Under the neon lights
A girl, about thirteen years old, stood gracefully at the intersection, waiting.
If Vincent had been there, he would have noticed a slight resemblance between the girl and the green-haired girl boss he had just encountered.
However, the girl standing and waiting now had waist-length, vibrant red hair.
The girl's face was equally delicate and beautiful, like a doll, but there was no smoky eye makeup, not even a trace of lipstick or eye shadow; her face was as clean as freshly peeled, tender white fruit.
The red-haired girl was also wearing a simple school uniform, looking elegant and composed, already showing the prototype of a beauty at such a young age.
"Wanda!"
At this moment, a shout came from afar.
Pietro, with his silvery hair, waved his arms and quickly ran from a distance to the red-haired girl's side.
Wanda didn't say much, just looked at Pietro calmly.
Pietro, who had previously been unafraid of any situation and dared to contend with thugs, immediately wilted like a cooked eggplant after seeing his sister's gaze.
It was as if Pietro was the younger sibling.
But I was born twelve minutes earlier!
Pietro felt indignant and was about to assert himself.
"What trouble have you caused now?" Wanda asked softly.
Pietro immediately shook his head vigorously, stammering, "N-no trouble."
"Let's go home first." Wanda turned and walked directly back down a street.
Pietro quickly followed, and on the way home, he told Wanda what had just happened.
Of course, he omitted the part where he offered to introduce his 'sister' to Vincent.
Wanda pondered for a moment, musing, "Is that so—if there's a chance in the future, we should still thank them in person, after all, saving you involved quite a few risks."
"There will be a chance." Pietro smiled, "I gave him our home address."
"Alright." Wanda nodded slightly and returned with Pietro to their three-story house, where the lights were on.
The twins didn't notice that from the moment they entered their home, a green figure leaned against the wall at a street corner not far away.
The door closed, and through the shadows of the house windows, one could vaguely see the scene of a family of four reunited inside.
The green figure stood there for a while longer before turning and disappearing into the night alone... After Vincent and Gwen went to the police station and handed over the women's handbag, the two almost made it back to the apartment just in time for the instructor's room check.
Vincent couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief; the events of tonight had been a close call but ultimately safe.
Next, there were still two days of vacation time; surely nothing else unexpected would happen, right?
A person can't always be so unlucky.
Vincent thought.
However, what he hadn't expected was this:
At the same time, a huge change occurred on the other side of New York City!
...New York City, Cathedral.
Inside the grand and magnificent cathedral, adorned with colorful frescoes, lights shone brightly, and the peaceful pure music of a cello flowed.
Many socialites were in the main hall, enjoying the sacred and serene atmosphere.
However, this tranquility and holiness were quickly shattered!
Clang!!
Carrying a sturdy, strong man in a suit with one hand, the evil, charming black-haired youth ignored everyone in the hall, violently smashing the man in the suit onto a table in the center of the hall like a pig.
Then, he pulled out an unknown black-tech device and took the man's eyeballs.
Amidst the chaos and screams at the scene.
The evil, charming youth's expression was calm; he held a metal scepter with a blue, eerie glow at its tip and unhurriedly walked towards the cathedral entrance.
As he walked, a dazzling, golden light appeared around the evil, charming youth, and his original suit uniform was replaced by golden divine armor with dominant double horns, and a dark green cloak draped down.
Holding a scepter, clad in divine armor!
The evil, charming youth walked out to face the gaze of hundreds of people outside the cathedral.
Seeming to find the outside too noisy, he casually raised the metal scepter, and with a searing, dazzling energy projectile that flew out, he blasted a honking police car on the road away!
"All of you, kneel! To—the God who is about to rule you!!"
The evil, charming youth spread his arms, revealing an evil, charming smile, and shouted as if making an announcement... The next morning.
This was also the second day of the New Year after New Year's Day, and it was the day of Superman's trial at the Metropolis courthouse.
New York City.
The weather was still clear and bright, and the city remained peaceful.
Early in the morning, Instructor Rott and Assistant Instructor Mysterio organized the students to visit the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in the Hudson River.
The Statue of Liberty was undoubtedly the number one must-see attraction in New York, and with the two large parks for boarding and disembarking the island, the student group spent a whole morning playing.
By noon.
The instructor then led the students back to Manhattan and headed to the most prosperous and modern Times Square.
The school bus was parked in a parking space in front of the shopping mall entrance.
The female students, who had been complaining about tired feet all morning, immediately became excited and energized by a strong urge to shop, and began to split into small groups to browse the stores.
Our classmate, Vincent, chose to sit on a resting chair on the fourth floor of the mall.
Vincent looked at his classmates scattered in the cosmetics, clothing, gaming, and other stores not far away, then looked at Gwen, who was sitting quietly beside him on the chair, and asked curiously, "Don't you want to look at more clothes? I still have the energy to walk with you."
"No need." Gwen gently shook her head, tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear, and smiled, "The one you bought last night is enough."
"Is that so?"
Vincent's heart suddenly skipped a beat, against his will.
He looked at the graceful silhouette of Gwen's profile nearby and suddenly realized that the girl he had grown up with was now truly growing more and more radiant and beautiful.
Yes.
Sometimes, things one has grown accustomed to reveal another side unexpectedly.
At this moment, Vincent suddenly understood why Officer George had such strong hostility towards him.
However, once he realized this, could he still simply regard Gwen as a good buddy?
Just as Vincent was thinking this, he suddenly saw Gwen shiver...
Gwen's hair stood on end, her pupils slightly contracted, and she inexplicably looked out the window of the shopping mall.
On the road in front of the mall.
All the cars stopped, and drivers and pedestrians on the street looked up at the sky together, their faces frozen in a daze, boundless fear gripping their hearts.
"What is that?"
Many students and customers standing by the mall windows also looked up in astonishment, pointing at the sky outside.
Vincent and Gwen exchanged glances, quickly stood up, and went to the mall's floor-to-ceiling window.
What met Vincent's eyes was a giant blue light beam!
The blue light beam emanated from the top of the iconic Stark Industries headquarters building, several miles away, shooting straight upwards!
It disappeared into the sky tens of thousands of meters above New York City, tearing open a dark and terrifying gap in the clear blue sky!
From the abyssal crack in the sky created by that blue light beam, countless unidentified black specks of objects streamed out, densely descending upon the city below!
Among them, dozens of flying black specks headed directly towards Times Square!