"Huh?"
Seeing Gwen's face getting closer and closer, Alan stepped back, feeling a bit guilty.
"You mean the Emperor, the one who helped you in the sewers last time?"
Gwen nodded and continued, "He showed up tonight too. Just like last time, he appeared right at the critical moment. After dealing with the Green Goblin, he just left."
While she spoke, Gwen watched Alan's eyes closely, trying to catch any hint of recognition. But Alan just waved his hand dismissively and said, "Of course I don't know him. I've been home all night."
"If you don't believe me, ask Pikachu."
He lifted Pikachu in his hand, and Pikachu chimed in happily, "Pika… Pika…"
Alan and Pikachu had already planned this out. Gwen, unable to understand Pikachu, turned and asked directly, "Pikachu, has Alan been with you at home the whole time?"
Pikachu nodded emphatically. "Pika… Pika Chu…"
Seeing Pikachu's confident nod, Gwen let go of her suspicions.
"Then, who could it be?"
"It just feels… so familiar somehow."
Gwen tried hard to recall Emperor's appearance, hoping to find any clue that might reveal his identity. Her thoughts drifted to Tony's reaction toward Emperor that evening.
"Tony seemed to know Emperor quite well."
"Maybe I'll ask Tony about it sometime…"
With that thought, Gwen wrapped her arm around Alan's. "If it weren't for Emperor tonight, things could've turned out really bad."
As they walked to the living room sofa, Gwen began recounting the night's events, sharing all the unexpected moments and how Emperor saved the day.
"Alan, do you think I'm considered a mutant with an awakened X-gene?"
Alan shook his head. "Of course not. You were mutated by the spider bite, which gave you spider genes."
"The X-gene is a naturally dormant gene hidden in the body, which, when activated by certain factors, grants people with the X-gene some special abilities."
Though others might not know, Alan understood the true origin of mutants. Millions of years ago, the Celestials descended upon Earth and implanted the X-gene into early humans. In later generations, a small portion of humans awakened their X-gene, thus becoming mutants.
Listening to Alan's explanation, Gwen nodded in understanding. As a top student at State University, she quickly grasped the difference between herself and mutants once Alan explained it.
Looking at her, Alan asked gently, "Are you hungry?"
Gwen smiled and nodded.
Alan set Pikachu down and headed to the kitchen, leaving Gwen to play with Pikachu in the living room.
Still unsatisfied, Gwen glanced at Alan as he entered the kitchen and tried asking Pikachu again.
"Pikachu, tell me the truth."
"Was Alan really at home just now?"
"If you tell the truth, I'll buy you tons of snacks."
Pikachu nodded with righteous vigor. "Pi! Ka! Chu!"
"Alright! You have to be honest!"
"So, was Alan at home just now? Nod if he was, shake your head if he wasn't."
Gwen looked at Pikachu hopefully, tempted to believe he'd give a different answer this time.
But Pikachu simply shook his head firmly. "Pika…"
---
Downstairs, a car parked on the side of the street, and Anna stepped out, patting her chest in relief.
"Good thing I ran fast enough."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have made it out."
On her way from the NYPD, she had noticed an increasing number of cars heading toward the police station. Anna could already envision the front-page headlines and news reports for tomorrow morning.
"Uncle George, good luck to you."
Anna could only offer her sympathy. As NYPD's chief, George was bound to have a swarm of microphones shoved in his face, all in the name of "investigating the truth."
But in reality, it was just a way for the media to boost their ratings and attract more viewers by being first to report.
Retracting her gaze, Anna looked up at the building. She'd thought about calling Gwen but realized it was late and Gwen might no longer be at Alan's place. Not having Alan's number, she decided to head up and knock.
Just as Anna was about to step into the apartment building, her instincts sharpened, causing her to pause. She turned to glance at the other side of the street.
There, under a dim streetlight, sat a tattered beggar, covered in scraps of newspaper. His hair hung down in such a way that it was hard to tell if he was facing the street or turned away.
Anna hesitated briefly before walking into the building.
Beneath the streetlight, a piercing gaze peered out through the wild, tangled hair, watching as Anna entered the building.
