On the West Coast, in a luxury villa on Malibu Beach, the Great Wall Guardians sat around in small groups, all wearing troubled expressions.
In front of them were glasses filled with various drinks mixed by the Widow, who was moonlighting as the bartender. But everyone just stared at their drinks as if they were poison, unable to take a sip.
They had just returned from Japan not long ago, and after several deployments, everyone's confidence had taken a massive hit.
Every time they set out, they were full of confidence, determined to defeat evil and save the world.
But every time, before they could finish the fight, the city was gone.
This time was even worse—Little Japan was completely wiped off the map.
Sure, the country was small, but the psychological impact on them was immense.
"Maybe this job just isn't for us. Maybe we should just disband right here."
Someone suddenly blurted this out, and Su Ye almost followed up with the rest of the famous line—
"Let's split up and go our separate ways—you back to Flower-Fruit Mountain, he to Flowing Sand River, and I'll go back to Gao Laozhuang to find my Cui Lan!"
The atmosphere was exactly like when Pigsy decided to slack off in Journey to the West.
Faced with these demoralized teammates, there wasn't much Su Ye could do.
He wasn't someone who specialized in rallying morale. That kind of thing should be left to the professionals, like Zheng Xian.
As for Su Ye, he was better at making soy milk—fun and nutritious, a low-cost entertainment activity.
Low-carbon and eco-friendly.
But now, the overall environment was unstable. Even making soy milk had become a high-risk job—one wrong move, and he'd be locked up in a small dark room, left with nothing but frustration.
And what was this unstable environment? It was the fact that Gwen had just met Mai Shiranui.
After the battle, Su Ye dug the martial artists out from the rubble.
Kyo Kusanagi and his group went home to clean up the aftermath.
Even though Little Japan's buildings had collapsed, some people had miraculously survived thanks to their resilience and extraordinary luck.
These survivors would become the foundation of Little Japan's reconstruction.
Of course, many of them would probably seek refuge in other countries to start new lives.
But some would choose to stay, determined to rebuild a new nation from the ruins.
As for what direction this new country would take, only time would tell.
One thing was certain, though—this new country wouldn't be following the Western path anymore.
Because the ones helping with the rescue and reconstruction were their neighbors—the great dragon nation that, despite past conflicts, still couldn't bear to see others suffer. For them, hatred and humanitarianism were two separate things.
Not those... you know who I mean. If I name names, someone will accuse me of referencing real-world politics or allegorizing East-West conflict or whatever.
Moreover, during the reconstruction, the survivors unexpectedly began tracing their origins—questioning where they truly came from and who their ancestors really were.
Because amidst the vast ruins, barely any structures had remained standing after the great tremors.
One of the few exceptions was the Tomb of Xu Fu!
Xu Fu, a man from 2,000 years ago, had long been regarded as a legend. Many had dismissed his story as a myth—even Little Japan itself refused to acknowledge that its culture and ancestry might have been passed down from him.
But now, over 2,000 years later, Little Japan had been devastated by spatial distortions—yet Xu Fu's tomb remained completely untouched.
People could no longer ignore the significance of this event.
Why was this happening?
This was not something that could be explained away as mere coincidence.
Very soon, the survivors began to worship their ancestor Xu Fu, hoping for his blessing.
This was entirely initiated by them voluntarily.
In the face of such a disaster, only these supernatural legends could help them shift their sorrow and regain confidence in life.
Among these people, the members of the Three Sacred Treasures family were the most active.
As one of the three oldest families in Japan, they had the duty to take on the task of restoring people's confidence at this time.
Moreover, Chizuru Kagura herself was a shrine maiden—this was her specialty.
Xu Fu himself never expected that more than 2,000 years later, these people would still rely on his protection to live in peace.
Su Ye also did not expect that a hellish battlefield would arrive so unexpectedly.
After the disaster, Kusanagi Kyo and his two companions left, but Mai Shiranui chose to stay by Su Ye's side.
At that moment, a Quinjet descended, forcefully pulling Su Ye and Mai onto the aircraft, then disappearing into the sky in an instant.
They didn't dare stay—doing so would mean facing the survivors' judgment and emotional burden.
