Afternoon, Atlantic City.
The sea breeze swept across the boardwalk, with the glitz and clamor of casinos on one side, and the briny, decaying pier district on the other.
Wade, having assumed the appearance of a middle-aged white man with blonde hair and blue eyes, sat in the corner of an open-air café wearing a slim-fit suit.
His gaze drifted over the railing toward the public beach not far away, where a charity live stream was taking place.
The Deep, with scruffy stubble and a buzz cut, casually punched a hole in a canned drink, tossed it onto a pile of trash behind him, and gave a thumbs-up with a smile: "Aluminum cans are infinitely recyclable; for an eco-friendly beverage brand, I only trust Liquid Death."
He wiped the water from the corner of his mouth and said to the camera with a serious face: "Scientists, and the dolphins I've spoken with, all say that the severity of plastic pollution in the ocean... so we need to collect the plastic and destroy it all."
After finishing his sentence, The Deep took out a lighter and a small bottle of kerosene, smiling as he set fire to the pile of plastic trash he had collected behind him.
The flames roared, sending up thick black smoke; the children picking up trash and onlookers nearby were choked, covering their noses and mouths as they ran away coughing.
The Deep walked over to the assistant holding the recording device with an indifferent expression, examined it, and nodded with satisfaction: "How is this endorsement ad? Did I perform perfectly?"
The young male assistant timidly adjusted his glasses and gave an awkward laugh: "Kevin, honestly, it's not very good. I suggest not..."
"What do you know? Posting this will definitely attract all kinds of investors and catch the attention of major environmentalists... Once we have the resources, won't we be able to return to New York as soon as possible?" The Deep pulled a brown jacket from a cheap gym bag and draped it over his shoulders.
The male assistant helplessly packed up the tripod and video camera, muttering under his breath: "I'm afraid we're never going back."
The Deep picked up his luggage, spat, and cursed under his breath: "Damn it, look at this beach, look at these poor bastards! Is my schedule only fit for places like this and aquariums?"
"Starlight, that son of a bitch, is attending a party in Beverly Hills today, the new hero Stormfront is stealing the spotlight at Godolkin... And I, the Master of The Seven Seas, have actually been reduced to hanging out here with seagulls and plastic bottles!"
The male assistant followed behind him, whispering to soothe him: "This is part of the PR strategy, to rebuild your down-to-earth image..."
"Fuck being down-to-earth! I need the spotlight, endorsements, and I need to return to the core of The Seven!" The Deep scratched his head irritably, his eyes dark, "Those bastards in New York, they don't understand my value at all. My abilities are strategic-level at sea; I am the King of the Seas!"
Wade got up and followed, taking everything in: "A pathetic worm who only knows how to complain."
Half an hour later, at a seaside hotel.
The Deep, wearing beachwear, was wandering aimlessly by the seaside when a well-dressed blonde man in a suit walked over.
"Sorry to bother you." Wade pulled down his sunglasses, his face showing surprise, "You... are you Mr. The Deep? The Deep from The Seven? My God, I didn't expect to meet you here!"
The Deep paused for a moment, instinctively straightening his posture, and put on a smile: "That's right, it's me. Are you... a fan of mine?"
"Vincent Walsh, head of the Azure Nova Foundation." Wade took a beautifully designed business card from the lining of his jacket and handed it over, "I believe Vought and the outside world have seriously underestimated your potential. The ocean covers seventy percent of the Earth's surface and possesses unparalleled development value!"
The Deep scratched his head and asked hesitantly: "You, you want to invest... sponsor me?"
Wade reached out his hand and smiled: "That depends on whether we get along. Why don't we go somewhere else?"
"Haha... well said, Mr. Vincent, just call me Kevin." The Deep shook his hand, feeling as if he had met a kindred spirit, and began to chat with him enthusiastically.
The two walked and talked until they arrived at a seaside restaurant.
Inside a private room, Wade ate his steak while describing the investment prospects and future development blueprint for him: "Kevin, are you content to always be under someone else? On land, your abilities are indeed limited. But in the ocean... you are a god!"
"Why must you squeeze into that small circle of The Seven and live under someone else's thumb? Why not build a kingdom of your own?"
The Deep stopped cutting his steak, his eyes widening: "A kingdom?"
"That's right, an Atlantis that belongs to you!" Wade leaned forward, his gaze burning, "Think about it: relying on your ability to communicate with marine life, you could assemble an intelligent marine army."
"But that's not enough; ordinary marine life has limited intelligence. What if we had something to make them stronger? Just like that incident with the Iowa church before, but we can be a bit more humane."
"You mean..." The Deep's breathing quickened, knowing he was alluding to the rumored compound v.
