: Digging One's Own Grave

In the Vought International office building, Homelander, the leader of the Seven, is watching television with a dark expression. The program playing is a pre-recorded superhero audition.

However, he paid no attention to the champion Spider, and focused all his attention on Carl.

"Why did the company allow him to show up?!" Homelander angrily questioned the company manager.

The manager, a woman in her thirties, lowered her voice and said in a tone that was as gentle as possible to avoid provoking the man from the mainland, "These people are not affiliated with the company. Their sudden appearance suggests that they were most likely smuggled in from another country."

Ninety percent of the superpowered individuals, like those from Vought International, are native-born. Very few are born in other countries, but Vought International has relatively little control over these individuals.

“I don’t care where he came from, he has to disappear,” Homelander said firmly.

But the female manager said, "However, the company's attitude is to first make friendly contact and try to recruit them."

"Recruit them?!" Homelander's voice rose eight octaves in an instant: "Letting them join will only bring losses to the company. Don't those people understand that?"

The man from the country firmly opposed the company's approach. The female manager knew she couldn't persuade him, so she said, "This isn't something I can decide. This is the result of the upper management's discussion. Maybe you should go talk to the big boss."

A company naturally has a boss. Although Homelander has considerable power in Vought International, the boss is not Homelander, nor is he any superhuman. He is just an ordinary person.

Homelander arrived at the top of the company at lightning speed. Inside the big boss's office, he didn't knock but pushed the door open directly, deforming the metal lock under his force.

The boss, dressed in a suit and looking quite capable, showed no fear when the Chinese people came to him in a menacing manner.

"Can't you make an appointment first?"

"Don't talk to me about that. I'm here to talk to you about something important. You know that newly formed Justice League, right? They're a threat to the company."

"Come on, you just think that Superman's existence will affect your popularity, right? After all, his character is somewhat similar to yours."

The boss's opening remarks revealed the true nature of the Chinese people: what does he care about when it comes to company interests? He only cares about himself.

Most superheroes have competitors; for example, A-Train has to race against other speedsters to maintain his speed advantage. But Homelander has never had any, and no one even dares to wear a similar outfit to him.

Seeing this, Homelander simply stopped pretending and said directly, "My interests are the company's interests. The company can't do without my popularity, otherwise it wouldn't be the best hero company. So you must listen to me and make the Justice League disappear, whether by banning them or by physical means, don't let me see them again!"

Are you threatening me?

Faced with the incredibly powerful Homelander, the boss actually defiantly confronted him, even though Homelander could kill him with a single breath, yet he acted as if he were dealing with an ordinary subordinate.

"Have you forgotten something? You are just a product of our company, and not even the most important product. We have always been a pharmaceutical company."

"We can create you and we can destroy you, so if you don't want everyone to hate you, don't try to tell us what to do! Now go back to your own business, whether you're going to be on a show or making a movie, just disappear from here!"

The boss gave Homelander a stern lecture without holding back, completely disregarding the man's superpowers.

Such an attitude might provoke resistance from an ordinary person with a short temper, but Homelander, the most powerful superhuman in the world, actually tolerated it.

His expression suggested he might lose control at any moment, but in the end, he left without saying a word. People's affection was far too important to him.

After Homelander left, the big boss opened a video on his laptop, the same one Homelander had watched before—a pre-recorded video of a superhero talent show.

But his perspective was much more objective than Homelander's; he carefully observed everyone's superpowers and played the videos repeatedly.

After a long pause, he paused the video and muttered to himself, "Sure enough, my feeling was right. These people's superpowers don't come from Compound V, at least not some of them."

The computer screen paused on Kurumi Tokisaki, during the time she used her clones.

"The ability to create clones has never been seen before. Even if we don't rule out the possibility of mutation, this method of creating clones is too strange. If it were a clone ability from Compound V, it should grow a new body from a certain part of the body, not like this where a new body sprouts from the feet and can disappear at any time."

The boss was one of the people who knew best what so-called superpowered individuals were capable of, because all of them did indeed come from Vought International.

That was a project during World War II. A brilliant scientist invented a drug called Compound V, which could stimulate the human body to produce amazing mutations, that is, the essence of superpowers.

No matter how fancy the ability is, it is based on the physical body. The invisibility ability is a skin mutation, and underwater breathing is the growth of gills. Although the ability to create clones has not yet appeared, the boss can basically conclude that if it does, it will be like the process of nurturing a fetus, absorbing nutrients, growing a new body, and at the same time replicating memories.

As for retrieving the clone, that's impossible. Have you ever seen a child that's been born put back in?

"If their abilities don't come from Vought Corporation's Compound V, then there are only two possibilities."

"Or, other countries have also developed products similar to Compound No. 5, and most of these people happen to be foreigners, which is quite possible."

"Or, the reason is more direct: these people are born with superpowers, just like in fantasy works."

The boss put forward two assumptions, but he was convinced that Karl and others' abilities did not come from their own products.

"Regardless of the final truth, their existence is invaluable. If we can dissect them, Compound V might be able to take this opportunity to reach a higher level."

