I get stronger by sunbathing, just like Superman.

After Max finished explaining his reasoning, his eyes gleamed with anticipation, as if he were looking forward to one day having the chance to challenge this 'pirate' guy...

Lei Ming: "..."

...

...

Several months have passed since they left Egypt. During this time, Lei Ming and Connie went to the 'foster home' to prevent Molly, who is emotionally unstable, from having any further accidents.

She hadn't yet recovered from the shock of losing her 'parents' again, and also wanted to say hello to Peggy and Drake, whom she hadn't seen for many years.

Molly was depressed for a while after returning, but she calmed down a lot and did not blame everything on Lei Ming.

Perhaps it was because he had witnessed Lei Ming, who, like himself, had experienced a reunion with a deceased loved one…

Yet they had to accept that it was all just an illusion.

...

Rice grain tip.

This country has suffered many disasters in recent years, experiencing the witchcraft and underground palace incidents, and the subsequent vampire riots made it one of the countries most severely affected.

The subsequent angelic descent event led to an earth-shattering battle that wiped the entire New York region off the map.

Even now, it remains an empty, dead city; satellite images show nothing but devastation.

However, these successive blows did not bring them down! On the contrary, thanks to the existence of the world's most powerful superhero organization, the country's global prestige reached its peak!

Until their superiors ordered the secret research into biological weapons using the genes of superheroes, and even considered wiping out the superheroes in one fell swoop... they finally met their 'retribution'.

During this period, the most frequently reported news on television and online media channels around the world was about the unrest at the White House.

From presidents to members of parliament, scandals involving these high-ranking national leaders have been exposed one after another, and these scandals are varied and numerous.

From minor official abuse of power for personal gain to major issues like interfering in other countries' regimes and launching wars under fabricated pretexts, and various instances of distorting the truth at UN meetings…

In short, the incidents that have been exposed are enough to make some people want to block the wall a hundred times over.

This ultimately led to public outrage and global condemnation. The president was impeached by a coalition of local officials, and after being exposed for a series of heinous crimes, including WXET, he committed suicide by shooting himself that very night.

This triggered a chain reaction, with officials from all walks of life either resigning or disappearing every day. A small number of those with a conscience even held press conferences before leaving office to publicly apologize to the public.

They then voluntarily went to prison, and perhaps because they could not bear the torment of their conscience, these officials eventually committed suicide in prison one after another.

This mass resignation incident caused a huge uproar online, but it came to an end in about a month. Finally, someone tallied the number of people who "stepped down"...

They have enough troops to form almost a battalion.

And some of these 'minor figures'... have never appeared in the public eye since then.

After several months of changes and replacements, the newly selected representatives and spokespeople, chosen from among grassroots officials, immediately addressed the world and the persecuted people upon taking office…

And the superheroes who were treated unfairly apologized, promising that this would not happen again…

Nevertheless, although this incident caused some turmoil in the country, it did not actually cripple it, after all, it was once the world's leading country.

Soon, the Kingdom of Rice was back on track...

Lei Ming was neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the result; at least Calvin had met the conditions he had chosen.

During this period of turmoil in the United States, many mass riots also emerged, such as zero-dollar shopping, motorcycle gangs, and mass disturbances by fanatical doomsday theorists, but these were still considered minor incidents...

In slightly more serious cases, some criminals who have gained supernatural powers for various reasons are taking advantage of the national turmoil to cause trouble everywhere.

This has made the already turbulent country of Rice even more chaotic and disorderly...

It also makes one feel sorrow for the people who live on this land.

However, this is nothing new; it's not much different from before.

After all, it's the free America where gunfights happen every day...

Lei Ming didn't concern himself with these trivial matters, but Max and Connie didn't stand idly by; the group was constantly busy flying all over the country...

This time, however, they didn't leave Molly alone like before. After contacting Anko and the other two who were living in seclusion in another city, they now insisted on taking her along whenever they were out on a crime raid, so she wouldn't always be hiding in her room feeling melancholy.

What puzzled them was that... Molly didn't gain the same fire abilities as them, but instead developed another... ability that even Thunder had never displayed...

