Chapter 126 Not Imposing at All
You guys go ahead first."
Maeve said.
"I'll take a cab over."
"There's a restaurant next to Vought Headquarters called the Bluebird Restaurant."
"I'll wait for you there."
Lin Mo nodded.
"Alright."
Maeve stepped aside and honestly began waiting for a taxi. Online ride-hailing wasn't popular yet, so she could only rely on this old method to wait.
Meanwhile, Joanna wore a victorious expression. She pulled Lin Mo a few steps to the side, and after making sure Maeve couldn't hear, she whispered, "Did you see that?"
"She didn't insist on following us at all."
Lin Mo gave her a somewhat helpless look.
"What kind of logic is that?"
"Anyway, she left."
Joanna said righteously.
"That means I won."
This remark left Lin Mo with a face full of question marks—how could this even count as winning? Still, he couldn't be bothered to argue with Joanna.
Joanna was clearly in a good mood. She opened her arms and directly hugged Lin Mo, her intention painfully obvious.
"Let's go, we can go grab something to eat first."
"Maeve will slowly come over by car."
Lin Mo looked at her with a smile in his eyes. How could he not know this girl's thoughts? Yet he still deliberately emphasized,
"Didn't we agree to go find Edgar?"
"Eat first."
Joanna answered very cleanly.
"You didn't eat much this morning anyway."
"Besides, before going to Vought Headquarters, I want to see if there's anything delicious there."
Lin Mo originally wanted to ask what eating had to do with going to Vought Headquarters, but looking at Joanna's obviously unreasonable expression, he decided to drop it in the end.
The next second, the figures of the two soared into the air and instantly disappeared on the spot, leaving only Maeve not far away. She looked at the sky and was silent for a moment, then looked around. There were hardly any cars passing by, and she didn't know how long she would have to wait for a taxi.
At this moment, Maeve suddenly felt...
that she somewhat regretted taking the initiative to follow along.
On the other side, Lin Mo and Joanna were moving very fast. For the two of them now, getting from Godolkin University to New York didn't take long at all.
High in the sky, Joanna held onto Lin Mo, flying almost right along the clouds the entire way.
The wind whistled past their ears, and the scenery below flashed by quickly.
Before long, downtown New York appeared before their eyes. Compared to the small town where yesterday's underground experimental base was located,
this place was obviously much livelier.
Skyscrapers stood in forests, and vehicles and pedestrians were everywhere on the streets. Although it was only the year 2000 and New York was far from as prosperous as it would be in the future, as one of America's most important major cities, it had already taken shape.
Moreover, this was, after all, where Vought Headquarterswas located.
Superheroes, Vought advertisements, and all kinds of exaggerated promotional billboards could be seen almost everywhere.
Lin Mo looked down.
"Should we go to the Vought Tower first?"
"No rush."
Joanna answered crisply. She continued to overlook the buildings beneath her feet. Going straight to Vought like that would be so boring.
She hugged Lin Mo, unsure whether she was acting spoiled or pleading.
"It'll take Maeve at least a while to get here by car."
"We can walk around first."
Lin Mo looked at her and couldn't help smiling.
"Now I know why you didn't let Maeve fly with us."
Joanna was stunned.
"Why?"
"Turns out you weren't afraid she'd disturb us." Lin Moglanced at her and said slowly,
"You just wanted to come out and play."
Joanna glared at him instantly, turning her little face away.
"What?"
"Can't I want to play?"
After speaking, she even made a face at Lin Mo.
"Besides, in front of outsiders, I don't want them to know I like to play."
"That wouldn't be majestic at all."
Lin Mo held back a smile.
"You still have majesty?"
"Lin Mo!"
Joanna immediately became unhappy.
"How do I not have majesty?"
"Look at those people yesterday when they saw me, which one of them wasn't too scared to speak?"
"That's because they're afraid of you."
"Being afraid of me is also majesty."
Joanna replied righteously.
Lin Mo didn't continue teasing her.
After all, he also knew why Joanna liked coming out so much.
Ever since she was a child, Joanna had been locked up in that bunker by Vought. Let alone going out shopping, she didn't even have true freedom in the real sense before.
Now that she could finally leave, there was nothing wrong with her liking things a bit livelier and enjoying the outside world.
"Fine then."
Lin Mo said with a smile.
"I'll accompany you to play today."
Joanna originally had a slight touch of awkwardness, but upon hearing Lin Mo agree to her, it instantly vanished into thin air. She immediately tightened her grip around Lin Mo's waist.
"Really?"
"Mhm."
"Then let's go eat something first."
"Not going to play anymore?"
"I changed my mind."
Joanna said solemnly.
"Stroll around first and fill our stomachs."
This girl really thought of whatever she wanted on a whim. What else could he do? Since the words were already out of his mouth, Lin Mo could only silently accept it.
Soon, the two slowly descended from the air.
Joanna originally deliberately chose a less crowded spot to land, but she clearly forgot one thing: this was New York, and moreover, the packed streets of New York.
How could two people dropping straight down from the sky go unnoticed?
At first, the surrounding passersby were just a bit dazed, raising their heads to watch Lin Mo and Joanna falling from the sky.
Some stopped to linger, some raised their heads and chose to pick up their cameras to film, and others doubted if they were seeing things.
After all, things like falling from the sky weren't something you could see at any time, even in a world where superheroes existed. Furthermore, in this era, flying superheroes were few and far between.
Until Lin Mo and Joanna completely landed, someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed.
"Wait."
"Isn't that Joanna?"
This single sentence instantly made everyone around react.
"Joanna? That newcomer Vought has been promoting lately?"
"It really seems to be her!"
"Is there any danger around?"
"Hasn't she always been at Godolkin University?"
