America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

“We almost ended up in a dead end,” Dr. Storm said thankfully.

Norman Osborne took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, relieved that the secret military project could continue.

Chapter 127 It's the last day of the semester again.

"The white dragon horse, its hooves facing west..."

Li Qun was walking on the road to the Western Paradise carrying the golden cudgel. The monk, wearing a bamboo hat, glanced at Li Qun, who was singing, with displeasure.

After defeating the Great Sage Huangfeng at Huangfeng Ridge and obtaining the Great Sage's Essence, the monk and Liqun had been traveling westward.

Their next destination was the Flaming Mountains. Walking from Huangfeng Ridge to the Flaming Mountains was a journey of 60,000 li (approximately 30,000 kilometers), a treacherous route that could not be completed in just one or two years.

The Yellow Wind Great Sage gave Liqun the pilgrim's attire, which allowed him to walk like the wind, greatly reducing the time spent on his journey to the west.

When the Great Sage Yellow Wind saw Liqun off, he told him a frightening piece of information: it had taken Tang Sanzang about four or five years to travel from Yellow Wind Ridge to Flaming Mountain. Given Tang Sanzang's slow pace, the Great Sage Yellow Wind estimated that Liqun and the white-robed monk would reach Flaming Mountain within two years.

The thought of trekking across the corrupt land, surrounded by demons, for two years was terrifying for Li Qun. Fortunately, he didn't spend all his time in this world; he would come here every day as part of his daily routine to accompany his monk master for a while and refresh the progress.

Li Qun's journey to the west was intertwined with that of the monk. When the monk heard Li Qun singing, the lyrics about "white dragon horse" seemed to be Li Qun teasing him.

"Master, did I sing badly?" Li Qun turned to look at the monk.

"It sounds awful."

"Then I won't sing."

"Do you know where we are now?" The monk glanced at Liqun.

“There’s not a single road marker in these mountains, how could I possibly know what territory this is?” Li Qun replied.

"We are at White Tiger Ridge. There once lived a monster here that the Great Sage hated to the core," the monk said.

"White Tiger Ridge? The White Bone Demon!" Li Qun reacted instantly.

"Do you know where the next place is?" the monk asked again.

“It’s Baoxiang Kingdom,” Li Qun said.

"Are there still any living people in Baoxiang Kingdom? No, does Baoxiang Kingdom still exist?"

"Won't we find out when we get there?" the monk said.

“Master, I remember reading in the book that White Tiger Ridge is also eight hundred li away.”

Is 800 li a long distance?

“It’s not difficult to travel 800 li as the crow flies, but this is in the mountains, and the mountains are particularly steep and deep,” Li Qun said.

"Go this way."

The monk walked in front, and Liqun followed cautiously behind.

An hour later, Li Qun raised his hand and glanced at his watch.

"Master, it's time for me to get ready."

"Let's go back."

……

Li Qun sat up from his father's sofa. His father glanced at Li Qun, and it was time for his father's daily morning exercise to end.

"Did you encounter any monsters today?" the old man asked.

"No."

"Is today the last day of final exams?" Dad asked.

“It’s the last day. Dad, there’s an end-of-semester campus fair after the exams, I’ll be back a little later,” Li Qun said.

"Buying or selling?"

"Accompanying Gwen to sell things."

The old man gave Liqun a meaningful smile.

Li Qun took the bus to school as usual, while Peter had made running to school a habit, and Peter no longer needed Li Qun to accompany him during his workouts.

The bus arrived at the station, and I got off at Liqun.

Peter was resting on a bench at the station when he saw Li Qun get off the train. Peter got up and walked with Li Qun toward the school.

“Gwen? She arrived earlier than us today.”

“Peter, did you notice that car? Gwen drove herself to school,” Li Qun reminded Peter.

“It’s the last day already, isn’t it too late to brag about having a car?” Peter said.

“Peter, Gwen isn’t thinking about showing off. She’s not like Flash, who got her driver’s license and then thought about driving a sports car to school.”

"You two, come here quickly." Gwen beckoned to Li Qun and Peter, and the two strode over.

"Can you hand in your papers early today?" Gwen asked.

