Chapter 2683 - Ch: 25-34

She's Homelander, I'm Superman

Novel SummaryThe Boys, Gender-swapped Homelander, Time Travel

Lin Mo said he panicked when he was transported to the world of "The Boys".

After all, there's no Justice League here, no superheroes.

Only the "gods" created by the Vought Corporation, and the darkness hidden beneath their glamorous exteriors.

The good news is—

He awakened the powers of DC Superman.

Kryptonian bloodline, body of steel, limitless potential...

The bad news is—

He was born as a baby in 1980.

Newborn, he had not yet absorbed the energy of the Yellow Sun and could not control the superhuman power. He could only wait to grow up like an ordinary baby.

To make matters worse, he was discovered by the Vought Corporation.

No, please respawn me at the correct location!

Faced with this unexpected "experimental subject," Researcher Walter did not hesitate to inject him with compound V5.

However, no one expected this.

The V5, powerful enough to change ordinary people, was instantly neutralized by the mysterious bloodline within Lin Mo's body.

The Vought International believed they had created yet another superhero.

But little did they know...

They have found the true god of the future.

In order to study and cultivate this "success story", Walter used Linmer as the highest-level experimental subject.

However, a few years later...

Linmer, who had been transferred to Odessa, made an unexpected discovery.

This was originally the place where Homelander, the most powerful weapon created by Vought, lived.

only...

Why is the homelander in this world a girl?

Why did Walter intend for them to grow up together?

Chapter 25: Is it a pig butchering scam?

Marty slowly said, "At least he won't flip the entire laboratory upside down over a blood draw."

"I'm certainly not referring to destructive power."

Frank turned to Dr. Vogelbaum and voiced his concerns.

"Lin Mo's cognitive maturity is extremely high; he knows how to hide his true emotions and adjusts his performance based on the observers' expectations."

"He is even actively shaping Joanna's value judgments. He teaches her to question orders, evaluate behavioral motives, and distinguish between corporate arrangements and personal wishes."

"From an intellectual standpoint, he might be even more dangerous than Joanna."

This statement also caused everyone present to turn their gaze toward Dr. Vogelbaum. Edgar looked over too, naturally waiting for Dr. Vogelbaum's response.

Although the progress in cultivating Joanna was indeed good, the ultimate goal lay with Lin Mo.

After all, Dr. Vogelbaum had sworn beforehand that Lin Mo would listen to Vought, yet nearly half a year had passed, and it seemed there was still little progress in cultivating Lin Mo.

Dr. Vogelbaum folded his hands and placed them on the table.

He did not deny these words. Lin Mo truly did not behave like an ordinary four-year-old child; even considering the neural development enhancement that Compound V might bring, some of his behaviors still exceeded expectations.

He knew how to wait, how to hide, and how to guide Joanna in forming her own understanding without directly disobeying orders.

But Dr. Vogelbaum did not think this was enough to invalidate the plan.

"Lin Mo's physical abilities are special, but he hasn't shown the same level of aggressiveness as Joanna."

He said, "More importantly, he has genuine emotions toward Joanna."

"Genuine emotions can both allow him to influence Joannaand, in turn, restrain him."

"Furthermore, what you all are worried about is simply that Lin Mo's intelligence is too high, and you fear that once he learns our true faces, he will take Joanna with him and cause irreversible consequences."

Upon hearing this, Edgar also nodded in agreement. This was indeed what they feared, but after talking for so long, a solution still hadn't been provided, making everyone present somewhat anxious.

Seeing that his purpose had been achieved, Dr. Vogelbaumsmiled and said,

"Why? Why must we choose control and deception?"

"Why not try a different approach? Lin Mo is very smart. If we treat him sincerely, tell him the actual situation in advance, and let him step into Vought Tower in the future, or make him a member of The Seven, what reason would he have to leave the money and power provided to him by Vought?"

"Besides, if he directly resists, we can make him understand what consequences resistance would bring to Joanna."

Someone immediately understood the drawbacks and asked, "You mean telling him the truth of the research—what if he still doesn't agree with it?"

For instance, if Lin Mo really happened to have a bleeding-heart personality, he would still take Joanna and rebel together.

At this moment, Dr. Vogelbaum took out another report and placed it in front of everyone.

"Is this the psychological research report on Lin Mo?" Edgar turned to the first page, saw the few lines of words written on it, and asked Dr. Vogelbaum again.

"That's right. I specially invited world-class psychological research experts to evaluate and judge from multiple aspects, and this is the answer they reached."

"That is, regarding Lin Mo's personality, he will absolutely never strike against Vought. Likewise, as long as Vought treats him sincerely, Lin Mo naturally will not rebel."

Dr. Vogelbaum spoke these words with considerable confidence, and the people present didn't speak further, including Marty.

Originally, Marty supported the isolation plan given by the psychological research experts, fearing Lin Mo's loss of control and rebellion. Now that he had this psychological research report, he had nothing more to say and could only cast his gaze toward Edgar.

As a Vought executive, only he could truly make the final call and decide Joanna's subsequent research.

After reviewing the psychological research report, Edgarwas silent for a moment, then nodded under Dr. Vogelbaum's expectant gaze, indicating his approval of the plan.

That is, telling Lin Mo everything about Vought in advance—of course, certain parts would definitely be beautified.

However, before the meeting ended, Edgar put forward another request.

"We need an unannounced stress test."

Dr. Vogelbaum looked up and asked curiously,

"Testing what?"

"Whether Joanna will prioritize protecting Lin Mo during a sudden threat, and most importantly, whether Lin Mo has the ability to stop her attacks."

Marty immediately said, "We can arrange a simulated attack."

"Have the security personnel wear the highest-grade protective equipment and suddenly enter during joint activities."

Frank's expression changed slightly: "Lin Mo cannot distinguish between simulated and real threats."

"Just tell him in advance. He's very smart and will know what to do."

Edgar said casually.

Dr. Vogelbaum pondered for a moment and slowly nodded.

"We must restrict the actions of the security personnel. Only grabbing is allowed, no real weapons are to be used, and at the same time, anesthetic gas and high-frequency sound waves must be prepared."

Marty nodded.

"The testers will wear full protection."

Barbara couldn't help saying, "You've considered the walls and equipment, but have you considered whether the people executing the test can handle it?"

Marty gave her a strange look.

"They'll receive a danger allowance."

A simple phrase like danger allowance seemed sufficient to resolve life risks, and this was also the norm for Vought.

Edgar had no interest in continuing the discussion.

"Arrange it as soon as possible during the next joint free activity."

The projection in the conference room was turned off, and the screen turned pitch black again.

Lin Mo was unaware of what happened in the meeting; his Super Hearing hadn't fully manifested yet, but lately Lin Mo increasingly felt that the Vought researchers were acting strange.

Could it be that a new batch of researchers had been replaced? Why were their attitudes toward him ridiculously good, granting almost every request? Furthermore, the time allowed for him to sunbathe had become much longer. Aside from the time spent accompanying Joanna, he could stay above ground for long periods.

That shouldn't be the case. Lin Mo observed silently in his spare time and also found that their attitude toward Joannadidn't seem to have changed—it only appeared on him.

What kind of trick was Vought playing again? A pig-butchering scam?

...

The afternoon sunlight shone straight down onto his head. Lin Mo leisurely sunbathed, feeling the growing strength within his body. Vought had even thoughtfully prepared a lounge chair for him to lie there comfortably.

He did not forget to ponder the recent situation. Calculating the time, it had been almost a full year since he came into contact with Joanna.

Under his conscientious cultivation, Lin Mo felt that Joannawould definitely change more or less in the future; as for how much she would change, that was her own affair.

After a while, a caregiver came to remind him that it was time to interact with Joanna today.

Lin Mo slowly got up from the chair and prepared to head underground to find Joanna. You heard that right—Lin Mocould now basically roam around this research bunker without anyone bothering him. Previously, someone would follow behind him to watch him and keep him from running around; now, they were purely letting him roam free.

But it couldn't be said that nobody was managing him; someone was definitely monitoring him through the cameras.

Looking at it this way, Vought seemed to treat them a bit too differently, as if he were Vought's biological son, while Joanna was someone picked up from outside.

Chapter 26: Here to Deliver Themselves to Death

"Lin Mo, come here for a moment."

Just as he was about to leave, Dr. Vogelbaum suddenly appeared and blocked his way, clearly looking for Lin Mofor something.

Lin Mo did not find this strange anymore; before interacting with Joanna, researchers would sometimes brief him on certain matters regarding his interaction with Joanna that day—for instance, what concept to make her understand, or what things to teach her, and so on.

Dr. Vogelbaum kept his gentle smile, trying hard to make himself look more approachable.

Until Lin Mo walked up to him and casually said,

"Hey, old man, what is it?"

Hearing Lin Mo's address for him, Dr. Vogelbaum showed no dissatisfaction. It was just a form of address, and how the task assigned next would be executed still depended on what Lin Mo said, otherwise it wouldn't be easy to carry out.