"How did she come to New York?"
Hearing the surrounding voices, Lin Mo also realized that Joanna's fame might be much greater than he had imagined.
Vought had mentioned her on official television stations and various promotional channels long ago.
Although she hadn't truly been pushed to the forefront, the promotion regarding Vought's strongest newcomer had been going on for several years.
Coupled with that blonde hair and highly recognizable appearance, many people quickly recognized her.
As for Lin Mo, not many people knew him originally.
But after yesterday's matter at the underground experimental base was pushed onto various online news outlets by Vought, his name also began to be brought up by more and more people.
Moreover, the Vought officials also released on-site video footage, and the scenes involving Lin Mo were deliberately adapted by Vought.
The version currently circulating on the internet regarding Vought featured a black-haired youth standing in the center of the ruins, next to the torn-open underground base and the rescued victims.
As soon as the footage came out, the followers on Lin Mo's social media accounts also skyrocketed.
Chapter 127: Surrounded and Watched Like Monkeys
But Lin Mo really had no idea about this; if there were any survivors in that basement, it was only Marie, which just showed that Vought's PR department was at work again.
However, the name Lin Mo was still remembered by quite a few people.
Soon, someone recognized him.
"He is Lin Mo!"
"The person who dealt with the illegal experimentation organization yesterday?"
"No way, how could the two of them be together?"
"I heard they are both strong contenders for Vought's newly launched The Seven!"
The crowd began to stir.
You have to know that when ordinary passersby saw superheroes suddenly appearing in their public view, they generally thought there were only two outcomes.
The first was that superheroes could only be seen catching criminals, which meant it wasn't safe here; the second was some sort of press conference, like signing autographs, promotional events, or shooting commercials, in which case there definitely wouldn't be any danger here.
Therefore, after carefully observing their surroundings and finding no danger, the passersby grew bolder.
Since no dangerous event was happening, they might as well take a step ahead, grab an autograph for their collection, or at worst, sell it for a good price.
At first, only a few passersby gathered around, but the one thing New York was never short of was people watching the excitement.
A few seconds later, there were more and more people around.
Some people didn't even pretend anymore, pulling out their cameras directly and continuously taking pictures of Lin Mo and Joanna.
"Joanna! Can I get an autograph?"
"Lin Mo! Is what happened yesterday true?"
"Are you guys really a couple?"
"Can we take a picture together?"
The voices all rushed over in an instant.
Joanna stood in place, looking at the approaching crowd with a clearly impatient expression; she just wanted to go out and have fun with Lin Mo, not be surrounded by a group of people and watched like a monkey.
Lin Mo was also a bit helpless; he had just been too busy accompanying Joanna in her nonsense.
He had forgotten that they were no longer ordinary people right now.
Especially after Vought deliberately fueled the flames, every move he and Joanna made would probably be watched by people.
Looking at the increasing number of people around, Lin Mohad only one thought in his mind: he had been a bit careless.
Seeing more and more people, Joanna's expression also became increasingly ugly.
Lin Mo could even feel that familiar sense of oppression radiating from her slowly emerging.
If this went on, it probably wouldn't be long before these overly excited passersby experienced firsthand what a superhero's temper was like.
"Let's go."
Lin Mo spoke up, and Joanna nodded immediately.
"Okay."
The next second, Lin Mo grabbed Joanna's hand directly.
The figures of the two vanished from the spot instantly, and the passersby who had just gathered around didn't even have time to react to what happened.
The two people who were just standing there were simply gone just like that.
Someone looked up at the sky and only saw a figure flash past in the distance, quickly disappearing completely among the tall buildings.
"Where are the people?"
"Did they fly away?"
"I didn't get an autograph yet!"
"Did anyone take a photo?"
There was a sudden wave of wailing in the crowd.
At this moment, Lin Mo and Joanna had landed in a deserted alley.
Surrounded by the backs of tall buildings, there were no passersby and no annoying cameras.
After landing, Joanna first glanced around to make sure no one had discovered them, then breathed a sigh of relief before curling her lips in displeasure.
"Are superheroes normally like this?"
"This is just too troublesome."
Lin Mo smiled slightly.
"Pretty much."
"Especially the famous ones."
"Vought spends so much money cultivating superheroes just to make them appear in front of everyone. Then commercials, television, interviews, fan meetings—as long as your fame is big enough, it's hard to find peace anywhere you go."
Joanna frowned and sighed; if that was the case, wouldn't she have to face all this in the future, never finding peace wherever she went?
"What's so good about that? Everything is watched by others. Even coming out to play is inconvenient."
Lin Mo didn't speak. He suddenly thought of Homelanderin the original work—that guy regarded fans as more important than anything else.
He loved applause and cheers, and loved everyone looking at him with eyes of adoration and fear.
Eventually, the support of fans almost became the thing he used to prove his own value of existence.
But thinking carefully, there was a reason why John in the original work turned out like that.
Locked up in a laboratory by Vought since childhood, with no friends and no normal person's life, the only recognition he could get from the outside was the propaganda arranged by Vought and the artificially manufactured adoration.
Vought molded him into a commodity and made him treat those false cheers as the only things he could hold onto.
Over time, Homelander naturally grew more and more reliant on those things.
But it was different now; Joanna looked obviously uninterested in so-called fans, and even somewhat disgusted. This was actually a good thing; at least she hadn't turned into the Homelander from the original work who needed everyone to look up to him.
"Forget it."
Joanna quickly stopped dwelling on it and grabbed Lin Mo's hand.
"No one is here anyway."
"Let's go shopping."
Lin Mo glanced at her.
"Weren't you complaining it was troublesome just now?"
"That's because they recognize us."
Joanna said righteously.
