After buying the crystal accessories, Carl and Zhao Hailun left the jewelry store.

Since it was still early, neither of them felt rushed.

They continued shopping around the mall casually.

By a little past five, they were ready to head to Tony's villa.

Tony's villa was located at Malibu Beach.

This place was quite far from New York City,

Several thousand kilometers, in fact.

Driving there would take an extremely long time.

Now that it was already 5:00 PM, driving was obviously not going to cut it.

But that wasn't a problem for Carl.

He glanced at Zhao Hailun beside him.

『Carl』: "How about we fly there now?"

Upon hearing that, Zhao Hailun looked visibly excited.

『Zhao Hailun』: "Oh... of course."

『Zhao Hailun』: "But... can you fly a little slower this time?"

She had been in New York for several days already. As a medical doctor, she had been quite curious about Carl's abilities. Naturally, she had seen him display some of them, such as flight and heat vision.

But Carl's flying speed had been so fast that the experience was over before she could even react.

The thousand-kilometer distance passed in a blur.

There had been no real sense of flight.

Only after repeatedly reminding Carl to slow down did she finally get a proper taste of what it felt like to fly.

This time, she didn't want the trip to end too quickly either, hence the request.

『Carl』: "Alright."

Carl nodded, then scooped Zhao Hailun into his arms and shot into the sky.

Cradled in Carl's arms, Zhao Hailun looked down at the glittering city below, feeling exhilarated.

, ,

17:37

Carl arrived at Malibu Beach, heading straight for Tony's villa.

Zhao Hailun glanced at the scene below, looking surprised.

『Zhao Hailun』: "There are still people on the beach at this hour..."

Though it wasn't quite six yet and the sky wasn't fully dark, the sunset was already visible.

Even so, the beach was still lively.

Plenty of people were in swimsuits, some swimming, others lounging.

A few were even partying aboard yachts.

『Carl』: "Maybe they just have lots of free time."

Carl chuckled, unconcerned.

Malibu was famous for its beaches and sunshine.

It was also considered a luxury residential area.

Many business elites and Hollywood celebrities owned properties here.

Even the old man who had adopted Carl had a house here, and it hadn't been cheap.

So it was perfectly normal for people to relax by the beach.

Within a few minutes, Carl and Zhao Hailun arrived at Tony's villa.

Before Carl could even knock, the front door opened automatically.

A smooth, magnetic voice spoke up.

[Jarvis]: "Welcome, Mr. Superman."

[Jarvis]: "Mr. Stark has been waiting for you."

Carl didn't say much. He simply stepped into the villa.

Zhao Hailun, curious about the voice, followed closely behind.

Inside the living room, several people were sitting on the sofa chatting.

Carl scanned the room, quite a few familiar faces.

Tony, Ethan, Banner, Pepper Potts... and Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow.

Besides them, there were two unfamiliar women.

They were attractive, probably celebrities Tony had invited.

After all, Tony was a billionaire.

Plenty of actresses would love to get close to someone like him.

Especially someone of Tony's caliber.

A mere gesture from him could summon dozens of stars.

Still, this was meant to be a relatively proper gathering.

Superman's girlfriend and Tony's assistant Pepper would both be present.

So Tony hadn't gone overboard.

He had just invited two actresses to add some atmosphere.

When Carl entered, Tony happened to be chatting with those two actresses.

Ethan and Banner sat quietly nearby, sipping on their sodas.

『Tony Stark』: "Hey, Mr. Superman."

Upon seeing Carl, Tony immediately stood up and walked over.

With a bright smile, he greeted Carl politely.

『Tony Stark』: "Thank you so much. Thanks to what you gave me, I discovered a new element and built this new Arc Reactor."

He pointed to the glowing device on his chest.

Carl glanced at it.

The shining Arc Reactor definitely looked different than before.

Even through Tony's shirt, the glow was visible.

The original circular design had been replaced with a triangular one.

『Carl』: "Don't mention it. That was always meant for you."

After greeting Zhao Hailun, Tony led both of them over to the sofa, introducing everyone one by one.

Pepper was deeply grateful to Carl for saving Tony.

Ethan, too, had been rescued by Carl.

Banner didn't know Carl well, but after learning Carl had taken down Abomination, he held him in high regard.

As for the two actresses?

They were beyond thrilled.

Not only were they meeting Tony Stark...

But also the legendary Superman.

They were practically giddy.

In fact...

They were already fantasizing about getting involved with Superman.

However, once Tony introduced Zhao Hailun...

They quickly reined themselves in.

At the very least, they wouldn't dare act too brazenly while she was around.

Only one person in the room didn't share the excitement.

Upon seeing Carl, she looked panicked.

Her face turned pale.

It was Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow.

Previously, on orders from Nick Fury, she had infiltrated Stark Industries.

Her mission: get close to Tony Stark.

And she had succeeded.

With her looks and skills, she had quickly adapted to her role at Stark Industries.

Now, she had even earned Tony's personal attention.

He'd brought her to this evening's gathering.

When Tony invited her, he had been mysterious.

He'd said there would be a special guest, someone she wouldn't regret meeting.

Natasha had been curious, but not overly concerned.

Her focus was on observing Tony Stark and staying close to him.

At the party, she saw Bruce Banner and a scientist named Ethan.

Ethan didn't seem too important.

But Banner, he was the Hulk.

And he had a close relationship with Tony Stark.

This only heightened her curiosity about the special guest.

And then...

She saw Carl.

『Black Widow』 (internal monologue): It's him!

Her heartbeat stuttered.

After all, she had once been severely beaten by Carl.

Worse still...

She and Hawkeye had a very close bond.

Not only were they longtime partners, but there were romantic undertones to their relationship.

And Carl had killed Hawkeye.

Every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent knew this.

Others, like Nick Fury, might be able to remain calm around Carl.

But not Natasha.

Not when the man who had killed her closest friend stood before her.

End of chapter...

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