Scott felt the blood all over his body boiling.
"Of course! Of course I'm willing!" He was so excited he almost jumped out of his seat.
"Becoming a hero who can protect everyone... that's something I never even dared to dream of!"
The female executive sitting in the front row turned around at the right moment and handed over a folder and a pen.
"This is an A-rank hero contract for the Vought International, Mr. Lang," the female executive said businesslike.
Scott took the folder and flipped it open for a glance.
When he saw the long string of zeros on the contract, his eyes went wide.
The salary was outrageously generous! Not only was there a massive base salary, but there were also stipends for every mission, and even high-value accidental death and disability insurance and family pensions.
This money was not only enough to pay off all of Maggie's alimony from the past few years in one lump sum, but it could also allow him to buy a Villa with a pool in a wealthy district of San Francisco, giving Cassie a princess-like life.
Homelander looked at his shocked expression and said calmly, "This is the treatment a Vought Hero deserves. We never mistreat those willing to bleed for justice."
Scott's hand trembled as he gripped the pen, preparing to sign his name in the signature box.
"However, I need to remind you of something."
Homelander's voice rang out at the right moment, interrupting his movement.
"Before you put pen to paper, think it through."
"After signing, you will officially face the risks a true hero must bear. This isn't a trouble that can be solved by just spending a few years in prison like before."
"You might face heinous supervillains, mutated monsters, or even alien invasions. At any moment, you might never see tomorrow's Sun again."
Homelander asked word by word, "Are you... truly ready?"
Scott's hand holding the pen paused in mid-air.
Countless images flashed through his mind: the cold iron bars of San Quentin prison, Maggie's disappointed gaze, and...
Cassie's bright, smiling face as she looked up and proudly shouted, 'Daddy is a superhero!'
That terrible past was dead; he would never allow himself to disappoint his daughter again.
Scott's gaze became incredibly firm. He hesitated no longer, and with a flick of his wrist, he signed his name with a flourish at the end of the contract.
"This is the path I should take." Scott closed the folder and handed it back to the female executive.
"System Notification!"
At the same time the contract was signed, a system notification rang out in Homelander's mind.
"Detected special character, the Second-generation Ant-Man, Scott Lang, has officially registered to join the Vought Heroes team! He has become a signed hero under the host's name!"
"Reward: special popularity value +30,000!"
"Reward: Special Ability: Bio-pheromone Electromagnetic Waves!"
"Effect: Allows for barrier-free communication and preliminary command control over most insects and lower animals."
Great, this time he had harvested nearly 100,000 from Scott.
Homelander happily welcomed Scott.
"Welcome to Vought, Scott." He reached out and gave Scott a firm handshake.
Then, Homelander took out a silver belt with a high-tech design from a nearby storage compartment and handed it to Scott.
"This is a fully upgraded version of that pendant around your neck."
Homelander explained, "The pendant's storage was too small, only able to cover parts of your limbs. But once this belt is activated, it can cover your entire body with a full set of armor."
Scott took the heavy belt, stroking the metallic texture on it in awe.
"This is incredible! Is this nanotechnology? I've only been inside for a few years, has technology outside already developed to this extent?"
"It's not nanotechnology." Homelander shook his head and explained, "This is Mimetic Metal technology."
"Unlike nanobots, which require complex central chips for coordination and need constant replenishment, the advantage of Mimetic Metal is that it has no 'brain' or 'chip' in the traditional sense. Its intelligence is distributed throughout the entire alloy structure. Even if it's blown into hundreds of tiny droplets, each drop still retains the instinct to find the main body and merge."
As an electrical engineering expert, Scott immediately understood the technical value. He said in shock, "Swarm intelligence materials without a central chip... this is simply a miracle of engineering materials science!"
"However, it also has weaknesses." Homelander didn't hide anything. "It doesn't have the complex structure of nanobots, so you can't expect it to conjure pulse cannons out of thin air."
"Furthermore, because pure Mimetic Metal must maintain liquid fluidity, its molecular structure isn't solid. It's not resistant to high temperatures or strong kinetic impacts."
Hearing this, Scott was slightly disappointed.
Seeing the change in Scott's expression, Homelander shifted the conversation.
"But..."
"I've integrated some Vibranium into its structure," Homelander said nonchalantly, using the term that would drive military-industrial enterprises worldwide crazy.
"Vibranium?!"
Scott exclaimed.
"I always thought that was just a hypothesis in materials science! I didn't expect such a thing to actually exist!"
"Of course it exists, and the effects are surprisingly good." Homelander looked at Scott's reaction with satisfaction.
"The addition of Vibranium perfectly solves the issue of the Mimetic Metal's low defensive power. Not only is it lightweight overall, but its defense is greatly enhanced—withstanding a tank's armor-piercing shell is definitely no problem."
"Although this armor currently leans towards melee combat, its mimetic properties can perfectly accommodate and connect to any external interface to carry peripherals."
Homelander patted Scott's shoulder in encouragement.
"With your knowledge of electrical engineering, I believe you can develop it into any form you want."
Scott's eyes lit up as he listened, his hands tightly gripping the belt.
"A mimetic battle armor that could be infinitely DIYed and possessed super-strong defensive power!"
"This was simply a dream piece of equipment tailored for him!"
"According to Vought's tradition, every registered hero needs a catchy title." Homelander looked at him leisurely.
"What do you want to be called?"
Scott looked down at the belt in his hand, Cassie's happy face appearing in his mind.
"I've missed too much of Cassie's companionship in the past. In the days to come, I want to become Cassie's eternal guardian knight."
"Let's call it 'Armored Knight'."
Hearing this, Homelander couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Armored Knight? Sounds very hot-blooded." Homelander teased.
"If that's the case, I suggest you design a cool transformation sequence for your entrance. It's best to have a habit of shouting out your move names; that will be more popular with younger fans."
Scott scratched his head sheepishly. "I'll consider it, Daniel."
"Alright, small talk is over."
Homelander stopped smiling, his expression turning serious.
"Since you have now officially become a Vought superhero... then..."
"Are you ready to accept your first mission, Armored Knight?"