"If we walk down the street normally, who would know who we are?"
"Besides."
She paused for a moment.
"Just now, it was because we fell from the sky that so many people gathered around."
"Otherwise, who would believe there really are superheroes nearby?"
Lin Mo thought about it, and it seemed to be true.
Just like in reality, if you really met someone wearing a Superman costume, an ordinary person's first reaction probably wouldn't be to think he was actually Superman.
At most, they'd think he was some Superman enthusiast or someone out doing cosplay, and people with wilder imaginations might even walk up to take a picture together or collect a snapshot.
As for directly surrounding them for autographs, that would depend on whether the other party made an entrance by crashing down from the sky.
"Fine."
Lin Mo said.
"Then let's shop normally."
Joanna immediately burst into a smile.
Next, the two no longer flew, but walked out of the alley like a normal couple.
Joanna was very interested in many things in New York; roadside snacks, clothes in shop windows, and even some small shops that Lin Mo felt weren't special at all—she had to stop and check them out.
Lin Mo didn't rush her; anyway, Maeve was still on the way, and they had plenty of time.
Moreover, watching Joanna pull him running around everywhere with an undisguised happiness on her face...
Lin Mo suddenly felt that strolling around like this occasionally didn't seem so bad either.
Not long after, the two already had quite a few things in their hands, most of which Joanna had taken a fancy to and bought directly.
Although she wasn't short on money at all, the feeling of picking things out personally clearly gave her a sense of novelty.
Chapter 128: Madelyn
Until Joanna was about to pull Lin Mo into another shop, Lin Mo glanced at the time.
"It's about time."
"Maeve should be here soon."
Joanna instantly looked a little unhappy.
"So fast?"
"She took a car over."
"That's already pretty fast."
"Fine."
Although Joanna was a bit reluctant, she knew she couldn't let Maeve wait at the restaurant for too long.
The two quickly walked towards the agreed-upon Bluebird Restaurant, which was located right near Vought Headquarters.
It had a great location and exquisite decoration, with many luxury cars parked at the entrance; obviously, the regular guests were not ordinary people.
As soon as Lin Mo and Joanna reached the entrance, they saw Maeve already sitting by the window with a cup of coffee in front of her. Her expression looked noticeably more exhausted than it had in the morning.
Seeing the two enter, Maeve raised her head.
The first thing she saw was the shopping bags Joanna was carrying in her hands.
Maeve fell silent for a moment, suddenly wondering what on earth she had rushed all the way from Godolkin University for.
Lin Mo's expression was somewhat awkward.
After all, Maeve had previously helped clean up the mess at the underground base, and now she was sitting here alone, drinking coffee and waiting for them.
Meanwhile, the two of them were carrying a pile of shopping bags, obviously having just finished shopping.
"Ahem."
Lin Mo gave a dry cough.
"Have you eaten?"
Maeve glanced at him.
"Not yet."
"That's perfect."
Lin Mo immediately seized the opportunity to say,
"We're not in a rush to find Edgar anyway."
"Let's eat first and head over afterwards."
Maeve originally wanted to say something, but seeing that Joanna had already naturally sat down next to Lin Mo, put the shopping bags aside, and looked ready to order food,
she ultimately nodded.
"Fine."
She was indeed hungry anyway, having been busy until the middle of the night yesterday, and then running off to Godolkin University to find Lin Mo.
Up until now, she had only had a cup of coffee.
Soon, the three of them simply ordered some items. During the meal, Maeve didn't ask Lin Mo about the reason for finding Edgar again.
She knew very well that if Lin Mo was willing to say, he would have already said it at the school.
Since he hadn't said it, there was no need for her to press the matter to the end.
Moreover, mainly because of the atmosphere between Lin Mo and Joanna, she felt that she really couldn't chime in.
Joanna kept picking food for Lin Mo the whole time. As for the reason, it was probably just her amusement. Lin Mowould sometimes glance at her helplessly, but in the end, he still ate it.
Sitting opposite them, Maeve watched this scene and was already used to it; seeing it so much, she had naturally grown physiologically accustomed to it.
However, she didn't have any special thoughts about it.
She just thought it was unexpected that Joanna could be like this. At school and in front of those people at Vought, Joanna always looked so unapproachable.
Even when many people mentioned her, their tones carried a hint of fear, but next to Lin Mo, she truly looked no different from an ordinary girl.
After finishing their meal, the three finally set off again. The Bluebird Restaurant was not far from Vought Headquarters.
After walking for a short while, that highly iconic Vought Tower already appeared before their eyes.
The towering skyscraper pierced straight into the clouds. Even in this era, its exterior walls were entirely made of glass, and with the sunlight shining down, it looked exceptionally dazzling.
At the very top of the building, Vought's logo was exceptionally eye-catching. There were many people entering and exiting the entrance—corporate executives in suits, staff members holding various documents, and some superheroes coming to attend events.
Of course, there were also quite a few media reporters waiting outside, but since Lin Mo and Joanna didn't drop from the sky this time, they didn't attract too much attention.
The three walked directly into the building, and the security guard at the entrance originally prepared to stop them.
But upon seeing Joanna, his expression changed instantly.
"Ms. Joanna."
Afterwards, he looked at Lin Mo and Maeve.
"Mr. Lin Mo, Ms. Maeve."
"Please come in."
Without even confirming their identities, he directly let them pass.
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly. He had originally thought there would at least be some registration or some blind trouble coming up so he could take the opportunity to give Vought a hard time.
But thinking about it carefully, it was normal; Joanna's reputation within Vought was clearly not low.
Maeve was also a key person currently being cultivated by Godolkin University. As for him, whether it was because of the bunker incident previously or yesterday's affair, presumably the entire Vought Headquarters had already memorized his face.
