章 38: Chapter 54: Because I Can Elevate Him to Godhood
A few days later, Cyrus's office had moved to the eighth floor of the Vought Tower, bringing him closer to the power center of Vought.
Cyrus couldn't wait for the day he would become Vought's CEO. When that day came, he would overhaul Vought's operational strategy, promoting Compound V extensively. He envisioned making Compound V as commonplace as firearms and even establishing a Compound V Association to manage the superhumans it created.
Only with a large enough base could they cultivate more powerful abilities.
Right now, Cyrus needed to help Vought gain greater influence. Controlling the narrative was crucial to steering public opinion and ensuring Madeleine's military plans proceeded smoothly. A company that controlled both the military and global discourse would truly be a global superpower.
Cyrus's goals were quite similar to those of Vice President Madeleine, though his approach was more radical. Madeleine aimed to create greater profit, while Cyrus was focused on broader, more ambitious changes.
"Perhaps I'll get along well with Homelander because I can elevate him to godhood," Cyrus said, his fingers interlocked in front of him, revealing his true ambition for the first time.
Unfortunately, Homelander currently only listened to Madeleine.
Unless Madeleine were to die, Cyrus would have to wait... for the perfect opportunity.
In the afternoon, in the PR department's office.
As the mastermind behind the Invisible Man's death, Cyrus reported to his superior, Ashley, with a calm demeanor.
"The Invisible Man has been missing for almost a week. If he doesn't reappear soon, it will definitely raise public suspicion. Rumors of his death are already spreading online. We need to get him back in the public eye quickly, or this could spark a new media storm."
Ashley was already aware of the Invisible Man's death from Madeleine.
She was equally frustrated with the situation.
Vought was at a critical juncture; revealing the Invisible Man's death was not an option. The death of a superhuman would undermine the military bill. If the bill were scrapped, Madeleine's plans to integrate superhumans into the defense system and privatize warfare would be completely thwarted.
"The Invisible Man is dead, and Homelander is currently investigating the cause of his death," Ashley said directly, curious to see if her assistant had any good solutions.
Cyrus walked over to the coffee machine and prepared a cup for Ashley.
"The solution is simple. We just need to make the Invisible Man appear. If people see him with their own eyes, the online rumors will disappear on their own."
Ashley took the coffee and looked puzzled. "But the Invisible Man is dead. How can he make an appearance? Are you suggesting we resurrect him?"
"I have three solutions for now. First, we can edit and re-release old footage of the Invisible Man online to create the illusion that he's still alive. The downside is that it's too easy to detect; we can't underestimate the public's scrutiny, and it's not very credible, potentially causing new waves of media attention."
After explaining the first solution, Cyrus moved on to the second.
"For the second solution, we could find someone who looks like the Invisible Man and have them impersonate him. The drawback is that finding such a person could take too long, and we might not have enough time."
"And the third solution?" Ashley asked eagerly.
Cyrus took a sip of his coffee, smiling. "Find a superhuman with shape-shifting abilities and have them transform into the Invisible Man."
Indeed, Cyrus's true goal was to have Doppelgänger appear. Doppelgänger, who only took orders from Vice President Madeleine and handled unsavory tasks like gathering dirt on politicians, was not listed in the Vought superhero database.
"Vought doesn't seem to have any superhumans with shape-shifting abilities," Ashley said, after pondering for a while, unable to find a suitable candidate.
"Well, all three solutions have their merits. We should leave it to Ms. Madeleine to decide."
Cyrus suspected that if the situation didn't become extremely dire, Madeleine wouldn't reveal Doppelgänger's card. Even if the risk was minimal, she wouldn't want Doppelgänger to appear, as knowledge of his abilities could alert many people.
However, Cyrus was determined to have Madeleine reveal this trump card herself.
As expected, Madeleine chose the first two solutions—using the first to buy time and the second to find someone resembling the Invisible Man.
But Cyrus wasn't going to let her plans succeed.
The next day, Vought used editing techniques to obscure the cause of the Invisible Man's death, and the news quickly surged to the top of trending topics.
Countless fans of the Invisible Man rallied outside Vought Tower, holding banners and demanding answers from Vought.
Hearing the commotion outside, Cyrus stood by the window, sipping his coffee calmly.
Crunch! Ashley burst into Cyrus's office, so flustered that she didn't even have time for breakfast.
"What's going on? Your first solution not only had no effect but also made the Invisible Man's death trend online. The fans are acting like they've lost their minds. Do they want to storm Vought Tower or something?" Ashley was frantic, her golden hair falling out in clumps due to the stress.
Cyrus turned to her, frowning. "I made the shortcomings of the first solution clear. Using lies to cover the truth will only lead to greater anger from the public when the lies are exposed."
At that moment, in the Vice President's office, Madeleine was considering how to handle the situation.
"I'll get them to leave," Homelander said with a stern face as he walked into the office. He approached the fridge, took out a bottle of still-warm milk, and sipped it slowly, savoring the taste.
"You seem a bit worked up lately."
Homelander licked his lips and placed the milk bottle in front of Madeleine.
With that, he opened the window and flew out.
"It's Homelander! Homelander is here," the fans cheered as they saw him land in front of them.
"Is the Invisible Man really dead? Why is Vought using editing to fake his continued existence? Are you hiding something?"
A blunt question made Homelander's eyes flash red momentarily, though he quickly regained his composure and forced a smile as he faced the crowd.
(End of Chapter)
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