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The data disk Kevin asked Dr. Cardosa for contained all the information about the tools The Woods had developed to deal with Supes up to that point.
Kevin wanted to deal with Edgar, so naturally, he needed to know how much protective power Edgar had around him.
And this information from The Woods was the intelligence Kevin could obtain.
Knowing what protective forces Edgar had around him would allow Kevin to deal with him with greater peace of mind.
Of course, the current Kevin might no longer be a Supe, but a Deep Sea Fighter after his re-specialization, so methods for dealing with Supes might not necessarily work on Kevin.
But just in case, Kevin felt it was better to be cautious.
There was no harm in being a little more careful.
"Is everything here?"
Holding the data disk, Kevin confirmed with Cardosa.
Cardosa nodded:
"Almost everything is here. At least all the data from when I came to The Woods until now is here."
"What about before you came?"
"Those were taken away by the previous chief scientist. If you want to know, you'll probably have to go to Vought headquarters."
"..."
Edgar, that guy, really did keep a trick up his sleeve.
Kevin pondered in his heart.
The information within The Woods was incomplete. Most of the methods for dealing with Supes were related to Cardosa, with only a small portion left over from the previous chief scientist.
More crucial things were not present here.
This proved that Edgar had never fully trusted Kevin from the beginning, otherwise he wouldn't have kept this matter from Kevin.
However, this was normal. If Edgar really told him everything, Kevin would instead suspect there was something wrong with his head, and he might even hesitate whether to truly deal with Edgar, who trusted him so much.
But now...
"Alright, never mind that for now. Bring out all the methods for dealing with Supes from The Woods and put them in the lab next door. I need them."
Kevin gave up on searching for the missing data that had been taken away.
That would be too time-consuming and inefficient.
It was better to start his other experiment.
That is, to test whether the methods for dealing with Supes would be effective against him.
"What do you want these for?"
Cardosa did not understand Kevin's order.
Kevin didn't explain, only urged:
"Don't ask so many questions, just go prepare. And turn off all the surveillance and data monitoring next door. I'll go check it later."
"Check? Uh..."
Cardosa was initially unclear why Kevin made such a request, but when he realized Kevin intended to go to that lab personally, Cardosa guessed why Kevin had given such an order.
The inspection was fake; he really wanted to test whether these methods were effective against him, right?
Cardosa guessed Kevin's purpose, but wisely did not continue to ask, instead immediately began preparing as Kevin instructed.
Kevin ignored Cardosa, his gaze falling on Miyashiro Kenji in the laboratory before him.
Speaking of which, Miyashiro Kenji's ability was a very rare psychic ability, but it seemed he had to use both hands as a medium to cast it.
Was it because his ability development was not high, or was the ability itself limited?
If Kevin wanted to use Miyashiro Kenji as an important combat force in the future, he would have to figure out this problem as soon as possible.
... ...
Stan Edgar took off the glasses on his nose. In front of him was a live news broadcast.
The news contained many topics, such as the destruction of the Supervillain Alliance and Stormfront's joining The Seven.
The Supervillain Alliance base was destroyed, and Stormfront finally appeared before the public, with Edgar personally making the announcement.
However, this was not part of Edgar's plan.
Edgar did not like Stormfront, and Stormfront likewise did not like him; in fact, it could be said that Stormfront hated him and wished she could kill him.
The reason was simple: Edgar was Black.
For Stormfront, who held extreme racial prejudice, this alone was enough for her to kill Edgar.
But she couldn't do that.
Because Vought was something left behind by her deceased husband, and currently, besides Edgar, there weren't many suitable helmsmen within the group.
Regardless of Edgar's race or what he had done, at least during his tenure at Vought, Vought's reputation had soared, and money poured into the group almost like water.
Stormfront still needed Edgar to help control Vought.
Before her ambition was achieved, Stormfront still needed Edgar.
It should have been this way, but now there was Kevin, a Supe who was extremely outstanding in all aspects.
So, in order not to let Supes gain power, Edgar urgently pulled out a group of controlled Supes to form the Supervillain Alliance, hoping that the Supervillain Alliance could tie up the Supes within the group.
To tie up Deep Kevin's energy.
But who would have thought that Kevin would be so decisive, directly announcing Compound V and employing a 'pawn swap' tactic, completely devouring the chess pieces Edgar had just cultivated?
Yes, Edgar actually knew that Kevin did this.
He had no evidence, but he could guess.
Or rather, at this stage, the only one who could access Compound V and expose it could only be Kevin; there would be no one else besides him.