"Lin Mo, today when you go play with Joanna, security personnel will rush in to conduct a drill. You need to call a halt to Joanna at the right time and not let Joanna know that this is an act."

After finishing, Dr. Vogelbaum bent down, patted Lin Mo's small shoulder, and added another sentence, "I believe you know what to do."

Hearing this, Lin Mo did not reply, only raising his head slightly and nodding gently.

Looking at this appearance of his, the smile in Dr. Vogelbaum's eyes deepened a bit more. He withdrew his hand, straightened up, and his tone remained gentle: "I knew you could handle the boundaries well."

"Go ahead." Dr. Vogelbaum turned slightly sideways, making way for him to pass.

This old fellow, why is he pulling off a sudden drill? Could it be that he wants those people to come and die?

Although Lin Mo had doubts in his heart, he couldn't be bothered to ask. Those security personnel were just acting; anyway, it wouldn't harm Joanna. He lazily raised his foot and walked toward the elevator leading to the underground bunker.

Soon, he arrived at the familiar playroom. On the table were still a few picture books and a set of unknown toys, and Joanna was already waiting for him there.

According to the surface normal arrangement, this was just a three-hour free activity until dinner arrived.

But today there were other arrangements, and it was unclear what would follow.

Lin Mo stood at the door, thoughts flashing rapidly through his mind, but soon, Joanna's voice pulled him back.

"Lin Mo, Lin Mo, come play this with me quickly!" Joanna's joyful voice echoed in the playroom. Seeing Lin Mo's arrival, her face was covered with smiles.

She waved to Lin Mo, wanting him to play with her. Compared to games or whatever they played, what Joannaloved more was the time spent together with Lin Mo.

"Mhm." Lin Mo recovered instantly and readily agreed to Joanna's request; he had long been used to this.

Meanwhile, in the observation room, everyone was waiting.

Dr. Vogelbaum and Edgar watched the room through the glass.

Security personnel dressed in black full-body protective suits were already waiting behind the side door.

The helmets were reinforced, the chest and abdomen covered with composite material armor, and buffer structures were also installed on the arms and legs.

According to the design, even if subjected to an ordinary vehicle impact, this set of equipment could disperse most of the impact force, although no one could be sure whether it could withstand Joanna's strength.

The breathing sounds of the security personnel were transmitted into the control room through the communicators, noticeably heavier than usual. They probably knew what they would face next, but resistance was undoubtedly impossible.

"Task re-confirmed."

said Marty.

"After entering the room, quickly approach Lin Mo, grab his shoulder with your right hand, and drag him toward the exit direction."

"Remember not to strike, and do not use any weapons."

"If Joanna reacts too strongly, let go immediately and flee the scene."

The security personnel did not answer immediately. A few seconds later, a sentence came through the communicator.

"Understood."

Marty turned his head to look at Edgar, waiting for instructions.

"You may begin."

Edgar nodded slightly.

The next second, the rarely used metal lock on the side of the playroom suddenly popped open, emitting a crisp and harsh mechanical unlocking sound.

Lin Mo was the first to catch this unusual sound. His lazily drooping eyelids lifted slightly, and his gaze accurately swept toward that tightly closed side door.

The heavy metal door swung inward at the sound, and several tall and straight figures in black protective gear rushed into the room quickly, their paces fierce and carrying an extremely strong sense of oppression.

Without any broadcast early warning or accompanying nursing staff to pave the way, this sudden intrusion appeared stiff and abrupt here.

The incoming people had extremely clear targets, looking straight ahead, and directly and rapidly approached Lin Mo's direction.

Lin Mo immediately knew that this test had begun.

It was nothing more than Vought wanting to observe their reaction to a sudden attack, or more accurately, wanting to observe Joanna's performance.

He couldn't even be bothered to get up; Dr. Vogelbaumonly told him not to let Joanna know the ins and outs of the matter, and didn't arrange anything else.

Because everything happened too fast, the security personnel had already extended their hands to grab his shoulder, but that hand ultimately did not touch Lin Mo.

Because Joanna was faster than him; she had originally been sitting on Lin Mo's right side.

At the very moment the security personnel entered the room, she had already dropped the toy in her hand, her whole body instantly tightening, and the aura around her suddenly turning icy.

With a flash of her figure, she steadily blocked between Lin Mo and the security personnel, her slender yet straight back wanting to firmly protect the person behind her.

Her arms instinctively opened wide, shielding Lin Motightly behind her—completely out of instinct.

The security personnel clearly did not expect her speed; his extended right hand was too late to withdraw, and the momentum could not be reined in in time.

She was grabbed by Joanna's hand, which clamped tightly onto the opponent's protective suit-wrapped wrist, making a harsh frictional sound from the protective material.

"Don't move!"

The security personnel's heart tightened, and he instinctively let out a low shout. He knew all too well just how terrifying Joanna really was.

However, these words had no effect. Joanna's vision was blocked by the heavy helmet, making it impossible to see the other person's expression. In her pure and straightforward understanding, a stranger suddenly breaking in and reaching out to take Lin Mo away was naked malice and attack.

She grabbed the security personnel's arm and casually flicked it outward.

A robust adult male weighing nearly a hundred kilograms abruptly left the ground like a kite with a broken string, slamming sideways into the hard wall.

A deafening roar burst out, the entire playroom violently shook, the lights on the ceiling swayed gently, and even an indentation appeared on the surface of the wall.

Suddenly, the bodies of the remaining security personnel who were preparing to advance froze instantly. Yet because orders had not yet been given, they still remained in place, but dared not make any rash moves anymore.

That unlucky security personnel let out a suppressed scream. His arm had already fractured when grabbed, and the impact caused heavy deformation to his chest and abdominal armor, presumably injuring his internal organs severely.

Yet Joanna still did not stop. She rushed to the wall and grabbed the opponent's protective suit once more.

The security personnel had long since lost the ability to resist. The inside of his helmet was filled with rapid and chaotic breathing sounds, and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth through the lining, faintly blooming into a dark red.

Joanna raised her fist, the muscles in her arm tensing to gather strength, her movements crisp and neat without a shred of hesitation.

She wanted to completely eradicate this sole threat.

Chapter 27: Wrongdoers Do Not Deserve Rescue

"Joanna!"

In the nick of time, Lin Mo flashed forward, reaching out from behind to gently grasp her raised wrist, stopping her fist right in front of the security guard's helmet.

Less than ten centimeters away from the visor, the wind from her punch had already left a fine crack on the surface of the transparent material.

Joanna's small back stiffened slightly as she slowly turned her head.

Her light-colored pupils were clear yet icy, filled with intense vigilance as she spoke in a firm tone.

"Let go. He's going to grab you."

Lin Mo tightened his grip on Joanna's hand, firmly locking her wrist to prevent her from moving, his tone steady and serious.

"He can't move anymore."

"Stop."

Joanna's gaze swept past Lin Mo and fell upon the figure curled up against the wall.

She silently scanned the person for a moment, her eyes indifferent and devoid of any pity, reflecting only a precise judgment of the threat.

"He's still alive."

She spoke softly, her tone flat to the point of coldness, judging that the threat before her had not yet been completely eliminated.

Lin Mo frowned, thinking to himself that Vought was truly troublesome, requiring him to clean up the mess.

Then, he continued to dissuade her.

"That's all the more reason for you to stop."

"He'll grab you again."

"He won't."

"You don't know that."

"I know."

Lin Mo increased the weight of his voice, gently raising his other hand to turn her cheek, forcing her to look back, breaking her gaze from the injured person and meeting his eyes directly.

"Look at me."

Joanna's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she finally withdrew her gaze completely.

In her light-colored eyes, there was no panic, no lingering agitation after the fading of her murderous intent, only a layer of vigilance that had yet to disperse, locked firmly onto Lin Mo's face.

"I am not hurt."

Lin Mo deliberately slowed his tone, telling her clearly word by word.

This sentence was like a command to lift her guard.

Joanna released her grip on the other's collar almost instantly.

It wasn't out of softness, nor did she care about the safety of the injured person; she simply transferred all her attention entirely onto Lin Mo.

She turned around, grabbed Lin Mo's shoulders, and quickly checked him from head to toe.

First checking his face, then his neck, and subsequently pulling up his sleeves to confirm there were no new wounds on his arms, her movements were rushed yet methodical, concealing an extreme level of care and unease.

"Did he touch you?" She raised her eyes, her gaze earnest.

"No."

"Did he grab you?"

"No."

"Where does it hurt?"

"Nothing hurts."

After several rounds of questioning, Lin Mo was momentarily speechless and helpless.

Couldn't she tell who the actual injured person was? That guy hadn't even touched him just now.

Even after receiving repeated answers, Joanna still refused to set her mind at ease.

She leaned forward slightly, gently pressing her palm against Lin Mo's chest to quietly feel his steady and powerful heartbeat, confirming that he was safe and sound.

Until she was certain he was truly unharmed, her tense body relaxed slightly.