Once Anna disappeared from his sight, the beggar rolled over, and after a moment, the sound of snoring signaled he was fast asleep.
---
In the living room, Gwen stroked Pikachu's head as he happily munched on a bag of chips.
Watching Pikachu, Gwen sighed, feeling she might have been overthinking things. Looking back at Alan's busy figure in the kitchen, a wave of happiness washed over her.
"Maybe it doesn't matter who he is, as long as I know he's Alan," Gwen murmured to herself.
Pikachu, feeling the shift in her mood, paused mid-bite and looked up. "Pika…."
Just then, the doorbell rang, breaking Gwen's train of thought. Without overthinking it, she called out, "Coming!" and headed to the door.
In the kitchen, Alan found it odd. "Who could it be at this hour?"
He was about to ask Red Queen when Gwen had already opened the door—and froze in shock. With a loud slam, she quickly shut the door again.
Outside, Anna blinked in surprise. "Was that… Gwen?" Why was Gwen still at Alan's place so late?
"Could it be… they…" Anna's face reddened as her mind jumped to the most logical, albeit awkward, conclusion. She pressed the doorbell again.
Hearing the loud door slam, Alan came out to see Gwen looking completely flustered. "What's wrong? Who's outside?"
In a hushed voice, Gwen replied, "It's Cousin Anna."
"Anna?" Alan raised an eyebrow, wondering why Anna would come over so late.
Gwen, looking like a startled rabbit, turned to Alan for help. "What should we do?"
Alan gave a small shrug. "She probably saw you just now."
"Let her in; we were just about to have a snack anyway. Invite her to join us."
Gwen hesitated briefly, then let out a deep sigh. There was no other option at this point. Anna wasn't someone she could fool easily.
Sensing her reluctance, Alan reassured her, "Don't worry, I've got a plan. Just go along with me."
Gwen immediately felt relieved and opened the door again. Alan signaled to Pikachu on the couch, and Pikachu instantly understood, resuming his "stuffed toy" act.
At the door, Gwen managed an awkward smile. "Good evening, Cousin Anna."
Arms crossed, Anna pretended to be annoyed. "Getting locked outside isn't exactly the warmest welcome."
"Come in, have a seat," Gwen said, stepping aside.
Alan poked his head out from behind Gwen, adding, "We were just preparing some late-night snacks. Join us."
Remembering the favor she needed to ask him tonight, Anna looked at Gwen with a raised eyebrow. "We'll talk about this later."
Gwen lowered her head sheepishly and led her to the sofa. Anna sat down and got right to the point. "Gwen, why are you still here so late? If Uncle George finds out, you'll be in for it."
Though Anna's tone was firm, her intentions were protective. She didn't want Gwen to get scolded by George, or worse, be taken advantage of by someone untrustworthy. In a place as open as the U.S., finding a genuinely good man wasn't easy. She cast a questioning glance at Alan.
Before Gwen could respond, Alan stepped in. "Actually, I've been working on a new research project, and Gwen's been helping me out."
"We lost track of time, so I thought I'd make a snack before sending her home."
Gwen quickly nodded in agreement. "Yes, we're working on a new research project together."
"Oh? Is that so?" Anna asked, not quite convinced. "So, how's the project going?"
Gwen froze for a second, realizing she hadn't expected any follow-up questions. Her expression betrayed her, and Anna immediately picked up on her discomfort, sensing a fib. Just as she prepared to lecture Gwen, Alan snapped his fingers.
With a soft snap, the computer screen on the table lit up, displaying a red, virtual digital figure on the screen.
Anna looked at the scene in front of her, puzzled.
What was going on here?
Alan explained, "This is the result of Gwen's and my research—an AI assistant called Red Queen."
"Red Queen?" Anna glanced at the computer screen, and Red Queen immediately looked back at her, speaking, "Hello, Ms. Granger."
"I am my master's AI assistant. You may call me Red Queen."
"You know who I am?" Anna was astonished to see this virtual figure correctly identify her surname.
"My master has connected me to the global network. I am aware of any well-known figures whose information is publicly available online."
