Vogelbaum's wrinkled face twitched slightly.
In this outdoor base surrounded by grass and sunshine, the old scientist finally realized that the absolute authority he had established in the laboratory in the past did not work here.
Lynn holds the special approval authority of President Edgar, which is the concession Vought International is currently making in order to appease this group of special assets.
In other words, it was only a concession made by John... no, Homelander.
"Emotion is the most useless variable in the world, it will only bring flaws and weakness."
Vogelbaum's dry lips moved, and the cane hit the soft turf hard, "You will regret it, Lynn, you are destroying Vought International's greatest work of art with your own hands."
"Arts are dead things, but they are living people."
The expression on Lynn's face was calm. He just turned slightly sideways and raised his hand to point in the direction of the glass door of the base. "Walk slowly, Doctor. The grass was watered yesterday and is a bit slippery. Please be careful, you old man."
Vogelbaum snorted coldly and said nothing more.
He turned around, took the two young researchers who didn't even dare to breathe from beginning to end, and walked back slowly along the original path.
As the thick bulletproof glass door made a dull exhaust sound, it slowly closed.
After completely isolating the atmosphere that represented depression and indifference in the laboratory, the air that seemed to have solidified on Lawn finally began to flow again.
The wind blew again, taking away some of the heat.
But the children's mood did not recover immediately.
The confrontation that lasted just a few minutes was like a heavy stone weighing on their hearts.
Reggie plopped down on the grass like a deflated ball.
The orange-flavored popsicle in his hand had already melted in half, and the sticky orange sugar water dripped down his fingers onto the white sneakers.
Normally, this little black man who loves cleanliness would have jumped up and looked for tissues, but now, he just stared blankly at the grass blades on the ground, his shoulders slumped slightly.
Defective Products.
This word stuck in their hearts like a thorn.
Annie turned his head secretly and wiped the corners of his eyes vigorously with the back of his hand.
The little girl didn't cry, but her eyes were red.
Tommy walked to a sandbag without saying a word, pressed his forehead against the sandbag, and seemed to be sulking with himself.
In this closed base, the people in white coats are like the lingering shadow of their childhood to them.
John is still standing where he is, maintaining the posture of blocking everyone.
He turned his head, and Azure looked at Lynn without blinking. There was still a faint fluctuation in the depths of the clear pupils.
"I almost couldn't hold it back just now."
John's voice was very soft, with a hint of frankness that could only be found when facing Lynn.
The boy lowered his head and looked at his white palms, "I saw the way he looked at me, just like he did in Basement."
"I just thought to myself, as long as I open my eyes wide, the black crutch and his legs will instantly turn into a pile of charcoal."
He didn't lie.
At that moment, the instinct of destruction was screaming crazily in his blood.
He has the power to crush everything. As long as he wants to, that chattering old man can't get out of this Lawn.
But he said that he should be a good boy.
Be a righteous hero.
Okay.
Apart from these, what really matters to him is...
Basement was imprisoned in darkness again.
Even.
Lost Lynn.
Lynn looked at John's somewhat depressed and even self-doubting expression, and felt an indescribable softness in his heart.
He knew very well how fragile this boy's psychological defense was.
At this stage, suppression or preaching will only be counterproductive.
What John needs is absolute preference and unconditional affirmation.
Lynn took a step forward, stretched out his hands, and rubbed John's beautiful blond hair vigorously, messing up the originally neatly styled hair.
"But you didn't do that, right?"
Lynn bent down and looked straight into the boy's eyes, his tone full of sincere gentleness and pride, "Not only did you control your temper, you also knew how to take the initiative to stand in front of Annie and Kevin to protect your family."
The warmth from the palm made John's body tremble slightly.
"Little champion, you did a great job, very well, like a true hero."
Lynn took back his hand and patted his shoulder.
After receiving Lynn's unstinting praise, the trace of haze in John's eyes was instantly swept away.
He nodded vigorously, and finally couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, turning back into the sunny and cheerful boy again.
After comforting John, Lynn turned around and looked at the little ones on Lawn who were still immersed in low emotions.
"Okay, everyone, raise your heads." Lynn clapped his hands to attract the children's attention.
He walked to Reggie, pulled out a wet wipe and handed it over. "Look at your shoes. If you don't wipe them clean, the syrup will attract ants."
Reggie took the wet wipe and wiped the shoe surface randomly, but his interest was obviously not high, and his voice was muffled. "Lynn Director, are we really the Defective Products in those white coats? Are we useless?"
"Listen, Reggie, and Annie, Tommy, Kevin."
Lynn put away his smile and glanced at each child's face seriously, "That old man in a white coat knows a bunch of complicated chemical formulas, but he doesn't understand what a human is at all. In my eyes, each of you is unique."
Lynn pointed at Reggie's legs. "Your speed can catch up with the wind."
Then he looked at Annie: "Your light is warmer than the stars in the sky."
"In this Vanguard Camp, there is no perfect work of art, and there is no so-called Defective Products. We are just a somewhat special big family, and family members do not need to use those cold instruments to score."
These words were like a gust of warm wind, blowing away the dark clouds that shrouded the children's hearts.
Annie burst into laughter, and Reggie also opened his mouth again, showing his white teeth.
Tommy raised his head. Although he still had the same cool expression, his eyes were obviously much brighter.
Kevin was holding the kettle with the fish in it, so happy that he wanted to get in and blow bubbles with Charlie.
Looking at the children who were re-Rennervate, Lynn knew that although today's incident was just a small episode, it not only did not destroy their mentality, but instead made the bond of this small group deeper.
"Okay, let's clean up the garbage on the floor."
Lynn waved his hand, and his face regained that relaxed smile that made people feel like they were in the spring breeze.
"In order to reward everyone for their excellent performance on Physical Training today, and also to celebrate the departure of an uninvited guest, I have decided to temporarily change the afternoon class schedule."
As soon as Reggie heard this, he immediately threw the wet wipes he used after cleaning his shoes accurately into the trash can a few meters away, and got up from the grass.
"Lynn Director, aren't you going to practice your balance this afternoon?"
"We have the afternoon off." Lynn announced with a smile.
"We'll meet in the private screening room underground. I've had the biggest bucket of caramel popcorn prepared, as well as double-cheese barbecue pizza and ice-cold Coke. This afternoon, we can watch two of the latest animated movies in a row."
Hearing about the pizza and the movie with double cheese, and no need to continue training, the entire Lawn suddenly burst into deafening cheers.
Annie took John's arm and jumped happily in place twice.
Reggie has already started arguing with Tommy about what movie to watch in the afternoon.
Lynn smiled and shook his head, picking up the timer and sunglasses on the round table.
He walked in front, leading this group of chattering and excited little tails, facing the bright sunshine at noon, and walked slowly towards the special elevator leading to the underground activity area.
"I want to eat four pieces of pizza, Tommy, don't grab it from me."
"If you can eat it, it's up to you."
The children's noise echoed in the corridor.
Lynn's eyes were cast into the distance.
"The little champion has learned to protect his extended family. It would be shameful of me not to do something... just in an adult way."
Lynn's eyes turned cold.