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"Ding! The Homelander—Queen Jones CP topic has reached the global trending list!"
"Ding! Gained Popularity Value +310,510!"
"Ding! Gained Popularity Value +268,853!"
"Ding! Gained Popularity Value +188,854! (From Queen Jones)"
"Ding! Gained Popularity Value +173,112! (From Queen Jones)"
"..."
"fuck... fuck... mother fuck!"
Tony Stark, sitting below the stage, was completely dumbfounded.
He grabbed his hair in jealousy.
"What is he doing?! This guy is manufacturing a CP!!" Tony roared at Steve.
"What?" Steve looked confused.
"What is... manufacturing a CP?"
"It's... it's... bullshit!" Tony snapped in frustration.
"He's using that poor girl in the tights... to promote a goddamn relationship! He's using romance to harvest popularity! He... he..."
Tony suddenly couldn't continue.
Because goddammit... it was really effective!
"This guy... is a devil!" Tony's face was distorted with envy.
"He's hogging all the benefits! Fame, power, money... and women!!"
"Tony, you don't need to be jealous, you have all of these too, don't you? Playboy." Steve teased.
He looked at the woman on stage, Queen Jones, showing shyness in front of Homelander, then looked at Homelander's gentle gaze, and smiled with relief.
"He found a partner, Tony. He's no longer alone."
"Look at that girl. She's strong, but she looks... nervous. And Anthony is protecting her, guiding her. He's sharing his light with her."
"This..." Steve sighed.
"This is good."
"So what?" Tony scoffed.
"So she was tricked by that blond bastard into becoming... one of his Seven Dwarfs?"
"That's not important, Tony." Steve's expression was calm.
"What's important is that they are doing good things right now."
"Doing good things?"
"Yes." Steve looked at Tony. "Homelander saved the President, that's a fact. He catches robbers and fights fires, that's also a fact. Now he wants to form a team to save more people..."
Steve turned his head and looked earnestly at Tony: "...That, too, is a good thing."
"As for the methods he uses," Steve shrugged, "whether it's starting a company, making movies, or even... manufacturing scandals. Tony, the times have changed. We can't demand that everyone be like... like they were during World War II."
"Wow." Tony was speechless at his words. "Old Popsicle, when did you become so... reasonable? I thought you'd be the first to jump out and accuse him of treating heroism like a trademark."
"I've figured it out, Tony." Steve said calmly. "I don't care about the trademark; I care about what the person behind the trademark is doing."
"At least for now," Steve said, looking at Anthony on the stage, "what he's doing is right."
"...OKay, you truly are a... boring do-gooder, Captain." Tony Stark gave up trying to talk sense into the Old Popsicle.
In the media section, a reporter from The Daily Bugle, which had been acquired by Vought, spoke:
"Queen Jones! Hello! We know nothing about your past! May I ask how your superpowers originated? Did you undergo some kind of experiment, like Mr. Homelander?"
This was a pre-arranged question.
Jessica calmed herself down. She gripped the microphone tightly, trying hard to recall the lines Ashley had taught her:
"I... I used to be very lost. I didn't know what meaning this power held. I... I..."
She was too nervous and forgot her lines.
Just then, Anthony stepped forward again and took over the conversation.
"She doesn't need an origin story, and she doesn't need to be saved by anyone."
He looked at Jessica, his azure eyes seeming to hold the sea of stars:
"The moment I first saw her in the crowd, I knew she wasn't a monster, nor was she a lost lamb."
"She..."
"She was born a Queen."
"fuck..." Jessica looked at his affectionate face. She knew it was all bullshit acting, but damn it... her heart still skipped a beat against her will.
"Ding! Gained Special Popularity Value +10,000!"
Anthony was ecstatic internally. He cleared his throat and steered the conversation back on track.
"Queen Jones is just the first piece of The Seven puzzle!"
"We need more! This country, this World, needs more heroes!"
"There are too many people just like her who possess talent but are overlooked, misunderstood, and discriminated against!"
"And I," Anthony spread his arms, "I want to give everyone... an opportunity!"
"An opportunity... to become a hero!!"
He raised his arm high and pointed at the big screen!
On the screen, a well-made LOGO burst into flames—Who is the Next Superhero??
The narration began:
"This is a nationwide audition for the entire U.S.!"
"Whether you are a strongman who can lift a car, or the girl next door who can talk to animals!"
"Whether you are an invisible war veteran, or a courier who runs faster than a high-speed rail!"
"As long as you have superpowers, as long as you have a hero's dream!"
"Come sign up! Vought's doors... are always open for you!"
"The audition registration channel will officially open... on Christmas Eve, exactly at midnight!!"
"Registration website..."
Anthony's voice overpowered the BGM: "Vought International will team up with the Nationwide Television Network to launch this reality show!"
"That's right! You heard correctly!"
"We don't care about your past! We don't care about your origin!"
"As long as you have the ability! As long as you have that heroic heart! You could become the next member of The Seven!!"
"We will audition the strongest 100 people from across the U.S.! They will undergo the most rigorous trials! And the final victor..."
Anthony pointed at the camera, pointing at everyone watching the live broadcast.
"...will be chosen by you, the audience of the entire United States, by your own votes!!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh—!!!"
"He's insane! This World has completely gone mad!!" Tony Stark finished the last bit of his cola.
"Goddammit... he's going to create a superhero version of... American Idol?!"
The bucket of popcorn in Steve's hand dropped to the ground with a clang.
"...Chosen by the audience... by vote?"
"Oh my God..."
"This..." Steve also frowned. "Isn't this... too reckless?"
"Reckless? No, Captain." Natasha appeared behind them at some point, her voice drifting over softly. "He's... co-opting them. He's using the damn American Dream... to co-opt all the superpowered individuals in the World. While S.H.I.E.L.D. is still treating them as 'threats' and 'subjects of surveillance,' he..."
"...He's already handing out offers." Tony finished the thought.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Our movie... is about to begin. Please enjoy the show."