The Car's Going Too Fast, I Need to Kick Some Stones

Anxiety, unease, yet an utter inability to change the status quo.

Facing Homelander, even a behemoth like Vought International chose to concede; what could she possibly do?

Under this immense pressure, she had suffered from insomnia for over a month.

After Ryan fell fast asleep, Becca would always turn to alcohol and cigarettes to numb her mind, barely managing to calm her surging emotions.

She had secretly counted the frequency of her encounters with Homelander lately, and it far exceeded the number of times they had interacted eight years ago when she served as his image consultant.

If she were only facing Homelander, she might still be able to endure the hatred in her heart, but...

"Ryan—"

In a daze, Becca seemed to see a vision of her lovely son completely stripped of her protection, facing that inhumane, cold-blooded, and tyrannical villain all alone.

There was no doubt about it.

Ryan had been raised well by her, exactly as she had hoped.

Kind, sensible, well-behaved, thoughtful...

No matter what beautiful words she used to describe Ryan, Becca didn't feel it was an exaggeration.

However...

He has been influenced by Homelander, yet his inherent kindness is fundamentally incompatible with Homelander's nature.

Sooner or later, they will inevitably clash and have a falling out.

My Ryan will be in danger!

Suddenly, just as Becca was about to light a cigarette in her contemplation, she noticed that the car parked by the roadside was actually unlocked.

Could it be that the recent stress has left me so distracted that I forgot to lock it?

Becca didn't think much of it; she grabbed the car keys and went outside to lock it.

Billy Butcher, having once again left The Boys on his own, was something his team members had long grown accustomed to; at most, they would ask where he was going.

But given Butcher's personality, he would surely reply: "Can't you little babies function without your daddy?"

Afterward, he couldn't wait to rush to the secret hideout where Vought International had stashed his wife, Becca.

The intelligence on this location came from his former CIA superior, Grace Mallory, in exchange for helping her investigate the second-rate hero Liberty; as for the true intent behind it, Mallory hadn't revealed a single word.

Right now, Billy had no heart to delve into the details, so he simply dumped these complicated matters onto his team members to handle.

In his heart, he carried only a burning, anxious longing, his every thought focused on seeing Becca as soon as possible.

Sneaking in was easy, but the surveillance covering the entire house and the surrounding neighborhood made Billy afraid to act rashly. He could only open the car door parked on the side of the road and climb inside, waiting for his wife to discover the anomaly.

Every second of waiting was excruciating.

Yet for his wife's safety, he had to hold back. Fortunately, it wasn't long before movement came from the entrance of the residence.

Footsteps—it had to be Becca!

A sudden surge of anticipation instantly gripped Billy's mind, and he was so excited that his limbs went slightly numb.

With a soft creak, the car door was slowly pulled open.

"Hush... it's me, Becca."

Their gazes collided instantly; Billy's eyes grew hot, and tears welled up in his vision.

Shock first flooded Becca's face, but in an instant, overwhelming ecstasy completely replaced her bewilderment.

"No, don't get up."

Becca quickly regained her composure: "Homelander said he disabled the surveillance, but given his personality, it's highly likely he's monitoring it himself."

"I know a place..."

As she spoke, Becca climbed into the car.

The vehicle fell into silence amidst the bumps in the road. The sudden reunion left the couple, separated for eight long years, with so much to say, yet they were unable to find a place to start.

After a long while, just as they were about to reach a blind spot for the cameras, Billy said guiltily: "I'm sorry. I—I didn't know you were still alive. I should have kept looking for you."

Becca, driving the car, couldn't stop her tears from flowing; she shook her head and choked out: "That wasn't your fault. They restricted all my channels of communication with the outside world. For Ryan's safety, I couldn't fight back."

The car stopped on a dim bridge.

As soon as she stepped out, Becca couldn't hold back any longer and threw herself into Billy's arms: "I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I can't imagine how much pain you've been in."

"I—I've been doing fine."

Billy also shook his head; he didn't want to talk about the mess and misery of his own years, only asking in return: "How about you? Has he—has Homelander hurt you?"

"His entire focus is on Ryan."

"Ryan..."

Billy hesitated: "He is Homelander's son."

"I'm sorry!"

"It has nothing to do with you. Mallory showed me that footage from outside the office, and I only hate that I couldn't kill that animal!"

Becca wept, clutching her lover tightly.

The fierce light in Billy's eyes slowly softened into heartache. "I'm taking you away from here."

"Okay!"

Becca agreed without a second thought.

She was on the verge of being driven mad by the crushing pressure; countless times, she had dreamed of escaping Homelander.

But after agreeing, she suddenly thought of her son. "What about Ryan? I can't leave him with Homelander."

"Then we'll leave together."

Billy calmly accepted the superhuman child his wife had borne.

It was just... how should he calculate his relationship with Ryan? Stepfather and stepson?

But the problem was, he and Becca were the original couple!

Just as Billy's mind was wandering, he suddenly felt a scorching gaze burning into him.

Looking down, he saw Becca's eyes burning with intensity.

He was all too familiar with that look; it was a profound memory he had dreamed of during countless restless nights.

All of Billy's distracting thoughts vanished instantly, leaving only one idea in his mind.

To pull his lovely wife into his arms and hold her tight!

This was a longing eight years overdue, and he wanted Becca to understand the depth of his yearning.

"Clatter!"

Suddenly, just as the two were struggling to suppress their urges and eagerly tearing at each other's clothes, the sound of a kicked stone rang out.

Billy was jolted awake from his surge of hormones.

He pulled Becca, who was left with only a thin camisole on her upper body, toward him.

Shielding her behind him, he drew his gun and shouted, "Who's there!"

The moment Ryan had been waiting for soon arrived.

That day, he went to bed early as usual, but once his mother, Becca, left the room, he skillfully got back up.

He waved at the camera before expertly opening his laptop to get to work.

His muted phone screen soon lit up, the caller ID displaying the name "Father."

"Hey, Dad, I was just about to call you."

Ryan chirped, "I'm almost finished watching Homelander: Rise of a Hero, and I promise I'll go to sleep right after."

"Sorry, Dad, I just really wanted to know the ending. Even though I know you'll definitely win, I... oh no, don't spoil it for me."

On the other end of the line was Homelander's private office at Vought Tower.

Homelander wore a doting smile.

Ashley, having grown accustomed to this rare sight, was no longer surprised.

Unlike the first time, when she had seen the smile on Homelander's face and felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet.

She had been terrified that Homelander had gone insane again.

In the office, besides Homelander and Ashley Barrett, the current Senior Vice President of Hero Management, there was a special task force.

The group was managed by Ashley, but it operated independently of Vought International and took orders from no one.

Its sole purpose was to provide comprehensive planning, intervention, remediation, and script guidance for the father-son relationship between Homelander and Ryan, crafting the image of a gentle, powerful, and one-of-a-kind perfect father.

Furthermore, they had to submit a concise daily report to Homelander, summarizing the day's issues in the father-son dynamic, optimization plans for the next day, potential risk warnings, and pre-prepared contingency plans.