Chapter 160: Where Everyone Is (Part Two)
New York.
On the outskirts, at a car wash.
A group of young men and women with edgy, rebellious styles were gathered outdoors, drinking beer, eating fried chicken, with sports cars and guns casually tossed to the side.
Among them, the youngest stood out.
A green-haired girl with heavy makeup that made her look older than she was. A lollipop hung from her lips.
Her chest was flat, her small and slender figure wrapped in a long-sleeved tracksuit top and cropped joggers. Despite her petite size, her presence was sharp and commanding.
Hands shoved in her pockets, she leaned quietly against a car, half-squinting at her crew enjoying food and drink under the afternoon sun.
"Boss, want some?" one of the boys waved a beer.
Lorna shook her head.
"You idiot, Boss isn't even old enough yet."
"Oh, true. Haven't seen her smoking lately either."
The group laughed and teased her. The mood was easy, lively, full of camaraderie.
Suddenly.
Lorna spoke. "From today… our gang is disbanded."
Her voice cut like a blade through the noise.
Whether eating or drinking, everyone froze. They turned, staring at each other in disbelief.
For a moment, no one moved, as if they hadn't heard right.
Three seconds later, one of the guys laughed awkwardly. "April Fool's is coming, huh, Boss? Good one. Cold joke though."
"Yeah, yeah." Others forced chuckles, but their voices grew weaker.
Because the girl was only watching them quietly.
Lorna said softly, "I'm not joking. You know me—I always mean what I say."
"From now on, the gang is done. Here and now."
The weight of her words pressed down on the group. They knew—once Lorna decided something, nothing could change it.
"Why, Boss?" someone asked, voice trembling.
"No big reason." Lorna crossed her arms. "If you want one—then, I've decided I want to go to school. Does that count?"
"What?!"
The crew was stunned.
The feared boss of a New York gang… wanted to go back to school?
Yet now, they realized something they had long ignored—
At her age, she should have been in school all along.
It was only because she was so powerful that everyone forgot that she was just a girl, longing for a love story of her own.
…
Kamar-Taj.
Sparks spun in the air, forming a golden portal in the grand hall.
Through it stepped a red-haired girl in a school uniform. She held up her skirt slightly with both hands, her white-socked feet stepping lightly across the threshold.
"It's not the weekend. Why are you here again?"
The bald woman in yellow robes entered from the corridor, her calm eyes already knowing the answer.
"Master Ancient One!"
Wanda curtsied, her doll-like face lit with determination. "Please—teach me more magic!"
"Why… why this sudden urgency?" the Ancient One asked softly.
Wanda took a deep breath, her jewel-like eyes glowing. "Because I'm too weak. I've always been the one protected… never able to help when it mattered. I want to be stronger. I want to be his strength!"
…
Gotham City.
Justice League Headquarters.
Once an abandoned cathedral, now restored, with a vast round table in the center surrounded by six chairs.
The air was solemn, sacred, quiet—like a sanctuary apart from the world.
"What did you say? Diana, you want to quit the Justice League?!"
Batman—Bruce Wayne—looked in disbelief at the tall, stunning woman before him.
"The League began with just you and me. We searched for members, saved Superman, defeated Steppenwolf. Now the headquarters is finally complete, and you, one of the founding heroes, want to leave?"
"Not leave," Diana said gently, eyes on the League's emblem. "Just… take a long break. I've been so busy with the League, I've had little time with my child."
Bruce frowned. "Spending time with a child—is that more important than saving the world?"
"Who says caring for a child can't also mean saving the world?" Diana smiled faintly. "Besides, isn't the League—and this world—safe with you here?"
Bruce fell silent. Not everyone can be as selfless as himself forever...
…
Atlantis, deep under the ocean.
The royal palace.
A woman ascended the holy steps. Nobles of all four kingdoms bowed low on either side.
Even Queen Atlanna and her sons.
Her red hair was bound up, crowned with gold set with a brilliant gem. Her flawless face was cold, her body clad in ornate golden armor. In her hand gleamed a golden trident.
Light, waves, and regal might radiated from her.
"Xi Nian, we did it."
Mera instinctively reached out with her thoughts as before.
But then she remembered.
The bond was gone.
That human boy had returned to the surface.
The road ahead, she would walk alone.
Yet, the memories of their fusion lingered.
Etched deep within her soul, it proved to be a power greater than even the trident to her conquest of Atlantis.
Biting her lip gently, Mera carried the glory and majesty of Atlantis, and strode toward her throne.
…
At school, in class.
A black-haired boy lay asleep at his desk.
He dreamed. A long, long dream. In it, he met many extraordinary girls.
In the haze of half-sleep, voices called to him. One clear and bright, the other soft and gentle. Like music in his ears:
"Xi Nian, school's over."
"Senpai, let's go shopping for clothes."
"…Hm?" Xi Nian opened his sleepy eyes.
Two beautiful girls leaned over his desk, one on either side.
"So it wasn't a dream," Xi Nian muttered.
"Uh oh, is this a side effect from diving deep underwater the other day?" Gwen frowned, touching his forehead and then her own. "No fever…"
"Senior, I already checked him earlier—he's perfectly healthy," Kara said, blinking innocently. "Besides, you have a Spider-body. Your temperature isn't like normal people anyway."
"What?!"
"Just being honest."
"Enough, enough." Xi Nian yawned, sitting up. "Let's go. Didn't you two want to shop for clothes?"
"Oh, right!"
Kara and Gwen exchanged a glance, falling quiet—but their rivalry lingered, both saving it for later.
Clearly, the weekend would be their battlefield.
Xi Nian shivered for no reason.
This weekend… maybe staying home was safest.
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