Chapter 2283: Late Autumn in the Golden City (36)_1

Natasha and Pamela strolled into the garden. As soon as she walked in, Natasha felt something was off. It was autumn, and the temperature in the city was not high. Trees and bushes in the garden were beginning to turn yellow, yet the vines covering the ground were unusually abundant and far too green.

As Natasha descended the steps of the porch, her high heels hardly placed on the stone path before she noticed a shadow move amongst the bushes, as if a small animal had darted by.

"Haven't you seen another version of me?" Pamela asked.

"Never in person, apart from Shearer. In your universe, I am most familiar with Batman. I've played a game with two Batmans."

The shadow swaying in the dark came to a standstill as Pamela asked, "How was it?"

"Not bad. It's obvious they are intelligent and strong, I don't need to say that. If I had to describe, I'd say they are quite intense and sexy."

"Of course, especially when they're in the bat suits." Pamela took a step closer.

Natasha looked downwards, saw a slender shadow slither past her foot. She instinctively lifted her foot, mistaking it for a snake. Under the porch light, however, she saw it was a wriggling vine.

"Did you take them to bed?" Pamela asked again.

"You know that's not the point. If I had a spare moment, would I not?"

Pamela sighed, shook her head and said, "You do seem like their type."

Turning her head, Natasha gathered her red hair behind one ear, staring at Pamela with an 'explain' expression on her face.

"Do you think Batman is hard to deal with? That's it, he emits that vibe to everyone so that once he drops his guard, no one can resist his charm. That's his weapon."

"Interesting."

"He uses this weapon on valuable targets. Meaning, besides being attractive, you need to be strong, show him your worth, and only then can you catch his attention."

"That's how it should be." Turning back, Natasha focused on the wriggling vines. "Provided that it's a two-player game. Unfortunately, there were four of us, two Batmans. They were too occupied with guarding against each other."

"Two Batmans, you, and who's the fourth?"

"Shearer."

Pamela's footsteps halted when she heard Natasha saying, "The two Batmans are nothing compared to him. He was the biggest hassle. I kept him under my eyes the whole time, didn't have a minute to enjoy myself."

"Are you well-acquainted with him?"

"Sort of." Natasha turned back around again, seeing the expression on Pamela's face, Natasha, the agent, chuckled, "It seems you're very interested in him."

"I can't deny. In fact, I have a plan..."

When Pamela finished sharing her plan, Natasha's expression turned slightly odd.

Ignoring the vines skittering close to her ankles and Pamela's eager gaze, Natasha climbed the steps as quickly as possible, returning under the porch.

"Young lady, you're beautiful and full of ideas, but I'm sorry I'm heterosexual. It's still early, I'm going to continue exploring the mansion, goodbye!"

With that, Natasha left briskly, leaving behind a baffled Pamela.

What just happened? The atmosphere was fine a moment ago, why did it suddenly take a downturn?

Pamela was sure their conversation was not just simple chatter, but a prelude to flirting. Natasha did not seem repelled by it. Had she not wanted to continue?

Natasha didn't seem reserved to Pamela. Pamela suspected her of being a socialite or a female agent, such people have possibly richer romantic histories than everyone else present. She had seen it all, why would she back down so easily?

Meanwhile, a disgruntled Natasha was ranting in her earpiece.

She found an isolated spot, lowered her voice, and raged at Nick, "… because I was there, I know what this is! Now there's a crazy kid planning to flirt with him at the party! We might all end up dead!"

It seemed Nick said something on the other end of the line, but it did nothing to appease Natasha. She cursed once more before hanging up, turning her gaze back towards the increasingly lively banquet hall.

Natasha wasn't clueless either. Having gathered information on Shearer for so long, she could be said to understand Shearer's character construct better than anyone else in the Marvel Universe.

Besides their commonly encountered benevolent Doctor, the arrogant Professor who occasionally appeared lived in the tower with him. Natasha had seen with her own eyes that at the bottom of the tower, there was an abyss.

The Shearer who perished with her came from that abyss. The one hosting today's party was evidently from there too.

Here was the problem, Pamela was undoubtedly smart and beautiful. If she truly was a fish waiting to be hooked, then it was inevitable, the events of the fishing day would replay.

However, the distinction is that Natasha is a well-experienced female agent, whereas Pamela is a teenager who likely possesses the superpower to control plants.

