The Seven Tower.
82nd Floor.
CEO's Office.
"Fang Yuan's back?"
Stan Edgar exhaled in relief when he heard the good news from the 99th floor.
Ever since Fang Yuan had vanished without a trace, Homelander had cancelled every appearance and had nearly sparked several violent incidents.
"Good, he's back." Stan felt a rare wave of comfort—someone could finally keep Homelander in check.
At that moment his desk phone rang; the caller ID showed the extension from Fang Yuan's room.
"I've got a few promising formulas; have the company produce a trial batch," Fang Yuan said over the line.
"Very well." Stan Edgar nodded calmly. "Eight tonight, Ellu Restaurant in Queens—I'll wait for you there."
But the instant he hung up, his expression turned grim.
"Formulas?"
"We hand you the Superhero industry and you still want more—so soon you reach for Vought's real core?" Stan murmured.
Fang Yuan had fallen into a blind spot of perspective.
He'd been away from The Boys World for years; every formula in his hands was already perfected, and he knew each could rake in fortunes.
Stan Edgar, however, had no way of knowing that.
To everyone in this World, barely a week had passed.
What can you do in a week?
One a day, and you couldn't even finish every Playboy centerfold for the year.
So Stan naturally assumed Fang Yuan had come to seize power.
Stan removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"These Supers are insatiable—time to teach them a lesson," he thought.
He dialed without hesitation. "Prep two Special Ops teams; tonight we go to Ellu."
"Yes, that's right."
"Inject every agent."
After issuing the order Stan's mood leveled again.
Decades as Vought's CEO had taught him to handle such situations, and he'd always resolved them flawlessly.
Did they really think Vought had no safeguards against Supers?
Previously they'd relied on internal micro-bombs and lifelong psychological conditioning—useless against Fang Yuan—but this time would be no exception.
Vought's Special Ops were all test subjects dosed with compound v; sheer numbers would be enough to intimidate Fang Yuan.
What Stan didn't know was that every move he'd made after hanging up had been sensed by Fang Yuan.
"Huh? He misunderstood?"
Only then did Fang Yuan realize he'd nudged Stan in the wrong direction, but he simply waved it off.
"No big deal."
With his current strength, the entire roster of Vought's Superheroes couldn't scratch him.
"Still, Stan has his uses—perfect fall guy." There was no way Fang Yuan would waste him by killing him outright.
Last time Fang Yuan had taken half of Vought and folded the super-celebrity division under his control; now he intended to burrow into the World's power core and turn the entire planet into his personal lab.
But, as always, Fang Yuan refused to get his hands dirty—someone else would take the blame.
At eight sharp Fang Yuan arrived for the appointment.
The restaurant was spacious and packed with patrons.
Stan sat at a table in the main hall, quietly awaiting his arrival.
"Aren't you the CEO of Vought?" Fang Yuan grumbled as he sat. "Couldn't even spring for a private room?"
Stan stared blankly before realizing what "private room" meant to Fang Yuan.
He chuckled. "Traditional Western restaurants don't have private rooms."
Stan assumed Fang Yuan simply didn't understand Western dining.
"You could've booked the whole place—whipping out formulas in front of all these people? Trade secrets, hello?" Fang Yuan kept griping.
Seeing Fang Yuan cut straight to the core, Stan's smile faded.
Since that was the case, he might as well lay his cards on the table.
"Vought Pharmaceuticals is my personal purview; you don't need to concern yourself." Stan's tone turned severe.
Fang Yuan pouted. "You haven't even heard what formulas I've got."
After decades of work Vought Pharma had only managed the Temporary Compound V; Stan flatly refused to believe a novice like Fang Yuan could produce anything marketable.
So he rejected him outright.
"The Superhero sector offers more than enough profit—don't get greedy."
Fang Yuan pressed. "But I hear you plan to shut down the Superhero division within a few years?"
"That's none of your concern; a few years is long enough for you to live like kings," Stan retorted with a frown.
"And if I insist?" Fang Yuan refused to back down. "Remember, you're just an ordinary man."
Stan's face went ice-cold. "You haven't seen what Vought is truly capable of."
He lifted a hand slightly; agents at the nearby tables rose, a dozen pairs of eyes locking onto Fang Yuan.
"I'm only human, but Supers answer to me," Stan declared with absolute confidence.
Yet choosing a crowded restaurant showed Stan wanted to avoid a fight.
Even if they subdued Fang Yuan, a furious Homelander would be unstoppable.
Stan had even braced for Fang Yuan to bring Homelander along—thankfully he hadn't.
He had no idea Fang Yuan was far more terrifying than Homelander.
Fang Yuan merely shrugged, walked to the bar, grabbed a bottle, turned back and announced loudly, "You know what?"
He smiled. "I still prefer private rooms."
The instant those words left his lips, every patron froze, then dropped to their knees in obeisance toward him.
As he strode toward Stan, each table he passed knelt in unison, without exception.
When he reached Stan, even the dozen elite Special Ops agents were helplessly on their knees, utterly powerless.
By the time Fang Yuan sat back down, only he and Stan remained upright in the entire restaurant.
Stan's face was stone-stiff, pupils dilated in disbelief.
"You… you…"
Words failed him; he couldn't speak.
The Vought CEO realized he'd fatally underestimated Fang Yuan; recalling every major shift within the company, understanding dawned on him.
"What do you want?"
Under crushing pressure, Stan let go of his fear—he would die here today, that was all.
So he asked Fang Yuan point-blank.
Fang Yuan shrugged. "I told you—show you a few new formulas."
With a flick of his wrist six vials of different colors materialized before Stan.
"Uh…"
Stan nearly cracked; leaning on the table, eyes bulging, he stammered, "You really just came to show me formulas?"
My pants are soaked and you tell me it was all a misunderstanding?
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