American comics: Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!.

Chapter 1142 Lex is in trouble, Moonlight Blade is drawn!

"Do not--!"

Lex only had time to let out a roar before his vision spun, and he heard deafening alarms, the sound of metal tearing apart, and the desperate screams of the people inside the cabin.

The feeling of weightlessness gripped his heart tightly, as if trying to tear it out of his chest.

With a loud bang, a violent impact and vibration were felt.

It was as if the whole world had shattered at that moment.

Lex's head slammed into something hard, and everything went black. All sound and sensation vanished instantly, plunging him into boundless darkness.

……

After an unknown amount of time, a vague consciousness, like a bubble at the bottom of water, slowly rose to the surface of Lex's mind.

The sharp, dull pain coursing through his entire body made it impossible for him to move.

Lex opened his eyes slowly and laboriously.

My vision was initially blurry; I could only see flickering, orange-red light.

He blinked, and his vision gradually cleared. He found himself lying on a makeshift "bed" made of withered leaves and unknown fabrics, covered with a somewhat worn leather coat.

Nearby, a campfire was burning quietly inside a small stone circle, dispelling the chill of the autumn night and illuminating a small area around it.

This appears to be an abandoned hunter's cabin, or a sheltered spot in the mountains, with a dilapidated roof and a few sparse stars visible.

I'm still alive!

This realization brought some clarity to Lex's confused mind.

He tried to stand up again, but a sharp pain shot through his ribs and left leg, causing him to gasp.

"you're awake?"

A young-sounding female voice rang out from the side.

Lex turned his head when he heard the sound, which strained his neck muscles, causing another wave of soreness.

Two people were sitting by the campfire.

The speaker was a girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, with dark brown skin and thick black hair tied in a simple ponytail.

Sitting next to her was a tall, strong Black man dressed in black tactical clothing with a dark long leather overcoat, who sat upright even during his break.

What is most striking are his eyes, which gleam silver-white in the firelight, like those of a nocturnal animal.

The black man's face was expressionless; he was simply silently wiping a strangely shaped longsword.

"who are you?"

Lex asked in a dry, hoarse voice.

He endured the pain, propped himself up on his elbows, and warily eyed the two strangers.

The memories in his mind gradually returned, reminding him of what had happened to him.

Attacked by crazed bodyguards, then the helicopter crashes...

Was I still alive because these two people saved me?
“My name is Kamala Khan.”

The girl gave a friendly smile and pointed to her companion beside her, "This is Eric Brooks, but... many people call him 'Blade'."

The man named Blade merely glanced at Lex, nodded slightly as a greeting, and continued wiping his sword.

"Did you save me?"

Lex confirmed this, quickly scanning his surroundings but seeing no sign of other survivors.

"Yes."

Kamala nodded. "We heard a huge explosion, and when we got there, we saw your helicopter had crashed. You were lucky; you were ejected and got stuck among some broken tree branches. Your companions..."

She hesitated for a moment and didn't continue.

Lex knew what she meant, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed his surging emotions.

When Lex opened his eyes again, his gaze had returned to its usual calm. "Thank you for saving me."

He struggled to stand up, but the sharp pain in his legs nearly caused him to fall again.

"Hey, you might have a broken leg, don't move!"

Kamala quickly got up to help him.

Lex waved his hand, refusing her help, and his eyes scanned every corner of the cabin anxiously: "My suitcase, a silver-gray sealed metal suitcase, have you seen it?"

Kamala and Blade exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

“We only pulled you out from near the wreckage; we didn’t see any boxes.”

Kamala said, "It's dangerous there, and there are still quite a few of those things wandering around. We can't stay any longer."

Lex's heart sank when he heard what the other person said.

The box contained metal objects taken from the zombies; these things must not fall into the hands of anyone else.

"I have to go back and find it."

Lex gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain in his legs, and forced himself to stand up, his forehead instantly covered in cold sweat.

Kamala watched him limp toward the door and quickly stopped him: "Are you crazy? It's so dark, and you're so badly injured. There are zombies everywhere outside. Going back now is just suicide."

Blade, who was standing next to him, finally spoke up, "It's dangerous for you to go out now. Let's wait until dawn."

Lex stopped in his tracks, looked at the two mysterious figures in front of him, and forced himself to calm down.

They're right; going back now would be tantamount to suicide.

Lex, panting heavily, slowly sat back down, his gaze still fixed on the darkness outside the door.

"You...aren't from here, are you?"

Lex suddenly asked, his intuition telling him that these two people were not ordinary people, nor were they from the neighborhood.

