Chapter 26: Father??

“I’m not sure how I managed to break free from Tuki’s control,” Zhong Shenxiu replied.

This time, he was telling the truth—he genuinely didn’t know. Everything was a blur. When he woke up this morning, he truly believed he was the obedient, sweet Zhong Shenxiu, with a chubby little face, two adorable tiger teeth, living in a house made of cookies.

But at some point, he suddenly became aware—damn it, forget about being sweet and obedient.

How could a man of my stature possibly be that cute?

I am Zhong Shenxiu!

And I’m not some brat whining about finding an osmanthus tree!

With that, he returned to normal. In Wanda’s words, he had shaken off Tuki’s control...

Could it be that his mental fortitude was just higher than most? At the moment, Zhong Shenxiu couldn’t think of a better explanation.

But as he pondered, a startling realization struck him—one that could upend everything.

Wanda had just said she heard him say he wanted to find an osmanthus tree, so she made one for him. But at that moment, when those words were spoken, he was still under Tuki’s control!

If that was the case, why did Wanda focus on him in such a large crowd?

There was a flaw in the sequence of events!

Zhong Shenxiu relayed this thought to Wanda, curious to hear her explanation for this logical inconsistency.

To his surprise, Wanda’s cheeks flushed with an unexpected shyness as she replied, a little bashful, “Actually, I noticed you as soon as I arrived. There was something about your presence that felt so familiar, like the one dearest to me in my memories.”

Oh? Are we starting the star-crossed lovers in a past life routine now?

“Who did I remind you of?” Zhong Shenxiu asked, sizing up Wanda’s flawless figure and lovely face.

He thought, I suppose I could accept that—fated loves from a past life, lovers bound together...

“My father,” Wanda said seriously.

What?

Zhong Shenxiu: ???

“Wha... What? Father?” Zhong Shenxiu was dumbfounded by this answer.

If I remind you of your father, why were you blushing?!

He didn’t notice the mischievous, devilish smile spreading across Wanda’s face at her successful prank.

“But honestly, I really don’t know how I broke free from Tuki’s control,” Zhong Shenxiu admitted.

Yet Wanda didn’t seem disappointed at all.

She suddenly sat down in midair, as if perched on an invisible swing, her little feet swinging back and forth, her smile bright and enchanting.

“It’s all right. I’m already very happy just to have spent some time out here playing. My wishes have been fulfilled—to come out and have fun, to find a gentle soul to chat with. But Lü Su, are you really unable to become fair-skinned? You looked so beautiful when you were pale.”

Heh—so you’re really fixated on this skin tone today.

But you may have found peace, whereas I have not. I still have a mission. Chaos magic, no less.

Zhong Shenxiu knew full well the power of chaos magic. It was primordial, embodying the universe’s first formless haze. In the films, Wanda’s use of it could even overpower the Mad Titan.

And with his own 1+1=3 combination technique, his mastery of magic always allowed him to fuse abilities into something even newer and stronger.

Zhong Shenxiu had a hunch—that mysterious, unknown thing he could combine with might just be chaos magic!

Thus, he was determined to complete this main mission at all costs. Even if Wanda didn’t want to leave today, he would find a way to rescue her!

“Can you remember where you’re being kept?” Zhong Shenxiu asked, his eyes fixed on her swinging, delicate feet.

Wanda seemed surprised by the question. After a moment of serious thought, she replied, “It’s very large, very bright, and there are a lot of people...”

She hesitated, then added, “Lü Su, are you coming to find me? Tuki is very fierce...”

Zhong Shenxiu nodded in agreement.

But my desire to obtain chaos magic is fiercer!

Though he only said that to himself.

“Isn’t there any other clue? Like a distinctive building, a special name, or a strange symbol?” Zhong Shenxiu persisted.

Very large, very bright, many people. Such vague answers were no help at all.

Wanda touched her pale lips in thought, then apologized softly, “No, I’m afraid not...”

This left Zhong Shenxiu deep in thought.

The only thing he was certain of was that Wanda’s real body was definitely being held somewhere, and the person beside him was merely a projection formed from her controllable red light—a product of her chaos magic.

But then...

Zhong Shenxiu suddenly realized: Even if this is not her true body, Wanda is right here beside me. Why must I search for her alone?

How foolish of me!

“Wanda, can you sense your real body? Or remember the route you took to escape? Take me there, maybe I can help you break free from Tuki’s control.”

But Wanda only gazed at him with apologetic, soulful eyes.

Slowly, she lifted her right hand. “I’m sorry, Lü Su. I don’t think I can...”

Her once fair hand began to dissolve into flecks of red light, like fading stars, vanishing into nothing.

“Tuki has found me. I don’t think I can remain here much longer...”

Only now did Zhong Shenxiu look closely at Wanda and see that her pale skin was being eroded inch by inch by red light, dissolving into nothingness.

He could still sense her swinging her feet, but could no longer see them...

At this, Zhong Shenxiu fell silent.

“It’s all right, Lü Su. I really am content. I wanted to fly, to play, to find a gentle person to talk to. All of that has come true. Even if from now on I’m trapped in one place until the end of my days, I won’t be afraid anymore.”

“Because I now have the sweetest thing in the world—a beautiful memory.”

Soon, all that remained of Wanda was her lovely face, her pale form now entirely red light.

Her grey eyes looked at Zhong Shenxiu one last time, as if to engrave his image deep in her memory.

“Lü Su, you really are beautiful when you’re fair... Ah, I really wish I could talk with you a little longer... just a little longer...”

Suddenly, an ill-timed breeze blew in from nowhere.

The red motes scattered at once—so fragile, so powerless, leaving not a trace behind.

Zhong Shenxiu reached out and grasped... nothing but empty air.

He didn’t utter another word.

Instead, he changed direction. He no longer intended to head for the crowded towers, but turned toward a small factory on the west side of Ingram Street.

Very large, very bright, many people.

These were the only clues Wanda had left.

Thinking it through, the only places that fit these three criteria would be some kind of secret base, packed with security and research staff.

Given Wanda’s enormous power, no matter what organization held her, she would be of utmost importance. So that “very large” was probably meant in the literal sense.

On Ingram Street, there were almost no aboveground buildings that could be described as truly large.

And logically, for security, most organizations would build such bases underground.

Zhong Shenxiu knew this reasoning was a bit of a stretch—what if it wasn’t on Ingram Street at all, or if the red light had taken over all of New York?

No matter. His style was always to try his first instinct.

After all—

What if he was right?

And if he was wrong, he’d just try again!

So, assuming Wanda was being held in a large underground base, that gave him a starting point.

What’s the most important thing for a secret underground base? Personnel? The secrecy of the research?

Those matter, but something else is even more critical.

Supplies.

An underground base is unlike any other facility, especially if it’s large and densely staffed. Daily needs—water, electricity, essentials, and most importantly, food—place enormous logistical pressure on the base.

Thus, such a base would never be built completely cut off from the surface. On the contrary, its connection to the surface would be close—though well concealed.

Because of its high material demands, the base would require frequent deliveries. Therefore, the surface facility above it would need convenient transportation—at least not muddy or remote roads.

And to hide the constant flow of goods, for both secrecy and practicality, it would adopt a cover identity—like a factory, for instance. After all, factories have trucks going in and out every day; nothing suspicious about that.

And on all of Ingram Street, only the west side has an electronics and machinery plant called Happy Factory!

The only reason Zhong Shenxiu knew about this factory was that he’d heard Ben Parker worked there as an engineer.

Now, his primary target was clear.

Happy Factory.