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The selection criteria for The Super-Hero Association were personally drafted by Kevin.
To create the Hero Association of his dreams, and to ensure it could continue to operate as he wished even in his absence, Kevin set many rules for The Super-Hero Association.
First and foremost, and absolutely unchangeable, was character. Regardless of a hero's abilities or fame, their character must never be poor.
But honestly, Kevin no longer held out much hope for the character of Superheroes in The Boys world.
Most Superheroes, as long as they hadn't wantonly killed innocent people or committed evil deeds, could basically be selected for The Super-Hero Association.
Even so, Superheroes who met the standards set by Kevin were still few.
After much thought, Kevin stopped trying to select from existing heroes.
With Compound V, why should he insist on choosing from the original heroes?
He could completely select people first, and then grant them superpowers!
If he focused on ordinary people, his vision would suddenly broaden considerably.
Among them, the original protagonist Hughie was undoubtedly one of the most suitable candidates.
Because compared to others in The Boys world, Hughie was truly kind.
He didn't smoke, didn't do drugs, didn't mess around, and had his own bottom line. Butcher, who had originally become insane, gradually learned to compromise due to Hughie's presence.
Starlight, in the original plot, once said that Hughie was different from everyone else; he was a ray of light beside them.
Of course, it's not to say that Hughie was truly flawless.
He was sometimes cowardly, sometimes impulsive, and after gaining abilities in the third season, there was a period when he didn't quite grasp his position.
But no matter what, Hughie's character was impeccable.
If he had superpowers and was properly trained, he could become a qualified Superhero.
Kevin was willing to give Hughie the chance to become a Supe and a Superhero, but the specific choice was still up to Hughie himself.
"Don't hesitate, Hughie, you just need to answer me, 'yes' or 'no,' that's all."
"Yes!"
Under Kevin's pressing question, giving him no time to think, Hughie answered without hesitation.
In The Boys world, where Vought was heavily promoting Superheroes, where Superheroes had become a trend, a dream for ordinary people, and idols in everyone's hearts.
No one didn't want to be a Superhero.
Ordinary people wanted to, and those with superpowers wanted to even more.
Hughie was no different. Once upon a time, before his girlfriend Robin died, Hughie also fantasized about suddenly gaining superpowers and fighting crime alongside his former idol, A-Train.
After his girlfriend Robin died, Hughie also fantasized that if he were also a Superhero, then A-Train might receive the punishment he deserved.
But unfortunately, fantasy was ultimately fantasy and could not become a reality.
Hughie was just an ordinary person; he hadn't been chosen by God.
And after the Compound V incident was exposed, Hughie understood even more clearly that he hadn't not been chosen by God, but merely hadn't been chosen by Vought.
Supes and Superheroes were not as wonderful as he had imagined.
Hughie's longing for Superheroes gradually faded then.
But in his heart, the desire to become a Superhero still lingered.
Now, this desire was re-ignited by Kevin, and Hughie realized that he still wanted to become a Superhero.
Hughie's honest answer brought a smile to Kevin's face.
He stood up, walked to Hughie, and lightly patted his shoulder:
"Since you've decided, then come with me."
"...Where to?"
"To give you superpowers and make you a Superhero."
After speaking, Kevin led Hughie to the laboratory in The Woods.
Currently, most Compound V on the market could only be injected into infants to potentially give them superpowers.
While injecting Compound V into adults wasn't impossible, the mortality rate was very high. Homelander had experimented with unrefined Compound V for so long before, and in the end, he only got Kimiko as a successful case.
But precisely because there were successful cases, Vought had also been trying to modify Compound V to allow adults to have superpowers.
Sage Grove Center was the place for these experiments.
And indeed, some results had been achieved.
The mortality rate of the improved Compound V for adults was gradually decreasing, which could be seen from the number of Supes in Sage Grove Center.
Furthermore, the younger the age of injection, the higher the survival rate.
The drug injected into Neuman's daughter was precisely this improved Compound V. Given Neuman's daughter's age, she would hardly experience any problems after the injection.
At the same time, Temporary Compound V was also successfully developed by Vought. The first injection of Temporary Compound V into the human body could grant superpowers for twenty-four hours without side effects.
Although there was a risk of the brain turning into liquid after more than three injections of Temporary Compound V, this was undoubtedly a huge breakthrough.
Turning Compound V into a 'weapon' that could be sold had always been Edgar's wish, and now his wish had been fulfilled.
But unfortunately, all his achievements benefited Kevin.
And according to the current procedure, if one wanted an adult to permanently have superpowers, they could first be injected with Temporary Compound V to determine their superpower type.
Then, they would be injected with the complete Compound V to fully grant them superpowers.
However, the injected person would still have a risk of death.
To minimize the risk, Kevin specifically had Dr. Cardosa research Temporary Compound V and combine it with Alkali-Transigen's mutant serum from Wolverine's world to create a new type of drug.
Perhaps certain components of Alkali's mutant serum were the same as those in Compound V, as Dr. Cardosa took almost only a few days to develop a new type of Compound V that could reduce the risk of death.
This Compound V was named Compound V, and it could grant permanent superpowers to people with almost no side effects.
What Kevin was having Hughie injected with now was this Compound V.
"Dr. Cardosa, are you ready?"
Bringing Hughie to Dr. Cardosa, Kevin asked him.