The three walked all the way inside. Many staff members would actively stop and greet them when they saw them, with an attitude that was extremely polite—even overly polite, to the point of trying hard to flatter them. What more could he say to that?
At least one doesn't hit a smiling face.
Lin Mo could sense that in the eyes of these people looking at him, there was a hint of curiosity and a trace of barely concealed dread.
Obviously, the matter of the underground experimental base had already spread within Vought.
Lin Mo didn't care anyway; he never intended to pretend to be some ordinary newcomer at Vought.
Since he had strength, he naturally should let others know, otherwise any stray cat or dog would dare to jump out and cause trouble.
Just as the three were about to look for the elevator, a woman suddenly walked over from the corridor ahead.
She was wearing a capable professional suit with her golden hair tied up in a bun behind her head, wearing a very standard smile. Holding documents in her hand, her pace wasn't fast, yet she gave off a strong sense of oppression.
Clearly, judging by her aura, this was not an ordinary Vought employee.
Lin Mo had originally just glanced casually, but the next second, his steps paused slightly.
He knew this woman, or rather, she was someone he had seen countless times in the original work.
Madelyn Stillwell.
The one who was best at exploiting human hearts and knew most clearly what Homelander lacked. In the original work, she practically treated Homelander as a dangerous weapon that needed to be appeased—giving him care, affirmation, and everything he wanted, then making him dependent on Vought bit by bit.
In the end, she even dared to control Homelander in that nearly morbid way; however, extremes meet, and she ultimately died at the hands of Homelander.
And now, this person was standing right in front of him.
Lin Mo subconsciously glanced at Joanna. Joanna was currently looking here and there, looking precisely like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
The Vought Headquarters building indeed looked a bit more high-end than Godolkin University, but she shouldn't act like this, Lin Mo suddenly felt a slight headache.
But the woman had already taken the initiative to walk over. Her smile was very standard—neither appearing too overly enthusiastic nor making people feel alienated; it belonged to the type that made people feel very comfortable at first glance.
Of course, that was provided one didn't know what she would do in the future.
"Mr. Lin Mo, Ms. Joanna, and Ms. Maeve."
Madelyn took the initiative to speak.
"Welcome to Vought Headquarters."
Lin Mo looked at her.
"You know us?"
"Of course."
Madelyn smiled slightly.
"Right now throughout Vought, I'm afraid there are very few people who don't know you."
"Especially Mr. Lin Mo, yesterday's affair has already spread everywhere."
Chapter 129: Giving Vought a Blood Transfusion
Speaking of which, she glanced at Joanna again.
"And Ms. Joanna."
"Vought has always paid a lot of attention to you, and I've long wanted to find an opportunity to meet you."
Joanna had been looking around, and only turned her head when she heard someone calling her.
"Oh."
She nodded casually.
"Hello."
Madelyn didn't mind Joanna's cold attitude; she was very clear that beings like superheroes were inherently not ordinary people.
Especially someone of Joanna's level; being able to respond with a sentence was already considered pretty good.
"I forgot to introduce myself."
Madelyn said.
"Madelyn Stillwell."
"Vice President of Vought Public Relations, I just took over this position not long ago."
"In the future, your external publicity, media activities, and various public affairs will probably all be handled by me."
Lin Mo's eyes flickered slightly.
Sure enough, Madelyn had already begun to enter Vought's upper management, and she was even the Vice President of Public Relations. This position looked like it didn't have much real power.
But in reality, for superheroes, people from the public relations department were sometimes more troublesome than ordinary upper management because they held their reputations.
They controlled public opinion, and they also controlled how to package a person into a hero, or trample a hero into the mud.
The superheroes in the original work were basically all afraid of Madelyn. If it were the previous Joanna, she might really have been influenced by her.
But with Lin Mo around now, the situation was naturally different.
"So that's how it is."
Lin Mo smiled.
"Then I'll have to trouble you in the future."
The smile on Madelyn's face became a little more obvious.
She had originally thought that someone like Lin Mo would be very difficult to approach; after all, yesterday's matters had long been spreading like wildfire within Vought.
Combined with the information passed down by upper management, Lin Mo had also destroyed the experimental base, forcing upper management to hold meetings overnight.
Even Edgar had explicitly ordered not to easily provoke him. Normally, someone like this shouldn't like dealing with the public relations department.
But now it seemed he wasn't as difficult to get along with as imagined.
"This is my duty."
Thinking of this, Madelyn's smile grew even wider.
"If you need anything in the future, you can come to me at any time."
Lin Mo nodded.
"Right on cue."
"We do have something to take care of right now."
Madelyn's eyes lit up slightly.
"What is it?"
Lin Mo glanced at her.
With a somewhat meaningful smile on his face.
"Giving Vought a blood transfusion."
The air seemed to suddenly fall silent for a second.
The smile on Madelyn's face hardly changed, but her hand holding the document paused slightly.
Giving Vought a blood transfusion?
What did these words mean? Could Lin Mo be planning to make a move against Vought's upper management?
Or could it be that yesterday's matter at the underground experimental base had led him to discover something he shouldn't have found?
Many thoughts flashed through Madelyn's mind in an instant, but on the surface, she still maintained that calm appearance.
"Mr. Lin Mo really knows how to joke."
She said with a smile.
Lin Mo didn't explain either, just shrugged.
"Who knows."
Madelyn was silent for a moment.
She suddenly felt that as soon as she took office, she seemed to have run into a very difficult trouble to handle.
Maeve, standing nearby, felt her heart tighten even more, but there was more excitement than anything.
