thefictionvixens Page 1386
Page 1386
Mr. Reynolds, seemingly calmed by his assurance, instructed Xu Fu to continue hanging the remaining ornaments before heading towards his elderly mother. He took a few steps, then looked back, as if remembering something: "Remember, don't use magic. We haven't needed Superman for Christmas in a long time; I'd rather my son decorate the baby himself."
“Okay, got it,” Xu Fu waved his hand, abandoning the idea of completing everything in a second at lightning speed. “I will slowly hang them up one by one, but as a reward,” he said with a smile as he unwrapped a candied hawthorn, “I want one too. I think that way we’ll become accomplices.”
After Mr. Reynolds entered the house, Xu Fu, with a candied hawthorn skewer dangling from his mouth, completed his assigned task and leisurely hung up the Christmas decorations. He placed a white-winged angel and a small golden star on top of the Christmas tree, comparing them back and forth, and finally chose the pure white angel. Afterwards, he revealed a somewhat strange smile.
For some reason, this little angel in white reminded him of Kara.
In the next room, the Reynolds were whispering about what gift to put in Xu Fu's stocking this year. Xu Fu could hear every syllable they spoke, but he pretended not to. To be honest, he didn't want any gift. For someone who could access the universe and the stars, the meaning of a gift far outweighed its monetary value.
He only wanted to do one thing: that in the new year, no matter how high or far he flew, there would always be a warm home waiting for him on Earth.
Xu Fu thought loudly, his gaze unconsciously returning to the little angel with its feathers scattered.
Speaking of which, Kara should be going on vacation after today, right?
In the afternoon, in Nassino town.
When Xu Fu suddenly appeared in Kara's office, she instinctively showed a look of surprise and delight, accidentally knocking the files piled on her desk to the ground. She hurriedly knelt down to pick them up, feigning a snort as she said to Xu Fu, who was helping her clean up, "This is all your fault. Who told you to come here?"
Xu Fu made an innocent expression: "You said today is your last day at work, and I think you might want your super cute boyfriend to pick you up and take you home?"
"Tsk tsk, who cares if you answer or not?" Kara stuck out her pink tongue, then smiled slyly, "Unless you bring me a Christmas present."
Just as Xu Fu was about to say something, their flirting was interrupted by a loud shout: "Kara!"
Carla's expression changed, and she jumped up like a spring. She hurriedly turned around and adjusted her thick glasses that had slipped down her nose: "Ms. Grant, it's not what you see. Of course I don't date during work hours."
Xu Fu covered her face with her hands, feeling very embarrassed. What complicated calculations did her super brain make to decide to explain things to her boss in this way?
This makes it even more fascinating.
Ms. Grant stood with her arms crossed, one hand resting on the half-open office door, her face expressionless. She rolled her eyes at Carla, then turned her gaze to Xu Fu, smiling weakly, "Long time no see, child. It's good to see you still as energetic as ever. How is Charles?"
“Dad, he’s fine, thank you for your concern.” Xu Fu replied politely, “You look radiant too.”
"Give my Christmas greetings to Charles." Ms. Grant smiled slightly, then turned her gaze to the anxious Carla: "Carla, I just wanted to let you know that your work for the year is done. There's nothing more for me here, you can go home now."
Kara blinked her beautiful big eyes twice, seemingly unable to answer for a moment.
She cautiously confirmed, "I'm sorry, you meant to say..."
“That means you’re on vacation unless you want to spend more time here with me than with your boyfriend.” After saying this, Ms. Grant went back to her office, leaving behind her last words before closing the door: “Carla, Merry Christmas, it’s been a tough year.”
Kara stood there stunned for a few seconds, then a joyful smile gradually appeared on her face.
“Rao is up there!” she exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Xu Fu’s hand. Xu Fu estimated that her hand must weigh nearly a hundred tons, enough to crush any normal person’s hand into pieces. “Is that really my boss? Is she some kind of evil alien cyborg? Because this doesn’t sound like her at all.”