Unbeknownst to Anna, this "global network" also extended to some official and even black-market networks.
Her curiosity piqued, Anna began questioning Red Queen about various famous people and asked a few additional questions. Throughout this interrogation, Red Queen answered flawlessly, with no errors in the information she provided.
This left Anna increasingly surprised.
Could it really be true that Alan and Gwen had created this incredible piece of technology together?
Alan shot a smile at Gwen, signaling with an "OK" gesture. Seeing that Anna seemed convinced, Gwen, delighted, returned the gesture.
---
A bit later, at the dining table, Anna, who hadn't eaten all evening, elegantly enjoyed the dishes prepared by Alan.
After eating her fill, Gwen finally asked, "By the way, Cousin Anna, why did you come to Alan's place so late?"
Now convinced, at least in part, by the impressive AI demonstration, Anna had already set aside her earlier suspicions.
"I actually came to ask Alan if he had a place I could stay for the night."
Both Alan and Gwen were taken aback. "Stay the night?"
Anna nodded, briefly recounting the events of the evening, though omitting most details. She simply explained that there had been a terrorist attack at the NYPD, but everything was now under control. The police station was swarming with reporters and detectives, and with George unable to get away, she had decided to slip out early to avoid the media.
As Anna explained, Alan gently nudged Gwen under the table. Catching on, Gwen looked at Anna with concern. "Is my dad okay?"
"Uncle George is fine," Anna reassured her. "In fact, the entire NYPD is unharmed."
Thinking back on the evening, Anna still felt a sense of awe. Despite the formidable power of the Green Goblin, he was completely thwarted by the Emperor, preventing any significant casualties. This made her reconsider her perspective on the world.
Having shared her reason for coming, Anna added, "So, could I stay here tonight?"
Naturally, Alan couldn't refuse. "Of course. It's just that…" He hesitated.
Noticing this, Anna quickly offered, "If there's no room, I can always sleep on the couch."
"You misunderstand," Alan clarified. "There's plenty of room; you can stay as long as you need. The only thing is, I don't have any spare clothes for you to change into."
"Maybe Gwen could bring you a few things from home?" Alan suggested, observing the inevitable messiness of Anna's clothes after tonight's ordeal.
Anna chuckled. "As long as there's a place to sleep, I'm fine. I actually have some clothes in my car."
"Originally, I was planning to follow Uncle George's arrangements for the night."
"Gwen, would you mind coming down with me to grab them?"
"Oh, sure!" Gwen replied, adding, "Let me just grab my bag."
She gathered her things and noticed Pikachu still pretending to be a stuffed toy. With Anna staying here, Pikachu would definitely feel uncomfortable, so Gwen scooped him up too.
With everything ready, she turned to Anna. "Alright, Cousin Anna, let's go grab your things."
"I'll join you two," Alan added. "I can give Gwen a ride home afterward."
---
Downstairs, Anna pulled a pink suitcase from her car's trunk, explaining a few things to Gwen. Just then, Alan drove his R8 out from the underground garage. Seeing his car, Anna couldn't help but give Alan an appraising look.
Stopping by them, Alan handed Anna a set of keys. "Cousin Anna, feel free to head up. If you have any questions, Red Queen can help."
"I'll take Gwen home first."
Anna took the keys, watching Alan's car drive off. "This Alan… he's got some interesting qualities…"
In the car, Gwen let out a long sigh of relief, hugging Pikachu. "Saved!"
Pikachu echoed, "Pika…"
"Pikachu, since Cousin Anna's staying over, why don't you stay with me for a bit?"
Though Pikachu was reluctant, the idea of a little freedom seemed preferable to playing stuffed toy. "Pika…chu…"
---
Outside Gwen's house, Alan was just about to drive off when a notification popped up in his mind.
"The Frog is back."
"It's brought you new souvenirs."
"Go, Check it out!"
...
❇❇❇
Like it ? Add to library!
Want more chapters ? Give Power Stones!
Support me ? Join Patreon !
patreon.com/RedX43 - Read Up to 80+ Advanced Chapters There!
❇❇❇