Chapter 126: 126: Ryan’s First Public Appearance

"But..." The blonde reporter knew Ivan was twisting her words. Just as she was about to press further, Ivan’s cold stare stopped her dead. His indifferent gaze felt like he was looking at a corpse.

A chill ran down her spine, spreading from her fingertips through her whole body.

"But what? Do you have a problem with my answer?" Ivan’s smile faded as he spoke calmly into her ear.

"No, no. Your answer was excellent. Let’s move on to the next question," the blonde reporter said, forcing herself to stay composed. Her hand trembled slightly as she brushed her hair back, betraying how unsettled she was. "May I ask why Stormfront is replacing Translucent and joining The Seven?"

Ivan glanced around before answering with a smile. "Because she’s exceptionally talented. Of course, her striking looks don’t hurt either. Plus, she’s a minority, which perfectly demonstrates Vought’s commitment to inclusivity. We at Vought stand firmly against racism and are proud supporters and defenders of feminism."

"Alright, Mr. Greevs, I have one more question."

The blonde reporter adjusted the recorder on her collar. "As everyone knows, A-Train has been out of the public eye for quite some time. Where is he? His fans miss him very much."

This was clearly a hot topic online. The surrounding reporters perked up instantly, eager for Ivan’s response.

Ivan cleared his throat theatrically and said with a mysterious smile, "I think he’ll be appearing before you very soon. Get ready for that surprise."

The blonde reporter tried to follow up, but Ivan handed the microphone to Homelander beside him.

"I’m sure you’re all curious about the boy standing next to Homelander. Let’s let him introduce him."

The second Homelander took the mic, the fans erupted into deafening screams.

"Homelander! Homelander! Homelander!"

Homelander flashed his signature sunny smile and spread his arms wide, soaking in the adoration and glory.

Once the screams died down a little, he raised the microphone and wrapped an arm around Ryan’s shoulders with immense pride. "Say hi to Ryan, Homelander’s son, and the future of superheroes! I will gladly share all my glory with him!"

Thunderous applause exploded through the crowd and refused to die down.

"Ryan! Ryan!" Homelander called out softly.

The crowd immediately picked it up, roaring, "Ryan! Ryan!"

Countless fans raised their arms and waved them wildly, their faces filled with pure excitement. For a moment, Ryan became the center of attention.

Click! Click! Endless camera flashes went off.

It seemed like today’s biggest highlight wasn’t Stormfront, but Ryan’s first public appearance.

"Oh, sweetie, can you lean against Homelander?" a reporter holding a camera called out to Ryan.

Ryan stood there frozen, eyes full of panic. He nervously grabbed the edge of Homelander’s jacket.

"Ryan, don’t be nervous. Just relax," Homelander said.

He cooperated with the photographers, striking various poses with his son. The reporters had never seen Homelander this cooperative. Shocked but thrilled, they frantically snapped pictures, desperate not to miss a single second.

...

Meanwhile, Hughie, who was watching the live broadcast, immediately called Butcher.

Butcher had already found Mallory.

Mallory had just attended Susan’s funeral. The two ran into each other in an underground parking garage.

"I can’t believe you killed Susan and still have the balls to come find me," Mallory said, closing the car door she had just opened and walking away.

"Where are you going?" Butcher called after her.

Mallory really didn’t want to deal with the troublemaker. "There are about twenty federal agents in the church next door. I’m pretty sure they haven’t left yet. I’m going to turn your ass in, you murderer."

"Come on, even you think I did it? Even with MM’s walnut-sized brain you could figure out this is a frame job. Vought’s trying to pin their shit on me," Butcher said angrily.

Seeing Mallory keep walking, Butcher finally played his card. "I know who really killed Susan."

That stopped her. Mallory turned around. "Who?"

But because of the explosion’s aftermath, Butcher had lost most of his memories from that night. "Listen, strictly speaking, I don’t know exactly who. But I have a lead. It’s connected to a super-terrorist who smuggled himself into New Jersey. If we find that supe, we find the killer."

Right then, Butcher’s phone rang.

"Sorry." Butcher saw it was Hughie and his face flashed with irritation.

He answered through gritted teeth, voice sharp. "Hey, I’m kind of busy right now. If you’re calling just to ask whether we’re having pizza or pasta tonight, I swear I’ll shove my gun up your ass."

"During today’s Vought new hero press event, Homelander showed up with his son."

"Ryan? Oh shit, what the hell is that cunt trying to do?" Butcher quickly hung up and opened a random social media app. Sure enough, there was Homelander showing off his son to the entire world.

Honestly, he felt the sudden urge to run straight up to Homelander and snatch the kid. The only thing stopping him was the tiny bit of sanity left in his head telling him that unless he wanted an early death, he should go right ahead.

Best case scenario, he’d get labeled a terrorist and die under Homelander’s laser eyes.

"Butcher?" Mallory noticed something was off with him and frowned. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing. Let’s focus on finding that super-terrorist. Once we get him, we’ll know who killed Susan and we’ll have solid dirt on Vought." Butcher gripped his phone so hard it hurt, trying to use the pain to distract himself.

...

Meanwhile.

Ivan entered the interview room. Starlight and Stormfront were already in the middle of an interview.

Both the questions from the media and the scripts in the girls’ hands had been prepared by Ivan.

"Stormfront, we’re thrilled you’ve joined The Seven. I’m sure you’re just as excited as we are," the suited host said.

"Hello, Mr. Greevs," Ashley greeted, bowing her head respectfully the moment she saw Ivan walk in.

"Yeah. How’s it going?"

Ivan’s gaze shifted to Starlight and Stormfront. Aside from Starlight, Stormfront was sitting extremely casually. When the host asked her a question, she even said she wasn’t particularly happy about it.

"I don’t feel much of anything. I don’t think this is something worth being happy about."

Seeing Ivan’s expression growing darker by the second, Ashley standing inside the interview room barely dared to breathe.

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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69