The group checked into the Florida Grand Hotel, about ten minutes away from the Magic Kingdom. This hotel has high standards, but it doesn't have the distinct theme style like the other hotels within the Disney Park.
If anything, the Florida Grand Hotel's style is more akin to Victorian, with its intricate decorations and exquisite food offerings compared to other themed hotels. However, since everyone had eaten plenty in the park, when they returned to the hotel, they all went straight to their rooms without lingering in other areas.
Actually, the parade's nighttime light show would be even better, but they decided to visit the Magic Kingdom again the following night to specifically enjoy the nighttime activities. So, around seven o'clock, everyone returned to the hotel.
Though Shiller and Stark were tired, they were not as worn out as Nick and Strange who spent the entire afternoon chasing and catching children running amok in the park.
It turns out, children lost in play are totally reckless. Nick caught two agents who had used Symbiont tentacles to climb to the tip of the castle, while Strange fished out three little wizards from the lake who were trying to explore its depths for hidden treasures.
By the time they had rounded up all the mischievous youngsters, the two were so exhausted they could barely stand up straight. Without engaging in much conversation with the others, they retired to their rooms.
At nine o'clock, Diana and Clark unexpectedly knocked on Shiller's door. They heaved a sigh and said to Shiller, "Professor, Bruce hasn't returned yet, and the park will be closing soon. I think we should go and look for him."
Shiller was taken aback and asked, "He hasn't returned? Weren't you with him?"
"He went to find that troublesome reporter Eddie. I don't know what kind of grudge they have against each other, they've spent the whole afternoon playing hide and seek."
Shiller immediately thought that Bruce might be looking for Venom's trouble, or Venom might be looking for his. Whether it's Batman or Venom, they both prefer to act at night, their struggle could just be beginning.
Shiller leaned against the door and reassured Diana and Clark, "Don't worry. I have to go to the amusement park again around midnight today. If I see them there, I will remind them to return earlier."
Diana and Clark made an okay sign with their hands and left. However, Shiller speculated that while Bruce and Venom might initially have disliked each other, the fact that they had spent so much time in the park suggested they must have stumbled upon something during their chase.
Every Batman won't stop until the truth is discovered. If they have been investigating for hours and haven't returned yet, there might be a big secret to uncover in the amusement park.
Around ten o'clock that night, Nick came to invite Shiller to discuss the details of the cooperation project with Disney over drinks at the bar. Loki joined them.
Without Strange, Shiller felt a bit odd, but he thought that Strange might have gone to rest as the little wizards were quite hard to handle. Thus, he accompanied Nick and Loki to the hotel bar.
The bar was relatively quiet, with dim lights and soothing music, making it an excellent place for discussions. After ordering a few drinks, they sat down, and Nick took the initiative to speak: "Tomorrow's visit will be the main event. We will be visiting the Hollywood Park. If our cooperation with Disney is successful, our superheroes' IPs will appear in this park. We must go to see the level of their character-based IP production."
"I heard they plan to build an Avatar park, is that right?" Loki asked, then continued, "I've seen that movie, honestly, I am quite interested in such topics. Indeed, there are quite a few blue-skinned aliens in this cosmos."
"Like you," Shiller joked, referring to Loki's original race, which was the blue-skinned Frost Giants.
Loki nodded with a laugh, took a sip of his drink, then said, "Our size is not that small, I am underdeveloped. Real Frost Giants are at least as tall as a building."
"If the Avatars were that tall, it would become a monster movie," Nick laughed and said, "Then they wouldn't be able to ride dragons. My favorite part of the movie is when they ride the dragons."
Shiller took a sip of his chilling Martini, lightly sighed, then said, "I believe the superheroes deserve a separate theme park, don't you think so?"
"I also think placing us in the Hollywood Park isn't quite suitable. Although we already have one popular documentary, we still don't have a real movie. Even if we're going to make one in the future, it's still too early to talk about Hollywood now."
"In that case, let's try to negotiate with them. We need a separate theme park. The content is definitely sufficient, and it'd be convenient for the superheroes to perform."
"Wait, you want them to perform in person?" Nick asked with a frown, "This wouldn't be a good idea. Aside from the potential disruption to their regular duties, it might lead people to associate real superheroes with performing actors."
"Of course they need to perform, but not every day, and not interact closely with the audience. Superheroes should naturally maintain their mystery. Or rather, the opportunity to approach real superheroes would be extremely attractive to many."
Both Nick and Loki turned to look at Shiller, who spoke confidently and seemed very experienced. Shiller put down his glass, smiled, and said, "I think Bruce should organize a training course for all superheroes on how to be a good spot while maintaining their mysterious image."
