Chapter 71: Sorcerer Supreme Gu Yi
"You have come. I have been waiting for you for a long time."
"Waiting for me?"
Eros looked at the woman with a shaved head like a Buddhist nun before him and recognized her identity.
Sorcerer Ancient One.
The Sorcerer Supreme, the Master of Kamar-Taj, and the Guardian of Earth's dimension.
She had many titles, but they had little to do with him.
From what he understood, the sorcerers considered themselves Guardians of the dimensions, viewing themselves as outsiders to worldly affairs, and rarely interfered in the conflicts of ordinary people.
Whether it was running concentration camps and massacres, or carpet-bombing with nuclear weapons, as long as the Three Sanctums were not destroyed and Earth's protective barrier was unaffected, they didn't care.
He only wanted to rule the World and lead humanity into the sea of stars; surely he hadn't crossed the sorcerers' boundaries?
Thus, Eros asked directly, "Is there something you need from me, Sorcerer?"
The Ancient One looked at the young man before her, feeling somewhat emotional.
She had lived for seven or eight hundred years, and her lifespan had long reached its limit, yet a suitable successor had never appeared.
Out of options, she could only draw upon Dormammu's dark energy to extend her life.
This was no different from drinking poison to quench thirst. Once too much dark energy accumulated in her body, she would also be affected, becoming just like her disciple, Kaecilius.
The difference was that she might not become Dormammu's lackey, but rather replace him.
But to her, there was no difference; either way, she would become the very enemy she had been fighting against.
Fortunately, just when she was about to reach her limit, a suitable successor finally appeared.
Stephen Strange.
She had originally planned to seek death of her own accord after finishing Strange's training, thereby ending her mission.
However, an unexpected event occurred.
The structural stability of the Multiverse was compromised, its operations fell into disorder, and various Universes began to collide.
This was a massive crisis that the Multiverse had not seen in billions of years.
Such a crisis originating from outside the Universe could not even be observed by the Time Stone, leaving the Ancient One feeling powerless to help.
She did not know when the collision would happen, but she knew it was inevitable, and this reality would almost certainly be destroyed by the cosmic collision.
Just then, a turning point appeared.
The future, which originally had thousands of possibilities but was clearly visible, became blurred and confusing.
It was like pixelated mosaics appearing on an originally clear painting, and these mosaics were sweeping across the entire canvas at an extremely rapid pace.
And the origin of this mosaic was the young man before her.
In the past, the Ancient One would have certainly found a way to contain such an unknown factor.
But today, the unknown was the only silver lining of hope for this Universe.
Yet, the Ancient One was still hesitant.
Strange was undoubtedly a good choice; she had waited for hundreds of years and had never seen anyone with such great talent for magic.
In the future, Strange's abilities would surely surpass her own, and perhaps he could solve the difficulties she could not.
But this young man before her also had a huge advantage compared to herself and Stephen Strange.
He possessed the ambition to unify the globe and the grand vision to lead humanity toward greatness, as well as the material foundation to achieve this goal.
In times of crisis, what was needed was such a leader, not just a simple Guardian.
Ultimately, the Ancient One decided to flip a coin.
She had intentionally created a thick fog and then guided Skye to the Afterlife.
If Eros came, then she would choose him.
If Eros did not come, then she would choose Strange.
Now, the answer was revealed.
"I only want to tell you that time is running out for you."
The Sorcerer Ancient One's words left Eros a bit baffled, so he asked, "Could you be a bit clearer, Sorcerer?"
"Have you ever heard of the Multiverse?" The Ancient Onesmiled. Rather than explaining, she preferred to let him experience it for himself.
As she spoke, the Ancient One struck a palm toward Eros.
Eros noticed the Ancient One's movement; he could have dodged, but there was no need.
From what the Ancient One implied, she was probably going to send him on a journey through the Multiverse, just like in the movie Doctor Strange.
To be honest, Eros also really wanted to try what that felt like.
Bang!
The moment the Ancient One's hand touched Eros, a portal leading to the Multiverse opened behind him, and Eros flew into the passage.
Countless stars receded in Eros's eyes, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared within the Multiverse.
Super-hero Worlds floated up and down before his eyes like bubbles.
Eros caught sight of a blonde beauty and subconsciously looked over.
In the next second, he was sucked into this bubble.
Stars flashed past him at extreme speed, and a moment later, a blue Planet rapidly enlarged in his view.
Bang!
Eros returned to the physical Universe and plunged headfirst into some unknown stretch of sea.
After a while, Eros flew out from the bottom of the sea. "Wait, is this still Earth? Where on Earth did she send me?"
"Of course this is Earth, but it is an Earth that is about to die."
The space around Eros shifted, like glass cracking and then rippling, and the Ancient One's figure appeared amidst the rolling ripples.
"An Earth about to die?" Eros was startled at first, but then he quickly realized.
Besides seeing that blonde beauty just now, he had also seen a few people around her, one of whom looked exactly like the frozen Captain America popsicle, but gave off a very cheeky vibe.
Could this be the Fantastic Four's Universe? And one where the Fantastic Four failed and couldn't stop Galactus?
"Sorcerer, why did you throw me into this Universe? Are you sending me to fight Galactus?"
Eros thought about it, and it didn't seem completely impossible.
He certainly couldn't beat Galactus right now, but he just needed to stack his double buffs for a while.
The smile on the Sorcerer Ancient One's face grew even wider.
She had observed Eros for a long time.
After Eros's eighteenth birthday, he had become Strange. Not only did he possess superpowers, but he also seemed to have seen the future.
The Ancient One initially had a theory.
That an Eros variant from another Universe had possessed this Universe's Eros's body through some kind of spell.
But there was a flaw in this theory too.
Logically, an 'Eros' capable of doing this should be a Master of the Mystic Arts, proficient in mystic arts rather than physical combat.
Yet Eros's physical body was incredibly powerful and his mental strength was decent, but he was completely ignorant of magic, having absolutely nothing to do with a Master of the Mystic Arts.
Having dismissed this theory, the Ancient One came up with a new one.
The original Eros had suddenly been chosen by some kind of power, gaining a strengthened body and knowledge of the history of other Universes.
In the Multiverse, every World is unique, but there are also commonalities between them.
Applying the history of similar Worlds to this Worldwould, most of the time, not be wrong.
And Eros's performance just now further corroborated the Ancient One's hypothesis.
She said with a smile, "You will find out soon enough."
As she spoke, the Ancient One chanted an incantation and drew a circle in the air beside her. Amidst showering sparks, a small town hidden in the mountains could be seen on the other side.
And at the edge of the town, a team was training, with Skye's figure among them.
The Ancient One stepped into the ring of fire, leaving behind a sentence:
"Skye is very safe right now, training in the Afterlife."
"Once the matters on this Earth are settled, I will come to get you."
Chapter 72: The Local Superheroes (Susan) Are So Particular
After the Ancient One left, Eros looked around to get his bearings and saw the Statue of Liberty not far away.
Without a doubt, these waters were near New York.
On his way flying toward the city center, Eros reviewed his interaction with the Ancient One.
When the Ancient One met him, she only said a few cryptic sentences.
First, she said she had waited for him for a long time, and then she said time was running out for him.
From these two sentences, it was clear she wanted him to do something, and time was relatively pressing.
Why relatively pressing and not extremely urgent?
If it were truly urgent, she would have sought him out directly instead of setting up a situation to lead him there.
Then she mentioned the multiverse, which meant what she wanted him to do was related to the multiverse.
Finally, she sent him to this Fantastic Four Universe and called it a dying Earth. Did she want him to save this Universe's Earth?
But how did the Ancient One know he could fight Galactus? Did she see something from the future?
"I'll take one copy of each newspaper from the past few days."
Eros took the newspapers and sat down to the side.
Good news.
Although they were two different Worlds, the paper currency printing process was essentially the same, so the few Benjamin Franklins he brought along were still usable.
Bad news.
According to the newspapers, Reed Richards, Benjamin Grimm, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Victor von Doom—a group of five—had just returned from space not long ago.
The four of them—Reed, Benjamin, Susan, and Johnny—hadn't even gotten their individual titles or the Fantastic Four team moniker yet.
It's not easy to update, remember to share 101 Kanshu.
Among them, Invisible Woman Susan was the somewhat familiar blonde beauty Eros had seen earlier.
