"Everyone, return everything to its original place! After that we'll do a full inventory together. No one is allowed to steal company property! All of this belongs to the company—this is all the company's money!"
"You pick something up and put it back immediately! If I catch anyone pocketing anything, I'll have you thrown in jail for ten thousand years—don't test me!"
"And someone go call the photography department! Every item in this room must be photographed and logged. Everything here belonged to Soldier Boy, and we need a complete record!"
"Get the editorial department, too! I want a short story written for each item—turn every one of these things into a legend!"
"Hey! Be careful with that! If it breaks, you couldn't afford the compensation even if you were chopped into pieces and had all your organs sold off"
The logistics director's thunderous roar echoed through Soldier Boy's room. Every logistics worker kept their heads down, trembling under the verbal storm.
You're… really something. Truly a man who can infer a thousand things from one clue.
Watching the furious logistics chief, Xiao suddenly understood how someone like him clawed his way into this position.
…
…
On the 99th floor of Vought, a group of shareholders received the report of everything Xiao had done almost at the exact same moment.
When they finished reading, the shareholders exchanged glances, then simultaneously nodded toward Edgar in satisfaction.
"I told you—he's a genius."
Edgar finally spoke.
"Yes. With someone who can surpass Soldier Boy, we might finally be able to push Vought towards a new era!"
"We should preserve all of Soldier Boy's belongings. Maybe build an exhibition hall, or even a museum dedicated to him!"
"What a great idea. A 'Soldier Boy Life Museum.' And afterward, we can periodically auction off select items—the rarer, the more valuable."
Watt's shareholders and senior executives were indeed seasoned capitalists. Now that Xiao had given them a starting point, their minds immediately blossomed with ideas—quickly turning Soldier Boy's death into an enormous marketing initiative, extracting every possible profit from the loss.
"But this Captain… isn't he too strong? He can absorb energy and even steal other people's powers. Can we really control him?"
One shareholder voiced his worries. They had been able to control someone as powerful as Soldier Boy, but Xiao's abilities were on an entirely different level. No one felt confident.
"He follows rules—our rules. If we can command Xiao, then we can command the entire superhuman race. Once he joins forces with Homelander, no one will be able to resist."
Edgar's voice was calm.
The shareholders immediately brightened.
If he followed the rules, then he was one of their people. As long as he didn't escalate things to the level of a class conflict, they viewed him as a friend.
The biggest difference between them and superhumans was the difference between classes.
Superhumans held the power to dominate life and death.
They were merely mortals.
But if Xiao chose not to rely on force and instead engaged them on the level of capital… then he was just another participant on their familiar battlefield. That was far easier to manage.
"We can give him a seat at the table. But first, he has to become a chess player—he needs enough capital to sit with us."
The shareholders smiled with confidence. Xiao's power earned him the right to divide the cake, but whether he could eat any depended on his skill.
None of the people present had experienced true bloodshed, so naturally they felt no fear toward a teenager like Xiao.
Of course—regardless—
they still had to give him at least a bowl of rice to eat.
Otherwise, Xiao had the power to flip the entire table.
…
…
"Let's go. I'll stay at your place for a while."
Xiao's room was being renovated, so he could only crash in Homelander's room for now.
"Wow—you were so cool just now!"
Homelander's eyes sparkled as he looked at Xiao, full of admiration. He loved Xiao's commanding aura, the way he could point and the whole world moved.
"The new official makes three fires… and when stepping into unfamiliar territory…"
Xiao casually opened a bottle of bourbon from the wine cabinet, poured himself a glass, and gestured toward Homelander.
Homelander shook his head. Xiao remembered—right, this kid only drank milk.
He shrugged, lay down on the sofa, sipped his drink, and continued:
"…If you want to establish yourself, you must first show someone your authority. Let others know you aren't to be messed with. Only then will they obey you."
"We're gods. Do we really need to establish authority? Mortals don't even dare raise their heads when they see me."
Homelander spoke with obvious arrogance. Having grown up locked in a lab and seeing how fragile mortals were, he couldn't help but let loose a bit.
"Authority isn't about making mortals fear you. It's about making them submit to you."
Seeing the chance, Xiao began educating him.
"If you only use strength to intimidate mortals, they'll fear you. But if you use strength to conquer mortals, they'll begin to worship you."
"…That… actually makes sense."
Homelander used his x-ray vision to observe the excited, frantic logistics chief still working in Soldier Boy's room. He couldn't help but nod.
Thinking about how Xiao didn't even need Vought's publicity like he did—how he dismissed Vought's authority, defeated Soldier Boy Legacy effortlessly, and then absorbed all of Soldier Boy's fans—Homelander's anticipation rose.
"So, Sebastian… what should I do to become as… popular as you?"
"First of all, you need to learn."
"What should I learn?"
"Anything you like. But you must read. A lot. All kinds of books."
"…Why?"
"Do you know which eras saw the fastest growth in human civilization?"
"…Which ones?"
"From primitive culture to the 20th century, humanity developed through four major cycles:
primitive culture, agricultural civilization, industrial civilization, and knowledge civilization.
Every final stage is a period of explosive growth. Each time, revolutions in thought and technology push civilization forward.
So no matter what you want to learn, there is too much knowledge recorded in this world. Only by seeing more can you truly understand the world… and then control others."
"So… where do I start?"
"Start from here."
Xiao handed Homelander a thin booklet—barely ten pages.
"That's it??"
Homelander curled his lip in disdain. He finished reading it in one minute… only to discover it was nothing but a list of titles.
"There's no content…it's just full of a bunch of names."
"Well of course. That's because it's a catalog," Xiao said with a smile.
"A list of all the books you need to read."
"…"
Homelander froze like a malfunctioning robot. Then he slowly stood up.
"I suddenly remembered something. I should… go."
But before he could take two steps, Xiao grabbed him, fully prepared for this reaction. Homelander struggled desperately.
"Don't even think about running. These are the extracurricular readings my mom picked for me. I read every single one."
Xiao held him firmly, speaking with full righteousness.
Theresa might spoil him, but her education was strict—pure aristocratic training.
Xiao had suffered through all of it…
so naturally, Homelander had to suffer with him.
"Mrs. Theresa chose these…?"
Homelander stopped struggling, hesitation spreading across his face.
"Yes. So—do you want to try it? Do you want to experience motherly love together?"
Xiao whispered like a devil, unleashing his ultimate weapon:
the power of motherly affection.
"I… I want to try!"
Homelander gritted his teeth.
"It's just reading. Just books. What's the big deal?!"
He took the catalog and immediately began ordering the books online.
"Good luck."
Thinking about the number of bookshelves at home, a wicked smile crept across Xiao's face.
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