Dr. Cardosa, who was performing the final checks, looked up at Kevin, then his gaze fell on Hughie behind Kevin, and he nodded:
"Almost."
"Very good, Hughie, lie down on that bed in a moment. Don't worry, it won't hurt much, and it won't take long, um... probably."
Kevin pointed to the cold experimental bed nearby and said to Hughie with some uncertainty.
The injection wouldn't take long, that much was true. After all, it was just injecting Compound V into the body. Even without laboratory equipment for assistance, anyone with a basic understanding of medical knowledge could use a syringe to inject it into their own body.
But whether it would hurt...
Kevin was truly unsure.
Several previous subjects either fell asleep immediately after the injection or screamed in pain. He just didn't know which type Hughie would be.
The metallic experimental bed exuded a cold and dangerous aura.
Hughie swallowed. Feeling a bit hesitant, he decided to ask Kevin about what he needed to do before the actual superpower injection.
"Uh... Deep, I... I want to ask, you injecting me with Compound V, it's not just simply to give me superpowers... right?"
"Of course, there are some things later that I need you, as a Superhero, to do."
"Can I ask what that is first?"
"You'll know once you become a Superhero. Alright, hurry up and lie down. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you'll suffer less."
Kevin slapped Hughie's back.
But the more Hughie listened, the more uneasy he felt. He even felt that Kevin was using him as a guinea pig. Thinking this, the flame in his heart that wanted to become a Superhero vanished as if extinguished by ice water.
Hughie really wanted to say he wouldn't do it.
But, it was too late.
Disregarding Hughie's objections, Kevin had already pressed him onto the experimental bed.
Several restraints bound Hughie tightly to the bed, making him unable to move.
The subsequent operation was completed by Dr. Cardosa.
He lifted Hughie's shirt at the spinal cord area, took an instrument from the side, and aimed it at Hughie's spine.
"It might hurt a little, bear with it."
Dr. Cardosa said to Hughie thoughtfully.
"I'm fine, I can do it..." Hughie was about to say that he was ready and didn't need to be worried about.
But the next second, Dr. Cardosa unethically inserted the thick needle into Hughie's back.
After that, Hughie's screams echoed in the laboratory:
"Ahhhhhh ah!!!!"
From Hughie's screams, it was clear that it really hurt.
...
While Hughie was being given superpowers, Kevin stood outside the laboratory, watching him, and at the same time, opened his skill tree to check his skill points.
Giving a plot protagonist who originally had no superpowers, and even making him a Superhero, was a huge change to Hughie's destiny.
Logically, he should have gained a lot of skill points.
But when Kevin opened the skill tree, only eight skill points had increased.
"A bit few..."
The number of skill points for killing A-Train seemed to be similar to this, and it was about the same when he got rid of Edgar.
But A-Train and Edgar could only be considered supporting characters, while Hughie was a protagonist who spanned three seasons!
Changing the fate of a main character should be more valuable than changing the fate of a supporting character, right?
In the end, it only gave Kevin eight skill points...
"But it can't be calculated that way. Hughie can still bring me skill points in the future. Thinking that way, it's not a loss after all."
Compared to A-Train, the difference with Hughie was that he was still alive and could continuously provide Kevin with skill points in the future.
A-Train was already dead, and Kevin could no longer get skill points from A-Train in the future; it was a one-time deal.
From this perspective, the skill tree giving Kevin eight skill points was not a small amount.
Making Hughie a Supe was just one of Kevin's attempts.
Besides genuinely wanting Hughie to become a Superhero, he also wanted to see if he could gain skill points, and... Kevin wanted Hughie to enter The Collective Church as a spy to take their dirt on Superheroes.
In fact, Kevin could have done this secretly himself.
But he was a big boss after all. If he did everything himself, what was the point of having so many people working for him?
What was the point of him making The Boys his 'Anbu'?
If he didn't let The Boys do this, then wouldn't he have funded them for nothing!
If you take my benefits, you have to work for me!!
"Hughie shouldn't have any problems. So... next, I can try to make Butcher also... No, forget about Butcher. I don't think he's suitable to be a Superhero..."
Having dealt with Hughie, Kevin turned his attention to the other members of The Boys.
But no matter how he thought about it, the only ones in The Boys suitable to be Superheroes seemed to be Hughie and Mother's Milk Marvin.
As for the rest, Frenchie was an addict, and Butcher was a Lunatic, the kind who didn't care about his life when he went crazy.
It seemed that it wouldn't be a good thing for any of them to get superpowers.
So Kevin gave up the idea of all The Boys having superpowers.
Fewer skill points meant fewer skill points; stability was the most important.
"Next, I need to figure out how to deal with Homelander..."
The plan to bring down Storm was underway, and then it would be Homelander.
Kevin planned to deal with these unstable elements in The Boys world one by one.
Using gentle methods within the rules.
Kevin watched inside the laboratory, thinking about these plans, but inadvertently, Kevin felt something was off and subconsciously looked to his side.
Beside Kevin, in the glass on the other side, his reflection was cast.
However, that glass reflection was not Kevin in his current suit and tie, but rather someone wearing a green uniform, with a buzz cut, and not a very good-looking appearance.
That wasn't him.
Kevin knew in his heart.
That should be Deep from Worldline A, as he had guessed.
Following Annie, Kevin also saw another version of himself in the mirror.
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