Homelander-Variant Heat Vision, Natasha's Situation

Although there had been the little incident with Captain Marvel, Ke Chen still did not stay in New York for long.

He soon headed to Los Angeles to continue pursuing his unique "American dream."

It could be understood as helping those poor people fulfill their American dreams.

It just seemed that there were no poor people who needed his help...

After Captain Marvel Carol left Earth, time seemed to speed up, and in the blink of an eye, it was 1996.

This was not a special year, but another year had passed, making this a special day.

At a luxury hotel in Los Angeles, Ke Chen unusually did not go out to attend a party that night.

There were many girls chasing their dreams, but for the time being, none of them caught his fancy.

Los Angeles was not bad either; he could see quite a few celebrities, but he had no interest in celebrities.

Deep exchanges... better not.

Most importantly, today was time for him to check in again.

It only happened once a year, so naturally, he had to take it seriously.

Although the system had little presence, it always gave him good things.

Batman's combat abilities, the Life-Sharing Necklace.

It not only enhanced his own abilities, but also gave him magical items!

He wondered what he would get this time.

After bathing and burning incense, Ke Chen prepared himself to become one of the lucky few.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully lying low for three years and concealing your strength. Reward obtained: Homelander-Variant Heat Vision!]

[Homelander-Variant Heat Vision: Powerful Heat Vision can be fired from both eyes. It can instantly destroy everything and also possesses a certain welding capability. It is slightly weaker than the genuine Superman's Heat Vision.]

The moment Ke Chen saw this ability, he was overjoyed.

Homelander's Heat Vision!

There was a very classic saying.

If I had Homelander's abilities, I'd become Homelander's ancestor!

It was clear that if one possessed such tremendous power without Superman's perfect saintly mindset, one would definitely go mad.

Homelander... was already considered restrained.

Of course, Ke Chen could not be called Homelander's ancestor now. After all, he only had Heat Vision.

He knew the system was reliable.

It was just that he had no way to test it now. He could only get a slight feel for it before retracting the Heat Vision.

In a hidden base amid a frozen wasteland, its exterior painted red, stood the infamous Red Room.

Countless girls were gathered here and subjected to inhumane training.

At this time, Natasha and Yelena had undergone nearly a year of training, and they were vastly different from before.

Inside a dark room, Natasha cuffed her left hand to the bedpost. This was how the Red Room prevented them from escaping, and after a year, she had grown used to it.

She lay on the bed and closed her eyes as memories of the past slowly surfaced.

Her right hand slowly rose to her neck, where she wore an exquisite necklace.

For some reason, from the first day she arrived, all her belongings had been confiscated. Yet it was as if the people of the Red Room could not see this necklace.

Over the past year, she had never taken it off, treating it as though it did not exist.

Only in the dead of night did she dare reach out and clutch it, as though it still held the warmth her godfather had left behind.

Her godfather's voice also continued to echo in her ears.

It was what gave her the strength to persevere.

Although Natasha was not as dependent on her godfather as Yelena was, her attachment was still considerable. Yet now, Natasha had gradually become somewhat afraid of seeing Ke Chen.

She was afraid that Ke Chen would see what she had become, no longer the Natasha who knew nothing.

Gradually, Natasha fell asleep.

Yet she was still worried about Yelena. How was she doing?

Yelena was even younger than she was. Could she get used to this place?

In another dark room.

Yelena sobbed quietly. Even after a year, she was still filled with fear of this place.

She gripped the necklace in her hand tightly. Only by doing so could she feel the slightest sense of security.

Whenever she could no longer hold back her tears, she would clutch the necklace her godfather had given her.

At those times, it seemed as though her godfather's words would echo in her ears.

"Never give up, no matter what!"

Yelena whispered, "I haven't given up, Godfather."

"But Yelena misses you so much."

At every moment, she wanted to escape this cage, but she simply could not do it.

Fortunately, the Red Room had a way for them to leave. That was...

Become the Black Widow!

Black Widow was a codename. The strongest female agent of each generation could receive the title of Black Widow.

This tradition had continued for decades. The first Black Widow, Dottie Underwood, had received this title in the 1960s.

"Knock, knock."

At that moment, a sound came from the room, and all the girls fell silent.

They knew someone had come to inspect the rooms.

The Red Room used all kinds of methods to prevent them from escaping, thoroughly cutting off any thoughts of escape.

Even when their hands were cuffed to the bedposts while they slept, someone was sent to check on them.

Yelena only felt a palm touch her cheek.

Even without opening her eyes, Yelena knew who those hands belonged to.

It was her "mother," Iron Maiden Melina Vostokoff.

Without a doubt, Melina was extremely familiar with the Red Room. She had undergone the Red Room's training program four times, so even after that idiot Alexei was imprisoned, she still appeared in the Red Room.

"Yelena, I know you miss him very much."

Melina whispered into Yelena's ear, so quietly that only the two of them could hear.

A clear tear immediately slid from the corner of Yelena's eye.

"I promise you'll leave this place soon. When that happens, you can go find him."

Melina continued, "I know this is difficult, but I'm sorry, my child."

In the darkness, Melina's eyes were also filled with pain.

During the time she spent with Ke Chen, she had truly come to regard the two girls as her own children.

Yet she had personally brought her children to the Red Room and would train them into Black Widows.

Whenever she thought of this, Melina wished she could kill Alexei.

At the same time, she regretted it every night.

If she had not been a Red Room agent, then she, Ke Chen, Natasha, and Yelena could have lived happily ever after as a family of four.

Sadly, there was no medicine for regret in this world, nor were there any "ifs."

She also wanted to go straight to Ke Chen, but that was impossible. The Red Room would not let her leave, and she was already wanted by the United States.

Yelena did not respond to her, seemingly still angry with her.

Melina had grown used to it. She tucked Yelena's blanket around her, then left this dark, cramped place of suffering with an indifferent expression.