Natasha doesn't dare to imagine the scene of grappling with such a being. She begins to suspect whether Shiller is planning to stir-fry all the fish in one pot at this banquet.

She hesitates slightly on the spot before turning around and heading towards the second floor. She quickly arrives at the windows in the second-floor corridor. From here, she can see part of the garden. She observes Pamela moving deeper into the dense vegetation, the bushes and tree branches swaying beside her.

At that moment, a slight breeze blows in from the window gap. Natasha wrinkles her nose and looks towards a room at the end of the hallway.

A smell of blood.

As a seasoned agent, she knows that scent all too well. She adopts a crouch stance and starts inching along the wall. Even in high heels, she doesn't make a sound.

On her way, she recognizes the smell isn't Shiller's. It has a peculiar aroma, like blood dripping on snow.

Gently opening the unlocked master bedroom door, she sees the typical mansion bedroom. She steps softly over the threshold and spots a tiny trace of blood in the floorboard cracks.

Blue blood.

Realization dawns on Natasha. As she reaches to radio Nick, she hears footsteps from the end of the hall.

"The second floor is made of my bedroom and guest rooms. The bedrooms are off-limits for now, but you can check the guest rooms..."

It was Shiller's voice, followed by a response from Strange.

The two of them know each other?

Of course, Shiller should know Strange. Still, Natasha is puzzled about how the Shillers from the abyss have any connection with Strange.

Countless mysteries spin in Natasha's mind, causing a throbbing headache. The footsteps are growing nearer, and Natasha has no choice but to quickly hide on the balcony.

"May I look in your bedroom?" Natasha hears Strange asking this. She smacks her forehead – why is everyone curiously attracted to danger, especially to dangerous Shillers?!

Well, she was once the hooked fish herself, so she can't judge. But when Shiller actually agrees to it, Natasha starts wondering about the nature of their relationship.

While pondering, she begins to crawl down the balcony. The light illuminating the garden makes the master bedroom seem brighter than before. However, standing behind the curtains, her shadow is not hard to miss.

Climbing down in heels isn't a difficult feat for Natasha, but she worries about dirtying her dress, which could raise eyebrows at the banquet.

Just as she searches for her next foothold, she steps onto something soft yet resilient. Glancing down, she notices a thick vine creeping over her foot and Pamela in the distance watching her.

As soon as she lands, she can't hold it in any longer.

"Shit! What's going on here?! Why is there Loki's blood in Shiller's room? What happened between them? And what's going on with Shiller and Strange? And you, what are you trying to do?!"

Using the tethering vine, Pamela descends to the ground, extends her hand to Natasha, and says, "Don't be so uptight. We just wanted to have some fun."

"Do you know what price it'll cost?!" Natasha raises her voice to ask.

"Of course. We know how tolerant Professor Shiller is. I suppose it would be the same for the others. That's all in the future, though. Why not have fun now?"

Right, Natasha now confirms that this group doesn't truly understand the distinction between the Shillers in the abyss and the usual ones!

Stirring up Greed or Arrogance indeed will put you on their hit list. However, the difference is that Greed might take a detour and wait until you've forgotten about it before making you suffer, while Arrogance repays debts more promptly because it starts from the recent grudges.

Regardless, they have rationale, they wouldn't upend the situation, at least to keep things smooth and even benefit the victim to some extent.

For normal Shillers, it feels like an obsession. They believe that if they can do something, they should do it. It's a prevalent mentality among most people: why wouldn't they satisfy their desires while making things better?

But being in a morbid state is different.

They appear rational, human-like, but in reality, they lack reason. They don't care about the situation's outcome, how many people are hurt, bleeding, or dead. They obey only their instincts and satisfy their desires.

DescriptionPamela and others are aware that the host Shiller is perhaps different and more dangerous than usual. But none of them seems to understand the danger that a morbid Shiller poses.

The missing Loki serves as an example. He must have arrived at the mansion early to negotiate with Shiller but crossed paths with a morbid Shiller – the aftermath isn't hard to guess.

When Natasha thinks about the desperate need to protect the ignorant fish hooked by Shiller and the importance of preserving the bilateral agreement banquet from disruption tomorrow, she is filled with a sense of profound despair.

Is this world just a big fish tank?!