At this moment, the security guard fallen by the wall couldn't help letting out a painful groan.

Joanna didn't move her feet or turn her head back by even a fraction.

To her, this severely injured person who had fallen to the ground was merely a disabled, broken threat that no longer required attention, possessing zero presence anymore.

The playroom's emergency alarm only sounded at this moment.

The remaining security guards felt a great sense of relief and fled the playroom one after another, without even glancing at their injured companion.

Red lights began to flash, and the broadcast demanded that Joanna immediately retreat to the other side of the room.

She ignored it.

Several medical personnel outside pushed stretchers and waited by the door, but knowing the terrifying nature of the girl before them, no one dared to rashly step into the room.

Inside the playroom, Lin Mo's peripheral vision swept over the security guard by the wall, clearly hearing the chaotic noise mixed in the other's breathing.

It was most likely multiple rib fractures accompanied by severe visceral contusions.

If delayed any further, the injuries would only continue to worsen, easily endangering his life.

"Joanna."

Lin Mo raised his hand to point toward the empty other side of the room, his tone earnest.

"You go over there first."

Joanna's brows knitted tightly together again in an instant, her eyes filled with vigilance as she locked onto the direction of the door.

"They're going to come in," she lowered her voice, carrying an instinctive defense.

"They want to save him," Lin Mo patiently explained.

"He grabbed you," Joanna said stubbornly, refusing to relent.

In her understanding, wrongdoers did not deserve rescue.

"He's already injured."

"Then let him lie there."

Lin Mo suddenly felt a genuine sense of helplessness well up in his heart.

He clearly perceived the complete transformation in Joanna.

She had developed an extremely strong protective desire, and would block in front of him no matter what, placing his safety above everything else.

This was a gentle change spawned by long-term companionship and guidance.

This was also the result brought about by one of his original intentions and motivations, so he couldn't blame her.

Yet this ultimate gentleness was extreme and narrow-minded; her kindness and bottom line were kept solely for him alone.

Toward the pain, severe injuries, and even life and death of others, she consistently felt no empathy whatsoever, lacking an ounce of basic reverence for life.

This was not what Lin Mo wanted to see.

In her simple and straightforward worldview: anyone who attempted to harm or take Lin Mo away was a threat that must be completely eliminated, and was not worthy of any pity.

Nor did Lin Mo want to praise her, even though her actions just now stemmed from an extreme desire to protect him and pure care.

He dared not give a single word of affirmation.

Once acknowledged, Joanna would firmly remember this behavioral logic, and henceforth anyone who approached him and was judged by her as a threat would suffer her merciless, extreme disposal.

This was essentially no different from Homelander in the original work, except that originally Homelander had no one to guide him and was even more extreme.

"You retreat over by the table," Lin Mo prepared to continue guiding her.

"I'll go over with you."

Hearing that Lin Mo would leave together with her, Joanna's vigilance loosened slightly.

She nodded slowly and obediently followed him to move to the other side of the room.

As soon as the two of them stood firm, the medical personnel outside rushed in quickly, nimbly strapping the severely injured security guard onto the stretcher, acting cautiously throughout for fear of provoking Joanna on the side.

Throughout the entire rescue process, Joanna kept her gaze dark and heavy as she stared at everyone, her vision as sharp as a blade.

As long as anyone dared to take even half a step further in Lin Mo's direction, she would immediately step forward by half a step, her posture tense and ready to block at any time.

The moment the stretcher was quickly wheeled out of the room, Lin Mo clearly caught a glimpse of the injured man's deformed and twisted right arm, as well as the collapsed contour of his chest.

Even with the heavy protective suit buffering it, the injury was still perilously fatal.

The isolation door closed heavily, the piercing alarm abruptly ceased, and the flashing red lights returned to calm.

The playroom returned to a dead silence once more, terrifyingly quiet.

The toys scattered on the carpet and the clearly sunken cracks on the wall were silently reminding them that what had just happened was by no means child's play.

Joanna hurried back to Lin Mo's side, tilting her head up to look at him.

Her eyes were clear and direct, carrying a touch of pureness akin to fishing for praise.

"He's gone."

She spoke softly, as if earnestly informing Lin Mo that all threats had been completely eliminated.

Lin Mo rubbed his chin, silent for a moment.

How should he persuade Joanna?

"Lin Mo?"

Seeing him remain silent, Joanna raised her hand slightly, gently touching the back of his hand with cautious probing.

Chapter 28: The Child is Ruined

Lin Mo finally snapped back to reality, raised his eyes to look at her, his tone solemn and deep, saying every word clearly: "You almost killed him."

The movements of Joanna suddenly stiffened, a trace of obvious astonishment flashing in her eyes.

She had never anticipated that her actions to protect Lin Mo would be met with such a tone and judgment.

"He wanted to capture you."

She slightly pressed her lips together, her tone carrying a hint of grievance as she instinctively defended herself.

"That still does not mean you can kill him."

Lin Mo kept his tone firm.

The brows of Joanna tightly knitted together, her eyes full of incomprehension as she asked with bewilderment: "Why?"

"Because he no longer has any way to hurt us."

"But he came to capture you first."

She stubbornly stuck to her own logic, refusing to agree with Lin Mo.

"So you could have stopped him."

"I did stop him!"

Joanna raised her eyes, her gaze open and frank.

"You wanted to hit his head afterward."

Lin Mo went straight to the crux of the matter, refusing to back down.

Joanna turned her head to look at the indentation on the wall, remained silent for a moment, her tone still calm: "He is still alive."

"Precisely because he is still alive, you almost killed him."

Lin Mo increased the weight of his tone, trying to make her understand the boundaries and propriety involved.

"Once he is killed, he will not capture you anymore."

Her tone was far too natural and calm, as if she were merely stating an ordinary, everyday matter.

This gave Lin Mo a bit of a headache; perhaps he was not a good teacher and guide.

In fact, if Joanna did not exist in this world, if such a scene targeting him had just occurred, Lin Mo might have killed them all, which ran completely counter to what he wanted Joanna to learn.

Because this was also his idealism—wanting Joanna to become the person he wished to be, even though he himself could not achieve it.

In the past, he could use simple little stories to teach her gentleness little by little, to teach her to treat the weak kindly, and to cherish life.

Yet when a real crisis and genuine conflict descended, those gentle, shallow principles almost completely failed.

The instinct rooted deep in the bones of Joanna remained the most direct and extreme solution: completely destroying the threat and eliminating future troubles once and for all.

"You cannot be like this."

Lin Mo exhaled softly, his expression growing even more solemn.

Joanna looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion, and once again softly asked: "Why?"

Lin Mo felt his words catch in his throat, and he stopped abruptly.

Countless standard answers swirled in his mind: life is irreplaceable, the harm must be proportional to the threat, the executor should not bear all the blame for commands, there are rules and laws in the world to constrain human hearts...

But these abstract principles rooted in society, human nature, and rules were far too distant for Joanna, who had never stepped into normal human society, did not understand the law, did not understand human feelings, and did not understand bonds.

She did not know that the security personnel who made a mistake might have been forced into it, and if stripped of this protective suit, he was also a family member of someone, a concern of someone, with his own life and vulnerabilities.

The world she saw was extremely simple: anyone who wanted to take Lin Mo away was an enemy and should be completely eliminated.

From her most straightforward cause-and-effect logic, she had done nothing wrong.

"He wanted to hurt you."

Joanna spoke again, her tone sincere.

"I am protecting you."

She quietly looked at Lin Mo, expectations hidden deep in her eyes, obediently waiting for his praise and affirmation just like she had countless times before after completing minor tasks.

She waited for Lin Mo to rub her head, waited for him to say she did a good job, waited for him to praise her for learning to protect and controlling her power.

Yet Lin Mo never uttered a single word of approval.

"You are not wrong to protect me."

Lin Mo slowly opened his mouth, first affirming her pure intentions before his tone immediately turned heavy.

"But you cannot just kill others casually simply because you are protecting me."

The expectation in the eyes of Joanna suddenly receded, the light slowly dimming, and the innocent anticipation on her face completely dissipated, replaced by a trace of bewilderment and incomprehension.

"He is not someone else."

"He is a bad person."

"You do not know him, and you do not know if he was acting against his will."

Lin Mo explained patiently.

"Anyone who captures you is a bad person."

The logic of Joanna was simple and stubborn, unshakeable by even a fraction.

"It is also possible someone ordered him to do it."

The gaze of Joanna sank, her tone concise: "Then the person who ordered him is also a bad person."

Lin Mo was momentarily choked for words and unable to refute.

This sudden conflict was a conspiracy plotted by Vought in the first place, and the security personnel were merely chess pieces following orders.

But he could not follow the logic of Joanna downward. Once defaulted, she would classify the entire bunker, all the researchers and security personnel participating in the test, as "bad people" and treat them as threats that needed to be eliminated.

"Even if he did a bad thing, it does not mean he has to die right now."

