Meanwhile, in an apartment several kilometers away.
Hearing this promise, Su Modie, who was controlling everything, stretched comfortably, revealing a section of her fair and soft belly.
Unlike Su Modie, a top-tier lazy dog who would never sit if she could lie down, Makima displayed the despair-inducing stamina of the Control Devil.
For her, it was as if she didn't know the meaning of fatigue.
An ordinary person would have been exhausted and looking for a place to collapse after handling a gang purge, soloing The Hand, scaring Madame Gao into a frantic retreat, and conveniently setting a trap for HYDRA. But not Makima; she was like a precision-engineered machine.
After dealing with all these bloody affairs, she didn't go home immediately. Instead, she turned to do another task Su Modie had instructed—
Find a new home.
This had been something of a nagging worry for Su Modie.
Firstly, while that studio apartment in Queens was cozy, as Su Modie's avatars grew in number, that poor double bed had long required them to sleep like a human pyramid. If they kept squeezing in like that, would she really have to make some avatars sleep on the floor?
Su Modie couldn't bear to do that.
Secondly, and most importantly—privacy.
Even though that apartment was relatively high-end with decent soundproofing, it was far from enough when facing S.H.I.E.L.D.
Although that old Braised Egg, Nick Fury, had solemnly promised that as long as Reze became a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant, the agency would grant full trust and never send Agents to monitor them again... anyone who believed that was a total fool.
That old spy's words were like farts; you just listen and move on.
So, with the lease expiring, moving was imperative. Moreover, they had to move into a place where even S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't dare to easily stretch their claws.
Midtown Manhattan, the top floor of Fisk Tower.
This was the surprise Makima had prepared for Su Modie.
Through Wesley's introduction, Makima had directly requisitioned the most luxurious safe house under Fisk's name.
It was a penthouse duplex apartment.
The security for the entire building was handled by Fisk's most core trusted aides.
Of course, they had all been conveniently controlled by Makima.
As long as S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't want to burn all bridges, no matter how powerful they were, they would still find it a bit of a headache to deal with a local power like Fisk, who was skilled at using the law.
Under the cover of night, Su Modie stored all her avatars except Makima, along with Kumashi, into the "warehouse" and got into a black sedan.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current intel was actually quite limited—
Reze was the only known factor, a dangerous Bomb girl under heavy scrutiny.
Perona, much like her ability, was a translucent ghost. They only knew there was a ghost girl capable of making the Hulk depressed, but they didn't know her name, where she lived, or what kind of abilities she possessed, let alone her relationship with Reze and Su Modie.
As for Makima, they hadn't even seen her... though they would likely find out soon.
She couldn't let S.H.I.E.L.D. know any more.
With these thoughts, Su Modie grandly moved into this "gangster palace" above the clouds.
"Wow—!!"
When Su Modie pushed open the heavy mahogany doors, she couldn't help but let out a gasp of awe like someone who had never seen the world.
Before her eyes was a minimalist yet luxurious interior, with vast expanses of white marble flooring reflecting the soft lighting.
The most stunning feature was the entire wall of massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
Standing here, it felt as if the entire glittering night view of Hell's Kitchen, and even half of Manhattan, lay prostrate at her feet.
Comparing floor-to-ceiling windows, the Queens apartment could only see a corner of Queens at most; now it was a complete upgrade to IMAX.
"This is just too amazing..."
Su Modie kicked off her shoes and stepped barefoot onto the wool carpet, which was as soft as a cloud.
She jogged forward and then lunged into the giant sofa in the center of the living room, which was large enough to sleep five people.
Su Modie rolled around on the sofa, the bouncy and soft sensation instantly enveloping her whole body, making her so comfortable she almost hummed out loud.
"Horo-horo-horo! This place is huge!"
Perona also emerged from the warehouse, excitedly holding her little red umbrella as she floated directly to the second floor, spinning in circles above the high-ceilinged living room.
