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After a period of earnest explanation, Peter finally explained the cause and effect of the matter clearly to Betty.
Betty finally believed that Peter hadn't gone mad and turned her sister into some Superhuman. All of this stemmed from the recent New York Fall Event.
"I'm doing this to help Cindy figure out the changes happening to her." Peter placed a beaker in front of Cindy to serve as an ashtray. "The recent New York Event is clearly not simple. The Military is shirking responsibility, the Government is trying to cover things up, and even the Superhumans are in chaos."
"In the current situation, we can't trust anyone." Peter leaned back in his chair, Howard Stark's advice from not long ago unconsciously surfacing in his brain.
"For Cindy's sake, we must figure out whether the changes happening to her are good or bad. I don't want to be completely clueless when something really happens."
"What does this have to do with you making Cindy wear that tight suit?" Betty asked after extinguishing her cigarette butt.
"To find out the truth of all this, we must first go to the source of it all." Peter tapped his toe on the ground, slightly moving his swivel chair and revealing the computer screen behind him.
Betty understood and leaned forward to look at the screen. The screen displayed a map, and after careful identification, Betty realized it was New York before the Fall.
"According to multiple eyewitness accounts and subsequent speculation, the shockwave that turned Cindy into a Superhuman originated near the center of New York. Based on my deduction, it should have occurred in Manhattan or the surrounding districts."
As Peter explained, the map on the screen also marked several red dots. These red dots were the places he deduced as possible sources of the shockwave.
"At the same time, these areas are now under control by Hyperion of the Squadron Supreme. Ordinary methods won't work to get in."
Betty nodded. Everyone could see the towering tree walls. Cars definitely couldn't get in, and aircraft were too conspicuous. Coupled with the Sentinel robots and some mutants guarding the area, ordinary humans indeed had no way to enter.
"So, even though I'm reluctant, the only method we have right now is to rely on Cindy's superpower to sneak in."
Peter spread his hands and said in a helpless tone, "Believe me, Betty, my concern for Cindy is no less than yours. If it weren't absolutely necessary, I would never put her in danger."
"To ensure her safety, I've done my best to perfect her uniform. Tonight will be our first experiment."
"What were the experiment results?" Betty asked.
"I don't know yet." Peter sighed. "To avoid being detected by Sentinel robots, I didn't put too many electronic devices on the uniform, not even a communication device. But that's only temporary. Once I research equipment that can counter Sentinel robot detection, it'll be better."
"Now, to know the specific data of the uniform, we can only wait for Cindy to tell me."
Peter turned his head to look at where Cindy had been sitting, only to realize that the source of their argument had long disappeared. She probably slipped away quietly while he was explaining things to Betty.
"So, could you please not talk about this?" Peter scratched his head, wondering how to persuade Betty.
Unexpectedly, Betty directly said, "Okay, I promise you."
"Really?" Peter was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Betty!"
"Don't be happy too soon." Betty rolled her eyes. "I have a condition. Let me join in too."
"What? Why?" Peter looked at Betty with puzzlement.
Betty didn't say a word, just placed the belt she had taken off Cindy on the table, and then showed Peter the side with the Parker Industries symbol. The latter immediately understood what she meant.
"If I let someone as careless as you assist Cindy, I think you'll only leave a bunch of weaknesses. I finally managed to get to the position of supervisor at Parker Industries. The salary and benefits here are good, and I don't want to lose everything and start over."
Although Betty's words were very mercenary, Peter knew that her real intention wasn't this. If she was simply after money, there were a thousand ways to make a profit from this matter.
Not to mention, as long as Betty pretended not to recognize Cindy and then reported her the next day, she could get a considerable bonus, and no one would know she did it. She could continue to go to work as usual.
She could even take this scandal and switch to Parker Industries' competitor. In this critical situation, Superhumans are indeed a good point of attack. If handled properly, it could cause Parker Industries' stock market to plummet.
And Betty, who brought this inside news, would naturally be able to make a lot of profit from this matter. At the very least, she could switch to another company as a supervisor, and further advancement wasn't impossible either.
But Betty chose the worst option. Not only did she not get any benefit, but she even had to bear the risk of being punished if discovered to help them. Ordinary friends couldn't do this.
"Thank you so much, Betty." Peter stood up and grasped Betty's hand.
The latter didn't expect Peter's reaction to be so big. She was stunned for a moment, her face slightly flushed, and she pulled her hand back, saying with a smug look.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm doing this all to help Cindy. You know, I watched her grow up too. To me, she's no different from my own sister. I don't want to let a careless guy like you assist her."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Peter was all smiles. Say whatever you want, as long as Cindy's business isn't exposed.
Betty saw his silly look, shook her head with amusement, tidied her hair, and asked, "Where's Cindy? Where did this little guy run off to?"
Peter was about to reply when the skylight of the laboratory opened first. Normally, that skylight couldn't be opened, but to facilitate Cindy's entry and exit, Peter had modified it to be openable.
The sound of the skylight opening attracted the attention of the two. Turning their heads, they found that the person who came was Cindy, whom they had been talking about. It seemed she had just returned from a drive outside.
"Where did you go, Cindy? Betty and I have been discussing things about you." Peter put on a stern face, his feigned seriousness making Betty laugh. She knew Peter was just pretending and also knew that he had never had much majesty in Cindy's eyes.
Cindy glanced at Peter, then said with a normal expression, "I just went for a drive."
Peter wanted to say a few more words, but then he noticed some damage on Cindy's uniform, with small tears even appearing in some places. He hurriedly asked.
"How did your battle suit get damaged? Are you injured, Cindy?"
"This?" Cindy looked down at the damage, then looked up and said with a smile.