Wait, why is there suddenly going to be a blood transfusion for Vought? Just flipped over an underground experimental base yesterday, ran straight to Vought Headquarters today, and now saying right in front of the Vice President of Public Relations that Vought needs a blood transfusion.
What is Lin Mo planning to do? Could it be that he really wants to go to war with Vought? Can she still go change her equipment now, what is this slight excitement supposed to be.
"Then we'll go up first."
Lin Mo didn't continue chatting with Madelyn.
"Edgar should be waiting for us."
Madelyn nodded.
"Of course."
"Do you need me to help you contact him?"
"No need."
Lin Mo waved his hand.
"We can just go straight over."
After speaking, he led Joanna and Maeve toward the direction of the elevator.
Madelyn still stood in place, watching the figures of the three disappear, and the smile on her face slowly faded.
She looked down at the document in her hand, then turned and walked in another direction.
It seemed she needed to carefully review the information about Lin Mo and Joanna again.
On the other side, the three had already walked into the elevator, and Joanna looked at the constantly rising numbers of the elevator with obvious novelty.
She had seen elevators in the Vought bunker before, but it was indeed her first time riding a transparent high-speed elevator like this that went almost directly to the top floor.
Maeve had no mood to appreciate the scenery at all; she endured for a long time, and finally couldn't help it.
Keeping her hanging like this, she would break down.
"Lin Mo."
"What did that sentence you just said mean?"
Lin Mo glanced at her.
"Which sentence?"
"A blood transfusion for Vought."
Maeve's expression was a bit complicated.
"You aren't really planning to..."
"What are you thinking?"
Lin Mo unhappily interrupted her directly. Was he the kind of person who killed without blinking?
"I came to find Edgar just to ask some things. A blood transfusion just means its literal meaning."
Maeve: "?"
What does literal meaning mean?
She wanted to ask more, but the elevator had already reached the top floor. Accompanied by a soft sound, the elevator doors slowly opened.
At the same time, on the top floor of Vought Headquarters.
Edgar sat in his office, and the monitoring screen in front of him happened to show the scene of the three of Lin Mowalking out of the elevator.
Edgar looked at the screen, his brow slightly furrowed. He was indeed a bit puzzled.
What is Lin Mo coming to find him for at this time?
Why didn't he stay properly at Godolkin University for classes, and instead ran over to Vought Headquartersagain?
Lin Mo's group walked unobstructed down the corridor. Along the way, not a single person dared to come up and block them.
Obviously Edgar had already given instructions beforehand, and there weren't many people on the top floor to begin with.
Except for a few secretaries and security personnel, the entire floor was a bit excessively quiet.
Soon, the three arrived at the door of Edgar's office.
The door wasn't locked, and Lin Mo pushed it open casually.
Inside the office, Edgar was sitting in his seat, holding a document in his hand.
Looking at it, he seemed to be handling work.
But in reality, from the moment he saw the three of Lin Mocoming over on the monitor, he had no mood to read documents anymore.
Lin Mo personally running over to find him was mostly not a good thing. This guy had just flipped Thomas's underground experimental base yesterday, and today he suddenly appeared at Vought Headquarters.
Who knows what kind of trouble he wants to stir up again.
However, Edgar wasn't too worried either. If Lin Mo really wanted to make a move against him, he wouldn't have handed Marie over to Vought to handle yesterday, let alone specially run over to find him.
Moreover, that so-called blood transfusion for Vought on the monitor sounded indeed a bit frightening.
But Edgar didn't think that the blood transfusion Lin Motalked about meant replacing him.
There was no direct conflict of interest between them for the time being. Lin Mo needed to enter The Seven and wanted Vought's resources, and Vought also needed the two top combat forces, Lin Mo and Joanna.
As for those shareholders or Vought upper management who might be targeted by Lin Mo, Edgar would be even less likely to intercede for them.
Chapter 130: Just Die Properly
He was, at his core, a businessman; whoever could bring greater benefits to Vought was worth keeping.
Conversely, if Lin Mo was truly preparing to clear out some restless individuals, perhaps he could even borrow this knife to firmly secure his own position.
"Sit."
Edgar put down the documents, looked up at the few people standing at the door, his tone calm.
The three of Lin Mo did not stand on ceremony either, walking straight in and sitting down. Joanna sat next to Lin Mo, while Maeve sat on the other side.
On the surface she looked quite calm, but deep down, she had actually begun to guess how Lin Mo was planning to reshuffle Vought's blood.
Edgar's gaze swept over the three of them, finally landing on Lin Mo. There should be no reason for Joanna and Maeve to come here, so only Lin Mo had business.
"Speak."
"What is the matter that brings you to me?"
He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking of Joanna's curious look at something on the surveillance cameras.
"I don't think you would deliberately bring Joanna and Maeve to tour Vought Headquarters."
"If you really want to tour, after you graduate, you will be working here every day."
"There's no need to come now."
Lin Mo glanced at him. He had to admit that he really liked talking to a person like Edgar—no beating around the bush, and no need for guesswork.
Everyone knew the other party was no good guy, so there was no need to put on any pretense of courtesy.
"I do have something I want to ask you."
Lin Mo spoke up.
"original compound v."
"That is V1, you should know where it is, right?"
original compound v.
Hearing these words, Edgar's previously calm expression finally changed slightly.
Of course he knew what Lin Mo was talking about; that was no ordinary Compound V, but Vought's earliest and most unstable batch of experimental products.
Strictly speaking, inside Vought right now, most people didn't even know of the existence of original compound v.
Then why would Lin Mo know?
Edgar quickly thought of someone in his mind.
Thomas Godolkin, that immortal old fellow—it seemed nine times out of ten that Thomas had told Lin Mosomething before he died.
Thinking of this, Edgar felt somewhat helpless. The person had already turned to ashes, yet he still left him with such a huge mess.
