In its public image, the G-Men always present themselves as one big family—a group of exiles cast out from civilized society, banding together to fight the world's prejudice. Professor G, John Godolkin, styles himself as the patriarch of this family.
And in practice, that is indeed the case. John Godolkin truly is the "parent" of all G-Men members. He personally handled almost every recruitment process and formality.
By process, this meant driving a low-key yet luxurious sedan through residential areas with weak surveillance coverage. The car looked like Santa's sleigh, packed with candy, toys, comics—everything children love.
He would openly open the door and gently invite seven- or eight-year-old kids inside. No child could resist such temptation, especially when the man in the driver's seat was the famous Professor G himself.
Once the doors closed, the car would drive away. Along the way, Professor G would promise the children many things: unlimited candy and toys, all the comics and game consoles they could want, and most importantly—becoming a glorious G-Man, a superhero.
At first, the children might miss home. But as more newcomers arrived, and as the heroes from their comic books appeared in real life before their eyes, that longing gradually faded.
With companionship from their peers and guidance from veteran G-Men, the children grew up quickly—until they could stand on their own… and officially become G-Men.
Then came fame and fortune. Media attention, public adoration, and annual incomes of hundreds of thousands—sometimes millions—of dollars ensured that every member would do everything possible to protect the interests of the G-Men family.
"Wait a second, don't all G-Men have superpowers?"
Starlight noticed a flaw in King Helmet's explanation. "Then how did you precisely kidnap children with powers?"
King Helmet coughed up a mouthful of blood. This was no secret within the G-Men:
"Because superpowers aren't innate at all. Professor G injects everyone with a drug—once a week—until some of us start manifesting abilities."
Joey immediately recalled a term he had seen in Vought's internal emails: Compound V.
Everything finally made sense.
Yet it still didn't explain why even someone as shameless as Deadpool had refused to talk about the G-Men's internal secrets.
"Wait, but—"
Starlight was struck as if by lightning. Her entire dream of being a superhero was built on the belief that her powers were a divine blessing. If she herself was manufactured, then what did that say about God's plan for her?
Joey waved a hand, cutting her off. He had no time to care about her feelings—he only wanted to know whether Laurie was safe.
"Get to the point. That girl—Laurie. What happened to her?"
Laurie had been forcibly inserted into the G-Men by Vought as the successor to Silver Kincaid. In truth, the G-Men had long since stopped wanting new members.
The IP was only worth so much. One more person meant a smaller share for everyone—especially when that person came from Vought.
"On the night she arrived, Five-Oh lost his mind and insisted on going over to perform the welcome procedure. I only know there was some kind of conflict. I don't know how it ended. In the end, Five-Oh returned to the banquet with Professor G."
When King Helmet mentioned the so-called "welcome procedure," his expression stiffened unnaturally. Joey noticed immediately—his eyes glowing red as he pressed on:
"Speak. What kind of welcome procedure?"
King Helmet took a deep breath. There was a strange sense of release in his voice.
"It's a procedure Godolkin personally makes every new member go through. To ensure obedience."
John Godolkin—the head of the G-Men family—was the only normal human among them.
He provided the children with meticulous care and attention. But above all else, he was a predator.
Before the injections began, Godolkin would visit each young child at night, one by one, under the guise of "checking on them."
No child—male or female—was spared. After enduring such nights at the age of seven or eight, no one had the courage to resist him.
And later, the immense wealth that came with being a G-Man only bound them more tightly.
In a way, this was a textbook case of Stockholm syndrome.
"There are nearly three hundred G-Men," Starlight said in disbelief. "Some younger than you, some older. Professor G is just a normal human. If both you and the previous generation went through this, why didn't you change things when you grew up? How could you let it keep happening?"
"Hehe… hahahaha…"
King Helmet laughed uncontrollably. Even as blood filled his mouth and choking coughs wracked his body, the laughter didn't stop.
"We didn't let it happen. Every welcome procedure—everyone joins in. Everyone except Godolkin."
"You—"
Starlight felt sick. Every one of these so-called heroes had once been an innocent victim, only to become the next generation of abusers in the G-Men's lightless crucible.
"You should all rot in prison—"
She didn't finish the sentence.
Blazing heat vision reduced King Helmet's body to a heap of charred ash.
Joey's blood-red eyes slowly cooled. He looked down at the remains—but his gaze pierced through the world itself.
He saw, on the other side of the planet, a whale's corpse sinking through the deep ocean, microorganisms and marine life building a temporary paradise upon it.
He blinked, then looked back toward the G-Men estate.
Laurie was nowhere to be found.
The G-Men had already realized that Deadpool had taken one of their own. They were fully mobilizing now, bracing for another attack.
Not a possible one.
An inevitable one.
"Run as far as you can, Starlight."
Joey grabbed what was left of the corpse—and in an instant, arrived inside the G-Men estate.
From above, he looked down at every G-Man. Every body, every bone, every organ, every drop of blood—even the faint electrical signals firing through their neurons—was laid bare before him.
Facing the assembled G-Men, gathered around Professor G, Joey threw King Helmet's remains at their feet. Their next answer would decide their fate.
"I'll ask one last time. Where is the girl?"
"You bastard!"
Five-Oh recognized the body from what little remained of the armor. Seeing a "family member" dead, he was enraged, reaching for his visor.
"I split that bitch in half with my heat vision. I promise—you're next."