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*****
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang. Clark glanced toward the door and called out to Mike in the kitchen while walking over, "Dad! Uncle Hank is here. I'll get the door!"
"Wait! I'll get it myself!"
Mike put down the knife, asked Thor to help prep the ingredients, and strode to the front door.
Seeing Mike's urgency, Gwen, who had been rehearsing lines with Loki, curiously ran after him.
Loki let out a small sigh and casually tossed aside the two sheets of paper in his hands.
What's the point of rehearsing this anyway?
Mike opened the door and smiled warmly at the man standing outside.
"Hank!"
"Mike!"
The two greeted each other with cheerful grins and a hug.
"I brought you a gift!"
Hank Pym lifted the box in his hand, the smile on his face growing even brighter.
The box was tightly sealed, even triple-wrapped in plastic.
Mike had a bad feeling about it, but since it was a gift, he accepted it and casually handed it to Gwen.
"Where's Hope?" Mike asked curiously.
Hank pointed across the street.
There, a tall, sharp-looking woman with short hair was watching them. Her hand hovered near her nose, but as soon as she saw the three looking her way, she briskly walked over.
She wasn't doing that on purpose—she just couldn't stand whatever her father was carrying.
Even though the box was sealed and no smell leaked out, just thinking about it made her face scrunch up and instinctively cover her nose.
When would this mutual prank war between the two ever end?
What she couldn't understand was why her father always ended up losing, yet still jumped at every opportunity to provoke Mike.
Two childish old men.
Hope muttered to herself.
"Uncle Mike!"
Hope's eyes lit up with surprise when she saw Mike. She gave him a quick hug and exclaimed, "How do you keep getting younger?"
"Because I have a pure heart and don't spend my time scheming against others."
Hank Pym adjusted his glasses and said dryly, "Was that aimed at me?"
"Ah! Not at all. Don't take it personally."
What did he mean by don't take it personally?
The corner of Hank's mouth twitched as he glanced at Gwen curiously examining the box, a flicker of mischief flashing in his eyes.
Keep mocking me now—just wait until you open that box... Heh heh.
"Clark!"
Hope opened her arms and hugged Clark lightly, then playfully poked his chest muscle with a finger.
Clark blushed slightly and hurriedly said, "Come on in."
"Hehe!" Hope chuckled, watching his expression. "Still as shy as ever."
Everyone turned to walk into the house. After Mike, Hank, and Hope entered, Gwen, who was trailing behind, tugged on Clark's sleeve. When he leaned down, she whispered, "This sister's not bad."
Clark: "…"
He gave Gwen's cheek a light pinch. "I don't need you playing matchmaker."
"Hmph!"
Gwen snorted softly and nudged Clark aside, walking ahead into the house.
Clark scratched his head and chuckled helplessly.
Mike led Hank and Hope to the living room, told Clark to keep them company, and returned to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Gwen, still holding the gift, sneakily called Loki over. The two of them moved to the dining table.
Just then, Thor came out of the kitchen and said to Gwen and Loki, "Mike said you can't open that thing."
"Oh!" Gwen nodded obediently.
Loki's eyes darted around, and once Thor went back to the kitchen, he leaned closer and egged Gwen on.
"You're really not going to open it?"
"Yeah, Dad said not to."
"What an obedient little child you are."
Loki's voice dripped with sarcasm. Seeing that Gwen wasn't budging, he whispered, "Maybe it's full of candy, and your dad just doesn't want you to have any."
When Gwen hesitated, he added, "It won't hurt to just take a peek."
Gwen bit her finger, clearly torn.
Candy?
Candy from far away?
I'll just take a look… just one peek.
Persuaded by Loki, she slowly reached out her hand.
Loki's lips curled into a smirk, and he leaned in curiously as well.
Gwen quickly tore off the outer plastic wrap.
Loki's brows furrowed.
Something… smelled off.
A rotten, sour stench—like socks left to rot for decades.
Before he could react, Gwen suddenly opened the box.
Instantly, a wave of putrid, sour stench hit them like an explosion, blasting directly into their faces.
They froze.
It was like their brains had short-circuited.
Tears and snot poured down uncontrollably. Their excited expressions twisted into grotesque horror.
A second later, the screams erupted.
"Aaahhh!"
"I'm gonna die!"
"My eyes!"
Hearing the shrieks, Mike and Thor rushed out, followed by Clark, Hank, and Hope from the living room.
What they saw was an open box—and two tearful, mucus-covered faces.
Gwen, barely conscious, whimpered, "Dad… I was wrong…"
"Damn it! Mortals are always trying to kill me! Damn you mortals!"
Loki, eyes flooded with tears, completely lost it.
Mike quickly strode over, slammed the lid shut, and tossed the box into his dimensional pocket.
The stench's source vanished instantly. Then, Mike summoned a card and turned to Clark. "Quick! Open the windows!"
Clark flashed out of sight and popped open the windows.
The card dissolved into light, unleashing gusts of wind that swept the foul air out of the house.
Seconds later, the wind subsided, and the stench was gone.
Mike let out a sigh of relief.
He liked living here and wasn't planning to move anytime soon.
Holding Gwen, who kept shaking her head dazedly, Mike heard her muttering, "No more candy… I'll never eat candy again…"
Mike didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Thor, meanwhile, grabbed the frenzied Loki and dragged him to the bathroom.
Watching the aftermath of this disaster, Hank Pym looked a bit embarrassed and said awkwardly, "Um… that was meant as a surprise for you. No one else was supposed to open it."
Mike's mouth twitched.
Clark couldn't help but ask, "What on Earth was that?!"
Hope pinched her nose and said, "Blue-mold cheese baked Icelandic fermented shark herring pie."
Hiss—!
Clark sucked in a breath.
Mike stared at the innocent-looking Hank in horror. "You're ruthless!"
He had shown restraint, considering Hank's age, and didn't go too far with any prank—but he hadn't expected this...
Hank pushed up his glasses and said, "I made it myself. You have to try it. Or wait… are you too scared?"
Mike sneered coldly.
Fine. You asked for this!
(End of Chapter)