American comics: Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!.

Chapter 979 Batman's Halloween

"is it?"

Peter paused slightly upon hearing Raven's words.

What happened to my eldest daughter?
“I’m honored, but can you tell me what happened, Raven?”

Peter stroked Raven's hair and asked her in a low voice.

Before Raven could answer, a flurry of footsteps and exclamations approached from afar.

"Raven!!"

"elder sister!"

"what happens?!"

Wei was the first to rush in, her face full of anxiety.

Star-Lord, Boom, Jane, Horus, Ceressa, Loki, Tom, Mark, and even Azu, whose face was still gloomy but whose concern was hard to hide, all crowded at the door or peeked out from behind.

They were all startled by the piercing scream that seemed to come from the soul, and by the shockwave that erupted in the room.

The sight before them left them speechless.

The room was a mess, with charred marks and scattered ashes on the walls silently telling the story of the fierce battle that had just taken place.

In the center of the room, Peter was holding his pale-faced eldest daughter, Raven.

Peter's hand was still on Raven's wrist, and his body seemed to still retain the aftereffects of some powerful force, mixed with the acrid smell of burning paper.

"Wow! Raven, what game are you and Dad playing?"

Bao Bao was the first to break the silence, her pink and blue head popping out from behind Wei, her big eyes blinking curiously.

Wei smacked Bao Bao on the back of the head, annoyed: "This isn't a game, Bao Bao."

Wei looked at Peter and Raven with a mixture of questioning and lingering fear in her eyes.

She keenly sensed the lingering, unsettling energy in the room, which was anything but ordinary.

Azu hovered in mid-air behind the crowd, his scarlet eyes fixed on the pile of ashes on the ground, then glanced at Peter holding Raven, his expression complex.

"Sister Raven, are you alright?"

Ceresia squeezed forward anxiously, her little face full of concern.

"Dad, what's wrong with Raven?"

Mark squeezed in and asked Peter.

Peter held Raven in his arms and felt that her breathing had become much more stable.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the faces at the doorway, faces filled with worry, curiosity, and shock.

"It's nothing, just a small trouble. Raven was a little tired, but it's all over now."

As he spoke, Peter looked out the window at the clear, bright Halloween moon that had climbed to the highest point of the sky, then at his daughter who was leaning against him, and then at the strange, troublesome but ultimately family-like "fathers" at the door.

A profound sense of peace, a feeling of calm after the dust has settled, mixed with a warm sense of satisfaction, welled up inside me.

Halloween

Peter's voice rang out in the quiet room, "...It's not over yet. There's still a bunch of 'trick-or-treat' messes outside waiting to be cleaned up."

He looked down and gently patted Raven's back. "Can you still walk, Raven?"

Raven nodded gently in his arms, "Mmm."

"it is good."

Peter steadily helped Raven stand up straight. Although the girl was still a little weak, her eyes were unusually bright.

He looked around at everyone, his gaze sweeping over Vi, Star-Lord, Boom, Horus, Mordred… Finally, his gaze landed on the magical pumpkin lantern in the corner by the door, which was made by Raven herself and floated in mid-air, emitting a soft glow.

After all that has happened, this little pumpkin lantern still floats there safely, its warm light quietly dispelling the shadows in the corner of the room, like a silent and loyal guardian, witnessing the final chapter of this chaotic night.

Peter's gaze lingered on the warm light for a moment, as if drawing some kind of power from it.

He took a deep breath, and his voice regained its previous calmness.

"Vi, Star-Lord, go fix the pumpkin lanterns outside that Azu's hot gaze damaged. Don't scare the kids who might come asking for candy later."

"Baobao, go to the kitchen and heat up the remaining pumpkin soup for Jian. Everyone must be hungry after working all night."

“Horus, Azu,” Peter called out, his gaze sweeping over Azu and the silent Horus, “the fence on the east side of the farm was knocked down by the aftershocks of the battle, and that scorched cornfield… restore it to its original state before dawn.”

"Loki, Tom, Mark, clean the living room and this place."

“Ceresa, Raven and Mordred need to rest. Please look after them.”

As Peter gave the order, all the “Fathers of Sorrow”, from Azu to Loki, were unusually “obedient” and silently accepted the task.

Then Peter took Raven's slightly cool hand and led her out into the cool moonlight.

Raven held her father's warm, rough hand tightly, nestled beside him, her face radiating an unprecedented sense of peace and happiness.

