Chapter 54 As Long As She Is Happy
Lin Mo lowered his gaze and let out a disdainful cold snort.
He did not shake it.
"I don't quite trust Vought's reputation."
Edgar wasn't embarrassed at all and simply withdrew his hand.
"I'll prepare a written agreement later."
"You'd better."
"Tomorrow."
Edgar glanced at the completely ruined research center.
"You should leave here first."
"Vought will arrange temporary accommodation."
"Within three days, I'll handle the admission issues for Godolkin University and the public identities."
"Three days?"
Joanna suddenly spoke up, sounding somewhat displeased.
"Too long."
Edgar looked at her.
"Three days is the fastest possible."
"Then two days."
"Impossible."
"One day."
"..."
Lin Mo couldn't help rubbing the space between his eyebrows.
Here she goes again.
This girl really could bargain over anything now, though it was normal—he was the one who told her to try not to use her hands as much, so she might as well use her mouth more.
"Just three days."
Lin Mo said.
The dissatisfaction on Joanna's face froze for a moment.
"But..."
Just as she wanted to retort, she heard Lin Mo continue:
"These three days, we can go out and play."
As his voice fell,
Joanna instantly fell silent.
She blinked her bright, large eyes, her previously puffed-up little face slowly relaxing as if confirming whether she had heard correctly.
"Really?"
There was a hint of anticipation in her voice.
Looking at her like this, Lin Mo couldn't help smiling.
"Mhm, really."
"We can go anywhere we want?"
Lin Mo glanced at Edgar.
"At least within this planet."
Edgar: "..."
When did he agree to that?
Never mind.
It didn't seem to be his place to disagree right now anyway.
The dissatisfaction on Joanna's face vanished instantly, and she even turned back to take another look at the bunker ruins behind her.
Over a decade.
This was the place where she had lived for so many years, but now that she was truly leaving, there was not a trace of reluctance on her face.
Instead, it felt like she had unburdened herself of something heavy, all because Lin Mo was right beside her.
"Lin Mo."
"Hm?"
"We really don't have to go back?"
Lin Mo looked at her.
"Yeah, of course."
"Not ever again in the future?"
"Not ever again."
Joanna fell silent for a few seconds.
Then she suddenly smiled.
It wasn't the standard smile Vought taught her to use when facing the cameras, nor was it the smug smile she wore when praised after completing training, but a relaxation that even she herself wasn't aware of.
Could this be considered escaping her original family? Seeing Joanna's smile, that phrase suddenly popped into his mind.
Lin Mo looked at her and smiled along with her. Oh well, as long as she was happy.
Vought had locked them up for eighteen years.
But starting today, this bunker was gone, the experiments were gone, and most of those people who once thought they could dictate their lives were gone as well.
More importantly,
The system panel in Lin Mo's mind was flashing frantically.
[Major plot deviation detected.]
[Host destroyed Vought's core research facility.]
[The fates of a large number of key characters have changed.]
[World impact significantly increased.]
[Calculating energy...]
Lin Mo watched the continuous stream of pop-up prompts.
The corners of his mouth curved up bit by bit.
Very good.
It seemed that this trip today not only cleared his scores, but he had almost earned enough for travel expenses as well.
The next second,
the system's calculation results finally popped up.
[Calculation complete.]
[Total energy points obtained this time: 3,000 points.]
[Current system energy: 4,800 points.]
"Three thousand?"
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly.
This number was indeed a lot higher than he had expected.
Originally, according to his estimate, overturning the entire research base and killing a batch of researchers who were supposed to continue participating in the plot would be considered not bad if it gave one or two thousand.
As a result, the system directly gave him three thousand.
But thinking about it carefully, it seemed quite reasonable; this wasn't just any ordinary laboratory.
Vought had operated here for God knows how many years, and the manpower, funds, and technology invested were simply immeasurable.
Most importantly, this was the place where Homelanderwas researched and created.
No, now it should be said, this was the place where Joannawas researched and created.
In a sense, this bunker could even be considered one of the most important sources of the entire story of The Boys.
Without this place, there would be no Homelander in the future standing at the pinnacle of The Seven, making the entire Vought both love and fear him.
And now, not only had he completely blown up the bunker, but a large number of researchers inside had also directly received their lunch boxes ahead of time; they had to die sooner or later anyway, so they might as well turn into warm energy points for him.
Those experiments that were supposed to continue, the accumulated data, and even a part of Vought's future control methods targeting Joanna had also vanished along with it.
Such a huge plot change.
Three thousand points didn't seem exaggerated at all.
Lin Mo even suspected that this was still because there weren't particularly many people in the bunker who truly affected the main storyline, otherwise the reward might have been even higher.
Thinking of this, he looked back at his panel.
[System Energy: 4800]
Four thousand eight hundred.
The smile at the corners of Lin Mo's mouth instantly became even more obvious.
Last night he was still agonizing over it.
Random time-space travel: one thousand.
Designating a low-energy world: minimum two thousand.
Wanting to designate plot time and location required an additional consumption of five hundred to five thousand.
Yet in just one night, he had his travel expenses.
Lin Mo's mood instantly improved quite a bit.
Sure enough.
He had been too honest in the past.
Working hard to change Joanna for over a decade only resulted in the system giving him fifty fixed income points a day.
He originally thought that was quite a lot; after all, he didn't have to do anything and would get fifty just by opening his eyes every day.
That was fifteen hundred a month.
But now he realized, how could a fixed salary make money as fast as demolishing a home? Demolishing a Vought core research base...
Three thousand points.
It was worth two months of Joanna working for him.
Of course, such good things obviously couldn't happen every day, and Vought didn't have that many research bases of this scale for him to tear down.
If he really blew up the whole world just to farm energy, he might as well become Homelander.
Moreover, the system's rewards clearly didn't depend solely on the degree of destruction.
