Chapter 129: Cosmic Ray Storm

On the balcony.

"Ah, it really feels refreshing after a bath."

Anna stood by the balcony, letting the breeze blow through her damp hair. She was dressed in a red nightgown.

"That homeless guy…"

Anna's gaze drifted to a homeless man under the streetlight, who was gathering his things to move along. She looked at him with slight curiosity before letting it go. Homeless people were, after all, a regular sight on the streets here in the States, almost part of the landscape. So, seeing him shifting spots at night didn't spark much interest for her.

After a moment, the sound of a car engine revving up came from downstairs. Anna glanced down to see Alan's R8 driving in from another direction of the neighborhood and entering the underground garage.

"Back so soon?"

"I thought he'd spend more time with Gwen outside."

In the garage, Alan parked and took the elevator straight up. As he was about to unlock the door, he remembered he'd given his keys to Anna earlier. He had no choice but to knock. "Cousin Anna?"

As soon as he knocked, the door opened. Anna, still a little damp from her bath, stood there in her nightgown. "Dropped Gwen home already?"

Alan nodded. "Yeah. I'll get your bed linens for tonight."

He walked in without a second glance at her, heading straight for the bedroom to fetch the bed linens. Anna stood there, briefly stunned, watching him move away without a backward glance. She looked at her own figure, a bit puzzled. "Am I…?"

"Am I getting old?"

Though she was Gwen's cousin, Anna was still a woman—and women sometimes have a strange desire to prove their appeal. Alan's indifference made her question if her charm was fading.

Anna turned toward the gym area where a full-length mirror stood. After a moment's thought, she walked over, striking a few poses in front of the mirror. Her graceful curves were reflected back at her in full.

"I should be…" she muttered to herself, "not bad, right?"

Alan, completely unaware that his indifference had unsettled Anna's confidence, continued his search for the linens. After posing for a while, Anna regained some confidence.

When Alan returned, arms loaded with a fresh set of linens, Anna deliberately let one strap slip off her shoulder. But Alan, oblivious, handed her the linens without a second look. "These are all new, washed only once."

"Your room's the second one down the hall."

"I'm off to bed."

With that, he placed the linens in her hands and added, "I'm going to shower."

Anna stood there, holding the linens in stunned silence, then murmured a simple, "Oh…"

As she listened to the sound of water running from his shower, Anna found herself sinking deeper into doubt about her own charm.

...

Beyond Earth

In the vast, boundless outer space, a NASA spaceship—embodying the combined genius of NASA's scientists—hovered, bearing the agency's emblem proudly. After a few moments, the front of the spacecraft experienced an intense explosion-like event, sending ripples of energy outward.

Inside the spaceship, Reed Richards' voice echoed urgently, "Susan, hold steady!"

"If we can capture these cosmic storm particles, we'll have succeeded!"

Seated at the main console, Reed Richards, in a cutting-edge spacesuit, called out to his girlfriend and assistant, Susan Storm, who was struggling to control the joystick.

"I'm trying, but I can barely keep it steady!" Susan strained, gripping the controls tightly.

In the seats behind them, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm were working tirelessly to salvage the damaged equipment.

"Reed, something's wrong. This cosmic ray storm is much stronger than expected," Ben said, worried. "The propulsion system's affected—we're struggling to stabilize it!"

Reed's face darkened as he listened to the reports. Things weren't going as planned. While he knew scientific experiments rarely proceeded perfectly, the intensity of this storm was beyond anything he had anticipated. Watching Susan and his friends struggling to save the system, Reed clenched his teeth.

"Abort mission and prepare to return!"

The three turned to Reed in surprise, with Susan protesting loudly, "Are you crazy, Reed?"

"This is your lifelong dream—ours, too. We're so close, and you want to give up?"

Ben and Johnny also shot frustrated looks at Reed, but he sighed and explained, "This storm's energy is far stronger than I calculated."

"If we try to resist it, there are only two possible outcomes."

"What are they?" Ben asked, knowing Reed's relentless nature. Reed only ever considered retreat if the situation was truly dire.

"One, the ship gets completely disabled, and we drift in space until we suffocate."

"Or two, the ship explodes, and we're all blown to pieces."