But as long as Kevin didn't admit it, Edgar had no way to deal with the current Kevin.
Just as Kevin couldn't move against Edgar without evidence, Edgar couldn't move against Kevin without concrete evidence.
"In just a few months, it has come to this..."
Edgar looked at the news on the television, deep in thought.
Originally, he supported Deep, hoping he could restrain Homelander and manage The Seven well.
After all, with Homelander's temperament, he certainly wouldn't want such a Supe riding on his neck, especially when this Supe was his former subordinate.
At that time, the two would inevitably clash constantly.
If it developed normally, it should have turned out this way.
But the reality was the exact opposite.
The two had surprisingly reached an agreement without realizing it. The Seven was harmonious internally, and even Edgar's addition of Stormfront couldn't break the current atmosphere within The Seven.
This, instead, made things difficult for Edgar.
Supes occupied high-level positions, and he had personally promoted these 'generals'.
At a time when the other party's popularity was soaring, Edgar had no way to immediately kick him out, so now he was in a dilemma.
Edgar was at a loss for what to do.
This was also why Edgar was still 'working overtime' within the group at this time.
He was thinking about how to face Deep next.
Should he directly state his terms and discuss them in detail, or try to get him to leave management?
Edgar was thinking when he suddenly remembered something, took out his phone, and was about to call someone.
But just as he took out his phone, the landline connected to Vought's internal lines suddenly rang.
The call was from the 99th floor, the Vice President's office.
It was Deep calling.
Putting down his phone, Edgar pondered for a moment and picked up the call:
"Kevin?"
"Mr. Edgar, do you have time now?"
On the other end of the line, Kevin asked politely.
Edgar looked at the current time, which was 9:10 PM. He thought for a moment and replied:
"I have time. What is it?"
"There are indeed some things I'd like to discuss in detail with you, regarding The Woods."
The Woods?
Edgar narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, then replied:
"Alright, come over and find me."
After saying that, Edgar hung up the phone.
The Woods was something Edgar gave Kevin to distract him. He believed that a person's energy was limited. Kevin was a member of The Seven, a Vice President, and also managed The Woods. Even a Supe would eventually feel tired.
At that time, with his energy tied up, he would be easier for Edgar to control.
Originally, Edgar didn't expect The Woods to have any significant experimental breakthroughs under Kevin's management.
But now, it seemed he had made some progress?
Edgar didn't doubt Kevin's intentions. Kevin had always acted too docile, and whatever methods he used were within the rules.
He had never used his Supe abilities in power struggles, just like other ordinary people.
This was also why Edgar chose Kevin.
People who follow rules are always more popular than those who don't.
After finishing the call with Edgar, Kevin arrived at Edgar's office shortly after.
This senior Vice President of Vought, who had decided to withdraw from The Seven, often wore a dark blue, almost black suit and decorative non-prescription glasses on his nose after he stopped appearing much on screen.
Compared to the former Deep, the current Kevin looked more like a successful person.
Edgar was very pleased with Kevin's appearance. He nodded slightly to Kevin, motioning for him to sit down in front of him.
"Has there been any progress at The Woods?"
After Kevin sat down, Edgar asked.
Kevin took out the prepared document and handed it to Edgar:
"Sort of. Dr. Cardosa has developed a new type of virus that seems to have some inhibitory effect on Supes whose blood contains Compound V."
"Some?"
"Yes, although it's not obvious, Supes injected with the virus did feel unwell. I think this is a good direction for research."
The virus Kevin spoke of was not made up on the spot.
Cardosa had indeed developed a similar virus, which was the virus in 'Gen V' that would infect Supes and eventually cause them to die from illness.
But compared to the fully developed virus later on, Cardosa's current virus was merely a prototype.
It couldn't even give Supes a cold; it could only make them feel a slight discomfort.
Perhaps even Cardosa himself wouldn't have imagined how powerful this virus would become if research continued.
Edgar took the document Kevin handed him, read it carefully, and asked:
"Are you here to ask me for funding?"
"Mr. Edgar, you truly have keen insight. To be honest, I do feel that The Woods' current operating budget is too low. Although The Woods hasn't had much success for a long time, but..."
Kevin smiled awkwardly, not continuing his sentence.
The Woods had not yet developed anything particularly useful for Supes, so cutting funds was reasonable.
And as the current manager of The Woods, it was reasonable for Kevin to request some funding for the institution he controlled.
But both Edgar and Kevin knew.
The budget of The Woods Institution was not the main point of today's conversation.
Kevin had another purpose.
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