"Come out! Kumashi!"
Amidst a swirl of smoke, Kumashi appeared out of thin air.
"Kumashi! Look! This is the room I found for you!"
Perona pointed to a utility room not far from the entrance.
Though it was called a utility room, for a stuffed toy, it was practically a luxury suite. Plus, being closest to the front door, it perfectly suited its duty as a bodyguard.
Looking at this "mansion" of its own, Kumashi's eyes seemed to brighten.
It crawled inside, overwhelmed by the favor, and made a happy sound.
"Lady Perona, Lady Su Modie, Lady Makima! Banzai!"
Zzz-zzz-zzz—
Just then, a ring of platinum sparks suddenly erupted in the center of the living room.
A portal swirled open, and Lux jumped out like a joyful young deer.
"I heard we moved into a new home?!"
Lux, who had just finished class, hadn't even had time to change out of her deep red Kamar-Taj mage robes.
Yes, current Lux had already been promoted from an introductory apprentice to a senior apprentice because she had given Mordo a sound thrashing during a sparring session.
There was no other way; how could you call a mage who could casually manifest Vishanti's Sacred Sword an 'introductory' student? If she was, how were the other apprentices supposed to live with themselves?
The Ancient One even wanted to promote Lux two ranks directly to a formal mage. Given the talent Lux displayed, she fully deserved it, but Lux refused on the grounds that her 'foundation was not yet stable.'
When Lux saw this luxurious penthouse, her eyes turned into stars.
It wasn't just because of the luxury... she was, after all, a noble lady, and her home in Demacia was much more luxurious than this. It was mainly because Lux immediately rushed toward the two bedrooms at the end of the hallway.
Pushing open the doors, she was greeted by two excessively spacious beds.
The beds were covered with silk bedding that was clearly expensive.
The fluffy down duvets looked like tempting mounds of cream; one could imagine how comfortable it would be to sink into them just by looking. Essential oil diffusers were placed on the nightstands, and the soft, warm lighting created an atmosphere that made one sleepy just by looking at it.
"Oh my god... finally!"
Lux was so moved that she threw herself onto one of the large beds, sinking into the soft bedding in a star shape.
"Finally, I don't have to worry about having no place to sleep when I come back!"
Heaven knows how awkward she had been before.
Because she still had to go to classes at Kamar-Taj, she was a "commuter."
Every weekend when she returned from the Sanctum wanting to enjoy some family warmth, that small apartment was always packed to the gills.
She either had to sleep on the sofa and wake up the next day with a killing pain in her neck,
Or she had to bite the bullet and squeeze into the master bedroom.
The result was... she basically had to sleep on top of Su Modie the whole night.
While Su Modie smelled nice, she didn't have much meat on her bones... she was even a bit bony in places, not to mention Su Modie also felt uncomfortable being pressed down upon.
As for Reze, although she had many grievances against Makima,
Especially due to past prejudices and that nightmare, which made Reze very wary of Makima even though she was also Su Modie's avatar and shared senses with her, she had to admire her methods at this moment.
Reze walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the tiny stream of traffic outside. She gently loosened her collar, no longer needing to worry about whether there was a sniper scope reflecting on the opposite roof or some spy monitoring from a distance... After all, aside from monster-class buildings like Stark Tower, the Empire State Building, and the World Trade Center, there were very few structures in all of New York taller than their building.
It's also worth mentioning that while Su Modie called this building Fisk Tower, the current Fisk was very low-key and not that flamboyant; he wouldn't give his building such an exaggerated name... He wasn't a show-off like Stark... Makima elegantly took off her trench coat and hung it on the rack.
She then walked to the counter of the open kitchen and poured herself a glass of red wine.
She leaned against the counter, her golden eyes watching this warm scene as she gently swirled her wine glass.
With this absolutely safe stronghold, Su Modie could finally let down her guard and properly enjoy some rare, cozy time.
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