Judging by the plot progression, Galactus discovering Earth happens in the sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, whereas it was still the first movie right now.
In his past life, Eros hadn't paid much attention to how much time elapsed between the two movies, but he reckoned it would be about a year or six months, maybe even longer.
Gulping down the wild dog milk in his hand, Eros felt a bit annoyed.
He didn't have that much time to waste in this Universe.
Wouldn't it be better to spend time with pretty young women, mature ladies, and little girls?
And why did the Ancient One speak so cryptically? Couldn't she just be more direct?
If he had known earlier that he was coming to the Fantastic Four Universe, he would have prepared more cash or gold.
How could anyone be a superhero without money?
After complaining for a bit, Eros took action. He decided to get in touch with the local superheroes first, hoping they would be polite enough to cover his basic needs: food, clothing, shelter, and companionship.
Looking around and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Eros launched into the sky.
To find someone, it was naturally most convenient to fly high into the sky and use super vision.
Soon, Eros locked onto his target.
And he noticed that there seemed to be a nice little bonus?
...
On the Brooklyn Bridge, a pileup had occurred, creating total chaos.
From the complaints of the bystanders and memories of his past life, Eros roughly pieced together the whole story.
The Thing Ben had been dumped by his girlfriend and came to the bridge in despair to look at the scenery. Unexpectedly, a corporate slave walked up nearby, intending to add to the suicide statistics of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Thing Ben called out to the man and tried to dissuade him from jumping into the river, but unexpectedly, the man was frightened by The Thing Ben's appearance.
Although he didn't jump into the river, he fell into traffic instead.
To save the man, The Thing Ben was forced to crash into an oncoming semi-truck, causing a chain-reaction pileup.
As luck would have it, Mr. Fantastic Reed, Invisible Woman Susan, and Human Torch Johnny also arrived on the bridge.
However, the bridge deck was blocked off by Police, and the three of them couldn't get through.
At this moment, Mr. Fantastic Reed came up with a great idea and said to Invisible Woman Susan, "It's blocked off here and we can't get through, but you can."
"Sue, hurry and take off your clothes."
"Oh, right." Invisible Woman Susan remembered her superpower and agreed with Mr. Fantastic Reed's suggestion.
She activated her superpower, entering an invisible state, and began taking off her suit jacket.
"Interesting. Is she bending the surrounding force field to achieve invisibility?"
Eros quietly squeezed up beside Invisible Woman Susan.
A scene where someone takes off their clothes in broad daylight wasn't something you see every day; he had to scrutinize it thoroughly.
Invisible Woman Susan was wearing a brown women's casual suit with a light-colored striped shirt underneath. The collar was slightly open, but there wasn't much to see.
She dressed very conservatively, which stood in stark contrast to her current actions.
Before long, Eros caught a glimpse of Invisible Woman Susan's inner layer—a retro floral pattern, quite subtly sexy.
However, Susan's superpower had just awakened and was still unstable. Just as she was about to take off her inner layer, her ability failed.
The force field around her began to fluctuate, and her outline slowly materialized.
Swiftly, as if in the blink of an eye...
Eros stepped forward in a flash, pulled Invisible Woman Susan into his arms, and deftly draped his own coat over her.
"Oh!"
Invisible Woman Susan gasped in surprise at first, trying to break free from Eros's embrace.
But then, the gasps from the people around her made her realize that her superpower had suddenly failed.
She quickly pressed herself closer into Eros's arms and wrapped the coat tightly around herself.
Invisible Woman Susan was around 165 cm, while Eroswas 188 cm. Coupled with the long hem of his coat...
Draped over Invisible Woman Susan now, the coat covered most of her body, leaving only her shoulders, arms, and part of her calves exposed, sparking endless imagination.
"Wow, have you been working out recently?" Mr. Fantastic asked blankly, staring at Invisible Woman Susan's exposed arms with their smooth muscle definition.
"Shut up! This was your 'great idea'? Why don't you strip off your clothes and let hundreds of people stare at you?!" Invisible Woman Susan unleashed a barrage of fury at Mr. Fantastic Reed.
She had almost exposed herself in front of a massive crowd just now.
For a conservative girl, that was completely unacceptable.
"Thank you, sir." After chewing out Mr. Fantastic Reed, Invisible Woman Susan gave Eros a shy smile.
Except everyone else could only hear her voice.
She had gone invisible again.
"You're welcome. I've always been glad to help people out." Eros smiled back at Invisible Woman Susan as well.
The local superheroes were quite considerate, going so far as to prepare such a welcoming ceremony for him.
To this, Eros could only say: the more, the merrier.
At this moment, Invisible Woman Susan realized she was invisible again. After thinking it over, she decided to stick to their original plan.
The urgent priority was to cross the Police line and find The Thing Ben.
Only this time, she instructed her younger brother, Human Torch Johnny, to follow close behind with her clothes so she could put them on immediately if her power glitched.
"That stone man is your friend, and you're going to find him, right?" Eros walked beside the invisible Susan.
He was reminded of a poem.
Han Yu (Tang Dynasty), Early Spring Sent to Secretary Zhang of the Water Board.
"A light drizzle on the imperial street moistens like butter; the grass looks green from afar, but disappears up close.
This is the finest time of spring in the year, far surpassing the misty willows that fill the imperial capital."
Chapter 73: How Can You Be a Superhero Without Money?
"Exactly. Do you have a way?"
Invisible Woman Susan had a very good impression of this handsome man who had suddenly appeared to help her out of a tight spot and prevent her from accidentally exposing herself.
When she was pulled into his embrace just now, she felt it—his abs and chest muscles were both very firm.
"Yeah, there's no need to go to all that trouble."
Eros walked forward and pulled out his badge directly for the New York police officers blocking the road.
"Federal Bureau of Investigation!"
It was perfectly reasonable for a Hydra-Shield Agent to have a Federal Bureau of Investigation badge.
The leading officer glanced at the badge. It looked exactly like the real thing, so he didn't suspect a thing.
Along with the few Franklins Eros casually slipped him, he tacitly understood and stepped aside to let them through.
Although the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York police department were different departments, they were brother agencies, so making an exception wasn't out of the question.
"It's that simple?"
Seeing this, Invisible Woman Susan behind Eros opened her mouth slightly, her resentment toward Mr. Fantastic Reed growing a bit more.
A problem that could be solved so easily had almost caused her to expose herself in front of hundreds of people.
If it ended up in the newspapers, it wouldn't just be hundreds of people seeing her naked.
Invisible Woman Susan put on her clothes, deactivated her ability, and followed Eros toward The Thing Ben.
By this time, The Thing Ben had already rescued the driver of the semi-truck he had crashed into, but with his rocky appearance, it was hard to gain the trust of the New Yorkpolice.
The scene was still extremely chaotic, with damaged vehicles everywhere, some even catching fire. An accident could happen at any moment.
"Senior Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation!"
"Leave this rock monster to me. Evacuate the crowd first; the scene is unsafe."
Since he was already involved, Eros decided to play the superhero for once.
Eros found the police commander on the scene and communicated with him. The commander also realized that the surrounding vehicles were potential explosives and that it was unsafe for so many people to gather there.
After thinking for a moment, he agreed with Eros's suggestion. Leaving two officers to keep an eye on The Thing Ben with Eros, he led the rest of the officers to evacuate the crowd.
However, an accident still occurred.
A gas cylinder next to a little boy expanded from the heat, the gas valve ruptured, and the gas inside gushed out, on the verge of exploding.
In this current environment, a single gas cylinder explosion could easily trigger a chain reaction, causing multiple cars to explode as well.
Human Torch Johnny noticed the gas cylinder, but he was too late to prevent the explosion.
He instinctively took a giant leap to the little boy's side, using his body to shield the boy from the impending explosion's Impact.
However.
The explosion's Impact did not come; only the sound of the explosion did.
Human Torch Johnny looked up, not understanding what had happened, but he saw many people running toward the edge of the bridge, leaning over to look down.
Among them was his sister, Susan.
So, Human Torch Johnny let go of the child and squeezed his way to the edge of the bridge as well.
On the water's surface below the bridge, a raging fire was burning, and the debris of the gas cylinder was faintly visible beneath the water.
At the exact moment the gas cylinder exploded, someone had transferred it beneath the water under the bridge!
"Holy shit!"
Such speed, he's practically the Flash!
'Am I unable to get away from Water today?'
Eros flew out from the Water, unable to help but complain inwardly, but in the next instant, he reflexively managed his facial expression.
Click~
The shutter clicked, freezing on Eros's handsome profile with his chin slightly raised.
"Oh—!"
"Hero!"
"Hero!"
"Hero!"
The crowd began to cheer and applaud.
Although they couldn't see clearly what had just happened, they could guess a thing or two based on the changes at the scene.
The fire from the explosion had already lit up, and a chain-reaction explosion was imminent, yet someone had transferred the explosive under the Water at the critical moment.
Several reporters, accompanied by cameramen, jogged past the police line, thrusting their microphones directly toward Eros in mid-air.
"Sir, did you just stop the explosion? How did you do it?"
"Sir, how are you flying? Is it the Military's latest secret weapon?"
"Sir, are you a superhero hiding in the crowd? Like Superman in DC Comics?"
That was a good question.
Eros looked at the reporter who asked the question, slowly lowered his altitude to land on the bridge, and the reporters immediately swarmed forward.
He straightened his back and revealed a mouth of White teeth to the camera. "Everyone, calm down. The scene is not safe. Please maintain a safe distance."
Under the effect of his level 2 Bio-field, Eros's voice clearly reached the ears of everyone on the bridge.
Eros squeezed out of the crowd, came to Human Torch Johnny's side, and raised his hand:
"I don't know if everyone noticed just now, but when the explosion happened, he rushed to the child's side immediately and used his body to protect him."
Eros also patted the little boy's hair in passing: "Hey, kid, you were very brave too, not causing trouble for Johnny."
Finally, Eros pointed to the officers maintaining the police line: "And you guys, arriving at the scene to maintain order at the very first moment of the accident."
"You, my friends, you are the real heroes!"
As Eros finished speaking, the surrounding crowd immediately showed their appreciation by applauding.
Human Torch Johnny and the police officers on the scene also showed knowing smiles.
"Wow—!"
"You are the real hero, Superman!"
Withdrawing his hand behind his back, Eros gave everyone another smile, and with his hands behind his back, he took off sideways, leaving the bridge as they watched.
Crack!
After hovering, he deliberately showed off a secondary acceleration, an instantaneous Zero-frame startup that broke the speed of sound, leaving a contrail in the sky.
"That pose is just too cool!"
Human Torch Johnny looked at Eros's receding figure, his face full of yearning.
He wanted to learn it!
...
Eros didn't want his daily life to be disturbed, so when he was in his own Universe, he was relatively low-key, basically never exposing his abilities in front of the public.
Now that he had come to the Fantastic Four Universe, he could finally let himself go.
This could be considered good news; he could relax a bit.
But then, Eros had to face a problem.
How can you be a superhero without money?
He didn't carry much cash with him, and he had casually handed all of it over when bribing the officer just now.
Now, he was penniless.
As for robbing mobsters or stealing from criminals, Erosdidn't even consider that option.
That was something only broke super-powered individuals would do. For someone like him, whose real-world net worth started at ten digits, it was far too cheap.
Downstairs at the Baxter Building, Human Torch Johnnyfollowed Mr. Fantastic Reed back to his company.
They were preparing to study their bodily mutations here.
Just as they were entering, Johnny saw someone waving at him. It was the Superman he had met earlier on the Brooklyn Bridge.
"You guys go up first, I have some business." Greeting his three companions, Human Torch Johnny walked toward Eros.
His voice arrived before he did.
"Hey, brother, what do you need me for?"
"To borrow money."
Chapter 74: Clothing, food, shelter, and transportation—only transportation remained unresolved.
Hearing this, the smile on Human Torch Johnny's face instantly froze: "Ahem, bro, I still have some things to do..."
"Take a look at this." Eros took off the watch on his arm and tossed it over casually. "Ten thousand in cash, it's yours."
Johnny caught it instinctively. As a playboy, he knew quite a bit about luxury cars and famous watches, and he could tell at a glance that this style was Patek Philippe.
A watch from this brand cost at least tens of thousands of dollars even for an entry-level model, and the one in his hand, judging solely by its craftsmanship and features, was clearly not an entry-level model.
It was worth at least hundreds of thousands of dollars.
He was just saying, how could someone with powerful superpowers be impoverished and down on their luck?
But then he had another doubt: how could someone who could wear such a luxury watch need to borrow money from him?
Puzzled in his heart, Johnny asked directly.
Eros raised his head slightly, his eyes becoming deep: "I was originally a wealthy N-generation, with a net worth of tens of billions at a very young age."
"But after awakening my superpowers, I realized I was no longer an ordinary person. In order not to let down this power I possess and to temper my state of mind, I exiled myself."
"I understand!" Johnny clapped his hands. "You're undergoing a knight's trial, aren't you?"
"Just like what's filmed in the movies, giving up all external things to start wandering, and searching for one's soul during the wandering."
Eros nodded, looking like a teachable child.
Johnny suddenly realized something and said, "Then don't you have a place to live right now? Why don't you come to my place first?"
Eros accepted the invitation.
It seemed that the local superheroes not only included Invisible Woman Susan being polite, but her younger brother Human Torch Johnny was also very polite.
It was just uncertain how much credit that watch deserved.
Eros followed Johnny into the Baxter Building.
This was the place where Mr. Fantastic Reed had his company office and research facilities, and it was also the future headquarters of the Fantastic Four.
As soon as he arrived at Reed's laboratory, Eros found that the atmosphere was a bit off.
The expressions of the three people—Reed, Susan, and Ben—were all very solemn.
Reed said, "We have to stay here until we figure out the symptoms in our bodies and find a solution."
"Wait, what symptoms?" Johnny happened to hear Reed's words when he walked in, and he had a different opinion:
"If a superpower is a disease, then I'm truly terminally ill. Don't you guys think this is cool?"
Susan refuted her younger brother: "Johnny, maybe we're hanging by a thread, and our DNA could collapse at any time."
"Don't make it sound so serious. Look who I brought." Johnny shrugged and smiled, pushing Eros beside him in front of the others:
"Our senior superpower user, he might have a way with our situation."
Inside the laboratory, the Fantastic Four simultaneously looked at Eros, including Johnny.
They suddenly realized that besides them, there were other people in the World who possessed superpowers.
"Mister, can you tell me how you got your superpowers? This is very important to us." Reed asked directly.
Susan sighed.
This number one smart person in the World had all his talent poured into scientific research, while in other aspects he was completely clueless.
When it involved superpowers, if it was accidentally acquired, it would be fine, but if it was artificial, it would inevitably involve trade secrets, so how could it be easily told to Reed?
He should have changed the phrasing.
"Mister, this is Reed Richards, this is..."
Susan first introduced the few of them, and then asked:
"Regarding our situation, do you have any suggestions?"
"Susan, Johnny, Reed, Ben, hello, I am Eros, Eros Pierce."
"As you saw just now on the Brooklyn Bridge, I am a superpower user."
Eros smiled and made a self-introduction.
"As for suggestions, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
"Of course the truth." Mr. Fantastic Reed said it as a matter of course.
Susan facepalmed; listening to a lie didn't cost anything anyway, why not listen to it?
How many people hid the truth inside lies.
"Eros, can we listen to both?"
"Of course."
Eros smiled at Susan: "The truth is, this is a gift given to you by the World. Fate has destined you to awaken your current superpowers, and you can research them and enjoy them with peace of mind."
"Yes!" Johnny clenched his fist; Eros's words were right up his alley.
"Eros is right, this is our talent, and we are destined to become superheroes!"
"Then what about the lie?"
Susan wasn't as optimistic as her younger brother; she suspected that the other party was speaking truth as falsehood and falsehood as truth, and at this moment she was just glad she had asked to hear the other party's lie.
Eros sighed. Sometimes the truth was far more absurd than people thought, which was no wonder everyone believed lies more:
"The lie is that since you mutated because of a certain Universe ray, find a way to recreate that Universe ray and study it."
"Perhaps this can find the reason why you generated superpowers, as well as ways to control them."
Mr. Fantastic Reed nodded repeatedly as he listened, and he had been thinking the same thing.