"People are very curious about strange and powerful marine life; maintaining a lasting sense of novelty can make your hero career go much further, don't you think?" Wade smiled meaningfully, "You can select intelligent and powerful marine creatures, like dolphins, orcas, or even giant deep-sea octopuses, grant them power, let them understand your greatness, and make them your loyal subjects and warriors."
"By then, you will control global maritime routes, possess countless underwater eyes and ears and combat power; would Vought still dare to underestimate you? I'm afraid even Homelander would have to look at you differently!"
"Competition is so fierce now; newcomers like Starlight, Stormfront, and A-Train are so dazzling... As a veteran of The Seven, don't you want to return to the core position of the group with the stature of a Sea King?"
The Deep held his knife and fork, stunned on the spot, shocked by this vision that fit him perfectly.
At the thought of being able to brutally take revenge on those who looked down on him and return to the center of the spotlight, the desire for recognition and power-grabbing in his heart was completely ignited.
The Deep felt very excited, but after pondering for a long time, he shook his head with hesitation: "No, no... if that stuff gets out, Vought will sue me into bankruptcy, and Homelander won't let me off either!"
"High risk, high reward; how will you know if it won't work if you don't try?" Wade waved his hand boldly and placed a small jar of blue serum on the table, "This stuff was bought by me at a high price from inside your company; take it and try it out first."
"You actually have it! You're too daring; what if someone finds out?" The Deep quickly put away the serum, looking around furtively, and then whispered, "What do you want me to do?"
Wade swirled his wine glass and smiled: "Vought isn't airtight; if I can buy it at a high price, let alone you... it's not difficult to get these things just by using your connections inside Vought and some extraordinary means."
"I'm in!" The Deep raised his glass excitedly and clinked it with his, "I'll choose a secret location and find some friends in the sea; the'Sea Monster' project can start right away."
"To the future Master of The Seven Seas." Wade drained his glass and smiled, "I will provide you with funding and all logistical support, and be responsible for global public opinion campaigns, making the name of The Deep ring out across the whole world!"
Upon hearing this, The Deep's reason vanished, as if he could already see himself sitting on a coral throne pulled by whales, accepting the worship of thousands of aquatic creatures, with Homelander valuing him and even Madelyn having to grovel before him: "Good, good, good, Vincent! I should have met you sooner! You're much better than that dim-witted assistant of mine..."
"I'm just quite interested in the marine field." Wade changed the subject, slid his phone across the table, and wiped his mouth with a napkin, his eyes smiling, "To express my sincerity, please take a look at this..."
The Deep looked at the high-definition footage on the screen of himself frolicking on the surface of the water with a dolphin sister, his face turning dark, and he asked with a trembling voice: "Vin, Vincent... what, what do you mean by this?"
Wade tapped the table, shook his head, and sighed: "I respect your... uh, little personal hobby."
"But someone is actually selling this stuff on the dark web for a high price, attempting to maliciously smear your reputation! As your future partner, how could I sit idly by?"
He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping: "So, I used some small means; the original footage has been destroyed by me, and that ignorant wretch will never appear again... How could our future Master of the Ocean be hindered by such a trivial matter? Right, Kevin?"
The Deep wiped the sweat from his forehead, let out a long sigh of relief, and put the smile back on his face: "Right, absolutely right! Vincent, you really are my kindred spirit!"
Wade saw that the situation was a bit cold, so he asked with a smile: "I'm actually very interested in marine life, I wonder..."
The Deep took the opportunity, reached out a thumb, and raised his eyebrows with a lewd expression: "You don't know, those ordinary people simply cannot understand this kind of... um... elegant art of deep communication with natural creatures; this is a sacred connection and resonance!"
He seemed to have opened the floodgates, boasting: "Let me tell you, the reactions and cooperation of different marine creatures are completely different."
"Dolphins are nice, but they're all slippery chatterboxes; squid tentacles have teeth, and it feels tingly and numb; octopuses are better. They have many tentacles and know how to cooperate; that's what you call a true soulmate."
'Doesn't Vought have a branch in India? This guy... he really should go there to develop!' Wade suppressed his disgust, put on an expression of curiosity and admiration, and exclaimed sincerely, "My God! You really are a pioneer in this regard... This isn't just a hobby, it's a great exploration into the field of multi-species communication."
He filled the glasses again and raised his cup: "To our great Atlantis, and to this exclusive talent for resonating with marine life, cheers! I believe we will definitely create a brand new era!"
The Deep was carried away by the flattery, raised his glass again without hesitation, and drained it.
He was completely unaware that all of his remarks and ugly behavior had been captured by the micro-recording device Wade had installed in the private room beforehand.
From The Deep colluding with an outsider to trade compound v, agreeing to continue stealing it privately, to creating super-powered sea monsters, and even his absurd remarks about intending to usurp power within Vought... all of this was recorded clearly.
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