After a flicker in the pupil of the All-Seeing Eye, a new identity was drawn.
[Bronze-level Identity—Newspaper Boss!]
[Note—Once activated, this identity is permanent!]
[You are a billionaire director with superpowers, destined for godhood, yet now a fallen figure. Hounded by media slander and public misunderstanding, you are determined to redeem your name.]
[So, you wielded your wealth to purchase a sizable newspaper, intending to restore your reputation through its voice.]
[The New York Daily Bugle, a newspaper with a sixty-year history, has a long legacy and a loyal readership.]
[However, with the rapid rise of digital media, print is no longer the sole source of news, and its operations are already in decline.]
[Identity Exclusive Mission: Turn losses into profits, make the New York Daily Bugle great again, and turn it into the best-selling newspaper in all of New York.]
[Mission Reward: You will obtain an ancient secret.]
...
The new identity was quickly confirmed.
Bronze-level.
It couldn't have been worse.
Herman wanted to argue that he didn't actually need a newspaper to clear his name, but the All-Seeing Eye had already rewritten reality.
Information about the New York Daily Bugle appeared in his mind. It was an old paper that had recently tried to reinvent itself to appeal to younger audiences, yet every reform had failed. Young people simply had little interest in newspapers.
Because of these failed reforms and mounting losses, the former owner sold the company to Herman, making him the new boss of the New York Daily Bugle.
This was the script provided by the [All-Seeing Eye].
Herman knew full well that before it assigned him this identity, such a newspaper didn't even exist in New York.
The New York Daily Bugle was nothing more than another industry fabricated by the All-Seeing Eye, just like the Umbrella Corporation. But compared to the newspaper itself, Herman was far more intrigued by this new reward.
It was the first time he'd encountered such a peculiar prize.
[Mission Reward: You will obtain an ancient secret.]
No further explanation. No details.
Herman couldn't figure out what this so-called ancient secret was supposed to mean. He only knew it wouldn't grant him any kind of power.
A secret.
Perhaps nothing more than an unknown truth. But such an unusual reward stirred his curiosity.
"Though the identity is underwhelming, the All-Seeing Eye was uncharacteristically considerate this time—the newspaper office happens to be right above mine."
Herman's film company occupied the thirteenth floor of Stellar Tower. The New York Daily Bugle was on the fourteenth.
He hadn't known what the fourteenth floor had been used for before, but now it was his newspaper office.
So close.
He didn't even need to drive to take over his new asset. He simply rode the elevator to the fourteenth floor, where he noticed a familiar figure near the fire escape.
A boy with a backpack stepped out of the stairwell.
The boy froze when he saw Herman.
"Hello... sir."
His voice was timid, tinged with guilt, and he couldn't bring himself to meet Herman's eyes.
"Peter Parker, good morning." Though Herman felt a flicker of surprise, his gaze remained calm as he looked at the boy.
Spider-Man.
Peter Parker.
No wonder the high schooler looked uneasy. During the augmented human incident, Herman had called out his identity with just a single remark.
"Don't you have school today?"
Herman took the initiative to strike up conversation. He had a genuine liking for this boy of strong character.
Just like The Boys revealed about reality, not everyone who gains powers becomes a righteous hero.
Peter Parker was different. For years he had patrolled New York selflessly, asking for nothing in return. That made him a rare exception.
Everyone loved Spidey.
And not just because he was funny.
"The school's having a sports day, so I had time to come out for a stroll." Peter Parker clutched his backpack tightly and answered Herman's question honestly.
His heart was pounding with anxiety. For days now, he'd been worried that Herman might reveal his identity as Spider-Man to Aunt May.
Peter knew Aunt May's temperament well—she would never want him risking his life as a vigilante. That was exactly why he had always kept his secret from her.
"You came all the way here just to shop? If you're looking for your aunt, she's downstairs. This isn't part of our company's offices."
Herman glanced at Peter's backpack, wondering what on earth was inside that made Spidey treat it like such a precious treasure.
"Huh? No, I'm not here to see her. I... I came to the newspaper office for something." Peter was no skilled liar.
His stammering made him look extremely guilty. Herman understood immediately—this kid had taken the fire escape to avoid running into Aunt May.
Fourteen floors.
Only Spidey's superhuman stamina made that possible. A normal person would've been gasping for breath.