What was truly important was how much impact it had on the plot and the fates of the characters. Otherwise, with his current strength, running to a no-man's-land to fiercely smash a few mountains, or going to some island nation and blowing up its islands wouldn't net him many energy points. The system clearly wasn't going to let him exploit loopholes so easily.
"What are you smiling at?"
Joanna's voice suddenly came from beside him.
Lin Mo snapped back to reality.
He saw Joanna standing beside him, looking at him with some confusion.
"It's nothing."
"You've been smiling this whole time."
"I thought of something happy."
Joanna's eyes instantly lit up a bit.
"What is it?"
"...We can go to many places in the future."
"Many places?"
"Pretty much."
Lin Mo looked up at the sky.
That wouldn't be in this world anymore.
Four thousand eight hundred points of energy.
Even if he took out two thousand to designate a low-energy world, he would still have two thousand eight hundred left in his hands, which was enough to bring Joanna along.
If he didn't pursue a particularly precise time node, it was already enough to have a true sense of dimensional travel.
Of course,
Lin Mo wasn't planning to leave right now.
They had just left the bunker, and Vought's matters hadn't been completely dealt with yet.
The Seven, Godolkin University, there were still plenty of plot characters in this world waiting for him to contact.
Furthermore, for something like crossing worlds, he had to be cautious the first time around.
Thinking of this, Lin Mo suddenly found Edgar a lot more pleasing to the eye.
After all, this guy had at least contributed a nice plot change just now.
As for whether he could continue contributing in the future...
That would depend on his own performance.
Lin Mo closed the system panel.
His mood was quite good.
Meanwhile, Edgar was still standing in front of the bunker ruins, staring in silence at the completely ruined research base.
If he knew that the research base, which he viewed as worth who-knows-how-many-billions of dollars, was ultimately summarized by Lin Mo in just two words...
Travel expenses.
Even with Edgar's poise, his expression probably wouldn't look too good.
Chapter 55: So Stinky
"Lin Mo, then tell me, where are we going to have fun?"
Sitting in the private car prepared by Edgar, Joanna was clearly full of energy, excitedly asking while poking her head out the car window to observe the scenery outside.
New York.
This city, which she had seen countless times in television and movies, had finally truly appeared before her eyes.
Tall buildings, shopping malls, streets, billboards, and endless streams of traffic.
And those ordinary people coming and going along the roadside; for Lin Mo, these things were naturally nothing unusual.
But for Joanna, who had lived in an underground research base since birth, even just a hot dog stand by the roadside was enough to make her stare at it for half a day.
"Pull your head back first."
Lin Mo said, sitting beside her.
"Why?"
"You look very much like a country bumpkin."
"Country bumpkin, what is that?" Although Joanna was puzzled, her attention was immediately attracted by passing vehicles and signboards.
"This is my first time entering the city, I have to remember it well." Joanna said with an excited expression.
Lin Mo opened his mouth.
Fine.
He really couldn't refute it; she was indeed coming to this city for the first time.
"And there are so many smells outside."
Joanna looked out the window again.
"There is the aroma of bread."
"And the smell of this thing called coffee."
"And that perfume... smell, so fragrant!" Joanna twitched her little nose, carefully perceiving the smells of this world.
"Cars."
"And..."
Her nose twitched slightly.
The next second, her brows furrowed tightly.
"So stinky."
"Welcome to New York."
Lin Mo said expressionlessly; the environment of the Americans in this era was indeed a bit hard to describe.
The driver responsible for driving in the front twitched his mouth slightly; should he pretend he didn't hear these words or not?
Fortunately, Joanna's attention was soon attracted by other things. When passing through Times Square, she pressed directly against the car window and looked for a long time.
Everything in front of her, she found fresh.
When passing by an ice cream shop, she turned her head directly to look at Lin Mo.
Although she didn't say anything, the meaning in those eyes could not be more obvious.
Lin Mo was helpless.
"Stop the car."
The driver pulled over very tactfully.
Then.
Once stopped like this, it could never start smoothly again.
Ice cream, hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers, chocolate.
As long as it was something Joanna had never eaten before, she wanted to try almost all of it.
It wasn't that the food in the bunker was bad.
Quite the opposite.
To ensure the growth of the two superhumans, Vought had never mistreated them in terms of diet.
All kinds of top-grade beef, seafood, and nutritional meals were basically supplied casually; after all, Vought at least had to ensure that the manufactured superheroes didn't look malnourished.
But the problem was, no matter how good the food in the research base was, it was prepared according to nutritional standards.
It was completely two different concepts from these messy things on the street.
Especially when Joanna ate such a bizarre combination of French fries dipped in ice cream for the first time, the look Lin Mo gave her changed.
"Delicious."
Joanna evaluated seriously.
"Are you sure?"
"You try it."
"I don't want to." He shook his head repeatedly; he couldn't handle this kind of dark cuisine.
"Why?"
"I still have a normal person's taste."
Joanna gave him an eye roll, and then ate even more happily by herself.
Over the next few days, the two of them basically wandered around New York.
Or to be more accurate, it was Lin Mo taking an over-aged child who was curious about everything to experience human society.
Joanna went to a movie theater for the first time.
Although halfway through the movie, she started complaining that the superheroes inside were too weak.
"Why doesn't he just beat that bad guy to death?"
"Because he is a hero."
"Heroes can't kill people?"
"Because of the law, at least generally not in movies."
"Why?"
"Because if he kills them, the movie ends early, and the audience has nothing to watch."
Joanna nodded thoughtfully, and then continued eating popcorn.
When entering a large shopping mall for the first time, she stared at clothes for a long time again.
Vought had of course prepared many clothes for her before, but those were all chosen for her by others.
What to wear for training, what to wear for filming, what to wear for testing, she never needed to pick for herself.
Now that she was really allowed to choose, it instead stumped her.
After trying on more than a dozen sets in the end, she saw Lin Mo standing aside.
Feeling Joanna's gaze, Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat; this was bad now.
Sure enough, Joanna threw the question back to Lin Mo.
"Which one looks good?"
"Anything is fine."