But he still wouldn't give up on the source of Eros's superpowers, feeling that this would be a reference for his research.
Just as he wanted to speak, he was pulled back by Johnnybeside him.
"Reed, Eros is undergoing a knight's trial and doesn't have a place to stay. Let him stay at your place for a while, okay?"
"Uh, no problem." Reed agreed almost without any thought.
"Follow me, I'll take you to where you'll stay."
"Thank you." Eros nodded and followed Reed.
Very good, now food and lodging had both been resolved.
Reed's Baxter Group was poorly managed, and because of unpaid electricity bills, a bill was even sent by the New York Power Bureau. If he didn't pay soon, the electricity would be cut off.
But providing a dormitory for a few people was still not a problem.
Just like that, Eros stayed at Reed's company.
Once Johnny presented the ten thousand US dollars he owed him, he would go out and buy a few sets of clothes.
Clothing was also resolved.
Clothing, food, housing, and transportation—only transportation was left unresolved.
Inside the Baxter Building, Reed began to study the superpowers of several people, while Eros loafed around on the side.
During this period, Johnny also went out with Eros to find some fun, accepted media interviews, and gave nicknames to everyone based on their superpowers.
To be honest, Human Torch's ability to give nicknames wasn't bad.
Human Torch and the Thing—these two nicknames matched their abilities very well.
Invisible Woman—this nickname was barely passable, but okay.
Susan's true ability was controlling force fields, and invisibility was just a derivative ability, but its current form of expression was indeed invisibility.
Mr. Fantastic Reed... this nickname was hard to evaluate.
Eros didn't understand what Reed's superpowers had to do with being fantastic. Wasn't this the Rubber Fruit? Shouldn't he be called Rubber Man Reed?
As for Eros.
The nickname Johnny gave him was the Flash.
Eros corrected Johnny and personally gave himself a nickname.
Superman!
A Homelander who doesn't want to be Superman is not a good Homelander.
Chapter 75: Susan, without invisibility, who are you?
Early morning.
Susan went out to buy breakfast for everyone.
She walked down the street, passed a newsstand, and was surprised to find herself appearing on the front pages of major newspapers.
On the Brooklyn Bridge, her invisibility failed while she was undressing, and she almost exposed herself before Eros pulled her into his arms in time.
This scene was accidentally captured by a camera, and over the past few days, as Eros and Susan became increasingly famous, it was dug up by people.
Ever since the Brooklyn Bridge incident, Eros had been living on the front pages of major New York newspapers and never came down.
Especially that line, "And you, my friend, you are the real heroes," which was constantly reprinted by major newspapers and had become a catchphrase when people did good deeds.
To put it simply, the Homelander religion that Homelanderhad been longing for was sorted out by Eros with just a slight effort.
But instead of the Homelander religion, it was called the Superman religion.
The nickname Eros reported to the outside world was Superman.
It is worth mentioning that DC originally wanted to send a lawyer's letter to Eros, only to find that the sales of various Superman merchandise had surged over the past few days.
Thus, the executive who proposed sending the lawyer's letter immediately changed expression. Not only did they stop mentioning the lawyer's letter, but they even came over personally to discuss cooperation.
Naturally, Eros... agreed.
If it were in Eros's original Universe, he wouldn't consider such things and would need to mind his influence, but in the Fantastic Four Universe, he completely let himself go.
Of course, Eros didn't have that much time to shoot movies or TV shows, so it was mainly image licensing.
DC could use his image to produce new Superman comics and Superman merchandise.
Susan bought a newspaper and a Q-version Superman toy of Eros. The newspapers had various speculations about their relationship, and some media even made up little stories about the two.
Reading it made Susan's face feel a bit warm.
"Miss Stone? That invisible girl?"
Soon, a fan recognized Susan's identity.
"Miss Stone, my child loves Superman very much. Can you help me get an autograph from him?" A middle-aged aunt suddenly appeared in front of Susan.
Susan was startled.
Soon, a crowd gathered around her, surrounding her in the center.
"Miss Stone, I'm different. I really like you, can you give me an autograph?"
"Miss Stone, can we take a picture together?"
Susan hurriedly turned around and walked away, while these enthusiastic fans chased relentlessly behind her.
"I can't believe it, I have to strip once more!"
Helpless, Susan had no choice but to use her invisibility ability, turning invisible and taking off her clothes to shake off the enthusiastic fans.
"Oh my god! Those people are truly crazy!"
Susan returned to the Baxter Building with an indignant look on her face, her clothes covered in quite a bit of dust.
After shaking off the enthusiastic fans, she had gone back to pick up her clothes.
"We can't go out anymore. Now the magazine covers are all about us."
"Susan, that's only true for you." Johnny poked his face out from behind the newspaper and pointed at The Thing Ben. "If Ben went out, absolutely no one would block him."
"Don't say that, Johnny."
Susan stopped Johnny from teasing The Thing Ben. The Thing Ben was feeling sensitive because he was different from them and couldn't maintain a normal human form.
"Fine." Johnny shrugged. "I wouldn't either, I can fly. Besides, as long as I activate my powers, no one can get close to me."
"Don't use your powers casually, it will hurt other people."
"As long as they don't come close, it's fine." Johnny still maintained an indifferent look.
Instead of draining oneself, it's better to blame others.
"You also need to learn to control yourself."
As she spoke, Susan walked toward her bedroom, preparing to go back and change clothes.
For the next few days, Susan didn't go out again.
In the five-person superpower group, The Thing wouldn't be blocked, Mr. Fantastic Reed had very low popularity, and even if he was blocked, he could escape using his rubber abilities.
As for Johnny and Eros, these two weren't afraid of being blocked at all.
Frame-zero startup, instantly taking flight.
Well, Eros hadn't been idle during this time either.
Johnny was the fastest in the Fantastic Four to accept the fact that he had superpowers, and he didn't want to eliminate his superpowers.
So he frequently consulted Eros on ordinary days, having Eros train him in using his superpowers.
Being bored, Eros practiced a bit with Johnny.
With his help, Johnny learned flight and various anti-strike techniques ahead of time.
"What's wrong? You seem to be in a bad mood these past few days." Eros sat down next to Susan holding a cup of wild dog milk.
"It's nothing?" Susan shook her head, picked up the orange juice at hand, and clinked glasses with Eros.
"I've heard a saying: the more beautiful a woman is, the more she lies. What do you think?" Eros asked.
"That's a prejudice." Susan shook her head.
"No, you just lied a moment ago."
Hearing this, Susan fell silent: "I... Fine, I am indeed in a bad mood."
"You can talk to me about it. Saying it out loud might make you feel a bit better." Eros took a sip of the wild dog milk.
Clothing, food, shelter, and transport—only transport was missing.
He had observed for several days and felt this was a good opportunity to make a move.
Susan hesitated for a moment, recalling how her younger brother Johnny quickly mastered his superpowers under Eros's training.
"I'm wondering if my powers are too weak, that apart from invisibility, I can't do anything else." After saying it out loud, Susan felt a bit more relaxed.
Among the five superpower users in this house, the strongest was undoubtedly Eros, followed by Human Torch Johnny and The Thing Ben, and then Mr. Fantastic Reed.
Their superpowers all had combat effectiveness, capable of flying through the skies and burrowing into the earth, while only she could only turn invisible.
Apart from invisibility, there was no difference between her and an ordinary person.
Humans are social animals, yearning for recognition from others.
Because The Thing Ben's appearance was different from the others, he was sensitive and had low self-esteem inside.
Susan was also somewhat depressed because the strength of her ability was obviously weaker than the others.
Hearing this, Eros became thoughtful.
It seemed that because of his gatecrashing, the Brooklyn Bridge explosion incident was resolved ahead of time.
Susan hadn't been able to discover that her superpowers could also create force fields, so she still hadn't discovered the true nature of her powers, thinking it was just invisibility.
"Susan, I have a friend."
Noticing Susan's somewhat strange gaze, Eros gave a light cough, "It really is a friend."
"He is a billionaire, a playboy, and at the same time, he is a superhero."
Susan's gaze became even stranger. I have a friend, huh.
"His nickname is Iron Man, and he fights wearing an Iron Man Suit he made himself."
At this, Susan's gaze returned to normal. Clearly, who Eroswas talking about really was his friend.
"Someone asked him, without the suit, what are you?"