Kamala paused, seemingly surprised, then nodded, a bewildered expression on her face. "Yes...we...we come from another world, at least, we believe it."

another world?
Lex was stunned when he heard this.

Any unexpected gains?

He thought the two weren't from this region, but he never expected they weren't from this world at all!

He was no stranger to the multiverse theory, after all, he had dealt with the Comedian from another world during the Manhattan Incident.

The previous major metal event was also caused by an invasion from the Dark Multiverse.

"Can you tell me what happened in your world?"

Lex asked, trying to keep his tone calm.

Kamala's eyes dimmed. She hugged her knees, looked at the leaping flames, and began to tell a nightmarish story.

"Our world is a world destroyed by a zombie crisis. A terrible virus—or some kind of energy—has swept the globe, and even our world's most powerful heroes, those known as the Avengers, have not been spared."

Captain America, Iron Man, Thor... all the heroes she once looked up to and worshipped had turned into monsters that only knew how to devour.

Social order has completely collapsed, and survivors struggle to survive in the ruins, constantly facing the dual threats of infected heroes and ordinary zombies.

"We've been fighting, trying to find the source, to find a solution..."

Kamala said with some distress, "But... it was too difficult. We lost too many people. Later... later, during a fierce battle with the zombie heroes, an extremely blinding white light suddenly enveloped us... When Blade and I regained our sight, we found ourselves here, in this... completely unfamiliar place."

She looked up at Lex with a bewildered expression: "We know almost nothing about this world. Are there superheroes here? Are there disasters like ours? How do you fight off those zombies?"

After being shocked by Kamala's account, Lex's mind raced.

In another world destroyed by zombies, even powerful heroes have been turned into monsters.

Lex suspects that the metallic object retrieved from the zombie's abdomen may have originated from the universe in which the two individuals reside.

The metallic object may have crashed into Riverwood through some kind of spatial rift or a teleportation method similar to what Kamala and the others experienced.

It may have carried the zombie virus of that world (or rather, the energy that caused the mutation), which led to the disaster in Riverwood.

"Do you remember exactly how you came into this world?"

Lex snapped out of his thoughts and continued to ask the two of them questions.

Kamala tried to recall: "I don't remember very clearly... it was very bright, very suddenly, it felt like space was being distorted... and then we fell into the woods here."

She shook her head, clearly unable to provide more specific information.

Blade listened silently, his silvery-white eyes fixed on Lex, and slowly said, "The box you're looking for, the things inside, are related to this disaster, aren't they?"

Lex did not answer directly, but fell into deep thought.

If that metallic object is the source of the disaster, then finding it might be the key to containing or even resolving the crisis. However, it is also extremely dangerous and valuable, and must not fall into the wrong hands.

Looking at the two stranded people from another world in front of him, Lex quickly made a plan in his mind.

The two have experience fighting zombies (especially Blade, who looks like a professional monster hunter), and they know nothing about this world, making them a force that can be used.

And we can provide them with the resources, intelligence, and goals of this world.

"listen."

Lex raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Kamara and Blade, his tone becoming serious. "I believe your story, and I think the calamities in your world and the calamities happening here may share the same root cause. We have a common enemy."

He pointed to the dark world outside.

“You need to understand this world, you need a foothold, and you need to find a way back, or... at least prevent the same tragedy from happening here again.”

"We can work together."

Lex extended his hand to the two of them.

The campfire crackled, illuminating three faces with different expressions.

The next day.

After finishing breakfast, Machima arrived at the outskirts of Hansen's farm.

Last night she instructed Mr. Hansen to bury the cat's body in a forbidden place, and now she's here to check on the results.

Not long after, the back door of Hansen's house was pushed open, and Emily, a girl in her pajamas, walked out rubbing her sleepy eyes, her face still swollen from crying the night before.

She habitually walked to the tree where she often played with "Snowball".

However, just as she approached the tree, she suddenly stopped and her eyes widened in disbelief.

Beside the slightly soft, fresh soil, a white, furry creature sat quietly, its back to her, slowly licking its paws.

It's a snowball!
Emily's heart nearly leaped out of her chest; the overwhelming joy made her instantly forget her sadness.

"Snowball!"

She cried out.

Upon hearing the sound, the white Persian cat stopped licking and turned its head away with an almost stiff, sluggish demeanor.

As the sunlight shone on it, Emily's ecstasy gradually froze, turning into a hint of confusion and unease.

It's a snowball, that's right.

Snowball has sapphire-like eyes and a small tuft of distinctive gray hair on her forehead; she wouldn't mistake her.

But... it seems different everywhere.

Snowball's eyes no longer held their usual languid expression; instead, a thin layer of gray clouded over them, making them appear empty and lifeless, devoid of any emotion.