"No."
"Then the first one."
"You looked at the second one longer just now."
"Then the second one."
"So the second one looks better?"
"..."
Lin Mo suddenly felt that destroying the Vought bunker was not as troublesome as accompanying her to buy clothes.
Of course.
Over the past few days, the thing that made Joanna the happiest was still freedom.
Because no one prescribed what time she should wake up and then made her do experiments, and no one stood beside her with a clipboard observing her eat.
Even where she wanted to go today, she could decide for herself.
This most ordinary life.
To her, however, it was so fresh it was somewhat incredible.
On the evening of the third day.
The two returned to the luxury hotel suite specially provided by Vought, standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.
Joanna looked at the brightly lit New York below and suddenly spoke.
"Lin Mo."
"Hmm?"
"Can it be like this from now on?"
Lin Mo knew what she was asking about.
"Yes."
"No one will lock us back up?"
"Of course, Joanna, you must believe in yourself. You are stronger than all of them, and they cannot force you."
Lin Mo also encouraged her rarely.
"Mm-hmm."
Joanna was quiet for a while, then leaned on Lin Mo's shoulder.
"I like it here."
"Normal."
Lin Mo glanced at the city beneath his feet.
"At least there is the sun here."
There was also a life truly belonging to them, but such leisure did not last long.
On the morning of the fourth day, which was the time agreed upon with Edgar.
The room door was knocked.
Just as Lin Mo opened the door, he saw a Vought staff member in a suit and leather shoes standing outside.
Naturally, it wasn't the researchers from the bunker before; after all, almost everyone there was dead.
The other person looked to be in their thirties, holding a document bag in their hand, and behind them stood two people responsible for carrying luggage.
"Mr. Lin Mo."
"Ms. Joanna."
The man nodded slightly.
"Mr. Edgar asked me to pick up the two of you."
Joanna had originally been watching TV on the sofa.
Hearing the name Edgar, she immediately raised her head.
"Where to?"
"Godolkin University."
The man replied.
"The admission procedures for the two of you have been completely finished."
As he spoke, he handed the document bag to Lin Mo, inside which were two complete sets of identity profiles.
Birth certificate, social security number, bank accounts, and student status archives.
Even including the high school graduation records of the two.
Lin Mo also casually flipped through a few pages, his brows raising slightly.
I have to say.
Vought is indeed professional at handling this kind of thing.
A week ago, in a social sense in the United States, he didn't even exist as a person.
Now, with a twist of fate, his profile was more complete than most normal people's, and it could even be said that this profile deserved to be called an excellent standard.
Chapter 56: Well, I'm Connected Now Too
"Decent efficiency."
Lin Mo remarked.
The staff member smiled.
"We wouldn't dare delay anything personally instructed by Mr. Edgar."
Of course they wouldn't dare.
Lin Mo guessed that by now, the entire upper management of Vought International knew how that bunker had met its end; anyone who dared drag their feet on his matter under such circumstances must simply think the company headquarters building was a bit too intact.
"What about the school side of things?"
"Everything has already been arranged and taken care of. Godolkin University is actually a school established by Vought International, and Vought International is the largest shareholder group. Once you arrive there, you can treat it just like your own home."
The staff member thoughtfully explained and continued, "You will enroll as members of Vought International's special training program."
"Your accommodation, courses, and personal files have all been completely processed."
"Considering the special circumstances of the two of you, the school has also prepared a separate residence."
Oh my, I've got connections now too. Will headlines like *Shocking: Godolkin Welcomes Two Transfer Students with Super-Strong Backgrounds* pop up later? Lin Mocouldn't help but sigh with rare emotion.
Hearing the last sentence, Joanna immediately turned off the TV.
"A separate residence?"
"Yes."
"Together with Lin Mo?"
The staff member noticeably paused.
Evidently, Edgar had given instructions about this issue beforehand.
"Of course, Miss Joanna."
Joanna was instantly satisfied and asked eagerly.
"Then when are we leaving?"
Recovering his wits, Lin Mo glared at her.
Who was the one looking thoroughly displeased just a moment ago upon hearing Edgar's name?
Now that she heard they would be living together, her attitude changed really fast.
"The vehicle is already downstairs."
The staff member said,
"We can set off at any time."
Lin Mo looked back down at the materials in his hands.
Godolkin University.
To be honest, he was actually quite looking forward to it.
After all, this was no ordinary university; it was the top-tier superhuman higher education institution under Vought International.
Those who could enter The Seven in the future could all be considered the true chosen ones of heaven here.
Of course.
In Lin Mo's view, a more accurate description should be—a large-scale superhero commodity processing factory run by Vought International.
Students were responsible for going to school, showing off their skills, and gaining popularity, while Vought International was responsible for picking the goods.
Those who performed well entered The Seven.
Those who did a bit worse went to second- and third-tier cities to be heroes.
Even worse ones could still go shoot movies, take on commercials, or participate in various reality shows to become internet celebrities or the like.
In short, as long as they still had commercial value, Vought International could always arrange a price tag for them.
However, these things didn't have much to do with Lin Mo.
What he was truly interested in were the people there, the superhumans, and the plot characters.
As well as the series of events that would happen in the future; put in the past, these things might have just been trouble.
But as for now...
Lin Mo glanced at the system panel that only he could see.
[System Energy: 5000]
In his eyes.
Where on earth was that any university? It was clearly a large-scale energy point respawn area that Vought International had paid to build and then actively invited him inside to visit.
Even accommodation was fully covered. Thinking of this, Lin Mo suddenly felt that this guy Edgar wasn't bad after all.
At least when it came to delivering resources, as expected of Fried Chicken Uncle, he was certainly efficient.
Quite considerate.
"Let's pack our things."
Lin Mo put the documents back into the bag.
Joanna stood up from the sofa.
"Going right now?"
"Mm."
"Is it fun there?"
"It should be more fun than the bunker."
"That'll do."
She answered very simply.
