Inside the conference room, the discussion had come to an end.
Everyone rose to their feet as Xiao Han and the others prepared to leave.
Clark walked over to Kara.
"No matter where you go, remember this."
"The blood of Krypton will always bind us together."
Kara smiled faintly.
"Thank you, Kal."
"I hope we'll meet again someday."
Diana stepped forward and handed Kara an Amazonian talisman.
"Take this."
"It will keep you safe on your journey."
Barry scratched the back of his head and grinned.
"Hey! Come visit sometime!"
"We can even form a Kryptonian team!"
Xiao Han raised a hand.
Golden sparks spiraled through the air, gradually forming a stable portal.
On the other side...
Was the living room of a villa.
"Ready?"
Wanda asked with a smile as she took Kara's hand.
Kara took a deep breath.
After giving the heroes of this world one final look...
She nodded.
The three of them stepped through the portal.
A flash of golden light...
And they were gone.
Marvel Universe Long Island Villa
"Welcome home, sir."
The villa's AI, Turing, greeted him immediately.
"New visitor detected."
"Access permissions have been updated."
Standing inside the spacious living room, Kara looked around curiously.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows stretched a magnificent blue ocean.
The smart home system automatically adjusted the indoor lighting.
Holographic artwork rotated elegantly across the walls.
"You two certainly know how to enjoy life."
Kara smiled.
Xiao Han took off his coat and casually tossed it onto the sofa.
"That's only natural."
"If you're going to live somewhere, it might as well be comfortable."
Unable to wait any longer, Wanda grabbed Kara's hand and hurried upstairs.
"Come on!"
"I'll help you pick a room!"
"This villa has twelve bedrooms."
Following Wanda up the spiral staircase, Kara couldn't help asking,
"So you actually live here all the time?"
"Don't you have any other teammates?"
"For now..."
"It's just the three of us."
Wanda pushed open one of the bedroom doors.
"How about this one?"
"It faces the ocean and gets the best sunlight."
Kara stepped inside.
She gently ran her fingers across the silky bedsheets before looking out at the endless sea.
"It's much better than an underground prison."
Suddenly remembering something, Wanda's eyes lit up.
"Oh, right!"
"Tomorrow I'll take you sightseeing around New York!"
"There's an amazing dessert shop there."
"I'm sure you'll love it."
From downstairs came Xiao Han's voice.
"Save the travel plans for later."
"Come downstairs."
"It's time for dinner."
Wanda leaned closer and whispered,
"He's always like that."
"But he's a really good person."
Walking onto the balcony, Kara let the warm glow of the setting sun fall across her face.
In this unfamiliar world...
She felt genuine peace for the first time in a very long while.
"Thank you, Wanda."
She spoke softly.
"And thank you, Xiao Han."
Wanda rested against the railing.
Her crimson hair fluttered gently in the sea breeze.
"Welcome to our world, Kara."
Nightfall
The three sat together in the living room.
Outside the massive windows, moonlight shimmered across the ocean.
A faint glow appeared within Kara's eyes—
The unique radiance of a Kryptonian.
Her super-brain began absorbing information about this universe at an astonishing speed.
Countless details flooded into her consciousness like a tidal wave.
Suddenly...
Her pupils contracted sharply.
She leaned forward slightly.
Her fingers instinctively tightened around the sofa's armrest.
Wanda immediately noticed.
"Kara?"
"What's wrong?"
Kara slowly lifted her head.
Her gaze shifted between Wanda and Xiao Han before finally settling on Xiao Han's calm expression.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Her voice had grown tense.
Wanda looked confused.
"Tell you... what?"
Kara inhaled deeply before saying each word clearly.
"Why didn't you tell me..."
"...that I'm a comic book character?"
Wanda froze instantly.
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
Instinctively, she turned toward Xiao Han for help.
He had expected this moment all along.
Raising a hand slightly, he gestured for her to stay calm.
"Easy, Kara."
"In your original world, you're a real, living person."
"In this world, your story happens to exist in comic books."
"But that doesn't change the fact that you're still a real individual."
His voice remained steady.
"I'm the same."
"I don't know why I left my original world and ended up here."
"We're both travelers crossing dimensions."
The golden strands of Kara's hair swayed gently beneath the lights.
The shock in her expression gradually transformed into contemplation.
Thanks to a Kryptonian's extraordinary intellect...
She rapidly processed this astonishing truth.
"So..."
"From your perspective..."
"My entire life..."
"My suffering..."
"My struggles..."
"They're all just stories?"
She asked quietly.
Wanda immediately shook her head.
"No."
"That's not true, Kara."
Looking directly into her eyes, she said earnestly,
"You're here with us right now."
"You're real."
"Your feelings..."
"Everything you've experienced..."
"It's all real."
Xiao Han nodded.
"It's simply a difference in dimensional perception."
"When I first arrived in this universe..."
"I didn't know anyone here either."
"Everything was completely new to me."
Kara remained silent for a while.
Then she suddenly laughed.
"This really is..."
"...a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Her shoulders finally relaxed.
"A Kryptonian discovering she's actually a comic book character..."
"I doubt even my father could have imagined something like that."
Seeing her calm down, Wanda breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm so glad you can accept it."
"Honestly..."
"I didn't dare tell you before."
The atmosphere in the living room quickly became relaxed again.
Outside, waves gently rolled against the shore.
The smart home system automatically brightened the lights.
Wanda stood up.
"Wait here!"
"I'm getting ice cream!"
"This definitely calls for a celebration!"
Watching Wanda disappear toward the kitchen, Kara turned back to Xiao Han and lowered her voice.
"Thank you for being honest."
"...But..."
A playful smile appeared in her eyes.
"I'm suddenly very curious."
"How do the comics describe you?"
Xiao Han coughed awkwardly.
"To be honest..."
"My guess is that I'm some alternate-universe version of a Kryptonian."
Wanda shouted from the kitchen,
"I'm getting hungry!"
"Kara, how about we cook something?"
"My pleasure."
Kara replied before standing up.
As she left, she glanced back at Xiao Han.
"Thank you."
Xiao Han smiled.
"No need."
Ten Minutes Later
Wanda and Kara busied themselves in the kitchen.
The sounds of cooking utensils clinking together mixed with the aroma of food filling the villa.
Wanda enthusiastically introduced various Earth seasonings.
Meanwhile...
Kara used her super-speed to slice vegetables.
Her knife moved so quickly that it became a blur of silver light.
"This is called chili powder in China."
"Though Kryptonians probably won't feel much from it."
"Actually..."
"I can analyze its molecular structure."
"It is indeed quite stimulating."
"Really?"
"Then what about this?"
"My special Hungarian paprika sauce."
Meanwhile...
Xiao Han sat quietly on the living room sofa, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers.
"Turing."
"Anything important to report over the past few days?"
The AI butler's voice echoed from the ceiling.
"Sir."
"Mr. Stark attempted to contact you three times within the past forty-eight hours."
"I informed him that you were temporarily unavailable."
Xiao Han raised an eyebrow.
"Tony?"
"What happened?"
Turing continued,
"It's related to the Hulk."
"Two nights ago, Dr. Bruce Banner was surrounded by General Ross's forces at Culver University."
"According to surveillance records..."
"He deliberately revealed himself in order to protect Miss Betty Ross."