Christmas, Hometown

Early that morning, light snow fell over New York, adding a touch of romance to the economic metropolis.

Today was also the annual Christmas Day. Christmas trees decorated the streets everywhere, and holiday songs drifted above every avenue and alley.

"Xi Nian, Merry Christmas!"

"Good morning, senior."

Two youthful beauties with distinctly different styles appeared side by side, stepping through the snow-covered streets. One wore a red reindeer Little Red Riding Hood, while the other shook a delicate silver Christmas bell around her wrist. Both were small gifts Xi Nian had bought for them in advance yesterday. Without a doubt, they became the most eye-catching sight on the pedestrian street.

"Merry Christmas. Morning." Xi Nian carried his backpack, waving back as he spoke, unable to stop himself from yawning sleepily. Inside the backpack, Little Huang, the Essence Devourer Beast, was also snoring atop a pile of clothes.

"Xi Nian, what were you doing last night?" Gwen curiously asked as she looked at the obvious dark circles beneath his eyes.

Xi Nian rubbed his somewhat messy black hair and replied weakly, "I was forced to save the world."

"Liar!" Gwen spat irritably.

Xi Nian shrugged. He knew Gwen would take that as a joke.

"Did you not sleep well?" Kara asked gently.

"Yeah." Xi Nian nodded and went along with Kara's words. "I'm not used to hotel beds."

Xi Nian himself was the type to be particular about beds. If he suddenly switched to a different bed, he really could have trouble sleeping.

Well, except for his aunt's bed.

Besides, he had not slept in a bed at all last night. He had spent the night in a tree like a stray cat. Of course he was tired.

Luckily, his symbiotic abilities had already expired. Otherwise, he would not have been able to meet up with Gwen and Kara in human form right now.

Xi Nian sighed inwardly. Was this easy for him?

After meeting up with Gwen and Kara, the three continued wandering around the morning market. After a simple lunch, they set off on their return trip to Washington.

In the train carriage leaving New York, Gwen and Kara browsed through their phones and newspapers, gradually learning bits and pieces about what had happened in New York City last night.

"Iron Man was eaten alive? That's terrifying!"

"What was that grayish-green liquid monster? So disgusting!"

At first, the two girls' discussion was fairly normal, but it soon went off the rails—

"Wow, that Black Cat is so cute! I really want to hold it!"

"It's so amazing!"

Watching Gwen and Kara not only remain unafraid but actually come to like the Black Cat, Xi Nian blinked and said, "That cat kind of looks like Little Huang."

"Hmm?!"

Hearing that, Gwen and Kara both looked at the orange kitten sleeping on Xi Nian's lap. In truth, the instant they saw the Black Cat, they had indeed felt that it resembled Little Huang, whom Xi Nian always carried with him.

However, after hearing Xi Nian bring it up first, they instead felt that Little Huang and the Black Cat were very different.

Whether in appearance, fur color, or even presence, there were obvious differences. In particular, the Black Cat from the news reports gave even Kara a subtle sense of threat, whereas Little Huang, even if it was some special alien creature, posed no threat to her at all.

Seeing Kara shake her head, Gwen smiled and refuted him. "Little Huang is nothing like that black cat."

"True." Xi Nian nodded along, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

He had cleared this hurdle too.

"Still, when I look at that Black Cat, why do I feel strangely familiar with it?" Gwen muttered in confusion.

"Me too." Kara brushed back her platinum hair, gleaming beneath the sunlight. A trace of confusion flashed through her beautiful eyes. "It feels like I've seen it somewhere before."

Was this the legendary sixth sense of women?

"How could you have seen it? It's so dangerous and scary. It even ate Iron Man." Xi Nian hurriedly glossed over it, steering the conversation elsewhere.

No matter what.

Following the Silver-Haired Goddess, a superhero whose topic had set the entire internet ablaze, the mysterious creature known as the Black Cat would become the nightmare of many after today!

For example, a certain billionaire playboy would often jolt awake from his sleep, dreaming that he had once again been swallowed into an unknown space.

This also led Stark Industries to work overnight in the future, eventually producing a strategic weapon codenamed the "Anti-Black Flash (Black Cat) Armor."

Washington.

At the station, Xi Nian parted ways with Gwen and Kara. In particular, Officer George, who had driven over to pick Gwen up, gave Xi Nian a meaningful look as he drove away.

Xi Nian pretended not to see it.

After seeing Kara off in a taxi, the sky outside had already darkened, and countless neon lights blurred beneath the falling snow.

Christmas Eve was about to arrive.

After thinking for a moment, Xi Nian slung on his backpack and headed not toward home, but toward another part of the city.

Washington, Potomac River.

The bustling commercial streets nearby were filled with festive cheer, making the frost-covered woods beside the riverside bridge seem somewhat desolate.

When Xi Nian arrived, he saw the perfect figure seated on a wooden bench by the river and could not help quickening his pace.

"Auntie."

"You're back?" The woman sitting elegantly on the bench turned around. Her exquisite, peerlessly beautiful face was cool yet gentle, and her clear, gemstone-like eyes reflected the boy's figure.

Xi Nian's heart gave a fierce leap. Smiling, he nodded and said, "I'm back. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

They had made no arrangement and exchanged no messages, yet they had come here in perfect mutual understanding.

After all, this was where they had first met, and it was also Christmas Eve sixteen years ago.

On this day sixteen years ago.

One was a Demigod who had become utterly disappointed in the human world. The other was a reincarnated soul who had only just arrived in this world. The two lonely figures became family, spending the years ahead together.

"Sit down and talk." Diana blinked.

Xi Nian set down his backpack and was about to sit on the wooden bench beside his aunt.

His aunt suddenly opened her arms toward him. "The bench outside is cold."

"You're treating me like a child again..."

Though Xi Nian said that, his body was very honest as he sat down on those long, resilient legs.

Who could resist something so wonderful?

Diana asked softly, "That Black Cat that appeared in New York was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

Xi Nian nodded and told her everything, from his accidental encounter with the symbiote Venom, to the formation of the Tri-Symbiotic Form, and the hunt for the symbiotes.

"So that's what happened." Diana looked thoughtful. Looking at Little Huang, who was still asleep in the backpack, she mused, "Unless absolutely necessary, don't enter that difficult-to-control state so easily again."

"I know." Xi Nian deeply agreed. In the Tri-Symbiotic Form, the chaotic thoughts and extreme temperament that emerged were even more twisted and terrifying than when Venom had parasitized him alone.

But.

That would also mean he could no longer borrow the power of the symbiote Venom after it revived in the future. After all, once Venom attached itself to him, he would be forced back into the Tri-Symbiotic Form.

Until this problem could be resolved, Xi Nian could no longer coexist with Venom.

And now, Venom was parasitizing the Essence Devourer Beast. Though it was dormant, their fluids might already have circulated together. That also meant Xi Nian could not use Lord of Kin to obtain the Essence Devourer Beast's physical abilities separately.

"I have an idea." His aunt's voice suddenly came from behind his ear.

"Go ahead." Xi Nian nodded.

"Come home with me." Diana said gently.

"Auntie, what are you talking about? Of course I'm going home with you." Xi Nian did not understand. "It's Christmas. Where else could I go?"

"I'm not talking about our home here in Washington." Diana drew in a light breath and said seriously, "Come back to my hometown with me."

Hometown?

Xi Nian froze.