Then she walked over to Lin Mo's side and grabbed his hand very naturally.
As for what kind of place Godolkin University actually was and what it did,
she actually didn't care at all. Wherever Lin Mo was, she would go.
Half an hour later.
The black sedan left the hotel and headed in the direction of Godolkin University.
Lin Mo leaned back against the seat, watching the city constantly receding outside the car window.
Next.
It was time to go see how many acquaintances were actually at the place where Vought International cultivated the next generation of superheroes.
An hour later.
The black sedan finally slowly drove into the area where Godolkin University was located.
It was pretty much as Lin Mo had imagined.
Both sides of the wide road were planted with trees, and further ahead, one could see brand-new teaching buildings standing one after another.
Only, unlike ordinary universities, here was permeated with superhero elements everywhere.
Huge promotional posters, Vought International's logo, photos of the school's past outstanding graduates, and even superhero statues—even the trash cans placed by the roadside had some superhero images printed on them.
Anyone who didn't know better would think this wasn't a university, but some kind of Vought International theme park.
"Is this the school?"
Joanna leaned against the car window, curiously sizing up the outside.
"Mm."
"Looks alright."
Joanna made a comment.
She actually didn't have any concrete concept of things like schools.
Although Vought International had arranged complete cultural courses for her in the past, those courses were all completed inside the bunker.
As for classmates, campus life, and club activities, she had experienced none of them.
Now she was suddenly sent to university to study.
It was still somewhat novel; at least this place looked much more pleasing to the eye than that bunker where even sunlight couldn't shine in.
The vehicle continued forward.
Soon.
Godolkin University's main gate appeared before the two of them.
And as this car slowly drove into the campus, quite a few students who were originally active nearby gradually cast their gazes over.
The reason was very simple; this car was too conspicuous.
Although the car looked like just an extended black Cadillac, anyone truly in the know understood that this kind of car was simply not something ordinary Vought International staff members were qualified to use.
Especially those two inconspicuous special emblems on the front and rear of the car; only the dedicated vehicles of Vought International's true top brass would use them.
"Who's coming?"
"People from the board of directors?"
"Don't know."
"Could some member of The Seven have come over?"
More and more students stopped in their tracks.
Godolkin University was inherently the top university in the superhero circle, and the people who could enter here were basically not ordinary people at all.
But even so.
For the vast majority of students, The Seven still belonged to an untouchable, out-of-reach existence.
After all, with so many superheroes across the United States, how many could actually make it into The Seven?
Every year, who knows how many students desperately fought for rankings, wasn't it just so they could secure better contracts with Vought International after graduation?
And even have a chance to enter The Seven? If a member of The Seven really suddenly arrived at the school, it wouldn't be strange at all to see a crowd gathering around.
The vehicle finally stopped in front of an administrative building on campus.
The driver got out of the car first.
Immediately following that, two Vought International staff members quickly stepped forward and opened the car door.
Lin Mo stepped down first.
The crowd that had previously been whispering around them quickly quieted down a bit.
A stranger.
No one recognized him; this was the first reaction of most people.
But immediately after, there was doubt.
How could someone whom Vought International mobilized this kind of specification vehicle to deliver personally to the school have no fame at all?
Moreover...
The gazes of quite a few people looking at Lin Mogradually changed.
He was too young; he looked at most eighteen or nineteen years old.
With black hair and black eyes, a slender figure, and extremely striking facial contours, but this wasn't the most important point.
The students who were gradually approaching and watching exchanged glances, instantly understanding one thing: he was a standard Asian.
Chapter 57: The Seven Members
As Krypton lineage continued to grow, Lin Mo's overall appearance underwent quite a significant change.
His looks were not the type that instantly appeared extremely aggressive at first glance.
On the contrary, at first glance, he even appeared somewhat gentle, but if you looked just a few seconds longer, you would notice a very strange feeling.
Oppression, an oppression that could not be explained by appearance alone.
Even though Lin Mo didn't do anything and just stood there casually, many surrounding superhumans would still instinctively develop a sense of danger.
It was like when a certain creature faced a higher-level existence than itself, its body's most primitive instinct was issuing a warning, which caused many people to rein in some of the curiosity on their faces.
And right at this moment, the door on the other side opened, and Joanna also stepped down.
The next second.
The crowd, which had just quieted down, showed a noticeable commotion again.
If Lin Mo was only drawing attention due to his unfamiliarity and aura.
Then Joanna belonged to the type who, simply by standing there, made it very difficult for people to ignore her.
A head of brilliant golden long hair draped over her shoulders, light-colored eyes exceptionally bright under the sunlight, fair skin, delicate and dimensional facial features, coupled with the figure and deportment formed through Vought's years of cultivation.
Just looking at her appearance, it completely fit the aesthetic standards of the vast majority of Americans in this era for superhero stars.
Furthermore, she likewise possessed an aura completely different from ordinary students.
As soon as Joanna got out of the car, she didn't even pay attention to the surrounding people.
The very first moment, she turned her head to look for Lin Mo.
After finding that Lin Mo was right beside her, she walked over very naturally and grabbed his hand, her movements as practiced as if she had done it countless times.
This scene, falling into the eyes of the surrounding students, immediately sparked another round of whispers.
"They are a couple?"
"Probably."
"Who is that girl?"
"Don't know."
"Vought's newly signed hero?"
"Haven't seen her before."
"They aren't ordinary freshmen, right?"
Nonsense.
Which ordinary freshman would have Vought executives personally send them over in a special car upon enrollment?
Even some people from the school administration had already hurried over to welcome them at this moment.
The onlookers were getting more and more numerous, and some bold students had already taken out their cameras.
However, before they could snap anything, the expressions of the Vought staff who accompanied Lin Mo and the other changed.
"Don't take pictures."
"Everyone leave here immediately."
"This is an internal Vought arrangement."
Several staff members immediately stepped forward to drive away the surrounding students.
Are you kidding me, before coming, Edgar had personally instructed that these two were completely different now compared to before.
