At the door, Benjamin and Da Zhuang stood guard, and with them were the two Plumbers who had helped earlier.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from the inner room.
Benjamin's pupils contracted, and he exchanged a look with Da Zhuang; the two moved in perfect sync simultaneously.
Da Zhuang was even more direct, leveraging the physical enhancements from his customized Plumbers suit, he charged at the door like a rampaging armored vehicle.
"Boom!" The wooden door shattered into pieces under the immense impact, sending splinters flying.
The four rushed in quickly, but all froze when they saw the scene inside.
Gwen was leaning against the wall, her eyes unfocused, her chest heaving, clearly not yet recovered from the sudden turn of events.
In front of her, Talon was kneeling on one knee, the violent aura around him slightly restrained, his head bowed as if in reverence.
Oh, no, not 'as if'.
Talon continued to keep his head down, his voice slightly hoarse and slurred, yet filled with immense piety: "Zeus above, thank you."
"Huh?"
Gwen didn't react, and Talon remained in his kneeling posture, not looking up at Gwen, his tone solemn and firm: "It is all thanks to you and that mysterious expert that I was able to break free from that demonic control."
Mysterious expert? Ben, right?
Gwen rubbed her chin, her gaze assessing the other party, and after a moment, she tentatively asked: "Zeus above, is that right? Are you from Paradise Island?"
Leonia trembled, suddenly raising her head, her sea-blue eyes filled with excitement, she nodded vigorously, her voice slightly trembling from enthusiasm: "Yes! Yes! You actually know about Paradise Island!"
Gwen twitched the corner of her mouth, thinking, she couldn't possibly tell the other party she knew from watching cartoons, could she?
Gwen put on her usual gentle smile, took another step closer, and asked in a soft tone: "Can you tell me your name?"
"My name is Leonia." The Talon, who called herself Leonia, straightened her back, her voice clear and strong, "I am a warrior from Paradise Island, sent here to find the princess of our tribe, but I encountered an accident on the way and was unfortunately controlled by those demons… "
At this, her eyes dimmed for a moment.
"Our princess, Diana, was supposed to return to Paradise Island after escorting the soldier named Steve back to the U.S."
"But for some unknown reason, after so many centuries, she has been wandering outside. Her Highness Queen Hippolyta is worried about her safety, which is why she sent me to find her."
"Along the way, I inquired about the princess's whereabouts while relying on the strong physique of a Paradise Island warrior, working odd jobs to gather travel expenses."
"But during one job, I was inadvertently drugged and ambushed by ill-intentioned individuals. By the time I regained consciousness, I had already become a henchman for those demons, at their mercy…"
At this point, Leonia suddenly looked up anxiously, her eyes filled with worry, and her voice became urgent: "Where are my sword and shield? I brought them from Paradise Island, and they are very important to me!"
Gwen paused, then realized, recalling the longsword that had damaged the Plumbers suit, and the shield covered in Spider Monkey's webs.
Benjamin, who had been standing quietly nearby, scratched his head and said: "If it's a shield and a sword, we brought all of those back."
At the time, they had followed Gwen's tracker, and Qiu Huayan was also with them, so they naturally saw the shield and sword and retrieved them.
No kidding, they knew best how strong the Plumbers suits their boss provided were.
It would have been a real shame not to retrieve a sword that could damage the suit.
Benjamin recalled while looking at Gwen. After seeing Gwen nod, he took out his communication device and quickly contacted Qiu Huayan: "Yan Za! Bring over the sword and shield we brought back from the scene, the boss needs them."
A helpless sigh came from the other end of the communicator.
She really didn't understand why her boss, being the young lady of a prominent local family, was so bad at coming up with nicknames.
She called Qiu Huayan 'Yan Za,' Arcana 'Xiao Qian.' Da Zhuang... what was Da Zhuang's real name again?
No, what about Benjamin? Why didn't that kid have a nickname?
Not long after, Qiu Huayan hurried over, holding the sword and shield.
Leonia's gaze was instantly drawn. She quickly stepped forward, carefully taking the sword and shield with both hands, her fingertips gently caressing the patterns on the blade and the totem on the shield. Her tense body finally relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief, her eyes filled with gratitude.
Gwen crossed her arms over her chest, watching Leonia with interest, and asked: "Leonia, what are your plans for the future?"
Leonia tightened her grip on the sword and shield, lowered her head in thought for a moment, then looked up, her eyes resolute: "I might continue to look for the princess. Her Highness the Queen is still waiting for her to return, I cannot give up."
Gwen raised an eyebrow: "How long have you been looking for Her Highness the Princess?"
Leonia frowned slightly, trying to recall, then sighed and slowly shook her head: "I don't know. It's been decades since I left Paradise Island, and during the days I was controlled by those demons of the Court of Owls, time has long become blurred for me. I have no idea how many years have passed."
When Gwen heard this, she couldn't help but feel that this Amazon was like the Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa.
Hippolyta sent out the Amazon princess, Diana.
Diana never returned.
To find Diana, the Amazon warrior Leonia was sent out.
Leonia also never returned.
Her thoughts strayed for a moment, then Gwen looked intently at Leonia, carefully choosing her words: "Leonia, have you ever considered a different way to find the princess? For example... would you be willing to work for me?"
Leonia's fingers, holding the sword and shield, curled slightly, a conflicted expression on her face.
Yes, as a loyal Amazon warrior, she was somewhat conflicted.
She had been searching for over a decade, and apart from hearing from some old war veterans about a powerful, god-like female warrior on the battlefield, she had received no other news about the princess.
And Gwen, though appearing as an 8-year-old girl, had shown her kindness by freeing her from the demon's control.
Gwen quietly moved closer to Leonia, who was still kneeling on one knee, and said in a gentle tone: "You've been searching for so many years, from one city to another. If you continue to search alone, it's highly likely you still won't find her."
"Don't rush to contradict me yet, there's more. If you search for the princess alone outside, who can guarantee you won't encounter the Court of Owls that controlled you again? Are you going to remain wary of everyone? Or hide your physical abilities that surpass ordinary people?" Her voice paused as she observed Leonia's reaction, "The Court of Owls won't give up easily, and next time, you might not be so lucky."
Leonia bit her lip, staring silently at the ground.
"Here's the thing, I have some resources and connections," Gwen added at the opportune moment, a familiar smile gracing her lips, a smile that the other two Tiangong Society Security Officers present recognized, "As long as you're willing to work for me, I can find a way to help you find that princess."
Leonia suddenly looked up, her eyes igniting with a spark of hope: "Really? Can you?"
Gwen nodded gently, her smile as warm as spring sunshine: "Of course. You exchange labor for remuneration, and I fulfill my promise; it's a transaction."
Leonia lowered her head in thought for a moment, gripping the sword and shield tightly in her hands. When she looked up again, her eyes were firm and solemn: "I am willing to serve."
"In that case, do you have any information about the princess?"
"I apologize, I have seen Her Highness the Princess, but I do not know about the changes in the princess after she came to this country." After thinking for a moment, Leonia added, "Her Highness the Princess's name is Diana."
Gwen nodded.
"I see, Princess Diana."