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*****
Two days passed in a flash.
During this time, Thor had gained quite a lot, learning several new dishes.
Clark, meanwhile, had indulged in the pleasure of cooking with Thor's enchanted kitchenware more than once, thoroughly enjoying the novelty of using divine artifacts to prepare food.
Of course, each time he used them, his urge to get rid of Thor only grew stronger.
Tomorrow was Halloween, but the celebrations would begin tonight, on Halloween Eve.
Clark bought several pumpkins, and together with Thor carved them into jack-o'-lanterns to decorate the house and front porch. With just a few simple touches, the holiday atmosphere immediately came alive.
While Thor battled in the kitchen, declaring that tonight he would truly showcase his skills, Clark finally received his delivery.
A box full of superhero costumes.
Since he wasn't sure how many people would participate, he had bought several extras.
"Mr. Kent, please sign here."
After signing his name and thanking the deliveryman, Clark carried the box back inside.
Meanwhile, at Steve's house—
Several pairs of eyes were secretly watching Clark's every move.
When they saw him return home with the large package, someone couldn't hold back a groan.
"Oh God, do we really have to wear that stuff?"
Tony's face was twisted in misery as he looked at the others.
Wanda pursed her red lips, then said, "If we have to wear one, I want Natasha's costume."
Natasha flicked her hair, smirking. "In that case, I'll wear Wanda's—" She paused halfway through her thought. "Oh right, you and Pietro don't actually have costumes, do you?"
"…."
Pietro felt personally attacked.
It was true though. Unlike the others, neither of them had official uniforms—they usually dressed casually on missions.
Clint's sharp gaze swept the room. "I'll wear whatever, even Natasha's, but—under no circumstances am I wearing the Hulk costume!"
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
Steve and Tony immediately chimed in.
Bruce: "..."
He silently agreed too, but hearing it said out loud still hurt.
Tony clapped his hands together. "Alright, but here's the real question—are we actually going?"
The room fell silent.
Just then, Peggy Carter stepped out and said lightly, "Well, I'm definitely going. I heard from Clark that Thor brought back a full set of enchanted kitchenware from Asgard and plans to use it tonight…"
Her eyes sparkled. "With Clark's special cooking and magic tools, the food will be divine."
By "special cooking," she meant the rare occasions when Clark used his card powers to enhance his dishes, producing legendary results.
Finishing her statement, Peggy opened the door and stepped out. As it shut behind her, a sly smile tugged at her lips.
Mission accomplished—tonight she'd be getting extra servings.
Inside, the group of heroes exchanged looks.
Did she really think they could be bribed into wearing cheap knockoff costumes just for some food?
What a joke!
Gulp!
The sound of throats swallowing echoed one after another.
They glanced at each other, awkwardness written across their faces.
If they had never tasted Clark's cooking at full power, it would be easy to resist. But once you'd experienced that…
That sense of fulfillment, happiness, the illusion of ascending to heaven with celestial music ringing in your ears, as though swimming in an ocean of flavor—
It wasn't just eating. It was transcendence.
"I just remembered—I have unfinished research waiting for me."
Suddenly, Bruce muttered and hurried out the door.
Tony tapped his forehead. "Oh right! I have an experiment to run. Excuse me."
In quick succession, Wanda and Pietro left as well, claiming they had shopping to do.
Clint turned to Natasha. "Want to grab a drink? It's our day off."
She nodded, told Steve a quick goodbye, and the two slipped out.
Within just two minutes, the once lively living room was completely empty.
Steve stood there for several seconds, a strange smile slowly spreading across his face.
"Heh. You really think I didn't see through your expressions?"
Licking his lips, his eyes gleamed with confidence as he cast a glance toward Clark's home, then swallowed hard.
A few minutes later, Steve arrived at Clark's place—only to find the other Avengers already there.
He sneered.
They exchanged looks, sneering back.
So much for "experiments" and "shopping trips."
Traitors, all of them.
Gwen blinked curiously at the gathering, lifting a tray of snacks toward Steve.
"Uncle Steve!"
He reached out and pinched her cheek affectionately.
"Good girl. You look so cute today."
Gwen beamed happily.
To fit the Halloween theme, she was wearing a little pumpkin hair accessory.
"Oh! Right!"
She set down the tray and pulled two pumpkin-themed hair ties from her pocket, offering them to Wanda and Natasha.
"Big sisters, these are for you!"
Wanda's eyes lit up as she accepted hers, while Natasha kissed Gwen's cheek before tying her hair into a sleek ponytail.
"Beautiful!"
Gwen gave them both a big thumbs-up.
"What about us?"
Peggy Carter and Maria pointed at themselves expectantly.
Gwen quickly handed over two more hair clips.
Both women lit up with smiles as bright as flowers.
Gwen grinned slyly to herself.
Connections must be maintained!
Clap clap!
Clark clapped his hands twice. When everyone looked his way, he said, "Alright, tidy up—we're about to eat."
The group moved at once.
Seeing the crowded house, Clark sighed inwardly.
Still, their family wasn't complete. Erik couldn't make it, Charles and Raven were celebrating with the children at school…
Shaking off his disappointment, Clark headed into the kitchen, carrying out plates of mouthwatering dishes.
Everyone sat around the table, utensils in hand, ready for battle.
Moments later, Thor carried out the last dish. Clark stepped from the kitchen and smiled. "Dig in."
That's the signal we've been waiting for!
Hank Pym cleared his throat and raised a hand. "Wait. Let's toast Clark first."
