Godfather, You Read Marvel Comics Too?

In the hallway, Li Ang ignored the young men and women huddled in the corner, frantically gnawing on each other, and pushed open the door to return to the club.

The deafening music still pulsed with energy, the frenzied men and women immersed in their game of money.

Li Ang went back to his own bar counter.

Not long after, the big guy Frank walked over.

"What do you want to drink?"

Li Ang asked.

"Whoa, this might be the last time I get to drink something you mixed."

Frank had a smile on his face, which made Li Ang pause mid-motion.

"What do you mean?"

Seeing Li Ang's instant wariness, Frank laughed. "Don't overthink it."

"Boss Cobblepot said you're the club's new bar manager from now on."

Li Ang relaxed. He knew he couldn't refuse this.

This was Penguin's territory.

And Penguin also believed that his filial goddaughter was Li Ang's weakness.

Penguin liked using people with 'weaknesses.'

"How come you're not happy at all?"

Watching Li Ang mix drinks with practiced ease, Frank asked in confusion. "Stick with Boss Cobblepot, and you'll never lack for women."

I don't lack them now either!

Li Ang didn't say that out loud. Instead, he replied helplessly, "Being manager means being the first to arrive and the last to leave, pulling all-nighters every single day!"

And on top of that, he might come into contact with Penguin's criminal activities.

Of course, that was only a possibility.

Because the Iceberg Lounge was a fully legal and compliant club.

"Look on the bright side, buddy. At least your salary went up. A manager pulls in four thousand bucks a month."

"Alright, that's the one good news."

Li Ang handed the drink to Frank.

Before long, all the waitstaff at the bar had heard the news.

So, including the previous bartender, everyone came over to congratulate Li Ang whenever they had a free moment.

Since they were colleagues, Li Ang just went through the motions.

"Li Ang, free tomorrow morning? Let's grab a drink together."

A waitress in a bunny girl outfit walked over, teasing him as she leaned in close.

She had blonde hair and blue eyes, fair skin—pretty much a white beauty by any standard.

But Li Ang noticed a guest had just stuffed a tip straight into her collar, and he instantly lost interest.

Or rather, most of the Iceberg Lounge was like this.

A little small talk was fine, but nothing worth diving into...

So, Li Ang smiled and said, "I'm heading home in the morning. I've got someone waiting for me there."

As the night grew deeper, the crowd at the Iceberg Lounge began to thin out.

By around morning, it finally fell completely quiet. All the gamblers and drunks had left.

After a long night of work, everyone was tired and just wanted to go home and rest.

Li Ang was no exception.

Even though pulling an all-nighter wasn't technically staying up late, he was already exhausted.

As for Penguin Cobblepot, Li Ang hadn't seen him all night, and he didn't want to know what he was up to.

This was a real gangster. Li Ang had no interest in whatever shady business he was involved in.

So, once most of the staff had left, Li Ang finally headed out.

Gotham during the day was safer than at night.

Though the sky was still gloomy and sunlight struggled to pierce the clouds, there were still fewer people daring to commit crimes in broad daylight.

"Kara! Get up!"

Back at the rental house, Li Ang opened the door and shouted.

But after waiting a while, there was still no response from Kara.

He took a drink of water first, then leisurely made his way to the door of Kara's room.

The door was shut tight. She was probably lazing in bed again.

"Dong dong."

He knocked on the door, but still got no response from Kara. Li Ang's expression shifted slightly.

Kara's door was locked tight, but that didn't stump Li Ang. He went to his own room and climbed straight out the window.

They were renting an old-fashioned residence, the kind with a steel staircase outside serving as a fire escape.

In America, this was called the Ladder of Life.

Li Ang carefully made his way to the ladder and peered through the window into her room. Sure enough, no one was there.

"Not listening again."

He sighed, carrying the helplessness of an Old Father dealing with a mischievous child.

But this had happened many times before. Li Ang didn't panic; instead, he headed straight up the stairs.

The old building they rented had no elevator and only five floors. It didn't take long to reach the rooftop.

The rooftop was wide and empty, so he spotted Kara at a glance.

There she stood, wearing her pajamas—printed with a Spider-Man mask—on the edge of the rooftop. Her head was slightly tilted back, her eyes gently closed.

Her blonde hair fluttered messily in the breeze.

Spider-Man was Kara's favorite superhero because, in the comics, he was the friendly neighborhood hero. Kara wanted to become that kind of superhero too.

When Li Ang first saw Marvel Comics, he was a bit surprised, then realized that in this world, Marvel Comics was incredibly popular.

Probably because superheroes really existed, so a lot of people knew about Marvel Comics.

But clearly, this was purely a DC world. Marvel's superheroes only appeared in comics and other works.

"Kara! Kara!"

"What are you doing?"

Li Ang called out several times before Kara finally heard him.

She acted as if she were "deaf," opening her eyes and tilting her head, looking at Li Ang in confusion.

Anyone watching might have thought she was about to do a Leap of Faith.

"Godfather."

Kara called out in surprise, her expression tinged with pain.

"What's wrong?"

Li Ang hurried over and lifted her down from the edge.

She buried her head in his chest, her voice trembling: "This world is too noisy."

Just last night, shortly after Li Ang left, Kara, with nothing to do, had decided to sleep early.

Then suddenly, she heard sounds from next door.

First came the thumping "bang bang" noises, which grew louder and louder in her ears.

In an instant, it was as if countless sounds all rushed into her ears at once.

Even through the walls, even from several streets away, she could still hear conversations.

Soon after, she heard more and more sounds, including other people's inner thoughts.

'Mind Reading!'

When Li Ang heard Kara's words, that was the first thing that came to mind.

But actually, for a Kryptonian, this was just a manifestation of Super Hearing.

At its strongest, Super Hearing could pick up anything, anywhere, no matter what.

Right now, Kara immediately hugged Li Ang and said, "Godfather, do you read Marvel Comics too? You even know about Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters!"

Li Ang's face darkened.

"First of all, this world doesn't have Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. I was just sighing."

"And, Kara, can you please not listen to other people's thoughts?"

He had only thought that for a moment.

If only this world had a Professor X, he could just send Kara over and let the Old Professor help her learn to control her powers.

But Kara had caught it instantly.

Having someone know your inner thoughts felt terrible.

Like being completely naked, with no defenses at all.

"Mm, if I don't listen to you, then countless sounds drill into my ears."

Kara said pitifully, "I'm trying hard to control my powers, Godfather. Please don't send me away."

Seeing her like this, Li Ang's heart softened completely.

"I promise, Kara. No matter what happens, I'll stay with you."

Li Ang's earnest expression moved young Kara deeply.