Chapter 20: The Internet Age

At dawn, an orange hue appeared on the horizon, indicating pleasant weather for the day. Soon, the orange brightened, giving way to a blinding sunlight that illuminated the clear blue sky and bathed a modern city in light—

Seattle.

As the industrial hub of the Northwestern United States, Seattle leads in aerospace, computer software, biotechnology, and medical equipment. In 1990, its GDP reached $414 billion, accounting for 7% of the United States' total GDP. The city's well-planned apartments, office buildings, and streets, along with its underground water, gas, and power systems, make Seattle unparalleled in urban development.

As the warm sunlight spread, the fog enveloping the city gradually dissipated, and traffic began to flow on the main roads from the suburbs into the city.

Amidst this traffic was a convoy of seven black SUVs, escorted by four police officers on large motorcycles. This allowed the convoy to move smoothly through the increasingly crowded streets, soon passing by Seattle's iconic landmark, the Space Needle. The tower prominently displayed a red "Λ" symbol.

The use of police escort and the "Λ" insignia on the SUVs' windows indicated that this was Samuel Young's private convoy. The convoy's destination was the Atlas headquarters building, a landmark structure just two kilometers from the Space Needle, standing 400 meters tall.

This building was the birthplace of Atlas, and thanks to the company's "harmonious" relationship with local officials and factions—more accurately, the officials had to display friendliness due to Atlas's generous and infrastructure investments without expecting returns—Seattle ranked at the top in terms of living standards in the U.S. and even globally, contrasting sharply with the crime-prone and Vought International-headquartered New York City.

In the second SUV, Arthur, seated in the front passenger seat, spoke into his earpiece, "Okay... I understand. I'll inform him." He then turned slightly, glancing toward the back seat, "Boss, Mayor Harladen Bruce requests an appointment at 2 PM on July 15th to discuss something in detail. What do you think?"

"What's the topic?" Samuel, leaning back in his seat, didn't look up, his gaze fixed on a book titled "The Absorbent Mind" by Maria Montessori. As a nearly 150-year-old "old man," his knowledge of child-rearing was only average, mostly learned from his parents before he crossed over. So, he often read such books in his spare time to ensure he was on the right track with St. Giles and Robert's upbringing.

After the plane landed, Samuel had arranged for a team of hunters to take his two sons out for entertainment, whether shopping or visiting a zoo, depending on their choice. Whenever he had free time, Samuel personally accompanied them, watching action, horror films together, and even engaging in a grand snowball fight with them and the hunters during a business trip to the north last year. In public, St. Giles carried a special backpack to conceal his white wings, avoiding unnecessary attention.

Unaware of Samuel's thoughts, Arthur replied, "He mentioned it's related to the 'Superhero Security Act,' but insists on discussing it in person."

?

Hearing this, Samuel finally looked up, closing the book he was reading. The "Superhero Security Act" was a law signed between Vought and the federal government, aided by Compound V during World War II and certain undisclosed private deals. This law made Vought's superheroes akin to, or even more powerful than, police officers. Every city or town, in theory, had at least one superhero to assist local police in fighting crime.

However, given the substantial autonomy of each state, akin to being a "country," the act wasn't well-received in the western and southern U.S. Cities contracting Vought for superhero services had to pay a minimum of $40 million, with no upper limit, renewing contracts at higher rates justified by Vought's claim of significant crime reduction.

Many mayors and governors, seeking to avoid a "return" of crime rates and other hidden agendas, reluctantly paid the escalating fees, creating a vicious cycle. In contrast, in the "simple and honest" South, superheroes were seen as clowns, and people trusted more in the weapons in their own hands. In the western towns, due to relatively good security and regional differences, Vought's "product sales" were slower.

Nevertheless, as an ambitious arms dealer aiming to bypass Congress and directly influence the military and politics, Vought did not give up easily. Since the Soviet Union's collapse, they increasingly used shapeshifting or invisible superhumans for infiltration. A simple yet highly successful infiltration method involved these superhumans sneaking into homes to secretly film officials' scandalous photos, then using them for blackmail to force contract approvals.

Currently, Vought wasn't overly rampant and had never attempted to target cities controlled by major arms dealers, such as Seattle, Chicago, or Bethesda. However, the Seattle mayor's initiative to mention the "Superhero Security Act" and request a face-to-face discussion indicated to Samuel that the public unveiling of Homelander by Vought was imminent.

After a moment of silence and seeing the convoy nearing its destination through the window, Samuel adjusted his collar and said, "Not available on the 15th, but the 16th works."

"Alright, I'll relay that message."

Just as Arthur finished speaking, a slight jolt was felt. The convoy had arrived at the front entrance of the headquarters building.

Exiting the vehicle, Samuel, flanked by Arthur and several hunters in black suits, entered the lobby of the headquarters. As one of Atlas's showcases, the lobby featured marble tiles so pristine they could serve as mirrors, with a simple yet classical décor, a height of 44 meters, and an artistically hollowed-out design linking multiple floors.

"Boss..." At this moment, Arthur, still puzzled, asked, "Isn't it just a new phone release with a camera that supposedly can move and connect to the internet? Did you really need to come all the way back from Ghana?"

Samuel hesitated for a moment. Sensing the difficulty in explaining the significance of the 3G network and the dawn of the internet age ushered in by Atlas, he casually said, "Just wanted to join the fun."

"True, there's not much fun in Africa. Next time I go back, I should stock up on cigars. I get uncomfortable without something to chew on," Arthur replied, seemingly convinced.

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**Author's Note:**

The plot in the second chapter has been revised; the protagonist did not have deceased children. During the protagonist's early development, he was in a turbulent period, unable to settle down or have children. After realizing his immortality, the protagonist built a manor, and he avoided prolonged relationships with any partner to prevent exposing his identity. The protagonist will educate the primary clones "correctly," ensuring it doesn't affect the reading experience.

As for the earlier speculation that "the protagonist's deceased children were brought into the 'Warhammer 40k' universe," the author clarifies that the protagonist, during his flings, did not know if his partners were pregnant or if there were any children born or deceased. He only knew that by the 20th century, no partners had approached him with "paternity" claims. So, readers are free to speculate. Hahaha.

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Revised Content:

Immortality.

Yes, his appearance seemed to be frozen at 25 years old. He had many companions, especially during his "cowboy era," but as he gradually realized his unique physiology, he chose to avoid marriage and minimize exposure, thus having no opportunity to father children. This did not trouble him much, as Samuel was more concerned with unraveling the mystery of why he had crossed over and the origin of the voice in his mind.

Initially, the only ones aware of his "immortality" were Arthur Morgan and a group of orphans he adopted, along with their direct descendants, who formed the core of Atlas's mercenary force.

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