At the press conference, Carter stood under the spotlight, unflinching.
This puzzled G'iah, who was observing from the sidelines.
Last night, Carter's battle with Homelander revealed her immense commercial potential.
Homelander was no longer G'iah's trump card hero.
Though she couldn't uncover Carter's past, G'iah chose her without hesitation.
Compared to the deeply flawed Homelander, Carter was superior in both strength and emotional stability, making her a better fit as Vought's ace.
More importantly, Carter was a stunning female superhero, perfect for attracting a massive fanbase and generating commercial value for Vought.
The Seven needed a hero like her.
So, G'iah swiftly arranged Carter's publicity, announcing her addition to The Seven immediately.
Under G'iah's satisfied smile, Carter casually tore up the company's prepared speech and spoke freely in front of everyone, discussing The Seven's history and her grand ambitions upon joining. This wasn't the behavior of a rookie unaccustomed to the spotlight.
Carter's confident, heroic demeanor instantly won over the crowd.
Thus, Charlie and the other two at the scene saw the numbers above Carter's head constantly ticking upward.
[33]
[109]
[339]
[899]
[1992]
The numbers kept climbing, and Old Man Steve's face was full of envy.
"Carter's fan points are skyrocketing. I'm so jealous… No way, I'm gonna bribe a reporter to smear her. Spider-Man, got any cash?" he asked Charlie.
Charlie glanced at him, then pointed at Clark nearby. "There's a reporter right here. No need to spend money."
Clark froze, pointing at himself. "Me?" Then he shook his head firmly. "No way, I won't do something that dirty. Besides, it's unfair competition and breaks the match rules."
"It's fine. It's just standard business tactics. Do it secretly, and there's no problem," Old Man Steve coaxed.
Clark shook his head resolutely. "It's a matter of principle. News must be absolutely truthful. We can't deceive the public."
Seeing Clark steadfastly on the side of justice, Old Man Steve was inwardly furious.
Damn it, can't sway this guy.
Am I the only one with negative fan points?
Unable to drag Clark down with him, Old Man Steve was deeply disappointed.
But he quickly came up with another idea.
He winked at Charlie. "Spider-Man, you go find Carter tonight. I'll sneak some photos."
Charlie's mouth twitched. "Old man, you seem awfully practiced at this!"
"Of course, I've been… cough, cough… I mean, if you become Carter's boyfriend, you can piggyback on her popularity. It's for your own good," Old Man Steve said, sounding eerily like Spider-Man caught in a lie.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Old man, you've got a dirty mind."
"But it's a good idea." He grinned. "How spicy can we make it? Should we set up the camera angles in advance?"
Seeing Charlie agree, Old Man Steve's eyes lit up.
"I'll handle everything. We'll make headlines!"
"Thanks, old man. Don't forget the mosaic!"
"No problem."
The two chatted animatedly, while Clark, disgusted, stepped away from them.
Shameless!
Meanwhile, on stage, Carter's words subtly expressed dissatisfaction with Homelander's leadership of The Seven. Backstage, Homelander's face grew darker.
But outwardly, he forced a smile, pretending nothing was wrong.
Burning with rage inside, he spotted Old Man Steve, knowing he was Carter's friend. He decided to teach the old man a lesson to show Carter he wasn't to be trifled with.
So, with a cold expression, he approached Old Man Steve. Clark, noticing Homelander in his suit, instinctively blended into the crowd, adept at disguising himself as an ordinary person.
Old Man Steve sensed a faint chill.
He turned to face the approaching Homelander, his gaze falling on the massive fan point total above Homelander's head.
"If he strikes first, our counterattack wouldn't count as malicious competition," he whispered.
Charlie, also noting Homelander's fan points, mused, "The popularity battle's finally starting. So this guy's a competitor too. His fan points are in the billions—what a perfect tool."
He smiled.
Old Man Steve smiled too.
So, he stepped forward, facing Homelander head-on.
"Tonight, one-on-one. No backup," he whispered before turning and leaving the scene.
Homelander stood stunned, then incredulous.
"What did he say? This old geezer wants to duel me?"
