"Oh... my apologies, Ancient One... my affairs might end up making you play along~"
Ye Li spoke in a playful tone, "Can you use that green thing of yours to check for me? The exact time when Morlun will descend into this universe? I've had a feeling lately, but I'm not sure when it'll happen."
The Supreme Sorcerer smiled beautifully, her eyes even showing a hint of mischief, and she countered, "Why should I help you?"
"Helping me is helping yourself." Ye Li replied confidently with a grin.
"You might not believe this, but my Spider-Sense is quite unique… it always picks up on inexplicable things."
"For example… my future relationship with you is not shallow… at the very least, we will be close friends, right?"
The Ancient One smiled and nodded without refuting him. She brushed her fan across her face, and her appearance reverted to that of an elder once more.
"Child, the answer you seek is June 1st."
"June...?" Ye Li was startled, choking on the thought of it being Children's Day. "Cough... 1!?"
He wanted to ask more, but the mischievous Supreme Sorcerer had already opened a portal behind her and stepped backward into it, disappearing.
Ye Li, not particularly interested in visiting Kamar-Taj at the moment, stood in place and pondered...
June 1st? Was this real, or was the Ancient One just messing with him?
'Hmm… knowing the Supreme Sorcerer's habits, it's probably both real and just a bit of teasing...'
'No… when Stephen becomes the Sorcerer Supreme, I need to educate him properly. He can't be this playful...'
…..
"Hmm..."
Felicia was sound asleep, her cat ears twitching slightly. The soft, snow-white fur at the tips tickled Ye Li's chin, making him reach out and stroke the cat ears, which were covered in white fur with a hint of pink skin beneath... soft... tender... utterly irresistible.
As the saying goes, "absence makes the heart grow fonder," Ye Li gave Gwen a gentle kiss and asked, "Little Spider~ You're so passionate today, did you miss me a lot?"
Those blessed with the Absolute Psychic Shield can engage in basic telepathic communication.
They can't communicate directly, but they can grasp general emotions—such as sadness, happiness, and so on...
And a certain Ghost-Spider had been in a very good mood all day...
"It's not just that..."
Gwen shyly replied to Ye Li, "Because I'm about to graduate, so my dad agreed to let me move in..."
Ye Li smacked his lips: Well, that does take away some of the excitement... but the upside is, they'll have more time together...
Jessica leaned in with her pretty face and interjected, "It's great that Gwen can move in... but, we really don't have enough rooms..."
"Hmm—"
Ye Li pondered for a moment and said, "Looks like we really have to move back to Sunnyvale. Gwen, has Commissioner George picked out a house near the manor?"
The blonde beauty nodded with a gentle smile, "Dad picked one out a long time ago. He's just waiting for you to move back so he can move in with you."
"Commissioner George really put thought into this..."
Ye Li knew that this was George's way of entrusting his precious daughter to him. He gazed at Gwen affectionately, "I'll take good care of you~"
"Ah~ I'm so sleepy, I'm going to bed..."
The girl let out a cute yawn, turned over, and hugged Felicia. "Go find Jessica, and keep it quiet~"
With that said.
The little spider and the little kitty went to rest together...
"Ah! Gwen, you're too sneaky!" (Jessica)
….
A few days later.
"Oh my god, Li."
Tony, dressed in his flashy red-and-gold armor, landed with a clang in the Sunnyvale manor. "You called in my transport plane... just to move houses?"
Around them, busy movers were unloading important items from the transport plane.
"I originally wanted S.H.I.E.L.D. to send a transport plane, but considering their attitude, I decided against it."
Ye Li said as he casually knocked on Tony's armor, which seemed sturdier than before. "Maybe I should have Skye buy a moving company, that'd be more convenient."
Tony crossed his metal-clad arms. "Buying a moving company just to move? That's so you... Hey, can you stop knocking on my armor?"
"Actually, I've already acquired a security company to handle the manor's security..."
Ye Li withdrew his hand. "Do you wear this thing everywhere now? Maybe you should make some remote-controlled versions."
Click~
The shoulder plates of the Iron Man suit shrugged. "That reminds me of Ivan Vanko, but it might not be a bad idea... By the way, I heard you and Coulson went to New Mexico. How was it?"
"As for me, S.H.I.E.L.D. gave me a mission as their consultant—to persuade Ross to release some guy called 'Abomination' and get him to join S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Haha~ But as expected, I messed it up. General Ross didn't seem to have a great temper..."
'It's probably because you can't keep your mouth shut...'
Being familiar with the story, Ye Li knew Ross must have been extremely pissed off by Tony.
Ye Li: "If I told you we ran into a Norse god—or rather, an alien—would you believe me?"
Tony: "A god? An alien?"
Beep, beep, beep, beep—!
Tony was about to say something when the sound of helicopter rotors filled the air...
Click~
Tony lifted his helmet and saw several armed helicopters landing. "Your hired security?"
"Mhm~"
Ye Li corrected him, "To be precise, they're not hired—they work for me now."
After the helicopters landed steadily.
A group of female warriors disembarked, their slender figures clad in tight combat suits. They were fully armed with the latest high-tech weaponry, and their every movement exuded a high level of combat expertise.
Leading them was a silver-haired beauty with a strong, cold demeanor. Unlike the others who wore black combat suits, hers was entirely silver.
The silver-haired beauty stepped up to Ye Li, placed a hand on her chest—her full curves accentuated by the silver combat suit—and bowed slightly. "Hello, Boss. This is Silver Sable Security. I am Silver Sablinova, but you may call me 'Silver Sable.' My team, the 'Wild Pack,' is at your service."
"'Wild Pack'?"
Before Ye Li could respond.