Lin Mo exercised his patience and continued to guide her.

The face of Joanna was full of confusion, she tilted her head slightly, and stubbornly asked again: "Why?"

It was still those two simple words, the exact same question, yet it rendered Lin Mo completely speechless, unable to find a single shallow and straightforward answer that could make her instantly understand with crystal clarity.

"Because people are not like broken toys."

He finally said.

"You cannot just replace them whenever you want, nor can you break them just because you do not like them."

Joanna pressed her small lips together and directly retorted.

"I do not like him."

"So what?"

Lin Mo raised his eyes to look at her, his brow slightly furrowed.

Joanna raised her head slightly, her pupils locking firmly onto Lin Mo, her tone growing stiff bit by bit, carrying a trace of grievance at not being understood.

"And he hurt you."

She took a small half-step forward, her gaze glued firmly to the face of Lin Mo, pronouncing every word clearly, solemn and stubborn.

"I am protecting you."

After finishing these words, she quietly looked at Lin Mo, the light in her eyes slowly dimming down, concealing hard-to-conceal confusion and loss.

"And yet you are unhappy."

This was her only, yet greatest, incomprehension at this moment.

From beginning to end, she was not confused about injuring the security personnel, nor did she feel a shred of fear about nearly taking the life of someone. In her cognition, eliminating a threat was simply a matter of course.

The only thing she could not figure out was that she had used all her might to protect Lin Mo, yet what she got in return was not his recognition, but silence and a solemn reprimand.

"I am not angry because you protected me."

Lin Mo let out a soft breath, slowed down his speech rate, and explained earnestly.

"I am angry because you clearly already stopped him, yet you continued to attack."

Joanna was extremely stubborn, instinctively defending herself.

"I was afraid he would come again."

"You can watch him, you can pin him down, or you can wait for others to come in."

Lin Mo raised his hand, gently gesturing the boundaries, his tone solemn yet gentle.

"But you cannot just kill him directly."

Joanna pressed her lips tightly together, falling into a long silence.

In her mind, she repeatedly wrestled the words of Lin Moagainst her own cognition, and after a long while, she raised her eyes.

"You are helping him."

"I am stopping you from making a mistake."

Lin Mo corrected helplessly.

He finally understood that the original Homelander must have been this paranoid, stubbornly drilling into a dead end.

"You are helping him."

She repeated word for word, her tone turning completely cold, stripping away all softness, and soaked through with clear dissatisfaction and grievance.

Lin Mo quietly gazed at her abruptly chilling brows and eyes, and he finally understood completely that in the world of Joanna, this dispute was never about the right or wrong of whether to kill someone who had lost the ability to resist.

This was an incomparably absolute choice of stance: which side Lin Mo was standing on after all.

She had recklessly blocked in front of him, knocked down the attacker bare-handed, confirmed he was safe and sound at the very first moment, and used all her strength to protect his safety.

Yet looking at Lin Mo in turn, he did not soothe her tense emotions, did not feel distressed for her caution and tension just then, and did not affirm her pure protection.

At the very first moment he spoke up, what he defended was instead that stranger who had tried to harm them.

In the emotional world of Joanna, which was simple, pure, black-and-white, and extremely exclusionary, this was no different from the most straightforward betrayal.

Chapter 29: Getting Stuck in Dead Ends

In the playroom, Lin Mo looked rather distressed because Joanna hadn't spoken to him for a full two hours.

Why was this child so unable to let things go? It seemed the trauma from her original family was simply too painful.

Calculating the time, in a little while, today's contact time with Joanna would come to an end. Super Brain, think of something for me quickly!

Joanna had her back to him, sitting in the furthest corner of the playroom with a blue blanket wrapped around her shoulders, her face almost completely buried in the fabric.

Lin Mo hesitated for a moment, walked over to her side, and did not continuously apologize.

If he retracted his principles just because of her silence, Joanna would only learn another way of control.

As long as she showed dissatisfaction, he would negate what he had said before.

Thus, Lin Mo sat down beside Joanna.

He casually picked up the scattered toys and fiddled with them at random.

Only the soft sounds of Lin Mo manipulating the toys remained in the room.

Another ten minutes passed, and Joanna still hadn't turned her head back.

But he didn't leave either; what else could he do? He had already done his best. If he really couldn't figure it out, he might change his plan and leave the Vought research bunker early to go have fun.

He occasionally turned a page of a picture book, took a sip of juice that was no longer cold, or disassembled the wrongly pieced parts. He didn't deliberately make sounds to attract her, nor did he pretend to not care at all.

He just stayed right next to her and continued doing his own things.

In the observation room, a researcher lowered their voice and softly asked for instructions:

"Should we end this contact session early?"

Dr. Vogelbaum replied: "Of course not. This is a rare conflict between the two, so naturally we should see how they resolve it."

Edgar sat at the back of the observation room, flipping through newspapers of the recent American market, and suddenly spoke up.

"Extend it."

He said, "Let's see which one speaks first."

Time ticked away second by second, and nearly an hour of dead silence shrouded the playroom.

Joanna, curled up in the corner, finally stirred. First, she slowly raised her head buried in the blue blanket, turned her head slightly, and swept a glance backward out of the corner of her eye. Lin Mo was still sitting in his original position.

Lin Mo still sat quietly in his original position with a relaxed posture, showing no signs of getting up and leaving. The isolation door remained tightly shut, with no human intervention throughout, and the researchers did not issue an order to terminate the contact.

Confirming that Lin Mo hadn't abandoned her, the panic in the depths of her eyes faded slightly. She quietly lowered her head again, burying half her face back into the soft blanket, and continued the silent standoff.

Another dozen minutes passed quietly.

In the dead silent room, a dry, soft voice finally rang out.

"You like him?"

Long-term silence made her voice dry and tight as she spoke tentatively. She maintained her posture with her back to Lin Mo all along, her shoulders slightly tensed, not daring to turn back and make eye contact.

Hearing this, Lin Mo was slightly stunned. Someone was slandering him here—where on earth did he have someone he liked? For a moment, he didn't realize who she was referring to.

"Who?"

"That person."

Joanna's voice remained flat and without undulation.

Only then did Lin Mo suddenly realize that the person she was talking about was the security personnel who had been heavily injured and collapsed earlier.

How did this turn into him liking him? Her thought process was simply too bizarre.

He sighed helplessly and explained in a calm tone.

"I don't know him."

Joanna finally turned around slowly, still sitting on the floor in the corner without getting up to approach. The pale eyes faded of the sharp chill from when she struck earlier, leaving only pure confusion and a shallow grievance filling her eyes, looking straight at Lin Mo.

"Then why did you help him?"

"I just couldn't let you kill him."

Lin Mo leaned his body forward slightly, softened his tone, and patiently corrected her paranoid cognition.

Joanna frowned slightly, her gaze becoming even more uncomprehending.

"You don't know him."

"Right."

"He doesn't know you either."

"Maybe."

"He wanted to capture you."

She stared firmly at Lin Mo, the grievance in her eyes gradually clearing up. Every word and sentence was recounting the rationality of her protection. In her world, anyone who harmed Lin Mo was an absolute enemy.

"Why are you still protecting him?"

Lin Mo raised his hand to put down the toy airplane puzzle in his hand, looked up, and looked at her seriously.

"Because just because a person did something wrong doesn't mean they deserve to die."

Joanna's brows knitted even tighter, her face filled with clueless incomprehension, her tone carrying a hint of bewildered seriousness.

"If they did something wrong, can't they be killed?"

"Not all mistakes need to be solved with death."

"But, he hurt you." Joanna bit down hard on this key point, refusing to back down.

"Yet he didn't succeed." Lin Mo responded steadily.

"It was me who stopped him." Joanna immediately raised her voice, carrying a hint of merit-seeking seriousness.

"Right." Lin Mo nodded gently, affirming her protection.

"You stopped him, and that is already enough."

Joanna was silent for a moment, quietly reviewing the danger from just now.

"If I hadn't stopped him, he would have taken you away."

"So I never said that you shouldn't protect me." Lin Moslowed down his speech rate, clearly dissecting right and wrong, fearing that she would still confuse her cognition.

"Then why were you angry?"

Joanna looked straight at him, her eyes filled with pure confusion. She could understand danger, she could understand protection, but she simply couldn't understand why protecting the person she cherished with all her might would in exchange bring about his displeasure.

Looking at her clueless and stubborn appearance, Lin Mosighed silently in his heart. He knew that he had to completely separate the two matters in order to correct her extreme cognition.

"I wasn't angry because you stood in front of me."

"I saw you taking the initiative to protect me, and I'm very grateful to you."

Hearing the word grateful, Joanna's expression flickered instantly. Her tensed shoulder line relaxed slightly, and a trace of surprise flashed across the depths of her eyes.

"Grateful?"

"The first thing you thought of when you saw danger was to protect me."

Lin Mo's gaze was gentle, and every word was sincere.

"On this point, you are not wrong."