He glanced at his suit, a symbol of power, his eyes filled with confusion.
Had he lost all his intimidation?
A washed-up old man dared to challenge him.
Utterly despicable!
Murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he thought of ways to torment this guy.
The unremarkable Charlie naturally went unnoticed.
But Charlie sensed something off in the surroundings.
He discreetly left the scene and entered the restroom.
Whoosh~
He turned on the faucet, washing his hands. Looking at himself in the mirror, Charlie grinned. "As expected, still as handsome as ever."
The moment he finished speaking, a glint of magical energy flashed in his eyes.
BOOM!!
With a surge of immense force, the restroom exploded, and a filth-covered silhouette was blasted into the press conference.
"Oh my God! What happened?!"
"Look, what's that?"
The sudden explosion startled the reporters.
They spotted the grime-coated figure and instantly recognized The Seven's Invisible Man.
"My God, it's the Invisible Man!"
"That's… ugh!"
"Snap his picture!"
"This is huge news! The Invisible Man was doing something bad in the restroom!"
"He likes swimming in toilets!"
"That caused the restroom to explode!"
In an instant, the reporters crafted their headlines. G'iah's face darkened, and she quickly ordered her assistant to lock down the scene and stop the photographers.
On stage, Carter's debut was forcibly interrupted. She was furious but sighed upon noticing a trace of vibrant magic at the scene.
She knew who did it.
But she was helpless—she couldn't retaliate.
Who could, when it was the invincible Spider-Man?
Under the staff's cover, Carter stepped off the stage, wondering why Charlie hadn't made his official debut yet.
With his personality, staying quiet this long meant he was planning something big.
Her suspicious nature, born from the personality reversal spell, made her wary. She worried her old friend might block her from securing the resurrection spot.
She felt insecure and deeply troubled.
Meanwhile, Old Man Steve, seeing Charlie effortlessly ruin Carter's press conference and halt her fan point climb, clapped and laughed.
"As expected of Spider-Man. One word: Epic!"
Then he found Charlie outside, noticing his fan points were still zero. Old Man Steve was slightly stunned.
"You didn't lose any fan points?" he asked, surprised.
Charlie, spritzing himself with cologne, casually replied, "I just dealt with a peeping Tom my way. It's self-defense, not violence."
Hearing this, Old Man Steve had an epiphany. "I see. Got it."
"You got it?"
"Oh, I got it. Watch my performance tonight."
"Nice. Showtime."
"Showtime!"
Old Man Steve was brimming with confidence.
Time passed, and night fell.
Liberty Island.
The Statue of Liberty held her torch aloft.
At the statue's base, Old Man Steve calmly adjusted his suit, casually addressing the floating Homelander. "Kid, I saw through you from the start—you're no good guy. But as your senior, I'll kindly teach you what a real villain is."
Homelander, arms crossed, sneered down at the washed-up old man. "Treating villainy like something to brag about? Truly a senile old fool. Pathetic."
Old Man Steve polished his shield with a rag, recalling Spider-Man's intel, a wicked grin curling his lips.
"The truly pathetic one is you."
He looked up at Homelander. "I know you've been spying on that old lady."
One sentence, and Homelander's face changed instantly.
"You shit, I don't know what you're talking about," he said, feigning calm.
Old Man Steve shrugged. "Deny it all you want. I've got plans. After I beat you senseless, I'll go find that old lady, and hehehe… I'll send you a video copy. You can watch it alone on a quiet night. Don't forget the tissues~"
"What?"
Old Man Steve's filthy words made Homelander's eyes glow red with rage, though deep down, he felt a twisted anticipation.
He refused to admit his perverse thoughts.
He decided to teach this damn old man a lesson.
Buzz~
BOOM!!
In an instant, heat vision shot toward Old Man Steve, who casually raised his shield to block the impact, his muscles bulging and bursting his suit.
Rip~
BOOM~
The heat vision relentlessly struck the shield, but Old Man Steve kept advancing, pushing through the force toward Homelander.
"What?"
Homelander was shocked.
He recalled last night's fight with Carter.
