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*****
In this world, there weren't just the X-Men and mutants. There were Inhumans, other superheroes, and even a massive Superhero Association!
To Laura, it sounded even more vibrant and exciting than her own world. Most importantly, the Kent family's influence here was even more formidable than she had originally imagined.
Gwen...
The Princess of Planet Kent!
"Quite impressive," Laura murmured, a joyful smile spreading across her face.
She would be seeing Gwen very soon. At the mere thought of their reunion, Laura's heart filled with a sense of eager anticipation.
The journey was remarkably smooth. None of the highway robberies or dramatic confrontations Laura had secretly half-expected actually occurred. After reaching the nearest city, the talkative elderly driver dropped her off, and Laura transferred to a long-distance bus, heading straight for New York City.
Before Gwen had left Laura's world, she had given Laura her contact number. However, Laura wanted to wait until she was closer to the city before calling. She wanted to catch Gwen off guard—a little surprise to mark her arrival.
With a heart full of expectation, Laura leaned against the bus window, her excitement manifesting as a restless sort of fidgeting as she drew closer to her destination.
Early morning, New York City, the Kent Household.
Gwen was currently reclining against the large cushions on her bed, her eyes scanning the pages of a book, though her mind was clearly elsewhere. Her thoughts kept drifting toward the graduation prom the day after tomorrow.
"Ugh! This is so frustrating!"
In a fit of irritation, Gwen tossed the book aside and flipped over, burying her face in the mattress.
Who would invite her? And whose invitation would she actually accept?
Gwen couldn't help but dwell on these questions. Suddenly, her face flushed a deep crimson. She began to hammer her fists against the bed in a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, muttering to herself, "Stupid! I'm not saying yes to anyone!"
Right then, her phone began to ring.
Gwen's heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be... is someone calling to ask me out right now?
The thought alone made her stomach flip with a sudden wave of nerves.
Who is it?
Gwen lifted her head and stole a cautious glance at the caller ID. To her relief, it wasn't a number she recognized. Yet, she was sharp enough to notice a strange, lingering sense of disappointment prickling at her chest.
Disappointment? What am I thinking?! She cursed herself under her breath and finally answered the call.
"Hello? Who is this?" Gwen asked, her tone polite but guarded.
"It's me!"
The voice was hauntingly familiar. Gwen paused, her brow furrowed in confusion, but she couldn't quite place the owner of the voice immediately.
Hearing that Gwen didn't recognize her right away, Laura felt a tiny pang of disappointment. She was just about to reveal her identity when Gwen's voice rang out, filled with pure, unadulterated disbelief.
"Laura? Is that you, Laura?!"
A brilliant, radiant smile broke across Laura's face. "It's me!" she replied happily.
"It really is you!"
Gwen practically leaped off her bed, her face alight with excitement. "But how is this even possible...?"
Laura chuckled and reminded her, "Did you forget about Deadpool? He told me that you two were good friends. Or was he lying to me?"
If that merc dared to lie to Gwen, Laura decided she would definitely hunt him down the moment she got back.
"Oh, him!"
Realization dawned on Gwen. She stuck out her tongue and smacked her forehead. She had completely forgotten about the Deadpool incident. Come to think of it, their own dimension-hopping device had been acquired from Deadpool in the first place.
"Well, it looks like he wasn't lying after all," Laura said casually, deciding to give the "merc with a mouth" a temporary pass.
"Where are you right now?" Gwen asked urgently, already kicking on her shoes and rushing toward the door.
"I'm in New York..."
Laura scanned her surroundings and smiled. "I'm not far from Avengers Tower."
After learning about the existence of superheroes in this world, she had made a special trip just to see the iconic tower.
Looking at the massive structure in the distance, Laura found herself even more curious about what the Superhero Association's headquarters looked like.
"Stay there! I'm coming right now!" Gwen shouted into the phone. Before Laura could even respond, Gwen hung up and sprinted out of her room.
Outside Avengers Tower.
Even though ordinary citizens weren't allowed inside, the plaza in front of the tower was always crowded. People gathered there daily, hoping to catch a glimpse of a superhero. It had essentially become a unique, high-profile tourist attraction.
Laura's luck was apparently quite good. On her very first visit, she spotted a bona fide superhero—Iron Man.
However, as she watched the flamboyant, somewhat showy Iron Man fly by, she didn't find herself particularly impressed. Seeing the crowd erupt into near-hysterical screams at the sight of him, however, confirmed just how incredibly popular the man was.
Laura reached up to brush a strand of her shoulder-length hair back. her eyes moved swiftly through the throng of people, searching for a specific figure from her memory.
It had been quite some time since the phone call. By her calculations, Gwen should be arriving any moment now.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, her gaze was snagged by a figure in the crowd. Under the bright morning sun, a girl with long, platinum-blonde hair seemed to be glowing.
In that instant, it felt as if the rest of the world faded away for Laura, leaving only that one person.
Even though several years had passed since Laura last saw her, she recognized Gwen instantly. Just as Laura was about to call out to her, Gwen seemed to sense something and turned her head, her eyes locking onto Laura's within the crowd.
Their eyes met, and both girls broke into smiles that were even more radiant than the sunlight overhead.
Half an hour later, the two were tucked away in a dessert shop. They sat together over plates of delicious treats, catching up on everything that had happened. They traded stories of their experiences, occasionally gasping in shock at each other's adventures or breaking into fits of clear, ringing laughter that drew curious glances from the other patrons.
"Why did you suddenly come to this..." Gwen paused, lowering her voice significantly, "...world?"
Had Laura and her people run into some kind of trouble? Remembering the situation with little Lamb, Gwen couldn't help but feel a surge of concern. Though she hadn't stayed in Laura's world for very long, she had made many dear friends there.
"Why did I come?"
Laura hummed thoughtfully, then looked Gwen straight in the eye with a serious expression. "I missed you."
Ever since she had run into Deadpool and learned about the existence of the temporal-spatial device, she had been desperate to come to this world.
Gwen's face turned pink. Then, a mischievous glint sparked in her eyes as a fun idea took root in her mind.
She leaned in, a wicked little grin playing on her lips. "Laura, do you want to do something interesting?"
"Something interesting?" Laura's eyes lit up instantly.
The Kent Home.
Mike was sitting on the sofa. He used his X-ray vision to glance at the clock through the wall and couldn't help but grumble, "It's almost time for dinner. Why isn't Gwen back yet?"
"Hehe."
Raven let out a soft laugh. "Gwen is growing up, Mike. She's bound to have her own affairs to attend to. She needs more time to handle things. There's no need to be so tense just because she's a little late."
Handling her own affairs? Growing up?
Mike suddenly felt a pang of fatherly anxiety. He turned to Raven and asked suspiciously, "Do you know something I don't?"
Raven smiled playfully. "The graduation prom at Gwen's school is coming up soon."
"I know that!"
"But do you know what the students actually call that prom?"
Mike's heart sank.
"It's known as the 'Singles-No-More Gala' and the 'Confession Convention'!" Raven gave Mike a cheeky wink.
Mike's face darkened instantly. "What kind of trashy dance is that? She's not going!"
Raven looked at him, utterly speechless at his overprotectiveness.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
"Is that Gwen?" Raven wondered aloud, standing up to go answer it.
Suddenly, she felt a sudden chill in the air.
"Mike?" she asked, looking at his freezing expression in confusion.
Mike stood up, his posture stiff and rigid. He looked toward the door and said to Raven in a low voice:
"Gwen is back, but..."
"There are two of them!"
(End of Chapter)