Godfather, You Read Marvel Comics Too?

In the hallway, Li Ang ignored the young man and woman hiding in a corner and wildly making out, pushed open the door, and returned to the lounge.

The deafening music was still full of energy, while crazed men and women lost themselves in a game of money.

Li Ang returned to his bar.

Before long, the burly Frank walked over.

"What would you like to drink?"

Li Ang asked.

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

Frank was smiling, making Li Ang pause mid-motion.

"What do you mean?"

Seeing Li Ang instantly become wary, Frank smiled. "Don't overthink it."

"Boss Cobblepot said that from now on, you'll be the lounge's bar manager."

Li Ang relaxed. He knew he had no way to refuse.

This was Penguin's territory.

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

Penguin liked using people with "weaknesses."

"Why don't you look happy at all?"

Watching Li Ang expertly mix the drink, Frank asked in confusion, "Following Boss Cobblepot means you'll never have to worry about women."

I'm not worried about that now either!

Li Ang did not say it aloud. Instead, he said helplessly, "Manager means being the first to arrive and the last to leave. I'll have to work all night every day!"

And there was a chance he would come into contact with Penguin's criminal dealings.

Of course, only a chance.

Because the Iceberg Lounge was a legal, fully compliant establishment.

"Look on the bright side, pal. At least your pay is going up. Managers make four thousand bucks a month."

"All right, that's the only good news."

Li Ang handed Frank his drink.

Before long, all the waitstaff on the bar side learned the news.

So, including the former bartender, whenever they had a spare moment, they came over to congratulate Li Ang.

They were colleagues, after all, so Li Ang went through the motions.

"Li Ang, are you free tomorrow morning? Want to grab a drink together?"

A waitress dressed as a bunny girl walked over and flirted with Li Ang at his side.

She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. She could be considered a beautiful white woman.

But Li Ang had seen customers stuff tips directly into her collar, so he naturally lost interest.

Or rather, most people at the Iceberg Lounge were like that.

A little casual conversation was fine. Nothing more was worth pursuing...

So Li Ang smiled and said, "I need to head home in the morning. I've got someone at home."

As the night grew deeper, the Iceberg Lounge gradually emptied out.

Around morning, it finally became completely quiet, with all the gamblers and drunks gone.

After a busy night, everyone was exhausted and only wanted to go home for a good rest.

Li Ang was no different.

Even if staying up all night did not count as pulling an all-nighter, he was still unbearably sleepy.

As for Penguin Cobblepot, Li Ang had not seen him all night, nor did he want to know what he was doing.

This was a real gangster. Li Ang had no interest in getting involved with the things they did.

So, only after most of the employees had left did Li Ang finally leave.

Gotham was safer during the day than at night.

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

"Kara! Get up!"

When he returned to the rented apartment, Li Ang called out as soon as he opened the door.

Yet after waiting for quite some time, he still received no response from Kara.

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

Her door was tightly shut. She was probably sleeping in again.

"Knock, knock."

He knocked on the door, but Kara still did not respond, and Li Ang's expression immediately changed.

Kara's door was locked, but that did not stop Li Ang. He went to his own room and climbed straight out the window.

They rented an old-style building, with an emergency escape made of steel stairs outside.

In America, it was called a fire escape.

Li Ang carefully stepped outside onto the stairs and looked through Kara's window. Sure enough, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Not listening again."

He sighed, carrying the helplessness of an old father dealing with a naughty child.

But this had happened many times before. Li Ang did not panic and simply climbed the stairs upward.

The old building they rented had no elevator and only five floors, so he reached the rooftop in no time.

The rooftop was wide open, making Kara visible at a glance.

Kara stood at the edge of the roof in her pajamas, which had a Spider-Man mask printed on them. Her head was slightly raised, her eyes lightly closed.

Her blonde hair drifted in the breeze, looking rather messy.

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.

Li Ang had been surprised when he first saw Marvel Comics, only to discover that it was extremely popular in this world.

Perhaps because superheroes really existed, many people knew about Marvel Comics.

But clearly, this was purely a DC world. Marvel Comics superheroes existed only in comics and similar works.

"Kara! Kara!"

"What are you doing?"

Li Ang called several times before Kara finally heard him.

As if she had been "deaf," she opened her eyes, turned her head, and looked at Li Ang in confusion.

Anyone who did not know better might have thought she was about to take a leap of faith.

"Godfather."

Kara cried out in delight, then her expression turned faintly pained.

"What's wrong?"

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

Kara buried her head in his chest, her voice changing as she said, "This world is so noisy."

Just last night, not long after Li Ang left, Kara, with nothing to do, had planned to go to bed early.

Then, all of a sudden, she heard noises from next door.

First came the rhythmic slapping sounds of impact, then they grew louder and louder in her ears.

In an instant, countless sounds seemed to flood into her ears all at once.

Even through walls, even from several streets away, she could still hear people talking.

Then the voices she heard grew more numerous, even including other people's thoughts.

Telepathy!

Hearing Kara's words, Li Ang immediately thought of that.

But for a Kryptonian, this was actually one manifestation of super-hearing.

At its most powerful, super-hearing allowed her to hear anything, anywhere.

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

Li Ang's face darkened.

"First of all, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters does not exist in this world. I was just thinking out loud."

"And Kara, could you please stop listening to other people's thoughts?"

That was exactly what he had just thought.

If Professor X existed in this world, it would be great. He could send Kara straight there and have the old professor help her learn to control her superpowers.

And Kara had immediately known.

Having someone know what was in his heart felt awful.

It was like being completely naked, with no defenses whatsoever.

"Ugh, if I don't listen, countless voices will pour into my ears."

Kara said aggrievedly, "I'm trying hard to control my abilities. Godfather, don't send me away."

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

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

Li Ang's serious expression moved the young Kara deeply.