Especially Lin Mo; the news of the bunker turning into ruins was not a secret at all among Vought's true upper echelons.
A research base worth hundreds of millions of dollars, decades of experimental data, plus so many researchers, in less than a minute.
All gone. This person was simply a god of slaughter, and the kind that killed without blinking an eye.
The most terrifying thing was that after doing all these things, Vought not only couldn't do anything to Lin Mo, but instead had to quickly process his identity and send him to Godolkin University.
This was already enough to explain many things.
As for Joanna.
That went without saying. During the bunker period, because someone blocked the way, directly burning a researcher's head through was the kind of thing that was now almost becoming a taboo story inside Vought.
Who knew if there would be some guy among these students with a somewhat abnormal brain who would come up and provoke a few words.
The students in Godolkin University were basically all superhumans, each and every one hot-blooded and arrogant, thinking they were different, most prone to feeling invincible.
In case a fight really broke out...
The staff member glanced at Lin Mo.
He was already starting to consider whether the school should evacuate early today.
"Why can't we take pictures?"
Sure enough, some students were dissatisfied.
"This is a school."
"They are students too, right?"
"Since when does Vought care about students taking pictures?"
The staff member had a massive headache.
"Leave immediately."
"This is not a negotiation with you."
Their attitude suddenly turned tough, and several school security personnel also quickly arrived, only then gradually dispersing the surrounding crowd.
Lin Mo looked at this scene and found it somewhat amusing.
"They seem very afraid of us."
Joanna leaned close to him and whispered.
"Drop the'seem'."
"Why?"
Lin Mo turned his head to look at her.
"Did you forget what you did before?"
"I've done a lot of things."
Joanna thought about it seriously, but couldn't think of anything specific.
"Which one are you talking about?"
"..."
For a moment, Lin Mo actually didn't know how to reply.
True.
To her, burning a researcher to death didn't really seem like a major event worth remembering.
The two of them were soon led away by the staff.
Only they didn't notice, on the steps not far away.
A light red-haired woman had been watching this scene from beginning to end.
She was wearing a simple jacket and holding a freshly bought coffee in her hand.
She was none other than Margaret Shaw, who had now entered her second year at Godolkin University.
Of course.
Compared to this name.
Future Americans would be more familiar with another title of hers.
Queen Maeve.
"Interesting."
Maeve took a sip of coffee; she hadn't crowded over to watch like the other students.
Just watching from afar, she saw the attitude of Vought's people toward those two freshmen very clearly.
This was obviously not mere importance; according to her observation, the eyes of those two staff members were full of apprehension.
One could even say it was fear.
As long as a student got a little closer, they would be as nervous as if something major could happen at any moment.
To be able to make Vought insiders turn out like this, what on earth was the background of these two guys?
Maeve's gaze finally landed on Lin Mo.
Just now, separated by dozens of meters, she could still vaguely feel an indescribable danger.
This feeling was very strange; Godolkin University had many powerful students.
She herself was one of them, and furthermore among the powerful batch.
But this was the first time she had encountered a situation where simply looking at the other person made her body instinctively go on alert.
"Newcomers..."
Maeve was deep in thought.
It seemed the school would be a bit more interesting this year than before.
And not far from her, two freshmen who had just enrolled not long ago were likewise discussing what had just happened.
"Did you see that?"
A well-built young black man spoke.
"Of course I saw it."
Another man beside him curled his lips.
"I'm not blind."
The two of them were precisely the freshmen who had just entered Godolkin University this year.
Reggie Franklin.
And Kevin Moskowitz.
But at this time, not many people knew their future titles.
A-Train and The Deep.
After enrolling, because their classes and dormitory areas were close, the two quickly became well acquainted. It wasn't hard to see that part of the reason for their good relationship in the future was due to the present situation.
"That Asian person should be very strong."
A-Train said, looking at the departing Lin Mo.
The Deep was stunned upon hearing this.
"How did you figure that out?"
"I don't know."
A-Train frowned.
"Just a feeling."
"When I looked at him just now, I felt a bit uncomfortable."
"Are you sick?"
"Get lost."
Chapter 58 Two Bedrooms
A-Train gave him a side-eye.
"I mean danger."
"That feeling was like..."
He thought about it for a long time without finding a suitable description, and finally had to give up.
"Anyway, it's very strong."
The Deep didn't care much, though.
His attention was obviously focused more on Joanna, and he leaned over to whisper in A-Train's ear.
"I think that blonde girl is more worth noticing."
A-Train turned back to look at him.
"Why?"
"Because she's pretty."
"..."
A-Train fell silent, slapping his forehead; he knew what his sex-crazed brother wanted without even asking.
"Forget I asked."
"Don't you think so?"
"She and that guy are obviously a couple."
"Holding hands makes them a couple?" The Deep was unimpressed.
"Besides, isn't it normal for couples to break up at school?" He was getting a bit eager to try.
A-Train looked him up and down, but didn't object, as that was indeed a fact.
"So you're planning to chase her?"
"I'm just admiring, besides, maybe that blonde beauty likes my type."
"Then you'd better just admire."
A-Train recalled the feeling Lin Mo gave him just now.
"Otherwise, I think you might die."
The Deep's expression darkened.
"I'm a superhuman too."
"Who isn't?"
A-Train couldn't be bothered with him.
Anyway, the enrollment had just started, and there would always be opportunities in the future to know who those two people were.
...
On the other side.
Lin Mo and Joanna were not taken to ordinary freshman dormitories, nor even to the upperclassmen dormitories with better conditions in the school, although the environment inside seemed alright to him, basically apartments for two people.
But it looked like Vought had a better arrangement.
The vehicle passed directly through the main area of the campus, all the way to an obviously quieter area behind the school.
The building density here was much lower, with woods on both sides of the road.
Continuing forward, a detached villa appeared before their eyes.
Under his X-ray vision, there was also a garage, a backyard, and even a small private swimming pool.
Lin Mo stood at the door and looked for a few seconds.