"What is wrong is that he had already lost the ability to resist and completely collapsed, yet you were still prepared to continue attacking and hurting him."

"That way, he would really die."

Joanna stared at him without blinking, stubbornly sticking to her own logic.

"If he dies, he won't come to capture you again, right."

"Yet he might also have people who care about him."

Lin Mo paused slightly, softened his tone, and threw out a logic she had never been exposed to.

"Just like how much I care about you."

The moment these words fell, a trace of hesitation finally flashed across Joanna's clear eyes, her pupils shaking slightly, for the first time producing a weak wavering in her own judgment.

"Someone cares about him?" she softly asked back, full of disbelief.

"Of course."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

Joanna immediately shook her head, the hesitation in her eyes instantly dissipating and returning to certainty.

"If you don't know, then there is none."

"We cannot just pretend this attachment doesn't exist simply because we can't see it or don't know about it."

Lin Mo reached out and picked up an ordinary civilian model nearby, gently placing it between the two of them, guiding her to understand in the most straightforward way.

"Look, you didn't know me before either."

"At that time, if someone harmed me, you wouldn't have known that someone cared about me either."

Joanna immediately raised her eyes to look at him, her tone hurried and earnest.

"But I know now."

"Yet for others, there is also someone hiding who cares about him right now."

This was already the reason Lin Mo could simplify to the extreme, yet Joanna still found it difficult to thoroughly understand.

Chapter 30: Killed, Unhappy"

She stared at the tiny model in her palm, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she tried to imagine: a stranger completely unrelated to herself and Lin Mo could also be cherished, cared for, and waited upon by someone.

After a long while, she raised her head and asked the most straightforward confusion in her heart.

"Does he also have a Joanna who cares about him?"

Lin Mo was slightly stunned, then softly replied.

"Maybe."

"Perhaps someone at home is always waiting for him to go back."

"Just like how I will wait for you to come back."

Joanna's brows furrowed deeper, the confusion in her heart grew heavier, and her stubborn thought still did not loosen.

"But he took the initiative to capture you."

"So I won't like him, nor will I ever excuse his faults for him."

Lin Mo looked at her earnestly, clearly drawing the boundary between right and wrong.

"But doing something wrong and deserving to die have never been the same thing."

"When people make mistakes, they can be stopped, punished, and restrained. The only thing we cannot do is arbitrarily deprive them of the right to live just because we are stronger than them."

Joanna pressed her lips tightly together and fell completely silent.

This set of gentle rules completely contradicted the bunker world where she grew up; under Walter's control, strength and power were absolute rules.

Researchers holding authority could arbitrarily decide her rest schedule, diet, medical examinations, and meeting times without regard for her wishes; even seemingly vulnerable staff members could restrict her freedom as long as they controlled the venue, gas supply, and activity permissions.

And since she possessed the power to crush everything, she instinctively believed that she also had the absolute say to casually dispose of the weak and eliminate threats.

Lin Mo's persuasion at this moment essentially asked her to voluntarily give up her innate power privileges, yet she still didn't understand why she should actively back down.

After a long silence, she raised her head again, her eyes straightforward and pure.

"Do you hope he stays alive?"

"It is not a question of whether I hope for it or not."

"Then why on earth is that?" Joanna asked stubbornly.

"Whether a person's life should exist or not should not be judged by my preferences."

Joanna quieted down completely, her eyes filled with disapproval, yet she didn't know how to refute.

Her world had an absolutely clear priority: Lin Mo was first, herself second, and everyone else was categorized based on whether they were friends or foes and whether they posed a threat.

That security personnel who took the initiative to commit violence had long been classified by her into the lowest tier of threats. She could never understand why a stranger who had hurt Lin Mo possessed value that could not be erased.

After a long silence, Joanna slowly stood up, holding the blue blanket tightly in her arms and gripping the soft fabric as if grasping her only remaining confidence.

She didn't immediately get close to Lin Mo, but instead moved slowly step by step, gently sitting down two meters away from him, maintaining a polite yet distant distance.

"Are you still angry?" She lowered her eyes and asked softly.

"I never want to be angry with you." Lin Mo's tone was gentle.

"That means you are still angry." Joanna accurately captured the unspoken meaning in his tone, and her voice dropped a few degrees.

Lin Mo didn't deny it and nodded calmly.

"I just hope you can understand that what you just did was wrong."

"What if I never understand?" Joanna raised her eyes, a trace of uneasy probing in her gaze.

"Then I will slowly teach you and keep telling you."

Joanna gripped the blanket until it wrinkled slightly, and after brewing for a long time, she finally asked the question she feared and cared about the most in her heart.

"Will you leave?"

Lin Mo gazed steadily into her fearful yet stubborn eyes, his tone exceptionally firm.

"I won't leave you because of this matter."

"What if I disobey in the future?"

"We can slowly debate and work things out."

"What about after the debate?"

"We will still meet as we should, and I won't hide from you."

Joanna's pupils trembled slightly, her tense spine finally relaxing a bit, and she softly pursued.

"You still want to see me?"

"Yes."

A single word, crisp and resolute.

Joanna's emotions, which had been tense for a long time, finally loosened, and most of the gloom between her brows dissipated. She cautiously squeezed closer to Lin Mo.

"They didn't force you to come?"

"No."

"Did you want to come see me yourself?"

"Yes."

Having received the repeatedly confirmed answer, she quietly leaned closer again, and finally sat steadily by Lin Mo's side.

Her gaze fell on the wooden airplane in Lin Mo's hand, her eyes quiet and gentle.

"It's not finished yet."

"It's missing the last piece of the wing."

Lin Mo raised his hand and handed the small wing part to her.

Joanna didn't immediately reach out to take it, but raised her eyes to look at him, a trace of childlike probing in her eyes.

"If I help you install it, you won't be angry anymore, right?"

"This isn't an exchange." Lin Mo shook his head gently, his tone earnest.

"Assembling the airplane and the argument just now are two different things and cannot be lumped together."

Hearing this, Joanna slightly tilted her head with a hint of stubborn little temper.

"Then I won't install it."

"Okay." Lin Mo followed her wishes and didn't force her.

Joanna stared quietly into his eyes for a few seconds, confirming that he had no displeasure or alienation, before finally reaching out to take that small wing.

The movement of her raising her hand was very light, exercising extreme control over her strength, as she carefully slotted the wing into the corresponding slot of the fuselage, afraid that too much force would damage the wooden piece.

The complete wooden airplane lay quietly between the two of them, rustic and complete.

Joanna lowered her eyes to stare at the complete airplane, remained silent for a long time, and then spoke softly, her tone carrying cautious verification.

"In the future, if someone comes to capture you, can I still stop them?"

"Of course you can." Lin Mo responded without hesitation.

"Can I hit him?"

"If you can't protect me without using force, yes."

"Can I throw them aside?"

"It depends on the specific situation."

She pressed her lips slightly and asked about the most crucial bottom line.

"I can't kill him, right?"

"Unless it comes down to having no other choice, or he wants to kill you and it's a desperate situation where you must protect your life."

This vague exception was too complex for Joanna, whose cognition was pure. She pondered for a long time, repeatedly weighing this new rule in her eyes.

After a long while, she looked up at Lin Mo, her tone resolute.

"You don't like me killing people."

Lin Mo immediately straightened his expression to correct her, guiding her patiently.

"This is not a matter of whether I like it or not."

"Arbitrarily taking away someone else's life is wrong in itself."

But Joanna looked straight at him, stubbornly grasping the most straightforward core.

"But you just don't like it."

Lin Mo paused slightly and could only respond calmly.

"Right, I don't like it."

Joanna nodded gently, the confusion in her eyes completely dissipating, and she finally got an answer she could fully understand and firmly remember.

"Okay, then I won't kill."

She agreed crisply and neatly, without the slightest hesitation.

Yet this compliance was so fast that a subtle unease swept through Lin Mo's heart, though it dissipated a moment later.

What was he uneasy about? Thinking back and forth, at this point in time, there was nothing that could threaten him.

However, he certainly didn't think Joanna truly understood his reasoning or remembered the moral code that all life deserves respect and should not be arbitrarily deprived.

But he didn't see through the girl's most secretive thoughts in her heart; right and wrong still required her to experience personally in the future to understand.

However, Lin Mo indeed didn't guess wrong; what Joannafirmly remembered was never the universal rules of good and evil.

What she remembered was simply: Lin Mo didn't like her killing people, and this matter would make Lin Mo angry and unhappy.

The former was a bottom line to restrain herself at any time and place, while the latter was an exclusive accommodation and concession that existed solely for Lin Mo.

The two were worlds apart.

Chapter 31 Soldier Boy

Joanna did not expose her true thoughts, but simply and silently pushed the intact wooden airplane back in front of Lin Mo.

Then she turned slightly sideways, raised her hand to gently grip the corner of Lin Mo's clothing, and resumed her usual affectionate posture, yet still carried a trace of caution.

Deep in her heart, she silently finalized a secret rule that belonged solely to her, never speaking it aloud.

