Chapter Summaries

After John returned from space with a meteorite for Lynn, Lynn organized the household’s preparations against threats from across the multiverse. He assigned Black Noir the samurai swords and ordered Buddy to make instructional videos teaching Avada Kedavra and other curses, planning to distribute them to trusted fighters.

• John flew into space and returned within seconds, bringing Lynn a meteorite as a gift.
• Reggie lost confidence in his speed after seeing John’s feat, and John tried to comfort him.
• Lynn gave the two samurai swords taken from Bombsight to Black Noir so he could learn to use them.
• Lynn told Buddy to record curse-training videos, including an Avada Kedavra course and an advanced course.
• Lynn explained to John that Avada Kedavra was their only way to permanently kill alternate-universe Homelander and Deadpool threats.
• Lynn planned to send the videos to Butcher, Becca, Frenchie, Kimiko, and other trusted fighters.

Deadpool returned from Lynn’s world with a video, and Big John watched it and discovered that Lynn was alive and living with a family. Overcome with relief and eager to see Lynn, Big John confronted Deadpool for going there without him.

• Deadpool emerged from a Space Rift with a Video Camera, and Big John cut off his head with Heat Vision before asking what lay beyond the rift.
• Deadpool answered that it was freedom, and Big John crushed his head before picking up the Video Camera.
• Big John watched footage of John, Lynn, Reggie, the other children, and Big Golden Retriever together in New York.
• Big John recognized Lynn, realized he had survived and returned to his own world, and watched the video loop as tears of joy ran down his face.
• Big John learned that Deadpool had visited Lynn’s world without taking him and demanded to know why.

Deadpool recruited Homelander variants across parallel universes by showing them footage of Lynn’s happy family, while Big John agreed to wait before meeting Lynn. Lynn and John traveled into Huaxia and headed for Mount Longhu, where the chapter left them riding a bus in silence.

• Big John backed down after Deadpool warned that Lynn’s allies might attack him, and he took a copy of the video.
• Deadpool visited another universe’s Homelander and used footage of Lynn to persuade him to come along.
• Deadpool recruited Homelanders across parallel universes, killing a scarred variant after learning he might have access to first-generation Compound V.
• Lynn and John crossed into Huaxia and traveled toward Mount Longhu by bus.

Lynn and John traveled to Mount Longhu hoping to learn how to control the Qi within John. After a Huaxia supernatural-affairs agent reported their request, Mount Longhu agreed to meet them, though whether they could learn anything remained uncertain.

• Lynn and John stopped at a roadside rest area, where an Everywhere Express worker recognized them and asked them to speak somewhere quieter.
• The agent identified John as Mr. Homelander and asked why he and Lynn had come to Huaxia.
• Lynn explained that they wanted to seek instruction in Qi cultivation, and John described his inability to control the power inside him.
• The agent warned them to keep a low profile and avoid using their powers around ordinary people, especially John's lasers.
• After contacting his superiors, the agent told Lynn and John that Mount Longhu was willing to meet them.

Lynn and John visited the Celestial Master Mansion on Mount Longhu to seek help controlling John’s enhanced power. Zhang Zhiwei agreed to teach them a basic Qi cultivation method and began guiding them in meditation.

• Rongshan led Lynn and John through the Celestial Master Mansion and introduced them to Zhang Lingyu and Zhang Zhiwei.
• Zhang Zhiwei recognized John as Homelander and greeted Lynn, who said he had admired the Old Celestial Master since childhood.
• Lynn explained that John’s power had increased after a drug injection and that they faced enemies capable of traveling between worlds.
• Zhang Zhiwei agreed to teach them a basic method for identifying and circulating their inner power, while warning that its suitability would depend on them.
• Lynn asked to learn alongside John, and Zhang Lingyu demonstrated the meditation posture before Zhang Zhiwei guided them to focus on their breathing.

Lynn and John trained in meditation under Zhang Zhiwei, who guided them through circulating qi and praised John’s aptitude. As they continued practicing that night, an old man in a wheelchair arrived and pointed out that Lynn could not quiet his own mind despite urging John to be patient.

• Lynn and John meditated in the courtyard, and John admitted that the practice had not made him feel stronger.
• John asked Zhang Zhiwei for a faster way to improve because they had little time before danger might come.
• Zhang Zhiwei guided John and Lynn through a qi circulation route, and John remembered it after one demonstration.
• John practiced the route that evening while Zhang Lingyu advised Lynn to relax and John adjusted Lynn’s cushion to support him.
• Rongshan brought an old man in a wheelchair into the courtyard, and the old man told Lynn he was fixating on appearances and could not quiet his mind.

Lynn took Old Tian’s advice to stop worrying so much and agreed to let the young people handle two investigations back home while he and John remained in Huaxia to practice. The team set off to pursue Torpedo at sea and investigate Private Angel at Red River Orphanage.

