Soldier Boy scratched his head in confusion. Ryan looked so guilty that it almost seemed as though he had done something wrong.
Did he hurt his brain?
"Come back to Vought with me for a checkup." Soldier Boy's expression was serious.
Ryan shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, no, I'm not hurt at all."
Soldier Boy was puzzled. "Then why are you..."
Then the corners of his mouth slowly lifted, and he laughed, seemingly realizing something.
He vaguely remembered that when he got into trouble as a child, he would never tell his parents, even if he got hurt. Otherwise, he would get a scolding at best and a beating at worst.
Ryan was the same. He had been punched so hard he went flying, his lips trembling with pain, yet all he could think about was how to hide the truth from Becca.
Wasn't this a kind of legacy, too?
Playing often ranked highest among a child's priorities.
Soldier Boy stopped dwelling on it and clapped his hands. "So how are you feeling now? Want to keep going?"
Ryan kept his hand pressed against his stomach, his face pained, but still stubbornly insisted, "I'm fine... Let's keep going."
Soldier Boy chuckled inwardly but did not call him out.
He was quite confident in his control over his strength. Of course he could not possibly have used his full strength when he hit Ryan.
"Good. Since you say so, I won't hold back." Soldier Boy grinned. "Next, I'll help you awaken your ability to fly."
At those words, delight appeared on Ryan's face, instantly masking his pain. "Flying like you and my dad?"
Soldier Boy nodded. "More or less. But this training method might be a little dangerous, so prepare yourself."
Ryan clenched his fists.
Homelander and Soldier Boy could