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Homelander took the opportunity to pull her closer, feeling the passionate, delicate body in his arms.
Hope stood on her tiptoes and kissed him without hesitation.
It was a passionate, lingering kiss, full of longing.
The saltiness of the sea breeze and the lingering aroma of red wine blended between their lips and teeth.
Homelander's hands wandered across Hope's back. Her breathing quickened, her body grew hot, and she almost slumped weakly into his arms.
Just as the two were lost in the passion of the kiss and Homelander was preparing for a deeper level of exchange...
"Buzz— Buzz— Buzz—"
Hope's phone vibrated at an inopportune moment.
That annoying buzzing sound felt particularly piercing on the quiet beach.
Hope's body stiffened slightly, and her dazed eyes regained some clarity.
She ignored the vibration of the phone and instead stared straight at Homelander.
"Daniel... I don't want to play those boring games where adults test each other."
"I like you. No, I love you." Hope's confession was blunt and passionate, carrying the characteristic assertiveness of a California girl.
"From the first moment I saw you, I knew I wanted you by my side."
"I want to confirm our relationship. And you? What is your answer?"
Hope looked at Homelander nervously, not missing even the slightest change in his expression.
This was very much in line with the style of an independent woman like Hope; once she recognized her own heart, she was not at all coy.
"That's exactly what I wanted to say, Hope." Homelander looked into her eyes with a steady gaze.
"You are the most beautiful thing I, Daniel, could have encountered in this World. From this moment on, I belong to you."
Hearing this affirmative reply, a brilliant smile bloomed on Hope's face, as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
"Buzz— Buzz—"
The phone in her bag continued to vibrate relentlessly.
Hope frowned with some annoyance and checked her phone. The contact flashing on the screen was "Father."
"I have to take this call." She sighed helplessly and withdrew from Homelander's arms with some reluctance.
"Hope." Hank Pym's slightly tired voice came through the receiver.
"The work is finished. Come to the lab immediately; we need to discuss the next plan of action."
"I'll be right there." Hope hung up the phone decisively.
She turned and naturally took Homelander's arm, leaning against him. "Everything is ready. Let's go, Daniel. Let's go see my father's masterpiece."
Homelander nodded with a smile and let Hope lead him. They walked side-by-side toward the Aston Martin parked by the road.
Inside the car, Hope, sitting in the passenger seat, kept her gaze unabashedly fixed on Homelander's profile as he held the steering wheel.
After confirming their relationship, she no longer hid her love. Her fingers rested lightly on Homelander's thigh, tracing circles every now and then.
The sports car's engine let out a low roar, tearing through the San Francisco night as it sped away.
...
San Francisco outskirts, 1818 Black Tide Road, Warehouse No. 7.
This place used to be a fish cannery and a naval supply transit station during the Cold War; it was now abandoned.
The red brick walls were covered in dark green ivy, and the rusted iron gates were tightly shut, exuding an air of desolation and decay.
The engine of the Aston Martin died in front of the warehouse door.
Hope skillfully walked to an inconspicuous small door on the side of the warehouse and entered a series of codes into a recessed area in the door frame.
The hidden metal door slid inward silently.
The two entered the warehouse.
The interior of the warehouse was completely different from its dilapidated exterior; Hank Pym had transformed it into a high-tech secret laboratory.
Shadowless lamps lit the entire space as bright as day. Various precision instruments were arranged in an orderly fashion, with indicator lights flashing in various colors.
To make it easier to pack up and evacuate at any time, Hank used a large number of enlarged Lego bricks for the laboratory's structural supports. This allowed the building's structural stability to be maintained to the greatest extent during shrinking and enlarging.
The huge red, yellow, and blue building blocks added a touch of absurdity to this serious laboratory.
Hank Pym was standing at a workbench, doing a final check on a brand-new ant-man suit.
Hearing footsteps, Hank looked up.
When he saw Hope holding Homelander's arm, the two of them pressed together without any reservation.
As someone who had been there before, he knew his daughter's current state all too well. That uninhibited intimacy and the way her eyes lingered on Daniel spoke volumes.
Hope had fallen, and she had fallen hard; there was no turning back.
Hank sighed inwardly; the die was cast.
"Whatever..." Hank comforted himself silently. "At least he's a brilliant scientist and not some lying trust-fund brat."
He set down his work and forced himself to adjust his mindset.
When he looked at Homelander again, his gaze held less hostility and more of the critical scrutiny a father-in-law gives a future son-in-law.
"You're here." Hank cleared his throat, trying to keep his tone level.
"Have a seat. Time is short, let's get straight to the point."
Homelander pulled Hope down onto a long sofa, his posture relaxed.
In fact, shortly after entering, a high-frequency, subtle vibration had reached Homelander's ears.
Accompanying this vibration were four faint heartbeats.
Homelander's gaze seemingly brushed over the corners of the lab casually.
Under his Super Vision, nothing could be hidden.
On the edge of the metal louvers of the lab's ventilation duct, four black dots the size of ants were perched.
They were wearing yellow-and-black tactical armor, with four sharp mechanical tentacles protruding from their backs.
It was Darren Cross and his swarm of Yellowjackets.
At this moment, these four killers in their miniaturized state were lurking in silence.
He didn't make a sound, and the expression on his face didn't change at all.
He picked up the coffee Hope had poured for him, took a light sip, and continued to play the part of an ordinary person unaware of the crisis.
At that moment, Darren made a gesture. One of the Yellowjacket soldiers broke away from the group, fluttering its miniature wings and flying toward the offline server in the center of the lab. They pulled out a hacking device from their waist, plugged it into the server interface, and began stealing the data inside.
Meanwhile, Darren himself led the other two Yellowjacket warriors and began searching for something.
At the workbench, Hank spread out a 3D structural diagram of the Pym Technologies Building.
"Now, let's talk about the infiltration plan."