Tony quipped first, "Nice name. Makes me think of a bunch of wild little kittens. Maybe I should hire a mercenary group like this too~"
"Scram—"
Ye Li pushed open Tony's Iron Man helmet with one hand and instructed Silver, "Your job is to guard this estate."
"Except for the people I mention—like Skye—no one gets in without my direct order."
"As long as you do your job well, the rewards I promised you won't be lacking. Understood?"
What rewards?
Of course, it was enhancement with the Super Soldier Serum.
Otherwise, someone like Silver Sable—who was already at a near-superhero level—wouldn't be easy to recruit.
Silver cast a cold glance at Tony. "Does that include Mr. Stark, Boss?"
Tony Stark, that playboy, had just compared her and her team to little wild kittens—which irritated her.
Ye Li, still pressing down on Tony's helmet, mercilessly replied, "Of course, that includes him."
"Oh! You can't do this, Li."
Tony, still being held down by Ye Li, didn't forcefully turn his helmet back—afraid he'd twist his neck.
He tilted his head in a comical way. "Aren't we good friends? Give me some face here."
Silver Sable glanced at Tony's advanced armor and reminded Ye Li, "Sir, while I can assure you that my team and I are battle-hardened and capable of handling most threats, we may not be able to stop someone like Iron Man."
"Oh~ Did you hear that, Li?"
Tony said smugly, "You can't stop the great Iron Man. But don't worry, I won't trespass into private property."
Ye Li rolled his eyes, pushed Tony away, and snapped his fingers—
Snap~
"Silver, meet your new colleague. From now on, you and your team will handle regular trouble. If there's anything you can't deal with... it will step in."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Silver, Tony, and the others felt the ground beneath them tremble slightly...
Then.
Thud—
The Destroyer, glowing with fiery energy, stepped out from behind the towering garden trees.
An invisible pressure swept across the scene...
Tony was momentarily stunned. "...Oh, buddy, is that thing even registered...?"
Silver Sable was equally taken aback by Ye Li's display of power—
This manor owner was definitely no ordinary person. He even had such an advanced guardian machine, one that looked even more menacing than Iron Man's suit...
"What the hell is that!?"
One of Stark Industries' movers was so startled that he fell to the ground, dropping the painting he was holding.
Panicked, the worker scrambled to pick up the painting, fearing that if Ye Li got mad, the robot might crush him.
"Hey, relax, you guys."
Ye Li waved at the Destroyer. "Lil' Doom is very friendly. Come on, Lil' Doom, give a peace sign."
The Destroyer obediently raised its hand and held up a single finger...
Everyone: "..." 'Does your idea of a peace sign involve flipping people off?'
The scene was undeniably bizarre...
But Ye Li had his fun.
At least it reassured everyone that this rather terrifying-looking machine was under control.
"I'm starting to believe your alien story now..."
Tony speculated, "...This... Lil' Doom? Did Black Spider bring it for you again?"
"Glad you know."
Ye Li mentally added: 'I technically brought it for myself, so yeah?'
"Alright, I'll take it as real then."
Tony didn't press further. Instead, he flew over to help the fallen mover up. "Don't be so scared, my employee. This place is safe."
"Make sure the great artist's painting doesn't get dirty... Hmm? This painting is actually quite interesting."
Tony picked up the fallen painting, dusted it off a little, and then found himself captivated by it—
"Li, are these the aliens you imagined? They do look pretty legit... just a bit too ugly..."
The painting Tony held was Ye Li's depiction of the 'Battle of New York' from a year ago. Since it had fallen, the cloth covering it had slipped off to the side.
"You can show it to Fury."
Things were different now.
Ye Li wasn't too concerned anymore. Worst case scenario, he could just pin it on poor little Cindy again.
"But make sure Fury only gets a quick look. If he wants to see more, he'll have to pay me."
"You think that guy will be interested in this?"
Tony sensed that the painting might hold some significance and nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll show it to him."
Whoosh—!
The repulsors fired up.
Iron Man took off with the painting in style!
Ye Li: "Fly slower, don't let the wind tear it apart."
The red-and-gold armor in the air wobbled slightly before drifting away at a leisurely pace...
…..
George: "Li, you're too kind, even helping us move."
Ye Li: "Hehe~ Thank Tony. It's his transport plane."
"Thank you, Mr. Stark. He is a kind man."
…..
Meanwhile.
George had also finished moving and was preparing to say goodbye to their neighbors, the Parkers, along with Ye Li and the others.
"Sigh... With all of us moving away, Ben and May will be left all alone, especially since Peter is hardly home anymore."
George, who was driving with Ye Li sitting in the passenger seat of his police car, sought his opinion. "Li, what do you think... Should I rent out my house in the Lower East Side? That way, Ben and May won't feel so lonely."
Gwen, sitting in the back seat of the police car, agreed. "That's a great idea, Dad."
Commissioner George sternly said, "Gwen, I was talking to your man. Don't interrupt."
Gwen pouted. "Oh..."
"Hehe~"
Jessica, sitting next to her, laughed mischievously...
Then... Gwen pinched a bit of her waist— "Oww!"
"Hmm? Jessica, do you have any good suggestions?"
George turned to Jessica and said, "I heard you've been working as a detective lately. That's good, better than playing knight... I've known quite a few detectives, and they're all sharp-minded. Why don't you give us a suggestion?"
Jessica glared at Gwen before grinning. "Uncle George, I don't have any ideas. You're absolutely right..."
"Brother~ Why don't we rent out our house too?"
Ye Li hugged the girl in his arms. Since there wasn't enough space, Mathilda had to sit on his lap. "Then we have to find good tenants. We can't let our good intentions cause trouble for Aunt May and Uncle Ben..."
George smiled approvingly. "Li, you're always so considerate. I'll leave it to you, and Gwen will help you."
Ye Li: ...Why does everything end up on me again?