Chapter 42: How does Compound V taste?
"Get lost! Don't bother me." A-Train glanced at Xia Shang, and seeing he was a stranger, snapped impatiently.
Xia Shang ignored him and sat down by himself.
Seeing that Xia Shang didn't leave but instead sat down next to him, a surge of anger instantly swept through A-Train. He turned his head to look at Xia Shang, then reached up and took off his goggles, his face contorted menacingly. "Think your life's too long, daring to provoke me? Someone like you, who doesn't know their place, I ran one over just recently."
"Do you know how horribly she died?" A-Train gestured explosively with his hands. "She was instantly splattered into paste."
He then burst into laughter.
Facing A-Train's threat, Xia Shang remained unfazed, even feeling a slight urge to laugh. He took a sip of the cocktail in his glass and slowly said, "How does Compound V taste? If Homelander knew you can only maintain your speed by relying on Compound V now, he'd probably kick you out of The Seven, wouldn't he?"
A-Train's laughter abruptly stopped, like a rooster with its neck squeezed. In an instant, a flicker of panic flashed in his eyes, and his tone became tense.
"Who are you? How do you know that?"
Looking at Xia Shang, he even had the thought of killing him to silence him.
"Do you know how much trouble this incident of yours caused the corporation? Just the public relations cost alone was several million US Dollars." Xia Shang's expression was indifferent. He leaned back against the sofa and crossed his legs.
He understood that the more fearless he appeared, the more convincing his words would be.
Unconsciously, sweat beaded on A-Train's forehead. It was now clear that the other party's identity was undoubtedly that of a high-level Vought International employee. The thought of killing him to silence him instantly vanished from his mind.
"Are you with the Vice President or the president?" A-Train asked politely.
"You don't need to know that, nor are you qualified to know. The superiors said they can let you off this time, but it absolutely cannot happen a second time, or you're out. Oh, and as a friendly tip, excessive use of Compound V will cause serious problems with your heart."
Xia Shang pointed to his heart.
"Currently, there are rumors circulating on the market that Compound V creates superheroes. We are now investigating the source of these rumors. Once we find out who is spreading or leaking them, the consequences will be severe. Perhaps that person might just vanish from the face of the earth." As soon as Xia Shang finished speaking.
A-Train immediately explained nervously, "Please believe me, please have the superior believe me, this matter is absolutely unrelated to me. I swear to Jesus."
"Let's hope so, otherwise even Jesus himself won't be able to save you."
Xia Shang stood up and spoke again, "My current identity is a security guard for the corporation. I need you to help me secure the position of Deputy Manager in the Security Department. Only then can I investigate more things and incidentally help you clear your name."
"No problem, I'll get right on it." As soon as A-Train finished speaking, a look of horror appeared in his eyes.
He saw that on the back of Xia Shang's head, his own face had actually appeared.
Returning to his original position.
Fast said to Xia Shang in surprise, "You actually know A-Train? How come it feels like he's a little afraid of you?"
"You must have seen wrong. A-Train and I have known each other for a long time, we're quite friendly."
"I see. With A-Train's help, a mere Deputy Manager position will be a piece of cake. Here, let me toast you."
Xia Shang's status instantly rose in Fast's heart. He respectfully raised his wine glass and said with a smile.
Coming out of the bar.
The sky was already dark. Xia Shang stood on the street, feeling the evening breeze.
Clatter, clatter. A soda can with Homelander's face printed on it was blown by the wind to Xia Shang's feet. Xia Shang didn't lower his head, but instead lifted his leg and stepped on it, flattening it. Then he looked towards the direction of Vought Tower and murmured softly, "What a colossal monster. How great would it be if it were mine."
In the following few days.
Xia Shang and A-Train appeared together.
Facing the gaze of countless cameras, Xia Shang appeared very calm. He held the microphone in one hand and put the other hand in his pocket. "As the second eyewitness on the scene, I swear in the name of Jesus that everything I just said is true. In this accident, A-Train was also a victim. Although I deeply regret what happened to that girl, when I learned that Vought International would compensate her family with a huge sum free of charge..."
"...Honestly, I was very moved. Vought International is a company with humanity, a company with a sense of social responsibility, and even more so, a company with a benevolent heart. Therefore, I am very proud to be able to work at Vought International."
Because this public relations event was crucial, Vought International Vice President Madelyn Stillwell also came to the scene.
She was very satisfied with Xia Shang's speech.
She turned her head and said to Ashley Barrett, the Director of the Talent Relations Department, who was standing nearby, "I heard he's very interested in the position of Deputy Manager in the Security Department."
"Fast mentioned it to me, and it seems he also knows A-Train. A-Train came to see me yesterday afternoon to bring this up," Ashley Barrett replied, holding a briefcase.
"His speech was very good. Let's go with him. Arrange it as soon as possible."
"Okay, president," Ashley Barrett immediately nodded.
After handling the public relations event, Ashley Barrett met with Xia Shang privately. Watching Xia Shang walk towards her, she stood up from her seat, took a few steps forward, and shook Xia Shang's hand, smiling. "Congratulations on becoming the Deputy Manager of the Security Department. I will notify Or to hand over the work to you. You can start in a week. At that time, we will be holding the annual shareholder meeting, and you will need to be responsible for managing the order on site."
"No problem, I won't let the corporation down."
Leaving the Talent Relations Department office, Xia Shang met his former superior, Or.
To be honest, Or was very surprised by Xia Shang taking over his position. However, he still congratulated Xia Shang on becoming the department's Deputy Manager. After all, people with connections these days are truly overbearing, and even though he was about to leave, he didn't want to offend such a person.
In the following days, Xia Shang recuperated from his injuries while training his ability to manipulate his body.
At the same time, he also had to familiarize himself with the job responsibilities.
However, while getting promoted, he also casually promoted Blitz. As for personnel changes at this level, he could decide them himself and didn't need to report to the manager at all.
So naturally, Blitz took over all his work behind the scenes.
After all, Xia Shang had promised him that he would transfer him to Queen Maeve's personal security team. As soon as he heard he could get close to the goddess in his heart, Blitz eagerly agreed, and didn't even ask for a raise.
Now, Xia Shang's right hand had basically grown back, and the progress of his innate ability had also reached 88%. It was estimated that by the day the Vought shareholder meeting began, he would be able to successfully fuse.
(End of Chapter)