After the Calm

The torrential rain was gradually letting up. It had come quickly and gone just as fast, leaving people with barely any time to react.

A beam of sunlight pierced the clouds, slowly spilling through the cover and onto the ground, gathering over the former site of the White House, which had long since become ruins.

The people in New Times Square scattered in all directions. The downpour had interrupted their fighting, and this escalating war could no longer continue.

Every faction was pulling back its sphere of influence. Hydra had been destroyed, Red Skull had fallen, superheroes from another world and Thor had appeared—one terrifying headline-worthy piece of news after another was laid before them, crushing them until they could barely breathe.

The leaders of those factions urgently needed to discuss their next moves. The arrival of a new world was foreseeable, but no one knew what this world would become. They had to prepare.

The shaken mercenaries and reporters who had risked their lives to get here also fled from New Babylon. They desperately wanted to spread the news of what had happened here and announce it to the world.

Although Red Skull’s live broadcast had already shown the battle here to the entire world, a video was still just a video. Those who had experienced it firsthand naturally intended to embellish the story before spreading it far and wide.

At that moment, the magnificent city Red Skull had built with his own hands had become nothing but collapsed ruins.

The streets were littered with shattered storefront glass. Blast craters and shell holes filled every corner of the city. People rushed to treat the wounded before finding empty buildings to hide in. After fighting for so long, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Hydra’s soldiers had already been routed. They retreated through every secret passage leading out of the city, but everyone knew Hydra was finished. Beating a dog when it was down was the first rule of the wasteland.

Helping Ashley to the surface, Black Canary quickly spotted the drenched Pietro.

When Mjolnir descended and lightning blasted through Hydra’s bunker, the gravitational field controlling Pietro had already been destroyed. It was just that the spreading lightning had been too terrifying for Pietro to approach immediately.

"Things got pretty wild, huh?" Pietro joked.

Having survived the disaster, Black Canary and Ashley both smiled faintly. After everything they had been through, all they wanted was a good rest—maybe a bath and some sleep.

"What about those Hydra people outside? Where’s Red Skull? Did they get Jason out?" Black Canary could not help asking.

"Don’t worry. The battle was already over by the time I got here. They’re just wrapping things up now. I just didn’t expect Bullseye to still be a threat here," Pietro replied.

Bzzzt.

A burst of static crackled through the earpiece. With the signal jamming gone, communications returned to normal.

Then a voice sounded.

".Lance, is that you?"

Hearing that voice, Black Canary froze as though time itself had stopped.

After several seconds, Black Canary hurriedly asked, "Jason! Yes, it’s me. I’m Lance. I’m so glad you’re okay."

"They told me the Justice League outside was fake, some kind of phantom extracted from your memories. I don’t really understand."

"It’s okay. Wait for me. Where are you? I’m coming to find you right now." Black Canary anxiously cut Jason off, the hammer in her hand whistling through the air as though she might leap away at any moment.

Pietro and Ashley understood Black Canary’s feelings well. Two people from the same hometown meeting in another world was truly something exciting, so they quietly stayed to the side without disturbing her.

After chatting for a while longer, Black Canary could no longer suppress her emotions. She only wanted to appear in front of Jason immediately and tell him properly about everything she had gone through lately.

"Alright, we’re the only ones who haven’t regrouped yet. I’ll take you to Zhang Ye and the others." Pietro shook his head helplessly, then walked over to Ashley and raised an eyebrow. "Want me to carry you?"

"No. You’re all damp," Ashley said, curling her lip.

"I’ll carry Ashley. Quicksilver, please lead the way." Black Canary swept Ashley into her arms, then smiled happily and nodded at Pietro.

"Alright, stay close."

Putting on his goggles, Pietro shot off in the blink of an eye. The standing water on the road scattered instantly, leaving a clear path behind him.

Receiving Thor’s inheritance had not merely granted Black Canary divine power and the ability to command lightning. She had also inherited some of Thor’s memories.

Those memories thoroughly described how to use divine power, as well as how to fight and fly with Mjolnir. This allowed Black Canary to quickly learn how to control her new abilities.

However, whether she could develop a fighting style uniquely her own from those abilities would depend on Black Canary’s own insight and creativity going forward.

Everyone gathered in the wine cellar, and a historic moment was born.

A raven stood on a branch outside the ruins, its gaze passing through the ground and obstructions as it curiously observed the people gathered underground.

After the battle, Zhang Ye and the others gathered together. They silently expressed their gratitude to the owner of the wine cellar, then raised their glasses.

"The plan was a huge success. I mean, it went even better than I expected. That was incredible, Zhang Ye. You should’ve told me earlier that you had such powerful abilities. I’d say even Doctor Strange can’t compare to you." Old Barton laughed heartily.

"Flattering me won’t get you another glass, old man. You’ve had enough. It won’t help your injuries heal."

"These are just minor injuries. It’s nothing more than a mosquito bite." Old Barton did not care in the slightest.

At that moment, Ashley spoke. "Zhang Ye, can my dad’s eyes really not be healed? I remember you have Eyeball Man’s—"

"They can be healed." Zhang Ye spoke directly. "Magic can solve this problem easily. I’ll find a way to bear the cost for you as well. Red Skull severed the inheritance of magic before, but things are different now."

"Magic exists in this world again?" Old Barton asked curiously.

"More or less. I planted a seed from another world’s magic in this world. As for how it will grow and sprout, that depends on this world’s source power."

Zhang Ye took a sip of wine, then smiled at Black Canary before continuing. "We should also thank Ms. Lance for activating Thor’s power. With divine power recovering, there will be more and more mystical energy in this world."

Black Canary said nothing. She merely raised her glass and lightly clinked it against Zhang Ye’s.

Everything that needed to be said went without saying.

I’m going out for a meal. The third chapter might be a little late.