• Old Tian advised Lynn to let nature take its course, and Lynn thanked him before returning to his practice with John.
• John felt a new sensation during his final practice cycle, and Zhang Zhiwei told him to stop for the day and rest.
• Marcus told Lynn that both people he had asked about had been located, and Ashley reported that Torpedo was operating as a pirate in the Caribbean Sea while Private Angel was at Red River Orphanage.
• Annie, Reggie, Kevin, and Tommy offered to split up and handle the two investigations, with Kevin and Reggie going after Torpedo and Annie and Tommy heading to the orphanage.
• Remembering Old Tian’s advice, Lynn set aside his worries and agreed to let the young people take charge; John asked them to message when they arrived.

Lynn and John left the Celestial Master Mansion to explore Mount Longhu’s tourist street, where a con artist and his accomplice engineered a runaway handcart. John stopped it before it could hit anyone, while the con artist attacked Lynn.

• A gray-jacketed man studied a photograph of Lynn and John and told his accomplice to wait for them to leave the courtyard.
• Reggie and Kevin flew toward the Caribbean to search for Torpedo’s pirate ship and check for hostages before acting.
• Annie and Tommy drove toward the Red River Orphanage after Marge reported that a woman remained there and the children were safe.
• Lynn and John went to Mount Longhu’s tourist street, where a fortune-teller offered to teach them skills, but Lynn refused.
• The fortune-teller’s accomplice tipped a stone-laden handcart down the slope, and John rushed to stop it.
• As John held back the cart, the fortune-teller clawed at Lynn’s throat.

Lynn and John stopped a Quanxing attacker on Mount Longhu, prompting his accomplice to warn their group that the two visitors were Homelander and Vought director Lynn. Shen Chong and the other Quanxing members then considered how to approach the powerful outsiders, deciding to seek a deal rather than recruit them outright.

• Lynn phased through the attacker's grab, then took him down while John stood guard; Everywhere Express staff and Celestial Master Mansion Taoists took the Quanxing man into custody.
• Rongshan checked that Lynn and John were unharmed while the thin accomplice slipped away and sent Quanxing a warning identifying the pair.
• At a farmhouse hideout, the thin man reported that Old Li had been captured and that Homelander and Lynn were on the mountain, prompting a short-haired Quanxing member to leave.
• Shen Chong asked what the Celestial Master Mansion had said, and a woman reported that the Old Celestial Master had welcomed the two overseas visitors to learn basic breathing exercises.
• Shen Chong concluded that the visitors were seeking new ways to grow stronger, while Xia He argued that Quanxing could not entice them to join; Shen Chong proposed making a deal instead.

The Four Madmen agreed to approach Lynn and John with an offer to borrow Qi, while Xia He warned them not to provoke the pair. Back at the courtyard, Lynn worried that Quanxing could target John's emotions and family, and his anxiety disrupted his practice as John noticed something was wrong.

• Shen Chong, Gao Ning, Dou Mei, and Xia He agreed to formally get involved, with Xia He cautioning them to sound out Lynn and John without forcing matters.
• Shen Chong proposed approaching them outside the mountain gates with a formal visiting card and an offer to exchange unusual arts, then chose to negotiate with Director Lynn first.
• Rongshan told Lynn and John that Everywhere Express had taken the troublemakers away and would investigate them.
• Lynn worried that Quanxing might use emotional manipulation against John, despite his confidence in defending his own mind.
• Lynn's anxious thoughts disrupted his Qi practice, and John stopped meditating to ask whether he was unwell.

Lynn and John left the Celestial Master Mansion to clear their heads, but Quanxing’s Four Madmen attacked them with an emotion-manipulating technique. They recognized the influence and moved toward an open square while the attackers remained nearby.

• Lynn warned John not to accept suspicious cultivation help or let his guard down, then struggled to recover his Qi as worries about John disrupted his focus.
• Lynn and John walked toward a tea pavilion, where Lynn suddenly felt an unnatural sense of relief and realized an outside force was altering his emotions.
• John confronted Lynn about his meddling, but quickly recognized that the resentment was not his true feeling and regained control.
• Lynn identified the attack as the work of Quanxing’s Four Madmen, specifically Gao Ning and Dou Mei, and warned John that they were manipulating their emotions.
• Lynn and John headed for a nearby open square to watch their surroundings and meet people from Everywhere Express, while John sensed that the attackers were still close.

Lynn and John resisted the Twelve-Labor Emotion Formation and confronted Shen Chong, who tried to exploit Lynn’s fear for his family. After Lynn rejected his offer, John struck at Gao Ning and knocked him unconscious.

• Gao Ning sensed that Lynn and John had suppressed their conflict, while Shen Chong decided to approach them with an offer.
• John guided Lynn out of a passing crowd and stayed alert as Shen Chong approached disguised as a pilgrim.
• Lynn recognized Shen Chong and quietly told John about his Qi Borrowing ability and the likely presence of Gao Ning and Dou Mei nearby.
• Shen Chong tried to use Lynn’s fear for his family to entice him, but Lynn rejected him and condemned his tactics.
• Lynn overlapped his mental domain with his Boundary, and John used the opening to seize Gao Ning and slam him unconscious.

