John opened the box carefully.
There lies a Polaroid camera quietly inside. The casing is silver-gray and has a cold metallic texture to the touch.
"You have the best eyesight in the world. You can see far away and see things behind walls."
Lynn looked into John's eyes, his voice gentle and calm, "But I hope you can use it to record some beautiful things that you can see without super vision, such as today's noodles, such as Annie's paintings, such as everyone in this room."
Lynn did not talk about the responsibility of Superheroes, nor did it mention any mission to save the world.
He just gave a camera and told the nine-year-old boy to keep the temperature around him.
John lowered his head and gently touched the camera's shutter button with his fingers.
He bit his lower lip tightly, and after a while, he suddenly raised his head, raised the camera, and focused on Lynn sitting opposite him and several children surrounding him.
Click.
A white flash light came on.
After a few seconds, the lower end of the camera spit out a piece of photo paper that had not yet been developed.
John took the photo paper and gently shook it in mid-air, and the picture gradually became clearer.
In the photo, Lynn is smiling slightly, Annie is playing scissor hands, Reggie is trying to make a face, Tommy still has a cool expression, Kevin is holding Fish Tank and carefully sticking out half of his head, and even Buddy suddenly jumped out.
Although the composition is a little skewed, this is John's first true family portrait in the world.
He put the photo away close to his body, then picked up his fork and ate the fragrant bowl of longevity noodles.
The bone broth was very hot, but he ate it so quickly that not even a drop of broth was left.
After eating the noodles, Lynn took out a not too big but very delicate chocolate cake from the refrigerator, with a colorful candle representing the age of nine inserted on it.
"Make a wish."
Lynn lit the candle with a lighter.
The weak candlelight danced on John's face.
He closed his eyes and clasped his hands together.
Those Vought International researchers once asked him what he would want if he could make a wish.
His answer at the time was that he wanted more power, because only power could keep him from being bullied.
But now, his inner wish has changed.
John said silently in his heart:
I don't need to save the world, and I don't need the worship of those mortals.
I just want Lynn to sit by my side forever.
If one day, anyone or anything wants to destroy this home, no matter who it is, I will burn them to ashes, leaving nothing behind.
He made a morbid oath in his heart that was completely different from that of an ordinary nine-year-old child, and even smelled of blood. Then he opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and blew out the candle with all his strength.
"I made a good wish."
John raised his head and showed an extremely bright smile to Lynn.
"Then let's cut the cake. Reggie has been staring at that chocolate sign for a long time."
Lynn rubbed John's short golden hair.
Just when the restaurant became lively again due to the cake cutting, there was a sudden sound of slight footsteps on the gravel path outside the Manor.
Black Noir, wearing the everlasting black uniform, walked through the morning fog in the front yard like a ghost and walked to the doorstep.
He didn't knock on the door or go in to disturb the commotion inside. He just quietly took out a small, beautifully wrapped square box from his pocket and placed it on the doormat.
After doing all this, he turned around and merged into the mist again.
The chocolate cake on the table was quickly divided up.
Reggie had eaten black frosting all over his face, and was secretly sticking out his tongue to lick the crumbs at the bottom of the plate.
Buddy suddenly ran to the entrance door, wagging his tail towards the frosted glass door, and let out two deep sobs in his throat.
Lynn put down the coffee cup in his hand, stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.
The morning fog in early autumn has not completely dissipated, and the gravel path is empty, not even a human figure.
Only a small square box wrapped in black wrapping paper lay quietly on the mat in front of the door.
Lynn looked around. Although he didn't see anything, he couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
That boring gourd who likes to hide in the corner wearing black clothes, even if he is giving a gift, he must act like he is on some top-secret assassination mission.
"John, come here and get your last gift."
Lynn bent down to pick up the box, turned around and walked back to the restaurant.
"Any more?"
John immediately put down the fork in his hand and ran over to take the heavy black box.
The children also came over curiously.
In this home, there are very few packages sent to them because the outside world does not know their existence at all.
John tore open the black wrapping paper without any logo and opened the wooden buckle inside.
The box was padded with a layer of soft black velvet, and in the middle lay an eagle with spread wings hand-carved from a single piece of solid wood.
This wooden eagle is only the size of a palm, but the carving is incredibly good.
The lines of each feather are clearly visible, the eagle's eyes are sharp, and even the pair of sharp claws reveal a fierceness that is ready to tear apart the prey at any time.
"Wow, this looks really cool."
Reggie took a closer look and couldn't help but sigh.
Tommy touched his chin. "The knife work looks like it was cut bit by bit with a very sharp dagger, but why is the color of the wood a bit black?"
Lynn Looking at the wooden sculpture, he probably had an idea.
This must have been made by the Black Noir guy who usually squats on the rooftop of the headquarters or in some dark corner, holding his special Ninja Sword, which is used for killing people, and cut it out one by one.
And this guy obviously remembered the eagle shoulder armor on the "Homelander" suit and chose this look specially.
The top killer who survived Nicaragua, had half his brain exploded, and lost the ability to speak, is actually much simpler at heart than the people in suits in the Vought International building.
"Put it away, this is given to you by a friend who cannot speak."
Lynn patted John on the shoulder.
John held the wooden carved eagle and gently rubbed the sharp edges of its wings with his fingers.
He liked this gift very much, not because of how well it was carved, but because the eagle looked full of aggression and power, which fit perfectly with his positioning of himself.
"I'll put it on my bedside cabinet."
John carefully put the wood carving back into the box and put it together with the Polaroid camera Lynn gave him.
After breakfast, the children's excitement had completely subsided.
John didn't join them.
He was holding the silver-gray Polaroid, wandering around the house like a curious baby who just got a new toy.
Click.
He took an ugly photo of Buddy lying on the sofa and yawning.
Click.
He ran to the kitchen door again and took a photo of Lynn standing by the sink washing dishes from behind.
As each photo came out, he would wait patiently beside it, watching the pictures slowly develop, and then carefully insert them into a blank photo album.
This feeling of being able to freeze time without using any Superpower made him feel very amazing.
But at this time, in Manhattan Vought Tower, dozens of kilometers away, the atmosphere was completely opposite to the warmth of Long Island Estate.