"Are you really leaving?"
After packing their luggage, Karl and Di Wu came to the Dao Hall to say goodbye to Gu Yi.
The wounds on Gu Yi's body had already disappeared. Sitting there calmly, he seemed to have expected this long ago.
"Yes. But we'll rest for a while. Maybe a long time, maybe a short time. Either way… we'll come back."
Gu Yi nodded. He didn't try to persuade them to stay, nor did he intend to.
From that day on, Kamar-Taj lost a princess who always brought joy to everyone, and it also lost the strongest man on Earth—Karl.
People only knew that Karl and Di Wan had gone traveling. No one thought too much about it.
Most of them assumed the two of them had gone on their honeymoon.
"You said my skin looks better now? I was just joking! I wasn't trying to make you angry!"
Di Wan roared at the calm and carefree Karl beside her. If they weren't standing on the street right now, she would definitely have beaten him—and not just with her fists.
"Did I say something wrong?" Karl asked calmly.
The two had just left the peak of Karma-Taj and were now in the Celestial Empire of this world.
Shanghai was a large city and very inclusive, so it was the first place they thought of coming to.
After arriving, they rented an apartment. Since they needed daily necessities, they went downstairs to a supermarket.
After buying toiletries, they went on to buy kitchenware—pots, bowls, and utensils.
While shopping, Di Wan suggested making a cold cucumber salad for dinner.
Karl calmly replied, "If there's extra, you can use it yourself."
That single sentence instantly ignited Di Wan's anger. If they hadn't been in a supermarket, she would have confronted him on the spot.
By the time Di Wan was about to explode, they had finally bought everything they needed.
She immediately dragged Karl back to the apartment, murderous intent practically radiating from her steps.
"Boom!"
The door slammed shut.
Karl stood in the living room while Di Wan stood by the door. The two stared at each other.
Di Wan smiled faintly and waved her hand.
In an instant, they entered the Mirror Dimension.
"Let's see if I dare kill you."
Boom—
The entire room began moving in irregular patterns. The ceiling pressed down toward Karl, and the distance between the two of them kept expanding.
What had once been a hundred-square-meter room suddenly transformed into the entire city of Shanghai.
With a wave of Di Wan's hand, the buildings of the city twisted and shifted—some split apart, others warped into strange shapes—all rushing toward Karl in the distance.
"Why are you so angry?"
The voice reached Di Wan's ears.
Karl, who had been far away a moment ago, suddenly appeared beside her, sounding puzzled.
"Are you okay? What do you mean by 'use it yourself'? Can you explain?"
Karl grabbed Di Wan's hand and patted it.
"Maybe you should put on a face mask. I heard cucumbers help lock in moisture."
All matter in the Mirror Dimension instantly froze.
A wave of awkwardness washed over Di Wan.
"Ahem…"
She avoided Karl's gaze.
"I'll go cook."
As if fleeing, she quickly drew a portal with both hands and rushed out of the Mirror Dimension.
Seeing this, Karl burst into laughter and followed her out.
Meanwhile, in a laboratory at Pym Technologies in San Francisco.
"Since I began managing the company for Dr. Pym, I've been studying a particle. By increasing its density and strength, it can change the distance between atoms."
A bald white man named Darren Cross stood at a platform and began his presentation.
"I have no idea why such a revolutionary idea was buried in Hank's dusty, cobweb-covered research papers…"
As he spoke, he picked up a remote and pressed a button.
"But imagine a soldier… a man of his size… becoming as small as an insect."
The screen displayed battlefield records from Hank Pym during the 1970s and 1980s.
The footage zoomed in repeatedly on an extremely tiny particle. After several clips, the final image clearly showed that the tiny speck was actually a person.
"An… Ant-Man."
Darren chuckled at his own words, then walked over to Hank Pym.
"That's what they used to call you, Hank…"
Looking at Dr. Pym, he said, "Hank, please tell our guests—when I ask you my next question, answer with just one word. Is Ant-Man real?"
Dr. Pym looked at Darren and replied coldly,
"That's just a legend."
"Exactly. How could something so unbelievable be real?"
After speaking, Darren glanced at Pym before walking into a corridor. The visitors touring the laboratory followed him.
They arrived at a closed experimental lab filled with advanced technology.
"But Ant-Man inspired me a lot. And everyone should know about Superman."
He looked around at the crowd.
"You all know how powerful Superman is. He's an unstoppable force in this world. No one can restrain him…"
A circular glass display case slowly descended from above.
As the glass zoomed in, it revealed a tiny suit resembling that of a wasp.
"The existence of Superman makes the world difficult to control," Darren continued. "But we can solve that problem. This Wasp Suit can enlarge or shrink steel."
Seeing everyone listening carefully, Darren pressed the controller again.
The screen displayed the suit's capabilities.
The support structure behind the suit resembled insect legs. According to the display, these structures could fire various rays capable of instantly turning animals such as cows and sheep into piles of rotten flesh.
"If a living creature isn't wearing the suit when exposed to Pym particle radiation," Darren explained, "it will be reduced to a mass of flesh. Even Superman wouldn't be able to resist it."
The screen also showed other abilities of the Wasp Suit—growing larger, shrinking smaller, firing lasers, and more.
"Is it just a suit?"
Darren looked toward the man who had spoken. His smile froze.
"Don't be ridiculous, Frank. This isn't ordinary clothing—it's a harness."
Walking up to Frank, he asked, "Aren't you amazed?"
"No, no, I'm absolutely amazed. But I'm also worried. What if the enemy gains access to this technology? Rays that even Superman can't resist…"
"We'll discuss that issue in detail later, Frank. I value your opinion."
Darren cut him off, patted his shoulder, and turned away with a smile.
"Thank you all for coming. Hope!"
Hope van Dyne smiled and said,
"Thank you very much. I'll escort you out. Please follow me."
Meanwhile, back at Kamar-Taj.
"You've been going out to the streets frequently lately. If anyone tries to find Kamar-Taj, bring them here."
At the entrance of the Dao Hall, Gu Yi stood beside Mordo, giving instructions.
Mordo asked, "Is it him?"
Gu Yi nodded slightly.
"He should be arriving soon."
"But I don't know what he looks like."
"A white man in ragged clothes."
Mordo nodded and walked out of the hall.
Once the hall was empty, Gu Yi no longer maintained his usual calm demeanor. He frowned and closed his eyes in deep thought.
"Visitors from other worlds… are becoming more frequent."
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