"Hey, Bronze, the test results on that pill's composition are in," Joseph said in a breezy tone from the other end of the line.
Standing atop the Empire State Building, Qi Li looked down at the New York cityscape below and replied curtly, "Go ahead."
Joseph launched enthusiastically into his explanation: "It's a psychotropic drug highly effective at dampening prefrontal cortex decision-making activity and elevating the limbic system's emotional outburst threshold. It works by enhancing inhibitory neurotransmitters, blocking certain dopamine receptors, and increasing synaptic serotonin concentrations..."
Qi Li cut him off swiftly: "In plain English!"
"Right, right." Clearly wanting to say more, Joseph nonetheless dumbed it down: "Basically, its primary effect is to reduce overall cortical excitability, suppressing a person's mental activity. In a sense, it's similar to sedatives and anti-anxiety meds."
Qi Li cut straight to the point: "What effect does it have on telepathic supes?"
Joseph answered with seasoned expertise: "As for that, it dulls them a bit, making them less reactive to outside stimuli, while also suppressing the potency of their psychic powers."
"Any side effects?"
"A regular person taking it long-term would definitely suffer some side effects. But for a superhuman, at the standard dosage of one pill a day, the side effects are virtually negligible."
Qi Li felt reassured.
Looking at it this way, Kate's powers were still nowhere near their true ceiling.
When Shetty had originally put her on this stuff, prescribing the right medicine for the problem, it had been understandable enough.
Things had changed, however.
Under Qi Li's attentive guidance, Kate had gradually come to accept her powers.
And through his frequent specialized training sessions, her mastery over her abilities had grown increasingly refined.
She was no longer resistant or fearful like she used to be.
In that case, there was no need for her to take this medication anymore!
Shetty had lost her mind!
As a "mother," how could she not keep up with her "daughter's" current condition and still make her take those pills?
Qi Li thanked Joseph, hung up the phone, and decided to find a time after heading back to have a proper talk with Shetty.
As for right now, on such a momentous day, he ought to focus on celebrating first.
"Oh my god!!"
Qi Li felt he could write an entire academic paper on the sheer dearth of English exclamations.
Upon returning to Godkin University, he had first handed a non-disclosure agreement to a baffled Kate to sign, before breaking the news that he was joining the Super Seven.
In her overwhelming excitement, Kate had reacted much like Monica, repeating variations of "Oh my god" over and over.
Fortunately, she soon channeled her overflowing joy into concrete action.
*Click... clack... click...*
The crisp, alluring click of high heels echoed across the dorm room.
Qi Li turned around, his eyes instantly lighting up.
Kate had actually put on a Private Angel battle suit, sashaying out into the room.
Her long legs, clad in black stockings, came to a halt right in front of him. She twirled in place on purpose, the captivating corners of her lips curling upward, her gaze dripping with tease.
"How do I look?"
Qi Li took in the retro nurse-style battle suit Kate was wearing, which blended the mid-twentieth-century "American Sweetheart" aesthetic with the sultry allure of a pin-up girl.
Unlike the grotesque, bizarre aesthetics favored today, it flawlessly embodied the pure American standard of the last century.
The only slight regret was that Kate currently wore her blonde hair straight, rather than styled in vintage voluminous waves.
Qi Li complimented her without hesitation: "The battle suit is gorgeous, but you're even more beautiful, Kate."
He wasn't about to make a rookie mistake.
"Liar."
A smirk played on Kate's luscious red lips. Hooking a finger through Qi Li's collar with a half-smile, she led him toward the head of the bed, where a large poster of Private Angel happened to be pinned to the wall.
Qi Li cleared his throat and explained, "Maverick gave me that."
Kate chuckled softly and drawled, "I seem to recall a certain someone's room never having any superhero memorabilia, unlike everyone else's."
Could Qi Li really admit that he'd hung it up out of pure lust?
Luckily, having donned the Private Angel battle suit, Kate seemed to have inherited its owner's gentle understanding—as well as an uncanny knack for shedding men's clothes.
She reached out and gave a gentle push. Offering no resistance, Qi Li tumbled back onto the bed.
Then, long legs wrapped in thick black nylon stockings straddled him, and a pair of hands clad in khaki gloves pressed firmly against his chest.
Wearing a World War II-era white nurse cap, Kate looked down at him from above, her red lips murmuring:
"Quiet, patient. It's time for your injection..."
It was an epic clash bridging eras.
Bronze versus Private Angel.
A modern superhero clashing with a first-generation icon.
Democracy and freedom squaring off against traditional conservatism.
Naturally, the former emerged victorious in the end.
Though Kate had channeled Private Angel's full persona throughout, she was not the woman herself after all.
A pity.
Even if Private Angel were still alive, she would be over a hundred years old by now.
It would be impossible to recapture the pedigree Caucasian allure celebrated during the peak of that American aesthetic.
Even a shapeshifter could only copy her appearance at best, unable to reproduce the unique demeanor that belonged solely to that era.
Unless a shapeshifter could copy someone's memories along with their physical form.
That would truly be... possessing a single tree and gaining the entire forest, leagues beyond Mystique.
Regardless, it had been a thoroughly satisfying celebration.
Throughout it all, what left the deepest impression on Qi Li was how that vintage white nurse cap bobbed and swayed incessantly, yet stubbornly refused to fall off.
With the merriment concluded, it was time to get down to business.
At first, Qi Li hadn't understood why he had to wait a whole month before officially joining the Super Seven.
Now he saw clearly that hammering out the new contract for the Super Seven alone took several days.
A contract was not set in stone; every single clause had to be analyzed and evaluated word for word, followed by hard-nosed negotiations with Vought Legal.
It involved job descriptions, benefits, compensation structure, revenue splits, intellectual property rights, contract duration, and countless other aspects.
Even shifting a decimal point by a fraction meant a massive fortune for Qi Li.
Therefore, he spared no expense from his savings. Not only did he have Monica recruit a team of Hollywood experts to join his negotiation squad, but he also hired an elite, renowned New York legal team at top dollar—all to wring maximum concessions and benefits from Vought.
Stan Edgar might appear affable and easy to talk to, but Qi Li would never forget that capitalism was inherently predatory.
If he were foolish enough to blindly surrender what rightfully belonged to him just to secure a spot on the Super Seven...
...the people at Vought wouldn't feel the slightest bit of gratitude; they would gladly pocket it all while mocking him in secret for being an idiot.
The battlefield of capital left no room for sentimentality; it had always been the naked law of the jungle.
When you bared your fangs and claws, determined to tear off a piece of flesh no matter what...
...Westerners would only respect you.
If you opened your mouth preaching that what was good for everyone was what was truly good...
...Westerners would merely scoff at you and ruthlessly take your share.
Qi Li had long since grasped the true essence of Western society.
Case in point, he even brought Kate along to help.
Not to use against Vought's representatives—after all, Vought certainly knew about Kate, and if a scandal broke out that mind control had tainted commercial negotiations, there would be no graceful way out.
He merely had Kate use her powers on their own team, preventing anyone from selling them out while giving them the occasional psychological boost.
Finally, after a week of grueling back-and-forth, a contract that met Qi Li's general satisfaction was officially signed.
"Welcome to the Super Seven, Bronze," the head of Vought Legal said with a smile, extending his hand.
Qi Li shook his hand and returned the smile.
Legally speaking, from this very moment on, he was an official member of the Super Seven.
Of course, in practice, he would still need to coordinate step-by-step with Vought's marketing department, rolling out the reveal in phases to whip public buzz into a fever pitch.
Chapter 76