John, You Will Regret This!

"Heh—"

Azu's inner resentment did not diminish in the slightest. He let out a soft hum and said coldly, "Ashley is irrelevant, regardless of whether you agree to rescind the order or not."

"I will never let Ryan step foot into a laboratory!"

"Oh, John, you've moved me."

Edgar looked at Homelander, shaking his head with a chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You are learning how to be a father."

Clap! Clap!

Edgar clapped his hands twice. "But John, you never had a father. You have never experienced the love of a father, and we both know that."

"SO! WHAT!"

Azu was struck right in the most fragile part of his heart. He gritted his teeth in hatred, wishing he could kill him instantly with his Heat Vision.

Just like Madelyn.

But... he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Stan Edgar, you old pervert who has remained the same for decades.

"You see, you know it best in your heart, John."

Edgar was completely immune to Homelander's gaze; he wasn't afraid in the slightest. He said, "Also, you got one thing wrong. I am not planning to send Ryan to a laboratory."

"He is not the next Homelander. He will not walk the same path as you."

Azu narrowed his eyes, waiting for what was to come.

Edgar spoke without reservation, "From the very beginning, we designed Ryan to be your antithesis."

"You are violent, paranoid, and hollow. You are forever governed by emotions and desires, never understanding restraint, patience, moderation, or the human heart."

"He, however, inherits your bloodline and possesses your abilities, yet he will not replicate your madness."

"He is rational, obedient, knows how to love others, and knows how to follow the rules. He is your antidote, and he is your replacement."

The words were spoken at length, and listened to for just as long.

Long enough to leave Azu in a daze.

Those cold, cruel words that sliced through his Steel Body were like countless sharp needles, densely piercing his already festering heart.

Then, only a hollow bewilderment remained.

So, the love he craved existed only to replace him.

Edgar's consistently calm gaze shifted; this was the first time it had changed since Homelander burst in.

He looked over with an indescribable expression—one that seemed like pity, yet also like amusement—and softly called out, "John..."

Azu looked up.

His gaze met Edgar's eyes, which held complex emotions he couldn't decipher.

"John... fine, Homelander. I know you love Ryan very much, and I am quite fond of that child as well, but his true nature is fundamentally different from yours."

"Believe me, if you insist on being with him, he will break your heart."

As soon as Edgar finished speaking, Azu's expression changed instantly.

He couldn't even... hold it back, and he burst out laughing.

"Pfft!"

"Hahaha... ha... break my heart?"

"Stan—Stan—Stan Edgar!"

Azu called his name three times in a row. "You have never cared about me! Never!"

"But now..."

Azu's voice turned eerie. "You are actually concerned about me, just because I didn't agree to let you throw Ryan into a lab to test his superpowers?"

"You! You said a whole bunch of bullshit, and it turns out you were just trying to sow discord in our father-son relationship."

Edgar's expression tightened, but he immediately returned to his calm demeanor.

He responded coldly, "You will regret this, John."

"I won't. I am Homelander. Oh, right, do you know why I saw through you, Stan?"

"Does that matter?"

Azu stood up and looked down at him. "Because my son did something for me that no one else ever has."

"He will never break my heart! And you..."

Azu glanced at him with contempt, too lazy to even finish his sentence, and turned to leave.

Edgar's expression remained calm. Only when Homelander's retreating figure had left the room did he lower his head, revealing a silent smile.

Were those words truly useless?

Let us wait and see, John.

"Bang—"

Almost immediately after, before the smile in Edgar's eyes had even faded, another person barged into his office without permission.

It was quite lively today.

"Edgar!! Your actions are too..."

"Ms. Vought!"

Edgar called out to Stormfront sharply.

It was both a reminder and an interruption to stop her from saying what she intended.

"I don't recall summoning you."

Stormfront wore an angry expression: "Spare me, Edgar. Drop that pretentious, high-society act. I still remember you and Soldier Boy partying back when you were young..."

"Clara Vought!"

"Hmph..."

Stormfront stopped her sarcasm and sat in the chair Homelander had just vacated: "Rest easy, Homelander has flown away."

"Otherwise, would I have barged in here without a care to plot with you against his son?"

Edgar nodded in understanding.

You see, Homelander had never possessed patience, but... what was he doing flying off?

"Stan Edgar!"

Having had his train of thought interrupted, Edgar stopped dwelling on the reason. At most, he would just have to clean up another one of Homelander's messes; it was nothing major.

He didn't wait for Stormfront to question him again, speaking first: "Ms. Vought, yesterday's interview program was indeed unexpected. But after all these years, why haven't you learned one thing... patience. Have a little more patience."

"Heh."

Stormfront sneered, her tone firm: "I have always advocated for lightning warfare."

Edgar sighed softly: "As you saw, Homelander just left my office. We discussed matters regarding Ryan."

"And?"

"And we will soon understand the extent of Ryan's superpowers. Afterward, I will find a way to transfer him away from Vought International headquarters and arrange for him to film a movie?"

"Haha, it seems you have already made a complete plan."

"That is how I always do things."

Stormfront replied, "So we just wait here?"

Edgar stood up slowly: "Follow me. I will take you to meet a few people."

After speaking, he glanced at her and added: "One of them is someone you need to handle the aftermath for. Remember their faces."

Azu pushed his flight speed to the limit.

In the blink of an eye, he arrived at this place where his nightmares began.

A secret base hidden by Vought International within a small town, a top-secret project specializing in embryonic experiments, a... cage of suffering designed to create the perfect superhuman.

He hovered in mid-air, his Super Vision piercing through layers of soil and rock, reaching deep into the laboratory.

"Marty!"

The assistant director of the laboratory, a man who had once brought him ultimate humiliation. The nickname "Whale Shooter" had followed him throughout his entire adolescence.

"Frank!"

A senior researcher at the lab, a man without a shred of empathy who took pleasure in tormenting him. Azu remembered him vividly.

"I still remember your celebratory gesture after you threw trash into the bin!"

Azu's low murmur was scattered by the howling gale.

Yet, the biting wind at this height could never blow away the past branded deep into his soul, nor the venomous words of Stan Edgar.

They remained like blades, like vipers, repeatedly gnawing at his heart.

"No! No!"

"I cannot believe him. Ryan, he definitely wouldn't. He loves me so much."

But the more he thought this way, the more his groundless, inexplicable rage surged, as if it were going to burn him through from the inside out, scorching him dry.

"You all, damn you!"

He could only vent this fire toward the ground below.

Azu moved, preparing to descend, but suddenly stopped: "How could I arrive without a gift? Yes, I should bring them a... celebratory cake."