In the evening, Merlin was cooking for the family.

Probably because of the long vacation, the life rhythm of the deputy director has also entered a rather soothing state.

He had spent most of the day studying the book he had in his possession, the Rune Explanations from the Asgardian Astrological Tower.

It was an introductory book to the rune spellcasting system in Rune, detailing the origins and use of rune magic.

It was a new knowledge that was very different from Earth's spellcasting system and Merlin's occult knowledge.

It's always a joy to see something new, it's very exciting.

And as a high-ranking spellcaster, after having experience in studying super-level magic, Merlin's learning of rune magic is also quite smooth.

But it will take him a while before he can fully master this new magic.

"Wow"

Fresh vegetables were tossed into the hot oil, and Merlin stir-fried them with a shovel in his hand.

Because he has been cooking for the children in the family for many years, Merlin has developed very good cooking skills over the years.

Of course, there is still a gap with the chef.

However, Merlin occasionally uses magic to manipulate some ingredients, which adds to the flavor of the food.

Outside the kitchen, in the living room, Laura is sitting cross-legged on the couch, holding the handle, staring intently at the TV in front of her.

After Eric sent her a Ps3 console as a birthday present, Laura's PSP, which had never left her hand, fell out of favor.

Fortunately, Laura has a special physique, and Merlin doesn't need to worry about her hurting her eyes if she plays games for too long.

Beside Laura, Lorna, who was holding the cat, also stared at the game screen in front of her, shouting and screaming from time to time to make random ideas, but after Laura was fooled a few times, she ignored her.

The big girl Raven is still as quiet as ever.

She reclined on the couch, looking at Merlin's copy of Hoggs's Ancient Body in her hand, frowning from time to time.

She had memorized this book a long time ago, and now it is in a state of review.

The theory of super-level magic is not difficult for Raven, what is really difficult is the magic that is sealed in her body.

She has been sealed by the Supreme Mage for a long time, and although she has long since adapted to the state of "weakness", it is not easy to release a complete super-level magic with today's spellcasting ability.

The magical girl has been trying to break through the limits without the help of dark magic lately.

But so far, this effort has been stopped by Merlin.

"I'm hungry!"

Lorna hugged Coo, the green-haired girl stared sneakily at the handle in Laura's hand, while rubbing her belly, and shouted without looking back:

"When's dinner ready?"

"Wait a little longer."

Merlin glanced at the recipe floating in front of him, and when he had little time to spare, he was ready to try a new dish.

But just as Merlin was about to pour seasoning into the pot, a new communication request popped up on Icarus' lenses.

Merlin hesitated.

"Let's take it."

Icarus whispered:

"I just commissioned George to upgrade the communication module for me, which will not be monitored in special frequency bands."

"Hmm."

Merlin nodded faintly as he tapped the cruet in his hand.

The next moment, the communication was connected.

"Reed?"

Merlin's mouth didn't move, but the silver pendant hanging from his neck trembled.

The "extracorporeal tongue" that had been used to practice the Animagus a long time ago transmitted sound into Icarus' communicator through vibration.

"What's the matter?"

"Is it safe?"

Reed's side seems to have adopted some encryption tactics as well.

In Icarus' projection, Merlin could only see Reed waving his rubber-like elongated hands in the lab, working on several experiments at the same time.

He looked scrambled, but in order in the midst of chaos.

He's the only one in the lab, but it's like there's a team working together.

"Safety."

Merlin Says:

"Have you seen Zatana?"

"Zatana?"

Reed said suspiciously:

"Who's that? I just met a mysterious person who can pull people into dreams at noon... She called herself the 'Raven's Voice' and told me something that I came to find out. ”

"Well, should he be a world-class stage magician?"

Merlin complained dryly:

"The desire to perform is really strong..."

"That's right, what she told you is true, I think you should know how good your unborn son is, right?"

"Hmm."

Reed said with a hint of pride:

"Although he is still pregnant, my son has already shown characteristics that are different from ordinary people, some energy is active in Susan's body, and it should be that little Franklin's talent is being activated..."

"He's a mutant, we already know that."

"Susan and I estimate that this may be due to the influence of the cosmic ray energy that exists in our bodies... In short, my son will surely inherit the great wisdom of the Richards family. ”

"Okay."

Merlin reached out and pushed his glasses, his arm moving, stir-frying the fragrant dish back and forth, and his tongue outside his body said:

"Anyway, someone has an eye on Franklin Jr.'s talent, and I can't tell you more, but I can confirm the truth of it... We need your help, that vial of blood, it's important. ”

"I'm refining it."

Reed's tone also became serious, and he said:

"It's mixed in 17 tubes of reagent with different effects, and if the monitor isn't a professional chemist, it's hard for him to understand what I'm doing, even if he's watching... So you don't need to worry. ”

"It will take me 3-5 days to complete the purification, and the gene in the blood is particularly interesting, it belongs to the gene of mutants, and it has a different gene fragment from ordinary people."

"The most peculiar thing is that that particular gene fragment is different from all the mutants I've seen, it has..."

"Reed!"

Seeing that Reed had entered the professional state of a researcher again, Merlin reminded while dialing the fried vegetables into the plate:

"You don't need to tell me this, I don't understand, and I'm not interested."

"You just need to purify that blood to the point where it can be used to make a neutralizer, and Zatana will pull you into a dream again in 5 days, and then give her the purified results, and you won't have to meddle in the rest..."

Merlin Says:

"But since it's about your children, I want you to do it as a good father... Do your best, OK? ”

"I will."

Reed's calm voice came from the other end of the communicator, and he said to Merlin:

"I don't know what materials you're going to use to make a 'Mutant Ability Eliminator' with the purification solution, but I have a small suggestion."

