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Chapter 99 - Chapter 99 Teleportation, I’m Home  

Chapter 99 Teleportation, I'm Home 

Jotunheim, over the ruins. 

Crunch, crunch! 

With the sound of something being chewed without pause, a terrifying sight appeared. 

The brand-new Hulkbuster armor was reduced to scrap in seconds, its thick red-and-gold plating bitten and gnawed apart by the mysterious black kitten. To anyone watching, it looked as if the mighty Hulkbuster had been made of paper. 

The little black cat continued tearing into it. In no time, half of the Hulkbuster was ruined, its combat systems disabled. 

No matter how unwilling he was, the fact remained: Tony Stark had lost. 

Inside the flashing red warning lights of the armor, Tony clenched his teeth and gave one final command. 

The Hulkbuster's back suddenly split open, and a battered, platinum-colored Iron Man shot out. His remaining engines roared at full power, carrying him in a white streak across the sky, fleeing beyond the island. 

But this time, Iron Man's state was far worse than when he had arrived. His Anti-Black Flash armor was cracked and scorched, black smoke rising from the battered shell. The broken plating couldn't even conceal his human form beneath. 

The mighty Iron Man, the man who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with gods—was fleeing in defeat. 

Hundreds of meters away, the remaining four members of Task Force X watched with wide eyes. 

The legendary Iron Man had been beaten twice in a row. That was enough to make the mysterious black cat into a nightmare whispered about for years to come. 

On the battlefield, Xi Nian in his three-in-one black cat form watched silently. His blank white eyes regained a trace of clarity as he saw Iron Man vanish into the clouds. He had no intention of chasing him down. 

In fact, he almost felt grateful. 

Through venting his darkness and cruelty on two sets of Iron Man armor, Xi Nian had stabilized his humanity, pulling himself back from the edge. 

By now, nearly twelve hours had passed since he left home. The three-in-one state was running out of time. 

He needed to leave quickly—or find somewhere quiet, let Xiao Huang take a bite, and then return to Washington. 

But first, there was something else to do. 

Opening his mouth wide, Xi Nian devoured the final remnants of the Hulkbuster, then blurred forward in a single leap. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Task Force X. 

"Boss kitty!" King Shark, Nanaue, cried out with delight, eyes wide. 

Harley Quinn's face lit up, and she nearly ran forward to scoop him into her arms again. 

But Captain Robert and Ratcatcher II, the more sober members of the squad, froze in terror. They were sure the black cat would attack them next, but even so, none dared lift their weapons. Resistance would only mean dying a little less pitifully. 

The moment Xi Nian appeared before them, he raised his dark right paw. Five black tendrils lashed out, stabbing into Harley Quinn, Ratcatcher II Cleo Cazo, Captain Robert, King Shark Nanaue, and even the little rat. 

Robert was certain he was dead—only to realize there was no pain. The tendrils hadn't pierced their bodies, but instead melted into their flesh and quickly pulled something small out from inside. 

They were the miniature bombs implanted in their bodies. 

The instant the bombs left, they should have exploded. But Xi Nian's tendrils reacted faster, wrapping the devices in black fluid. The blasts that should have torn their bodies apart were reduced to harmless muffled pops, like candles being snuffed out. 

Xi Nian pulled the tendrils back. 

The debt was settled. 

The members of Task Force X understood what he had done. 

Not that Xi Nian truly cared about setting them free—this was simply the evil indulgence of the three-in-one state. 

"Time's… almost up." 

Xi Nian suddenly felt something strange. It was as if he could slip away into the void at will. 

So when Harley rushed forward with her arms wide open, reaching for him— 

The little black cat's body shimmered and vanished into thin air. 

… 

Glug, glug! 

Darkness surrounded him. Xi Nian felt like he had fallen into the sea. But the water was warm. 

At that moment, the time ran out. 

The three-in-one state unraveled, leaving Xi Nian and the little Flerken cub separated again. 

Splash! 

Back in his human form, wearing the long-sleeved pajamas he had put on that morning, Xi Nian's teenage body broke the warm water around him, pressing against smooth walls on every side. 

Dazed, he looked up—and realized he was in his own bathtub at home. 

Just a moment ago, he had been in Corto Maltese. Now he was back in Washington. 

Teleportation. 

Was this one of the Flerken's abilities? 

Before he could think more, he heard the sound of running water from nearby. Instinctively, he turned his head. 

Through the steam, he saw two figures—one tall and mature, the other small and delicate. Long black hair and crimson strands fell like twin waterfalls. Their clothes were set aside: a blouse, skirt, bra, and vest. 

The black-haired woman, Diana, stood fully revealed, calmly washing the hair of the red-haired girl sitting obediently on a stool—Wanda. 

Water ran down Diana's flawless back, over her perfect curves, dripping onto Wanda's pale body, where droplets bounced playfully off her soft skin. 

Diana barely blinked at Xi Nian's sudden appearance in the tub. She remained steady, composed as ever. 

"Miss Diana, what was that sound just now?" Wanda, eyes still closed from the shampoo, asked curiously. 

"Someone just came back," Diana said truthfully. 

"What?" Wanda tilted her head, just as a familiar meow sounded from the side. 

"Xiao Huang? Did she come back too?" Wanda's eyes flew open. And there, lying soaked in the bathtub, was Xi Nian, clutching the little orange cat tightly in his arms. 

Meeting Wanda's gaze, Xi Nian forced himself to act calm, raising a hand in greeting. "Uh… I'm back." 

"Ahhhhhh!" 

Wanda froze for a second, then let out the loudest scream of her life. 

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