Susan's frustration lingered, "Is retreat our only option? Reed, this is your dream, what if—"

Reed interrupted, "We can always run the experiment again."

"Even if NASA withdraws funding after this, we can find another sponsor. If this attempt fails, there's always a next time," Reed's expression grew firm. "But I won't risk your lives for an experiment."

A heavy silence fell in the cabin, broken only by the unsettling tremors caused by the cosmic storm.

"Prepare for return," Susan finally said, breaking the silence. Ben and Johnny exchanged looks, smiling slightly as they understood Reed's decision.

Just then, Ben, the largest of the group, noticed something and his face changed. "Reed, look at that!"

Ben's voice drew everyone's attention to the glass, directing their gaze outside. The previously empty space in front of the ship now showed an abyssal darkness, appearing as if out of nowhere—an unnatural contrast against the vast expanse.

Though not all of them were top scientists, their knowledge of space basics was solid, and they quickly deduced what they were seeing.

Reed's face paled as he murmured in shock, "Impossible…"

"It's forming… a miniature black hole!"

"Susan, hurry!"

Reed gripped the controls, and Susan and the others immediately moved into action. The spaceship began to slowly turn, but the miniature black hole grew at a startling pace.

As the ship completed its turn, six jet thrusters ignited, launching six brilliant blue flames. But just then, a tremendous force began pulling from behind as the black hole's gravitational field intensified.

The ship, having just gained some distance, suddenly felt as if it were being held by an invisible hand, halting its forward movement. Reed and his crew's survival instincts kicked into overdrive, and they pushed the controls with everything they had, pouring fuel into the thrusters at maximum rate.

Despite this, their efforts seemed futile. The ship didn't advance—instead, it was beginning to drift backward.

The crushing realization dawned on the crew that there was no escape from a black hole's pull—not even for light, let alone a man-made spacecraft.

At that moment, however, a faint silvery light appeared at the black hole's center.

Then, with a deafening roar, a shockwave of multicolored energy rippled outward, and the black hole vanished, leaving no trace behind. The energy wave, ignoring any barriers, swept through the ship, penetrating its walls and surging straight toward Reed and his team.

A surge of overwhelming power flooded into their bodies, engulfing their every fiber.

...

Before they even realized what had happened, each one of them lost consciousness, collapsing onto their control consoles.

The black hole vanished, but not without expelling a variety of debris. Most of it consisted of small meteor fragments that struck the spacecraft, leaving tiny dents on its surface. However, one palm-sized meteor fragment, upon hitting the ship, shattered, leaving behind a dark, sticky substance on the spacecraft's exterior. The substance, resembling some kind of fluid gel, clung to the hull.

Now freed from the black hole's pull, the ship's propulsion surged to life, and in a moment, it vanished from the area, returning along its pre-set course. Silence reclaimed this part of space.

After an unknown span of time, the area began to stir once more, with the faint silvery light from before shining even brighter. Then, in an instant, a silver surfboard tore through space, emerging into view. Standing atop the gleaming board was a humanoid figure, entirely silver—a being whose nature as "alive" was unclear.

The silver figure looked around, scanning the surroundings, before locking onto a specific direction. With a terrifying burst of speed from the board, the figure vanished from the star system.

---

*Earth*

Alan had already settled into a routine of early mornings, wearing a loose workout shirt as he sweated it out on the treadmill. Just then, Anna wandered out, still drowsy in her pajamas. Spotting him running, she teased, "Your life is pretty disciplined, huh?"

"No wonder you're in such great shape—bet you have tons of girls after you."

Alan chuckled, "Actually, I haven't been in New York that long. I don't know many people here yet."

Curious, Anna sat down, studying Alan with interest. "What about Gwen?"

He smiled, "She… is different to me."

"Different?" Anna pressed further, "What makes her different?"

But just then, the doorbell rang, followed by Gwen's voice calling out, "Cousin Anna, open up!"

Normally, Gwen would just come in through the balcony. Only today, with Anna home, did she actually use the front door.

Hearing Gwen's voice, Anna looked back at Alan. "We'll save this conversation for next time," she said, standing up to let Gwen in.

...

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