Just die properly, will you!
"I don't have it on hand."
Edgar didn't hide it and said directly.
"original compound v is not at Vought Headquarterseither."
Lin Mo looked at him and didn't speak.
Meanwhile, on the side, Maeve quietly leaned a little closer to Joanna.
She lowered her voice.
"So."
"Lin Mo isn't really here to beat up Vought, is he?"
Joanna glanced at her and bluntly came out with:
"I don't know. He just said he was coming to get something for me."
Maeve: "..."
Get something? Get original compound v? That didn't sound like anything ordinary.
Maeve wanted to continue asking, but Joanna had already looked back at Lin Mo; clearly, she really didn't know.
Maeve instantly felt a bit unenthusiastic. She had originally thought she would be able to witness some grand spectacle of a major reshuffle among Vought's upper management today.
As it turned out after all this fuss, Lin Mo was just here to look for something. Although this thing still sounded very unusual, a fight couldn't break out for the time being, so she wouldn't be able to cheer from the sidelines.
Lin Mo naturally heard the two's whispering, and now his attention was back on Edgar.
He had already guessed that original compound v wasn't actually that precious of a thing, and it was impossible for an ordinary person like Edgar to carry it around.
But not having it didn't mean not knowing where it was.
"You don't have it on hand."
Lin Mo slowly spoke.
"I can understand that, but since you know about V1, you should know where it is now."
Edgar fell silent for a moment.
Seeing that Edgar seemed still unwilling to speak, Lin Mocouldn't be bothered to talk nonsense. He clenched his fists and looked at Edgar.
"If you don't know either, then I can only go look for it myself—former Vought researchers, first-generation superheroes, and those who participated in the early experiments."
"Someone will always know. For me, it's just a matter of spending a little more time."
Lin Mo paused, still wearing a smile on his face.
"So, I still hope you can honestly tell me; that will save us both trouble."
The office fell silent for a moment.
Edgar looked at Lin Mo. He could tell that this already counted as a threat.
Although Lin Mo looked like he spoke very calmly and didn't even erupt with any imposing aura, the more it was like this...
...the clearer it was to Edgar that if he really said nothing, given Lin Mo's personality, he would probably truly go looking for them one by one.
By that time, Vought's past secrets that were deliberately hidden would probably all be dug up, causing even greater trouble, which would be of no benefit to Vought whatsoever.
Edgar was silent for a very long time. In fact, it wasn't hard for him to guess why Lin Mo was looking for original compound v.
Nothing more than lifespan.
The lifespan of superhumans was naturally much longer than that of ordinary people, and if an existence of Lin Mo's caliber utilized original compound v to gain an even more enduring life, his future would be almost unimaginable.
For Vought, this might not be a good thing.
The longer Lin Mo lived, the longer Vought would be suppressed under him.
But Edgar quickly thought it through again.
So what?
By that time, he would have long since retired, and might even be dead.
Lin Mo's time as a superhero probably wouldn't even have ended yet.
And as an ordinary person, why should he worry for people decades later about whether Lin Mo would lose control?
Superhumans naturally lived longer than ordinary people; this was inherently unfair.
Since that was the case, it was better to take care of the present first. As long as Lin Mo could still bring benefits to Vought now, that was enough.
Edgar was silent for a while, his mind thinking about who among Vought's people previously should have it.
Soon, he had a candidate in his mind.
Since Lin Mo wanted original compound v, he would let him go get it himself.
Anyway, Lin Mo had just said that if he didn't know, he would go find former researchers and first-generation superheroes.
Since it was like this, he might as well simply point out a path for him.
Besides, that person indeed very likely still kept original compound v.
Even if there were no ready-made samples, she herself could be considered the most complete carrier of original compound v.
"Perhaps."
Edgar finally spoke.
"I do know someone."
Lin Mo looked at him.
"Who?"
"She shouldn't be in New York right now."
Edgar slowly said.
"For some time recently, she has been recuperating in a certain place."
"You can choose to go find her yourself."
"Or you can wait a few days, and I can have her come to you actively."
Lin Mo's eyes moved slightly. Edgar giving a candidate so easily didn't look well-intentioned no matter how one looked at it.
However, he didn't care. As long as he could get original compound v, under absolute strength, even if there was some hidden trouble, he could directly solve it.
"What is her name?"
Chapter 131 Clara
Edgar looked at him.
"You probably haven't heard of this name."
"Clara Rissinger."
Lin Mo's previously calm expression showed a hint of surprise.
Clara Rissinger.
Of course he had heard of this name.
Or rather, it was impossible for him not to know the even more resounding title behind it: Liberty, the woman later known as Stormfront, and the wife of Vought Internationalfounder Frederick Vought.
She was the first person in the world to successfully inject the original compound v, and one of the earliest surviving superheroes.
Lin Mo finally understood why Edgar had been so straightforward.
Needless to say, original compound v was definitely on Clara; even if she didn't have preserved samples in her hands, her blood and her body were inherently the best sources of original compound v.
But the problem was that this woman was not easy to talk to at all; she was an extreme racist, and the most troublesome kind at that.
She didn't care about Vought International, she didn't care about the law, and she cared even less about the lives and deaths of ordinary people.
If Lin Mo really went looking for her, whether the other party would be willing to hand over the goods was another matter; for him, the bigger possibility was that they might just start fighting directly.
Lin Mo slowly raised his head, looked at Edgar in front of him, and then looked at his expressionless, calm face as usual.
A Black man delivering Liberty's information directly to his doorstep.
The meaning was already very obvious; it seemed that this old fried chicken boss wanted to use his hands to get rid of Clara.