As for Lei Ming, he didn't stay at Peggy's house for long before leaving.

He had initially thought that something big would happen after God's death, such as demons from hell invading the human world, or extraterrestrials taking advantage of the opportunity to invade Earth...

So much time has passed...

But nothing happened, and the 'light curtain' that separated the two worlds never reappeared, of course…

It's possible that it might appear somewhere he didn't notice.

The observer never came looking for him, as if God's death was not something it would make a special trip to Earth for.

Everything seemed to have returned to calm...

...

Anyone interested is welcome to join the group chat!

Chapter Ninety-Two Dinner

In the evening, Drake and Peggy were busy preparing dinner in the kitchen.

Even in times of national turmoil, for ordinary people, living a good life is more important than anything else.

Moreover, it's Christmas time, and with everyone at home, she wanted to have a happy family meal together again, just like before.

The oven dinged.

Drake, who was washing vegetables, dried his hands and hurriedly walked to the oven. The moment he opened the lid, a mouthwatering aroma of food wafted from the oven.

This is his secret recipe for strawberry pie.

In the United States, making all sorts of delicious pies is an essential skill for almost every household.

"Honey, have you seen where the gloves are?"

As the strawberry pie was baked to a perfect golden brown, Drake realized he couldn't find his gloves. The oven's high temperature of several hundred degrees was no joke; even the slightest touch would cause a blister.

"I think it's inside the cupboard..."

Peggy, who was setting the table outside, ran into the kitchen when she heard the noise. The two of them searched the kitchen thoroughly, but still couldn't find the damn glove.

"Let me do it..."

Connie's voice suddenly rang out from behind.

When the two turned around at the sound, she had already taken the pie out of the oven with her bare hands. Her palms were pressed against the hot baking tray below, but there was no sign of anything unusual on her face.

She then skillfully placed the pies onto a plate, carried it to the table outside, returned to the kitchen, rolled up her sleeves, smiled at the somewhat stunned Peggy, and then went to the cutting board to start chopping vegetables.

Just like many years ago...

"We'll help too..."

The next second, another face peeked out from the doorway. Max walked in with a grin, followed by Molly and Lyle, as well as three friends who had been invited to visit: Anko, Anna, and Leona, who were also superheroes.

Regardless of whether Peggy and Drake agreed, the group began to divide the work and prepare everything needed for dinner. Max carried a stack of plates and neatly arranged them on the outside table, while Lyle was responsible for setting out the cutlery...

Molly was helping to wash the vegetables, while Leona and Anna brought the prepared dishes to the table outside.

In an instant, the kitchen, which had just been quiet with only two people busy at work, became lively...

Peggy and Drake exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly at each other before joining the group.

Anke was the only one standing outside with nothing to do. The work that could be done had already been divided up by the others, and she, being a step behind, could only be an idle person, aimlessly wandering around the living room.

With everyone's help, one delicious dish after another was soon served, their aroma making mouths water.

Soon, everything was ready, and the kitchen was tidied up. Everyone sat around the large dining table, chatting and laughing.

Even Molly seemed to have emerged from the gloom, and a genuine smile could often be seen on her face.

The table was laden with delicious food, making everyone's mouths water, but no one took the first bite. Max even stole a cherry and was glared at by Connie.

Peggy looked at the chattering crowd, a warm joy spreading across her face…

This house hasn't been this lively in a very, very long time.

But then, as her gaze fell upon the empty seat across the table, a hint of sadness appeared between her brows.

“Hey…Peggy, Ray will definitely come, trust me…”

Noticing her expression, Connie placed her hand on her arm and said softly.

"Thank you... Connie, I believe in him too."

Peggy smiled and then chatted happily with everyone.

The small room was filled with the cheerful laughter of the group…

Time passed second by second.

The clock on the wall struck ten o'clock, the food on the table had grown cold, and everyone had finished chatting, but the person they were waiting for still hadn't arrived.

Seeing everyone staring at the empty seat across the table, Max leaned closer to Connie, made a phone call gesture with his hand, and whispered: