#153 - The sneak attacker in the dark

"Truly astonishing."

Franklin exclaimed, circling the brick house with excitement. His height made him look like a child seeing a new toy in a mall, which, age-wise, he indeed was.

"Is this brick part of your body? Where in your body does it come from? Expelling so much at once, won't it cause damage to your body?"

Clearly, normal children wouldn't ask these questions. Yang Le scratched his head, pondered for a moment, and replied,

"I haven't really thought about that. If I had to say, it feels like saliva; it accumulates quite a bit, but never too much."

"Ew!" Valeria frowned, obviously not appreciating Yang Le's analogy. Even Peter and Moonstone looked a little uncomfortable.

"Metaphor, understand?" Yang Le quickly explained, walking to the door, opening it, and gesturing an invitation.

"Want to see the internal structure? If you like, I can build one for you too."

"Is it sturdy?" Moonstone asked, not wanting to be submerged in bricks in the middle of the night.

"Rest assured, it's sturdy and reliable. The wind can't blow in, and water can't get in. It's definitely a hundred times better than your tent."

Yang Le reached out and knocked on the wall, making a "thudding" sound.

"A house that shelters from wind and rain? That's great," Valeria stretched.

"Sleeping in a cramped tent all the time is going to affect my development. I don't want to end up short like Franklin."

"Hey!" Franklin protested, his height being a constant sore spot, not just because of some shallow older brother's pride, but because of what happened a few years ago.

A few years ago, on the night the zombie crisis broke out, he lost consciousness while escaping with Uncle Peter. Since then, not only had his height stopped growing, but his superpowers had also disappeared.

So, whenever height was mentioned, Franklin would think of his lost superpowers. If he hadn't lost his powers, he wouldn't be so helpless in the face of this crisis, and he might have had a chance to save his parents.

"Sorry," Valeria shrugged, though her apology didn't seem entirely sincere.

Franklin took a deep breath, choosing not to argue with his sister at this moment. They had argued countless times about this in recent years. Maybe Valeria was also blaming him.

"Why are you the most useless when you're needed most?"

Valeria had once said those words, regretting them as soon as they left her mouth. Peter had scolded her severely that time, Moonstone comforted him, and the Craftsman even brought out his treasures to amuse him.

Everyone was afraid he would break down because of those words, but they underestimated Franklin. If he were going to break down, he would have done so the moment he learned he had lost his powers. He had thought of what Valeria said even before she did, but he had persevered.

Their parents and their parents' friends had taught him more than just how to control and use superpowers. If Franklin were just an ordinary brat, the world would probably have been destroyed countless times over.

For a long time after that day, the three adults were much more careful when interacting with Franklin, afraid of provoking him.

Only Valeria was still the same as before, arguing with Franklin from time to time, but she knew how to be mindful and wouldn't say anything too extreme. This was because she understood Franklin; such special treatment would only make him more aware of his missing superpowers. A normal attitude was the best way to comfort him.

Indeed, no matter when, the only ones who truly understand you are your family.

Thinking of his sister, Franklin couldn't help but smile, enjoying a small warmth in his heart in this hell on earth.

"Stop grinning like an idiot."

A familiar voice interrupted Franklin's fantasy. Coming back to his senses, it was indeed his sister, who was now carrying her baggage and looking at him.

"Hurry up and pack your things. Harby has already built a house for us. Come and lend a hand and tidy up."

"Harby?" Hearing an unfamiliar name, Franklin questioned.

"It's Yang Le," Valeria rolled her eyes at her brother.

"He said his friends call him that. If you paid a little more attention, I wouldn't have to explain."

"Sorry, my bad," Franklin readily admitted his mistake. Maybe it was the mental filter from earlier, but he was now exceptionally patient with Valeria.

"Your expression is disgusting," Valeria frowned, then turned away to avoid Franklin's subsequent expression.

"Hey, I'm still your brother," Franklin quickly walked up and snatched the baggage from her hand.

"At least respect me a little."

"Okay, Peter Pan."

Peter looked at the bickering siblings with relief. This might be his only comfort in the apocalypse. He didn't know what the siblings thought, but at least in his heart, he was raising the Fantastic Twins as his own children.

Peter knocked his head hard. Not only Franklin, but his spider-sense had also failed after entering the apocalypse, ringing incessantly. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.

"Please, stop it."

Peter grabbed his hair hard, even pulling out a few strands. What was wrong today? Why was it ringing so fiercely?

After years of continuous ringing, his spider-sense had lost all credibility with Peter. Peter weakly raised his head and vaguely saw a string of blurry blue shadows rushing towards the twins.

Peter was shocked. In his superhuman vision, everything slowed down, allowing him to clearly see the silent attacker.

It was a Nightcrawler, only the upper half of his body remaining. He was now opening his bloody mouth, lunging towards the bickering siblings. Under the night, he perfectly displayed his father's bloodline.

"Careful!"

Peter took a big step and ran towards the Fantastic Twins. From the lifted dirt, it could be seen how anxious he was.

But the Nightcrawler was faster than him. Hearing Peter's warning, the siblings turned around and only saw the Nightcrawler's bloody mouth and sharp teeth.

And, out of the corner of their eyes, a brick fist passing between them.

"Crack!"

The Nightcrawler bit hard on the brick gorilla's outstretched fist. Before it could react, the bricks began to spread like ants, turning into thick restraints, eventually wrapping it tightly, leaving only its eyes exposed.

Then it fell heavily to the ground.