"Sir, could I ask you a favor?" Peter looked at him nervously. To him, Herman was the kind of man who would bring criminals to justice at the drop of a hat.
After hesitating, Peter gritted his teeth and said, "Could you please not tell my secret to my aunt?"
Lately, he'd been dreaming of Aunt May yelling at him. The secret he referred to was, of course, his identity as Spider-Man.
In Peter's mind, no one knew about that identity. Herman was the first, and that alone made him feel uneasy.
"Of course. I understand you don't want her worrying about you." Herman had never been one to tattle. He nodded to Peter. "But I hope you also understand that if something ever happens to you, your aunt will be the one who suffers the most."
Keeping secrets was one thing. But Herman still felt Aunt May deserved at least a reminder passed on her behalf, even if he knew teenagers didn't always listen to reason.
"I know my limits... I mean, I won't do anything particularly dangerous." Peter's response was clearly half-hearted.
Herman didn't press further. He understood that it was precisely Spidey's recklessness in the face of danger that had made him the most beloved superhero in so many hearts back in his previous life.
"Sir, I need to hurry back to school, so I'll go take care of my business now." Peter checked his watch, his expression suddenly turning anxious. He bowed to Herman and dashed into the newspaper office.
Herman followed at a calm pace.
When he reached the front desk, he saw Peter, face flushed, trying to convince a staff member.
"Trust me, these photos are exclusive—no other paper has them!"
Wow.
Using his super vision, Herman saw from a distance what Peter was holding: stacks of high-definition photos.
Close-up shots of Spider-Man.
"Look, these are all candid shots I captured—exclusive material. I heard you've been collecting Spider-Man news lately." Peter pulled out the photos from his backpack, pitching them to the receptionist.
Herman's face darkened. Just moments ago, he had praised Peter's integrity, only to be slapped in the face now. The kid was actually trying to pull a stunt like this.
Wait.
Maybe it wasn't exactly a scam?
Spider-Man taking photos of himself... the shots were genuine, arguably 100% officially licensed.
At that thought, Herman felt utterly speechless.
He was stunned.
"I haven't seen these photos before, but our newspaper has a new owner now. We probably won't be publishing that kind of story anymore."
The receptionist shrugged helplessly at Peter.
"What? No way! Am I really that unlucky?"
Peter was dumbfounded, clutching his stack of photos. He'd spent hours staging all those shots, and now it felt like a waste.
Unwilling to give up, he said, "Could you at least call your new boss? Spider-Man is huge right now. Young people love seeing him."
Peter shamelessly praised himself. Even he knew how brazen it sounded—his voice trembled, and his cheeks burned red.
"Well..."
The receptionist looked troubled. He didn't even know the new boss's contact details.
And even if he did, he wouldn't dare call. The whole newsroom was already on edge, everyone worried the new boss would come in and start cutting jobs.
"Take his photos. Buy them at your usual rates."
Herman's voice came from behind Peter Parker.
Both Peter and the staff member jumped in surprise.
"Homelander! It's Homelander!"
The staffer's outburst made Herman's face darken. He shot the man a sharp glare, clearly annoyed by how much TV had rotted his brain.
"I'm your new boss."
Rolling his eyes, Herman sounded thoroughly exasperated.
"S-sorry... I just got too excited," the staff member stammered, bowing nervously before hurrying inside to confirm things with management.
With his godlike hearing, Herman could clearly make out the loud chatter inside the office—news spreading fast that the new boss was apparently Homelander.
"..."
Herman felt it might be time to kick off a round of mass layoffs. He'd take a page out of Musk's playbook—fire whoever annoyed him. His company, his rules.
"Sir... you... you're the owner of this newspaper?"
Peter's expression was priceless, his face shifting through shock and panic. He had thought he was just dropping by a paper that paid well, selling off some Spider-Man snapshots. No one was supposed to know they were selfies.
But never in his worst nightmares did Peter imagine this paper belonged to Herman—the one person who knew he was Spider-Man.
Thinking back to his shameless sales pitch from earlier, Peter felt the crushing weight of social death. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and disappear.
"Let me take a look. New York's hero, Spider-Man... hmm, to have snapped so many shots, you must have quite the connection with him."
Herman plucked the photos from Peter's stiff hands. The boy stood frozen, like he'd been hit with a binding spell.
As Herman flipped through the pictures, he clicked his tongue in mock admiration, his tone dripping with playful mockery.