"Combine the leech's DNA with a special gene fragment in this blood, Merlin."

"That creature's unique DNA will increase the effect of the neutralizer by at least 5 times, and the effect will be much faster, like the deadliest virus!"

There seemed to be a hint of coldness in Reed's voice, as if he had become a different person at this moment.

He said slowly:

"As long as the 'Leech' potion is injected into the mutant's body, it will dissolve in the blood within 1 second, erasing the mutant's ability while weakening the target..."

"I can also add contagiousness to it if you need to, which is not difficult to do."

"Also, I can design another 'gene lock' for you, if there is no corresponding potion... This state of weakness will continue forever, like a cage imposed on the genetic level. ”

"And it only takes to change the position of a few molecular chains, and this debilitating effect can also be translated into the breakdown of X gene fragments, the breakdown at the gene level!"

"It will cause the X gene of mutants to collapse, which in turn will cause the collapse of the entire genetic system of living organisms."

The coldness of Dr. Reed's words grew heavier and heavier, and he whispered:

"This rapid genetic collapse is fatal, it's enough to turn those damn bastards into a disgusting mass of flesh and blood in 10 minutes!"

"Reed!"

Merlin's eyes blinked, and he interrupted Reed's increasingly terrifying words, saying:

"I feel like you're doing something dangerous."

"All I need is a neutralizer, but you've designed a weapon for me against all mutants... A weapon of extermination, what do you want to do? ”

There was silence on the other end of the communicator, and Dr. Reed, who was immersed in the illusion of destruction, seemed to be awakened by Merlin's words.

After a moment, he whispered:

"I just... I just want to protect my kids, sorry, I lost my temper. ”

"So, you smart people, it's really scary."

Merlin shook his head, and he brought the finished dish into the living room, and he said:

"It's pretty scary to be able to design a weapon of racial destruction, and now you've got the perfect reason to unleash your destructive mind..."

"But it's dangerous, Reed, and your mind is dangerous."

"I'm now starting to congratulate myself that I made the right choice."

Merlin Says:

"If you really let that scoundrel take your son... You might be angry and destroy the world. Your wisdom has given you this ability. ”

"Sober up, Reed..."

Merlin patted his sisters on the head and told them to wash their hands and eat, and then he said to Reed:

"I just need that neutralizer, of course, the leech's DNA and that gene lock can be added, but the infectivity doesn't have to..."

"I promise you, as long as I'm here, no one can hurt your son, so let that Destroyer Reed stay honestly in your mental cage."

"Keep up being a good old man, Reed, and don't let him out..."

"I beg you, this world has enough disasters and disasters."

On the other end of the communicator, Reed, who hung up the communication. Richards glanced at the fast-moving centrifuge, pressed the pause button, stepped forward, and placed in his hands several test tubes containing special liquids that had been prepared in it.

He looked at the tubes.

After a moment, he shook his head and threw the tubes into the tightly sealed destruction box.

The smartest man in the world washed his hands, then reached out to turn off the lights and instruments in the laboratory, and quietly walked into the bedroom, where his wife was already asleep on the sofa.

Reed looked at Susan in the darkness with a loving gaze, and he lay down beside Susan and put his ear to his wife's abdomen.

In the quiet of the night, he could hear little Franklin talking to him...

Of course, this is just a beautiful illusion of a father.

Reed gently picked up his wife, put her on the bed, and then hugged her to sleep peacefully.

Life is good...

There is a group of people who are protecting them, and they don't need to be forced to take up arms for survival and the malice that is coming.

"But if you really need to..."

Reed whispered in his wife's ear:

"I will still destroy the world for you..."

"I can't live in a... I can't accept that future in a world without you..."

On the other side...

"Ah, what's going on with this dish?"

Lorna coughed heavily, then grabbed her cat's head cup and poured it with water, as if she had eaten some strange dark dish.

She turned her head to glare at Merlin, and she said:

"Say! Don't you love us anymore! So deliberately passing us away with this terrible dish? ”

"Uh..."

Merlin looked at the other two sisters who were quite reliable with some speechlessness.

Raven picked up a piece of meat with a fork and put it in her mouth, and the eldest sister's expression immediately became strange.

Laura, on the other hand, puffed out her cheeks, and she didn't seem to like the taste of tonight's dinner.

But because Merlin had done it, she was chewing hard, trying to swallow them.

"I'll taste it..."

Merlin was still confident in his cooking skills, he skillfully picked up the chopsticks and put a piece of meat in his mouth, and the next moment, Merlin's expression became blank.

"You just had a good chat with Reed, so I didn't warn you."

Icarus replayed the scene of Merlin's cooking on the lenses, and she said in a strange tone:

"You added salt twice... I put 17% more soy sauce than the recipe, and I used the wrong hot sauce..."

"Alas... It seems that dual-purpose is not suitable for the field of cooking, it is really difficult. ”

Merlin sighed, he stood up, and emptied all the dishes that had failed tonight into the trash, and said to his three sisters:

"Let's go, let's eat outside."

"Yay!"

Lorna was the first to jump, and she raised two fingers with vigor, shaking them in front of Merlin's eyes, and said:

"I'm going to eat seafood pizza! 2 servings! ”

Moments later, Horus, driven by Merlin, dashes out of Hell's Kitchen and sps towards Mick's Bistro in Queens.

In the car, Merlin listened to Lorna and Raven chatting, talking about girls' topics, what lipstick, what eyeshadow.

He doesn't understand this, so he doesn't give an opinion.

He had another thing in mind...

Tonight's dish failed.

But I don't know what kind of "dish" Chef Reed will prepare for Onslaught in the end?