Free Web NovelChapter 58: 58: I Am Your Father
The greatest weapon anyone can wield is the truth... used at the right time.
~ Frank Underwood (House of Cards)
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Vogelbaum was on the verge of tears.
"I... fine, fine! I’ll talk!"
As the monitor who had accompanied Homelander throughout his growth, Homelander had complicated feelings toward Vogelbaum. In the original show, even after knowing the truth, he didn’t kill Vogelbaum.
But the current Homelander... had been toyed with time and time again.
Madelyn’s blunder this time was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
"It is... it is indeed the case."
Vogelbaum said, "Eight years ago, that woman, Becca, she was indeed pregnant with your child. Vought took her to a secret facility to give birth."
"And the child?"
"The child..." Vogelbaum swallowed hard, "The child died. Shortly after birth, it... suffered organ failure..."
"And Becca?"
"She... she also died. Giving birth to a supe infant isn’t safe... the mother was just a normal person..."
Hillel leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking coldly at Vogelbaum.
"He’s lying."
Homelander turned his head to look at Hillel.
"The child didn’t die." Hillel’s tone was firm. "His name is Ryan."
Vogelbaum’s face turned pale instantly.
"You... how do you—"
"This is Vought’s highest-level classified secret."
Hillel walked over. "Even Ashley only knows the project codename. She doesn’t know the specific details."
"But I know."
Hillel stopped in front of Vogelbaum, looking down at him.
"Because a friend of mine works at the CIA, and during their investigation into Vought, they discovered the existence of this project. It was originally intended to be used against Homelander..."
Vogelbaum’s legs went weak, though his legs were weak to begin with.
"I... I was just following orders... it was Edgar who made me—"
"Where is Ryan?"
Homelander’s voice sounded as if it came from an ice cellar.
Vogelbaum looked up and saw only a Homelander who was gloomy to the extreme.
Homelander throwing a tantrum isn’t scary. What’s scary is this kind of gloominess.
"...Go find Madelyn. She will tell you!"
For the first time, Vogelbaum felt fear.
Homelander’s expression froze.
He stood there motionless, as if struck by lightning.
Madelyn knew all along?
She knew, yet didn’t tell him?
Did she not know what he truly craved?
[Homelander—Emotions reached the limit: Breakdown, Rage, Despair, Murderous Intent]
[Ability Points Gained: +18,456]
Hillel was amused.
Homelander’s emotions have reached their peak!
This news is indeed shocking enough.
It’s a pity, but things have to come to that step eventually.
Homelander killing his mother figure.
If Madelyn had just stayed put, Hillel wouldn’t have planned to deal with her, but she had to jump out herself.
You’ve provoked a nuke, haven’t you?
Homelander didn’t speak.
He turned around and flew out of the laboratory.
Hillel followed behind.
Madelyn’s apartment.
The door was torn open from the outside. The steel door, several inches thick, was as brittle as paper, and the wall collapsed along with it.
Madelyn was sitting on the living room sofa reading documents. She looked up abruptly upon hearing the commotion.
Then she saw Homelander.
Standing in the middle of the shattered doorframe, his face as calm as a saint.
"John..."
Madelyn stood up, her voice trembling slightly.
"...What are you doing here?"
"Where is Ryan?"
Just hearing the name "Ryan" spoken by Homelander, she sensed something was wrong.
It’s over!
All her pretenses, composure, and professionalism collapsed in that instant.
"You... how do you know..."
"Because I am not that idiot who will keep being toyed with by you!"
Homelander’s gaze pierced through the ceiling. An infant in swaddling clothes was lying in a cradle.
"Madelyn, you stole eight years of time I could have spent with my child. Tell me, how should I treat your child?"
Homelander walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back.
"No, don’t!"
Madelyn was about to get up, but Homelander instantly appeared in front of her and pressed her down onto the sofa.
Footsteps came from the stairs.
Hillel carried the child and walked down the stairs step by step.
He didn’t intend to do anything to the child. He was just worried that Homelander would get too carried away with his killing and send the child back to the womb.
Madelyn deserved to die, but this child... he should save him.
"John, listen to my explanation..." Madelyn knew her end was approaching and tried to persuade Homelander again. free𝑤ebnovel.com
"No need to explain."
Homelander tilted his head back, his tears flowing backward.
"What did you take me for?"
"I treated you like my own son..."
"Shh, shh, shh."
Homelander extended a finger and held it in front of his lips.
The gesture was very gentle, making one’s hair stand on end.
"The Guardian was right from the start. You just treated me as a job."
Madelyn’s tears flowed down. "That’s not true, John, I really..."
"That damn child upstairs is your son."
Homelander’s voice began to tremble.
"I grew up in a laboratory! No one cooked for me! No one took me to school! No one ever told me a damn bedtime story!! The only thing that accompanied me was a blue blanket, a... damn... blanket!!"
"If I had a child..."
Homelander revealed his true feelings. "If I had a child... I wouldn’t let him lose all of this. I would give him complete paternal love. Whatever he wants, I would give to him! But you stole my opportunity!! That was the opportunity to change everything!!!"
Madelyn took a step back and hit the sofa.
"John, please... I’ll tell you Becca’s location. She is in... spare me, I beg you!"
"And one more thing."
Homelander suddenly calmed down. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
"Don’t call me John. I don’t need you."
He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth pulling into a twisted smile.
"I have real friends!"
Madelyn saw Homelander’s eyes light up with red beams.
She wanted to scream, wanted to beg for mercy.
But it was too late.
Two beams of red light shot out.
Precisely piercing through Madelyn’s eye sockets.
Continuous heat output, like a microwave, heating from the inside, baking Madelyn’s brain into jelly.
Homelander stood in place, looking at Madelyn’s corpse, silent for a long time.
Then he looked at the child in Hillel’s arms.
Hillel’s eyes lit up with red light.
Homelander walked straight past him and took off with pigeon-toed feet.
Hillel wrapped the infant in a force field and followed him out.
Becca’s hiding place.
Hillel and Homelander stood outside the apartment. Both of their X-ray vision could see the scene inside.
Becca was talking to Ryan.
But the commotion of the two landing was not light. It quickly alerted the people inside.
Becca walked out the door, and seeing it was Homelander, the expression on her face gradually turned into terror.
Becca, Butcher’s wife, had given birth to a child for Homelander.
Her actions simply shattered Hillel’s worldview.
Pregnant, she didn’t dare tell her husband, nor did she go to abort it. Instead, she went to find Vought to give birth to the child.
She left without a word, causing Butcher to have a mental breakdown and gradually turn toward the extreme.
"Mom?"
Ryan followed out and was pleasantly surprised to see The Guardian and Homelander.
"The Guardian? It’s The Guardian!!"
"And Homelander!"
Becca didn’t let Ryan watch Homelander’s movies, and she told Ryan almost nothing about Homelander.
But recently, Ryan learned that a new superhero guarding justice had appeared.
Becca seemed to think that The Guardian’s image was beneficial for a child’s growth, so she let him watch videos of Hillel saving people.
So Ryan actually liked The Guardian a bit more.
"Hey! You’re Ryan, right?"
Homelander actually pulled out a quite sincere smile, took the initiative to crouch down, and signaled for Ryan to come forward.
"I am your father!"
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