These two were the same—their shields could easily withstand his heat vision. Terrifying.
What material were those shields made of?
He wanted one too!!
Fueled by anger and fear, Homelander unleashed his full power, roaring as he released even more intense heat vision.
Under the red glow, the shield began to glow red-hot, but Old Man Steve didn't flinch at the heat.
A blue glint flashed in his eyes as he locked onto Homelander's weakness.
Zzzzt~
Tilting the shield's edge slightly, he reflected the heat vision back, precisely striking Homelander's… sensitive spot.
BANG!!
"NO!!"
Homelander screamed, plummeting from the sky. Old Man Steve glanced ahead, grinning wickedly when no rule violation message appeared.
"Perfect. Self-defense doesn't break match rules. This'll be easy."
Following Charlie's advice, the old man successfully provoked Homelander, earning a chance to pummel him.
He cherished this opportunity.
Gripping his shield, he charged at Homelander, delivering a military boxing combo that taught him what a real captain was.
BOOM!!
Bang, bang~
"NO~"
With fists the size of sandbags landing on his face, Homelander was sent crashing into the sea, disappearing without a trace.
Old Man Steve stared at the calming sea, shrugging.
"Coward. I could've kept going all day!"
He turned, spotting a drone in the night sky, and gave an OK gesture.
Meanwhile, at the Seven Tower.
G'iah watched Homelander get thoroughly dominated by Old Man Steve, and the weight in her heart finally lifted.
Homelander's personality flaws had always worried her.
Now, someone could keep him in check—and not just one person. She felt a long-lost sense of ease.
But after the relief, she began pondering how to control these two sudden superhumans.
Carter was a woman, and she knew how to handle women to make them obedient.
As for this old guy…
She glanced at his explosive muscles, swallowing instinctively.
Compared to the volatile, fragile Homelander, Old Man Steve was clearly easier to control.
Even with his white hair and wrinkles, his charisma was magnetic.
Most importantly, he was a ruggedly handsome old man, fiercer than the young ones.
She knew how to control him.
G'iah's smile brimmed with confidence.
That night, she summoned Old Man Steve to her office.
That night, he didn't refuse.
That night, he hurt her.
Beep-beep-beep~~
Late at night, an ambulance took away the unconscious G'iah, proof that the old man's combat prowess was still at its peak.
Homelander witnessed it all, tears of sorrow streaming down his face.
"Wahhh! NO!!"
Under the full moon, atop a skyscraper, Homelander let out a long howl.
"Why, why did this happen?!"
Carter stole his status, and the old man stole his love.
It all happened so suddenly, he couldn't process it.
He was furious but powerless.
In his frustration, he needed release.
Amid howling winds, he faced the neon city, his expression growing ferocious as he unleashed all his anger and stress.
Getsuga Tensho!
"AH!!!"
After a roar, all fell silent.
Click!
In the distance, Clark raised his camera, capturing the moment.
His expression was vivid.
He hadn't expected the superhero who resembled him to be such a filthy guy.
…
The next day, Vought announced again.
The Invisible Man, injured, was forced to retire from The Seven. The new member was a charismatic old man.
His friendly smile resembled a certain president.
In her hospital bed, G'iah wore a neck brace but glowed with satisfaction, clearly pleased with the old man's skills.
Watching Old Man Steve's composed performance on TV, she was even more satisfied.
In a corner of the scene, Charlie stood with arms crossed, watching the old man's act, his face grave.
"To think of climbing the ranks through a woman—what a formidable opponent!"
"What did you say?"
A female voice suddenly came from behind Charlie.
He turned to see a youthful, radiant girl and raised an eyebrow.
"Who're you? Wanna flirt, you gotta pay first."
The girl didn't catch Spider-Man's humor. She only cared about one thing.
"What did you just say? That old geezer got into The Seven by relying on a woman? Is that true?"
Her face was full of anger, feeling the world was too unfair.
She'd worked so hard and still hadn't joined The Seven, yet a wrinkled old man had taken her spot.
The naive Starlight couldn't fathom why a wrinkly old guy could still play the soft game.
This world was too crazy.