A secluded retreat

The drive from the small airport in the Australia outback to the destination wasn't long, only an hour or two through the desert.

Although it's January, this is the Southern Hemisphere, the height of summer! You can imagine how uncomfortable this trip must have been.

Since Henry's initial home was India, he didn't bring any thick coats or similar clothing. It's said that this Kryptonian was immune to both heat and cold, and that he only wore clothes for show.

But for Kitty, it was a problem. Because its fur was thick down for winter, unlike the short fur for summer.

For Tiger that can move freely in the snow thanks to its fur, suddenly being brought to a hot climate is no less than torture, like being roasted on a stove.

So Kitty could only drink lots of water and block herself in front of the car's air conditioning vent, not wanting to move at all.

Although the scenery outside the window is not entirely unchanged, and the vast expanse of yellow dust is not like the sand dunes in the movie, the desolate scene still brings a sense of loneliness.

Henry asked, "Kingo, you're saying your friend lives in seclusion in this boring place?"

"Yes," Kingo said regretfully, "Didn't I tell you before? Mahd Wy'ry is caused by the accumulation of memories and knowledge over a long period of time, which overwhelms our brains. To reduce the burden, we can only live this monotonous life."

"I feel so lonely," Henry remarked.

Having experienced the thrills of modern life, who can truly feel at ease returning to the countryside to enjoy a life where they have nothing and have to earn their own living?

This is why, after escaping this world, Henry didn't want to spend the rest of his life in a place like Alaska; instead, he wanted to return to human society.

A peaceful life doesn't necessarily bring the same peace; it's more likely to make people get stuck in a rut, unable to extricate themselves from an emotional quagmire.

Even if we can't immediately return to the lifestyle and entertainment of the 21st century, it's still better than wallowing in self-pity and self-exile.

But some people are forced to live in such an environment. Although it's not prison, and there are no guards or other prisoners to constantly put pressure on them, the loneliness of wasting time would probably drive them crazy again.

Those who have wasted nearly twenty years of their lives are best qualified to speak on this matter.

Oh, the last few years weren't exactly a waste of time. But that kind of life was even worse.

A dark mood seemed to be building up when Kingo's words timely interrupted Henry's thoughts. He said, "How could you be lonely? Thena has Jill with her."

Yes, what people with depression crave most is not peace, but understanding and companionship. This isn't a quicksand pit they can walk out of on their own; they need someone to lend them a hand.

Henry asked as usual, "So two of your compatriots live here?"

"Yes. I bought this land myself, so they can settle down here with peace of mind."

"You bought it?" Henry was quite surprised.

"Of course. You don't think that in modern society you can just grab a piece of unclaimed land, build a house, and live there, do you?"

"That's absolutely true," Henry exclaimed. "They're so lucky to have a friend like you."

Kingo, unusually embarrassed, said, "That's not true. It's just that compared to other Eternals, I have more money, which is why I can do this. If others could do it too, they wouldn't hesitate to pay."

"So you're regularly sending supplies over?"

No, not at all.

"Oh, why?"

Kingo explained, "I did that at first. But you have to understand, for us, eating isn't a necessary activity; it's just about satisfying our appetites."

"Furthermore, Thena needs a simple and uncomplicated life, without requiring many resources. Initially, there was some coordination between both parties regarding what was needed..."

What items are unnecessary; whether too many or too few were given away.

"Later on, Jill got tired of the hassle and simply told me not to send him anything anymore. He said he would cultivate a piece of land, grow some corn and vegetables, and that would be enough for him."

"Self-sufficiency, huh?" Henry didn't know if he was envious or afraid.

Suddenly, Kingo shouted excitedly, "Look, we're here! My friend's house is near that windmill in the distance!"

At the same time, the car slowed down and came to a stop. Kingo said, "Oh, I hope you don't mind. We're walking there so as not to disturb my friend's An Ning, not driving and making a scene."

"That's no problem." Henry thought to himself, it's time to walk around and feel more grounded.

Even after getting out of the car and opening the back door, Kitty still seemed reluctant to get out. Even as the Heat Wave blasted in as the door opened...

He even made a vivid expression of disgust.

Henry grabbed the big guy by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out. "Don't even think about staying in the car. Turn off the engine and the air conditioning later."

Before long, the inside of the car will be like an oven. You'll be in even more pain then.

"Roar."

I'm lazy.

"Fuck! Whose pet is this, daring to say the word 'lazy' in front of me!" Henry angrily kicked Kitty, not too hard, but enough to tell this Tiger to behave herself.

The two Eternals' secluded dwelling was quite simple: a mud-brick house, a barn, and a makeshift awning that had turned brownish-yellow. The windmill was used to pump water from underground.

The underground system is quite advanced. Water pipes directly collect the water pumped up by the windmill and store it in two oil tanks at the base of the windmill.

It can be used as a water storage tank; then the water is delivered into the house, so there's no need to carry buckets to fetch water into the house every day.

The sewage treatment process was the same; it went directly into the underground septic tank. Seeing this dilapidated, low-ceilinged house, Kingo seemed very excited. She walked briskly forward and knocked on the door.

He then turned to Henry and the others and introduced, "Attention everyone. Now entering the stage is Gilgamesh, the most famous strongman of the Eternals, whose name strikes fear into the hearts of countless enemies."

The door opened, and of course it wasn't Ma Dongshi! Instead, it was a man six feet five inches tall, weighing about 260 pounds, and half a head taller Henry.

He was also a more imposing, dark-haired, blue-eyed West Asia man, exuding a powerful aura of power.

What If...? you ignored his pink checkered apron, you'd think, "Kingo, who are they?" Gilgamesh asked bluntly, his face stern.

"Oh, old friend, let me introduce you. This is my butler, Karun Patel. And this is Henry Brown, a Kryptonian. And that Tiger is Kitty."

It's said that even the strongest, most muscular man can't help but like cats. Seeing Kitty sticking out her tongue to cool off, Gilgamesh finally couldn't hold back his expression.

"Hello, Kitty." Adopting an expression of being completely charmed by the cute animal, she happily stepped forward and gave the tiger's head a good pat.

The poor Tiger encountered a second being with superhuman strength. No matter how uncomfortable it was, even using all four limbs, it couldn't escape Gilgamesh's clutches.