The purple magic pumpkin lantern seemed to float up lightly, as if it possessed a spirit, casting long shadows in front of them with its warm light. Under the moonlight outside the door, the noise of the farm seemed to have subsided for the time being.

Ceressa and Mordred quietly followed on Raven's other side.

The chilly Halloween full moon hung high, casting its silvery light upon Patrick Farm, which had just weathered a storm.

The ruins are being cleared, the scorch marks are being buried, and the chaos is being smoothed out little by little.

Tom, clutching a pile of wood chips, watched his father lead Raven under the moonlight, everyone busy with their own tasks, and then looked at the huge, smooth fan-shaped gash carved out by the holy sword. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

It seems that my father still harbors countless secrets!
Tom thought he knew Peter, but now it seems that the closer he gets to his father, the more mysterious he feels about him.

As the "fathers of the week" went off to their respective work, Halloween finally drew to a lively close.

……

After spending some time talking with Raven and Mordred in the room, Peter stood at the window and looked outside.

"Father."

Mordred, lying in bed, suddenly blinked and asked Peter, "Why didn't your godson Batman come?"

"Batman?"

Upon hearing Peter mention the name Batman, Peter paused slightly, then asked in surprise, "How do you know Batman, Morty?"

"It was Ceresia who told me."

Mordred pointed to Ceressa beside him.

Ceresia said to Peter with a somewhat unnatural expression, "Um, Daddy, I just thought Batman and Halloween go well together, so I thought of Batman. I feel like they're both kinds of beings with a dark side."

Peter listened to Ceresia's explanation and nodded. "That makes sense. So, Ceresia, Mordred, and Raven, would the three of you like to go to Wayne Manor to ask for candy?"

Raven was lying in bed recovering her magic, while sensing the fragments of Peter's soul that had remained in her body.

She felt that after tonight's battle with Savin, she had drawn some power from the fragments of her father's soul.

She wanted to figure out how these forces affected her, so when she heard that Peter wanted to take her to Wayne Manor to ask for candy, she immediately refused.

"Dad, I've grown up now."

Raven shook her head at Peter, saying with some regret.

"I go!"

"I am coming too!"

Ceressa and Mordred excitedly raised their hands.

Mordred's eyes shone brightly, like two burning rubies. She cheered, almost leaping out of bed, "Candy! Candy at Batman's house! Yes! I do! Father!"

She waved her little fists, completely unaware that the blanket had slipped off.

Ceresia also looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her purple eyes, which was then replaced by a light that was a mixture of anticipation and curiosity.

Halloween in Gotham.

The air felt as if it were filled with ice crystals, and the wind howled.

The two heavy cast-iron gates of Wayne Manor were tightly shut, isolating it from the noisy and chaotic world outside.

The silent Gothic architecture cast a deeper shadow under the pale moonlight, like a stone beast lurking in the cold.

On the restaurant's tables, Alfred had painstakingly created a "mountain of candy"—chocolate wrapped in shiny wrappers, colorful fruit hard candies, gummy candies shaped like little ghosts and bats, and caramel apples piled up in a spire.

Now only a few scattered ones remain, abandoned on the edge of the huge silver plate.

Bruce and Alfred, the two who were supposed to distribute the candy, devoured it bit by bit.

Alfred was wiping a huge, gleaming silver platter with a dazzling white linen cloth.

"Halloween nowadays."

Ah Fu's deep voice echoed in the overly empty restaurant, "People seem more interested in dressing up in outlandish costumes and making a mess of the streets. To be honest, young master, I don't like this kind of Halloween."

He stopped wiping and looked out at the deep night outside the window.

Bruce sank into the excessively large armchair, his back to Alfred and his face to the fireplace flames.

The towering shadow of the chair back almost completely engulfed Bruce.

Holding a chocolate wrapped in purple sugar, Bruce unconsciously twisted the wrapper, which made a soft rustling sound.

The cloying sweetness spread in my mouth, but I couldn't taste any joy. Instead, it felt like a cold, heavy block of lead, sinking into my stomach.

A deeper chill spread from Bruce's heart, more biting than the howling north wind outside the window.

This enormous, magnificent, tomb-like home was once again enveloped in boundless silence.

Listening to the butler Alfred's words, Bruce put down the candy, shook his head, and replied to Alfred, "That's the meaning of Halloween, isn't it?"

(End of this chapter)