"Is this our dorm?"
The Vought staff member leading the way immediately nodded.
"Yes."
"This is special accommodation provided by Godolkin University for the two of you."
Lin Mo looked back at the student apartments they had just passed.
Looking again at the detached villa in front of him, wasn't the difference a bit too big?
"Do other students live in this kind too?"
"A small minority."
The staff member answered very tactfully.
In fact, almost none; this was originally a detached residence used by the school to entertain certain high-ranking Vought personnel, or a very few student family members with special identities.
Even if normal students ranked first, it would be very difficult to have this kind of treatment.
But after Edgar spoke personally, it was vacated that very day.
In fact, ordinary students didn't live badly either, but compared to the villa in front of them, it paled in comparison.
After all, if these two weren't satisfied with their living arrangements...
The staff member had already seen the photos of the research base, and he didn't want to see Godolkin University turn into that kind of state one day.
"Not bad."
Joanna was quite satisfied, especially after hearing that there were no other students living here with them, her mood was obviously even better.
She pushed the door open and went in; everything inside had long been fully prepared.
The living room, kitchen, TV, refrigerator, and other daily necessities were all fully provided.
Even the closets had already been stocked with quite a bit of clothing in advance.
The second floor had several rooms, with the master bedroom being especially large.
Joanna looked around all the way.
Soon, she discovered a problem.
"Lin Mo."
"What's wrong?"
"They prepared two bedrooms."
"The villa is so big, isn't two bedrooms normal?"
"But why do we need two?"
Lin Mo's movement paused.
He suddenly felt that this question was a bit dangerous.
Sure enough.
Joanna was already pointing at the largest room.
"I want to live here with you."
The staff member leading the way instantly shifted his gaze to the side.
The ceiling was really white, the lights looked pretty too, anyway he didn't hear anything.
Lin Mo's mouth twitched, and he gave Joanna a sideways look. You seriously want to live with him?
"You have your own room."
"I don't need it."
"I need it."
"It's not like you haven't slept with me before."
"Can when we were kids be the same as now?"
"How is it different?"
"..."
Here it comes again.
Lin Mo suddenly started to regret.
Should he have asked Edgar to prepare two houses for them just now?
Forget it, if two were really prepared, Joanna would probably move all her luggage over that very night.
She might even carry the bed over together; given her strength, she could really pull that off.
"Come on, we'll talk about it later."
Lin Mo decisively ended the topic.
Joanna was obviously not very satisfied, but thinking that there were only the two of them in the whole villa anyway, she didn't continue to pester.
The rooms were right next door, was there any difference?
At least she didn't think so.
Seeing that the two finally stopped discussing the sleeping arrangement, the staff member quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mr. Lin Mo, Ms. Joanna."
"Your course schedules and campus access permissions have all been entered into the system, and your student IDs are on the living room table."
"In addition, Mr. Edgar has already spoken with the school, and if the two of you have any needs, you can contact us directly."
"Any needs?"
Joanna suddenly asked.
The staff member's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly added a sentence.
"Within a reasonable scope."
Joanna was somewhat disappointed.
Lin Mo couldn't help laughing.
It looked like Vought was truly traumatized by them now, having to add restrictive conditions in advance even just to speak.
"Got it."
Lin Mo waved his hand.
"You can leave."
"Alright."
The staff member left the house without any hesitation, strode back to the car, slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and fled, even vaguely feeling as if he had been granted a general amnesty.
After those people left, the villa finally quieted down completely.
Joanna stood on the second-floor balcony, looking at the distant campus. With her vision, she could easily see people training with their powers on the playground. Further away, she could also see many students coming and going.
This place was completely different from the bunker; there were no thick metal walls, no security cameras staring at them twenty-four hours a day, and even the air seemed much more comfortable than before.
"Lin Mo."
"Hmm?"
Joanna turned around, the sunlight falling on her golden long hair, and she suddenly smiled.
"I think this place is pretty good."
Lin Mo leaned against the balcony doorway, watching Joanna's smile.
"You've only been here for ten minutes, and you already know it's good?"
"At least nobody is bossing me around."
Then you're going to be disappointed, he thought of something and abruptly chimed in.
"There are still people in charge at the school."
The smile on Joanna's face instantly diminished by half.
"Who?"
"Teachers."
"Can I not listen?"
"Theoretically, no."
"What about practically?"
Lin Mo thought about Vought's current attitude toward them.
"Practically..."
"Probably nobody dares to boss you around."
Joanna immediately nodded with satisfaction.
That's right.
Lin Mo, on the other hand, looked toward the distant campus.
Maeve, A-Train, The Deep—he had just seen them; these familiar guys were all still just students now.
It was clearly still some time before the future The Sevenfully took shape, and the main characters of "Gen V" didn't even have a shadow.
This time point was much earlier than the original plot, which also meant that there was still a chance to change many things.
Or rather, a lot of power/energy was still waiting for him to take.
Thinking of this, the corners of Lin Mo's mouth curved slightly upward.
Godolkin University, hopefully it won't disappoint him.
Chapter 59: Playing the Emotional Card
Just as Lin Mo was thinking about this, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
He took it out and glanced at it—an unfamiliar number, but there were very few people who could call this phone directly anyway.
Moreover, this was still an old-fashioned flip phone, a total antique in his eyes that couldn't even download apps and could only take calls, but this phone was already the best in the current series, and it was also given to them by Vought.
Lin Mo answered it casually.
"Hello?"
"Are you getting used to living there?"
Edgar's calm voice came from the other end of the phone.
Lin Mo raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Fairly well."
"How is the school environment?"
"Also fairly well."
"If you are unsatisfied with any aspect of the accommodation, someone can be arranged to adjust it."
"..."
Holding the phone, Lin Mo didn't respond for a moment.
What's going on? Did Edgar suddenly have a change of heart?
Yesterday he still looked like he was treating them as corporate assets to negotiate interests, and today he actually started asking if he was living comfortably.
