Ned's mouth hung wide open.
"My God... webs... hanging upside down..." Ned's finger trembled as he pointed at Peter, "You're the one on YouTube... that Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man?!"
Michelle's eyes also widened slightly in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"No wonder you're always late for class; it turns out you've been out on the streets being a vigilante." Michelle reached out and poked Peter's upside-down shoulder, "Cool."
Peter let go of the web and landed gracefully on the ground.
"I'm sorry for hiding this from you. Can you forgive me?"
Ned nodded frantically, the flesh on his face trembling with excitement: "Of course! I swear! My God, my best friend is actually Spider-Man!"
"How did you get your superpowers?"
"I was bitten by a spider, and then this happened."
"Oh, cool! So, do you lay eggs?"
"What?! Of course not!" Peter replied with a look of disgust.
"Then can your webs only come out of your wrists? You know, normal spiders come from their bu—"
"Shut up, Ned! I don't spit silk; those are web-shooters on my hands!" Peter was already starting to get annoyed.
"What about venom? Can you spray—"
Just as Peter was about to lose it, the school-wide intercom suddenly crackled to life.
"Beep— Beep— Beep—"
"Attention, please. Attention, please. All students of Vought Vanguard Hero Academy, this is an announcement from the School Board."
"All students are requested to gather at the academy's open-air playground next Monday at 9:00 AM sharp."
"We will officially begin the academy's first Superpower Awakening Ceremony. Please arrive on time and do not be absent."
"Teachers and teaching assistants, please guide the students in your classes and accompany them to the playground."
"Upon arrival at the playground, please report to your respective Academy Head or Dormitory Mentor for a roll call."
The announcement was broadcast three times.
The students immediately erupted in excitement.
"Awakening Ceremony?!"
"My God, is it finally happening?"
"Awakening Ceremony!" Ned grabbed Peter's arm excitedly.
"Peter, did you hear that? The academy is going to give us superpowers! What ability do you think I'll awaken? Super Speed? Or maybe lightning fists?"
"Give it a rest, Ned," Michelle said, raining on his parade. "It'll probably be a digestive ability that lets you wolf down dozens of burgers every day."
"Heh, that works too. I could start a livestream," Ned chuckled foolishly.
Peter looked at his excited friends, a look of anticipation appearing on his face as well.
...
V.G.D. Headquarters Base.
Inside the vast training grounds, Homelander stood on a high platform, looking down at the hundreds of Vought Heroes gathered below.
"Everyone," Homelander said in a booming voice, his hands behind his back. "Over the past few years, you have proven your worth."
He waved his hand.
At the tables in the center of the field, the lids of a dozen silver suitcases were opened simultaneously.
Inside, hundreds of vials of shimmering blue serum were neatly arranged.
"This is the mass-produced version of the T-VEX Initial Serum," Homelander pointed at the injectors. "It is also the latest improved model."
"There is a high probability it will trigger a secondary evolution of your existing superpowers."
"Next Monday, those little kids at the academy will also receive power. As their seniors, it's time for your strength to be bumped up a notch as well."
The heroes stared at the shimmering blue liquid, their eyes flashing with a thirst for power, though mixed with a hint of doubt.
"I'll pass for now." Bruce Banner shook his head. "Hulk's power is too unpredictable. If it mutates again, I'm afraid I won't be able to control it."
Homelander nodded, not forcing the issue.
Hulk's ceiling was extremely high, and it wasn't suitable to use such a random compound to stimulate him for the time being.
Except for Banner, the rest of the heroes lined up and stepped forward, taking the injectors from the staff.
With the assistance of the researchers, they all grasped the changes in their abilities within a single afternoon. Most of the heroes' strength improved by a significant margin.
Take Tony Stark, for instance, who was a normal human.
He raised his hand, and a metal plate a few meters away trembled slightly before flying into his hand with a "whoosh."
Tony raised an eyebrow and clenched his fist; the metal plate quickly twisted and deformed in mid-air, finally being crumpled into a metal ball.
"Metal Manipulation?" Tony tossed the metal ball aside.
"It seems the transmission systems for the Mark Series Armor can be redesigned. I'll be able to save three seconds getting dressed from now on."
Pietro awakened a super-strong defense, like having skin of bronze and bones of iron. Bullets hitting him felt like nothing, and he no longer had to worry about getting his legs broken easily.
Speedball Robbie evolved the ability to increase his energy by enduring pain.
Steve Rogers also received an all-around "hexagon" boost. To put it simply, he now possessed the eyes of an eagle, the ears of a wolf, the speed of a leopard, and the strength of a bear all in one.
There were also a small number of people for whom the injection had no effect at all.
These were heroes who possessed latent Inhumans genes and had awakened by accident.
After injecting Compound V, there was no reaction; the serum rapidly degraded within their bodies.
They could only stand to the side, watching their comrades get massive upgrades, their eyes filled with unmistakable envy and jealousy.
Besides that, there were a few low-probability, awkward mutations.
For example, after Firecracker Angela was injected with the serum, her bones began to lengthen, her shoulders widened, and the soft lines of her face became sharp and angular.
In just two and a half seconds, she transformed from a woman with a hot body into a handsome, muscular man.
Then, with a thought, her body shrank again, changing back into the sexy lady she originally was.
Angela felt her changes in a daze. Instead of being terrified, she seemed exceptionally excited.
She immediately pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly dialed a number.
"Hey, it's me," Angela said mysteriously into the phone. "That wild party you mentioned last week? Yeah, that one. Book a room for tonight; I've got some new tricks!"
Homelander's eyelid twitched slightly as he listened to the call.
Then his gaze swept over the team members below.
Jessica, Pietro, Angela, Robbie... and then...
Who else? Who else was there?
Homelander suddenly froze.
At that moment, a prompt suddenly came from the system.
[Prompt: The Seven currently has 6/7 members. There is one vacant slot remaining. It is recommended that the host fill the position as soon as possible.]
[Prompt: Deadpool has not participated in team activities for a long time. The member unbinding function has been activated. Do you wish to unbind?]
Homelander looked at these two prompts.
He thought to himself that Deadpool, that chatterbox, had indeed been gone for a long time.
Ever since he ran off with the donated money last time, he hadn't appeared on Earth again.
Homelander had a faint suspicion that the madman might have gone to that place.
"Do not unbind for now," Homelander made his decision.
With the popularity value he had now, keeping Deadpool around might be useful later.
However, what felt strange to Homelander was the first prompt from the system.
The Seven had been established for several years and had been operating normally. Why was it 6/7?
For what reason had he kept one position vacant all this time?