Conquering the Multiverse Starting with the Black Robe

Wang Wang Wang!

The back garden of the villa.

An elderly man with white hair sat on a bench, looking serene. A hunting dog lay lazily at his feet, while several other dogs of the same breed ran and played on the lawn not far away.

Snap—

The hound's ears perked up, it stood on its hind legs, let out an uneasy whimper, and tucked its tail between its legs, as if sensing some kind of danger approaching.

Vogelbaum half-closed his eyes, enjoying the moment of peace on the recliner, until the hunting dog beside him whimpered. He then slowly opened his eyes and looked in surprise at the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared in the open space.

A Stars and Stripes cape fluttered in the wind, a tight-fitting suit wrapped around a muscular body, and epaulettes gleamed with a golden sheen.

They are the people of our motherland.

"Dr. Vogbaum." Homelander basked in the sunlight, hands casually on his hips, a signature fake smile on his face.

Vogelbaum squinted, showing no surprise, and simply spoke calmly, as if greeting an acquaintance, "Homelander?"

Are you surprised?

"I heard you've retired, so I thought I'd come and visit an old friend." The old man looked the man up and down, and his tone was as if he were catching up with an old friend he hadn't seen for many years.

He tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "You look great, Doctor. The place the company chose for you is really nice; the air is fresh, and there's not a trace of car exhaust. It's perfect for retirement."

"It's been so long since we last met, John." Vogbaum couldn't figure out his purpose, but he knew perfectly well that this man was no good. He might be able to fool others with talk of nostalgia, but as one of the people who had watched Homelander grow up, he knew his true nature all too well.

Although they had no real grudge against each other, neither wanted to see the other again. Homelander probably wished he were already buried in his coffin, but the other was here so early in the morning, which was not normal and must have some ulterior motive.

"It's been so long that I've almost forgotten this name."

Upon hearing this, Azu sighed, a flash of reminiscence crossing his face before turning to disdain. "John. At least six out of ten Americans have that name. It's too common. How can it be worthy of someone unique?"

Homelander rolled his eyes and walked over, his gaze sliding down to the dog trembling under the bench. He casually asked, "What are these dogs for? Are they your pets?"

“No, I just keep them.” Vogelbaum shook his head. “German hounds. I’m trying not to get too emotionally involved with the test subjects.”

He paused, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "I've already learned a terrible lesson: I won't give them names, I won't play with them much, and I won't let them sleep in my room."

Homelander misunderstood these words, thinking they were a veiled reference to him, unaware that Vogbaum had something else in mind. He chuckled, "That's true. Emotions can create weaknesses and make people soft-hearted."

"You seem to be enjoying your life right now; even the 99th floor of the Water Tower doesn't have a swimming pool this big."

Vogelbaum looked at the private pool next to him, without a trace of pride, but instead looked melancholy. "Compared to spending eighty hours a week in the lab, I would choose this extravagant life without hesitation, without a doubt."

For ordinary people, this is the retirement life they dream of, but for a scientist who has voluntarily dedicated half his life to research, the allure of exploring the unknown always outweighs material enjoyment.

His "retirement" wasn't because he was tired or reached a certain age; that was just a public statement. In reality, he was sidelined by the company.

He knew perfectly well why he had been abandoned because of that mistake. Fortunately, Edgar remembered the great contributions he had made over the years and gave him some dignity, not doing the disservice of discarding him after he had served his purpose.

Of course, the most likely reason is that they feel they still have value to them.

Vogelbaum felt a surge of resentment. Looking at Homelander's forced smile, he felt as if Homelander was intentionally or unintentionally mocking him. Could it be that Homelander had come specifically to ridicule him?

Believe it or not, it's actually possible that this giant baby is capable of doing something like that.

Upon realizing this, Vogbaum decided against further pleasantries, raised his head, and scoffed, "Let's skip the formalities. We know each other, John."

Homelander put his hands behind his back, shrugged slightly, and asked, "Which one?"

"A cat-and-mouse game of dog poop."

Homelander narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't sound good. I don't like your tone."

Vogbaum, unfazed by his threat, looked directly into the other's eyes and sneered, "I know you, John. You don't come here unless you need something. Ask me anything you want to know, and I'll tell you everything I know."

This wasn't out of a sense of recklessness, but rather because he knew the other person's character well; they wouldn't leave until they achieved their goal. Rather than that, he figured it was better to be honest and get rid of this annoying guy sooner rather than later.

The people of the motherland put away their smiles.

"Let's be more direct then."

Do you know what a villain is?

Vogelbaum's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm and composed. "Of course."

"Retired seniors like me, with nothing to do all day, just watch the news on TV and go fishing by the river."

Homelander stared intently at him, and although the other tried his best to conceal it, Homelander still easily caught the unusual behavior—a person's mouth can lie, but their heartbeat cannot.

"Really? As far as I know, he escaped from your lab."

The harmonious atmosphere froze instantly. Vogbaum opened his mouth, but remained silent.

"It seems we haven't been honest with each other enough."

Homelander took a step closer, almost face to face with the old man. "Your heart is racing, it's almost breaking 120 beats per minute. Don't be so nervous, Doctor."

"I don't want to waste my time because you have a heart attack and I won't get the answer I want. The nearest hospital is at least ten kilometers away. If anything happens to you, no one but God can save you."

Later on, it became an open threat.

Vogelbaum's tone faltered. "John, it's not my fault, it's Edgar's..."

"Don't give me that!" Homelander glared at him, interrupting him rudely, his eyes filled with hostility. "I know this is your doing. Ordinary Compound V can't create such a powerful superhuman, and you couldn't create a second me, otherwise you would have done it already!"

"I've been kept in the dark by you all, completely unaware of all this. Madeline kept it from me, you kept it from me, including that damned bastard Edgar, why is he so high and mighty?"

I'm the one who did the work. I made Walter, and no one can match my contributions, yet I don't even have the right to interfere in the board of directors!

Do I look like an idiot? Why does everyone treat me like a fool?

"I grew up in that lousy lab, facing strangers in protective suits every day who claimed to be my 'family,' but it was all a damn lie!"

"They were terrified of me, secretly calling me a 'monster.' They thought I was too young to understand these things, but they were completely wrong. I'm smarter than any of you think!"

His tone grew increasingly heated as he loudly denounced the injustice he had suffered.

"I asked you who my parents were. You said I was a specially conceived test-tube baby and had no parents in the traditional sense."

"I was so foolish to believe it."

"You knew the truth all along, why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell me, I've always had a father living in this world?"

"I've never been an orphan!"

Vogelbaum was stunned by the hysterical Homelander's outburst, somewhat bewildered by his barrage of probing questions.

He initially thought Homelander had come knocking because he had discovered the secret project Edgar was secretly leading: Project Omega. He also learned their ultimate goal—to create a superhuman who could, if necessary, fight against or even suppress Homelander—a secret that had always been one of Vought's top secrets.

But what the people of the motherland are saying now is a completely different matter.

"Father?"