“See? I told you Ms. Grant wasn’t a horned devil; she’s actually a very good person,” Xu Fu said with a smile. “Perhaps you should reconsider your resignation.”
“Resign? When did I say that? I never even thought about it!” Kara seemed to finally realize that she had been holding Xu Fu’s arm too tightly, and she released Xu Fu’s hand in confusion.
Xu Fu rubbed his elbows and knuckles with concern. "Speaking of which, is the bar downstairs still open? I really want to try their chocolate cocoa."
Chapter 1728 The Tragedy of Christmas
As heavy snow blanketed Metropolis, Gotham City also experienced its first snowfall of the year. Night fell, and Gotham remained shrouded in smog, the gloomy atmosphere of the day intensifying at night. But this night's snowfall brought a touch of lightness: it turned all the city's grey rooftops white, adding a touch of life even to a city like Gotham.
Christmas lights adorned the streets of Gotham, and the festive atmosphere permeated every corner of the city, even the most corrupt neighborhoods of Naya Island. The infamous "Crime Alley" where Thomas Wayne and his wife were shot was now covered in snow, like a pristine white carpet, making even the city's dirtiest corners appear more pleasing to the eye.
Even though she grew up in Gotham, Helena Wayne couldn't shake the feeling of disbelief that the city even existed at this time of year. She thought she knew Gotham well enough—its rooftops, every street and alley, and the intricate workings of its sewers. But Christmas Eve in Gotham always reminded her that she didn't know enough.
After a busy year, most families take a short break and celebrate at this special time of year, gathering around bright Christmas candles to share their hopes for the new year. But not everyone has such a luxury, at least not Helena. While unusual families gather around the table singing Christmas carols, she usually sits alone in a snow-covered chapel, occasionally exchanging a few words with the stone golem beside her, illuminating her loneliness. Meanwhile, she knows her father is somewhere in Gotham City: perhaps he's on an IV drip chatting with statues, or perhaps he's tirelessly hunting down overworked criminals on Christmas Eve, delivering even more severe fractures than usual as Christmas gifts.
Yes, Helena hasn't returned to Wayne Manor every Christmas for the past six years, but she has returned to Gotham City every year, for reasons she can't quite explain.
Christmas was approaching, and Helena had returned to Gotham, but this time was different: she was here on a mission. She sat on the edge of a snow-covered building, a perfect vantage point overlooking the buildings across the street. The cold wind, laden with snowflakes, whipped across her masked face, ruffling her black hair and purple cloak.
“Shockwave,” she whispered, pressing her earpiece lightly. “Report the situation.”
"If I had known I'd have to work overtime at this hour, I might have reconsidered taking this job," Cisco muttered to himself, sitting in a minivan on the street outside the building.
"What did you say?"
“No, it’s nothing.” Cisco quickly raised his voice, for some reason he was a little afraid of his capable and handsome partner. “I just said the drones will be here soon.”
A sleek black drone hovered over the snow-covered ground. It was small enough to fit in the palm of an adult's hand. It took off slowly with a buzzing sound like a mosquito, its short propellers swirling snowflakes into faint white vortices. Remotely controlled, Cisco climbed more than forty stories, circled half of the building's glass facade, and finally hovered over a protruding balcony.
A miniature camera mounted on the truck captured scenes of the open-air balcony and the room behind the glass, and the entire set of images was synchronized with a computer screen on the truck. Cisco adjusted the angle and then synchronized the information with the huntress standing on the roof of a building across the street.
“There’s a protruding balcony outside the building at three o’clock, with only two guards there. One’s smoking, and the other’s in the corridor—it’s the easiest way to get in.” Cisco paused for a moment, then asked hesitantly, “Are you sure we should do this? I mean, we’ve been told to follow up on the Knights’ investigation ourselves, but shouldn’t we report back before taking action?”
“Excessive screening procedures and orders will cause delays, which is an unnecessary waste of time. Sometimes, field agents must learn to adapt to changing circumstances.” Helena’s voice on the communicator was almost as cold as the snowy night wind. “In addition, we are at a very important moment right now. This building is the stronghold of a gang in Gotham. Recently, my informant told me that the Knights have arrived in Gotham and have some kind of cooperation with the gang, but they may leave soon. This may be our best opportunity, and I will not give up such an opportunity because of unnecessary and inefficient procedures.”
