Starting in The Boys to Become the Ultimate Lifeform.

After parting with Edgar, Xia Shang exited the office.

"Hmm."

Homelander stood before his portrait, hands clasped behind his back, scrutinizing every detail in the painting.

"Jervis, don't tell me you're planning to slink out of Vought like a defeated dog. From what I know about you, you wouldn't have dared kill Trainwreck in front of Black Noir without absolute certainty. Surely you understand who Black Noir truly serves?"

Homelander turned, locking eyes with Xia Shang.

He understood—deep down, Xia Shang and Edgar belonged to the same category: people who never acted without complete confidence.

Xia Shang merely offered a slight smile, giving no verbal response.

Yet, in truth, he had already provided an answer.

"Tell me, how did you manage it?" Frankly speaking, Homelander hated dealing with cryptic types like this. If Jervis weren't Vought's Vice President, he'd rip out those few hearts and crush them personally—but this was just fantasy, as unrealistic as imagining himself killing freely without restraint.

"I sent a little gift to the members of Vought's Board of Directors. I'm sure they'll be quite surprised upon receiving it."

Xia Shang chuckled.

Upon hearing this, Homelander scoffed dismissively. "So you bribed those old fools to protect your position. I thought you'd have a better strategy. Jervis, seems like you're not as impressive as I hoped."

"Regardless, I remain Vought Corporation's Vice President. As long as the goal is achieved, the method matters little."

Facing Homelander's misunderstanding, Xia Shang didn't bother clarifying. With Homelander's way of thinking, it would be difficult for him to consider using compromising material as a tactic.

Probably, in Homelander's mind, a better approach would involve storming directly into the Board members' residences, threatening them with glowing eyes—warning that disobedience would result in laser-blasted heads.

Precisely because he preferred solving problems through simple, brutal methods, even after eventually taking over Vought in the original storyline, he only managed to create further chaos.

"Still remember that superhero movie we started filming? Lang, the head of the Comprehensive Planning Department, is waiting with the new script for my review. As the movie's executive producer, you should probably review the new script too."

Xia Shang flicked his suit cuff, checking his wristwatch.

Actually, his true intention was to analyze all of Homelander's abilities—provided he had sufficient time.

"The new script?" Curiosity piqued, Homelander nodded. "I hope they haven't cut my scenes."

Then, Xia Shang pushed open the office door, revealing Lang, who had been waiting impatiently.

"Mr. Jervis, this is the revised new script according to your instructions." Upon seeing Xia Shang enter, Lang—who had previously been seated on the sofa—immediately stood up respectfully, presenting the new script. Although his position wasn't significantly lower than Xia Shang's, everyone within Vought knew Xia Shang was Edgar's favored protégé, practically destined to become Vought's next CEO.

Don't think America lacks social etiquette—actually, American social dynamics are even more brutally transparent. As long as you possess wealth and power, countless people will scramble to flatter you. But once that power and money disappear, you instantly become stinking dog excrement that everyone avoids.

One could easily imagine—if rumors currently spread within Vought suggested Xia Shang faced imminent dismissal, Lang certainly wouldn't maintain such humble behavior. Arrogance would represent his normal attitude.

"Please sit. Haven't kept you waiting, I hope?" Xia Shang accepted the script calmly.

Lang hurriedly shook his head, offering a hypocritical smile. "Mr. Jervis, I simply arrived slightly earlier—I wouldn't dare claim to have waited long." Xia Shang glanced at the disposable paper cup on the coffee table. The water had already been consumed, with visible crumpled marks on the cup's surface.

But he didn't expose Lang's lie, instead sitting on another sofa to begin reviewing the script.

Meanwhile, he activated the interface to analyze all of Homelander's abilities.

Deliberately slowing his browsing pace, Xia Shang occasionally offered different opinions toward Lang.

"Why don't you briefly summarize the new script's plot? After all, Homelander has grown bored enough to start examining my office decorations."

"Of course." Lang cast a glance at the wandering Homelander, clearing his throat.

"Cough cough—the new script fully incorporated your valuable suggestions, improving previous shortcomings. The general plot goes like this: one morning, a red energy sphere from outer space crashes into Manhattan, USA. Due to unusual magnetic field fluctuations, Vought detected this unexpected visitor and transported it to their laboratory for research.

However, during experimentation, the red energy sphere suddenly released immense energy, instantly obliterating everything within ten meters of its epicenter.

It turns out someone utilized the energy sphere's spatial teleportation function to reach Earth..."

Lang paused briefly before continuing. "...he took the energy sphere away and destroyed Vought's laboratory. His appearance made Vought realize other cosmic forces existed, eyeing Earth hungrily. To protect global citizens' lives, Vought decided to form a sufficiently powerful superhero squad capable of resisting extraterrestrial threats, codenamed 'Guardian Alliance'..."

Approximately ten minutes passed before Lang completed summarizing the basic story—a rather "concise" summary indeed.

Surprisingly, Homelander listened with great interest.

Particularly, he loved the scene where he used his heat vision to sever an alien spacecraft.

"The plot framework appears temporarily solid. However, don't forget to replace Starlight with The Lamplighter. Ideally, use Trainwreck's sacrifice to enhance the film's somber atmosphere. During the movie launch event, we can utilize Trainwreck's sudden passing to generate additional publicity buzz. Regarding who should portray Trainwreck, I have a suitable recommendation—you'll never tell the difference between him and Trainwreck, not even their own fathers."

Regarding Xia Shang's blatant profiteering from human tragedy... Lang found it... absolutely brilliant!

"You check if there remain any areas needing modification. Feel free to discuss with Mr. Lang—he'll consider reasonable suggestions."

Xia Shang handed the new script to Homelander.

Homelander flipped through the pages, sensing this movie would undoubtedly become a blockbuster. Not for any specific reason—just imagining the surge in popularity and fan base made him excited beyond measure.

The two continued discussing enthusiastically until noon, still far from exhausted.

By then, the analysis of Homelander's supernatural abilities had nearly concluded.

[Analysis Completed. Would you like to view detailed results...]

"Display."

[Sensory Perception Enhancement]

[Supersonic Flight]

Since these were already possessed abilities, there was no need to review them again. The upcoming talent skills represented the true highlights!

Chapter Two coming right up—please wait a moment.

(End of Chapter)