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*****
At Kent Farm, the old house that had been dark for more than a decade finally lit up when night fell.
As the fragrance of home-cooked food drifted out from the kitchen, the once-empty house instantly felt alive again.
After an afternoon of cleaning, the entire place had been scrubbed spotless.
In the dining room, Harry and the others sat at the table, their mouths watering uncontrollably as the delicious aroma poured out of the kitchen.
Mira, unconcerned with maintaining her glamorous image, kept wiping drool from her mouth with tissues and said to the others, "This is perfection! Not only is he handsome with a great body, but he also cooks like a dream. Truly a rare treasure among men. I'm getting more and more determined to become Gwen's stepmother."
"Shhh!"
Harry gestured quickly, whispering, "Do you have a death wish, saying things like that out loud?"
Luke and Peter glanced at Mira's flushed eyes, holding back laughter as they nodded in agreement.
Mira only smiled nonchalantly. "Heh, kids just need time to get used to things."
"Get used to your nonsense!"
Before she could finish, Gwen's cold voice cut in. She slammed Mira's head down against the table.
Bang!
With a sharp thud, Mira's forehead bounced off the tabletop.
"Ah, ow!"
Holding her reddened forehead, Mira groaned, "You can't stop me from chasing happiness! I'll give your father a blissful old age!"
Gwen's lips twitched as she placed another dish on the table. "Do you even know how to write the word death?"
"Till death do us part! My mind is made up."
Mira suddenly stood, her eyes sparkling with determination. "I'm serious about this!"
Gwen: (益)
Hey, you're still at it?!
At that moment, Mike came out carrying two plates. After setting them on the table, he patted Mira's head and said calmly, "Sorry, but I'm not interested."
"Not interested doesn't matter—having interest is enough!"
Mike's eyes twinkled with amusement as he looked at her seriously.
Mira puffed out her proud chest, her sultry features practically dripping with charm.
Mike glanced at her and said with concern, "Don't push them out like that—it's kind of sad. They're still not as big as Luke's."
"?!"
Mira felt like her head had just been smashed with a hammer. Her mind went completely blank.
She stiffly turned her head to look at Luke's well-developed chest muscles.
Luke gave a small cough, then flexed, squeezing his pecs together.
"Ahhh!"
Mira screamed in despair, clutching her own chest as she collapsed into her chair, drained of all color as though she had been reduced to black and white.
"Bwahaha!"
Harry and the others broke into hysterical laughter, pounding the table as they wheezed.
Tony nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "Still way behind Steve."
Mira, utterly defeated…
Gwen, delighted, high-fived her father before the two of them headed back into the kitchen.
There were still a few more dishes left to prepare—
white-cut chicken, braised pork, lotus root stuffed with sticky rice…
All of Gwen's favorites.
"Try this."
Mike picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it into Gwen's mouth.
Gwen bit down, only to burn her tongue, exhaling rapidly from the heat. But even so, she refused to spit the meat out.
As she chewed, her heart swelled with emotion.
It was the same taste as before.
After ten long years, she was finally eating her father's cooking again.
Happiness, contentment…
Gwen's eyes narrowed into joyful crescents.
"Come on, let's eat."
Mike lifted two more dishes and called to Gwen. The two of them returned to the dining room together.
Once all the dishes were set, the group, who had been dying to dig in, immediately launched their assault the moment Mike and Gwen sat down.
Seeing their ravenous frenzy, Mike could only smile helplessly yet contentedly as he placed more food on Gwen's plate.
In less than twenty minutes, the table full of food had been completely devoured.
Slouched lazily in their chairs, rubbing their overstuffed stomachs, everyone looked utterly satisfied.
Chuckling, Mike shook his head and brought out the chilled sour plum soup he had prepared in advance.
After sipping the refreshing drink, they finally felt less bloated and began to discuss serious matters.
"What's your plan against Starry Sky?"
At Mike's question, the Star-Exterminators exchanged glances before Gwen spoke up. "We have a plan, but it's risky. Honestly, we were still struggling with it… but now…"
Her eyes sparkled as she smiled. "With Dad and Tony here, we can definitely pull it off!"
"Let's hear it."
Tony leaned forward, interested.
After a moment of thought, Gwen began. "We've gathered a lot of evidence of Starry Sky Corporation's crimes. We tried to release it publicly, but…"
She gave a bitter smile. "No one believed us. Worse, every time we tried to post it, the information was intercepted before it spread."
At this, the group collectively sighed.
Clenching her fists, Gwen declared, "But things are different now. With you two here, we can move forward with Plan B!"
She paused, then smiled slyly. "If we can't publish the evidence ourselves, if people won't believe us… then what if the evidence came from within Starry Sky itself?"
"You mean, get their own people to release it for you?"
"Exactly!"
Gwen's fist tightened. "With the reputation those two hold inside Starry Sky and in the public's hearts, I know people would believe them!"
Tony frowned slightly. "Those two wouldn't happen to be Iron Maiden and Zero, would they?"
"Correct." Gwen's lips curved into a confident smile. "They're Starry Sky's biggest names right now—their poster heroes. The most beloved and trusted of them all. If they were the ones to speak, our plan would succeed."
"Actually…" Peter scratched his head, glancing at Mike nervously. "Originally, we planned to have the seven Justice League heroes make the announcement together, but… Uncle Kent already took care of them…"
Tony chuckled under his breath, then cleared his throat. "So, you want these two to release the evidence for you. But how do you expect to convince them? Surely you don't think you can awaken their consciences?"
"Of course not!"
A dangerous light flashed in Harry's eyes. "Iron Maiden has a weakness. If we exploit it, we can force her to comply. And once she agrees, Zero, who adores her, will follow."
"What weakness?" Tony asked.
"We discovered Iron Maiden has a child," Luke said grimly. "We don't want to resort to this, but… we don't have another choice."
He slammed a fist against the table in frustration.
Peter patted Luke's shoulder, his expression equally troubled.
Clearly, none of them liked the idea of using a hostage. But as they said, they had no other options.
Tony turned to Mike. "What do you think?"
Mike nodded. "It's worth trying. But… we won't need to use the child as leverage."
Relief spread across the group's faces.
That was for the best.
(End of Chapter)