Kamen Rider ZZZ from the American comic book world

“You’re right.” Black Widow smiled slightly.

"Avengers, please fasten your seatbelts. The estimated duration of this journey is..."

Jarvis's electronic voice rang out in the cabin, the fighter jet's engine thrust gradually increased, the fuselage slowly rose into the air, broke through the clouds, and carried the three of them back towards New York.

After a while, the Quinjet came to a stop in the Avenger hangar, and three figures disembarked.

The journey was not smooth, as they encountered sudden severe convective weather along the way, and even ace pilot Hawkeye almost crashed the plane.

Black Widow and Hawkeye were to stay at the base, and Li Ai was about to go to the underground training room when a message suddenly popped up on his glasses.

Shirley: Do you have time? I'd like to buy you a coffee.

"Asurada, help me edit a message for Shirley: 'Okay, you can send me the address.'" Li Ai said with a smile, looking at the message on her glasses.

"Received." Asrada's voice rang in his ears as he simultaneously edited and sent the message.

Li Ai turned around and went back to her personal lounge, took off her agent uniform, changed into a simple dark casual outfit, put on a black trench coat, and then drove out of the base.

The winter afternoon sun was shining brightly, and the aroma of baking wafted from the corner café.

As soon as Li Ai entered, she saw Shirley sitting by the window. She was wearing a beige knitted sweater, with two hot lattes in front of her and two tightly packed cardboard boxes next to her.

“You came pretty quickly.” Shirley smiled and waved, gesturing for Li Ai to sit opposite her. “I thought you would be very busy.”

"It's alright, actually. After all, it's not like I have to get involved in everything." Li Ai pulled out a chair and sat down, her gaze falling on the two boxes. She asked:

"Who are those two?"

“Thank you for the gift. You’ve given me some really nice gear.” Shirley placed one of the smaller boxes in front of him and smiled. “It’s nothing expensive, but I think a guy your age would like it.”

Li Ai opened the packaging, revealing a brand new PS3 console and an additional game controller.

Li Ai was quite satisfied with the gift. He glanced at the box still placed next to Shirley and asked curiously:

"Is the other box full of game discs?"

“That’s right.” Shirley stirred her latte with a spoon, her tone relaxed.

“Leon told me at work that you don’t live like a high school student at all, so I wanted to give you a thank-you gift that can help you relax.”

"You're so thoughtful." Li Ai closed the box and placed it next to her. Shirley then handed Li Ai another box containing game discs.

Looking at the brand-new PS3 and a box full of game discs, Li Ai smiled brightly, "But I can't leave this at home, my mom will definitely nag me if she sees it."

"Put it wherever you can have fun." Shirley smiled, her eyes crinkling, and without asking for details, she changed the subject, asking curiously:

"By the way, since you're still in high school in New York, will your parents go to parent-teacher conferences?"

“They’re usually very busy.” Li Ai picked up her cup and took a small sip of coffee.

Upon hearing this, Shirley suggested, "How about I attend the parent-teacher conference for you?"

"What?" Li Ai's hand holding the cup froze in mid-air. She looked up at her, somewhat taken aback.

“Because I didn’t receive much love from my parents before, I want to help people in the same situation,” Shirley explained, waving her hand.

Li Ai put down her cup, smiled and shook her head: "Apart from this, they have taken good care of me. But you can go if you want."

“Do I look too young?” Shirley raised an eyebrow and tapped the rim of her glass lightly with her fingertip, gesturing for Li Ai to drink.

“I have a club instructor who’s about your age.” Li Ai understood immediately and clinked her glass against Shirley’s. “If I really need anything, I’ll ask you first.”

"It's a word."

After a soft sound, Shirley and Li Ai put down their cups.

"By the way, do you have time to participate in these activities?" Li Ai asked curiously.

"Don't forget your dad's my supervisor." Shirley smiled smugly, but her tone quickly turned serious. She spread her hands, saying helplessly:

"Perhaps because he learned about my previous arduous training from others, he tried to give me an easier job. He even wanted me to transfer to an administrative position so that I wouldn't have to participate in dangerous field missions."

