"My Life(Imagine Dragons)"
(This chapter is a must-listen; the lyrics are also very fitting.)
"To put it simply, you can go back to a point in your life where you once regretted something."
Make another choice and personally change the outcome.
And by deriving from the observation timeline, new memories are obtained.
Upon hearing John's words, the Deep swallowed hard with a hint of excitement.
"Boss, I want to try it... but I need to make sure first that this thing doesn't have any other special effects..."
"For example, if I crash, or disappear because of some change..."
"Won't."
Hearing this, the Deep felt a little relieved, then cheekily pulled his finger out of the fish tank and walked over to John.
"Hehe, since they're all silent, I'll try first to rule out any danger!"
John took a small step forward, holding the small book, and nodded with his chin up:
"Recall the point in time you wanted to change, and it will turn the page on its own."
The Deep rubbed his hands together like a fly, then scurried over to John.
He then stretched out his right hand, his index finger eagerly pressing onto the yellowed book cover.
"Buzz--"
The moment the fingertips touched it, the golden light from the edge of the book's pages suddenly rippled outwards, spreading across the table in concentric circles.
Upon seeing this, the Deep's pupils contracted, and he recoiled as if electrocuted.
"Holy crap, wait, I haven't even decided yet—"
However, before he could even utter the word "prepare," he vanished in a flash.
Only a group of people were left looking at each other in bewilderment.
Then everyone fell silent, their gazes fixed on the spot where the Deep had just stood, trying to guess when the Deep would return.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Once, twice.
Three times.
Golden ripples reappeared in the air that had been deathly still.
Immediately afterwards, a figure dressed in a shit-green battle suit tumbled out of the ripples in a disheveled state.
"Hold!"
The Deep kneels on both knees, supporting himself on his elbows.
The turkey-green combat suit became even more drab after getting wet, and it also emitted a foul, fishy smell.
"Damn it... how did I get back?"
The Deep slowly raised his right hand, his trembling fingers pinching a piece of soft flesh tightly, then twisting it hard.
"Hiss--"
"It hurts... damn, it really hurts! Why does it feel the same on both sides?"
Frenchie looked at the disheveled the Deep with a hint of mockery, his face full of schadenfreude.
"Oh, our Lord of the Seven Seas is back! Where did your suit worth several thousand dollars go?"
"He even wore that old, shit-green battle uniform."
"Damn... actually, I went back to the night I rescued the dolphins."
The Deep gasped for breath.
"It was at that aquarium in Ohio that year."
Hughie interjects:
"And then? You got arrested by security?"
"That dolphin died back then, and I only intended to take it with me secretly."
"According to the original plan, I intended to put it in the back of a pickup truck, transport it to the beach, and release it, making a perfect return."
But the moment I returned to the aquarium...
Damn it, my brain just suddenly exploded.
The Deep sniffed.
"I could hear the sounds throughout the entire venue. There were two orcas in the pool next door, and beluga whales behind them."
The innermost cold water tank contained a whole litter of newborn seal pups.
My thought at the time was, "Why didn't we rescue them together?"
Butcher took a bite of beef and raised an eyebrow:
So you actually did it?
"Yes, I blew up all the gates."
The Deep suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with excitement.
"I sneaked into the underground control room, then compressed the water pressure, directly blasting open all the emergency water valves in the venue."
Then thousands of tons of water began to gush out through the sewage pipes and floodgates, and within minutes the water level had overflowed the maintenance passage.
At this point, the Deep swallowed hard.
"What happened next completely spiraled out of control... The orca crashed through the glass railing, and the beluga whale swam out of the street through the water."
Then the whole street was flooded.
The next morning, the aquarium declared bankruptcy.
The Deep scratched his soaked hair in frustration.
"I destroyed all the venue facilities; the total losses amount to tens of millions of US dollars."
Then... I ended up on the Federation's highest bounty list, got arrested, and spent half a month in jail.
"Luckily, I, Lord the Deep, remained vigilant at all times, otherwise I would have been picked up by those lurking old white men long ago."
Is there anything else?
Hughie suppressed a laugh and pressed on with more questions.
"It seems like Vought made the move, using exorbitant public relations fees and bail."
They downplayed it as a 'framing incident by an extremist group' and then got me out of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's clutches.
But I didn't see the entire subsequent timeline.
The Deep rubbed his temples, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
"I had just started thinking about going back when, a few minutes later... I was kicked back by something."
However, a memory did come to mind...
To pay off Vought's debts, I made seven or eight terrible movies in a row, including a lousy seafood buffet commercial.
