"Understood." Ashley's fingers flew across her tablet. "Charm first, looks second, abilities optional."
"Are the semifinals rules finalized?" Antony asked.
"Yes. Fully online voting. Real-name system. Three votes per person." Ashley smiled with a capitalist's delight. "We're also rolling out Hero Boost Cards. For $998, a contestant's profile photo gets ten seconds of rotation on the Times Square mega-screens."
"Not enough." Antony leaned forward. "Add a Fan Support Bundle. For example—Vought Energy Light Sticks. Ten dollars each, ten exposure points. Then a Homelander Rocket—one thousand dollars per unit, one thousand exposure points, plus the buyer's name scrolling across the contestant's video. Expand from there."
"…You're a genius, sir," Ashley said sincerely.
"Oh, right." Antony suddenly straightened. "That silver-haired kid—and the lunatic in red—did they make it into the semifinals?"
"You mean Pietro Maximoff and Wade Wilson?" Ashley nodded. "They're both in. Pietro's popularity is insane—bad-boy charm, insane speed, pure visual spectacle."
"As for Wade…" Ashley's expression turned strange. "You might want to see this yourself."
A video window popped up on the screen.
A man wearing a crude mask and a cheap red-and-black hoodie was sitting on a toilet, filming himself.
"Hey! I'm Wade! Wade Wilson! But I prefer calling myself The Cancer Avenger, 'cause—surprise—I really have cancer!"
Onscreen, Wade waved a katana at the camera and made several deeply inappropriate gestures.
Ashley coughed awkwardly. "He's… unhinged, but his online engagement is off the charts. People think he's obnoxious—but they love obnoxious."
Antony stared at the screen, watching Deadpool shamelessly clown around, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Let him through," Antony said flatly. "If the audience loves watching him, he has value."
"Yes, sir!" Ashley nodded immediately.
"Go handle it. Remember—I want heat. Hype. Traffic big enough to crash servers."
"Understood!" Ashley grabbed her tablet and rushed out of the office like she'd been injected with adrenaline.
...
The office door had barely closed.
Ding—!
A crisp system notification exploded in Antony's mind.
System Alert: Massive influx of popularity detected!
"Ding! Popularity gained +22,041! (From Jessica Jones)"
"Ding! Popularity gained +15,500! (From Jessica Jones)"
"Ding! Popularity gained +18,012! (From Jessica Jones)"
"Ding! ..."
"What the hell?!"
Antony shot upright.
He usually muted the system alerts to avoid going insane—but spikes that crossed critical thresholds still punched through.
These numbers…
He grabbed the remote and turned on the massive wall screen.
"—Breaking news! We're live at the Bronx operation site!"
"—In tonight's joint enforcement action, Queen Jones of the Super Seven demonstrated overwhelming combat power…"
The footage cut to the dockside warehouse.
Jessica Jones—her white combat suit blazing under floodlights—charged through gunfire like a Valkyrie descending onto the battlefield.
The final frame froze on her resolute close-up.
When the world needs heroes, the Seven answer the call!
With the perfect lighting, swelling music, and dramatic framing—
It exploded.
"This feeling…" Antony stared at his own hands, a manic grin spreading across his face.
"…This is better than any drug."
Before he could celebrate, another notification hit him like a hammer.
Ding! National Popularity Level Breakthrough!
Current Popularity Rank: Ascendant Peak!
Power Enhancements Unlocked:
Super Strength: 2500 tons
Heat Vision: 11,000°C
Super Speed: Mach 105
Super Endurance: Increased
Congratulations! Leader-Exclusive Ability Unlocked: Team Assembly
Ability Description:
As the absolute core of the Super Seven, your power is fueled by the team's faith and existence.
Effect:
Within a 500-meter radius, each certified Super Seven member grants the team leader a 50% boost to all attributes.
Maximum boost: 300%
Current Team Bound: Super Seven
Members in Range: 1
Stacks: 1
Current Boost: 50%
...
"I need to post—"
Antony swore under his breath.
Fifty percent per member.
Three hundred percent cap.
Which meant that with five members standing near him—
His stats would be four times their current value.
At that point, even if Odin himself showed up, Antony felt confident he could give the old god two solid slaps.
And then die calmly afterward.
"Haha… hahahaha!!"
Antony's laughter echoed wildly through the office.
...
Avengers Tower — Stark Workshop
Tony Stark stood motionless, staring at a holographic projection.
Displayed was JARVIS's structural analysis of Jessica Jones's shield.
"Based on spectral analysis and impact feedback," JARVIS reported, "there is a 98% probability that the shield's surface coating is vibranium."
"Vibranium…" Tony rubbed his temples.
"That stuff's rarer than unicorn horns. Wakanda guards it like Fort Knox. My dad used almost the entire world supply just to make Cap's shield."
"So where did that blond bastard get it?"
Tony zoomed in on the mechanical structure.
"And this folding mechanism… it looks familiar."
His eyes narrowed. "This articulation logic—it's close to my Mark V concept. But smoother. More elegant."
"Starr Industries used to do real estate and biotech. Since when did they leapfrog into advanced military engineering?"
"Sir, it's possible they have an undisclosed R&D team."
"No." Tony shook his head. "This doesn't look developed. It looks like someone got their hands on a finished blueprint."
Where the hell did he get my designs?
"JARVIS, any database intrusion detected?"
"None, sir."
"Wait—Mark V had a handwritten draft. I locked it in the vault. Don't tell me he can see through alloy steel too—"
"…Shit."
Tony's eyes went wide.
"Christmas Eve."
He slapped his forehead in frustration.
"I invited the wolf into my house! That bastard's not just an actor—he's a damn thief…"
--------------
T/N:
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