What's up? After the bunker was demolished, did he suddenly realize the importance of emotional investment?
"If you have something to say, just say it."
Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to beat around the bush with him.
"Suddenly playing the emotional card doesn't really seem like your style."
The other end of the phone went silent for a moment, and Edgar didn't deny it either.
"Cooperation between people always requires properly maintaining relationships."
"I thought you only looked at interests."
"Interests do not hinder maintaining relationships."
"Fine."
Lin Mo leaned against the balcony railing.
"Let's talk about business."
Edgar didn't continue talking nonsense either.
"You should already have a general understanding of how Godolkin University operates."
"Pretty much."
Lin Mo glanced at the distant campus.
On the surface it's a university, but in reality it's Vought's superhero audition arena; the higher the students' rankings, the more exposure they get.
The more exposure, the higher the commercial value; the higher the commercial value, the more resources Vought is naturally willing to invest.
Grades? Abilities?
These are certainly important, but they have never been the only standard.
What truly determines how far a student can go in the future is whether he can make money for Vought. As long as the commercial value is high enough, even if his abilities are slightly lacking, someone will help you package your resume so that it shines brilliantly.
"Since you know, I won't need to explain too much."
Edgar said.
"Starting today, you will have a public network account."
"The account has already been registered."
"Identity verification, basic information, and Vought internal tags are also all done."
Lin Mo lowered his head and glanced at his phone.
Sure enough, just a moment ago, the system prompted him that he had received a new email.
Inside was precisely an account and an initial password.
"Is this letting me start operating?"
"You can put it that way."
Edgar said.
"Superheroes don't just need abilities, especially those preparing to enter The Seven in the future; public awareness, follower count, media evaluation, and commercial value are equally important."
"Your problem right now is that you have almost no public foundation, and the vast majority of people in the United States don't even know you exist."
"Therefore, Vought will gradually increase your exposure."
Lin Mo chuckled, but didn't object.
"Starting to package me?"
"The word 'package' is not accurate."
"Then what do you call it?"
"Building a public image."
"Is there a difference?"
"It sounds better."
Lin Mo almost laughed out loud; this guy was quite down-to-earth, and he asked next.
"How specifically are you planning to do it?"
"We won't push you in front of the public all at once."
Edgar evidently had already prepared a plan.
"Your background identity needs to be established gradually."
"First starting from Godolkin University, the school will arrange some public activities."
"Interviews, campus publicity, public welfare projects, and ability displays."
"When necessary, you will also be allowed to participate in the filming of Vought-affiliated programs; you don't need to do too much in the early stage."
"You only need to let the public begin to know you."
Lin Mo understood in a second.
To put it bluntly.
First gilding with gold, then building momentum, and finally pushing him up—Vought was obviously extremely proficient at this set of procedures.
"What about after that?"
"After that, your campus ranking will naturally rise step by step."
Edgar said.
"It won't be too fast."
"Why?" Although he knew the general reason, he still asked Edgar.
"As you know, being too fast will seem unnatural."
"If you suddenly become number one right after enrolling, other students in the school will question it, and the media will investigate. What Vought needs is a reasonable growth trajectory."
"So at the very beginning, your ranking won't be particularly high. With the increase in exposure, mission records, and public support, your ranking will continue to rise."
"Until before graduation."
Edgar paused for a moment.
"Number one."
Lin Mo's gaze flickered slightly.
"Me?"
"You and Joanna."
"Two number ones?"
"It's all the same, the ranking system can be adjusted."
Edgar's tone was calm, as if he were talking about the most ordinary thing in the world.
Lin Mo's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Good grief, even the system can be changed for them—flexible capitalist ranking, huh?
"In short."
Edgar continued: "When you graduate, you will become the two most outstanding students of this year at Godolkin University."
"Possessing a sufficiently high public profile and a sufficiently impressive resume."
"As well as a sufficiently large group of supporters, entering The Seven at that time won't seem abrupt."
"On the contrary."
"The public will feel that this is only natural."
Lin Mo nodded.
This was indeed much more reasonable than Vought suddenly announcing two superhumans that no one had ever heard of joining The Seven.
Especially Joanna.
The path she was going to take in the future was not that of an ordinary member of The Seven, but rather a leader. Without a sufficient public foundation, no matter how Vought promoted her, it would seem strange.
But if she maxed out her reputation at Godolkin Universityfirst, graduated as number one, and then entered The Seven, it would be much more logical.
"What about Joanna's side?"
Lin Mo asked.
"You don't need to worry about her."
Edgar replied very quickly.
"Her account was established long ago."
"Vought has been preparing public materials for her all these years."
"Photos, promotional materials, brand positioning, including her future hero image, already have a complete plan."
Lin Mo raised his eyebrows.
"How long has it been prepared?"
"It's been quite a few years."
"It seems you guys are really afraid she won't sell."
"There has never been the problem of her not selling."
Edgar said.
"Joanna's appearance, abilities, and market test results are all extremely outstanding."
"What really needs to be considered is when to let her appear."
"And in what way to appear."
Lin Mo wasn't surprised at all.
Vought cultivating a superhero of Homelander's level could naturally not wait until adulthood to temporarily consider commercial packaging.
Presumably starting from when Joanna was in her teens, nobody knew how many versions of the advertising plan had been revised.
"What about me?"
"You belong to the unexpected."
Chapter 60: Fetching a Good Price
Edgar said.
"Vought initially had no plans to make you public."
Lin Mo smiled. Could he really not guess Vought's intentions?
"Because I'm not obedient enough?"
"No."
"Because your role regarding Joanna is more important than being a public hero."
These words were already quite direct.
The old Lin Mo was essentially Joanna's human stabilizer, and his greatest value was making Joanna obedient. As for how much money could be made by pushing Lin Mo to the public, that was a secondary issue.
But things were different now. Lin Mo had blown up the bunker, and they still wanted him to continue acting as a pacification tool?
They were overthinking it. Since he couldn't be controlled, they might as well change their approach.
