This answer did not seem to surprise Wilson or Dr. Vogelbaum. Instead, both showed expressions that said, "Just as expected."
Only then did Secretary Wilson reach for the cup and take a sip of coffee.
The coffee had already gone lukewarm, and tasted bitter going down.
After taking a sip, Secretary Wilson looked at the woman.
Then said in a deep voice, "Ms. Becca, I think I've already explained the stakes clearly enough to you."
"And I've also shown enough patience, waiting until today for you to think it over."
"But I didn't expect this kind of answer from you."
"To be honest, I'm very disappointed."
"Are you really not worried that Homelander will ruin your life?"
Leaning against a pillar in the living room, Becca took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, then asked, "You two don't mind, right?"
"Back then, I spent a lot of effort trying to quit smoking."
"But now, I can't get through a single day without this."
"So if you mind, then I can only ask the two of you to put up with it."
After blowing out a ring of smoke, she said, "I'm sorry, Secretary Wilson."
"What you said, and all the possibilities you imagined."
"These past few days, I've been thinking about them every day."
"I put myself and Ryan into those situations you described. I even imagined Ryan avenging me after Homelander killed me."
"But all of those things, every possibility you talked about, they're all just your assumptions."
"So far, at least until today, I haven't seen, heard, or felt any desire from Homelander to destroy the world."
"To be honest, what benefit would destroying the world even bring him?"
"And as far as I know, he cares very much about his reputation and approval ratings, so he has no reason to do that."
Wilson looked at her and said, "If this were a year ago, I would completely agree with you."
"But over this past year, Homelander has changed a lot."
"So much that he's like a different person."
"He doesn't care as much anymore about approval ratings or reputation."
"He even publicly killed a federal official in Empire Hall."
"If we weren't worried that openly turning against him would provoke him, and if we currently had a good way to restrain him, he would have been thrown in prison a hundred times already."
Dr. Vogelbaum said, "Setting aside the possibilities Secretary Wilson imagined, your husband, William Butcher, really did die because of Homelander."
"Don't you plan to avenge him, ma'am?"
Becca took a drag from her cigarette and said, "You say this was connected to Homelander, so where's the evidence?"
"You only showed me a video."
"Yes, Homelander was there in the video."
"But the one who killed William was another woman."
"What do you call her again? Oh right, Stormfront."
"You say Stormfront was acting under Homelander's orders. That's only your side of the story."
"But whether that's really true, I can't be sure."
"So I can't, and shouldn't, gamble Ryan's future on a recording with no sound that can't even be verified."
"So I think I still can't hand Ryan over to you."
"He's my child. I hope he can grow up simply and happily like other children."
"One day he'll meet a girl he likes."
"He'll build his own family."
"He'll raise children of his own."
"And live an ordinary life. That's what I want."
Secretary Wilson shook his head, "But the truth is, your Ryan is not an ordinary child."
"He's a superhuman. He's Homelander's son. He may be the only existence on this planet capable of standing against Homelander!"
"He should have been the nuclear weapon used to deter Homelander, but you want to turn him into a well-behaved child."
"My God, do you know what you're doing?"
"You're not helping that child. You're erasing his future. You're disregarding the safety of the Federation."
"If we take it further, I could completely consider this an act of treason!"
Becca smiled, "Secretary Wilson, after everything I've gone through, yes, your words can't scare me anymore."
"In any case, as Ryan's mother, I have the right and responsibility to protect my child."
"I have a duty to guide him toward a better life, not raise another super bastard!"
Secretary Wilson let out a long breath, "So your mind is made up?"
Becca had already finished her cigarette, "Yes. And I won't change it."
Wilson closed his eyes. After a while, he said, "Then at the very least, you should let me speak with Ryan."
"He's your child, not your slave."
"He has the right to decide his own future."
Becca nodded, "You're right, Mr. Secretary."
"But he's still young."
"He's only eight years old."
"He still can't tell right from wrong, so if you want to speak with him, that's fine."
"But it has to wait until he becomes an adult."
Wilson opened his eyes and smiled, "Ms. Becca, I admire your courage."
"Very well. I respect your decision."
He finished the cold coffee and put down the cup, "Sorry for disturbing you."
Becca escorted them outside and watched the two men get into the car and leave her sight.
Only then did Becca walk back into the house. She sighed and softly shook her head.
"Forgive me, Butcher."
"Ryan is everything to me."
"I really can't let him avenge you."
"But I believe that woman will be punished in some other way."
Becca checked the time. It was almost time to pick Ryan up from school.
She returned to the bedroom and opened the closet to change clothes.
At that moment, she heard a sharp whistling sound, followed by the sound of glass shattering in the living room.
Becca turned and opened the door, about to see what had crashed through the window.
But the moment the door opened, a flash of fire burst from the living room.
Then came the violent sound of an explosion in her ears, along with blazing flames rushing toward her.
She was thrown into the air.
The fire swept across her body.
Her consciousness vanished instantly.