"No, no, if they are born with superpowers, it would be a waste to dissect them. They should be studied slowly."

"And even if we wanted to dissect him, how to catch him would be a problem. That Superman might be a Homelander created by another country."

"In short, let's try to make friends first. No one will refuse the feeling of being in the spotlight. Maybe they will take the initiative to cooperate later."

Besides pharmaceuticals, Vought International's forte is creating stars. Just look at how much they've inflated the egos of The Seven to know how many tricks they have up their sleeves. The mighty Homelander would rather suffer than give up his star career.

Moreover, the star-making business does not affect the company's core interests, so the boss decided to use this method to win over Carl and others. When they are deeply involved and unable to extricate themselves, that will be the time for the company to reap the rewards.

Chapter Ninety-Two: On the Airplane

Ever since Vought International decided to heavily promote the Justice League, news about the group has been everywhere.

They wanted to turn the group members into people who craved fame, just like the Super Seven, and then use that to blackmail them, so they put in a lot of effort in the early stages.

These past few days, the group members, led by Carl, have been doing good deeds everywhere, and the Water Company, without prior notice, has managed to get reporters to record and report on most of the events.

Although the group members didn't care at all, none of them really wanted to be famous, and Spider even disliked it.

Meanwhile, Vought International has been expressing its desire to work with the Justice League to make the world a better place, but the group members know that Vought International is not a good company, so they have not agreed.

She only gave Vought a number to keep them in suspense, while in secret, Kurumi Tokisaki was gathering evidence of their crimes.

She used her shadow space to infiltrate the building and read memories, while her clones remained in front of the crowd. The clones couldn't use Zafkiel, but they could fly and fight, making them perfectly capable of handling crimes committed by ordinary people.

Incidentally, the telephone operator for Water Company was Gan Yu, who finally managed to find time to do the task after a period of grueling overtime work.

As a national-level secretary who handles a large number of events every day, even in modern society, Gan Yu can easily see through the tricks of the Water Corporation. She knows how to create a feeling that success is just around the corner for the other party.

"Mr. Superman, Vought International is calling again, but this time it's serious business," Gan Yu said seriously after hanging up the phone.

Before Carl could ask a question, Gan Yu continued, "A plane has been hijacked by criminals, and after receiving the news, the Vought Company chose to hand the matter over to us."

With the plane in the air, there was no one to help; ordinary methods were ineffective in dealing with the situation, and the only option was to wait until the plane landed before trying to find a solution.

Of course, Vought could actually handle it; they just needed to send Homelander, who was faster than an airplane.

However, for Vought, the key issue wasn't whether they could save the people on the plane, but rather who should receive the enormous credit that came with it. Hijackings were rare and would be very profitable for them, but since recruiting allies was an order from the boss, Vought decided to abandon the idea of ​​handling the incident.

Carl said, "I understand. I'll go right now. No matter what the Vought Company thinks, the people on the plane will definitely be safe."

After saying that, Karl flew into the sky.

at the same time.

In the Vought Company building, Homelander also learned of the plane crash. He also had super hearing, but unlike Carl, he didn't have unreasonable, non-medium hearing.

These past few days have been agonizing for the Super 7. They've watched helplessly as the new team's popularity steadily rises, while the company hasn't been giving them any activities and doesn't seem to care much about finding a seventh member.

The members felt that the company's focus had changed. The scrolling screens on the streets featured different characters, Spider-Man's memes started going viral online, and news media were all scrambling to grab attention to the Justice League, while nobody cared about them since they weren't on screen.

In the information age, trends change rapidly. No matter how much popularity someone has accumulated, unless they are a die-hard fan, they will not be remembered if they are outdated.

The seven-person team, consisting of only six people, sighed all day long, but there was nothing they could do. They knew that even if they expressed their dissatisfaction, it would be of no use, as the company could replace them at any time.

Only the people of the motherland are still thinking about increasing their exposure.

He approached the female manager with whom he had a good relationship, hoping she would arrange for a reporter to document his impressive performance.

"I heard that, there's a problem with the plane, right? Let me handle it."

The female manager said helplessly, "This matter has been decided to be handed over to the Justice League. It doesn't matter to the company who does it. As long as people see the advantages of superheroes, it will increase our chances of getting into the defense industry."

Only superheroes can handle plane crashes right now, and the company can profit if it can get the military to approve it.

Homelander retorted, "But what does this have to do with you? If a company promotion has nothing to do with you, what's the difference between that and not getting promoted at all?"

The female manager was stunned. It seemed to make sense. There were factions in the company, and she and the villagers were undoubtedly on the same side. If they didn't get a share of this great achievement, it would be a huge loss.

“Okay, I’ll help you.” The female manager agreed.

She told Homelander the plane's location and contacted a group of journalists she knew, while Homelander immediately took to the sky.

……

Carl arrived earlier than the Homelanders.

He first scanned the plane with his X-ray vision, then opened the cabin door and went inside.

The pressure difference between the inside and outside of the plane was extreme, so Carl quickly closed the cabin door, preventing a criminal from falling out of the plane.