Summer Trip for Five, Part Two

The first stop was the Gateway Arch, the landmark of St. Louis in eastern Missouri. The city was Missouri's second-largest city. The 192-meter-tall stainless steel structure glittered beneath the sunlight, like a giant metal rainbow spanning the sky.

"This is the tallest man-made monument in the United States." Gwen read from the travel guide. "It was designed by architect Eero Saarinen and completed in 1965."

The five of them took the egg-shaped tram to the observation deck at the top. Through the narrow viewing windows, all of St. Louis and the winding Mississippi River lay spread out before them.

"Wow!" Mary Jane pressed excitedly against the glass. "This view is incredible! I can see..."

She suddenly lost her balance and fell backward. Peter, who had been taking pictures beside her, instinctively reached out and caught her before she could fully fall, helping her regain her footing.

It had to be said that Peter's physical fitness and reflexes were far better now than when he had first entered freshman year. Lin Hai deserved half the credit, since he often helped Peter with basic martial arts training whenever they had free time. The other half came from Peter's own efforts.

"Careful." Lin Hai promptly steadied her by the shoulder as well. "It's cramped in here."

"Thank you, both of you. I got a little too excited just now." Mary Jane patted her chest.

Gwen handed Mary Jane a bottle of water. "Drink some water. You'll feel better."

Harry leaned against the other side of the observation deck, a mysterious smile on his lips. He took out his phone and secretly snapped several photos—Peter asking Mary Jane if she was all right, Gwen stealing glances at Lin Hai, and Lin Hai's profile as he admired the view without noticing a thing.

"Perfect composition," Harry muttered. "What should I call this photo collection? The Romantic Entanglements of Young Scientists?"

Their second stop was the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.

It was also located in St. Louis, near the Mississippi River, and was the headquarters of the famous Budweiser beer.

"According to the travel guide, this place produces two million bottles of beer every day." Gwen flipped through the brochure, her blonde hair tied into a neat ponytail at the nape of her neck. "The fermentation tanks have a capacity equivalent to—"

"Thirty Olympic swimming pools!" Peter suddenly cut in. Under Mary Jane's puzzled gaze, his ears immediately turned red. "Uh... I did some research beforehand."

Harry took off his sunglasses and examined the rows of gleaming copper brewing kettles. "Osborn Industries nearly acquired this place last year. My father said alcoholic beverages were a recession-proof cash flow."

Lin Hai and Gwen gave Harry a thumbs-up, as if to say: You're the real deal!

"Everyone may sample two glasses of non-alcoholic beer for free." The tour guide handed out green wristbands. "Minors, please wear these."

Harry took a wristband and teasingly poked Peter. "Hear that, little Parker?"

"Like you're any different," Peter shot back, though his eyes followed Mary Jane as she tied up her hair. She wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans today, her red hair casually pinned up with a plain hairpin. The line of her neck looked as if it had been coated in honey beneath the sunlight.

As they followed the guide into the oak barrel display room of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, they immediately caught the intoxicating scent of alcohol filling the air.

While the guide explained the brewery's long history of beer-making, Harry noticed that Lin Hai had quietly dropped to the back of the group.

"I'll go see what our botanist has discovered this time," Harry whispered to Gwen before slipping after Lin Hai toward the corner of the corridor.

He saw Lin Hai standing before an ancient grapevine used for display, his palm hovering above its withered branches. A jade-green glimmer seeped from Lin Hai's fingertips and into every vein of the vine. The branches that seemed long dead began to sprout tender green buds.

"Wow! It feels magical every time I see it!" Harry could not help speaking up.

Lin Hai quickly withdrew his hand, and the buds stopped growing. "You know, I can roughly sense plants' memories. That's why I discovered this grapevine remembers some interesting things."

"Such as?" Harry was extremely curious.

"Such as the fact that it was once irradiated by some kind of alien energy." Lin Hai lowered his voice. "Back in the seventies or eighties, a meteor fell in Missouri..."

He knew this was part of the history of Star-Lord's father, Ego, visiting Earth. Since Harry was one of the people who knew about that flower bud, Lin Hai told him about the images and information he had seen through the grapevine.

Their third stop was the flower bud left behind by Ego.

After parking the RV in a nearby public lot, Lin Hai called everyone over and had them take the things they would need for heading deep into the forest from the trunk.

Harry expertly put on the equipment he had prepared long ago. Peter, Gwen, and Mary Jane, who had no idea what was going on, were confused by this sudden expedition into the woods. However, after Lin Hai assured them it would be interesting and Harry nodded along, they soon put on their gear.

Lin Hai walked at the front of the forest exploration team, his eyes holding a trace of excitement and anticipation. He could feel the ancient, profound Life Force within the flower bud calling to him from somewhere in these woods. This forest also held special meaning for him—it had been a key turning point in the evolution of his abilities.

Everyone followed Lin Hai into the forest. Sunlight filtered through the gaps between leaves, forming patches of dappled light and shadow. The woods were filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees, while birds sang happily from the branches, as though welcoming their arrival.

Suddenly, Lin Hai stopped. He sensed a familiar and powerful Life Force not far ahead. He signaled for everyone to proceed carefully, and then they saw the flower bud in a hidden clearing, giving off a faint blue glow.

The flower bud was not much different from Lin Hai's memories. Or rather, it would not change after Ego planted it unless Ego used Star-Lord's power to activate it.

Under Peter, Gwen, and Mary Jane's astonished gazes, Lin Hai slowly stepped forward and gently touched the flower bud. In an instant, that familiar, powerful Life Force poured into his body once more, filling him with strength.

His companions gathered around him. Harry was no longer surprised by this; Lin Hai had done the same thing right in front of him for half a month.

Peter and Gwen were shocked as well, but Lin Hai and Harry had previously told them about the experiment in Missouri.

However, this was not quite so easy for Mary Jane. She covered her mouth with one hand, her wide eyes and constricted pupils revealing the turmoil in her heart. Things beyond ordinary understanding had never appeared in her life before.

Lin Hai had actually anticipated this, which was why he had not refused Peter's suggestion to bring Mary Jane along, nor did he mind Mary Jane learning about his unusual nature.

If Mary Jane ended up with Peter, she would inevitably be drawn into the extraordinary world Peter encountered as Spider-Man. And even if Mary Jane did not ultimately end up with Peter, as a girl Peter knew well and liked, and as a resident of New York—the "center of the Marvel Universe"—she would sooner or later have to accept the existence of superhumans and supernatural events. He might as well give her a little advance warning.

That blockhead Peter had no time to take care of his goddess. It was his first time seeing this magical flower bud too, so he quickly pulled out the camera he carried with him and recorded this precious moment.

Harry and Gwen quietly sensed the Life Force radiating from Lin Hai, as though their souls had also been cleansed.

After Lin Hai finished absorbing the energy, he did not feel any major qualitative change in his own power. He merely felt full of energy again, as though he had "eaten his fill."

Thinking about it, that made sense. His ability had already evolved once, and he had yet to cultivate this new Life Force to a threshold. No major changes would occur anytime soon. Being able to fill himself with energy once was already good enough. Next, he would need quite some time to digest it before returning here to recharge again.

The purpose of the third stop had been achieved: Lin Hai had come to recharge, Peter and Gwen's curiosity had been satisfied, and Mary Jane had received an advance warning. After an imaginative round of speculation and discussion, they left the place and headed for the next stop on their trip.