Perhaps due to the support of the [Black Emperor Aura], Kuchi had recruited 22 Superhumans for MIB in less than a month.
Among them were Sara, the heat-powered girl who had a one-night stand with Fang Yuan, and Dolly, the blonde girl with two holes.
Of course, they didn't recognize the current Fang Yuan.
However, Fang Yuan had already seen their duo video; it was truly eye-opening.
It was his first time seeing a "three-hole socket" on one person... and such a large-scale gathering naturally caught Vought's attention.
The Seven Tower.
This was the headquarters of Vought International. As the name suggests, The Seven were the core figures promoted by Vought.
For Vought, however, except for Homelander who was slightly more important, the others were just disposable commodities.
Vought's true core was on the 99th floor.
Madelyn, heavily pregnant, brought investigative documents to find President Stan Edgar.
"An organization called MIB has appeared recently, and they're recruiting Superhumans. Their core department is called The Boys, claiming to monitor the behavior of Superhumans," Madelyn said, handing over the file.
Compared to thirty years ago, Stan's hair had turned gray, and he was far more experienced.
He unhurriedly opened the file and found that they were all characters with extremely low commercial value, which actually made him pay more attention.
If the focus were just these low-tier individuals, the Vice President wouldn't have come to him.
Madelyn had high authority, managing all Superhero operations, while Stan now only made decisions at the corporate level.
Sure enough, Madelyn continued, "Recruiting Superhumans isn't strange, and there's no shortage of organizations claiming to monitor Superheroes on the market, but this MIB is very different."
"They report directly to the Department of Defense. It was personally decided by the Minister of Defense, Robert Singer!"
Stan's brow furrowed instantly. "Are you sure? Robert Singer?"
Madelyn nodded. Now Stan knew why she had come to report to him.
Because Robert Singer was one of their people.
At least someone they were on good terms with, as Vought was currently funding his campaign for the next President.
But MIB was meant to monitor Superheroes, and it was spearheaded by Robert—yet Robert had never mentioned it to them?
This matter was far more serious than just MIB.
The financial backer felt backstabbed.
But Stan didn't panic.
"Don't worry."
"We aren't the only ones supporting Robert, so while he'll favor us, he won't be completely biased toward us."
"In this case, there's a high probability someone offered a higher price. I'll arrange a meeting with Robert to see what's going on."
Stan was quite confident, as if everything was under control.
"Everything is just business. Whatever price others can offer, Vought will only offer more!"
Madelyn agreed wholeheartedly; Vought had never feared anyone when it came to financial power.
What the two of them didn't know was that their opponent was no longer other capital interests.
Since Madelyn was already there, Stan Edgar proceeded to ask about company affairs: "How is the preparation for getting Superhumans into the military going?"
"Everything is on schedule. By next year, we'll be able to formally propose that Vought's Superheroes join the Military-Industrial Complex," Madelyn replied confidently.
Stan reminded her repeatedly, "This must be the top priority. This year's military budget is expected to exceed 700 billion, and it will increase every year."
"This isn't just a huge cake; it will also elevate Vought's status once again!"
Although Vought was the overlord of the entertainment industry, compared to making money from movies, directly harvesting national funds was naturally a faster way to make money.
Madelyn nodded; she also knew the importance.
Helping the company make money was their primary task. If they violated this principle, not only could The Seven (except Homelander) be discarded at will, but even the two of them, despite being the President and Vice President, wouldn't fare much better.
Because behind them, there were still shareholders.
Two days later, Stan met with the Minister of Defense, Robert, at a high-end club.
After arranging a full range of services for Robert and making him comfortable, Stan Edgar finally brought up the main topic.
"I heard the Department of Defense has established a new department, MIB?" Stan asked casually while swirling his glass of red wine.
Robert's face stiffened, which matched Stan's expectations.
Robert said somewhat awkwardly, "You already know?"
"Yes." He nodded and admitted it directly. "MIB was recently established to monitor the actions of Superheroes."
Stan frowned slightly. "Was this your idea, or..."
"Of course not mine," Robert Singer waved his hand, but he didn't say it explicitly. "However, the other party has a significant background and a very strong reason. I couldn't refuse."
He looked at Stan and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Every year, hundreds or thousands of innocent people die because of Superheroes performing missions, and both you and I know that's just the tip of the iceberg of the real numbers."
"Not to mention the collateral economic damage. So, I couldn't stop the establishment of MIB."
"But I heard that MIB was proposed by you." Stan wasn't intimidated by Robert. Having been in the game for decades, he had long understood the rules. "So, who exactly is the supporter behind the scenes?"
Edgar handed over a bank card.
"You know, Vought never mistreats its friends."
Looking at the bank card, Robert's expression was very conflicted, but in the end, he forced himself to look away.
"You know, this country has its true controllers." Robert seemed to say nothing, yet he also seemed to have said everything.
A shadow of gloom flashed in Edgar's eyes, and the names of several large financial conglomerates flashed through his mind.
"But there's one thing I can reveal to you."
Robert suddenly spoke again.
"Although MIB has an official background, the Department of Defense doesn't care how far MIB goes."
"After all, you, Vought, also have many shareholders behind you."
Stan understood immediately. MIB was said to be an official organization, but it was actually a tool for other capital interests. The purpose, of course, was to compete with Vought for the profits related to Superhumans.
As for who would win between Vought and MIB, as long as there was no trouble, the authorities would turn a blind eye.
Because to the authorities, Vought and MIB were just a confrontation between capital interests.
If MIB won, the authorities could get a share because of its official background; if Vought won, the authorities wouldn't lose anything either.
"Thank you, Robert."
Stan said goodbye with a smile. He changed his previous dissatisfaction and felt that Robert was quite helpful today.
In the past, even though Vought was his financial backer, this Minister of Defense always maintained a strictly professional attitude.
So, he intentionally left the bank card behind.
Since the item had been brought out, it would be improper to take it back.
But what he didn't know was that this bank card ended up in Fang Yuan's hands shortly after.
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