But I Can't Lose You

A huge whiteboard now took up half a wall in the Underground Apartment's living room.

With a black marker in hand, Lynn was drawing a crude map of the world on the whiteboard.

Little John sat cross-legged on the carpet, his chin propped in both hands, like a model student giving his full attention.

"Now that your lessons have been upgraded, we can't limit our sights to street thugs who smash things and rob people."

Lynn drew a large "V" over North America, then tapped the blackboard with his marker. "This is Vought International, where we are right now. Our power comes from Compound V. It can give people superpowers instantly. But the drawback is that it's like buying a lottery ticket. You never know what power you'll get, and the vast majority of people can never reach the very top in their entire lives."

Next, Lynn moved the tip of his marker to Europe and drew a little wooden stick.

"Here, hidden away, are Wizards whose traditions go back a thousand years. They don't need injections. They rely on spells, bloodlines, and mountains of ancient books. Their bodies might be as fragile as an ordinary person's, but if you give them enough time to finish reciting a spell, they can make an entire castle vanish into thin air, or leave you lost forever in a rift in space."

Finally, Lynn drew a bold yin-yang symbol over Asia.

"And here is Huaxia's Outsider community. Even Vought International doesn't dare set foot there lightly at present. They cultivate something called 'qi.' Some of the old monsters there can control lightning, while others can move mountains and fill seas. They don't rely on potions, but on day after day of arduous cultivation and their own aptitude for understanding."

Lynn capped the marker and turned to John. "So, do you understand? You have the most perfect body and potential in the world, but until you've fully grown, there are still powers in this world that can threaten you. Blind arrogance is a hero's greatest taboo."

John stared at the whiteboard for a long time.

His extraordinary brain was rapidly absorbing and processing this information that overturned everything he knew.

He had originally thought that as long as he could hit hard enough, he could break the legs of anyone who broke the rules.

Now it seemed that some bad guys might not give him a chance to get close enough to break their legs.

But just as Lynn was about to continue explaining the checks and balances between the major powers, John suddenly raised his little hand.

"What is it? Was there something you didn't understand?" Lynn walked over to the bar, picked up his goji berry tea, and took a sip.

"I understood."

John's clear blue eyes moved from the whiteboard to Lynn, his gaze finally settling on the red mark on Lynn's neck.

It was the mark left by the acid mist's corrosion last time.

"Lynn, you know so much."

There was a trace of confusion in John's voice, along with a deeply hidden hint of worry. "Since this world has Compound V, magic, and that thing called 'qi,' why are you an ordinary person?"

Lynn almost choked on the mouthful of tea he had just swallowed.

He coughed twice, set down his insulated mug, and smiled a little helplessly.

"Me? I'm just a working stiff. Where would a working stiff get superpowers?"

"But that doesn't make sense."

John stood up and walked over to Lynn, his little face taut. "That monster dripping acid last time was weak. He didn't even have a brain. I could tear him apart in one go. But you're even weaker than he was."

John's way of putting things was simple and blunt, even a little hurtful, but Lynn knew the child meant no harm. He was merely stating an objective fact.

"You're right. My body really is fragile."

Lynn openly spread his hands. "Any bullet, or a car accident, could kill me."

"Then we'll find a way to make you stronger."

John's tone grew urgent as he pointed at the "V" on the whiteboard. "Go ask the big boss for that Compound V. If he won't give it to you, I'll break his legs and steal the potion for you to drink."

Startled, Lynn quickly gripped the little terror's shoulders.

If Edgar heard that in the surveillance room, Lynn would be dumped dead into the Atlantic Ocean tomorrow for "inciting the company's strongest asset to rebel."

"Stop, stop, stop! You can't do that!"

Lynn hurried to explain. "John, Compound V isn't fruit juice. It's made for babies still in the womb, or newborns, like you were. The death rate for adults injected with Compound V is extremely high. Even if they survive, they'll most likely turn into a monster like that acid-spitting one from last time, whose brain had rotted away. I'd like to live a few more years."

John froze.

He recalled test subject No. 73, with no facial features and pus oozing all over his body, and a flicker of disgust crossed his eyes.

He absolutely would not allow Lynn to become a disgusting monster like that.

"Then... what about magic? Or that thing called 'qi'?"

Unwilling to give up, John pressed on. "You're so smart. You could definitely learn."

"Learning magic requires wizarding blood. My ancestors were Muggles for eight generations. As for cultivating 'qi'..."

Lynn sighed and rubbed between his brows. "That depends on your innate breath of qi and root bone. Even if I had the talent, it's too late to start learning now. Besides, the company wouldn't let me leave this basement to find a master and learn."

John fell silent.

He lowered his head and looked at his small, fair hands, which held such destructive power, then at Lynn's mortal hands, which couldn't even hold a slightly heavier frying pan steady.

A knot had formed in his world of logic that he couldn't untangle.

Lynn was his family, the only person in this world he cared about. Yet Lynn happened to be the most fragile being in this world. If John took even half a step away from Lynn, any rule-breaking bad guy could take Lynn from him.

It was an intense feeling of losing control. And what the future Homelander hated most was losing control.

"Since you can't get stronger..." John raised his head again, an utterly terrifying obsession churning in his deep blue eyes. "Then I can only get rid of everyone in the world who might hurt you."

Lynn sucked in a cold breath.

Oh no. I stopped him from becoming antisocial, but I didn't stop him from charging headlong toward becoming an extreme yandere.

If he really keeps following that logic, won't this kid end up treating all humanity as potential enemies and slaughtering them to protect me?

"John! Look at me!"

Lynn cupped John's cheeks in both hands, forcing him to meet his eyes. "Listen carefully. This world is vast. You can never eliminate every danger. You can't treat the whole world as your enemy just because you're afraid I'll get hurt. If one day you hurt innocent people who haven't done anything wrong in order to protect me, then I would rather not have your protection."

John bit his lip, his eyes filled with conflict.

"But I can't lose you."

His voice was very soft, but it held a trace of the vulnerability of a six-year-old child.

"You won't lose me."

Lynn softened his voice, pulled the little boy into his arms, and gently patted his back. "I'm an adult. I know how to seek out what's good for me and avoid danger. Besides, don't I have you? As long as you follow the rules, keep growing stronger, and make every bad guy afraid at the mere sound of your name, that's the best protection you can give me."