"Wait, didn't he make the suit himself?" Susan raised a question.
"Snap!" Eros snapped his fingers. "Right, so someone else questioned him: if you weren't a billionaire, would you still be Iron Man?"
Susan was somewhat puzzled: "If it's an Iron Man Suit that can be used for combat, the technical content is extremely high."
"If someone can build it alone, then even if they aren't a billionaire, they are still a genius, a genius on par with Reed."
"As long as his ability to run a company is a bit stronger, becoming a billionaire is only a matter of time."
"Clap clap." Eros applauded, changing the subject: "Susan, without invisibility, who are you?"
Chapter 76: Candlelight Dinner with the Invisible Woman
Before Susan could reply, Eros answered his own question:
"An elder sister who raised her younger brother, a reliable scientist assistant, and the United States sweetheart adored by all."
"You see, even without invisibility powers, you are still a social elite and a successful person."
"It's not as great as you make it sound."
Susan's cheeks blushed with two rosy patches, wondering if something strange had just been mixed in.
"It will only be better than what I said."
"Don't look at Johnny as if he never listens to you normally; in fact, he respects you very much. When he hangs out with me, he often praises you, saying you are the best elder sister in the World."
Hearing Eros say this, Susan's eyes also turned slightly red. She lowered her head slightly, adjusted her emotions, and said:
"Although Johnny is usually unreliable, he is also the best younger brother in the World."
Well, Johnny didn't talk about Susan like that in front of Eros, but even if Susan went to confront him, Eros wouldn't be afraid.
Whether Johnny admits it or not is not important; what matters is what Susan is willing to think.
Of course, she is willing to believe that she is a good elder sister and that Johnny respects her deep down.
In this way, if Johnny admits it, it is only natural; if Johnnydoesn't admit it, he is just saying the opposite of what he feels.
"Let's talk about you, Eros."
Susan looked at Eros and asked, "Without superpowers, who are you?"
Eros shrugged. "My Super Brain tells me that instead of struggling with this question, I should use my Super Strength to deal with the person who asked it."
"Your answer has a strong Johnny style, no wonder you two hang out together."
Seeing that Eros didn't answer her question directly, Susanmade a mocking remark. Immediately afterwards, she thought of the Super Brain and Super Strength that Eroshad just mentioned—two classic abilities of Superman—and asked curiously:
"How did you think of giving yourself the nickname Superman? Do you really possess Superman's abilities?"
"That's right."
Eros said matter-of-factly, "Except for freezing breath, I basically have all the abilities a Superman should have, such as X-ray vision."
As he spoke, Eros deliberately swept his gaze back and forth across Susan's exquisite facial features, full chest, firm thighs, and upturned side hips.
Susan quickly grabbed a blanket to cover herself and cooperated, saying, "Superman wouldn't use X-ray visionto peep at girls like you do."
"That's why I didn't use X-ray vision either; I was simply appreciating the scenery."
Eros withdrew his gaze and said with an innocent face.
"Really?"
Susan doubted.
"Really."
"I mean, do you really have X-ray vision?"
"Of course, why would I lie to you?"
"Then I'll have to discuss with Reed about adding a little lead to the outside of our battle suits."
Susan spread her hands and said.
[Writing up to here, I hope readers remember our domain name 101kks.com]
"You are measuring the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain; what happened to the trust between people that we agreed upon?"
"Haha."
Susan was amused by Eros into holding her stomach and laughing loudly. After laughing for a while, she said, "Eros, seriously, are you really Superman?"
"I never lie."
Hearing this, Susan rolled her eyes: "You lied to Johnnybefore, saying your net worth is tens of billions and that you are currently undergoing a knight trial."
"Do you think I'm lying?"
"Otherwise what? I checked, and there is no family named Pierce in the United States with a wealth of tens of billions."
Eros sighed, why wouldn't she believe he was telling the truth?
He should go ask around Midtown High School; who didn't know that Eros was an honest person who didn't talk much.
"Then what do you think my true identity should be?"
Eros asked.
"A member of a mysterious organization hidden in the dark."
Susan stared at Eros with an inquisitive face and said thoughtfully, "The duty is to protect the World and handle supernatural events that ordinary people cannot solve."
"Clap clap."
Eros wanted to applaud with Susan, but for now he could only applaud for her: "Sue, you are so smart, can you tell me how you guessed it?"
"This is not difficult."
Susan smiled proudly and began to explain her reasoning.
When they first met, Eros pulled out the identification of a Federal Bureau of Investigation senior agent, which showed that he was an official person.
But afterwards, Eros could not be found anywhere in the Federal Bureau of Investigation system.
Yet Eros's identification didn't look fake at all.
Then there were only two possibilities: either Eros's identification was fake enough to pass for real, or Eros's identification was truly genuine.
It was just that other people didn't have enough clearance to check Eros's information.
Combined with Eros's identity as a superpowered person, the second possibility was undoubtedly much greater.
"Awesome, but unfortunately it's still a tiny, tiny bit away from the truth."
Eros made a gesture that would make Koreans jump in anger.
"Oh, where did I get it wrong?"
Susan asked unconvincingly.
"My net worth is truly tens of billions, in US dollars, not Zimbabwean dollars."
"Really?"
Susan blinked her big eyes and asked, almost saying 'I don't believe it'.
"100% genuine…"
Just as Eros finished speaking, the lights of the Baxter Building flickered twice and went out completely.
"How come Reed hasn't paid the electricity bill again?"
Eros complained, lighting a candle, "Just right, we can have a candlelight dinner."
"Hehe."
Susan chuckled twice. "Don't candlelight dinners usually involve drinking red wine? Unlike us, one drinks orange juice, and the other drinks milk."
"What we drink doesn't matter; what matters is who we are with."
Eros swirled the wild dog milk in his goblet.
"If it's with someone you don't like, even Romanée-Conti is not as good as plain water; if it's with…"
Looking at Susan, Eros raised an eyebrow, deliberately leaving a blank: "Ordinary… milk will also have an extraordinary taste."
As he spoke, he flipped his hand and conjured a box of wild dog milk like magic.
"Wow," Susan exclaimed, "I suddenly remember that there doesn't seem to be any milk in the fridge, where did you get this from?"
"Don't try to inquire into a magician's secrets."
Eros shook his finger, opened the wild dog milk, poured it into another goblet, and handed it to Susan.
"Have a taste."
Susan took it and drank a sip doubtfully. The taste was indeed a bit unique; after drinking it, she felt a little flustered and her face turned red.
You didn't add anything to the milk, did you?
Susan stopped midway in what she wanted to say, wanting to ask but feeling too embarrassed to speak up, feeling it was too ambiguous.
Finally, she tucked her hair behind her ear and stiffly changed the subject: "Since you say you're a billionaire, why don't you help Reed pay the building's electricity bill?"
"I borrowed money to help him pay the electricity bill once before, but recently experiments have been done too frequently, the electricity consumption is too huge, and the building owes electricity fees again."
"Since you put it that way, Susan, no problem."
Eros heroically slapped a card on the table, "Swipe it however you like!"
After reaching a cooperation agreement with DC, he received an authorization fee. Eros didn't look closely at the exact amount, anyway it was less than a fraction of his net worth.
But it seemed to be in the seven figures, so paying a few months of electricity bills for Reed shouldn't be a problem.
Chapter 77: "Want to learn? I'll teach you." (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival)
Susan skeptically picked up the card on the table, checked the card number online, and discovered that there really was a balance of several million.
"Where did you get this money?" Susan asked. Could he really be a multi-billionaire?
"I negotiated a collaboration with DC a few days ago. This is the image licensing fee," Eros replied.
Susan nodded in sudden realization, recalling the chibi Eros toy she had bought when she went out a few days ago.
That made sense.
After moving into the Baxter Building, Eros mainly just freeloaded and lived off others, truly lacking any semblance of a billionaire.
But to say he had no money when he could casually pull out several million?
Susan grew a bit uncertain.
She handed the card back to Eros. "You can give it to Reed yourself tomorrow. It's late, I'll head back to rest."
"Alright, good night, have sweet dreams."
"Good night, and I wish you a good dream too."
"Let's do it together."
Susan:???
"I mean share a good dream together."
Susan: What you just said is even more ambiguous.