"That's for later. At present, I think we should actively strive for the right to cast and select directors, but this might compel them to propose stricter cooperation requirements."
"We should indeed have the right to review the script. But there's no need to specify a particular actor. Perhaps giving room for the director to maneuver would be a better choice."
"Moreover, this isn't some political propaganda mission, it's just a business cooperation. If they're willing to bear the potential profit and loss, we don't need to care if they make a good or a bad movie."
"After all, superheroes do have their prototypes in reality, so people's impressions of them aren't just from the movies. It's better to leverage this for more favorable conditions."
Nick nodded in agreement, finding Shiller's words reasonable. They then chatted a bit about the upcoming documentary season and the superhero-themed park.
Around eleven that night, Shiller was the first one to stand up and say, "It seems we're a bit tired from all the fun today. I'm going to go and rest now. If you have anything to discuss, we can talk about it after we complete tomorrow's tour of Hollywood Park."
Nick didn't plan on leaving, so he raised his wine glass to Shiller. Loki and Shiller stood up together, and they returned to their rooms together.
At the doorstep, Loki turned to Shiller saying, "You don't look like the type who'd get tired, even after ten days of hard work. If there's an opportunity to make money in front of you, you would definitely grab it first."
"You got me there," Shiller laughed. "I have some things to handle tonight. If Nick asks for me, just tell him I've gone to sleep."
After saying that, Shiller entered his room. He changed into a more comfortable and athletic outfit. As soon as he finished putting on his coat, the light of an engine appeared outside the curtain.
Shiller sighed as he saw Stark in his thin silver and blue battle armor, "I think you should learn from Batman. Having flashy colors doesn't make you stronger. Camouflage clothing can sometimes be more useful."
"You want me to paint myself black and put pointy ears on my helmet? Don't be ridiculous. That image is terrible."
Stark opened his face guard and looked at Disneyland shrouded in darkness. "I have a feeling tonight won't be simple. You'd better prepare for a fight."
"We can't fight them," said Shiller, zipping up his jacket, "until we find enough clues, we run when we can. Otherwise, they'll definitely make things hard for you."
Shiller turned into a mist and flew with Stark to the entrance of Magic Park. They didn't fly directly to their destination for fear that they'd be too conspicuous in the sky. If they were attacked and fell, it wouldn't be a joke.
Stark thought Shiller was worrying too much. Could there really be a fully functional radar and anti-missile system in the park?
But Shiller knew there was nothing impossible with these comical cartoon characters. It would be normal for them to swat them down out of the sky with a flyswatter, let alone an invincible catapult or a more advanced tennis racket interception system.
The two sneaked in through the main gate, and because they didn't have a boat, they planned to follow the daytime train route.
Halfway there, nearly by the entrance of Main Street, U.S.A, they noticed that the park, which should have been closed, was brightly lit. However, the guests in the nearby hotel seemed to have noticed nothing and had gone to sleep early.
Shiller narrowed his eyes, "Something's definitely wrong."
Stark suddenly motioned him to be quiet and pulled Shiller into a nearby bush. They then saw a figure with large webbed feet and a long square mouth shuffling down the road.
It wasn't an actor in a mascot suit. Stark didn't see any human body structure on his life scanning device. It was a duck walking upright.
"What's going on?" Stark watched the image surprisingly. "Has the mascot suit come to life, or grown its skeleton and internal organs?"
Shiller glanced at the projection Stark made and said, "Great scientist, shouldn't you be more astonished that such a biological structure can't walk upright?"
Stark shivered, "You're right, Shiller, this amusement park is not simple at all. Could they be ghosts or demonic projections that have infiltrated?"
"Think on the bright side, they might just be a group of happy cartoon characters. But even if that's the case, if we intrude into their home without saying hello, we will definitely receive a warm welcome. Are you confident you can beat a duck that looks like this?"
Stark looked at the image on the life scanning device again, he had to admit, it was really eerie. If it wasn't for his confidence in his own technical skills, Stark would have doubted that his life scanning device was broken.
Indeed, there are many grotesque creatures in the cosmos, but the majority of carbon-based beings don't look too outrageous, those grotesque ones are usually energy beings.
The existence of carbon-based beings meant they evolved along with their planetary environment, discarding the unnecessary, unlike energy beings which may retain many redundant structures from their evolution.
But a duck becoming mutated like this made Stark truly understand the unsettling influence of the uncanny valley effect. The most terrifying thing is something that appears humans but isn't, familiar yet strange.
So Stark shortened his neck and said, "Let's sneak in. Probably only Connors would be interested in fighting with this thing."
Shiller transformed into a thin mist and Stark switched on the physical invisibility device on his battle armor. At the same time, he used magic energy to cast a cloak of invisibility. They stealthily treaded toward the depths of the park.