"But..."
The Deep's expression suddenly turned serious, and his eyebrows furrowed.
He then slowly turned his head and looked at John.
There's something very strange about it.
"In this world, you're still trying to take down Vought, Maeve, Starlight, and the Homelander are all very active."
But the boss was nowhere to be seen.
The Deep raised its finger.
"To be precise, in the subsequent events that have unfolded along the timeline, although I haven't seen the whole thing... there is absolutely no trace of the boss, ' John '."
"I even suspect that my choice inadvertently triggered the butterfly effect."
Upon hearing the Deep's words, Frenchie's expression became even stranger.
"No... the Deep, you even understand the butterfly effect?"
The Deep glanced at Frenchie.
"Who do you think you are, Frenchie? I'm spending a lot of time in the library developing my skills these days."
As the leader of the Seven, one must possess exceptional skills.
John stood by the table, his fingers lightly resting on the yellowed spine of the Book of Destiny.
"The so-called timeline is essentially the different possibilities that arise from countless choices."
Each deviation will break away from the established trajectory and give rise to a completely new branch.
So the moment the Deep made its new choice, that world had already taken shape independently.
It deviated from its original trajectory, operating independently of reality.
"So, who's next...?"
"I!"
"I!"
The voices came out in unison from Hughie and Frenchie.
The two looked at each other, both somewhat bewildered.
At that moment, Starlight, standing beside Hughie, seemed to sense something.
Then she reached out and gently tugged at Hughie's sleeve, calling out softly:
" Hughie?"
" Annie, you know, although Robin's matter happened a long time ago... it's still a knot in my heart."
He took a breath, a stubborn glint in his eyes.
Even if it's just to take a quick look.
"If I had pulled her in that direction that day, would everything have been different?"
I want to give it a try.
Starlight looked at his reddened eyes and remained silent for a moment.
Then she reached out her warm palm and held Hughie's hand tightly in hers, her eyes resolute:
"Go, Hughie."
"Go."
At the same time, Kimiko was also looking at Frenchie, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
"Is it about Mallory?"
Frenchie met her gaze, his Adam's apple bobbing.
A flicker of pain crossed the depths of his eyes.
The night the Lamplighter burned those two innocent children to death was a nightmare he carried for half his life.
"Mon cœur..."
Frenchie gritted his teeth and nodded.
"If I hadn't abandoned my post that night to give Jay the antidote... that fire might never have started."
Go ahead, I'll always support you.
Frenchie let out a long sigh, turned around, and walked with Hughie to John's side. They stopped and their eyes met.
"Bring it on."
They both took a deep breath and closed their eyes.
The explosion of blood mist, the raging flames that engulfed the mansion—
Accompanied by heavy memories, their fingertips simultaneously fell onto the pages of the book.
"Swish! Swish!"
"I won't go... I have no regrets."
Watching the two disappear, Butcher clicked his tongue, then plopped back down in front of the fireplace.
He has already completed the formalities and will be able to fly directly to Canada in a few days to see Becca, and then live a happy and comfortable life as a stay-at-home dad.
Even with the past incidents involving infidelity that happened to Becca, he chose to let go and embrace life anew.
Thinking of this, he reached for the coffee table, just about to grab a can of ice-cold beer, when his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the table diagonally opposite.
At this moment, Maeve, who had been slumped on the sofa with her arms crossed, sat up straight and stared directly at the small book in John's hand.
His eyes were filled with turbulent struggle and urges.
Butcher popped open the can with a "hiss" and gulped down a large mouthful of ice-cold beer.
He then wiped the white foam off his stubble with the back of his hand and glanced sideways at Maeve across from him.
" Maeve, aren't you going to touch it? That's not like you, Your Majesty."
Maeve's brow twitched almost imperceptibly, but she did not reply.
"Why..."
Butcher chuckled smugly, tossed the can onto the coffee table, and said in a somewhat smug tone:
"Still thinking about that damn Flight 37 thing?"
Maeve's fingers, which were resting on her knees, twitched almost imperceptibly, and then she let out a cold snort.
"Alright, stop making that face like a sanitary napkin."
Butcher took out a cigarette, lit it, and slowly exhaled the bluish-gray smoke towards the ceiling.
"To put it bluntly, at 30,000 feet in the air, that bastard Homelander was determined to do it..."
You can't fly, so what can you do besides stand in the aisle and watch those unlucky bastards die?
Are you suggesting we throw him off the plane?
Maeve was silent for several seconds before she spoke:
So... what exactly are you trying to say?