Although he wanted to share a good dream with Susan, Eros didn't rush. He smiled at Susan and walked toward his room.
Based on his observations, Susan and Gwen were somewhat similar—both were relatively conservative. Being too enthusiastic would scare them off, but leaving a little leeway would instead make them proactively throw themselves at him.
"Eros." As he walked, Susan's voice sounded from behind. "Thank you, I feel a lot better now."
Eros turned back to look at Susan. At that moment, Susanwas trying hard to squeeze out a bright smile, glowing warmly against the candlelight.
Was she probably still brooding over how her superpower was too weak and how she didn't fit in with the others?
Fortunately, besides comforting people, he had plenty of ways to solve problems. "My profession isn't actually a psychological counselor. If you need it, I can help you train your superpower."
Hearing this, Susan was somewhat tempted, but she opened her mouth and hesitated.
"What are you worried about?" Eros asked.
"I know too little about this ability. At least for now, it's nothing and doesn't affect my life."
Susan voiced her concerns,
"But if I actively stimulate it, I don't know what changes might occur. It could disrupt my life or even threaten my safety."
The thought of being locked into the form of an invisible person forever like Ben made Susan shudder.
She didn't dare imagine how she would live then—sticking a layer of silicone skin on? It didn't seem entirely out of the question, though.
Susan's worries at this moment were very similar to Gwen's when she had first awakened her superpowers.
Besides their somewhat conservative personalities, they were quite similar in this regard as well—both had read extensively and knew a lot about science.
And the more one understood, the more acutely aware they were of their own ignorance.
Thus, when they suddenly gained superpowers, their first reaction was always to worry about potential side effects.
Unlike Human Torch Johnny, who was carefree and had already begun enjoying the life of a superhero.
Thinking of this, Eros felt a tinge of compassion.
Previously, when he saw Gwen turn into Spider-Womanafter being bitten by a spider, he had some reservations and didn't tell Gwen the "truth" he knew.
But in this Universe, he was merely a passerby with nothing to hesitate about.
"Susan, look into my eyes." Eros looked at Susan, his gaze affectionate, focused, and full of sincerity: "I wasn't lying to you before. Your ability is a gift given to you by the World, it is your talent, and you can use it safely without worrying about side effects."
Even if some price truly existed, it would stem from a background trope rather than any genetic mutation.
"Eros, I really want to believe you, but… your statement has no scientific basis at all." Susan said with a troubled expression.
Everyone liked to hear pleasant words, but science only believed in objective laws.
"Because I am merely stating a fact, not proving a scientific theorem." Eros spread his hands, and his entire body slowly floated upward: "Facts speak louder than words."
Susan looked at Eros suspended in mid-air, blinking a few times.
Even though it wasn't the first time she had seen it, she still found it hard to believe that someone could float in mid-air entirely without relying on any external objects or generating any force.
No, it must have generated some force to counteract gravity in order to float; it's just that this force was invisible to the naked eye and difficult to observe.
"This doesn't prove anything. The way you acquired your superpower is different from ours." Susan said rigorously.
"Sigh~" Eros let out a long sigh. Matters having reached this point, there was nothing he could do, so he let out another sigh and turned to leave.
He had been honest enough with Susan, but unfortunately, she simply wouldn't believe him.
As for his origins, and how he saw Susan, Reed, and the others appear on the World bubbles while traveling through the Universe, Eros had no plans to mention them.
With Mr. Fantastic Reed's knack for stirring up trouble, if he learned of the Universe's existence, who knew what kind of mess he might cause.
"Wait a minute."
Susan looked at Eros's retreating back, suddenly feeling that he seemed rather lonely.
Her rationality told her that his words had no scientific basis.
But her intuition was also telling her that he wasn't deceiving her.
In the end, her intuition won over her rational side. Susanhurried to catch up with Eros: "I believe you, Eros."
"Help me train my superpower."
Eros turned back. He didn't understand why Susan had suddenly changed her attitude and became fired up.
Also, it was clearly him helping her train her superpower—why did it feel as though he was the one begging her?
"Say this: 'How can I improve my superpower?'"
Susan found Eros's request a bit strange, but still chose to comply: "How can I improve my superpower?"
That's more like it.
Eros nodded with satisfaction: "Since you've asked with such sincerity, I'll mercifully tell you!"
"If you want to improve your superpower, the first step is to understand the true essence of your ability."
"Isn't my ability invisibility?" Susan asked doubtfully. From the sound of Eros's words, her ability wasn't just invisibility.
"Why can you turn invisible?" Eros guided Susan to think. "What is the essence of invisibility?"
"Scientifically speaking, invisibility involves making light bypass an object without reflecting, scattering, or absorbing it, so that light ignores the object's existence."
Susan said thoughtfully: "So, the essence of my invisibility is controlling light?"
"How do you control light?" Eros continued to ask.
Susan pondered for a moment: "It's a force field—some kind of force field!"
"Correct." Eros snapped his fingers. "In that case, what else can this force field do besides rendering you invisible?"
Susan's eyes lit up. If it involved controlling force fields, then the possibilities for this ability were endless.
Offense, defense, flight, stealth, perception—it could do almost anything.
However, how should she control this force field?
Currently, her emotional fluctuations were huge; especially when she was angry, she could control her invisibility ability relatively well.
At other times, the invisibility ability could still be a bit hit-or-miss.
Sensing Susan's confusion, Eros said:
"Want to learn?"
"I'll teach you."
Chapter 78: Susan's Wet Temptation
Off the coast of New York, on the shore.
Eros hugged Susan and descended from the sky.
Emerging from Eros's arms, Susan pretended to use her hands to tidy up her hair, which had been blown messy by the wind during flight, covering her blushing face.
She asked: "Didn't you say you were going to help me train my superpowers? Why did you bring me here?"
"Susan, have you ever heard the saying that pressure is sometimes motivation."
Eros stroked Susan, making her stand facing the sea: "How is the scenery?"
Looking at the surging, rising and falling sea under the moonlight, Susan brushed her hair: "Not bad."
"I think so too, but I think if you add a wet beauty, the scenery would be even better."
As he spoke, Eros soared into the sky: "Susan, don't blame me for not reminding you, use your ability to block the seawater, otherwise... I'm not sure if I can resist your wet temptation."
As soon as his voice fell, Eros made a nearly 180-degree turn in the air, wrapping a ring of sonic boom clouds as he plunged into the sea not far from Susan.
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Like a meteorite hitting Earth, the terrifying shockwave carried seawater rushing in all directions.
Well, it wasn't that exaggerated.
But waves several meters high were still there.
A few seconds later, the waves arrived in front of Susan, and only then did Susan realize what Eros meant.
"Holy Crab!"
Susan didn't have time to complain, reflexively closing her eyes and blocking her face with her hands, ready to meet the Impact of the giant waves.
However.
Swish swish——!
I don't know when, but Eros had already flown out from the bottom of the sea and returned to Susan's side.
He watched the giant waves surge past Susan, as if separated by an invisible barrier, failing to even wet Susan's shoes, let alone her clothes.
Although he had long guessed this would be the result, Eros was still a little disappointed.
Without his intervention, Susan would have reflexively used this ability when facing the explosion shockwave during the Brooklyn Bridge incident.
Eros patted Susan's shoulder, reminding her: "Susan, open your eyes and look, this is your ability."
Susan opened her eyes, instantly stunned by the scene before her.
The giant waves kept surging, but in front of her, there seemed to be an invisible force field isolating the water flow outside.
"I did it, just like that?" Susan looked down at her hands, unable to believe it.
Turns out, her superpower really wasn't invisibility, but force field control. This was so cool.
At this moment, Susan somewhat understood the thoughts of her younger brother, Human Torch Johnny.
Of course, only for a moment.
The next instant, Susan was thoroughly drenched by the oncoming giant waves. If Eros hadn't hugged her in time, she might have been washed away by the water.
Susan wore a very loose shirt tonight made of thin material. At this moment, after being soaked by seawater, it tightly clung to her body.
Eros held her, and even through the clothes, the touch was similar to before at the Brooklyn Bridge, clearly feeling her firm body curves.
Bouncy.
What a pity, before Eros could fully appreciate it, he was pushed away by the bashful Susan.
"Let's go back first, it's late."