“Is that so…” Li Ai responded softly.

“I want to continue playing a role in the fight against superhuman threats and bioterrorism.” Shirley looked down and twirled her coffee cup.

“I can help you persuade him,” Li Ai suggested, “but the level of danger is gradually increasing, so I will wait until your enhancement serum is completed before talking to him.”

Sherry raised her hand to smooth her hair, smiled, and joked, "I actually want a suit of armor like Leon's."

“Okay.” Li Ai took the joke seriously and readily agreed, “but we’ll have to wait in line.”

“You really treat me like an older sister,” Shirley said, looking into Li Ai’s earnest eyes.

"After all, those two viruses have forged a subtle connection between us, and there's also the incident with Mr. Shining and the East Slavic country. You could say we've shared life-or-death experiences." Li Ai finished her latte in one gulp and gestured for him to join her.

Do you need me to give you a ride?

“I wouldn’t refuse my brother’s invitation.” Shirley waved to the waiter to settle the bill, and in high spirits, she even gave a generous tip.

Chapter 149 Li Ai: A Familiar Feeling

Late at night, the whole of New York City quieted down. Norman, who had been busy all day, leaned against the headboard and looked at a report on cross-species serum experiments submitted by Dr. Connors.

“Harry…we’ll be free from that curse soon.”

Norman, his eyes filled with hope, put the report in the bedside table drawer, lay down, and soon fell into a deep sleep due to the exhaustion accumulated over the past few days, entering a dream.

In my dream, it was a sunny day with a gentle breeze.

Sunlight streamed onto the neatly trimmed lawn, and in the center of the garden stood an archway made of roses, where the laughter of guests mingled with the clinking of champagne glasses.

Norman stood at the end of the red carpet, watching Harry, dressed in a black tuxedo, walk toward him.

In the dream, Harry was calm and capable, with broad shoulders and a knowledgeable appearance, completely unlike the academic failure in reality who felt like he was dying for every subject he failed.

"Dad, I'm nervous."

Despite saying that, Harry couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

Norman patted his son on the shoulder and comforted him gently, "Don't panic. You're the chairman of the Osborne Group now. You can't afford to back down now. Hurry up and leave. Don't keep the girl waiting."

After a while, the wedding march began, and the bride, wearing a white veil, walked down the red carpet with the help of her father.

Norman stood in the front row of the guest section, watching his son become a husband, listening to the applause and blessings from the audience, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Time flies when you're in a dream.

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding scenery changed rapidly, as if many years had passed.

Harry took the reins of the Osborne Corporation with ease, and he did even better than Norman had anticipated. He turned the company into the world's number one pharmaceutical group, with a market value that far surpassed Stark International's.

Later, Norman heard a baby crying outside the delivery room, which meant he had become a grandfather.

Norman, who resigned from all his positions, devoted himself to nurturing the next generation of the Osborne family heirs, and he even felt that this happiness would last forever.

But this perfect ending shattered without warning.

It was a sunny day, and Norman was sitting in the garden pondering what to teach his grandson next when the butler stumbled in, his face as white as a sheet, and said in a panic:

"Master Norman, something has happened to Harry and the others!"

At that moment, Norman heard a buzzing sound, as if something had exploded in his mind, and his heartbeat suddenly stopped for half a beat.

Harry took his wife and children to a country estate for a holiday. On the way back, the brakes failed, and the car plunged off the mountain road.

The pungent smell of disinfectant in the hospital morgue was nauseating, and the three bodies under the white sheet were cold and stiff.

Norman stood by the bed and reached out to touch Harry's face, but before he could touch his son's face, his legs could no longer support his aged body, and he fainted.

In an instant, Norman's hair turned white. He lay on the ground, his fingers digging into his palms, and he said unwillingly:

"Why does Harry have to suffer all of this! Why can't I bear this pain! Why!"

Hahaha! Hahahaha!

A sharp and eerie laugh suddenly rang out in the empty morgue.

Norman tried to get up, but he couldn't even move a finger, as if he were pinned to the ground by some unknown force.

