Wilson spread his hands, "So, how much longer do you plan to keep this hidden?"
"If I hadn't asked, were you going to keep hiding it forever?"
Dr. Vogelbaum glanced at him, "Because I don't believe Homelander's son would serve any real purpose."
"My God," Wilson shook his head, "Doctor, that's the child of a tyrannosaurus."
"How could he be useless?"
Dr. Vogelbaum said, "You don't understand, Minister."
"Back then, after Becca became pregnant with Homelander's child..."
"To deal with the scandal..."
"We, by which I mean Mr. Edgar and I, made an agreement with Becca. She had to disappear, but in return, she could live a life undisturbed."
"She could let Ryan, Homelander's child, grow up having an ordinary childhood."
Minister Wilson said in shock, "Are you serious?"
"You actually let Homelander's son live like a normal person?"
"Edgar would show that kind of 'mercy'?"
"That's beyond what I expected."
Dr. Vogelbaum said, "There are always exceptions."
"At the time, for Edgar, suppressing the scandal was far more important than making use of Homelander's child."
"Besides, Homelander was still under control back then."
"He wasn't as unrestrained and reckless as he is now."
Wilson covered his mouth, "So, did you test the child?"
"Don't tell me you did nothing at all."
"Don't lie to me, Dr. Vogelbaum."
The doctor smiled, "Of course we conducted some tests."
"That child is essentially a miniature demon."
"But…"
He raised a finger, drawing out the pause.
"He's been very well raised by Becca."
"At least so far, he behaves no differently from an ordinary child."
"He goes to school every day, learning all kinds of subjects."
"He spends his days with his mother, living a peaceful life."
Wilson lowered his hand, "Don't tell me you're suggesting we leave them alone."
Dr. Vogelbaum nodded, "That is exactly my recommendation."
"Minister Wilson, interfering with them brings us no benefit."
"Even if the child possesses abilities equal to Homelander's, he's still just a child. He cannot, and will not, be able to fight Homelander."
"Besides, I'm concerned that if we awaken that child's demonic genes—"
"Would he become another Homelander?"
"One Homelander is already enough of a headache."
"Two? Spare me."
Wilson narrowed his eyes slightly, "He may not be able to fight Homelander now, but we can train him."
"With such exceptional talent, letting it go to waste would be a pity."
"Since he's Homelander's son, he's destined never to live an ordinary life."
"Dr. Vogelbaum, sooner or later he'll awaken. One day he'll realize he's different."
"But by then, it will be too late for us to guide him."
"Education has to start from childhood."
Dr. Vogelbaum said in a low voice, "You want to turn him into a secret weapon against Homelander?"
"Why not?", Wilson shot back.
Vogelbaum looked at the Secretary of Defense, "I don't think he'd be willing. His mother certainly wouldn't agree."
Minister Wilson smiled, "This concerns national security. It's not up to them."
"That child, strictly speaking, is also state property."
"And if he's state property, then naturally he should be under the state's control. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Besides, I don't think they'll oppose it."
"Especially his mother."
"That woman named Becca, her husband is Butcher, right?"
———
A luxury car drove into an estate and came to a stop at the fountain plaza.
As soon as the car stopped, a servant stepped forward and opened the door.
Alex, dressed in a suit, stepped out.
Behind him was Angelina, dressed simply but with an air of elegance.
With a bright smile, she introduced the place.
"Master, this is our Caton family estate. It has a history of two hundred years."
"It originally belonged to my great-grandfather and has been passed down through generations."
As he listened to her, Alex toured the estate.
The grounds were expansive.
Aside from the main villa, there was a wine cellar, a vineyard, a swimming pool, and even a horse track.
Just touring the estate took up most of the day.
They arrived at the study.
After the door closed, Angelina wrapped her arms around Alex from behind, "Master, from now on, this place is yours."
"You are the new owner of this estate."
"You don't have to stay in the Seven Tower anymore."
"A place like that doesn't suit your status at all."
Alex laughed, turned around, and lifted Angelina's chin, "You're being so obedient. How should I reward you?"
Angelina's breathing immediately grew heavier.
What followed came naturally.
Alex shared some of his "experience" with Angelina without holding back.
She, of course, welcomed it eagerly.
———
In the blink of an eye, it was evening.
Angelina instructed the kitchen to prepare dinner, then reported some matters to Alex.
"Master, for the site we purchased, I've already commissioned a construction company to begin drafting the base design."
"Rest assured, they are fully qualified professionals. They've designed and built multiple bases and prisons before."
"Additionally, I've started recruiting talent…"
At that moment, Alex's phone rang.
He took it out and glanced at the screen. A string of unfamiliar numbers flickered there.
After answering, a young woman's voice came through the phone, ["Homelander?"]
"That's me."
A small gasp sounded from the other end, ["Really? Oh my God, I can't believe it."]