In the final second before losing consciousness, the image of an eight-year-old boy flashed through her mind.
Ryan!
A fireball rose up, followed by rolling black smoke. Sparks flickered inside the thick smoke as it drifted into the sky.
Standing on a slope nearby, Secretary Wilson watched the direction of the smoke through binoculars, then climbed back into the car.
The car drove toward Becca's house again.
Inside the car, Dr. Vogelbaum quietly said, "Ms. Becca underestimated your determination, Secretary."
Wilson said with a dark expression, "If possible, I wouldn't want to do this either."
"But I can't leave the fate of the Federation in the hands of a woman."
"Since she didn't want Ryan to be controlled by the Federation, then she could only disappear."
Dr. Vogelbaum nodded, then looked out the window. At that moment, caution flashed through the doctor's eyes.
Not long after they left Becca's house, Wilson gave the order to attack. Soldiers who had already been prepared fired a rocket launcher, destroying Becca along with the house.
A short while later, they arrived at the scene.
Soldiers were already checking the area.
Soon, Becca's body was brought before Wilson.
Wilson looked at the corpse, burned so badly that her original appearance could no longer be seen.
Without expression, Wilson said, "Don't blame me, Ms. Becca."
"I didn't want to kill you either."
"But you got in our way. You got in the Federation's way."
"No one stands above the Federation."
"You're no exception."
"But you can rest assured. We'll protect Ryan well. We'll train him into an outstanding soldier."
"Believe me, you'll be proud of him."
After speaking, Wilson added, "How's the fake video coming along?"
A man hurried over, lifted up a laptop, and turned the screen toward Wilson.
On the screen, Wilson saw a video.
In the video, a beam of golden laser light shot into the house, followed by a massive explosion.
Then the camera angle changed, and Homelander appeared in midair.
Golden light glowed from Homelander's eyes. A cruel smile appeared on his lips before he turned and flew away, disappearing instantly.
Wilson nodded.
At that moment, a car arrived nearby.
Then an eight-year-old boy jumped out and shouted, "Mom!" as he ran toward the house.
Several soldiers quickly stopped him.
Wilson gestured, telling the computer engineer to bring the laptop over with him.
They walked over to the boy.
"You must be Ryan."
"I'm Wilson."
"I'm sorry, Ryan."
"It seems our visit drew Homelander's attention."
"He probably came here to kill me."
Secretary Wilson gave a look, and the engineer showed Ryan the fake video.
Watching Homelander fire lasers and blow up the house, red light instantly lit up in the little boy's eyes.
———
[Caton Manor]
["Lucy, Lucy, where are you?"]
On the television screen was a burning ruin.
A mother was searching through the wreckage for her child. Her eyes were red, her face stained with dirt, her clothes torn and smeared with blood.
She desperately searched for her child, then found the child trapped under rubble, but the mother clearly could not move it herself.
At that moment, Queen Maeve arrived. The superhero easily lifted the wall crushing the child.
Allowing the child and mother to hold each other tightly.
Then Queen Maeve said, ["Leave this place first. It's still not safe here."]
As soon as she finished speaking, an explosion occurred in the distance.
Then a fully armed squad of soldiers ran past the camera. Among them was one soldier wearing an exoskeleton suit.
Right after that, Starlight and other superheroes appeared on screen as well.
Those superheroes were fighting.
Finally, a figure draped in the stars and stripes descended from the sky, continuously firing red beams.
After sweeping through the area for a while, the battle ended.
Then Queen Maeve appeared in front of the camera.
["Our order is constantly being challenged, and our citizens are always in danger."]
["Superpowered criminals continue to appear."]
["But don't worry."]
["Because we are here."]
["The Superhuman Supervision Department!"]
["This department is commanded by the Department of Defense and jointly formed by Delta Force and The Seven."]
["We will go further and strike superpowered criminals with even greater precision."]
["To protect the Federation's order and safeguard all citizens."]
["If you discover a superpowered criminal, please call the Superhuman Supervision Department hotline."]
["The number is in the lower left corner."]
Lying on the bed, Alex, who had just finished a "battle" with Angelina, smiled and said, "This is a promotional ad for the Superhuman Supervision Department?"
"It's really badly made."
"How long has it been since I wore that suit? They even had the stunt double put on the stars-and-stripes cape."
"And the lasers are red."
"That's really lazy."
Lying face down on the bed with her smooth back exposed, Angelina's black hair hung down, and the skin on her back looked white as milk.
Because of the intense exercise, beads of sweat covered her back.
She lazily said, "I heard Queen Maeve mention this issue before."
"Apparently the Department of Defense believes your old image fits the theme better."
"And better represents the identity of the Federation's protector."
"So they had the stunt double wear your old suit."
Alex shook his head, "They really have too much time on their hands."
Placing a hand on Angelina's smooth back, Alex lightly moved it up and down while casually asking, "How's the experimental base construction project progressing?"
Angelina rolled over and grabbed Alex's hand.