A cloud of green mist drifted in from all directions, eventually coalescing on the ceiling to form a hideous demonic face.

"Who are you?!" Norman exclaimed in terror as he continued to struggle.

"I am you, and you are me." The green-faced demon's mouth opened and closed, tempting him:

"The important thing is that I can change all of this."

"What did you say?" Norman asked, his eyes wide.

"I said I'd bring all your loved ones back to life." The demonic face floated down from the ceiling, approaching Norman's face, green mist enveloping his body, and seduced him:

"As long as you make a contract with me, I can give you anything you want."

Norman was so affected by this force that he couldn't distinguish between reality and dreams. His mind kept replaying the scenes of his loved ones' tragic deaths. Just as he was about to speak, a voice suddenly came to his ear.

"Dad, please sign my failing test paper."

The voice was like light tearing through the darkness, and the green demon's face gave a sheepish smile, saying in a sarcastic tone:

"We'll meet again, Norman Osborn. I'll torment your Osborn family forever!"

Norman woke up with a buzzing in his head. He didn't feel refreshed after his nap; instead, he felt extremely tired.

Norman clutched his chest. Harry was standing by the bed, and the sky outside the window was already turning a pale white.

Norman suppressed his fear of the incredibly realistic dream, looked at the flustered Harry, and asked:

"You just said there are more failed test reports?"

“He also asked my parents to come to the school at some time.” Harry lowered his head, avoiding Norman’s gaze.

“Harry, you really are…” Norman sighed, unable to bring himself to say anything stern. “Fine, I’ll go to your school.”

....................................

Monday, lunchtime

Because the others were assigned to the second group of meals by the school today, Li Ai had far fewer people around her, only Nancy, Flynn, and Flynn's girlfriend 'Emily'.

Flynn's girlfriend also dyed her hair red, and the two wore matching outfits every day, behaving in sync to the point of giving the impression of twins.

"Hey, newbie, how's it going at Midtown High School?" Emily asked Nancy familiarly, just like Flynn, she was a chatterbox.

Nancy glanced at Li Ai beside her, her eyes crinkling into crescents, and said happily, "As long as there are people I care about here, it feels amazing!"

“I agree!” Emily replied.

The conversation between the two girls made Li Ai and Flynn chuckle repeatedly.

At that moment, a swaying figure appeared in Li Ai's field of vision. He was holding a plate, and some of the borscht had spilled out because of the shaking.

“Harry?” Li Ai recognized him immediately. He got up from his seat, helped Harry to sit beside him, patted Harry on the back, and asked:

"Even if you play games all night, it doesn't have to be like this, does it?"

"I wish I could play games all night long," Harry said listlessly, his head drooping.

"I had a nightmare last night, and when I woke up I had back pain and felt very tired."

"Could you have encountered a ghost?" Emily, who loved the occult, exclaimed excitedly. "Do you want me to give you some runestones to see if they'll work?"

“Never mind, I believe in science.” Harry waved his hand, refusing weakly. “My dad has already booked a full check-up at a private hospital for me. I’ll go after school.”

Emily looked disappointed.

But when Li Ai and Nancy saw the bloodshot eyes in Harry's eyes and the lingering weariness between his brows, they exchanged a silent glance.

They were all too familiar with this feeling, as if they had truly experienced all the torment in a nightmare and could not completely shake it off even after waking up.

Chapter 150 Elimination Capsules

"I think you'd better go home and get some rest." Li Ai patted Harry on the back and discreetly placed a tracking device on him.

Li Ai has been investigating the mysterious buyer who purchased the Massimov siblings these past few days and hasn't paid much attention to the Osborne family's situation.

"How can you learn anything like this?" Nancy asked, trying to get Harry's attention.

Harry, sporting panda-like dark circles under his eyes, smiled and waved. He appreciated the kindness of his seniors, but remained nonchalant, saying:

"It's okay, my grades are bad anyway, so it doesn't really matter whether I study or not."

“After all, he has a family fortune to inherit,” Flynn remarked.