"Mr. Edgar, Ron and Starlight are very close. Could this be…?"
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Madeline tried to offer a suggestion.
"No."
Edgar had been paying close attention to Ron's every move and was aware of his relationship with Starlight, but this was not a breakthrough point to control Ron.
"We need to subtly maintain balance, not resort to crude, uncompromising threats."
He shook his finger, stating seriously.
Regardless of how deep Ron and Starlight's relationship was, using a close person to threaten and control someone, once used, would push the other party into an adversarial relationship.
"Madeline, you are scared. You've lost your composure."
Edgar stared into her eyes, his tone slightly Shen Dao.
The suggestion just now was a foolish move.
"I'm sorry, sir."
Facing his displeasure, Madeline's voice trembled uneasily.
"Today's events were too impactful. I…"
Beneath her outwardly kind demeanor, she had always harbored some fear of Homelander, and now that fear had deepened, plus there was Ron, whose temperament she couldn't fathom.
Not everyone could be like Edgar, who seemed to have some unknown trump card against superhumans and remained completely unfazed by any superhuman-induced events.
"I know, I can't entirely blame you."
After observing Madeline for a moment, he, who usually presented a calm and gentle demeanor to others, shook his head.
A moment later, Edgar thought for a moment and decided.
"Time reveals a person's character. Ron's issue will be put on hold for now; he hasn't been with the company long enough to tell anything."
"If we truly can't find a way to control him, I will report to the Board of Directors and consider making him a part of the senior management—for example, giving him some shares, letting him join the Board of Directors, and becoming Honorary President."
Not everyone can be controlled like a puppet. If Ron has no strong desires or major weaknesses, other methods must be considered.
"Board of Directors, Honorary President?"
Madeline was greatly surprised.
She had worked diligently for over twenty years after joining Vought, only to climb to Vice President, yet Ron, after only a few days, had the chance to join the Board of Directors and become Honorary President?
"He is smarter and more rational than Homelander, suitable for senior management.
If Vought's interests are directly tied to his, he will naturally stand on Vought's side."
Edgar mused.
Binding the other party with interests, making them a part of one's own, transforming a potentially uncontrollable powerful force into one's own strength, and safeguarding one's own interest group—this is one of the common methods in capital and business.
People protect their own interests; this is human nature.
"Actually, this was originally a discarded plan by the company on how to perpetually control Homelander."
He spread his hands, revealing a secret.
The Vought Board of Directors had thought this way long ago, but the intellect and personality Homelander displayed as he grew up made him utterly unsuitable to be one of the superficial decision-makers of a business empire, even if he wasn't privy to the deepest levels of power and secrets.
Moreover, if there were means to control him and make him an obedient tool, why would they elevate him to be their equal?
But the newly appeared Ron was different.
"Did a superhuman killing occur in New York this afternoon?"
Madeline nodded: "Behind a supermarket in the XC District, a group of gang members were killed. The scene indicates it was done by a superhuman.
The police have been notified to close the case as a gang feud, and the crime investigation department is tracking the superhuman's whereabouts."
"Leak some of the company's 'inside information' to Ron and let him handle this matter, see if he's willing."
Edgar's expression was serious as he commanded.
It was just a minor matter that could have been handled by Black Noir, who previously specialized in such things for the company, but he wanted to use this incident to better understand Ron's character.
At the same time, there are many things within Vought that ordinary people would find extremely dark. Soft-hearted people cannot be one of the decision-makers of this business empire.
...
"The Old Captain and the New Member! Internal Conflict in The Seven?" "Is the Strongest Superhero Still Homelander?" "The Island Battle That Leveled Everything!"
The next day, a sensational piece of news quickly dominated the headlines of major U.S. newspapers.
Homelander and Dark Star, who had recently joined The Seven, had a fight on a deserted island in the Atlantic Ocean called Reysengol, almost destroying the island.
Each report included photos of the desolate island after the battle, where everything on the surface had turned to dust, as if ravaged by a nuclear bomb and a hurricane, which was shocking.
"Is this really not the site after a government hydrogen bomb test?"
"It's too powerful. If there were such heroes during World War II, the Nazis would have been defeated long ago!"
"Aren't they all from The Seven? Why would they fight?"
"Vought said it was a friendly spar between members."
"Look at these photos. There are such powerful beings among the superheroes protecting us…"
This incident immediately caused public shock and discussion. The matter of the island battle sparked a craze, with discussions revolving around superheroes, and primarily Homelander and Dark Star.
"Is this true?"
In the apartment, looking at the photos of the devastated island in the newspaper, Starlight, sitting at the dining table, nearly spat out her coffee, her expression dazed, and asked in surprise.
"What?"
"You fought the strongest superhero on Earth? Just yesterday?"
"Yes." Ron, who had just showered and was wearing only a simple bathrobe, came out of the bathroom, wiping his hair and nodding.
"But when I came to see you yesterday, you seemed perfectly normal."
When she came yesterday afternoon, she and Ron went out for dinner, watched an opera she liked, and then went home and slept together through the night, just like always.
But it was only this morning, through the newspaper, that she learned Ron had fought Homelander in the Atlantic Ocean yesterday morning, almost sinking an island.
"How did you expect me to look?
Full of wounds, with bandages on my hands?"
Sitting down at the dining table, he cut a piece of omelet and raised an eyebrow, asking.
"No, I mean, you don't seem to care about this at all."
"That's Homelander, the strongest superhero on Earth! You fought him for so long, leveled an island, and didn't get a single scratch!"
Starlight was very sure Ron was not injured; he had no wounds, was full of vigor, and she had known that last night.
"It was just a draw, not a win."
Although he was certain his strength was now weaker than Homelander's, which made him feel a bit more at ease, it was just a battle where neither side won or lost.
Even if he had won, he wasn't the type of person to be overly excited or proud about defeating someone.
Ability Points: 125,000
Ron glanced at the panel and smiled.
If anything could make him slightly happy, it was the increase of seventy to eighty thousand ability points, almost restoring them to their original amount.
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