Chapter 3118: "Romantic" Wedding Season (Part 2)

Gwen hurriedly took Helen to wash her face, which had turned dark, while Peter was at the backyard sink washing Pikachu and Rocket Raccoon—Pikachu was rapidly talking away, and Rocket Raccoon just couldn't out-cuss him.

Two freshly-made tacos were placed in front of Shiller and Eddie, and the sun-tanned Mexican lad, Gonzalez, winked at Shiller and said, "Sir, your pet sure has a personality."

Pikachu had just finished a rap segment and was catching his breath when he saw Helen come out and had no choice but to beat a retreat.

It's not that he didn't want to rap in recent years, but with either a mom or kids around, he knew it wasn't a good influence, so he tried to hold back as much as he could.

However, this time at Battleworld, he had a blast cursing, and if you asked Shiller how he knew, just look at the number of emails requesting the production team to develop a mute feature as soon as possible.

When it was finally time to eat, Pikachu jumped on the table and scuffled with Rocket Raccoon.

They were about the same size, with Rocket Raccoon a bit taller and equipped with modern weapons, but Pikachu with his 100,000-volt attack wasn't weak either. Their fight was a fiery spark-filled showdown that left both rodents' fur burnt and dark.

Holding a taco wrapped in colorful paper, Shiller took a bite along the edge; the corn shell was fried crispy, resembling snack corn chips but thinner and more delicate, melting in his mouth with a rich grain flavor.

Next came the tart and spicy salsa, bursting with intense tomato aroma and packing a punch, transforming him into a fiery dragon with each bite.

Moreover, Gonzalez made the tacos with cheese powder instead of cheese sauce, which wasn't as overwhelming in terms of sauces, suiting Shiller's taste better. He liked some Mexican dishes, but often they were too cheesy for him—delicious at first but too rich after a few bites.

Beneath the cheese powder, there were fresh corn kernels, beans, and onions, followed by a layer of tomato puree and crispy lettuce, with deep-fried chicken and lean strips of beef at the bottom, offering a tasty blend of fried dough and smooth beef flavors.

Shiller gulped down one taco in just a few bites, then went for a vegetarian one. Gray Mist seemed impervious to the ordinary spiciness of the food, not only wolfing down the super-spicy taco Shiller hadn't finished but also asking Gonzalez to make him a whole batch, which he happily devoured.

Eddie found the taco tasty, but Venom clearly preferred the kind with organs. As Eddie tried to sit and finish his portion, Venom insisted on watching the organs being fried at the food truck. The two engaged in an internal tug-of-war at the table, swaying left and right like someone with split personality.

Eddie clutched his throat tight and said, "I haven't finished my meal! Let me eat first!"

"No! I want it now! Can't you smell how good it is over there? Let me go!!"

"Can't you show some manners? Don't even think about drooling over someone else's cart and forcing me to buy again, get back!!"

Shiller and Gray Mist watched from aside, with Shiller remarking, "Venom used to be pretty composed when he first arrived on Earth. Having spent time with Eddie, he's becoming more and more like a child."

"It's a case of the hitter and the hittee." Gray Mist provided an accurate assessment.

Helen was picking her teeth with a toothpick, struggling to use it effectively, then asked Peter for some dental floss, but still couldn't dislodge the meat threads. Eventually, she shrank herself down a size and let Pikachu and Rocket Raccoon help her by using twigs.

Shiller overheard Peter and Gwen talking behind him, so he turned around. Seeing him look their way, Peter and Gwen joined him at the table, and Gwen said, "We think we should give Helen a medical exam."

"A medical exam? To check what?"

"Just to see if all her metrics are developing normally."

"Um... with all due respect, there's only one Helen in two universes combined. It's probably hard to tell what's normal."

"But, Doctor, haven't you noticed she hasn't grown for a long time?" Peter interjected. "That's precisely why we can't rule out developmental delays without a comparison group."

Shiller wanted to say that Helen might just be acting young. He'd discovered from Aisha that the image of an unworldly young girl was very useful and allowed her to avoid the terrifying elite courses Pepper arranged.

But after reconsidering, he felt Peter made sense, as Helen was the only Doomsday he'd seen. It was unclear whether her growth at this age was normal or not.

There were no Doomsdays participating in this Battleworld because in most comics, Doomsdays lack wisdom, more precisely logic and emotions, relying on instinct for their combat moves—a pure monster that knows no rules and thus can't play games.

Helen managed to blend in with the small animals' team—thanks to a loophole Shiller created.

Shiller thought he should indeed look into the developmental status of Doomsdays from other universes, so now letting Peter and the others record some data for future comparison wasn't a bad idea.

"Alright, I have no objections, but you lot will have to handle Helen," Shiller had just finished when Peter and Gwen sneakily went in search of Pikachu.

Meanwhile, Venom finally gained the upper hand in the tug-of-war with Eddie, baring his teeth in front of the food stall, asking for 50 organ tacos to satiate his hunger.

Shiller caught the vendor's plea-for-help glances and had no choice but to step in. Learning the vendor had enough ingredients but was struggling to keep up alone, and with Venom being impatient, Shiller himself had to lend a hand.

He dragged out the barbecue from the house, instructed Gonzalez to manage the fire, took charge of frying the corn shells, and appointed Rocket Raccoon to fill them. Helen and Pikachu handled the sauces, while Venom was crouched at the end of the assembly line, ready to devour, and Ultron recorded the activity on video.