· ·Requesting flowers····· ·······
“Okay, I understand,” Sisco said helplessly. “You’re still the boss.”
“I’m not forcing you to help me. If you want to notify Waller, that’s your prerogative. I can do it all by myself.”
“No, no, I don’t want to appear unhappy.” Cisco waved his hands back and forth, completely oblivious to the fact that the person he was speaking to couldn’t see anything.
0...
“Very well, then I’m going in.” Helena straightened up, her dark purple boots clicking on the snow at the edge of the building. “Communications and surveillance are up to you.”
The grappling hook pierced through the snow-covered fabric, slipping almost imperceptibly along the outer edge of the target building. The huntress leaped down, her cloak billowing in the cold wind like a pair of purplish-black wings. Her body was graceful and elegant, like a seductive yet deadly vampire in the night.
She landed silently on the glass roof of the balcony, her boots scraping against the light snow, but the careless guard was completely oblivious and didn't notice her at all. Helena landed easily, instantly pinning him down with her arthritis technique, then tossed him off her shoulder and to the ground with a swift, deft chop to the neck, knocking him to the ground.
The guy who tried to flirt with the cleaning lady in the hallway seemed to have failed, and he walked back to his post dejectedly. As the huntress opened the balcony door, he unfortunately bumped into her and was knocked to the ground in the next two seconds, lying next to his unconscious companion.
“The balcony is safe.” Helena walked into the hallway, put on her cloak, and said, “Prepare to enter.”
“Understood, monitoring, corner ahead is safe.” Cisco maneuvered the drone to scout the area around the building for her. “By the way, those hands are cool.”
Chapter 1729 Invitation
Kara held the little music box in her hand, her happy expression like that of a little girl who had received a plush toy, and her smile revealed two adorable dimples.
Xu Fu had been a little worried that Carla wouldn't like this simple Christmas gift, but seeing the happy expression on her face, he breathed a sigh of relief. As it turned out, he had really gone too far. Carla looked very happy and couldn't wait to kiss him, showing no sign of displeasure.
"Do you like it?" he asked, still as casually as ever.
“Are you kidding me? I love it.” Kara closed the music box, carefully took it out of the exquisite gift box, and retied the red ribbon, as if it were a priceless treasure.
"I haven't received a Christmas present for many years." Perhaps for the same reason, I don't look forward to the Christmas holidays like others. While others come home to a sumptuous dinner, candles, and a Christmas tree, I only see a messy apartment, quiet as always every night.
Before uttering the last word, she hesitated for a moment. Xu Fu, "063," thought that perhaps she wanted to say "loneliness," but deliberately avoided the word, as if it would comfort her. He knew that Kara always inevitably felt this way when relatives gathered for holidays. Clark had grown up alone; he was different. From as far back as he could remember, he had grown up on Earth, in a comfortable farmhouse in Kansas, always waiting for him to return. On the other hand, Kara grew up on Krypton, and the memory of her parents, family, and friends being burned to death in Krypton's devastating explosion remained real and cruel to her, as if she dreamed of them every day.
This is a pain that neither Clark, the Kryptonian orphan, nor Xu Fu, the traveler, can comprehend; it may be a scar that can never be erased, no matter how many years pass.
Thinking of this, a hint of pity crept into his gaze as he looked at Kara. He hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing his words, before saying, "Unless you have someone to spend Christmas with."
“Don’t worry about me,” Kara said with a smile and a wave of her hand. “I might spend a few days at my cousin’s farm in Kent, or watch some good TV shows to kill the rest of the holiday, like I always do every Christmas.”
"All right"
It seemed she wasn't planning to spend Christmas with him, and Xu Fu couldn't help but feel a little frustrated, perhaps because their relationship hadn't developed as he had imagined.