"He means, why don't you try something new, a new possibility?"
John spoke.
He took something out of his pocket, then flipped his wrist and gently placed it on the table in front of Maeve.
"Bite--"
It was a long, thin syringe.
The liquid inside sloshed about, gleaming with a dark reddish sheen.
"You've heard of the New Compound V —it can awaken new abilities based on the potential or obsessions of the original Compound V injector."
"Why don't you give it a try?"
Maeve remained seated, her eyes fixed on the bottle of dark red liquid.
After a long while, she reached out and gripped it tightly.
Thanks.
Not long after, Maeve also disappeared from the spot.
"Damn... a perfectly good barbecue has been ruined, and there's almost no one left."
Butcher stretched comfortably with a big yawn, his body making a series of "crack" sounds.
Then he slumped into the rocking chair, expertly draping his coat over his face:
"Who cares about all that... I'm going to get some beauty sleep first."
John twitched the corner of his mouth and shook his head with amusement.
He then shifted his gaze to the three remaining women in the room.
Starlight, Kimiko, and Cate had been sitting quietly in the armchair.
Noticing John's gaze, Starlight immediately raised the silver fork in her hand, her face full of resistance:
"Don't look at me, I don't have any regrets that I have to go back to make up for."
I sent my controlling and troublesome mother back to her rural hometown a long time ago.
I'm doing fine now... I don't want to cause trouble.
She is indeed quite happy now.
Not only did he get engaged to Hughie, but he also took over Vought and became its president, with a net worth of hundreds of millions.
It can be said that they have achieved complete financial freedom.
Occasionally, when the mood strikes, they can even cosplay as Starlight again and experience being a street hero – it's incredibly fun!
Kimiko sat on the armrest of the sofa, smiling with her eyes crinkling.
" Kenji is recovering well in the hospital, and there's no more of that fighting and violence going on around him..."
Hehe, I'm perfectly content with my life right now, so I won't join in the fun~
As she spoke, she made a heart shape with her hands for John.
Then he picked up the half-finished soda water again, and sipped it contentedly through the straw.
Finally, it's Cate.
In fact, John had told Cate about it the day before.
However, Cate unexpectedly declined the invitation to make up for the regret.
She asked John if he could look at her path.
She wondered how her life would have unfolded without John's involvement.
John remained noncommittal.
Under the retrospective of the Book of Destiny.
Seasons 1 and 2 of " Gen V," which chronicles Cate's life.
John had also condensed the content of the Boys Season 5 and placed it into Cate's memory.
Cate opened her eyes after receiving the memories.
Without John, she would have been drawn into Shetty's plot to exterminate Superman and create a virus, and at one point became an accomplice.
Then, following his brain-dead, hypocritical teammates, he fought back all the way, only to be captured and taken to the Red River, where he suffered endless humiliation.
He even had his hand blown off by his teammate Marie due to a sudden change in his allegiance.
Even after escaping from the Red River, it vanished from the main body as if it had evaporated into thin air.
This kind of journey, compared to the ending where John got involved, was clearly far more tragic.
This is definitely not what she wanted.
She had no expectations for that future, and saw no need to make up for any pointless regrets.
Cate suppressed the turmoil in her eyes, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she looked past John's shoulder toward the door.
"But... he's here."
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure silently appeared at the half-open office door.
The person who arrived was hunched over, wearing a loose-fitting hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled down low.
He exuded an aura of despondency and death.
The afternoon sun slanted across his exposed profile, outlining a face that was identical to John's, yet more aged and weathered.
However, his face had deep-set eyes and was covered with rough stubble.
"Father... Homelander?"
Starlight sat up straight, stammering slightly.
Kimiko's expression changed, and then her two bone claws suddenly appeared, staring intently in the direction of the newcomer.
"Relax, don't be nervous. We just discussed this yesterday. I was the one who asked him to come..."
John spread his hands slightly, signaling them to calm down.
Yes, the person who came was indeed Homelander.
John ultimately couldn't bring himself to kill "himself," and instead came up with a compromise to save face for " Homelander."
In the version announced by the White House:
Godolkin, a remnant of World War II, became the culprit behind the entire incident.
The report stated.
Godolkin and the Sister Sage planned and carried out the terrorist attacks known as the " Three Days at the White House."
They not only forcibly "invaded" the bodies of the Homelander through their minds, but also manipulated millions of people to launch riots.
In the final battle, the Homelander's will forcefully regained control, resolutely choosing to perish together with Godolkin.
Only then was the catastrophe finally quelled.