After two and a half hours of fussing, Venom finally ate all the stock that the delivery guy brought, let out a satisfied belch, and collapsed onto a lounge chair in the sunlight to bask in the sun.

Shiller escorted the delivery guy to the door, settled his account, and arranged the next delivery time, then he returned to Stone House and made a phone call to the manager of the farm's golf course.

They were planning to visit the farm in the afternoon, but as the farm was vast and California's afternoon sun was particularly scorching, they certainly couldn't rely on walking. Not long after, the manager drove over a small golf course buggy with a white canopy and black seats, complete with a refrigerated trunk for drinks.

They hadn't had time to mix some beverages, so they simply grabbed some Coke and beer from the fridge and threw them into the trunk. Ultron was in charge of driving, with Shiller and Eddie in the front row, Peter and Gwen in the second row, and the other little guys sitting wherever they liked in the back.

The palm leaves that Peter and Gwen had previously picked had all ended up in Helen's hands. She wasn't interested in the evolutionary lineage of plants and instead used the palm leaves as sun hats and fans. She also made grass skirts for Pikachu and Rocket Raccoon with one of the larger leaves.

Pikachu and Rocket Raccoon first jumped onto the roof of the car, then landed in front of everyone, imitating the animals in animated movies and starting a hula dance. However, while dancing, Rocket Raccoon's equipment snagged Pikachu's grass skirt, causing the two to tumble into a ball and eventually start fighting.

When disembarking, Peter and Gwen each had to carry one away to prevent them from damaging the buggy.

The first stop on the tour was naturally the farmland, but there wasn't much to see here. The wheat had not been planted yet, and the transplanted fruit trees hadn't sprouted lush leaves, looking more like green chopsticks stuck in the ground, somewhat spoiling the scenery of the field ridges.

Luckily, there were some who recognized the value of these things; Gwen pointed to a small device in the field and said, "That should be an irrigation device, right? But it doesn't look much like a sprinkler head. Could it be drip irrigation? But California isn't short on water, is it?"

"Neither, that is a new type of irrigation device," Shiller said. "It was imported from China; they call this thing there—uh—multi-functional field butler, a bit of a quaint name, but the functionality is anything but quaint."

"What exactly does it do?" asked Gwen, her curiosity piqued, even though this wasn't her field of expertise, she was quite interested in this kind of machinery.

"Just like its name, it manages the fields comprehensively, not just irrigation, but also physically repels insects and birds..."

"Physical pest control? How does it repel pests?" asked Peter, also curious.

Shiller just smiled and said nothing, but at this moment, Helen, Pikachu, and Rocket Raccoon happened to walk by that machine, fooling around with each other, pulling and shoving without any semblance of order.

Suddenly, Rocket Raccoon yelped and jumped up, covering his butt and looking around from left to right, and finally settled his gaze on Pikachu.

Turning around, he saw a wisp of smoke rising from his tail which had been singed and lost a tuft of hair, instantly getting furious, seething with anger, he raised his rocket launcher intending to open fire at Pikachu.

"Hehehe, what are you doing!" Pikachu raised two paws in front of himself and said, "What are you getting crazy about?! I didn't hit you!"

"You sneaky, low-down varmint! You... ow!"

In a blink of an eye, Rocket Raccoon got hit again. He was about to get tough with Pikachu when Pikachu also yelped and jumped, turning around to see a burnt black spot on his lightning-shaped tail.

The two, clutching their behinds, scrambled away until they were out of the attack range and realized that it was the small machine that had fired the laser; both rodents were baffled.

"This type of machine can detect the smallest nanoscale pests within its range and precisely eliminate pests without damaging the leaves while also identifying any biological threats to the crops," explained Shiller, picking up Pikachu and Rocket Raccoon, "Typical examples are rodents and raccoons."

Gwen, stroking her chin, said, "The challenge must be in the intelligent recognition—differentiating between harmful pests and beneficial insects and not hitting humans. It's an interesting technology."

"They spare no effort in this area," Shiller said. "It's only a matter of time before all of China can eat fully green and pollution-free vegetables."

"Reducing the use of chemical fertilizers can better protect the soil and also slow down the accumulation of toxins in the biosphere, which is a big step for the environment. If possible, I should try to understand this technology," Gwen stated objectively.

Because the area was littered with these small mines that were dangerous to rodents, Rocket Raccoon and Pikachu refused to get back on the ground. There really wasn't much to do there, so the group quickly got back into the buggy to head to the next point of interest.

The next one was definitely more interesting—a standard golf course. It was an endless green space, with only a few coconut trees visible in the far distance. The horizon was broad and clear, with blue and green intertwined, and here they could also smell the faint sea breeze.

Peter took a deep breath and relaxed, shaking his head as he said, "I've always wanted to take classes to learn golf; those investors are always trying to take me to play golf, but unfortunately, I don't know how."

"It's nothing difficult," said Shiller. "I know some basics, but I'm not proficient. Anyway, as long as you get the ball into the hole, the method doesn't matter."

Peter caught the implication in his words immediately, and they both looked at Shiller and asked, "The method doesn't matter? What kinds of methods have you used, Doctor?"

Shiller picked up a golf club, "Well then, let me show you how I beat Stark."

With that, he swung the club quite casually.

With a crisp bang, the ball flew to a place too distant to see, obviously a wild shot, but then a thin mist rose in the air. The ball executed a Newtonian coffin-board explosion-type return curve in the air and dropped precisely into the hole.