For the rest of the time, they remained silent, intently drinking their hot beverages. It wasn't until they had consumed more than half of their hot chocolate and cocoa that Kara seemed somewhat taken aback: "Wait, were you just inviting me to spend Christmas with you?"
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"
“It’s okay, they all love you. Like I said, they can’t wait to treat you like their own daughter.”
At this moment, Gotham
Cisco took over all security for the building, and all the surveillance cameras were reporting "everything is normal," but he was unaware that a fatal security breach had infiltrated the building and was rapidly approaching its center.
However, Huntress has been to hundreds of more challenging locations and seen some truly amazing toys, so-called "best equipment" on the market may just be a playground prop.
The Huntress is agile, mobile, and capable of stealth. Cisco's drones allow her to survey the building from all angles, analyze the data, make swift decisions, and choose the most opportune moment to attack her targets. Once the shadow of the purple cloak appears in the Huntress's field of vision, each target she chooses will lose consciousness for up to two seconds.
“Okay, so far so good.” Cisco watched through the drone's camera as his partner delivered a pressure point kick, slamming a burly man wielding a fire axe against the wall. “Now turn the corner and keep going straight. At the end of the corner, there's an elevator that will take you directly to the top floor, which is the enemy leader's office—the only entrance. So far, no one has found you, but as you know, the final act of a dungeon is often the hardest.”
"Enough with the nonsense, Shockwave!" Helena picked up her boots, stepped over the two thugs lying on the ground, and said, "Focus on the task at hand."
"Yes, madam, your phone is ringing."
Just as the huntress silently entered the building and approached the top floor, the building's owner, who was also the gang leader in charge of this neighborhood, was sitting in his top-floor office, talking across the desk to the man who was supposedly the leader of the "Knights."
This was a very strange scene. This gangster boss, who was used to being arrogant and domineering, always considered himself a worldly and fearless tough guy. But now, the room was filled with five fully armed weapons and a group of elites he had personally selected. The spiritual energy field around them was completely shrouded by the man in black in front of them. Even their hooded cloaks were suppressed by this man. The cold spiritual energy permeated the brightly lit room like an invisible chill, making everyone feel cold in their hands and feet. They felt as if they were bound, and dared not make the slightest unusual move.
"I must thank you for your assistance over the past few days, which has facilitated our Order's activities." The masked leader's tone was cold, yet still polite. "We welcome the opportunity to cooperate, but our activities in Gotham have come to an end. We will be leaving Gotham tomorrow, at which time you can reclaim the abandoned warehouse we occupied on Nyard Island."
“It’s an honor to help you. As far as I know, your organization has been stirring up tensions within the government lately, which is truly admirable.” The leader offered a fake, polite smile. “But given the nature of your organization and the rumors circulating on the streets, you don’t expect me to believe you’ve come to Gotham just to spread your doctrines, do you?”
"To spread the teachings from the center, to awaken more people, to let them hear the screams of this dying planet—this is the Knights' mission," the leader said in a salty tone.
The leader said in a low voice, “Listen, I’m not a bad partner. You said you needed a space, and I provided it; you said you didn’t want to attract the attention of the Gotham police or the local Batman, and I did that for you. You said it was all for spreading ideas and developing the community, and I agreed, but don’t take me for a fool.”
The leader leaned forward and said meaningfully, "I know what you're planning. Whatever it is, it's definitely something big. I've helped you so much, I'd like to join in too."
The chief was silent for a moment, then a serpentine smile appeared from the shadow of his hood, as if to confuse the chief.
People are always like this; they firmly believe that everything begins with self-interest, and that the ultimate goal of all movements is money and power. This idea is both pathetic and superficial, yet incredibly typical.
The chief seemed to ponder for a moment, then said softly, "Speaking of which, it seems that my new friend has also arrived."
Confused by his sudden change of topic, the team leader stood frozen, instinctively asking, "Where to? Gotham?"
"How about this, if you help me get rid of her, I'll consider letting you join our business."
"Her? Or a woman?" The gangster's lips curled into a sly smile. "I just enjoy dealing with women's problems."