But at this moment, Lin Mo felt a few doubts rising in his heart. In the original work, Edgar incorporated Clara into The Seven, changed her name to Stormfront, and helped Vought International make money. Why did he want to get rid of her now?
But soon he dismissed the thought. How could what Edgarthought now be the same as what he would think in the future? Since Edgar gave him this intelligence, if this Claradidn't give him the original compound v then, Lin Monaturally wouldn't mind helping Edgar get rid of this old woman.
Before Lin Mo even spoke, Joanna beside him was starting to get a little restless.
She had just been listening quietly, but now, hearing Edgarsay a woman's name and so easily tell Lin Mo the target.
The more Joanna thought about it, the more wrong it felt; this old fellow definitely harbored no good intentions.
"Wait."
Joanna suddenly spoke up.
Edgar looked at her.
"What is it?"
"This Clara."
Joanna stared at him.
"Who on earth is she? Why did you tell Lin Mo about her?"
Edgar was silent for a moment. He hadn't originally planned to go into too much detail.
Some things were better known as little as possible, but now it seemed obviously impossible to hide, and Lin Mowould go looking for Clara sooner or later anyway.
After they met, all these things would naturally be known completely.
"Clara Rissinger."
Edgar said slowly.
"She used to be one of Vought International's earliest superheroes, and also Frederick Vought's wife."
Joanna suddenly felt relieved for no particular reason. It definitely wasn't because she heard whose wife that woman was; whose wife it was didn't matter much to her anyway, and she didn't know her.
Maeve, who had been by her side all along, suddenly spoke up. She looked at Edgar, her tone adding a hint of shock.
"You mean that Clara is the wife of the founder of Vought International?"
She hadn't heard of Clara yet, but who hadn't heard of the founder of Vought International? That was a talent who established Vought during World War II.
"Yes."
Edgar nodded.
"Strictly speaking, she was among the first batch of people to undergo the original compound v experiments, and the most successful one. The reason she has lived until now is also because of the power of the original compound v in her body."
After hearing this, the vigilance in Joanna's eyes did not decrease; instead, it became even more obvious.
"Then why don't you go find her yourself?"
Edgar looked at her and waved his hand.
"What use would it be for me to find her? She doesn't necessarily listen to me."
Edgar didn't want to see that woman who always put on a stinking face toward Black people either; had her identity not been sensitive, he would have wanted to make a move against her long ago.
Joanna didn't speak, but she obviously still didn't quite believe it.
Edgar didn't care about Joanna's attitude either. He looked back at Lin Mo.
"Of course, I'm telling you this."
"Just to remind you that Clara is not an easy person to deal with."
"Especially you."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Me?"
Edgar nodded.
"Her views on race are extremely radical."
"You are Asian; she might not be willing to hand over the original compound v to you, and she might even refuse to talk to you properly at all."
The atmosphere in the office suddenly quieted down.
Hearing this, Maeve's expression changed slightly as well. Although she didn't know what specific things Clara had done.
But since Edgar said so, she obviously wasn't any normal person.
As for Joanna's eyes, they turned completely cold.
What she hated most was anyone having opinions about Lin Mo, let alone for such a baffling reason.
Yet Edgar acted as if he saw nothing and continued calmly, "Still, it's not entirely without a chance. You are stronger than her, so Clara should be able to talk to you properly. Therefore, how to handle this matter is up to you."
"You can wait a few days, and I can use Joanna's name to make her come to New York proactively, or you can go find her yourself, but whether you can get the original compound v depends on your own ability."
After listening, Lin Mo didn't continue to press. The things he wanted to know, he already knew.
The original compound v was in Clara's hands, or rather, Clara had it on her body—that was enough.
As for the rest, there was simply no need for Edgar to continue worrying about it.
"No need to say more."
Lin Mo stood up.
"You telling me who she is is already enough."
"As for the original compound v."
"I naturally have a way to make her hand it over."
Edgar looked at him without speaking.
Lin Mo's tone was very calm, but he was very clear that this was not a negotiation; as long as he truly found Clara, if the other party was willing to hand it over, that would naturally be best.
If she was unwilling, Lin Mo would definitely not return empty-handed.
Joanna also stood up immediately, crossing her arms with a cold expression.
"That's right."
"She'd better hand it over herself."
"Otherwise."
Joanna paused for a moment.
"I won't be polite to her."
Maeve sat to the side, at a loss for words for a moment.
She had roughly understood that Lin Mo and the others were planning to go look for a veteran superhero named Clara.
And then take the original compound v from the other party's hands.
The problem was whether the other party was willing to hand it over still seemed obviously an unknown quantity.
If they were unwilling, Lin Mo and Joanna seemed ready to take action directly.
The more she thought about it like this, the more Maeve suddenly felt that something seemed a bit wrong with this plot.
Wasn't she a superhero?
Why was she sitting here now, sounding like she was about to follow Lin Mo and Joanna to rob someone else's stuff?
And the most ridiculous part was that she actually had a slight urge to help just now.
Chapter 132 Cannot Let Her Off
Maeve fell into a brief silence; now she didn't know what to say. Should she help or should she help?
Lin Mo noticed that her expression was off, and with a brief thought, he knew what she was hesitating about.
He let out a helpless sigh, then slightly turned to the side, lowered his voice, and said in Maeve's ear.
"That Clara."
"Is a Nazi."
Maeve was stunned.
"What?"
"She's not just a racist."
Lin Mo continued.
"She used to be a Nazi."
"And even now, she's still thinking about reviving that whole ideology."
Maeve: "..."
The next second, Maeve sat up straight, the hesitation on her face instantly disappearing, replaced by a very serious expression.
"So that's how it is."
"Then we really can't let her off."
No, isn't your change of expression a bit too fast?
