#519 - Just the beginning

Robert ultimately followed Eternity, though he seemed somewhat confused. He didn't voice any objections, as Eternity had only revived two-thirds of Robert's consciousness that he had later supplemented. The one-third of Robert belonging to this universe had indeed died.

This didn't count as going against Robert Reynolds' own wishes. Furthermore, Universe 9527 happened to be without a Captain Universe. Robert, composed of the Sentry's heroic side and various positive emotions, was the best candidate for the role.

Yang Le didn't interfere with Eternity's practice of pulling people in to work overtime, because he had a pile of matters to resolve himself.

Such as post-war arrangements and what surprises his doppelganger had prepared for him.

The post-war recovery alone was a massive undertaking. Half of New York had been razed to the ground, and the remaining buildings that had miraculously survived were now dangerous structures.

"Blegh!" Abomination Frog opened its mouth, spitting out Gwen, whom it had just swallowed. Water Tyrant Yang Le, who had been prepared, quickly rinsed the slime off Gwen.

"Honestly, that feeling was awful," Gwen said, disgusted, looking at the puddle of water beneath her feet, which contained a good amount of green slime. "If you ever swallow me again, I'm punching you."

"Relax, relax," Yang Le hurriedly gave a French military salute. "It was a matter of urgency. Besides, Abomination Frog's stomach isn't strange; it's a pocket universe without any disgusting stu... Blegh!"

Before Yang Le could finish, Gwen punched him in the abdomen. Although Water Tyrant's armor had high defense, Spider-Woman's tens of tons of strength were not to be trifled with. Of course, Gwen didn't actually use that much strength, but her experience allowed her to make Yang Le uncomfortable without injuring him.

"I don't want to talk about those things anymore," Gwen grabbed Yang Le's head with both hands, shaking it back and forth in annoyance.

"OK! OK!" Yang Le could only beg for mercy. A non-strength-type Water Tyrant was just a toy in Gwen's hands. Yang Le could only quickly change the subject, and in a moment of inspiration, he shifted the topic to academics.

Having just emerged from combat, Gwen was somewhat speechless. She had originally wanted to continue attending Midtown High School after it was rebuilt, but now, let alone attending school, there was no telling when New York would be rebuilt.

However, all of this was unrelated to Yang Le. He wasn't on the American government's payroll, so there was no reason for him to worry about the city's reconstruction. Yang Le had already found another suitable city to live in and was preparing to find a new school for Gwen.

Gwen had no objections to Yang Le's arrangements. After all, she only had one friend at Midtown High School, so she wouldn't feel much if she transferred schools. Besides, even if she transferred, they could still meet again.

Mentioning that one friend, Yang Le immediately thought of Katie's change and quickly told Gwen everything he knew.

Gwen was also shocked after listening. Yang Le had also told Gwen about the Shadowcat of Earth-616 after Katie's visit that night, and Gwen had a new understanding of her only friend.

Gwen didn't have any extra thoughts about this. After all, she was a superhuman and naturally wouldn't discriminate against mutants. However, Gwen knew how ordinary people in Universe 9527 felt about mutants, and she was very afraid that Katie would break down because of this.

Worried about her friend, Gwen quickly said goodbye to Yang Le and flew in the direction he gave. The Symbiote suit, which could freely transform, was indeed very convenient. Even without Uncle Ben helping her hold the web lines in the sky, Gwen could move around with the jetpack.

It wasn't just Gwen who was worried about Katie. In the newly chaotic New York City, another kind of chaos was just beginning.

...

"Sue..., Susan... Susan!"

"Oh!"

Susan suddenly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Reed looking at her with concern. After a brief recollection, Susan struggled to sit up.

"Are you okay, Reed? What about Ben and Johnny? I remember we were being chased by something. Did we escape?"

"Calm down, calm down, Susan," Reed grabbed Susan's shoulders, forcibly making her look at him. Only after Susan calmed down did he continue.

"I'm fine, but I can't guarantee anything about Ben and Johnny."

"Can't guarantee? What does that mean?" Susan looked at Reed in confusion. He didn't seem like something major had happened. Johnny aside, if something happened to Ben, Reed wouldn't be acting like this.

Reed sighed, released Susan's shoulders, and turned to her, saying, "Come with me. You'll understand when you see it."

Susan was suspicious, but she obediently followed behind Reed. It was then that she realized she wasn't on the street where she had fainted, but in a relatively dim place. She could only rely on the flashlight in Reed's hand to discern the direction.

"This is an underground parking garage of a shopping mall," Reed explained as he walked. "Ben woke up first. To prevent danger, he moved all of us to this place. Unfortunately, the power has been cut off because of the noise caused by those monsters."

Susan listened to the explanation and followed behind Reed. Soon, Susan saw a very bright place. Someone must have lit a bonfire, but the bonfire was surrounded by a wall made of several cars, making it impossible to see what was inside.

Under Reed's lead, the two walked through the gap in the car wall. Susan was stunned when she saw the scene inside, because there was no bonfire inside. The source of light was a humanoid object with flames all over its body.

Next to the flaming object was a tall stone statue, but Susan could be sure that both of them were alive, because Susan had heard them talking before she and Reed came in.

"My God," Susan felt her legs weaken, and Reed supported her in time.

"What's going on, Reed?"

"Obviously, Susan," Reed gave a wry smile. "The stone man is Ben, and the one with flames all over his body is Johnny."

The latest novel is first published on 6|9|shu|ba!

Susan's vision went black, and she almost fainted again.

...

In front of a detached house, Frank, wearing casually picked clothes, stood anxiously under the building in front of the door.

The house in front of him was his home. After signing the contract, his family had been moved away from New York, to a small town near New York.

At that time, the army said that they wanted to protect his family. After all, he was participating in a secret mission, and his family would be temporarily moved away, and then moved back after the mission was over.

Not only would there be a better house at that time, but even the children's studies would not need to be worried about, and the military would be responsible for everything.

Frank, who was not rich in the first place, readily accepted it. Before being controlled, he and his family had lived in this small house for a while. Now that he thought about it, it was probably the last meal the army gave him.

Frank shook his head, throwing those terrible thoughts out of his head. Not only had he escaped from that hellish place, but he had also returned to being an ordinary person. Although he had lost his job, he was in his prime and could always find a job, and life would get better and better.

Cheering up, Frank walked up the stairs in three steps, and froze after stepping on the carpet in front of the door with one foot.

"Squelch!"

Frank looked at his feet suspiciously. It hadn't rained today, so why did the carpet make such a sound after being filled with water?

Frank slowly raised his right foot, and his expression froze after seeing the bottom of his foot.

The white sneakers had been dyed red.