John and Lynn defeated the Four Madmen, then John admitted he wanted Lynn to trust the others with more responsibility and asked what he feared. Lynn described a lonely childhood and his failed attempt to protect a student, ending with a cryptic account of going to a rooftop to confide in the evening breeze.

• Lynn and John subdued Gao Ning, Dou Mei, Xia He, and Shen Chong in seconds, and Rongshan's team took the Four Madmen away.
• John admitted Gao Ning's influence had stirred his anger, apologized for his harsh words, and told Lynn he feared Lynn would feel unnecessary if the others handled everything themselves.
• John asked what Lynn was really afraid of, and Lynn began telling him about a boy whose parents divorced, whose grandparents later died, and who grew up isolated.
• Lynn said the boy became an elementary school teacher and clashed with a student's divorcing parents while trying to defend the child, after which he lost his job and teaching license.
• Lynn said the boy had no one to confide in and went to a rooftop to face the sunset, leaving John suddenly still.

John suspected Lynn’s story about a lonely child was actually Lynn’s own past, and secretly used Ashley’s contacts to find a matching child in Huaxia. After confirming the address and family details fit, John invited Lynn on an outing without revealing what he had discovered.

• John wondered whether Lynn came from a different world and whether the story he had told was part of his own life.
• John asked Lynn for details about the hometown and school where the child in the story had grown up.
• John secretly asked Ashley to investigate the old town and school using the clues Lynn had provided.
• Ashley found a child whose age, address, and family matched the story, and John deleted the email without telling Lynn.
• John invited Lynn to visit a nearby place, and Lynn agreed to go with him.

Lynn and John visited the neighborhood where Lynn had grown up, and Lynn watched his childhood self endure his parents’ fighting and blame at school. When Little Lynn was mocked in the corridor, Lynn followed him instead of staying back.

• John took Lynn to his old neighborhood, where Lynn recognized the apartment building and saw his parents arguing as his younger self stood frightened nearby.
• Lynn and John followed the family to Little Lynn’s school and watched his parents blame the teacher for the boy’s falling grades.
• The teacher tried to explain that Little Lynn had become anxious and distracted, but his parents accused her of failing to teach him.
• Little Lynn quietly accepted the blame and left the office after an older teacher gently sent him back to class.
• Older students mocked Little Lynn about his parents arguing, and Lynn unclenched his fists and strode after him.

Lynn and John protected Little Lynn from older students and reassured him that he was not to blame for his parents’ arguments or his poor test result. After Little Lynn returned to class, John went to speak with the teachers about the bullying.

• Three older students blocked Little Lynn in the corridor and mocked him before Lynn stopped one from grabbing him and John stepped between them.
• Lynn took Little Lynn to a quiet lounge and told him the older students and the arguing adults were at fault, not him.
• Little Lynn said his grandparents cared for him, and Lynn encouraged him to spend time with them, keep studying, and remember that he did not need perfect marks to deserve love.
• John crouched to Little Lynn’s level and told him to learn to love himself.
• Little Lynn returned to class, and John went to discuss practical matters with the teachers.

John arranged protection and long-term care for Little Lynn, ensuring he could live safely with his grandparents. Watching the family reunite helped Lynn face old pain, and he stayed with John rather than pretending he was fine and returning to the mountain.

• John showed Little Lynn’s parents legal notices and made them sign a pledge not to mistreat the child or cause trouble at school.
• John arranged for Little Lynn to live with his paternal grandparents and organized support for their living expenses, medical care, and household needs.
• John reassured Teacher Wang that Little Lynn should be taught normally and gave him Mr. Chen’s contact information for any future problems.
• Little Lynn told his grandparents that older students had bullied him, then said he had learned it was not his fault and he could speak up.
• Lynn watched Little Lynn leave with his grandparents, began to cry, and asked John to stay with him because it still hurt.
• Lynn sat beside John and let himself grieve, no longer feeling he had to act like an invincible head of the family.

Kevin, Reggie, and Charlie tracked Torpedo to a damaged cargo ship where seven sailors were held hostage. Reggie found the hostages, but Torpedo ruptured the hull and seawater flooded their compartment.

• Lynn received Reggie's message that he and Kevin had located Torpedo, and Lynn told them to use their judgment and stay safe.
• Kevin used nearby sea life and currents to locate the damaged ship, and Reggie rescued a stranded sailor who explained that seven crew members were being held belowdecks.
• Kevin sensed Torpedo heading toward the cargo ship's lower hold, so he and Charlie plunged into the sea while Reggie boarded the ship.
• Reggie searched the cargo ship and broke into the lounge, where he found seven injured sailors tied up.
• Torpedo smashed through the hull beneath Reggie, and seawater surged into the lower compartment.