CH-3. Indirect Kiss

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As he spoke, Mike placed the photo he had taken from his pocket on the table and recounted what had happened at home that morning.

Diana listened quietly to his story, not surprised by the events. However, when she caught sight of the black-and-white photo, a slight ripple flashed in her eyes.

After Mike finished explaining the details, Diana put away the photo, returned to her seat, and gently reminded him, "I know who slipped the photo. I will handle this matter. You don't need to worry about it in the future."

"Okay."

Mike had no doubt that his aunt could manage everything, but he asked out of genuine concern and curiosity, "Aunt, the person wearing that strange armor in the photo..."

"Since you want to know, I'll tell you."

Diana's cold expression turned serious. After a moment of thought, she spoke gravely, "Yes, she is actually my grandmother. She passed away a long time ago. I heard she helped the army fight against mysterious forces during World War I."

"Mysterious forces? Could it be the legendary gods?" Mike's eyes widened in surprise. The most widely circulated rumor about the cause of World War I involved the God of War!

Diana shook her head and said, "Things from the past happened too long ago. I only heard my mother mention it when I was a child."

She paused before adding, "But there are no gods in this world."

"That's right." Mike nodded, feeling completely relieved.

Diana also breathed a sigh of relief.

"I have an appointment with a friend and need to go out for a while. I may be back late." Diana said softly, picking up her water cup for a sip, only to notice Mike staring at it.

"What's wrong?" Diana set the cup down and asked curiously.

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Mike replied, shaking his head. He had suddenly thought of a question.

'I just used my aunt's water cup, and now she's using it again.'

'Isn't this an indirect kiss?'

There was nothing wrong with kissing his aunt indirectly. When he was a child, Mike and his aunt often took baths together, which was one of the main reasons why it was difficult for girls to capture Mike's attention.

Just like when inspired by anime masterpieces like *Fullmetal Alchemist* and *Code Geass*, he often felt bored watching other anime works.

But now, here comes the problem.

Will indirect kissing trigger the [Lord of the Dependents]?

Mike couldn't help but ponder this.

He had not yet tried out his superpowers, but he knew the three prerequisites for activating [Lord of the Dependents]:

1. Need the opposite sex.

2. Close contact.

3. Fluid exchange between each other.

His aunt was certainly the opposite sex, and a perfect one at that.

As for close contact, he wondered if the pat on the back just now counted.

The most important factor was fluid exchange. Even if there had been an exchange just now, it was neutralized by the water in the cup.

So, it should be okay, right?

Mike was lost in thought about this question until the end of a light dinner.

"Don't wait for me; go to bed early." Diana said in a tone that sounded almost like she was coaxing a child, which made Mike a bit amused and slightly annoyed.

He replied, "I know, be careful outside. There are no permanent superheroes in our city."

Currently, only the three major economic capitals—New York City, Gotham City, and Metropolis—had permanent residences of Iron Man, Batman, and Superman, respectively, because they lived in those local areas.

"Don't worry, I've always been lucky. But you take good care of the house and don't run around." Diana replied, blinking and giving him a reassuring smile before putting on her winter high-heeled boots and walking out of the house.

The room fell silent again.

Mike stared at the closed door, feeling an inexplicable emptiness inside, and began to recall the earlier conversation.

"Has the incident with the photo really just passed like this?" He murmured.

If the meaning behind the photo was truly just to represent his aunt's grandmother, then what was the person thinking when they put it in the house?

'This matter doesn't seem that simple.' Mike thought, cleaning up his tableware in a daze, when he suddenly heard a crisp sound of something bursting.

Startled, he looked down, and his pupils contracted in surprise.

The water cup in his hand had shattered into pieces, as if it had experienced a violent force beyond its capacity to withstand, scattering glass fragments all over the ground.

"This cup? No, it's my body..."

There wasn't a single scratch on Mike's palm. Instead, he felt a surge of strength flowing through him, as if he could crush anything.

Hallucination or delusion?

Mike was stunned and glanced at the metal knife and fork in his other hand. His fingers moved slightly, and the metal utensils began to bend and deform before his eyes.