["Sorry, I'm just too excited. Please forgive me."]
["Oh, right, I'm Amy."]
["I don't know if you still remember me?"]
["You saved me and Dr. Nick in a pyramid."]
Alex immediately recalled the image of a girl.
Pretty, but crying so hard her face was a mess.
Back then, she had been so emotional that she threw herself at him and hugged him.
It had left quite an impression.
"Amy and Dr. Nick."
Alex nodded, "I remember you."
["That's great,"] Amy said excitedly over the line, ["I didn't expect you to still remember us."]
["Well, here's the thing."]
["The doctor has recently cracked that set of coordinates, the ones we found at the bottom of the pyramid."]
["They might point to another pyramid."]
["We're about to set off to find it. Would you be interested?"]
———
That morning, Amy got up unusually early.
After washing up, she quickly grabbed a piece of toast in the kitchen and rushed out of the dorm.
With the bread in her mouth, Amy hopped onto her bicycle and pedaled fast.
It was a small coastal town. The morning sea breeze was warm, and the sunlight was bright.
Amy was in a great mood.
Not just because Dr. Nick had finally deciphered the coordinates, they were about to embark on a new journey, to uncover secrets buried in time.
But also because Homelander had agreed to go with them.
"This is just amazing."
"Getting to go on an adventure with Homelander."
"It's a pity he won't let this be made public, or I could've posted it on my Twitter."
The girl had already finished her bread. In her good mood, she kept talking to herself along the way.
Soon, she spotted Dr. Nick's research institute.
It was an archaeological institute funded and built by the Akre Company, housing many remarkable artifacts.
Amy felt proud to work there.
As she rode her bicycle into the institute, casually dropped it on the ground, and ran into the main building, she heard someone clear their throat.
Amy jumped in fright, turned around, and saw a man leaning against the doorway with a smile.
"Finally, someone showed up."
"Dr. Nick seems to be sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake him. There's still plenty of time anyway."
Blond hair, blue eyes, despite the casual clothes, Amy recognized him instantly.
"Homelander!"
Amy shouted excitedly, her voice echoing throughout the main building.
Alex waved his hand, "Not so loud."
"And didn't we have an agreement?"
"Don't reveal my identity."
Last night, after finishing the call with Amy and deciding to join their expedition, Alex had asked for the institute's address and flown over that morning.
He didn't want to make a scene, so he had told Amy not to disclose who he was.
In fact, if Alex only wanted to explore the pyramid, he could've simply asked Amy for the coordinates.
Then, like last time, just flown straight there.
But he had just finished a major battle recently and wanted to relax a bit. This archaeological trip was a good way to unwind and adjust his mood.
That was why he came in person to meet up with Amy and Dr. Nick.
As for the work at the Department of Defense, Alex had basically handed it over to Maeve. Even if the Secretary of Defense was displeased, Alex didn't care.
He did whatever he wanted, no one else had the right to tell him otherwise.
Amy quickly covered her mouth and then chuckled softly, "Sorry, I got too excited."
"I'll go wake the doctor."
"I still need to prepare his breakfast. Do you want some too?"
"The Akre Company's team won't arrive until noon anyway. We'll set off in the afternoon."
Alex gave a slight nod.
A moment later, he met Dr. Nick in a small dining room.
The doctor's hair was disheveled. He had probably been busy with research lately, and his beard was unshaven, making him look rather unkempt.
Holding a cat in his arms, he sat on a chair, stroking its fur as he spoke.
"The place we're heading to this time is called Goresak. In the local language, it means 'Land of Chaos.'"
"Many years ago, it was already a mixed bag, bandits, raiders, merchants, people of all kinds."
"Over a hundred years ago, rich mineral deposits were discovered there, and several towns sprang up."
"Now, many of those towns have been abandoned and turned into ghost settlements."
"The place we're going lies deep within Goresak. It's technically a small country now, but it's not open to the Federation."
"In fact, they're hostile toward the Federation."
"So getting in will be a bit troublesome, but fortunately, the Akre Company is quite capable in this regard."
"They can get us in."
Alex nodded, images flashing through his mind. Deserts, cowboys, cacti, human bones, and abandoned towns.
At that moment, Amy brought over the food.
Breakfast included bread, milk, smoked meat, grilled sausages, and corn salad.
Alex didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a freshly baked piece of bread, stuffed it with sausage, and spread some maple syrup on it.
One bite, tasted pretty good.
After breakfast, Amy began helping Dr. Nick pack their equipment.
Around that time, members of the archaeological team started arriving one after another.
Dr. Nick was about to introduce Alex to everyone, so he asked quietly, "What should we call you in public?"
Alex smiled, "John. You can call me John."
Dr. Nick cleared his throat, "Everyone, this is John."
"He's my personal bodyguard."