Glasses clinked. A sip of wine.
And then—an all-out feeding frenzy.
Thor's heart swelled with satisfaction.
As a chef, nothing was more rewarding than seeing this kind of reaction.
"Like a tornado through the fields"—that was the only way to describe it.
Soon, with everyone wiping their mouths, faces glowing with bliss, Clark waved his hand.
With a thud, a man-sized cardboard box appeared before them.
The sight made everyone flinch.
"You weren't planning on eating and running, were you?"
Danger gleamed in Clark's eyes as he looked around the table.
The Avengers swallowed hard.
Tony forced a laugh. "Of course not! We're Avengers. If we promised to wear costumes for Halloween, we'll keep that promise."
"Exactly!"
The others nodded quickly.
Clark smiled in satisfaction. "Good. For a second, I thought you were going to bolt."
"Haha, as if!"
Steve chuckled nervously, patting his head. "Oh no, I left the stove on. I'd better—"
The others shot him a look of pure disdain.
That excuse? Really?
"Uh, I also need to get to the lab. I'm working on a new timed bomb," Tony added, heading toward the door.
"Clark! Gwen! Thor! Guard the windows and doors!"
Clark's command froze everyone in their tracks.
The three instantly blocked every exit.
The Avengers' faces fell.
Tony pointed a trembling finger at Thor. "You—you call yourself an Avenger?!"
Thor twirled Mjolnir casually. "I don't mind not being one."
"…"
Clark's smile was all warmth, but his eyes gleamed sharply. "Come on now. Pick your costumes. The parade starts soon, so hurry up."
He pointed at the box.
Natasha walked up first with an easy stride, smiled at the others, and began rummaging.
The others froze, then realized the truth—
If they didn't move fast, they'd be stuck with the Hulk costume.
They scrambled forward.
Unfortunately, Clark had bought random sizes. Everyone had to settle for whatever fit.
And so… the results were spectacular.
Steve and Clint in skintight Black Widow suits.
Tony stuffed into a Hulk outfit.
Natasha donning the Captain America uniform.
Bruce in Thor's gear.
Wanda squeezed into Hawkeye's archer suit, and Pietro proudly wearing Superman's.
"Awesome!" Pietro shouted, dashing in a blur of red cape.
But while he was thrilled, the others were not.
Especially Tony.
His face was as green as his costume.
Worse still, seeing Black Widow Steve and Black Widow Clint standing confidently at his side nearly broke him.
Natasha raised her foam vibranium shield and mimicked Steve's voice. "Avengers, assemble!"
Before anyone else could react, she burst into laughter, pointing at Tony and Steve. "Hulk! Black Widow! Charge!"
Tony and Steve's faces twitched violently. The rest couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hahaha!"
Thor's booming laugh shook the room.
The Avengers froze, eyes narrowing on him.
"Uh… what are you all looking at me for?" Thor stepped back nervously.
"Get him! Put it on him too!"
Black Widow Steve roared, charging first.
"Aaagh!"
Moments later, Hulk #2—Thor—stood before them, sulking.
Tony felt strangely comforted. At least he wasn't the only one suffering.
"Don't stop now! Clark and McCullen are still free!" Steve barked.
With another battle cry, the group surged forward.
Soon, Clark appeared in an Iron Man suit, while McCullen emerged in a hideous first-generation X-Men uniform.
Clark let out a sigh of relief but winced at McCullen's outfit.
It was simply… awful.
"Hank, doesn't he look like a ghost in that thing?"
Hank Pym, grinning ear to ear, couldn't resist. "McCullen, you look ridiculous."
"…"
McCullen's smile twitched. "Still plenty left. Want to pick one yourself?"
"!"
Hank froze, then quickly stammered, "Uh—I've got a card game with Peggy and Maria!"
The three of them bolted immediately. Pepper Potts hesitated, but then followed. At the door, she gave Tony a solemn wave. "Good luck, Tony."
Good luck? What good was that?!
Just then, Gwen skipped downstairs wearing her own Superman costume.
She looked absolutely adorable.
"Let's go, everyone!" she said, waving her hand.
Everyone froze, looked around at each other's ridiculous getups, and then burst out laughing.
If they were already like this, they might as well enjoy it.
"Let's go!"
With a united cheer, the whole group set out into the night.
…
Meanwhile, in a mysterious space—
Jane Foster dragged her hand along a rough stone wall, trudging forward in exhaustion.
By her guess—judging by her hunger—she had been trapped here for at least half a day. Still, she found no exit.
Recently, she and her friend, Dr. Selvig, had been studying a rare astronomical phenomenon:
The Convergence.
Every five thousand years, the nine realms aligned. During this alignment, the barriers between realms grew thin, and gravity, light, and matter bled across boundaries.
In simple terms, the borders between worlds became blurred.
Jane had stumbled into one such convergence point, and that's how she had ended up here.
"I should've had Thor come with me," she muttered, collapsing onto the ground and rubbing her aching legs.
She couldn't go any farther.
"If I entered this place because of the Convergence… then to get back, I need to find another convergence point. But where? I've searched so long…"
Her voice broke as she clutched her hair in frustration.
After several minutes of rest, she forced herself up again.
She couldn't give up.
But she hadn't gone far when two familiar figures stepped out of a stone wall before her.
All three froze—then cried out in joy.
"Jane!"
"Dr. Selvig!"
"Darcy!"
They rushed into each other's arms.
Moments later, calmer now, the three began searching for a way out—together.
(End of Chapter)