"Aren't you going to try again?" Eros raised an eyebrow and asked, wanting to look at the scenery a few more times.
Moonlight spilled over Susan, the water droplets in her hair reflecting dots of radiance. If the clothes on her body were replaced with a yukata, or... that would simply be a goddess just stepping out of a bath.
Susan was somewhat tempted, but after thinking about it, she still refused. Having wet clothes stick to her body was too uncomfortable.
"Next time."
"Alright then."
Eros hugged Susan, gathered a little strength, and soared into the sky.
"Get ready for takeoff."
Watching Susan, just like when they came, hug him tightly with her eyes closed, Eros smiled knowingly.
Regarding physical contact with him, Susan was becoming more and more natural about it.
"Susan, you can open your eyes, the scenery of New Yorkfrom this perspective is very nice."
Susan shook her head slightly, not listening to Eros's words.
Closing her eyes was the experience she gained when she first came over. Air resistance is very high during high-speed flight, and if she didn't close her eyes, her eyes would feel very uncomfortable.
But soon, Susan remembered that her superpower seemed to be able to solve this problem.
So she opened her eyes, wanting to use a force field to create a barrier in front of her face, but unexpectedly felt resistance.
At the same time, this flight did not have the feeling of fierce wind rushing into her face like when they came.
What was going on?
Eros felt his Bio-field being touched, and then looked down at the girl in his arms, instantly understanding what was going on.
"Superman has a Bio-field, isn't this common sense?"
"Then why didn't you use it before?" Susan asked.
"Not using it when we came before was to let you experience authentic flight. As for now... your clothes are wet, and the wind makes it easy to catch a cold."
"Oh."
Susan lowered her head, somewhat at a loss in the face of Eros's sudden care.
Even though they intentionally slowed down their flight speed, the waters off New York were still too close to Manhattan.
Before long, Eros brought Susan to land on the balcony of the Baxter Building.
As soon as she landed, Susan broke free from Eros's embrace and trotted quickly towards the bathroom.
Eros shrugged and walked toward the bathroom as well; Susan had just splashed him all over with water.
Of course, different bathrooms. The relationship between the two hadn't reached the point of saving water resources yet.
After washing up, Eros returned to his room.
Although teasing Susan was a lot of fun, it also made him very worked up, and now he had grievances that were hard to voice.
If it were in his own Universe, why would he have to suffer this kind of hardship.
"Sorcerer?"
"Sorcerer Ancient One?"
"Bald woman?"
Eros tentatively called out a few times, but unfortunately, no one answered, and he didn't know if Ancient One was watching here.
He let out a long sigh, wondering what the little sisters, older sisters, and big sisters were doing now that he had been missing for over a dozen days.
Directing the world?
...
Earth - 515.
Logically speaking, with Eros accidentally missing and so many people and things related to him, it would definitely whip up monstrous waves.
However, all of New York remained very calm.
Felicia went to work normally during the day, and went to jewelry stores at night to rob the rich and aid the poor.
Gwen was still trying to balance her identities as a superhero and a student. Recently, she was investigating a jewelry master thief nicknamed Black Cat.
Ophelia was sorting out Whitehall's forces; this was something she had obtained through equity swaps.
Sharon Carter worked diligently, reporting matters of Vought Medical to Nick Fury from time to time, except she now began to keep an eye out and would report selectively.
Betty Ross was happy to be at leisure. Recently, she often chatted with Sharon Carter, and the two were inseparable, becoming best friends.
Mary Jane went to school during the day, and occasionally worked at the theater at night.
Between her studies and acting career, she ultimately chose to lean more towards her studies. There was no help for it; as an ordinary person, she really wasn't used to the life of the privileged class.
Finally, Skye. The other few were at least living the lives they wanted, but Skye had it miserable; she was practically living in dire straits.
Because of her hard training, her mother Jiaying raised her sequence, bringing her closer to the awakening quota, at the cost of even greater training intensity.
Chapter 79: A New Project, Artificial Intelligence
Logically speaking, given Eros's status, his sudden disappearance should have affected many people.
It might even have set off a massive wave in the underworld of New York and the United States.
Yet this period was unexpectedly peaceful; almost everyone related to him ignored the fact that he was missing.
This was naturally the handiwork of a certain bald woman.
But not everyone was affected.
Ancient One's spell was very conservative, merely making people overlook the rationality of Eros's disappearance, without making them forget Eros himself.
For those with urgent matters who desperately wanted to find Eros, the spell's effect was quite mediocre.
For instance, Skye, who was mentioned earlier, and Killmonger, Erik Killmonger, who wasn't mentioned.
One day, Skye asked her father Karl, "Dad, is it true that as long as you're willing to suffer hardship, you'll have an endless supply of hardship to suffer?"
Facing his daughter Skye's complaints, Karl let out a long sigh. "Your mother wasn't like this in the past."
"Have I never told you how your mother and I met?" Karlasked, suddenly remembering something.
"No, you haven't. Could you tell me?" Skye nodded, her face full of expectation.
"Hmm..." Karl pondered for a moment before speaking slowly:
"I still remember when I was young, I went to China as a volunteer for Doctors Without Borders. Hard to imagine, isn't it?"
As he spoke, Karl gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Who would have thought that a wanted fugitive who had committed multiple homicides was once an idealistic volunteer in his youth?
"I was only supposed to stay for two weeks, but after meeting your mother, I couldn't bear to leave. She was gentle, kind, and full of compassion."
"We could have enjoyed a wonderful life. We really could have."
As he spoke, Karl's expression turned grim and twisted. He quickly turned around and took a deep breath, not wanting his daughter to see him like this.
Skye looked at Karl worriedly, and once his emotions calmed down, she asked, "Is it Whitehall? He hurt Mom and stole her organs."
"How do you know? Did Jiaying tell you?" Karl nodded and began to recount their family's feud with Whitehall.
What Karl said was similar to the information Eros had given Skye, but this time, Skye felt particularly heartbroken listening to it.
Before, her parents were just abstract symbols in her mind, but now they were real, concrete people.
She hugged her father Karl, comforting him for a good while, when suddenly, Skye thought of something.
If they got her mother's organs back, would her mother return to the way she used to be?
Moreover, judging from Eros's earlier manner, he seemed to have found Whitehall; she just didn't know whether Eros had killed him or captured and imprisoned him.
Skye shared the information she had gathered with Karl. After listening, Karl nodded repeatedly, and the two went together to find Jiaying.
After listening, Jiaying revealed a thoughtful smile.
"How about this, Daisy? Go find Gordon and have him send you to New York. Once you find that young man, ask him about it."
"Okay." Skye nodded vigorously, turning to head outside.
Once Skye and Karl left, Jiaying's face immediately darkened.
She would never forget what Daniel Whitehall had done to her.
A debt of blood must be paid in blood!
And not just the blood of one or two people.
Once she got Whitehall and interrogated him for the location where he stashed his reserve of terrigen crystals...
Seoul, South Korea.
In the middle of the night, Killmonger suddenly woke up. He took out his phone to check his text messages.
Three days, and still no reply.
Three days ago, he had finally gotten in touch with the Vibranium dealer Ulysses Klaw, and met with him under the pretext of purchasing Vibranium.
Afterward, he reported to his superior Eros and asked about the follow-up plan, but there had been no response.
Putting down his phone, Killmonger let out a sigh.
Vibranium cost ten thousand US dollars per gram, nearly two hundred times more expensive than gold. In a few days, it would be time for the deal—where on earth was he going to get the money?
Eros roughly guessed that during the time he was missing, quite a few matters must have been delayed.
But there was nothing he could do; he didn't know how to travel through the multiverse either.
Therefore, he could only do what was within his ability at the moment.
Early in the morning, Reed was talking on the phone with the New York Power Bureau, trying to persuade them to give him a few more days. Seeing Eros walk over, he smiled awkwardly.
Although he was a novice when it came to social sophistication, Reed still possessed a bit of shame.
"Eros, you're here. Have a seat. I'll get the power issue sorted out real quick."
"Ahem, I came here specifically to solve the power issue." Eros gave a soft cough and asked straightforwardly, "What's your account number? I'll transfer it to you."
Hearing this, Reed smiled awkwardly again, but dutifully provided his account number.
A moment later, seeing that two million had arrived in his account, he breathed a long sigh of relief. "Thank you, Eros. You've solved a massive problem for me."
