The Takeoff Stance Is a Little Seductive

The events of the outside world could not disturb Ryan for the time being.

For instance, Vought International was in a state of management chaos following the death of Madelyn, forcing CEO Stan Edgar to step in personally.

Or there was Hughie and his group, who had already killed Translucent and were now being framed by Vought International as wanted fugitives.

As for the leader of The Boys, Billy...

That unlucky fellow had put his team in grave danger due to his single-minded quest for revenge against Homelander. Although he had been spared by Homelander, he was now so devastated by the reality that his wife was still alive that he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He was currently out of contact, so there was no need to worry about him.

In short, whether the outside world was in turmoil or undercurrents were shifting, none of it had anything to do with Ryan right now.

By the next day, massive changes had occurred in his surroundings.

"Mom, I didn't see Uncle Ram jogging today, and Grandma Susan wasn't watering her flowers, and also..."

"Where did everyone go? Is there some kind of community event?"

Why else would it be? Naturally, it was because Homelander had already found him, meaning this fake Truman Show could no longer be maintained.

Furthermore, after the supervisor Johnny was taken away yesterday, the entire monitoring team had been paralyzed.

His mother, Becca, forced a smile: "Right, they went on a trip."

"I want to go too~"

Ryan put on an enthusiastic expression: "Mom, I've never been on a trip. I want to be like Vought, to be able to go to many places and meet lots of friends."

Just as Becca was about to say something, a gust of wind descended from the sky.

Homelander laughed: "That's simple enough. I'll take you wherever you want to go."

"No!"

Becca reacted instinctively, refusing without a second thought.

But when she saw the surprise and fear in Ryan's eyes, she realized what she had done.

She explained in a panic: "Ryan, I mean, Mom will take you in the future, just not right now."

"Why?"

"Because, uh... right, you still have piano lessons to study."

"O-okay."

[Daily Performance EXP +5]

Better than nothing.

Ryan thought to himself, though it didn't stop him from turning his head to look at Homelander with excitement.

"Dad, you can fly, that's so cool!"

Under Becca's pained expression as she struggled for words, Homelander stood with his hands on his hips, looking smug: "Of course, I can certainly fly."

"Son, actually you can fly too. How about we learn how to fly today?"

"I can fly too?"

Ryan was astonished: "Mom, can I really fly?"

This was a lethal question!

Becca wanted nothing more than to tell Ryan that he couldn't fly.

But under Homelander's hypocritical, smiling gaze, she could no longer maintain the plan she had formulated with Vought International.

From the moment Homelander found her and Ryan, the plan to raise Ryan as a normal person, which had been implemented for the past eight years, had officially come to an end.

She had no choice but to admit it.

Therefore, Becca nodded slowly, with a hint of pain: "You, perhaps, can fly too!"

"Wow--"

Ryan shouted in excitement, impatiently grabbing Homelander's hand: "Dad, Mom said I can fly too."

"So, so what should I do?"

Hidden within Ryan's excited expression was a trace of apology toward his mother, Becca.

He had to do this.

The fundamental conflict between The Boys and Homelander stemmed from the disappearance of his mother, Becca, which had led to Billy Butcher's rampage and hatred.

Now, with the causalities intertwined, the points of contention between the two sides had shifted to multiple fronts.

But Ryan did not want his mother to die under his heat vision as she did in the original story, so he had to plan ahead. From the moment he met Homelander, he had to cruelly shatter Becca's unrealistic fantasies.

In other words.

He, Ryan, the son of Homelander, was also a super-powered being.

From now on, there was no need, and it was no longer possible, to continue maintaining this crumbling, fake community.

The sooner he recognized reality, the sooner Becca could break free from Homelander and reunite with her husband, Billy.

But before that, Ryan still had to apply a patch to Homelander.

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, yet they didn't affect his performance in the slightest.

He listened intently as Homelander explained the key points of flight: "Son, strike this pose just like me..."

Ryan stared with bright, focused eyes at Homelander's takeoff stance.

He saw him bring his legs together, heels slightly raised, while his knees bent outward and then inward like a ballet dancer.

Then, he pushed his hips forward with a hint of deliberate, affected daintiness.

"This is the preparatory move; tell yourself you are about to take flight."

As he spoke, Homelander slowly raised his arms from his sides.

He kept his elbows intentionally bent, maintaining a relaxed yet calculated curve, much like a tango dancer.

His hands overlapped above his head, wrists turning slightly to fully display the sheen of his red gloves and the gold patterns on his gauntlets.

"Then, let your body sink naturally... pay attention!"

Homelander gave Ryan a standard Homelander smile: "Never look down; let your neck line also become a part of this performance... ahem, I mean, this takeoff."

So, this takeoff move was definitely programmed for you by Vought International, wasn't it?

Ryan grumbled inwardly, finding it far too flamboyant and effeminate.

Did the designer who came up with this look have a grudge against my dear Homelander?

Just as Homelander reached the peak of his most "effeminate" pose, he suddenly exerted force and "sprung" his entire body off the ground.

The airflow around him exploded instantly, and the rising dust became the stage smoke for this show.

"Wow!"

Ryan exclaimed in perfect coordination, then enthusiastically clapped to show his support.

"That was... so cool!"

Floating in the air, Homelander also stood excitedly with his hands on his hips, loudly encouraging him: "Son, you try it too, just like I did."

"You can do it."

"Yeah!"

Ryan nodded vigorously.

He brought his legs together in a dainty bend, lowered his body, swung his arms slowly, and then...

Set in his stance, Ryan gave a sudden little hop upward.

It was literally just a little hop.

His jump height wasn't even as high as that of an active, mischievous boy.

He looked down at his feet in bewilderment, then raised his eyes to look at Homelander, who was hovering in mid-air with a composed posture.

The smile on Homelander's face froze.

Becca, however, let out a quiet sigh of relief, her long-tensed shoulders and back slowly relaxing.

The fact that her son hadn't managed to fly successfully was, to her, a sign of comfort.

All these years, she had raised Ryan with extreme caution, never seeking for her son to possess world-destroying power, but hoping instead that he could be an ordinary, normal person.

From the bottom of her heart, she resisted the idea of Ryan becoming a villain like Homelander—someone with monstrous strength, yet a perverse and reckless nature.

Becca walked forward, her tone gentle and comforting as she called out: "Ryan, it's okay, when you grow up a little more..."

"No, Mom!"

For the first time in his life, Ryan rejected Becca's suggestion.

This was also the first time Becca had seen such stubbornness manifest in her son.

Ryan shook his head gently: "Mom, let me try again. I am Homelander's son; I definitely can do it."