Free Web NovelChapter 22: Chapter 22: My Son is the Most Powerful Supe on Earth
Chapter 22: My Son is the Most Powerful Supe on Earth
The first ray of morning sunlight squeezed through the gap in the poorly drawn curtains, tracing a thin gold line across the carpet. Homelander lay in his bed. A gray cashmere blanket covered him, its edges neatly tucked in. Of course, he hadn’t tucked them in himself; he never did that sort of thing. The apartment door clicked shut softly. Footsteps faded down the corridor—steady, heavy. Benjamin was gone.
Homelander opened his eyes the exact moment the door shut. He wasn’t drunk; his Compound V-enhanced physiology metabolized alcohol over ten times faster than an ordinary person’s. The kick from those few glasses of whiskey had lasted less than twenty minutes before being completely broken down. He had been sober the entire time. He had been sober when Benjamin pushed the third glass of whiskey toward him in the bar and said, "Drink slower, don’t choke like a pussy." He had been sober when he pretended to pass out on the table, and when Benjamin slung one of his arms over his shoulder, half-dragging, half-carrying him back to Vought Tower.
And he had been completely sober just moments ago.
With his eyes closed, Homelander had felt a blanket shaken out and gently draped over him. The movement was clumsy and stiff, clearly not the work of hands accustomed to doing such things. Then, he felt that hand hover above his head for two seconds. With his abilities, he could distinctly feel a warm palm suspended in the air, seemingly hesitating whether to descend before ultimately pulling back.
Once the door clicked shut, Homelander opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, pulling the blanket up to his chin. He took a deep breath. Eating with family... drinking with his father. Being carried home after getting drunk, having someone tuck you in. In the world of ordinary people, these things were completely routine from childhood. But it had taken him nearly forty years to taste it for the first time. He rolled over, burying his face in the blanket, a subtle curve rising on his lips that even he didn’t realize was there.
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[Ding!]
[You have made Homelander feel the discipline of a strict father, as well as the heavy weight of a loving father’s affection. Though he was genuinely upset when he heard you were disappointed, your encouragement made him incredibly happy. Furthermore, you are teaching him how to become a real man and a true good boy. Reward acquired: Nuclear Energy Blast Lv3 upgraded to Lv4.]
[Current Abilities:
Nuclear Energy Blast Lv4 (Can release high-intensity radioactive energy capable of incinerating anything and burning away the Compound V inside a target’s body.)
Super Strength Lv6 (Possesses the top-tier super strength of elite Supes.)
Super Defense Lv5 (Invulnerable, immune to conventional firearms and most Supe attacks.)
Self-Healing Lv5 (Extremely high cellular activity, capable of rapidly repairing fatal wounds.)
Radiation Resistance Lv5 (Completely immune to nuclear radiation and all harmful rays.)
Super Speed Lv1 (Possesses the speed of a standard Supe.)
Eternal Youth (Physical form permanently remains at its peak.)]
"Fuck." Having departed, Benjamin was a bit speechless. Where was his Super Speed or Super Flight? Why did the system keep rewarding abilities that weren’t exactly everyday necessities? Still, an upgraded Nuclear Energy Blast would probably reduce the cooldown of his radioactive explosions and increase the damage output. Soldier Boy figured he was currently on par with the Season 5 Homelander who had taken the Temp V or V1 formula, maybe even slightly stronger. That was assuming his goddamn son didn’t use super speed and flight to run circles around him. freёwebnovel.com
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9:00 AM, Vought Tower.
When Benjamin stepped out of the elevator, he spotted Starlight standing outside his office from a distance. She wasn’t wearing her gold suit today, having changed into a dark blue training uniform with her hair tied back in a high ponytail. She looked as sharp and energized as a freshly ejected bullet casing. Clutching her phone, she kept swiping across the screen, an excitement radiating from her face that she couldn’t suppress if she tried.
"Did you win the fucking lottery?" Benjamin walked up to the door, pulling out his keys.
Starlight looked up, her eyes bright enough to double as flashlights. "No, Mr. Soldier Boy! Last night on my way back to my apartment, I caught two guys cornering a girl in an alley."
Benjamin’s hand paused over the keyhole, and he turned to look at her. Ah, the Season 1 plotline. You won’t be smiling in a minute, you dumb little bitch.
"I beat the crap out of them!" Starlight spoke rapidly, as if she had been holding it in all morning and had finally found someone to vent to. "Two criminals. One tried to run, so I grabbed him by the collar, threw him back, and slammed him into a dumpster. The other one tried to fight back, so I flattened him!"
Benjamin pushed open the door, rested his shield against the desk, sat down in his chair, and looked at her.
"Good job, Starlight," he said. "Even though you look incredibly naive, like a total dumbass—no, a complete dipshit—I’m still happy for you regarding this."
Ignoring the profanity, Starlight stood by the door, thoroughly pleased. "Thank you, Mr. Soldier Boy. You’re a really good person."
"By the way, the reason I’m calling you a dumbass is because PR is going to cause trouble for you in a minute. But don’t pay any attention to them; I’ll back your stupid ass up," Benjamin said. "You saw two guys hounding a woman, and you stepped in and kicked their asses. That’s called actual goddamn heroism. In the future, whenever you run into something like this, as long as you’re sure it’s the right thing to do, go right ahead. Got it? Ignore the PR department when they come crawling to cause problems."
