"Psychological issues plus other reasons. After all, he's only ten. Before this, Ryan was raised entirely by his mother. Recently his mother…"
Ivan trailed off, as if he didn't want to say the truth out loud.
Seeing this, the reporter immediately pressed further. "Can you tell us the specific reason, Mr. Greevs? I think everyone is very concerned about the truth behind this incident."
The police around them, the people on site, and the viewers in front of their screens all perked up their ears and put on expressions of deep concern.
"Actually this is internal Vought confidential information. Under normal circumstances we can't reveal it to the outside, because for us at Vought it's also an extremely disgraceful matter." Ivan's words hooked everyone's curiosity.
They urgently wanted to know what had happened behind Ryan's killing spree that could drive a child to slaughter innocent pedestrians.
"But…"
Ivan's tone shifted and his expression gradually turned serious. Watching from the television, Butcher's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Considering the extremely severe social impact this incident has caused, some things are better said out loud. First, Homelander's son Ryan was kidnapped during the selection event a while ago. In order to find him, we at Vought used every connection we had, but in the end we still couldn't locate him."
"What?!"
The sudden bombshell sent waves through the crowd. Every reporter present stared at Ivan with wide eyes.
...
Becca, sitting beside Butcher, had the exact same reaction.
Almost instantly the sensitive Becca connected it to someone. She forcefully broke free from Butcher's arms, stared hard into his eyes, and said word by word, "You kidnapped Ryan."
Butcher was about to invent a "kind" lie to get past it, but Becca cut him off coldly.
"You can fool other people, but you can't fool me. Fuck you! Billy Butcher! I warned you. I don't care how you deal with Vought, but you are never allowed to involve Ryan."
Becca's voice trembled with rage and her chest heaved violently. "But you actually kidnapped him. Shit! You're a fucking bastard!"
Slap!
A crisp slap rang out.
The remaining guilt in Butcher's eyes vanished completely after the slap. He let out successive cold laughs.
"What the hell is Ryan? He's a bastard child! A bastard born after you were raped by Homelander. If I'd known, I'd have put a bullet in him right away. He and Homelander both carry dirty, violent blood. The fact that he killed so many people just proves it."
"No… this isn't true." Becca collapsed, clutching her head, and squatted on the ground in complete despair.
At the same time, on the screen, Ivan continued speaking.
"There are witnesses who can prove that Ryan was thrown out of a car. At the time he was stuffed inside a black sack. So I have reason to suspect that the one who kidnapped Ryan is the criminal previously wanted by Vought, Billy Butcher.
And we just received news that Ryan's mother has also gone missing unexpectedly. Therefore, let's make a bold guess for a moment: is it possible that the criminals used Ryan's mother to threaten him and force him to kill people in the street?
Their goal isn't hard to guess either. They wanted to use the public opinion Ryan created to completely bring down Vought Group. Once Vought collapses, they can commit crimes without any restraint from then on.
Of course, all of the above is only my personal speculation. Unless Billy Butcher publicly announces that he himself is the mastermind behind the entire incident, Ryan will ultimately still have to take responsibility for what he did."
Facing the camera, Ivan smiled slightly, then returned the microphone to the reporter who was still lost in thought.
...
Back at Vought Tower.
Homelander turned to Ivan and asked calmly, "Are you sure your method will work? How confident are you?"
Looking at Homelander, Ivan raised his right hand and held up his index finger. "Unless Butcher gets possessed by some spirit, I have one hundred percent confidence."
"I hope so."
Almost no expression showed on Homelander's face. His figure vanished from the spot. When he reappeared he was already standing on the very top of Vought Tower.
He stared straight at the sun, left hand pumping hard back and forth, as if trying to completely vent the powerlessness and frustration inside him.
...
In the basement, after hearing Ivan's statement, the previously despairing Becca felt like she had grabbed a lifeline.
"Sorry, Billy. I didn't mean it just now. Can you forgive me?" Becca cupped Butcher's face, her eyes full of guilt. "I was too impulsive. I'm sorry."
Seeing his wife's pitiful look, Butcher still softened.
He pressed his lips together and said softly, "What I said just now was only in anger. Let's turn the page, okay?"
Becca looked at him tenderly.
Her hands moved from his face to the back of his neck. She gently stroked it while her red lips parted. "Kiss me."
The next second Butcher didn't hesitate. He kissed her.
They kissed deeply, a full French tongue kiss that lasted the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. Seeing this, Frenchie and the others tactfully left the living room, giving space to the long-separated couple.
Becca gazed into Butcher's eyes and said with deep feeling, "Help me save Ryan, okay? He's my only son, and my only support besides you. Let's take him and leave America. Start a new life."
Butcher's face turned ugly as he stepped back several paces.
"You want me to publicly admit that everything Ryan did was planned by me? Are you out of your mind? If I do that I'll never be able to turn things around for the rest of my life. Even if I crush Vought, sunlight will never touch me again. I'll spend the rest of my life in this cold, damp, narrow, dark basement!"
Butcher couldn't believe his own wife wanted to trade the rest of his life for that bastard Homelander's son!
He couldn't help grabbing Becca's shoulders, trying to persuade her. "We're not that old yet. Can't we just have another kid? Let's forget about Ryan, okay?"
But Becca painfully shook her head. "You don't know what Ryan means to me. Right now this is the only way to save him. I'm begging you. Please save Ryan."
Seeing his wife cry, the words Butcher wanted to say never came out. He closed his mouth.
A moment later he sighed. "Let me think about it some more."
With that he turned and walked toward the room. His back carried an indescribable loneliness.
Maybe the frustration and powerlessness from the previous operations, compared to this moment, had become nothing worth mentioning.
____
[]~(￣▽￣)~*
Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69