However, Lin Mo could understand. A true superhero with a bottom line like Maeve might hesitate when dealing with ordinary people or taking things from others.
But once she heard that the other party was a Nazi, it was completely different. This was no longer a question of whether or not to take original compound v, but a matter of justice.
Maeve looked at Lin Mo, her tone becoming much more serious: "If you guys go find her, I will also do my best to help. Even if she really isn't willing to hand it over, we can't let her keep hiding."
Joanna glanced at Maeve, and the hostility in her eyes decreased a little.
At least Senior Maeve, although sometimes looking a bit strange, had no problem with her stance at critical moments.
Edgar sat behind his desk, watching the three people who suddenly shared a common hatred for the enemy. His expression remained unchanged, but inside, he was somewhat satisfied.
Now it was great. Lin Mo, Joanna, and Maeve—the three most promising future superheroes of Vought—had all set their sights on Clara.
That troublesome old woman was probably going to be in deep trouble this time.
Since things had been made clear, Lin Mo had no intention of staying here any longer. He looked at Edgar.
"As for Clara's side, I'll go find her myself."
Edgar frowned slightly.
"Aren't you planning to wait for her to come to New York?"
"No need."
Lin Mo's tone was very casual.
"What if she comes, but doesn't bring original compound v?"
"We'll have to make another trip then."
"Troublesome."
"..."
Edgar couldn't think of what to say for a moment. This reason was very much in line with Lin Mo's style. He obviously didn't think there was any risk in personally going to find Clara, just like Clara's reluctance to hand over original compound v was, in his view, just a matter of spending a little more time.
However, Lin Mo obviously hadn't finished speaking.
"Besides."
He suddenly spoke.
"I have one more thing for you to handle."
Edgar looked at him.
"Speak."
"Call a shareholders' meeting."
Lin Mo said.
"Vought's upper management, shareholders, and people who have a say."
"Call them all over."
"Not a single one can be missing."
Edgar's gaze shifted slightly.
"What do you want to do?"
Lin Mo leaned back in his chair with a slight smile on his face, but the words he spoke carried an unusual chill.
"Time for a reckoning."
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the office instantly tightened slightly.
Maeve subconsciously looked at Lin Mo.
She always felt that she had still underestimated Lin Mo's words about giving Vought fresh blood.
Turns out, this guy had his eyes on not just Clara from the very beginning, but the entire Vought upper management.
Lin Mo continued, "I remember that some of Vought's shareholders don't very much support me entering the superhero system."
"And back then, when Joanna was in the bunker as a child, there were some rather bad plans."
"It seems quite a few people participated in them too."
Lin Mo's tone was very calm, but when Joanna heard this, the expression on her face had already turned cold.
Of course she knew what Lin Mo was talking about. Those people had never treated her as a human being; in their eyes, she was just an experiment.
Just because he hadn't taken action before and seemed not to take these things to heart didn't mean he was going to let this matter go now.
Lin Mo looked at Edgar.
"You should know who has a bit of a grudge against me, right?"
"When the time comes, you know what to do."
Edgar was silent. Of course he knew that among the old diehards inside Vought, quite a few had always been dissatisfied with Lin Mo, dissatisfied that an unknown Asian teenager suddenly possessed power superior to Vought.
And even more dissatisfied that Joanna was starting to get out of control—even now, they had even contacted him privately, wanting Edgar to find an opportunity to restrict Lin Mo and Joanna.
It's just that Edgar had never paid attention to them, because he was very clear that these people had no idea what they were actually facing.
And now, the main party had come knocking in person.
Edgar leaned back in his chair, his mind starting to quickly calculate this shareholders' meeting.
Who should be protected? And who should be abandoned?
Those people who had always paid lip service to him, those old fogies who only dragged their feet yet still occupied positions, could perhaps be completely cleared out by borrowing Lin Mo's hand.
As for the rest of the people, letting them witness Lin Mo's methods firsthand would make them more obedient in the future.
Thinking of this, Edgar's gaze flickered slightly.
He raised his head and looked at Lin Mo.
"I will arrange it."
"Tomorrow morning."
"Everyone will be present."
Lin Mo nodded.
"Very good."
Edgar didn't say anything more, but he already had a decision in his heart.
This time, Vought really needed some fresh blood, and besides, things were going to get interesting.
Since the shareholders' meeting was set for tomorrow morning.
Then the remaining time today was just right, enough for them to go find Clara, get original compound v, and come back to deal with those old geezers at Vought.
Lin Mo stood up.
"Alright."
"Then we'll be leaving first."
"Tomorrow morning, I'll come over again."
Edgar nodded.
"I will give you the address."
Saying that, he picked up the phone on the table and gave a few brief instructions.
Not long after, a secretary walked into the office holding a document in her hand.
On it was Clara's current address, as well as some materials left behind by Vought from before. Edgar didn't hide anything and handed the document directly to Lin Mo.
"She currently lives in the suburbs of New York; the specific location is all on there."
"But I'll say it again, Clara won't give in that easily."
Lin Mo casually took the document.
"I know."
Edgar looked at him and finally didn't say anything more. Anyway, he had already given the warnings that needed to be given.
If Lin Mo really wanted to go find Clara, then he would let them sort it out themselves; he just needed to wait for the results.
Soon, Lin Mo led Joanna and Maeve out of the office, and the three of them walked all the way out of Vought Tower.
This time, the gazes of the staff at the entrance looking at them were obviously much stranger than before.
After all, not long after Lin Mo and the others went in, they came out directly with documents. No one knew what they had actually talked about with Edgar.
However, no one dared to come up and ask.
After walking out of the building, Joanna immediately sidled up to Lin Mo.
"Are we going to find that Clara right now?"