In the eyes of many, failing to save someone was equivalent to murder.
And reasoning with a group of survivors was impossible.
The disaster relief efforts were taken over by the Divine Spear Bureau, led by Zheng Xian.
That's right, even though Thanos had not yet arrived, the Divine Spear Bureau had already been officially established, and its scale was even larger than depicted in the original comics.
The number of agents alone exceeded 300,000, which was twice the number in the original work.
There was no choice—times were tough, and everyone had reached a consensus that the "end of the universe" was to secure stability. Even those earning 2.08 million yen per day were competing with the common folk for jobs, all scrambling to secure a stable position.
The Divine Spear Bureau simply expanded its recruitment, doubling the original numbers.
The saying "Strength in numbers" was proving to be true.
Especially during rescue missions, the power of large numbers became quickly evident.
Amidst a raging wildfire, more than 14,000 people rushed to the fire scene, forming a human wall outside the blaze—a spectacle rarely seen in any country.
But someone made it happen.
And in this rescue operation, the Divine Spear Bureau performed a feat completely opposite to the "spear" in its name.
They were the shield that protected lives, the cross that saved lives, and the angels that brought light to people.
Some even suggested renaming it from "Divine Spear Bureau" to "Divine Immortals Bureau." Though the name sounded odd, the people within were truly like deities saving those in suffering.
Alright, that's just a side note.
Let's get back to the battlefield.
The last thing Su Ye wanted to face was a love battlefield.
Compared to this, he would rather stay in the disaster zone rescuing people—at least that situation wouldn't be as awkward as now.
Gwen and Mai Shiranui sat on either side of Su Ye. Although they didn't engage in any overly intimate actions, just looking at their expressions made it clear what was going on.
Gwen was wearing her Spider-Gwen suit, a tight battle outfit that highlighted her perfect figure.
It was hard to imagine that someone could maintain such a firm and toned shape in a tight battle suit without wearing a bra—it was practically a miracle of human aesthetics.
Naturally, real women almost never look like that. Normally, things flatten out when lying down—like the stomach.
But with a little cosmetic enhancement, it was different. Silicone helped maintain the shape to the maximum extent—standing or lying down, the difference was minimal.
Don't ask me how I know this—who doesn't have a few teachers in this area?
Of course, Gwen didn't need any cosmetic surgery. With her super-spider genes, she was naturally strong enough.
On the other side, Mai Shiranui, dressed in her Phantom Skin outfit, didn't even need to try to show off her figure—just her long, slender legs spoke volumes.
Gwen always thought that Eastern people, especially Eastern women, were short and unattractive—just like the female lead in the Shang-Chi movie, whose only purpose was to satisfy Western stereotypes and nothing else.
Some might argue that it was all capitalism's fault and had nothing to do with the actors.
But then, why wouldn't Chang Wei (a famous movie villain) play a villain in Hollywood films?
Yet Awkwafina, the lead actress of Shang-Chi, not only acted but played various ugly and stereotypical roles.
After watching Jumanji: The Next Level, Su Ye didn't remember much about Karen Gillan's waist or thighs—what stuck in his mind was Awkwafina's character, always hunched over, speaking without making eye contact, exuding a sneaky and untrustworthy aura.
And this image was exactly the kind of stereotype that Hollywood had imposed on Easterners, especially Chinese people, from the beginning.
Bruce Lee opened Hollywood's doors with martial arts films.
Jackie Chan secured a Hollywood Lifetime Achievement Award with his martial arts comedies.
They showed the world a different image of Chinese people.
Yet, some people, just to please Westerners, deliberately acted ugly in movies and even played characters based on degrading stereotypes.
Even changing the name didn't help—after Shang-Chi, did you see that old man getting any opportunities in China?
When feeling down, didn't he like feeding pigeons in Europe? Well, now he can stay there forever!
Movies are one of the ways people get to know foreign countries, so it was normal for Gwen to have stereotypes about Easterners.
Because before meeting Su Ye, the environment she was exposed to shaped her perception that way.
You can't make a frog in a well believe that "the sky isn't round" unless you change the shape of the well opening.