She would not give up her instinct to protect Lin Mo, nor did she ever acknowledge that the lives of strangers were equal in value to Lin Mo's.

She was simply willing to make the greatest concession for Lin Mo now.

In the future, if she encountered threats again or needed to eliminate hidden dangers, she would be more cautious and more covert.

As long as Lin Mo didn't see it, as long as it didn't disappoint or anger him, and as long as she could steadily safeguard his safety, those decisions hidden in the dark would still remain unchanged.

Lin Mo looked at the docile and close young girl beside him, and lazily let out a yawn, feeling that he had spoken so much today and was so tired.

In his past life, he wouldn't have had the patience to explain this and that to others; when encountering such things, he rather preferred to watch them as entertainment.

Inside the observation room outside the playroom, the researchers synchronously recorded the monitoring data, while rows of cold conclusions refreshed on the screen.

[Under Lin Mo's guidance, Joanna has initially established an awareness of non-lethal attack constraints.]

[After the conflict, Lin Mo can effectively repair and stabilize Joanna's emotions and cooperation level.]

All the researchers concluded that this conflict was an effective progress in advancing the plan.

Only Edgar remained silent, his gaze falling heavily onto the slender palm of Joanna gripping the corner of Lin Mo's clothing on the screen, a profound depth hidden in the depths of his eyes that no one could fathom.

As a businessman, he possessed an insight into human hearts that ordinary people could far from match.

For a long time, he spoke in a low voice, his tone flat and waveless.

"She just confirmed one thing."

The behavioral researcher beside him immediately leaned over to listen and softly inquired.

"What is it, please?"

"Even if she has disagreements with Lin Mo or goes against his wishes, the other party will not abandon her."

Edgar's tone was steady, precisely piercing through the core.

A researcher nodded slightly, then showed a worried expression.

"This is not necessarily a good thing."

"Now that Joanna is already clear that whether she obeys Lin Mo's rules or not, the other party will stay by her side, it will most likely weaken Lin Mo's behavioral restraint over her."

Edgar, however, shook his head gently, a trace of profound cold light flashing across the depths of his eyes.

"Not necessarily."

"Only when a person is completely convinced that a relationship will not easily shatter, do they dare to invest all their emotions and care."

"The more certain she is that Lin Mo will not leave, the more she will care about his views and emotions."

"Crude punishment can only make people fear making mistakes, but disappointing the person they care about most will make people actively conceal their mistakes."

The researcher's expression changed slightly, instantly understanding his subtext, and subconsciously turned his head to look at the two people snuggling together on the screen.

"You mean, she will deliberately hide her actions?"

Edgar did not reply, only quietly gazing at the docile and well-behaved blonde young girl in the image.

No one knew that the young girl who was tenderly snuggling at this moment had already given birth to the first secret survival rule belonging solely to herself in her heart.

She would not give up her instinct to protect Lin Mo, nor had she ever truly accepted the life value of strangers.

...

Days felt like years inside the research institute. After that attack experiment ended, the researchers had also behaved a lot more, and similar situations hadn't happened again—at least in Lin Mo's eyes, that was how it was.

It also invisibly made Lin Mo heave a sigh of relief. As long as Vought International didn't cause him any trouble, it was fine; he already felt that taking care of Joanna was troublesome enough.

However, during this period, he found that the research bunker didn't seem very peaceful. He discovered abnormalities in the researchers, and some nursing staff began to change frequently. The familiar faces suddenly disappeared, replaced by strangers wearing higher-authority badges on their chests.

Aside from a few small episodes, Lin Mo had basically toured the research bunker completely. Although places like laboratories were undefended against him, he had no interest in staying there; with that time, he might as well bask in the sun for a while longer.

Some high-level management personnel who never appeared before entered and exited Dr. Vogelbaum's office for several consecutive days.

They rarely wore white lab coats, mostly wearing dark suits, and only briefly showed their IDs when passing through access doors.

The internal communications of the research center also became more frequent than usual, accompanied by constant personnel transfer regulations and regional lockdown notifications.

"Personnel from the Records Management Department, please proceed to the third zone immediately."

"All Level 1 clearance personnel must cancel their off-duty arrangements for tonight, and unauthorized access to the military cooperation project database is prohibited."

"Information Security Group, please complete the old system cleanup before 22:00."

These notifications were not aimed at Lin Mo and Joanna. In Vought International's eyes, they themselves didn't have much to do with this matter, and the jurisdiction over them wasn't that strict either, which also gave Lin Mo an opportunity to take advantage of.

Especially for Joanna, most of the time, she wouldn't pay attention to these sounds.

She cared more about whether Lin Mo appeared on time today, or whether the researchers would temporarily shorten their joint activities.

Although he didn't actively investigate, Lin Mo still remembered every single notification. Although it might not come in handy, it was better than being a reckless novice.

Vought International would not destroy old files for no reason, nor would it make a large number of high-level personnel hold meetings overnight, especially in an era where personal computers were not yet popular, and the vast majority of data still relied on paper archives and internal terminals for storage.

The more eager Vought International was to clean up, the more it indicated that something unseeable had just happened.

An accidentally overheard conversation also allowed Lin Mo to immediately confirm this matter.

At that time, he had just completed a basic defense capability test.

The researchers asked him to stand behind a transparent isolation board and withstand progressively increasing impacts.

The test intensity was not very high, at least for Lin Mo. After it ended, two experimental assistants routinely told him to return to the rest area, and as usual, they chose not to follow him.

Lin Mo also casually strolled around the laboratory. When he passed a side corridor that was rarely used under normal circumstances, the access door ahead was not fully closed.

Muffled conversations came from behind the door.

"The records on Nicaragua's side must be reorganized."

A man said.

"The original operation member list cannot be retained."

Another voice immediately responded: "What about the people in the remaining squad?"

"Unified talking points; no one is allowed to mention that internal conflict happened at the scene."

"What about the part concerning Soldier Boy?"

After a brief silence, the first person said: "Delete it from the regular system, and transfer all content related to the Soviet Union into the board of directors' special archives."

"Without the authorization of Mr. Edgar and the board of directors, no one is allowed to access it."

Lin Mo's footsteps paused slightly, and the expression on his face did not change.

But ripples stirred deep within his heart; these three words had quickly connected in his mind.

Nicaragua, squad, Soldier Boy.

Time has reached this point, huh.

Nineteen eighty-four.

One of Vought International's most famous heroes, the leader of the Vought squad, Soldier Boy, was betrayed by his teammates during a military operation in Nicaragua.

Chapter 32: Vought's PR is About to Go All Out

His teammates had long been unable to tolerate his tyranny and control. Under Vought's tacit consent and arrangement, they joined forces to launch an attack on Soldier Boy.

Afterward, the company secretly handed over this superhuman, who once represented American heroism, to the Soviet Union for research.

Given his strength, he would not truly die, but would instead be imprisoned and experimented on in the Soviet Union.

Ultimately treated as some kind of hazardous asset that couldn't be disposed of normally, he would be sealed away in a cold facility for the long term.

Vought, of course, would not admit the truth. They could not tell the public that their number-one hero had been abandoned by both the company and his own teammates.

Much less could they let anyone know that the man who was nearly omnipotent in movies, news, and military propaganda was ultimately sent to a Soviet laboratory.

This would destroy the hero myth Vought had spent decades building, and would also prompt the government to question what kind of secret dealings the company had been involved in.

Soldier Boy was an outdated superhero. In Vought's eyes, Soldier Boy had to die. Then, the meticulously packaged Homelander would make his debut, becoming the new leader of The Seven.

Vought International would also usher in its golden age.

After understanding the reasons behind the recent events, Lin Mo slowly walked past the door that wasn't fully closed.

Only when he turned the corner of the corridor did he hear the access door behind him shut once more, the heavy metal door cutting off the rest of the conversation.

But he had already heard the most important part, so the rest didn't matter.

Now, his most important doubt had also been dispelled.

Although a female Homelander had appeared, the timeline hadn't stopped.

Even with his own appearance, it hadn't caused all the key events of the original world to completely deviate.

At least Soldier Boy was still betrayed in Nicaragua in 1984, Vought still chose to cover up the truth, and the Homelander project was still being secretly pushed forward.

This meant that the future he knew still had reference value.

Of course, there was no guarantee that everything would happen exactly according to its original trajectory; his existence had already changed Joanna's upbringing.

But as long as those key figures, corporate interests, and historical milestones remained, the future had not completely turned into an unpredictable fog.

This allowed Lin Mo to feel somewhat relieved, but at the same time, he also found it a bit amusing.

What was he doing? Worrying about the future getting out of control?

He was a Kryptonian, after all. Once he got enough sun, he would be an absolutely invincible existence in this world. There was no Kryptonite here, so he had no weaknesses.

One's own strength was what represented absolute safety, and besides, worrying about potential dangers in times of peace wasn't in his nature.

After figuring all this out, Lin Mo let out a heartfelt smile.