"Submit the exam early? What for?" Li Qun asked.

“Of course, we’ll find a good spot to set up our stall in advance; all the goods are already in the truck,” Gwen said.

“What exactly are we going to sell? Gwen, stop keeping me in suspense,” Peter said.

“What does our school have the most of in all of New York?” Gwen asked Peter.

"I do not know."

“He’s a bookworm who loves reading comics,” Gwen said.

"Isn't that a bit too much?" Li Qun asked Gwen.

"I think you'll definitely like it."

Gwen opened the car door, letting Li Qun and Peter see what was inside the carriage.

It was boxes and boxes of secondhand comics.

Peter counted them; there were five boxes of old comics.

"What type is it?" Peter turned to look at Gwen, and Peter was very shocked.

"Various..."

"Should we sell at a low price or a high price?" This is what Liqun cares about more.

“Of course we’ll sell it at a high price; we’re selling comics that have collectible value,” Gwen said.

"Really? Will anyone actually buy it at such a high price?" Peter asked.

“Peter, you don’t understand comics. You’ve read fewer comics than Liqun,” Gwen said.

"Actually, I haven't seen that much, but I know a lot about it."

"Where did you get them from?" Peter asked.

“Other schools let out for summer break earlier than us, and I took some time after school to visit other schools,” Gwen replied.

"...You're really something."

“You all better pray that our old comics will sell well, or I’ll lose money on my first business deal,” Gwen said.

"May God bless us," Li Qun and Peter said in unison.

On the last day of the final exams, there were still two subjects, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Li Qun handed in her foreign language exam early and left school early with Peter and Gwen to meet up by Gwen's car.

"I've found a good spot. Hold onto your cardboard boxes and follow me."

Gwen carried one cardboard box, while Liqun and Peter each carried two boxes, and they moved all the old comics in one go.

Having secured prime spots early on, and with the exam time nearing its end, more and more students emerged from the exam hall, and soon their secondhand comic book stall was surrounded by students.

Stan Lee stood on the periphery, peering intently into the stall.

"Did you guys rob the teachers' office? All the comics the teachers confiscated are here, right?" Stan Lee joked with a laugh.

“No, I didn’t,” Gwen denied firmly.

Li Qun and Peter looked at Gwen with suspicion.

Gwen said that the secondhand comics she collected from other schools were a bit unreliable, with discrepancies in their timelines.

Gwen's secondhand comics have questionable provenance.

"Why do I have a feeling that these boxes of comics all came from the same person?" Li Qun began to deduce based on various details.

“Okay, I admit it. My dad’s old partner asked me to get rid of these comics; they’re his son’s comic books,” Gwen said.

“My God, his son must feel like the sky has fallen when he gets home.” Li Qun felt sad for the other party.

Chapter 128 Stereotypes in College Applications

The comic book originally cost $2.5, but Gwen marked it $3 on a cardboard sign. The price wasn't doubled, and it was easy to get change, so the students gathered around the stall could barely accept the price.

“Hey, you can’t look at it here. You have to pay to buy the comics back,” Gwen shouted.

"Okay, this is all I need to complete the story."

Many people squatted next to the cardboard box, rummaging through it. Gwen let Li Qun collect the money, Peter kept track of the accounts, and she herself kept an eye on the customers to see if they were stealing comics or tearing pages.

Despite Midtown High School having higher admission standards than other public colleges in New York City, there are still quite a few imposters in the school.

"These books are not sold individually; they are a set!!"

"Bargaining? I don't bargain!! Do you know how much effort I put into collecting all these comics?!"

No one dared to talk back to Gwen. Most of the students who bought the comics seemed to be cut from the same mold as Peter—introverted and insecure, especially in front of girls.

Flash tugged at his baseball cap, squatted down in front of the comic book stall, and nudged the younger students who were flipping through comics, asking them to give him a spot.

"Peter! Can I get a discount?" Fleiss asked with a grin.

“My boss is Gwen, you’ll have to ask her.”

“Flash, I won’t give discounts to anyone,” Gwen said.

Flash precisely pulled out a few comic books from the box. These were classic reprints, the first issues of classic DC superhero comics, and they cost $5 each.