There were also visible fingerprint indentations on the handles of the knife and fork.

Every gesture displayed extraordinary power!

"Huh?" Mike was completely confused.

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Diana went out, turning two or three corners downstairs, and soon arrived at a retro-style coffee shop not far from her home.

Since it was dinner time, there weren't many people in the coffee shop, and Diana quickly spotted the person she was meeting.

In a secluded corner near the window, a middle-aged woman in her early forties with slightly curly hair and wearing sunglasses sat alone.

"What would you like to order, ma'am?"

The tall and fashionable Diana immediately became the center of attention in the shop. Even the young female clerk was dazzled, politely stepping forward with the menu in her hand.

"A cup of hot coffee will be fine." Diana responded with a smile as she sat down across from the woman in sunglasses.

"Diana Prince, long time no see." The middle-aged woman took off her sunglasses, revealing eyes that were colder than winter.

Diana nodded slightly, "It's been a long time, Barbara Minerva." Seeing this former colleague, friend, and enemy again stirred a complex mix of emotions within her.

"More than twenty years have passed, and you still look the same as you did back then. You haven't aged at all. You truly are a descendant of the gods, aren't you?" Barbara laughed, glancing at Diana's perfect and familiar face, then added self-deprecatingly, "Since I lost my abilities as the Cheetah and reached a certain age, I've gained more crow's feet, my body is getting out of shape, and my skin is no longer as tough and elastic as it used to be."

"You still can't let go of what happened back then?"

Diana frowned slightly and asked bluntly, "Is that why you secretly stuffed my old photos into my house?"

Barbara leaned back and laughed, "Why not reminisce about the past before jumping straight into business? It seems you care for that child very much."

Diana didn't comment but said seriously, "He is just an ordinary person."

"So, that's why I stuffed the photo in there."

A hint of sarcasm flickered across Barbara's face, "You are a goddess high above us, soaring through the sky and walking the earth, and you're immortal. All these years, you actually adopted an ordinary human child? What are you trying to do? Completely integrate into our human world? Stop kidding!!"

As she finished, she slammed her hands on the table and stood up, emotionally charged, glaring at Diana with resentment and anger.

Diana remained calm, her long legs pressed together. Even seated quietly, her aura remained unshaken by Barbara.

After a moment of silence, she spoke softly, "I was completely disappointed with humanity and had no hope."

"What are you talking about?" Barbara's face showed confusion, but she finally sat down again.

Diana glanced at the snow-covered streets outside the window and continued, "Until, sixteen years ago, on Christmas Eve..."

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"What's happening to me?"

Mike stared at his hands in disbelief. He tried to stab his arms with the metal knife and fork, but his skin felt incredibly tough. He could only feel a slight pain when he pressed down. Yet, the sharp tips of the knife and fork bent before they could pierce his skin!

He suddenly remembered that his aunt had never sustained an injury in the past ten years.

"No way."

In an instant, Mike seemed to understand everything. He looked up as if realizing something, and what caught his eye was the ceiling of his living room.

Over the years, the ceiling, which had always been simple and empty in his memory, now bore a silver sword that shouldn't be there, a dark gold round shield, and a suit of female armor with a wild aura hanging in the most conspicuous place in the center.

These mysterious objects, which should not exist, were all linked by a golden rope that appeared and vanished intermittently, adorned with strange and luxurious crowns, silver bracelets, and gold knee pads at either end.

"It doesn't exist." Mike muttered to himself.

Maybe they had always existed, but he simply couldn't see them before and could now.

Subconsciously, Mike reached up, and just as his fingertips brushed the golden rope hanging in the air, it instantly turned from solid to ethereal until it completely vanished.

"Um?"

Suddenly, Mike sensed something was wrong. The sword and shield hanging from the rope, along with the armor, all began to fall freely once the golden rope disappeared!

Mike was momentarily dumbfounded, but his reflexes and speed were already extraordinary. He immediately reached out to catch them, his movements blurring into an afterimage.