Eros shrugged. "Honestly, Reed, you're the first company CEO I've ever seen who gets a headache over being unable to pay the electric bill."
"It's only like this because I haven't found any investments or projects recently," Reed explained.
Given the scale of the Baxter Building, the monthly electric bill was around one to two hundred thousand dollars, and could be higher during periods of frequent experiments.
That sounded like a lot, but this was a thirty-five-story office building situated in Manhattan's commercial district.
If rented out, the monthly rent would be more than ten times the electricity bill.
In other words, running his company cost Reed a net loss of over two million dollars every month.
It was evident how much he truly loved scientific research.
Eros stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Although Reed's ability to run a company was painful to watch, his scientific research capability was extremely formidable, basically on par with Tony Stark.
Tony Stark.
Truth be told, Eros was very envious of Tony's artificial intelligence, Jarvis.
In today's information society, lacking sufficiently powerful network technology support was no different from running around naked.
HYDRA had Dr. Zola. Once Dr. Zola obtained computing power support, he was hardly inferior to Jarvis.
However, Eros and Dr. Zola were at most in a cooperative relationship, whereas Tony and Jarvis had a master-servant relationship.
Looking at Reed, Eros felt tempted.
He was naturally suspicious and would never fully trust anyone.
Collaborating with Dr. Zola was merely an expedient measure. If he could have an artificial intelligence of his own...
"Reed, I wouldn't dare invest in you—I'm afraid of going bankrupt. But I have a project here, and I wonder if you'd be interested in taking it on."
"A project?" Reed frowned slightly. "But I don't have time right now. As you know, I'm currently studying solar storms."
"If we miss this optimal treatment window, the consequences will be hard to predict. We might never be able to return to normal."
Eros: "You don't need to start right now. It can wait until you finish this busy spell."
"I see." Reed pondered for a bit and thought it was feasible. He asked, "What project?"
"Artificial intelligence."
Chapter 80: Johnny: Am I Getting a New Brother-in-Law?
Why did Eros trust Reed?
They weren't from the same Universe. Once he left the Fantastic Four Universe and returned to his own Universe, it wouldn't matter even if Reed left a backdoor in the artificial intelligence.
Reed considered it for a moment and finally agreed to Eros's request.
He had no choice; he was really short on money lately.
Because he had accidentally bankrupted his friend Victor von Doom's company, no one dared to invest in him now.
Yet, this period happened to be the golden window to cure their genetic mutation, which required a constant burn of cash for experiments.
If he didn't get some money soon, he wouldn't even be able to pay the electricity bill. How could he run experiments then?
Having finalized the cooperation with Reed, Eros left the lab to look for Susan. Seeing this, Reed lowered his head behind him and focused on his experiment.
Yet, for some unknown reason, Reed suddenly felt a sharp pang in his heart, as if he were about to lose something.
In the lounge, Human Torch Johnny was teasing The Thing Ben, who had just woken up a moment ago only to fall back asleep.
He holding a feather duster, he used the handle end to gently brush around The Thing Ben's face over and over.
He had started with the feather end, but it had absolutely no effect; The Thing Ben couldn't feel it at all.
Smack!
"Ow!"
Just then, Johnny got smacked on the back of his head.
He turned around to see no one there and smiled helplessly. "Susan, you're finally getting a bit fun. Now this is what a young person should be like."
"Are you saying I was boring before?" Susan slowly revealed her figure, and Johnny quickly looked away.
He might be a flirtatious playboy, but he didn't do incest.
It was just... Johnny recalled that fleeting glimpse. Susanseemed to be wearing clothes.
Johnny looked back, and sure enough, Susan was wearing her usual striped shirt, fully clothed. "Susan, when did you learn to do this?"
"It's very simple." Susan raised an eyebrow.
Ever since she realized the true nature of her ability last night, she suddenly had an epiphany and learned to extend her force field to her clothes.
This way, she didn't have to strip naked when turning invisible, nor did she have to wear the space suits that had gone to space with them.
The space suits had also mutated after being exposed to the solar storm, allowing them to adapt to their superpowers—stretching freely, turning invisible, and resisting fire.
"Susan, you've finally accepted your superpowers?" Johnnywas also excited. He felt like someone finally agreed with him again.
"Just like Eros said, maybe there's a reason we got these superpowers. This is a responsibility bestowed upon us by heaven."
"I don't know what responsibility heaven has bestowed upon us, but I know for sure it isn't picking up girls." Seeing how smug her brother was, Susan couldn't help but roast him.
"Hey, Susan, that's just my lifestyle. You know when I'm working..."
"Do I need to remind you who brought his girlfriend into the space agency last time and almost got fired?" Susaninterrupted before Johnny could explain.
"That was just an accident..." Under Susan's intense glare, Johnny shut his mouth and made a zipping motion over his lips.
"Susan, you're too strict with Johnny." Just then, Eroswalked into the living room. Under Johnny's grateful gaze, he slowly uttered the second half of his sentence:
"Even though Johnny is usually unreliable, changes girlfriends constantly, disobeys discipline, and loves to show off... I believe he will become dependable when it matters most."
Johnny's gaze shifted from grateful to resentful. Was this helping him out?
This was clearly adding fuel to the fire!
Sure enough, hearing Eros say this, Susan grew even angrier. She snatched the feather duster from Johnny's hand and began to beat him relentlessly over his head and face.
"I'll teach you to be disobedient! I'll teach you to give me random nicknames!"
Although this amount of force was no different from a tickle to the mutated Johnny, he still hopped around, dodging her blows.
After playing around for a bit, Susan put down the feather duster, gracefully smoothed her slightly messy hair from running, and looked at Eros, asking:
"Are we continuing the training today?"
"Training?" Johnny popped his head out, his gaze wandering between Eros and Susan.
"No wonder you suddenly learned how to turn invisible with your clothes on, Susan. It turns out Eros gave you special training."
"Training can have that kind of effect?" At this moment, The Thing Ben also woke up and looked at Eros expectantly.
"Then can training help me learn to control my superpower so I can return to a normal human form like Susan, Johnny, and Reed?"
Ever since Ben turned into this appearance, he had lost his wife and became despised by everyone. He was anxious to change back into a human.
Eros looked at The Thing Ben.
If it were the Hulk, he could just beat him up, or make Hulkfeel disliked so he wouldn't want to come out.
But The Thing Ben...
"I'm sorry, Ben. Training can make you stronger and jump further, but it can't change you back."
"Alright." The Thing Ben lowered his head in dejection.
"There's nothing bad about this. Who knows how many people would pay any price to have superpowers," Johnnysaid with a grin from the side.
Maybe he wanted to comfort Ben, or maybe he was just being a jerk, but either way, The Thing Ben's mood didn't improve after hearing this; instead, it grew even worse.
"That's them, not me."
"Don't worry, Ben. Reed is already working hard on his research. Just give him some time."
"Alright, I'm going to find Reed." The Thing Ben replied in a low voice and left the lounge to look for Reed.
He could tell that he was different from these three. They were superhumans, superheroes, beloved by people, while he was a monster.
Looking at The Thing Ben's departing back, Eros shook his head and said nothing.
Even if Reed developed a suppression serum, Ben would ultimately choose to become the Thing again.
If he turned back into a normal person, he wouldn't be able to protect his friends.
If he became the Thing, he would lose his lover.
The Thing Ben was undoubtedly a tragedy, and Eros chose not to tear open his wounds.
"Susan, let Ben have some quiet time. He is an adult, and he will figure it out on his own."
Eros patted Susan, who was still looking worriedly at The Thing Ben's departing back.
"Let's go, we'll continue yesterday's training."
"Alright." Susan nodded, picked up her bag, and followed Eros toward the balcony.
There's something going on. There is definitely something going on between those two.
Johnny watched Susan naturally cling to Eros as they soared into the sky together, screaming inwardly.
The good news was that his sister seemed to have finally come to her senses and given up on that blockhead Reed.
The bad news was that the new brother-in-law looked to be about his age, maybe even a bit younger.
What should he call him when the time came? Or should they just call each other whatever?
No, I have to catch up and see.
At this thought, Human Torch quickly rushed back to his room to put on his space suit, then leaped out of the window, turning into a ball of fire as he chased after the distant black dot.