Its movements have lost their former elegance and agility, exuding an indescribable stiffness, as if lead had been poured into its joints.

It sat there, its body swaying slightly, unlike the balance a living cat should have.

Snowball's fur wasn't as soft and clean as before; it was covered in dirt and looked filthy.

Moreover, Emily keenly sensed a faint, unpleasant, fishy smell emanating from Snowball.

"Snowball...?"

Emily tentatively called out again.

She carefully reached out her hand, trying to stroke it as she used to.

However, just as her fingertips were about to touch that once so familiar hair—

"Hiss—ha!"

Hakimi suddenly arched its back, its originally fluffy fur bristling, making it look instantly much larger.

Snowball opened its mouth, revealing small but exceptionally sharp teeth, and let out a low, threatening growl.

Those blue eyes, clouded with gray, stared intently at Emily's outstretched hand, filled with hostility.

Emily was so startled that she quickly withdrew her hand, tears welling up instantly, along with confusion and sadness.

"Snowball... what's wrong? It's me, Emily..."

Hearing the commotion, the Hansens came out of the house.

When Mr. Hansen saw the "resurrected" cat, his face instantly drained of color, and his eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.

The vague and eerie fragments of his memory from last night seemed to be impacting his sanity.

Mrs. Hansen pulled her daughter back to her side, her voice trembling: "Emily, stay away from it, that...that might not be our Snowball anymore, it's just...just a stray cat that looks like it."

"No! It is Snowball, I can't be wrong!"

Emily struggled, tears streaming down her face, "But why doesn't it recognize me? It looks so strange..."

The next second, she suddenly broke free from her mother's hand and ran towards the snowball again.

Just as she got close.

The zombie cat, which had been merely hissing and bristling, suddenly had a faint glint of crimson light flash beneath the gray haze in its eyes.

With a powerful push from its hind legs, the snowball hurtled straight toward Emily like a white lightning bolt.

"Emily!"

The Hansens screamed in terror.

Machima, standing in the shadows of the trees, narrowed her eyes slightly upon seeing this scene.

As expected... he's resurrected!

But the cat did not truly return to life; instead, it transformed into an aggressive, death-driven monster.

So... does this kind of thing also fall within the scope of "domination"?
Just as Hakimi was about to touch Emily's neck, Machima focused her mind.

An invisible power of "domination," originating from her very nature, instantly locked onto the snowball leaping in the air.

A higher-order "command" has overridden the chaotic and violent driving instructions within it, which originated from the cursed land.

"Stop!"

The silent will, like the strongest shackles, instantly bound every cell of the zombie cat and every strand of its distorted energy.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

The leaping, menacing "snowball" made an extremely unnatural, physics-defying abrupt stop in mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground.

It neither attacked nor fled, but stood stiffly in place, its head slightly tilted, its blue eyes, now clouded with gray, staring blankly in the direction where Machima was hiding, as if waiting for the next command.

The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

The Hansens were still in shock, and Emily was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, not understanding why the fierce cat had suddenly stopped.

After pausing for about two seconds, "Snowball" seemed to receive some silent command, turned around abruptly, and darted out of Hansen's fence with even greater speed than before, disappearing into the roadside bushes.

"Snowball!"

Seeing this, Emily cried and scrambled to her feet, chasing after him without hesitation.

In her panic, Emily had only rushed out of the yard a short distance when she tripped over a protruding stone and fell heavily forward.

Startled, Emily closed her eyes.

But the pain she expected from hitting the ground did not come.

A pair of hands caught her shoulders just in time, preventing her from falling to the ground.

Emily looked up in astonishment, and through her teary eyes, she saw a face so exquisite it resembled a doll's.

Long red hair, golden eyes, and a girl about his age looking at him calmly.

Machima's face remained expressionless; she simply looked at her calmly and then gently helped her to her feet.

"Are you OK?"

Machima asked her.

Emily sobbed, shaking her head, her gaze still anxiously fixed on the direction where the zombie cat had disappeared: "I'm alright, thank you, but my cat... Snowball ran away... it's acting so strange..."

Machima didn't look in the direction the cat disappeared; her gaze was fixed intently on Emily's tear-streaked face.

She reached out her fair hand, not to wipe away Emily's tears, but gently tucked Emily's disheveled hair behind her ear, which had been messed up from running and falling.

Then, looking into Emily's blue eyes, filled with sadness and worry, she asked softly in her unique, calm tone:
"What's your name?"

Emily was immediately stunned by Machima's combo, her face turned bright red, and her heart started pounding.

(End of this chapter)