His strength wasn't yet so great that he could predict the future, so knowing its general direction was naturally excellent.

...

That night, the research center did not turn off the lights in the public areas on schedule, and people kept passing by outside the door.

The wheels of carts made a low rolling sound on the floor. Some of these carts were loaded with sealed archive boxes, while others were piled with dismantled terminals and magnetic tapes.

Lin Mo happened to be right next to the laboratory, flipping through some unknown experimental notes. This was the good thing about the researchers—they didn't restrict his freedom much here. As for the Soldier Boy incident, Vought didn't associate Lin Mo with it at all.

Perhaps in their eyes, Lin Mo had no idea what was going on.

At this moment, several archivists brought a large volume of paper documents into the laboratory's special incineration room, which seemed to be the same incineration room where Homelander was tested in the original story.

Lin Mo watched silently as those few researchers did the wrap-up work. The firelight flickered continuously through the translucent protective door as page after page of reports, photos, and mission records turned into black ash in the high temperature.

For Vought to eliminate all evidence was undoubtedly impossible; the company would always keep a real record intended only for the eyes of the highest executives.

What they destroyed were the versions that ordinary staff members might come into contact with, and what they deleted were the clues that could allow multiple departments to piece together the truth.

In fact, these ordinary researchers didn't know the real situation of Soldier Boy either; they thought he was truly dead. They merely thought Vought was in a hurry to destroy some data related to researching Soldier Boy. Similarly, most Vought employees would only know that Soldier Boy had participated in a secret operation.

The operation failed, he died, and the specific details were classified as top secret.

As for why the members of Payback were questioned separately upon their return, and why the company suddenly locked down the military cooperation archives, these would all become questions that no one was allowed to ask.

"Hi, Lin Mo, it's time to go back to sleep."

A gentle voice came from behind. A moment later, Lin Mofelt a pair of hands pick him up from behind, and he looked up to see a delicate face.

It was Barbara. She had found Lin Mo in the monitoring room and came over to take him to rest.

Interestingly, Barbara had always treated him quite well. This was, of course, just Lin Mo's own perception, but who knew what Vought's real intentions were.

Lin Mo was too lazy to resist in her arms, letting her carry him away. Anyway, he was used to it; this body was actually only four years old, so of course, he was still just a child.

After returning to his small room, under Barbara's instructions, he could only stay in bed obediently.

He didn't return to the playroom he shared with Joanna; generally, Vought wouldn't let the two of them rest together.

Looking at the surveillance device on the ceiling, he quietly sorted through the information he remembered.

For Vought, the disappearance of Soldier Boy not only meant losing a hero, but also meant that an era was coming to an end. The company needed a new face, a new symbol of America.

A new flagship product capable of replacing Soldier Boy. And in Vought's secret projects, there already existed a candidate almost tailor-made for this.

Homelander.

Or rather, the young Homelander, who was still managed by the company under a project number.

After Soldier Boy exited the stage of history, the importance of the Homelander project would inevitably rise further. Vought would definitely invest more resources and accelerate his training and packaging.

They would also be more urgent in researching how to control a superhuman who might surpass Soldier Boy. He and Joanna would also be affected because of this.

Thinking of this, Lin Mo closed his eyes.

With the fall of Vought's old flagship, the company would need to prove that the next generation of heroes was controllable even more than in the past. They needed success stories, as well as experimental data that could convince the board of directors and the military.

Joanna was being placed in the position most suited to serve this purpose.

The next day, close to dinner time, the research center's broadcast suddenly rang out.

This time, the announcement was repeated three times.

"Attention all staff members."

"Per headquarters' request, at 9:00 AM tomorrow, all non-emergency personnel must watch the Soldier Boy special press conference."

"Department heads are responsible for confirming attendance. During the press conference, non-essential experiments will be suspended."

"Repeat, at 9:00 AM tomorrow, all personnel must watch the Soldier Boy special press conference."

After the broadcast ended, the corridor fell into a brief silence.

A few seconds later, hurried footsteps rang out again in the distance, along with the sound of staff members discussing the announcement.

Lin Mo, who happened to be sitting in his room, was slightly taken aback and looked at the speaker on the wall.

A special press conference. It was about time for Vought's PR to make its move.

Chapter 33 Squeezing Dry the Old Popsicle Boy

At 8:50 AM the next day, the laboratory's routine schedule was completely suspended.

Nearly all functioning screens within the research center were switched to the same internal channel.

Lin Mo and Joanna were also placed in the playroom ahead of time to watch together at the instruction of Vought International.

As the time arrived, the blue logo of Vought Internationalbegan to play on the screen.

Below the logo was a line of white text: [Soldier BoySpecial Press Conference]

Joanna sat on the carpet, her gaze fixed on Lin Mo, who was watching the television intently, clearly showing little interest in this kind of activity.

She originally wanted to continue the graphical training she hadn't finished yesterday—which was just some unknown little game—only to find that the electronic screen had already been locked and the content could not be switched.

"Not doing quizzes today?" Joanna asked him curiously.

"Today, everyone is watching the news."

Lin Mo explained.

"What is the news?"

"Some major events happening outside, and we can't go out."

"So we can only watch through the screen."

Joanna looked at the television, then looked toward the back of the observation room.

Today, there were even more people on the other side of the glass than usual; besides the familiar researchers, there were also several rarely seen administrators from Vought International.

Today they weren't conducting experimental records, just standing in front of the screen, watching the content of this press conference.

At precisely nine o'clock, the Vought International logo slowly disappeared, and the screen switched to a solemnly decorated press hall with a huge American flag hanging in the background.

On both sides were the logo of Vought International and promotional photos of Soldier Boy. In the photos, the man was wearing a green combat suit, holding a shield, and flashing a confident smile toward the camera.

An empty podium was placed in the center of the hall, and the lower area was packed with reporters, the sounds of camera shutters mingling with low whispers.

A few seconds later, a public relations director from Vought International walked onto the stage. Lin Mo looked closely—he didn't recognize him; Ashley probably hadn't even been born at this time.

After the Vought International public relations director took the stage, he didn't speak immediately. Instead, he lowered his head first and fell silent for a full ten seconds, as if in mourning.

The entire press hall quieted down accordingly; this was clearly a meticulously designed pause to let everyone enter a sorrowful atmosphere in advance.

When the public relations director raised his head, his eye rims were already slightly red.

"Today, on behalf of Vought International, I announce an incomparably sorrowful piece of news to all the American people."

His voice was low and restrained.

"One of America's greatest heroes, the leader of Payback, Soldier Boy, has heroically sacrificed himself while carrying out a secret military operation concerning national security."

A suppressed gasp immediately erupted in the press hall, and the cameras quickly captured the shocked expressions of the reporters.

Lin Mo watched the screen quietly, feeling a bit speechless in his heart. There must be a bunch of freeloaders in here.

Soldier Boy had no corpse and no scene photos, and the specific location of the operation wasn't even explained.

It all relied on Vought International's canned speeches, such as top-secret national security missions and heroic sacrifices. But who knew where the guy had run off to? The key was that these American news outlets were still scrambling to report it, not worrying at all that it might be fake.

The public relations director continued: "Because the mission involves top-tier military secrets, we are currently unable to disclose the specific action location and process."

"But we can confirm that at the very last moment, Soldier Boy still stood firm on the front line of protecting his teammates and the American people."

"His sacrifice averted a disaster that could have threatened countless innocent lives."

It was the same old rhetoric. No wonder Vought International handled those future affairs with such proficiency; it was their old line of work.

At this moment, Lin Mo heard someone in the observation room take a gentle breath.

He didn't know whether it was out of nervousness or because they were too familiar with this set of rhetoric.

The press conference had obviously been jointly reviewed by Vought International and the American government side. Every single sentence was grand enough while completely lacking any details that could be tracked down.

Afterwards, the screen began playing past footage of Soldier Boy. In black-and-white war movie clips, he stood in front of trenches, holding his shield high as the soldiers behind him cheered.

In the color promotional film, he wore a neat military uniform and shook hands with the President.

In another old news footage segment, he picked up a crying child and flashed a standard smile at the camera. A solemn voiceover introduced his achievements: participating in World War II, stopping the enemy's secret weapon program, destroying spy networks...

Some of those battle records were severely exaggerated and had even been re-edited.

Lin Mo felt that some things had never truly happened, yet the executives packaged this content into unquestionable history.

Then they would sell merchandise related to Soldier Boyalong with some film and television content.

Truly making full use of everything. The man had become an old popsicle, yet he still had to be squeezed dry of his very last bit of value.

"For decades, Soldier Boy has not only been a superhero."

The Vought International public relations director said.

"He represents courage, sacrifice, and the American spirit even more."

"Today, we have lost a warrior."

"Lost an idol."

"And lost a true national hero."

On the screen appeared a photo of Soldier Boy in his military uniform when he was young. The man in the photo looked slightly more tender and inexperienced than his image in later films, but he still carried that domineering and confident expression.