Starlight blinked, completely caught off guard. She hadn’t considered that. "Surely... surely they won’t? PR..."
Soldier Boy waved his hand, dismissing her. Right on cue, Ashley materialized with a tense look, clicking her high heels as she led Starlight away. Following Ashley, Starlight cautiously watched the woman’s panicked expression, her mind drifting back to the crude vocabulary that had just spilled out of Soldier Boy’s mouth.
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After receiving a massive lecture from corporate, Starlight hung her head and slinked back into Benjamin’s office.
"I... I didn’t expect it to turn out like this."
"That’s exactly why I said this fucking place is rotten to the core. Always chasing profits, always putting on a goddamn performance. You probably know by now—those miserable Vought scripts they hand out, full of superheroes fighting crime, but those criminals are just paid actors. Yet when an actual crime happens where a superhero should step in, Vought tells you to stand down. If this place isn’t completely fucking rotten, I don’t know what is." Benjamin bitched, ripping into Vought.
"Sir, I think you’re right." Starlight nodded, looking at Benjamin as a spark flickered in her eyes. Perhaps Soldier Boy, Homelander, and Queen Maeve were the only real superheroes left. Oh, and herself, of course.
"Ignore the goddamn PR department, ignore Vought, and just go do your good deeds. Fuck you." Benjamin pointed a finger at Starlight.
Flushed, Starlight ignored the final curse aimed at her. She knew it was just Soldier Boy’s catchphrase, not a literal insult directed at her. "Thank you so much, sir..." Finishing her sentence, she suddenly remembered something, pulled her phone from her pocket to check the time, and quickly added, "Sir, would you like to grab lunch together at noon? There’s an Italian restaurant downstairs."
Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "Sure."
Starlight spun around and walked out of the office, her steps as light as if she were walking on springs.
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11:50 AM.
Homelander stepped out of the elevator, his hair styled flawlessly. He had intentionally arrived ten minutes early, planning to chat with his father about what happened after they went drinking yesterday—like whether he had said anything embarrassing while wasted, or how his father had managed to carry him back. Plus, there was the event scheduled for this afternoon. Going over these questions in his head, a casual smile resting on his face, he rounded the corner of the corridor and walked up to Benjamin’s office. The door was open, but the room was empty.
Pulling out his phone, he absentmindedly scrolled to Starlight’s social media page. The latest update had been posted three minutes ago, featuring a photo of a freshly served plate of pasta. The location tag pinned the Italian restaurant right beneath Vought Tower, and sitting in the background of the shot was Benjamin, looking ridiculously handsome.
Homelander shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands. Well, his old man was hitting on girls; he couldn’t exactly object. Homelander dialed Maeve, but she was busy too.
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3:00 PM, Vought Tower Press Briefing Room.
Reporters from major national media outlets packed all three hundred seats to capacity. The camera crews in the back rows formed a dense matrix of lenses, every single one aimed dead at the two figures on stage. The camera flashes erupted like an unending thunderstorm.
Homelander stood before the microphone clad in his signature suit, his cape draping perfectly straight behind his back. Benjamin stood half a step to his left, his shield slung over his left arm, his deep green suit reflecting a quiet luster under the relentless bombardment of flashes.
"Today, I have an announcement for the American people." Homelander’s voice was clear and solemn, carrying a layer of gravity rarely seen on him. "Soldier Boy—Benjamin—from this day forward, is my father. This is not a script, this is not a Vought PR stunt, and this is not orchestrated by anyone. He is my biological father. In the literal, scientific sense, and I am proudly claiming him."
The room fell dead silent for one full second. Then the flashes exploded, the rapid shutter clicks so dense that you couldn’t even hear your own heartbeat. Countless hands shot into the air at once, every single reporter shouting out a question. Vought’s PR department had arranged a dedicated Q&A segment for them.
A female reporter from CNN was the first to stand, pointing her microphone toward Homelander. "Mr. Homelander, publicly acknowledging a previously unrevealed paternal relationship—what does this signify in your life?"
"It means... everything," Homelander said. "He is the first real family I’ve ever had in my life."
The reporter turned to Benjamin. "Mr. Soldier Boy, do you have anything you’d like to share?"
Benjamin mulled it over for a moment, then pulled the microphone toward himself. "Hello everyone, I’m Soldier Boy... Actually, fuck that. The whole world knows who the hell I am, why am I using an introduction? Goddamn Vought, Edgar, fuck you."
The reporters exchanged blank stares.
Benjamin looked a bit annoyed, but soon continued, "As for what I want to say: my son is the most powerful Supe on earth. From now on, I’m going to teach him exactly how to be a real superhero and actually serve the people. But before that happens, if anyone tries to mess with my son—" He paused. "They’ll have to go through me first, motherfuckers."
Reporters from several veteran media outlets lowered their heads to frantically take notes. A young female reporter looked toward Soldier Boy, a trace of adoration surfacing in her eyes. Homelander glanced sideways at Benjamin, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
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A/N: Next goal: 150 Power Stones = 1 bonus Chapter!
And if you want to read ahead and find out what happens next right away, you can get up to 20 Chapters ahead on my p@tr~on:
[email protected]/ForgottenDaoist (@ = a, link is in my profile).
