IMUC Chapter 504 A Game Within a Game Within a Game

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The top floor office of the Supernatural Incident Bureau.

Raina, dressed in an elegant black business suit, carried a stack of documents in her arms as she walked down the hallway, her high heels clicking on the floor. When she reached the office door, she frowned slightly and gave it a gentle push from about half a meter away. The door swung open, seemingly by some invisible force.

The floor-to-ceiling windows of the office were wide open, letting the golden sunlight fill the room. The curtains fluttered in the breeze.

Sitting in Raina's chair with his legs crossed and eyes closed, was Kyle. When Raina opened the door, he casually wagged his finger at her.

"Boss, you didn't even let me know you were back."

Raina shook her head with a hint of helplessness, but the smile on her beautiful face was unmistakable. She walked into the room with a graceful stride and closed the door behind her with a wave of her hand.

Raina placed the documents on the desk and smoothed out the creases in the back of her skirt with both hands. Then, without hesitation, she sat down on Kyle's lap, treating him like a human chair. Her long legs, elegantly crossed, rested diagonally.

Raina's body was light, soft, and gave off a faint, pleasant scent.

Kyle coughed lightly, "Ahem, it wouldn't look good if someone walked in and saw this."

"Don't worry, I've already reported this level of intimacy to my mother," Raina said with a gentle smile.

"That still won't be enough. If any other members of the Carl family come to report on their work, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to see this either." Despite his words, Kyle instinctively placed his hands on Raina's incredibly firm waist.

"Alright, I get it."

As she spoke, Raina expanded her mental energy to cover the entire Supernatural Incident Bureau building.

"Listen up, everyone. I'm taking the day off, so no one is allowed to set foot in the top floor office. Disobey at your own risk!"

Raina's authoritative voice echoed in the minds of every Carl family member in the building. Those who worked involuntarily shuddered and reflexively responded, "Yes!

Many who were coming for consultations were left confused.

"You are something else," Kyle chuckled helplessly.

"Is that good enough? Whatever you want to do, it's okay. No one will disturb us."

Raina stretched lazily, her body forming a breathtaking curve that made Kyle feel a little warm. Her soft voice reached his ears again, "Not that you'd do anything, boss."

"Don't be so sure."

Kyle snorted softly and pulled Raina closer, using her as a cushion. But his mind was elsewhere, deep in thought.

Sensing his distraction, Raina asked gently, "Boss, you've been distracted ever since you returned from Asgard. What's on your mind?"

"Troubles."

Kyle fiddled with the pendant around Raina's neck that held the Mind Stone and sighed. "The Aether, the Reality Stone, which I had almost secured, was taken by Loki. And Lorna is still in the hands of the enemy, her exact situation unknown. On top of that, there's a war looming that even I may not be able to handle. Even if I want to relax, I can't."

Raina grabbed his hand and said sincerely, "Boss, I'll help you carry the burden. No matter what the future holds, as long as you're with me, I'm not afraid."

"I know, I know."

Kyle inhaled the scent of Raina's dark hair and said, "But we still need to plan ahead. The current strength of Earth's forces is far from sufficient. We need to identify and train talent, heroes who can stand on their own."

"That's why you reached out to Doctor Strange, young Peter in Queens, and Hank Pym."

Raina smiled as she spoke. Though she hadn't always been at Kyle's side, she treated everything related to him as more important than her own life, so she was usually the first to know what he was up to.

Kyle also liked to share his thoughts with Raina. Not only was she his beloved, whom he trusted completely, but she also had the capability to help him deal with the challenges he currently faced.

Of course, Lucy, with her awakened ice abilities, also had that ability.

Raina pondered, "You met with everyone else personally, but you left Hank Pym to someone else. Are you sure that's reliable?"

Kyle smiled calmly and said, "There's nothing unreliable about it. I just give things a little push or pressure to speed up the process, nudging them along the life paths they are meant to follow. Whether they reach the end is out of my hands.

A hero who can't achieve greatness on his own isn't really a hero--at best, he's just an exceptional soldier.

Raina gave him a sideways glance and parted her lips slightly. "You say that, but didn't you send the Venom agent anyway?"

"That's just a precaution, to correct any mistakes."

Kyle shrugged, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "Some people like to play games within games, so let's see who's better at it. Let's see who has the stronger hand and the better pieces."

At this stage, before the big battles have begun, Kyle, Thanos, and Loki - leaders of their respective factions - don't show up. They're all making their moves from the shadows, using the Nine Realms as their chessboard, their subordinates as their pawns, and engaging in small, preliminary conflicts.

It's not yet time to declare a winner; everyone is still preparing, gathering the cards they need to win the final war when it truly begins.

...

New York, Midtown High School.

Peter, his hair slicked back and his eyes slightly darkened by lack of sleep, arrives at school with his backpack and acceptance letter.

Yes, after being scolded by Aunt May last night, Peter had secretly gone out in his Spider-Man costume, hoping to track down the mysterious arsonist. But after wandering the neighborhood without finding any clues, he finally went home and slept.

"This is the class."

Peter stopped in the hallway, looked up at the class number, and shifted his thoughts from the mysterious figure back to the reality of school.

"I hope there are some cute girls in this class!"

Peter, now in his teenage years and full of hormones, was about to look into the classroom when a large hand suddenly slapped his slender shoulder from behind.

"Teacher?" Peter felt the weight of the hand and his body shook.

"What teacher? Hey, mate, you're in this class too, aren't you? We're meant to be! We can be desk mates!"

A deep but slightly juvenile voice came from behind him. Peter turned reluctantly to see a chubby black boy with a body like a barrel looking at him excitedly.

"My youth is over," Peter thought, rolling his eyes.

"Our youth is just beginning! I'm Ned, what's your name?" The boy, Ned, casually put an arm around Peter's shoulder.

"Peter Parker," Peter replied as he and Ned walked into the classroom, where several students were already seated in small groups.

"Then I'll call you Peter."

Ned's enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming for Peter, but either way, his high school life had officially begun.

(End of chapter)