After falling in love with Su Ye, Gwen's understanding of Eastern people underwent a complete transformation.
But her prejudice toward Japanese women remained: short, stocky, under 160 cm—though many were cute and had high-pitched voices.
A Japanese woman like Mai Shiranui—beautiful, well-proportioned, and tall—almost didn't exist in Gwen's perception. At least among all of Su Ye's teachers, there was no one like her.
Even Yui-sensei, who looked quite capable in a fight, was only 163 cm tall.
Gwen and Mai Shiranui stared at each other for a long time, and at the same time, a rather bizarre thought popped into their heads.
"No wonder Xiao Ye likes this woman—if I were him, I'd like her too!"
At that very moment, they both seemed to see the same realization reflected in each other's eyes.
"The way she's looking at me... it's strange. Could it be that she's thinking the same thing?"
As this thought crossed their minds, their faces suddenly blossomed into smiles.
In an instant, all the hostility and resentment vanished into thin air.
Why should women make things difficult for each other? The ones who understand women best are women themselves.
Women should support women!
By rounding up a little, women don't need men at all.
So, to hell with men!
"Gwen, your lip color is so pretty! What shade of lipstick are you using?"
"Mai, your makeup looks amazing! I can never get mine as flawless as yours—it's so frustrating!"
"That's not true! People always say that white women have large pores, but I don't see that on you at all. Your skin is so fine and smooth, like silk!"
"Oh, stop! I actually envy your figure! Your... um, they move so naturally! Wow, how do you do that?"
"Look at you here, this part is so pretty!"
"And this part of yours—I love it too!"
Halfway through their conversation, they completely pushed Su Ye aside and sat together, linking arms. Their faces lit up with the most sincere smiles, as if they had been best friends for years, sharing everything.
Su Ye was left questioning his entire existence.
These were the only two publicly acknowledged girlfriends he had in his circle. He had expected them to fight tooth and nail when they met—maybe even pull hair and scratch faces.
Yet, to his surprise, they became friends, and he was the one left out.
Who could he even complain to about this?
Feeling helpless, Su Ye left the room, only to find that the other women outside were keeping their distance as if avoiding suspicion.
It was as if they were saying, "Don't come near us. Don't let anyone know about our relationship. Let's just keep this as a secret connection—I don't want to get caught between those two and become cannon fodder in their battle."
These women actually shared the same thoughts as Su Ye—everyone was an angel to each other, enjoying pleasure and bliss together. But when it came to facing the consequences, no one wanted to be dragged into hell.
Su Ye couldn't help but sigh in relief—if there had been even one more woman here with the same strong possessiveness as Gwen and Mai, today's world wouldn't be this peaceful.
Turning around, Su Ye was about to step outside for some fresh air when Su Ruiwen approached.
"So, how's it going? Settled things with your two girlfriends?"
As he spoke, Su Ye could see the obvious teasing expression on his face.
Su Ye rolled his eyes. "Don't even think about offering to 'help me settle this.' I don't need it!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Su Ruiwen immediately showed a look of discontent. "How could you not appreciate my goodwill? Is this how you treat your younger brother? By the way, Mom just called—she said Tifa is back on Earth and shopping with her. Want me to call her over to stay for a couple of days?"
Su Ye's eyebrows furrowed instantly. "Are you trying to throw me into a fire pit?"
Su Ruiwen burst into laughter. "Hahaha! If you don't go to hell, who will?"
Su Ye simply grabbed Su Ruiwen by the neck. "Come on then, let me show you who really deserves to go to hell."
"Who's afraid of who?" Su Ruiwen retorted defiantly.
Then, Su Ye dragged Su Ruiwen into the smoking room and shut the door.
Su Ruiwen's body instantly shifted, scales appearing like a disguise. "So, who do you want today?"
Su Ye snorted. "Change back. I don't want anyone today. Just be yourself."
With a quick transformation, Su Ruiwen reverted to her blue-skinned form. Her eyes sparkled, as this was a rare occasion. She was well aware of how she looked in this state.
"You sure?"
"Cut the nonsense!"
Su Ye didn't say anything more—he expressed his intentions through action.