I'll Find You Another Dad, So the Love You Need Comes Even Harder

It was still that same luxurious detached villa.

Inside the study.

Stan Edgar had just finished finalizing the mediation of congressional bills related to Vought International with his daughter, Neuman, when the landline on his desk suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, mentioned "Godolkin University" to his daughter, and picked up the receiver.

"Dean Shetty."

"Mr. Edgar, apologies for the intrusion. I am calling regarding the latest experimental report from The Woods and the progress of subsequent projects."

Stan nodded slightly, his voice calm and measured: "I am listening, Dean."

From the other end of the line came Indira Shetty's methodical voice: "Over the past half-month, Professor Cardosa and I have completed the third round of live trials for the supe-suppressant toxin. The experiments indicate..."

Dean Shetty's report was exhaustive, but the core demands of this call—which should not have been directed to Stan Edgar in the first place—boiled down to two points.

First, she requested additional project funding, as her standard applications had been blocked internally by the company, and she hoped the CEO would intervene.

Second, she requested a supply of the original virus samples from Sage Grove Psychiatric Hospital (Sage Grove).

Finally, Dean Shetty emphasized: "Sir, to develop a brand-new suppressant virus that weakens superpowers for the sake of restraint and control, we must have sufficient raw materials."

"I hope you can hand over the source of the original virus samples to me entirely!"

After listening to the entire call, Stan Edgar was stunned for a moment.

With Homelander showing increasingly uncontrollable behavior, he had indeed once harbored the hope of developing a virus capable of suppressing supe abilities.

However, it had ultimately been nothing more than a casual move, a backup option kept in reserve.

Therefore, he had never delved into it since the project's inception, nor had he given it much thought, simply letting The Woods proceed at its own pace.

He had not expected that a casual planting would now bear fruit, with the laboratory on the verge of a breakthrough.

This... should have been something to be happy about.

But the source of those virus samples...

Edgar's voice carried a hint of bitterness: "Dean Shetty, I cannot hand over the source of the original virus samples. I will have someone pack up all the existing virus samples at the Sage Grove laboratory and have them delivered to you immediately."

"As for the funding, please do not worry; I will handle it properly."

With that, he hung up the phone.

Stan Edgar lowered his eyes, feeling a sense of agitation in his heart.

At the desk, Neuman spoke softly: "Father, is there trouble? If you need me to, I can resolve it for you."

Edgar shook his head, his tone tinged with unexpected helplessness: "Truly, things are unpredictable."

"The news I just received is that the three hypnotized supes taken away by Stormfront have all been killed at the hands of Maeve and Billy's group."

He sighed, a trace of annoyance flashing in his eyes: "I should have realized it sooner. That supe's ability was to suppress other supes, yet I only treated him as a consumable."

"His value..."

Ring, ring, ring—

Before he could finish, the phone on the desk rang once again.

The caller ID showed a number he did not recognize.

"I am Stan Edgar. Who are you? How did you get this number?"

A voice came from the other end of the line, and Neuman, who was in the study, clearly recognized it as a woman's.

After listening quietly for a while, her father seemed to agree to some secret transaction.

Then, after giving the other party a very vague address, he said: "Since you want a solution, then as far as I know, he is hidden here."

"Yes, no need to be surprised, Ms. Becca."

Stan Edgar chuckled: "I guarantee that you will certainly rescue a Soldier Boy who has been studied by the Russians for decades and is still 'alive'!"

"And he will undoubtedly make Homelander feel fear!"

The call was disconnected again.

Edgar stared blankly at the silent landline for a while, then suddenly felt quite cheerful.

Neuman asked in confusion: "Father?"

"Ha, it's nothing."

Though Edgar said it was nothing, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He even laughed until he was rocking back and forth, completely disregarding his image.

After laughing for a while, he finally managed to control his emotions.

Then, looking at his daughter, he suddenly asked: "Neuman, a person's love can actually be divided, right?"

Before his daughter could answer, he provided his own answer: "Just like how, ever since you had a daughter of your own, your love for me has inevitably diminished."

"Father, I..."

"No need to explain, I understand."

Edgar gestured briefly toward his daughter before looking away, turning his gaze toward the window.

At the same time, he said to himself, Since the beast's leash is no longer in my hands, I will simply find another one.

Vought Tower, Ryan's private suite.

Azu had wanted his son to stay in the same room as him, but Ryan had politely declined, citing that "Dad should have his own private life too."

Consequently, Black Noir, who had originally lived next door to Azu, was moved to make space.

Returning from a cozy dinner as a family of four, Azu had been dealing with his emotions being manipulated lately, which caused a sharp decline in "hero rescue" operations and brought his public approval rating to the brink of dropping by a full percentage point.

In an unprecedentedly good mood today, he had prepared to make a public reappearance tonight.

"...Vought Studios' annual blockbuster has officially begun filming, generating constant, high-heat buzz. According to our station, the lead actor for this film is none other than Homelander..."

On the television, the evening news was reporting on the day's opening ceremony once again.

On screen, Maeve was holding his hand as they stepped onto the red carpet, but Ryan only glanced at it twice before his mind wandered elsewhere.

As he focused his consciousness into the system, he couldn't help but click his tongue in secret.

Should he expect anything less from the Best Actor System?

Now that filming had officially started and they had only shot the first scene today, it had already granted him this much experience?

[On-set filming, daily experience points settled: 4100]

"Four thousand one hundred! It can't possibly settle this much every single day, right?"

Although Ryan was surprised—a single scene had given him enough points to unlock a level-one skill with some to spare—he figured it couldn't be this high every day.

Otherwise, he wouldn't need to do anything else.

He could just film this one movie, take his time, and by the time he finished, he would be as powerful as Superman.

"Even though I'm the lead, not every scene will be a solo, heavy-hitting performance like today's."

"But regardless of the amount, as long as I'm filming a movie and acting seriously in front of the camera, the acting experience points will never be lower than daily camouflage!"

Ryan was certain of this, and the verification method was very simple.

Even with Vought International's immense ability to mobilize resources and personnel, a full film would take at least two to three months to complete.

Over such a long period—nearly 60 to 90 days—the 200,000 experience points required for a level-five Steel Body could easily be accumulated.

"Wait, today's scenes weren't even the heavy-hitters."

"Perhaps when Azu joins the set for those specific scenes, the settled experience points will be even higher."

"By the time the entire film finishes shooting, the total amount of acting experience points obtained will not only easily max out Steel Body, but I'll also be able to upgrade a few other skills as well."