Therefore, the government specially held an extremely grand state funeral for the Homelander, and the whole country mourned.
The public also spontaneously raised several million dollars to erect a solid gold statue of Homelander in front of the Vought Tower.
Maintaining a flying posture with hands behind his back, he gazed at the White House.
But only John himself knew.
The defeated Homelander lost their spirit and, after receiving some of John's memories, lived a secluded life on a farm in rural Kansas.
He drinks and smokes every day, and never steps out of his room.
The local residents' opinion of him is:
A strange man who looks a lot like Homelander, who cries and laughs in his house at night, like a mentally unstable lunatic.
It wasn't until John personally went to Kansas yesterday that he found the motivation to barely survive.
"What you said yesterday... was it all true?"
The Homelander spoke, his voice especially hoarse.
John nodded noncommittally and slowly extended his hand forward.
"You have two choices. First, go back in time and make up for your regrets..."
What about the second one?
Homelander interrupted John abruptly, his cloudy pupils filled with gloom as he met John's calm, unwavering gaze.
You know that's not what I want.
"The second option is that I will find a matching parallel world according to your requirements."
But there, you might lose something, like your memories... or perhaps, your abilities.
"I don't care anymore..."
The corners of the Homelander's mouth twitched stiffly as he muttered to himself.
"Bring it on."
The usually taciturn Homelander fell silent once again.
He then slowly stepped forward and placed his hand on the edge of the book without hesitation.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath...
John gave Homelander a complicated look as he spoke.
While focusing their mind on the depths of their brain, they arrived at the true location of the Book of Destiny.
It was an enormous, towering wall of books.
On the wall of books, various characters transformed into golden runes, continuously pulsating with each silent page turn.
John slightly clenched the five fingers of his right hand, then gently flicked them in the air.
The next second, the airflow froze.
A shimmering, diamond-encrusted feather pen appeared out of thin air and landed steadily between his fingers.
This is [ Rainbow Quill ].
Immediately afterwards, he gripped the pen with his other hand and pressed down with his wrist.
He boldly wielded his brush across the vast pages of a book that spanned the void.
The scalding golden light poured out like molten gold, etching warm, floating characters onto the vast shale.
Kansas, Martha, Jonathan...
The wind blows through the wheat fields, and the sun sets over the granary.
Those fragments buried deep in the depths of consciousness are redefined and rewritten as the golden light flows.
Then, in an instant, they intertwined, painting a familiar scene from my memories.
This is [ Writing ].
Following the correction of the causal relationship in the Correction.
After the [ Farsight ] understanding of fate
The latest authority revealed to him by the Book of Destiny.
However, it requires the support of a portion of the Power of the World to wield the [ Rainbow Quill ] and [ Writing ].
so.
What about following the rules? What about this bullshit idea of finding parallel worlds...?
That was all a damn well-intentioned lie that John made up for "himself".
He is making up for the regrets of his id.
John, the Homelander, is "I".
What gave birth to this freakish " Homelander "?
It's this cold laboratory, this distorted society, this twisted world!
Since his predetermined destiny is fraught with devastation, he will use his bare hands to create a true world in this Writing path.
Let your true self find peace.
Let your true self live in the sunlight, in warmth, and in the love you once gave everything for but could never have!
This is both compensation and a gift to celebrate the "new life" that is about to begin.
The task was completed, and the pen was put down.
The magnificent world that had taken shape collapsed with a roar, and then transformed into a vast river carrying countless golden sands.
Like a flowing, dazzling ring of stars, it silently swirled and floated around John.
Soon, the surging stream of light rapidly converged in the void, and billions of golden rays were tempered and compacted layer by layer.
Finally, it all came together on a single page.
"Click--"
Accompanied by a soft sound.
The pages, bearing a new destiny, slowly embedded themselves back into the spine of the [ Book of Destiny ], becoming one with it.
Reality.
John slightly raised his eyelids, two swirling golden wheels flashing deep within his eyes, before he raised his hand and pressed down in mid-air.
Then--
"Walk!"
"You are for..."
Something new has been added to my memory.
Suddenly, an incredulous realization lit up in the cloudy eyes of the Homelander, and he was eager to say something.
But before he could finish speaking, the domineering laws had already surged forth.
Next second.
His entire body shattered like porcelain, then transformed into swirling, flowing golden specks.
It vanished silently from the spot.
At this moment.
In front of the fireplace, a coat draped over a chair was pushed up by a sleepy-eyed head.
Butcher yawned, his eyes half-closed:
"Hey... Ladies, I think I missed something?"