"Boss, there's been some trouble at the company. We need you to come over."
Just as Adam was happily preparing to delve into the vast number of spells he had just acquired, Susan suddenly called him in a hurry.
"Alright, I understand."
As soon as Adam heard that Susan didn't explain on the phone, he knew that what she was referring to was something that couldn't be revealed to outsiders.
He wasn't Tony Stark, capable of making his phone immune to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s wiretaps.
So, if it was something important, he would always choose to discuss it in person.
Nick Fury had previously joined forces with him to deal with some ambitious politicians who opposed them, but that didn't mean he was of one mind with him.
If there was an opportunity to control him, and control his League of Heroes, then he believed the other party would immediately move against him.
The reason he kept Nick Fury alive and didn't kill him was because, besides future Avengers heroes like Black Captain Marvel, the most important reason was that if Nick Fury were killed, S.H.I.E.L.D. would inevitably fall into the hands of other politicians.
At that point, it would truly become a tool to oppose him.
With Nick Fury present now, at least he could occasionally use him to balance relations with those politicians.
Politicians are endless; kill one, and another will naturally take their place.
And he didn't want to waste his precious time entangled with those politicians. Nick Fury's existence could effectively resolve political issues.
League of Heroes's growth to its current state wasn't due to the popular Superheroes in the company, nor was it due to brilliant business strategies.
The fundamental reason was his, Adam's, existence and his, Adam's, power, which made all forces wary and afraid to cause trouble—at least not openly.
Therefore, what he needed to do was dedicate his limited time to Training and becoming stronger; everything else was secondary.
Flying all the way using Flying Technique, he quickly arrived at the top floor of the company building and flew into his office through the window.
Because the company was developing too quickly, the previous small building was no longer sufficient for the company's needs, so he simply bought the entire Baxter Building from Reed.
Reed also happened to be short on money to repay the building's loan due to the failed Solar Storm experiment with Doom.
"What exactly happened?"
Sitting in his chair, Adam asked Susan, who was already waiting for him in the office.
Susan placed the organized documents she was holding in front of Adam.
"The public opinion has been controlled by the PR department and hasn't escalated. The Police have also been informed. The current problem is how we should deal with him and what to tell the victim's family."
"Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, I just didn't expect it to be so soon."
Adam closed the documents:
"Bring the victim's family here; I'll talk to them personally. Also, gather all official Superheroes currently with the company for a meeting."
The content of the documents roughly stated that one of the company's Superheroes, during a mission, had a conflict with a passerby and, in a fit of rage, used his abilities to first sexually assault and then kill the person.
Afterward, he falsely claimed that the death was an accident during the mission.
Now that the incident had been leaked, the victim's parents naturally wouldn't let it go. They not only reported it to the Police but also hung banners and blocked the company entrance.
Actually, he had long anticipated this kind of situation where Superheroes would turn into Homelander.
Not everyone can be a Superhero. Besides strength, what's more important is one's moral standards.
Only those who can maintain their bottom line while possessing power can truly be considered Superheroes.
As the company grew, more and more people with special abilities joined. Only a few could truly uphold their bottom line; most were just in it for fame and profit.
If these individuals couldn't be deterred with decisive action, situations similar to the one in the documents would only become more frequent in the future.
Ten minutes later, Susan brought a middle-aged couple into Adam's office.
However, as soon as the couple saw Adam, they rushed forward, faces filled with rage:
"You murderers, God will not spare you! You will all go to hell!"
After learning the details of their daughter's murder, the couple immediately reported it to the Police. However, once the Police heard that a Superhero from League of Heroes was involved, they directly transferred the case to the company for self-processing.
Knowing this outcome, they naturally assumed the worst, believing the company intended to cover for the killer of their daughter.
That's why they were so agitated upon seeing Adam, the company's chairman.
However, after taking just two steps, they suddenly stopped, their bodies stiff and unable to move, their eyes filled with terror.
Because in their eyes, Adam, sitting in his chair, seemed to have been magnified several hundred times, like an unapproachable and unoffendable deity.
"Don't be agitated, both of you. It's not too late to hear our company's proposed solution first," Adam said slowly, retracting the aura around him.
With his current strength, facing ordinary people, he didn't need to use any techniques; merely releasing his aura was enough to make the other party dare not cross the line.
"You speak."
The couple, still shaken, let out a long sigh of relief, then replied through gritted teeth, both fearful and angry.
The instinct for survival kept them from offending Adam, but their daughter's death made them unwilling to back down.
"First, I will give you five million U.S. dollars as compensation for this incident."
Adam was interrupted by the couple before he could finish:
"We don't want money, and we won't forgive! We just want him to face legal judgment and pay the price he deserves for his actions!"
"You can rest assured about that. I'm not asking you to forgive him."
Adam waved his hand:
"For such scum, our company will deal with him severely.
A life for a life. I will order his execution shortly.
If you don't believe me, you can come with me and witness his execution firsthand."
"This..."
Upon hearing Adam's reply, the couple was stunned.
Their best hope was for the criminal who killed their daughter to be tried and imprisoned according to the law, especially since New York State had abolished the death penalty.
However, they never expected that the chairman of League of Heroes would directly execute the perpetrator.
"What, you're not willing?" Adam looked at the couple, who immediately replied:
"Willing! Willing!"
They wished they could tear the murderer limb from limb, so they were naturally extremely satisfied with this outcome.
"However, I also have a condition."
At this point, Adam's tone shifted, and his aura was released again:
"That is, regarding today's events, and the fact that the murderer of your daughter was a Superhero from our company, you must never mention it to anyone again.
Otherwise, I will not only reclaim the five million U.S. dollars but also send you to join your daughter!"