The collection room was empty, save for a few books lined up on the shelves.
As soon as Diana entered with Su Sheng, her eyes landed on photos of Riley and Laura, both wearing uniforms and holding placards. The placards displayed their names, codes, and other detailed information. Realizing what Su Sheng was planning, Diana's anger flared. "You want me to take photos like this? Absolutely not!"
"Why can't you try respecting other people? Especially women!" she snapped.
"Trust me, hanging the photo here is the highest form of respect," Su Sheng replied with a chuckle, walking to the designated shooting area. He wrote out a placard and handed it to Diana. "Take it, and let's get started."
The placard read:
Name: Diana
Code Name: Wonder Woman
Number: 3
Year: 1917
Location: Paradise Island
Diana stared at the placard, then shook her head at Su Sheng. "I'm not going to let you take this photo just so you can hang it on your wall and show it off."
Standing in front of her, Su Sheng chuckled and said, "You know, there are many ways I could force you to do this, but I don't want to. That's why we negotiated a deal. I helped you with the First-born , and I promised to restore the people of Paradise Island. You agreed to this!"
"You say I don't respect women? At least in this matter, I'm giving you some respect."
"So…" Su Sheng walked up to Diana, placing the placard in her hand, and then stepped back, raising the camera.
Diana wanted to resist, but her feet wouldn't move. She thought about how she had promised Su Sheng and about her mother and the others on Paradise Island waiting to be saved. In the end, she silently complied, letting Su Sheng take the photos—both in uniform and without.
Su Sheng slowly lowered the camera and approached Diana.
"Move, I need to get dressed," Diana said, her voice solemn, her head lowered.
"You know what? For a moment, I almost thought I was in love with you." Su Sheng tilted her chin up, making her meet his gaze. "But then I realized you're not my flower; I just happened to pass by when you were in bloom."
"What are you trying to say?" Diana's heart fluttered with an inexplicable panic.
Su Sheng chuckled but said nothing as he leaned in for a kiss.
His movements were slow, giving her plenty of time to evade, but Diana found herself unable to move, as if under a spell. She could only watch as he tenderly approached, savoring her as if she were a flower in bloom.
Tenderness?
Diana felt a wave of disbelief. Could he really be gentle with her?
If he had tried to force her as he had before, Diana would not have hesitated to resist, even if it was futile. But now, under Su Sheng's gentle approach, she felt her defenses crumbling and could only surrender slowly.
Time passed in a daze, and when Diana finally snapped back to reality, she felt as though she had just awoken from a dream.
Their eyes met.
Without a word, Diana picked up her armor, dressed, and left the room. She didn't even know what to say.
In the past, she could confidently claim that Su Sheng had forced her, but just now…
Ten minutes later, Su Sheng, now fully dressed, hung Diana's photos in the collection room next to those of Riley and Laura. He paused to admire them for a moment before leaving.
Exiting the Discipleship, he sat on the stairs by the cabin door, watching Firestorm fly recklessly through the dark sky. Nearby, the woman in the plaid shirt held the child, and Diana watched Firestorm from the ground. Hera stood aside, chatting with the silent Laura, seemingly trying to gather information about Su Sheng. But Laura, who knew little and was playing the silent card, offered no answers.
"It's nice to enjoy some peace once in a while," Su Sheng muttered with a chuckle, gazing at Firestorm in the night sky.
At that moment, a bright light appeared in the sky, rapidly approaching them.
"What is that?" the woman in the plaid shirt asked, surprised, as she pointed to the light.
Diana's expression grew serious as she prepared for battle, while Firestorm flew back from a distance.
"This…"
"This is my divine power!" the Queen of Heaven, Hera, suddenly shouted excitedly.
"Your divine power? But wasn't it taken by the sun god Apollo? Why…" Diana's thoughts raced, and she quickly realized, "He must be in trouble—he's the First-born !"
Only if something happened to Apollo would he return the divine power to Hera.
Hera, filled with excitement, opened her arms wide. She was tired of being a vulnerable human.
"I am the queen! I am Hera!" she proclaimed, closing her eyes and eagerly awaiting the return of her divine power. But minutes passed, and nothing happened. Hera, confused, opened her eyes to see Su Sheng standing before her, holding the glowing orb of her divine power.
"Give it back to me!" Hera cried out, reaching for it, but Su Sheng easily dodged her, causing her to stumble to the ground. She didn't care about the embarrassment and shouted at him, "That's my divine power! What are you going to do with it?"
Su Sheng ignored her, studying the divine power in his hand.
Divine power could take many forms—Diana's was golden energy, Ares' was thunder, and the divine power of birth? It was difficult to say. Powerful hatred could even take physical form. But this divine power was different, akin to a source but distinct.
Su Sheng walked over to Laura and tossed the divine power at her.
Laura instinctively tried to dodge but found that the divine power merely passed through her.
"Doesn't work, huh?"
Su Sheng thought for a moment, then retrieved the divine power and approached Diana. Hera rushed at him again, but he caught her by the neck, preventing her from getting close.
Holding Hera with one hand, Su Sheng pushed the divine power towards Diana with the other.
"My power—that's mine…" Hera struggled to shout.
The divine power entered Diana's body, and she instinctively closed her eyes.
"Is there any effect?" Su Sheng asked, his eyes bright with curiosity. "How do you feel? Are you a queen now?"
After a moment, Diana shook her head.
"No, I don't have that godhood."
"What about killing her?" Su Sheng suggested, raising Hera. "According to what we've seen before, you could gain her godhood by killing her, right? Take her source!"