Cooperation.
And then extract Lin Mo's own value to the fullest extent possible.
I have to admit, Edgar was indeed a very realistic person. Realizing that the original plan wouldn't work, he could turn around and switch to a new set immediately.
Without any hesitation.
"Do whatever you want with the account."
Lin Mo maintained a completely indifferent attitude and casually changed the subject.
"However, let's get this straight first—I don't like posting a bunch of nutrient-free garbage every day."
"No one is asking you to update every day."
Edgar had clearly considered his personality.
"We will prepare a professional team for you."
"When publicity is needed, they will inform you in advance, and part of the content can also be managed by the team on your behalf."
"You just need to cooperate when necessary."
Lin Mo nodded.
That was more like it. Asking him to take selfies every day would be way too awkward.
"Also."
The voice came through the phone again, and Edgar said,
"The school might arrange some ability tests next, and you more or less know the purpose—it's to let the academy know someone like you exists."
That made sense. He had to live in this school for the next few years at least. If he didn't establish his dominance and let someone else monopolize the academy's top spot for the coming years, would that even make sense?
At the very least, for the first step, let the people at the school know how formidable he was.
"In addition."
Edgar continued,
"If you have any needs in the future, you can contact me directly."
"Including school, resources, funds, or even your thoughts on your future hero positioning."
Lin Mo was somewhat surprised.
"So easy to talk to?"
"This is part of the cooperation."
"As long as your request is reasonable."
"Vought has no reason to refuse."
"Who defines what is reasonable?"
"We can negotiate."
Edgar didn't speak with absolute finality, clearly after their last meeting.
He already knew he could no longer communicate with Lin Mo using the previous method of ordering test subjects.
Lin Mo thought about it.
There really wasn't anything particularly needed for the time being.
Money?
Vought had already prepared a large sum in both of their accounts.
Identity? Already settled.
Residence? The villa right in front of them was already exaggerated enough.
As for other things, they could talk about it when they were actually needed.
Anyway, a free human tool might as well be used since it's there.
"Fine."
Lin Mo said.
"I'll contact you if I need anything."
"Very good."
Edgar paused for a moment.
"There's one more thing."
"What?"
"Try not to kill people at the school."
"..."
Lin Mo was silent for two seconds.
"Did you call specifically to remind me of this?"
"Just by the way."
"Do I look like someone who really likes killing people?"
Edgar did not answer immediately.
Lin Mo's expression darkened.
"What do you mean?"
"The currently confirmed death toll at the research base has already exceeded—"
"Stop."
Lin Mo directly interrupted.
"That was a special circumstance."
"I hope Godolkin University won't have a second special circumstance, as long as nobody is courting death."
"That sentence doesn't reassure me."
"Then you can worry slowly."
Finished speaking,
Lin Mo directly hung up the phone.
On the other side, in Vought's office, Edgar listened to the busy tone on his cell phone and expressionlessly put it down.
After a few seconds, he looked at the latest evaluation report regarding Lin Mo on the desk.
At the very top, it was no longer the old one.
[Risk Level: High.]
But a brand new label that had just been modified.
[Risk Level: Inestimable.]
...
Inside the villa.
Lin Mo had just put away his phone when Joanna leaned over from the side.
"What did Edgar want with you?"
"Getting ready to sell me for a good price." He dropped that sentence out of nowhere.
Joanna's eyes instantly turned cold.
"I'm going to find him."
"Come back."
Lin Mo grabbed her.
"I was just joking."
Joanna stopped, tilting her head as she looked at him.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Lin Mo handed his phone to her.
"He set up an account for me."
Joanna took it and glanced at it.
"Same as mine?"
"You have an account?"
"Yeah."
"When?" Lin Mo really didn't know about this.
"A long time ago."
Joanna thought about it.
"Probably when I was fourteen."
Lin Mo's eyelid twitched.
"Have you posted anything?"
"No."
"Then what's the use of the account?"
"They said a lot of people will like me in the future, so they reserved it for me first."
Good grief, even reserving social media handles in advance.
Vought's group was truly professional when it came to star-making.
Joanna fiddled with Lin Mo's phone for a while, then opened the computer, and following the information on the phone, quickly found his personal homepage.
Right now, it was completely empty. No profile picture, no posts, and not many followers.
There was only a conspicuous Vought official verification badge.
Joanna looked at it for a moment, then suddenly looked up.
"I'll follow you."
"Whatever."
A few seconds later.
Lin Mo's phone vibrated.
[Homelander followed you.]
Lin Mo stared at that name for two seconds.
His expression suddenly became somewhat odd, although he had long known that Joanna would use this title in the future.
But seeing it with his own eyes now, it still felt a bit incongruous, especially with the blonde girl right beside him wearing home clothes and intently fiddling with the computer.
No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't connect her with that Homelander who would make the entire United States tremble in the future.
"What's wrong?"
Joanna noticed his gaze.
"Nothing."
Lin Mo shook his head.
Then he took back his phone and also opened the computer Vought had provided for them both.
Casually clicked follow back.
[You have followed Homelander.]
The next second.
A satisfied smile immediately appeared on Joanna's face.
Lin Mo was left somewhat speechless at the sight.
Just like that? A single follow could make her this happy?
But whatever, as long as she was happy.
Lin Mo took another look at his empty homepage; Edgarhad already mapped out his path crystal clear.
If it were anyone else, they would probably feel like their life was being manipulated by Vought.
But Lin Mo didn't have much resistance to it, because this was the path he had intended to walk in the first place.
Vought wanted to use him to make money, Edgar wanted to use him to expand power, and he likewise needed Vought's resources to put himself in front of more plot characters.
Who was using whom was really hard to say right now.
At least for now, the cooperation was going reasonably well.
As for the future...
Lin Mo looked at the Vought verification badge on his computer account.
The corners of his mouth curved up slightly. When the day came that it wasn't pleasant anymore, it wouldn't be too late to flip the table then.