The moment 『Black Widow』 saw Karl, she was visibly shaken.

She never expected that the mysterious figure Tony Stark had spoken of would be Karl.

As her gaze fell on him, a surge of fury surged within her.

This was the man who had killed Clint!

A deep urge to avenge Hawkeye boiled within her.

In fact,

The moment she laid eyes on Karl, her hand instinctively moved to the weapon at her waist.

But after hesitating for a moment, 『Black Widow』 slowly released her grip.

She kept her head down, trying to avoid being recognized by Karl.

There was no other choice.

Even though she had a close relationship with Silver Hawkeye…

Even though she wanted to avenge him…

Her strength simply wasn't enough.

『Black Widow』 had a rough understanding of Karl's power.

The last time she confronted him, she had been beaten thoroughly.

Later, through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence,

She also learned that Karl had killed the Abomination.

She wasn't stupid, she knew she was no match for him now.

No matter how much she wanted revenge, she had no way of achieving it.

In fact,

『Black Widow』 even felt that staying here might not be safe.

If Karl could kill Hawkeye,

Then he could easily kill her too.

She believed she couldn't die now.

If she stayed alive, there might still be a chance to avenge Clint.

If she died here and now,

There would be no chance at all.

Still, though she didn't want to act rashly, she had no idea what Karl would do.

Recalling his past attitude toward S.H.I.E.L.D. agents,

『Black Widow』 feared that this Superman might kill her on the spot.

And so, she kept her head low and began walking slowly toward the door.

She decided to slip away while Karl was distracted, greeting Tony and the others.

There was no other choice, this Superman was far too dangerous.

And clearly hostile toward S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

Of course,

『Black Widow』 herself still wanted to kill Karl and avenge Hawkeye.

But she simply lacked the power.

Worse, she feared that her emotions might give her away in Karl's presence.

So, she chose to retreat.

As she passed Tony, 『Black Widow』 whispered quietly:

『Black Widow』: Mr. Stark, I'm not feeling well. I'll go home and rest.

『Tony Stark』: Oh? Oh... well, take care then.

『Black Widow』: Mm.

Without stopping, she turned and left.

Karl, who had been chatting with Tony and the others, glanced at her departing figure.

He had noticed 『Black Widow』 the moment he entered the villa.

Even with her head down, there was no mistaking her identity.

He had also noticed the conflicted expression on her face.

It wasn't hard to guess why.

It all came down to the fact that he had beaten her up before,

And of course, the matter with Hawkeye.

Karl was well aware of the relationship between 『Black Widow』 and Hawkeye.

They were partners, perhaps more than that.

In the comics, the two even shared romantic feelings.

Though to be fair,

Many characters had romantic ties with 『Black Widow』 in the comics.

As for their current relationship, Karl wasn't entirely sure.

Still, in "Avengers: Endgame,"

『Black Widow』 and Hawkeye had retrieved the Soul Stone from Vormir.

To obtain that stone, one must sacrifice what they love most.

Thanos sacrificed Gamora.

Hawkeye, sacrificed 『Black Widow』.

What did that mean?

That he saw her as a daughter? Of course not.

It meant she was incredibly important to him.

The very fact they fought over who would jump proved it.

Had Hawkeye jumped instead,

He too could have claimed the Soul Stone.

Which meant that in 『Black Widow』's heart,

Hawkeye was equally important.

So if 『Black Widow』 wanted to avenge him, Karl wouldn't be surprised.

He even noticed her reaching for her weapon.

But in the end, for whatever reason, she backed down.

Karl didn't mind.

With someone like her,

If he wanted to kill her, he could do it anytime.

He just hoped she wouldn't dig her own grave.

...

『Karl』: That woman's acting strange. Stay alert.

『Tony Stark』: Strange? Who?

『Karl』: The one who just left.

『Tony Stark』: Natalie Rushman?

『Karl』: Who?

『Tony Stark』: She's from Stark Industries' Legal Department.

『Tony Stark』: Speaks fluent French, Italian, and Latin. Used to be a model. Seems to know a lot about everything.

『Tony Stark』: Yeah, she's the one who just left.

『Karl』: Oh.

He knew her real name was Natasha.

But "Natalie Rushman" was clearly an alias.

After all, she was here undercover. No way she'd use her real name.

Apparently, Tony had no clue.

Karl planned to warn him eventually.

Just not now.

No point ruining the mood of a celebration.

[Ding ding ding!]

At that moment, Tony's phone rang.

He checked the screen and smiled.

『Tony Stark』: Finally! I thought this would arrive before you did.

He answered the call.

『Tony Stark』: Happy, is that you? Great, I'll be right out.

『Tony Stark』: Mm-hmm.

...

The call ended quickly.

Then 『Tony Stark』 clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

『Tony Stark』: Everyone, look over here.

『Tony Stark』: The grill and food have arrived!

『Tony Stark』: They're set up on the balcony. We're having an open-air BBQ.

『Tony Stark』: Let's head out and get started.

The two celebrity girls cheered enthusiastically.

Tony smiled and turned to Karl.

『Tony Stark』: Let's go, Mr. Superman.

『Tony Stark』: Oh, help me grab some wine.

He headed toward the wine cellar.

Karl silently followed.

Zhao Hailun came along as well.

They grabbed some wine and made their way to the second-floor open-air balcony.

Thanks to the design, it had a spacious rest area spanning several dozen meters.

Tony's driver, Happy, was already setting things up.

Tables, chairs, grills, ingredients, even some takeout,

Everything was ready for an outdoor feast.

『Tony Stark』: Come on, ladies and gentlemen.

With Happy's help, Tony began prepping the grill.

The two female celebrities joined in enthusiastically.

Soon, soft music began to play.

Karl glanced over, Tony had started the playlist.

Karl picked out some of Zhao Hailun's favorite foods.

He grilled them slowly over charcoal.

Before long, the food was ready.

BBQ is pretty simple, as long as you control the heat.

Karl's grilled food turned out delicious.

He sat beside the girl, eating grilled meat while the sea breeze brushed past.

With soft music playing in the background,

The atmosphere was unexpectedly pleasant.

After a while, Tony raised his glass to Karl.

Karl didn't refuse, clinking glasses with him.

Worth mentioning,

Neither Banner nor Yinsen drank.

Tony tried persuading them.

Yinsen drank a little.

Banner still refused.

Tony asked why.

Banner answered truthfully:

『Bruce Banner』: If I get too excited, I might turn into the Hulk. And then the entire villa will be rubble.

End of chapter...

Hey everyone! 🌌

Loving the battles, twists, and wild multiverse encounters?

✨ Get early access to chapters before anyone else. Unlock secret events, surprise battles, hidden lore, and power-ups ahead of the curve.

It's like a VIP mission in the System, exclusive, epic, and just for the chosen few.

🔹 Dimension Walker – 15 chapters ahead

🔸 Reality Shifter – 35 chapters ahead

Your support helps me write faster, go deeper, and expand this universe even further.

📍 patreon.com/MrBehringer