Become a Homelander and a Marvel superstar

John's voice trembled violently, and his eyes were filled with longing, grievance, and a hint of uncertainty.

He longed for a real father, one who would help him, protect him, and not belittle him.

Azu looked at John's expression and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Hooked.

He didn't answer directly, but proved everything with his actions.

Azu floated slightly off the ground, about a meter, and slowly turned around.

next second.

laugh--!

Two crimson, scorching beams of death erupted from Azu's eyes!

He glanced at Kimiko, who was still unconscious on the ground not far away.

Under the absolute core temperature, even the carbonization process of Kimiko's body was shortened to the extreme.

In less than a fraction of a second, Kimiko turned into a cloud of ashes and vanished into the air, leaving only a charred burn mark on the floor.

Sold out instantly.

They left no chance for the other party.

John's body trembled.

They share the same flight capabilities, the same thermal vision, and even their taste in bodysuits is strikingly similar.

It's just that the other person is more perfect and stronger than me.

At this moment, all the logic was perfectly closed.

John bent his knees and knelt down in front of Azu with a "thud".

This time, he didn't tremble; instead, a unique light shone in his eyes.

It was as if an orphan had found a home, or a lost soul had seen a lighthouse.

"Father," John sobbed, "they lied to me. You were my father all along."

He crawled to Azu's feet, like a child who had suffered all kinds of grievances outside.

"Why...why haven't you come to see me..." John asked haltingly as he sobbed.

"They locked me in the lab...they drilled me, burned me...they didn't love me...why are you only showing up now...?"

Looking at John, who was crying bitterly at his feet, Azu quickly composed himself and entered his Oscar-winning acting mode.

"John, my son," Azu sighed, his eyes filled with helplessness and pain. "Do you think I didn't want to be there for you as you grew up? Do you think I wanted to watch you be used as a guinea pig by those bastards, Walter?"

"I have my own reasons, my child." Azu squeezed John's shoulder, conveying strength.

"I can't tell you everything right now. Knowing too much won't do you any good in your current situation."

"But remember this, son. I have never given up on you. I have always been watching you from the shadows. I watched you learn to fly, and I watched you put on this suit for the first time."

"I've seen you do so many wrong things, and I've seen you act like a lost child, constantly seeking false love. I feel angry, but also heartbroken."

Azu's tone was stern, but mostly loving.

"But you are my son, and I will not abandon you because of this."

"When you are in dire straits, when you have lost everything, I will come to save you, even if it costs me everything."

Azu helped John up and gave him a brief hug.

But in the heart of this man who desperately craved love and spent his whole life searching for recognition, he finally found his safe haven.

"Father..." John choked out.

Hint! Gained a special popularity bonus of +20000 (from native-born John Gilman).

"Good son!" Azu smiled with satisfaction.

At that moment, John suddenly looked up, as if he had remembered something, and hope rekindled in his eyes.

"Wait... I still have a chance."

John scrambled to his feet and stumbled toward the president's desk, frantically rummaging through the drawers.

Finally, he found a constant-temperature combination lock box.

His fingers trembled with excitement, and he entered the wrong password twice.

Beep, beep, click.

The box popped open.

Compound No. 5.

John seemed to have grasped at the last straw.

He grabbed one of the syringes and eagerly plunged it into his arm.

As the blue liquid is injected into the blood vessels.

John pulled out the empty syringe and tossed it aside.

He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and spread his arms, waiting for that familiar, violent power to awaken within him once more.

Time passed second by second.

Nothing happened.

John's heartbeat remained steady, and the familiar high-temperature red glow did not appear on his retina.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

"No...no, this can't be." John stared blankly at his hands. He clenched his fists tightly, then released them.

He then grabbed another compound (number five) and plunged it into his arm.

There was still no response.

"This shouldn't be! This shouldn't be happening!" John roared in despair, slamming the empty syringe in his hand to the ground.

The syringe shattered.

John knelt down again, sobbing like a child who had lost his beloved toy.

"Why isn't it working? Why...?"

"Because of V1, the original compound five," Azu explained calmly. "V1 altered your gene sequence, giving you a near-infinite lifespan. But at the same time, it also established a new resistance mechanism in your immune system."

Azu pointed to the broken glass and blue residual liquid on the ground.

"What you're injecting now is a modified version developed by Vought for mass-producing superhumans. To your body, it's no different from saline solution. Unless you find another vial of the original Five Good Compound."

John understood, and his face turned ashen.

"Then...what should I do?" John's voice trembled. "They took everything from me. Father, what should I do? I can't even protect myself, how can I rule over those mortals?"

"Domination?" Azu sneered. "What kind of garbage is in your head? Using violence to make those ants obey, is that your understanding of power?"

John shrank back in fear of being scolded and dared not utter a sound.

"Listen, the loss of your power is not a bad thing for you, but rather a chance for rebirth." Azu began to instill new ideas in him. "You used to have invincible power, but what did you get in return? Fear, disgust, betrayal, and even your own son wanted you dead."

These words struck John squarely at his sore spot, causing him to clench his fists involuntarily.

"You want to be a god, but you don't understand what a god is at all." Azu stared into his eyes, speaking with dramatic intonation, "A god doesn't need to use laser eyes to frighten mortals. A god makes people kneel down and pray spontaneously in despair! You need to make them love you, love you so much that they'd be willing to die for you. You need to be their faith, not a guillotine hanging over their heads!"

John listened, stunned, and asked in confusion, "But... what should I do?"