"Master, do you remember someone named Hank Christ?"
As one of Alex's hands wandered around restlessly, he said, "My memory's pretty good."
"Hank Christ, isn't he the guy from the auction house who competed with us over the site?"
Angelina's breathing became a little uneven, "Yes, that's him."
"That Christ really has influence. He used some methods that forced me into negotiations with him."
"Negotiations?", Alex smiled, "What kind of negotiations?"
Angelina said, "He wants to buy our site and invited me to meet tomorrow night."
"Really?"
"Looks like the lesson I gave him last time wasn't enough."
"He still dares to target me."
Alex's hand slid downward, "Tomorrow night, I'll go with you."
Angelina gave a soft "Mm."
In the blink of an eye, another day passed.
———
[Night]
[Christ Group Tower]
[Top Floor]
Hank Christ stood by the window as the night wind poured in, making his clothes flap loudly.
Silently, he closed the window.
The glass immediately reflected his figure.
The man's expression was gloomy. He raised a hand, and a beautiful assistant with the figure of a supermodel handed him a lit cigar.
Hank Christ took a puff, then blew out smoke.
He was waiting. Waiting for Angelina Caton.
The moment he thought of that woman, Hank Christ could not help snorting.
Back then, he had come all the way from Italy, full of ambition, ready to make a name for himself in the Federation and pave the way for his family.
But during a land auction, he suffered a loss because of that woman.
Even now, Hank Christ still did not understand why he suddenly started spouting nonsense that day.
To the point that he offended many powerful people.
The whole thing had felt like he was possessed by a demon.
After that night, he was so frightened that he even specifically hired a priest to perform an exorcism.
Of course, nothing happened.
Later, Hank Christ's private doctor believed it might have been because he had been too nervous at the time, causing a nervous disorder.
Which led to him losing control of his behavior.
Hank Christ reluctantly accepted that explanation.
Afterward, he also realized he had returned to normal.
And recently, by relying on some of his family's connections and influence, he managed to force Angelina onto the negotiation table.
"Hmph! A woman dares fight me!"
Tonight, Hank Christ planned not only to take the site from Angelina, but also drag that woman into bed.
Only by doing whatever he wanted with that woman could Hank Christ wash away the humiliation of that day.
At that moment, footsteps sounded behind him.
A male assistant entered and reported that Angelina's side had arrived.
A moment later, Hank Christ finally saw Angelina, along with the blond man he had met before at the auction house, the one suspected to be Angelina's boyfriend.
Tonight, the man wore a black shirt and white suit. His blond hair was parted neatly, and he wore glasses, looking refined and graceful.
Angelina held the man's arm like a little bird leaning against him, making Hank Christ feel jealous.
He called over an assistant and said something unknown, then burst out laughing.
"Miss Angelina, good evening."
"Only the stars themselves could compare to your beauty."
Hank Christ did not even look at the man beside Angelina, as if he were invisible.
Being treated like air by the other side, Alex was not angry. Instead, anger flickered in Angelina's eyes.
The woman lifted her chin and coldly answered with an "Mm," but when she looked at Alex, she immediately switched to a warm smile.
"Mr. John, this is Hank Christ."
She could not even be bothered to call him "Mr.," making it obvious she had no good feelings toward Hank Christ at all.
Hank Christ paused for a moment. He had not expected Angelina to embarrass him so openly, and he felt displeased.
So he said, "Since Miss Angelina has arrived, shall we begin the meeting?"
After speaking, he invited Angelina to take a seat.
Just as Alex started walking over as well, the assistant who had spoken with Hank Christ earlier stepped forward and raised a hand to stop him.
"Sorry, sir."
"Tonight, Mr. Hank Christ only invited Miss Angelina. If you want to observe, please sit over there."
He pointed toward a seat in the corner.
The mockery in his tone was obvious.
Angelina immediately looked ready to explode, but Alex lightly patted the back of her hand.
Alex smiled, "Tonight I really am not the main character. It's fine. I'll just observe."
He walked toward the corner the assistant pointed at.
At that moment, several people from Hank Christ's team started whispering.
"Who does he think he is? He's just a good-looking guy who became Miss Angelina's boyfriend. Otherwise, what qualifications would he have to step into a place like this?"
"Mr. Hank is already treating him too well. Someone like him isn't even qualified to observe. If it were me, I'd have thrown him out of the meeting room already."
Although those words were quiet, they naturally could not escape Alex's ears.
He was not angry either. Sitting in the corner, he watched those people with the mindset of someone watching monkeys perform at a zoo.
Watching all kinds of people reveal themselves.
———
On the other side, after everyone sat down, Hank Christ looked around, smiled slightly at Angelina, cleared his throat, and said, "Then, regarding the acquisition project for Site N174, the meeting will now begin."
[🙇🏻 You Can Support the Story Through P@tr3on—AmbitiousTranslator. It also has 40+ Chapters of all the novels and fanfics. Thanks for reading~]