Thanks for this surprise

Ryan was a good boy, and he had understood one principle from a young age.

Be polite, and do not rashly interrupt others when they are having a good time playing games.

Otherwise, one would be labeled a "pesky kid."

So, he waited patiently outside, watching the intensity and fun of this online game while secretly cheering them on.

After all, having gauged the man's level of enjoyment, he figured the poor guy was likely about to suffer a regrettable defeat.

Damn it!

You need to pull yourself together; how can you let evil Cate win?

Besides, the glass on this dormitory building seemed quite interesting.

Super Vision not only allowed Ryan to see through the opaque curtains, but it also gave him a clear view of the spiderweb-like stress patterns within the transparent glass, as well as the dense, multi-layered adhesive structure between the panes.

"Is this a dormitory or a prison?"

Could a Level 1 Heat Vision cut through this aviation-grade glass?

Suddenly, Ryan's ears twitched.

He tore his gaze away from the window with difficulty and looked toward the quiet, tree-lined path of the campus.

A petite Asian girl with an expression of unconcealable exhaustion was slowly walking toward him from the end of the path.

Ryan pondered for a moment, comparing her to the file Ashley had given him, and quickly recognized who she was.

Jordan Lee!

An omnipotent warrior who could freely switch genders.

When in her female form, her superpower manifested as energy blasts, which possessed high lethality.

When in his male form, he possessed super-strength, durability, and close-quarters combat abilities.

Furthermore, she was part of Cate's inner circle, in the same grade as Golden Boy Luke Riordan and another person Ryan hadn't met yet, Andre Anderson.

The four of them were not only close, but they had also all surged into the academy's top ten rankings during their freshman year.

As for where Ryan had seen Golden Boy?

The one fighting in the room was him.

"I'm doing this for Golden Boy's own good; I'm definitely not hiding this just for the teaching assistant position. He is the No. 1 among us; he cannot afford to drop in the rankings."

Jordan, who believed her whispered thoughts were heard by no one, could never have imagined that an uninvited guest had arrived on campus and heard every single word she said.

Ryan rolled his eyes, then turned to look back at the room, where Cate had already opened her eyes, her expression complex and filled with guilt.

There's a story here.

He had been worried that his identity alone wouldn't be enough to make Cate open up, but it turned out that timing was everything.

Ryan had an idea.

With a thought, he immediately flew down toward Jordan.

Sonic boom...?

There was no sonic boom; amidst the whistling wind, Ryan descended from the sky with clean, decisive movements.

"Who?!"

Jordan was startled, and then performed a transformation right in front of Ryan.

It was like watching a video set to maximum speed; in a mere flicker, before he could even see clearly, the girl in front of him had turned into a boy.

Then, the male Jordan, having assumed a defensive stance, suddenly realized that the person blocking his path was actually... a child??

"Sister... Brother, do you know Cate Dunlap? If you do, could you take me to find her?"

Don't underestimate the small fry.

Even if his usual acting experience was low, it was still experience.

He had dropped his mask in front of Ashley because she could help him do things he couldn't manage on his own right now.

In front of everyone else, he was just a well-behaved, clever, eight-year-old boy—at most, a bit brighter than average—who happened to be Homelander's son.

"Ry... Ryan?!!"

Of course, Jordan knew Homelander's son.

Nonsense, after that live interview, what supe wouldn't know or remember the young master of the world's top celebrity?

After recognizing Ryan, Jordan didn't hesitate to switch back immediately.

"Call me sister! Ryan, you're looking for Cate, right?"

Jordan's face blossomed into a smile, her tone soft as if she were afraid of scaring the child. "Come, come here, sister will take you to her; I know where her dorm is."

"By the way, Ryan, what do you need Cate for?"

"Oh, it's like this, I'm filming... and then... so..."

Ryan babbled incoherently the entire way, spouting nonsense reasons; he wasn't sure if Jordan understood a word of it, but he certainly didn't understand himself.

With her leading the way, entering the dormitory building, which was riddled with surveillance cameras, became a breeze.

The interior of the building possessed the relaxed and free atmosphere typical of American university campuses, with graffiti and club posters plastered all over the walls.

Occasionally, strange noises could be heard drifting out from behind the doors they passed.

Ryan had no idea what they were doing inside, and he didn't dare ask.

However, while heading upstairs, his Super Hearing, which had been locked onto Cate's room the entire time, gave him a massive surprise.

"Sorry, I made you worry. Was I too rough?"

The game had ended happily, and Golden Boy, seemingly feeling guilty toward his girlfriend and thinking he had been too violent—like a berserker—offered this word of comfort.

"It's okay, honey, I liked it."

"Just stop overthinking things. The Professor won't blame you, and we all understand that you were only like that because of Sam..."

"No! Cate, Sam, he... he isn't dead. I think I remembered something else!"

"The woods?"

"The woods appeared in my mind again. Sam is right there... ugh!"

Thud...

Ryan raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing out of habit.

Judging by the sound, the moment Golden Boy mentioned the "woods" secret laboratory, he had been knocked unconscious by Cate without a shred of resistance.

The room fell deathly silent.

There was no need for further analysis; Cate definitely knew about the "woods" laboratory, and this Sam they spoke of might very well be a test subject Cate had put in there.

She had knocked Golden Boy out, and she was likely wiping his memory right now.

"Big sister, I snuck out, and I don't want Dad to worry, so can we hurry up?"

"Uh, alright."

Jordan replied, accelerating her pace with some reluctance.

She had wanted to use this opportunity to win Ryan's favor, but the kid seemed obsessed with getting Cate to play a supporting role in his movie.

Feeling deflated, Jordan stopped overthinking it and led him to Cate's door in a few quick strides.

"This is it."

Knock, knock—

"Cate, open up! I've brought you a huge surprise!"

There was no response from the room.

"Cate?"

"Are you not in there? Why is the door locked?"

Jordan spread her hands and was just about to turn around and say, "Maybe she's with Golden Boy," when she felt a gust of wind whip past her.

Immediately following a massive crash she hadn't even had time to react to, the locked door was smashed open.

Then, she saw it at a glance: Cate, who was clearly in the room but had remained silent, was stark naked, giving a similarly stark naked Golden Boy... some brain care?