He glanced at Alex, clearly seeking approval.
Alex nodded.
"Personal bodyguard?", A young man with glasses, fair skin, and reddish-brown hair said, "Are you from Akre Company's security team?"
"Hello, I'm Vic. Like Amy, I'm one of the doctor's students and assistants."
"I'm pretty good at the harmonica. If you get bored, I can play 'Scarborough Fair' for you."
Alex gave him a slight nod.
At that moment, a broad-chinned, rough-skinned Black man stepped forward, "That's the only song you can play. If you ask me, it sounds better on a saxophone."
He extended a calloused hand, "Hello, Mr. John."
"I'm Richard. I've got plenty of strength, if anything needs lifting, just call me."
"Hello, Richard," Alex shook his hand.
A woman with glasses said, "Richard is a wilderness survival expert. Once we got lost in the desert, and thanks to him, we survived."
"Hello! I'm Kelly. I'm a modeler and analyst, I'm good with computers."
"Hello, Kelly."
Alex greeted the members of the archaeological team one by one and memorized their names.
At that moment, Vic, the reddish-brown-haired man, sized Alex up, "Mr. John, you're not carrying a gun?"
"The place we're going is very dangerous."
"You probably won't be able to protect the doctor with your bare hands."
Alex smiled, "I don't use guns. I usually deal with my enemies in other ways."
Vic gestured a few moves, "Then you must know martial arts."
"Like those amazing asian monks, I've heard every single one of them knows kung fu, even eighty-year-old grandmas."
At that moment, Amy tossed a backpack at him, "Get to work, Vic. We need to finish packing before noon."
"No time for your nonsense."
Vic grinned and winked at Alex, "Amy definitely likes you. I noticed that in the past minute, she's looked at you fifteen times, sir!"
Amy's face flushed red. She glared at Vic and went off to help Dr. Nick pack.
———
By noon, a vehicle arrived to pick up the archaeological team.
Alex also learned from Amy that, Akre Company was an investment firm within the Federation.
They had been funding Dr. Nick's archaeological work for quite some time.
Using his "information control" ability, Alex did a quick check. The company was indeed registered within the Federation.
But they also had numerous overseas assets and invested across a wide range of fields.
Archaeology was only a small part of it.
Their real profits came from pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.
They had branches in several major countries around the world.
Though they couldn't compare to a giant like Vought, their scale was far beyond that of ordinary investment firms.
No wonder they could help Dr. Nick handle so many problems.
What Alex didn't understand, however, was, why Akre Company would invest in archaeology, which offered almost no return.
'Could it be that the company's president is an archaeology enthusiast?'
———
At three in the afternoon, they arrived at the airport and boarded a plane prepared specifically for the team.
A private jet belonging to Akre Company.
The next day, they arrived at a small airport in the Levant.
They settled in a nearby town and planned to head to their destination the following day.
That evening, during dinner, Alex saw some new faces.
They dragged suitcases into the restaurant.
Dusty from travel, seven men and one woman.
But whether man or woman, Alex could sense the aura of soldiers from them.
These were likely mercenaries.
As he came to that conclusion, a burly middle-aged man walked over.
He glanced at Alex, then extended a hand to Dr. Nick.
"Good evening, Dr. Nick."
"We're the security team hired by Akre Company to ensure your safety during this trip."
"My name is Hank. I'm the team leader."
Richard, the survival expert, said in surprise, "So Mr. John isn't from Akre Company's security team?"
Dr. Nick glanced at him, "I never said John was from Akre Company."
"Mr. John?", Hank followed Richard's gaze and looked at Alex, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"The list Akre Company gave me doesn't include the name John."
Dr. Nick cleared his throat, "John is my friend. He's very interested in the place we're going, so I brought him along at the last minute."
Hank frowned slightly, "Dr. Nick, in that case, I'll need to consult Akre Company."
Alex looked up with a smile, "No need to go through all that trouble. I can take care of myself."
At that moment, the woman among the mercenaries laughed, "Sir, you probably don't know just how chaotic the place we're going is."
"At least, I don't think you have the ability to take care of yourself."
A bald man chewing gum said, "Don't be like that, Karma."
"Maybe Mr. John here is a black belt expert."
"Like this, hey, ha!"
He threw a couple of mock punches and burst out laughing.
Hank turned back and said quietly, "Shut up."
"Go put your luggage in the rooms."
Then he looked at Alex, "Sorry, sir. I have to consult Akre Company."
Alex spread his hands, "How about this, Captain Hank."
"No need to make it complicated."
"I'll pay you an additional 20% fee. What do you think?"
Hank raised an eyebrow slightly, "Pay now?"
Alex smiled, "No problem. I can pay right away."
At once, everyone in the archaeological team turned to look at Alex.
The survival expert whispered, "That's not a small amount."
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