Joanna hadn't been staring at the television originally; she still preferred looking at Lin Mo. However, seeing that he had no intention of playing with her, Joanna also gave up trying, boredly picking up a toy on the side and casually glancing at the television out of the corner of her eye.

When this photo appeared, however, she suddenly sat up a bit straighter.

Lin Mo also noticed her change.

"What's wrong?"

Joanna didn't respond to him. She stared at the face in the screen, her eyes narrowing slightly, as if searching for some kind of connection she couldn't accurately articulate.

Seeing her like this, Lin Mo also frowned slightly. Could Joanna know Soldier Boy?

The thought had just risen before he immediately snuffed it out. How was that possible? Joanna had been born right here, and the researchers wouldn't possibly tell her about her relationship with Soldier Boy.

"You know him?" Lin Mo asked tentatively.

"Don't know him."

"Then why keep looking?"

Joanna raised her hand, touched her own cheek, and looked again at Soldier Boy's appearance on the screen.

"He's a bit strange."

"Where is he strange?"

"I... don't know." Joanna couldn't think of any words to describe it for a moment, letting out that sentence somewhat deflatedly.

Lin Mo was slightly stunned. Although Joanna had never truly met Soldier Boy, the similarity brought by bloodline, as well as the fact that superhuman beings were essentially different from ordinary people, meant she didn't need to have clear memories.

Yet she still felt that the man in the photo seemed connected to her in some way.

However, Lin Mo looked back at Soldier Boy's handsome, chiseled-like-ancient-Greek face on TV, then turned his head to look at Joanna's cute little face. At this moment she looked distressed, but she had indeed perfectly inherited her old man's good looks.

The TV screen happened to switch to a group photo of Payback. Lin Mo also pulled back his little thoughts; it was just insignificant stuff, and Joanna would see her old man in the future anyway.

He just didn't know how Soldier Boy's attitude toward her would change if Homelander became a girl. After all, in the original work, Soldier Boy was a man with extremely rough and abusive speech,

The TV screen continued broadcasting. In this group photo, Soldier Boy stood right in the center, with other members surrounding him, smiling.

The public relations director called them an inseparable hero family.

Chapter 34: Was Vought wrong?

Lin Mo felt a cold sneer welling up in his heart. It was precisely this group of so-called family members who had jointly attacked him, and the smiles in the footage now looked more like a rehearsed satire.

Joanna looked at the others in those photos and suddenly said, "They don't like him."

Lin Mo immediately turned back to look at Joanna, suspecting whether he had heard wrong.

"Who?"

"The people next to him."

She pointed to the members of Payback in the group photo.

"They are smiling."

Lin Mo, however, was surprised by Joanna's careful observation.

"Why do you say that?"

It seemed that Joanna had begun to learn to observe subtle human bodily reactions. Researchers used to think that they could safely record her through the glass, forgetting that Joanna was also observing them.

She would notice how human breathing changed when they were afraid, and whether their heart rate accelerated when they were lying or nervous. Photographs couldn't provide heartbeats, but certain expressions still made her feel unnatural.

"Their smiles are wrong."

Joanna said flatly.

Lin Mo didn't continue to comment, because the surveillance cameras inside the observation room were all turned on.

At the end of the press conference, Vought announced that a national memorial event would be held for Soldier Boy, his uniform and shield would be permanently displayed, and some of his movies would be rebroadcast on television.

The company also planned to establish a charitable fund named after him to help veterans and military families.

A person betrayed by the company, besieged by his teammates, and handed over to the Soviet Union was about to be packaged into a perfect martyr.

The real him would wake up in some distant facility, or maybe not, because The Boys might not necessarily exist.

After the press conference ended, the research center resumed some of its work.

But the broadcast requested all departments to temporarily stay in their original positions and wait for further arrangements.

Thus, Lin Mo heard the researchers in the observation room begin to converse in low voices.

"What about Payback now?"

"They'll definitely be reorganized."

"Without Soldier Boy, they no longer have the value of staying as they were."

"The company needs new figures to appear; it can't always rely on old movies to sustain the market."

Another person lowered their voice and said,

"The Homelander project will get more resources."

"That child's ability data has already exceeded all samples in the same age group."

"Headquarters is probably going to cultivate him faster now."

"Accelerate to what extent?"

"As soon as possible to make him ready for a public appearance."

...

Lin Mo didn't raise his head, as if he hadn't heard.

The researchers' judgment was the same as his previous speculation.

The death of Soldier Boy would further elevate the importance of the Homelander project.

Vought needed a new symbol and needed to ensure that this new symbol wouldn't end up like Soldier Boy, becoming an unacceptable trouble for the company.

Joanna was still watching TV, and the screen once again played photos of Soldier Boy in military uniform.

"Is he really dead?"

She suddenly asked.

Lin Mo fell silent for a moment.

Joanna was still staring at the screen.

She wasn't asking out of sadness; she didn't even know what kind of relationship this man had with her.

But that inexplicable attention made her unwilling to easily accept Vought's PR statement. For example, if Vought researchers told her today that Lin Mo was dead without any other evidence, Joanna definitely wouldn't believe it.

Lin Mo glanced at the Vought logo in the lower right corner of the TV screen.

Then he said, "Vought says he's dead."

Joanna slowly turned her head. As smart as she was, she heard the nuance between the lines of this sentence.

Joanna could sense that Lin Mo's answer just now wasn't normal.

She stared at Lin Mo for a long time.

"Vought says he's dead."

She repeated.

"Right."

"You didn't say he's dead."

Seeing that Lin Mo didn't deny it, Joanna moved a bit closer to him and whispered.

"Why?"

This was a bit tricky. Lin Mo touched his chin and thought for a moment. He had no way of directly telling Joanna that Soldier Boy wasn't actually dead, and that Payback had betrayed him.

The news on the screen was actually just a lie carefully crafted by the company.

He couldn't say these words out loud. Don't forget that surveillance was still watching; Vought would be curious how he knew the actual situation, or they might think he might awaken mind-reading abilities and then experiment on him, which would be very troublesome.

Furthermore, Joanna's current understanding of Vought was still close to a vague family.

She knew researchers were sometimes bad; they would draw blood, restrict activities, and use meeting time with Lin Mo to force her to accept experiments.

But she hadn't connected these behaviors with the essence of the entire company.

In her cognition, it might just be that certain researchers were unfriendly, or certain commands were annoying.

Vought itself was still a huge, abstract presence responsible for sustaining her life; it wasn't appropriate to tell her the truth right now.

Otherwise, she might directly conclude that the entire company was the enemy, possibly attack researchers, destroy facilities, and try to escape with Lin Mo.

Or, unable to bear the collapse of her cognition, she might concentrate all her trust on Lin Mo alone, and that dependency would be even more extreme than now.

Moreover, Lin Mo couldn't prove his statement.

"Because I didn't see it."

Lin Mo finally said.

"Didn't see what?"

"Didn't see him die." Lin Mo shrugged and waved his hand, speaking the truth.

Joanna pointed to the screen.

"But they said they saw it."

"They only said he sacrificed in a secret operation, without giving the specific process."

"Nor did they let us see him, right?" Lin Mo shook his head, pretending to look incredulous.

Joanna thought seriously for a few seconds and drew this conclusion.

"So he might not be dead?"

Lin Mo watched the TV ending song and then continued to answer.

"Maybe there are some things we don't know right now."

But Joanna didn't stop, and asked an unexpected question.

"Then will Vought lie?"

Lin Mo looked at her.

Joanna's eyes were clear and focused.

She wasn't deliberately challenging the company; perhaps it was just her first time realizing that the statement on the screen might not be the only truth.

Lin Mo could fob her off in the safest way, such as telling her: TV occasionally makes mistakes, secret missions cannot disclose all details, and so on.

The company was just protecting national security; none of these answers would arouse the researchers' vigilance.

They might even win Dr. Vogelbaum's approval.

But doing so would allow Joanna to continue viewing Vought as an eternally correct authority. When she discovered more lies in the future, perhaps she would realize another thing.

Lin Mo had helped the company deceive her before. However, by that time she might think Lin Mo was also unaware and had been misled by Vought, after all, the two of them were of the same kind.

Lin Mo was silent for a long time.

"People lie."

After his voice fell, he paused for a moment, giving Joannaplenty of time to digest it. The young girl raised her eyes slightly, quietly waiting for the second half of his sentence.

"Companies are also made up of people."

"So companies lie too."

A trace of obvious bewilderment flashed across Joanna's eyes; this was a brand-new logic she had never been exposed to. She tilted her head slightly, her clear eyes filled with pure incomprehension, and softly pursued the question.

"Why lie?"

"There are many reasons."

"Doing something wrong, not wanting others to know, being afraid of punishment. Or wanting others to do things according to one's own wishes."

"Or thinking the truth will bring greater trouble."

Joanna instantly grasped the core, her tone carrying a trace of serious persistence.

"Does that mean Vought did something wrong?"