John pointed at the fans screaming wildly on the television. "They're weak, and they're very irrational. They don't even know me. Why would they cry for me in the streets? It doesn't make sense."
In John's system of rules and logic, built by Lynn on the principle of equivalent exchange, every action should have a clear purpose.
He saved people to complete the big boss's assignments, and when the big boss was pleased, he would give Lynn protective charms.
But those ordinary people outside offered him no tangible help. To John, their affection was nothing more than a mass of worthless noise.
Looking at this little monster who had no concept of worldly fame or fortune, Lynn suddenly realized that this was an extremely dangerous sign.
If, in John's eyes, ordinary people were merely "worthless noise" and "bad people whose legs needed breaking," sooner or later he would grow tired of protecting civilians.
Once he felt that ordinary people had outlived their usefulness, the brutality he kept hidden in the shadows would eventually spiral completely out of control.
"No, John. Their affection isn't noise. It's the most powerful weapon in this world."
Lynn stood up, switched off the television, walked over to John, and sat down cross-legged to meet his eyes at the same level.
"Haven't you always wanted to protect me, to make sure the big boss never dares to hurt us?"
Lynn offered a lure that John absolutely could not refuse.
John immediately sat up straight, a sharp light flaring in his azure eyes.
The huge golden retriever seemed to sense the change in atmosphere too, lying obediently beside them without daring to move.
"Isn't the stone the big boss gave you enough?" John looked at Lynn's chest.
"That Blood Jade is powerful, but ultimately, it came from the big boss."
Lynn lowered his voice, his tone carrying a convention-defying allure. "John, in this world, safety handed out by someone else is never true safety. If the big boss can give it, he can take it back. Vought International can put you on a pedestal, but if one day they decide you're too hard to control, they can destroy you too."
John's expression instantly turned cold, and a faint red light began to flicker deep in his eyes.
"If they dare do that, I'll burn that hundred-story building to ash and twist the big boss's head off!"
John's voice carried undisguised savagery.
"And then?"
Lynn wasn't frightened by his murderous intent. Instead, he pressed him harder. "Then you'll become the enemy of all humanity. Those Outsiders and mages hiding deep in the mountains, even humanity's nuclear weapons, will all come crashing down on us. We can kill a hundred, ten thousand, but can we kill everyone? When that happens, we won't even have a home where we can sleep in peace."
The red light in John's eyes froze.
He looked around the cozy apartment, at Buddy lying on the floor, then back at Lynn.
He didn't want to lose any of this.
"Then what should we do?" A rare hint of bewilderment entered the little boy's voice.
Lynn took a deep breath and placed his hand on John's shoulder.
He decided to instill in John an entirely new set of "laws of power" that belonged to them alone, outside Edgar's web of psychological control.
"We need to use those ordinary people's affection. We need to turn that affection into our armor."
Lynn pointed at the television he had just switched off.
"John, why does the big boss dress you in the Stars and Stripes? Why does he make movies for you? Because he needs to use you to earn those ordinary people's trust and money."
"If ten people in this world like you, the big boss can ignore them. If ten thousand people like you, the big boss will think you're valuable. But what if all the billions of people in the world see you as an irreplaceable god?"
Lynn's gaze grew unfathomably deep, each word striking John's heart.
"If that day comes, those ordinary people will charge into battle for you at the slightest frown. If you suffer even the smallest injustice, the entire country's economy and order will grind to a halt for you. When that happens, will Stan Edgar still dare to threaten you with my life?"
"When that happens, the big boss will no longer be handing us safety. Instead, he'll have to act according to our wishes. Because you will be the true will of this country, of this world!"
John sat there in a daze, his brain, comparable to a supercomputer, frantically processing this entirely new logic.
Lynn wasn't asking him to kill people, nor was he asking him to follow the company's rules.
Lynn was asking him to "plunder" the faith of all humanity.
To use that faith to strip Vought International of its power, thereby securing truly unshakable safety!
"So."
John's breathing began to quicken, and an unprecedented fervor burst from his blue eyes,
"They aren't worthless noise. Their screams, their tears, their worship of me-all of it is power I can use to protect you?"
"Exactly!" Lynn nodded emphatically. "A hero's smile isn't just meant to reassure them. More importantly, it's meant to drive them utterly wild over you. Only when they can't live without you will we be absolutely safe."
John stood up, his chest heaving.
It was as though, in a forest thick with fog, he had suddenly glimpsed a grand road leading straight to the highest throne.
On that throne, he could not only judge those bad people who broke the rules however he pleased, but also trample beneath his feet the big boss who always stood so far above them.
"I understand, Lynn."
John turned toward the cold alloy wall, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting into a chilling yet flawless smile.
But this time, the smile was no longer a perfunctory effort to complete an assignment. It carried a kind of intensely ambitious, proactive aggression.
"I'll make them fall in love with me. I'll make them love me until they go mad, until they can't bear to lose me."
John murmured softly, as though making some cursed vow.
Watching John standing beneath the light, Lynn silently clenched his fists.
He didn't know whether what he had opened today was a door to freedom or an even more terrifying Pandora's Box.
But he had no other choice.
Before Stan Edgar gained complete control of this blade, he had to let it develop a mind of its own.
"Pack your bags, little champion."
Lynn stood up and clapped his hands. "The big boss gave us an estate on Long Island with an enormous lawn. Starting tomorrow, we're moving out of this basement and stepping into the sunlight for real."
At the news, the fervor on John's face instantly faded, replaced by the innocence of an eight-year-old boy.
"Really? Can Buddy finally run around on the grass outside?"
"Of course. And he'll get to bask in the sun every day."
Watching the boy and dog race happily toward the bedroom to pack their toys, Lynn leaned against the bar and touched the faintly warm Blood Jade against his chest.
A god in the sunlight, a tyrant in the shadows.
New York, were you ready to welcome your true king?
Before you continue