"I just fought a group of villains. It's no big deal."
(End of Chapter)
Betty finally believed that Peter hadn't gone mad and turned her sister into some Superhuman. All of this stemmed from the recent New York Fall Event.
"I'm doing this to help Cindy figure out the changes happening to her." Peter placed a beaker in front of Cindy to serve as an ashtray. "The recent New York Event is clearly not simple. The Military is shirking responsibility, the Government is trying to cover things up, and even the Superhumans are in chaos."
"In the current situation, we can't trust anyone." Peter leaned back in his chair, Howard Stark's advice from not long ago unconsciously surfacing in his brain.
"For Cindy's sake, we must figure out whether the changes happening to her are good or bad. I don't want to be completely clueless when something really happens."
"What does this have to do with you making Cindy wear that tight suit?" Betty asked after extinguishing her cigarette butt.
"To find out the truth of all this, we must first go to the source of it all." Peter tapped his toe on the ground, slightly moving his swivel chair and revealing the computer screen behind him.
Betty understood and leaned forward to look at the screen. The screen displayed a map, and after careful identification, Betty realized it was New York before the Fall.
"According to multiple eyewitness accounts and subsequent speculation, the shockwave that turned Cindy into a Superhuman originated near the center of New York. Based on my deduction, it should have occurred in Manhattan or the surrounding districts."
As Peter explained, the map on the screen also marked several red dots. These red dots were the places he deduced as possible sources of the shockwave.
"At the same time, these areas are now under control by Hyperion of the Squadron Supreme. Ordinary methods won't work to get in."
Betty nodded. Everyone could see the towering tree walls. Cars definitely couldn't get in, and aircraft were too conspicuous. Coupled with the Sentinel robots and some mutants guarding the area, ordinary humans indeed had no way to enter.
"So, even though I'm reluctant, the only method we have right now is to rely on Cindy's superpower to sneak in."
Peter spread his hands and said in a helpless tone, "Believe me, Betty, my concern for Cindy is no less than yours. If it weren't absolutely necessary, I would never put her in danger."
"To ensure her safety, I've done my best to perfect her uniform. Tonight will be our first experiment."
"What were the experiment results?" Betty asked.
"I don't know yet." Peter sighed. "To avoid being detected by Sentinel robots, I didn't put too many electronic devices on the uniform, not even a communication device. But that's only temporary. Once I research equipment that can counter Sentinel robot detection, it'll be better."
"Now, to know the specific data of the uniform, we can only wait for Cindy to tell me."
Peter turned his head to look at where Cindy had been sitting, only to realize that the source of their argument had long disappeared. She probably slipped away quietly while he was explaining things to Betty.
"So, could you please not talk about this?" Peter scratched his head, wondering how to persuade Betty.
Unexpectedly, Betty directly said, "Okay, I promise you."
"Really?" Peter was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Betty!"
"Don't be happy too soon." Betty rolled her eyes. "I have a condition. Let me join in too."
"What? Why?" Peter looked at Betty with puzzlement.
Betty didn't say a word, just placed the belt she had taken off Cindy on the table, and then showed Peter the side with the Parker Industries symbol. The latter immediately understood what she meant.
"If I let someone as careless as you assist Cindy, I think you'll only leave a bunch of weaknesses. I finally managed to get to the position of supervisor at Parker Industries. The salary and benefits here are good, and I don't want to lose everything and start over."
Although Betty's words were very mercenary, Peter knew that her real intention wasn't this. If she was simply after money, there were a thousand ways to make a profit from this matter.
Not to mention, as long as Betty pretended not to recognize Cindy and then reported her the next day, she could get a considerable bonus, and no one would know she did it. She could continue to go to work as usual.
She could even take this scandal and switch to Parker Industries' competitor. In this critical situation, Superhumans are indeed a good point of attack. If handled properly, it could cause Parker Industries' stock market to plummet.
And Betty, who brought this inside news, would naturally be able to make a lot of profit from this matter. At the very least, she could switch to another company as a supervisor, and further advancement wasn't impossible either.
But Betty chose the worst option. Not only did she not get any benefit, but she even had to bear the risk of being punished if discovered to help them. Ordinary friends couldn't do this.
"Thank you so much, Betty." Peter stood up and grasped Betty's hand.
The latter didn't expect Peter's reaction to be so big. She was stunned for a moment, her face slightly flushed, and she pulled her hand back, saying with a smug look.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm doing this all to help Cindy. You know, I watched her grow up too. To me, she's no different from my own sister. I don't want to let a careless guy like you assist her."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Peter was all smiles. Say whatever you want, as long as Cindy's business isn't exposed.
Betty saw his silly look, shook her head with amusement, tidied her hair, and asked, "Where's Cindy? Where did this little guy run off to?"
Peter was about to reply when the skylight of the laboratory opened first. Normally, that skylight couldn't be opened, but to facilitate Cindy's entry and exit, Peter had modified it to be openable.
The sound of the skylight opening attracted the attention of the two. Turning their heads, they found that the person who came was Cindy, whom they had been talking about. It seemed she had just returned from a drive outside.
"Where did you go, Cindy? Betty and I have been discussing things about you." Peter put on a stern face, his feigned seriousness making Betty laugh. She knew Peter was just pretending and also knew that he had never had much majesty in Cindy's eyes.
Cindy glanced at Peter, then said with a normal expression, "I just went for a drive."
Peter wanted to say a few more words, but then he noticed some damage on Cindy's uniform, with small tears even appearing in some places. He hurriedly asked.
"How did your battle suit get damaged? Are you injured, Cindy?"
"This?" Cindy looked down at the damage, then looked up and said with a smile.
"I just fought a group of villains. It's no big deal."
(End of Chapter)
