The journey back to his original world was less tense this time, though loaded with a new complexity. Momo was by his side in the Fortress of Justice's teleportation compartment, her eyes shining with a mix of excitement and awe at everything she had witnessed. She had accepted his world, his scars, and his mission.
"Commander, a high concentration of police and media activity has been detected around the Lin mansion. Authorities have classified the incident as a 'mass kidnapping resolved without explanation.' The Lin family is under constant surveillance," Aegis reported.
"Good," Li Wei nodded. The exposure had been brutal but necessary. Now, it was time to tie up the last loose ends, not for revenge, but for the need to completely detach from that past. He had to liquidate the assets Lin Jian hadn't been able to touch, ensuring that what little remained of his fortune didn't fall into the wrong hands.
"Commander, a meeting request from Chen Mingxia has also been detected. She has been persistently trying to contact you since your last appearance," Aegis added.
Li Wei felt a chill. The truth in Chen Mingxia's eyes last time hadn't gone unnoticed. It was an old wound, one he had never dared to examine. "Accept the meeting. In a neutral location. And prepare for a discreet deployment."
The Farewell to Business and a Heart's Confession
The meeting with Chen Mingxia was arranged in a private suite in a skyscraper. Li Wei arrived alone, his presence more austere without the Helldiver armor, but still imposing. Mingxia was sitting by the window, her figure elegant and her face impeccable, but her eyes revealed weariness and a deep melancholy.
"Li Wei," Mingxia said, standing as he entered. It wasn't the smile of the girl he knew, but that of a woman marked by the world.
"Mingxia," Li Wei replied, his voice devoid of emotion, but not of respect.
They sat down. Li Wei briefly explained his purpose: to liquidate some accounts still in his name, to ensure certain funds intended for charity (funds Lin Jian had diverted) were properly redirected. Mingxia, a brilliant businesswoman, helped him with surprising efficiency, pulling strings neither the police nor the Lin family could touch.
As they finished, silence fell. Mingxia looked at him, her dark eyes filled with something Li Wei hadn't seen in her for years: a raw vulnerability.
"Li Wei," she began, her voice barely a whisper. "I know what I'm about to say... is late. Too late. But I can't let you go without saying it. I... I have loved you since we were children. I saw what they did to you. What Lin Jian did to you. I wanted to help you. I wanted to save you. That's why I pulled my contacts, that's why I dismantled Lin Jian's businesses from the shadows. I couldn't bear to see him humiliate you any further."
Mingxia's words were like a dagger to Li Wei's heart. Not from injury, but from the pain he had unknowingly caused. He saw the girl who had been his only friend, the one who had endured scorn by association with him, and who had grown to fight for him in the darkness.
"I... I never wanted this for you, Mingxia," Li Wei said, his voice tense. "I never wanted you to suffer because of me."
"I didn't suffer. I cried for you," Mingxia replied, a solitary tear sliding down her cheek. "But I stayed in this world, while you forged yourself among the stars. You became a hero. A warrior. Something I am not. And I know... I know your heart no longer belongs to me."
The Pact of Three Hearts: An Unexpected Future
At that moment, the suite door opened, and Momo entered, her face reflecting a mix of concern and deep understanding. Li Wei had brought her to the skyscraper, allowing her to wait in an adjacent suite. She had sensed the intensity of the conversation.
Chen Mingxia looked at her, her eyes widening, the image of Momo and Li Wei together on the Fortress bridge, and the affectionate gesture they had shared, returning with force.
Momo approached Li Wei, her hand seeking his, a gesture of silent support. Then, she turned to Chen Mingxia. There was no jealousy in her eyes, only an empathy that disarmed Mingxia.
"Mingxia," Momo said, her voice soft and compassionate. "He told me everything. What you've done for him... it's incredible. It's a love that goes beyond words."
Chen Mingxia looked at her, surprised by the lack of hostility. "You... you understand."
"Yes," Momo nodded. "I understand what it's like to love someone who lives in a world of darkness and danger. I understand what it's like to want to protect him. And I understand the pain of wanting to be by his side, even when you can't."
Momo's words, filled with the wisdom of her own heart, resonated in the suite. Chen Mingxia began to cry, not from sadness, but from the release of years of hidden feelings.
Momo approached Mingxia and embraced her. An embrace of comfort, of understanding between two women who loved the same man, in different ways, in different worlds.
"We can be just the two of us," Momo said, breaking the embrace and looking into Mingxia's eyes. "I know his life is dangerous. I know his missions will take him across the multiverse. And I know he'll need support. Not just from one heart, but from two. One for his world, one for the other."
Chen Mingxia looked at Momo, then at Li Wei. He looked at her with deep gratitude, one that went beyond friendship, one that recognized the sacrifice of her unrequited love.
"We could support you here, in this world," Mingxia said, her voice now firm. "With my resources, with my influence. We could be your eyes and ears, your base of operations in this universe. And we can... we can take care of him when he's here." Her gaze fell on Momo.
Momo smiled, a radiant smile. "And I'll be by his side in the Fortress. Learning, growing, helping him bring democracy and freedom to other worlds. We can be the force that sustains him. Both of us."
Li Wei looked at them, his mind processing the proposal. He had expected a confrontation, jealousy, contempt. He had found understanding, an alliance, a pact. Two women, so different, yet united by love and concern for him. It was a love that spanned worlds, that transcended conventions.
It was a future he had never imagined. An end to his loneliness.
"I accept," Li Wei said, his voice deep, a rare emotion tingeing his words. "I accept your support. I accept your companionship. I accept... this new beginning. We will be a team. The three of us."
Chen Mingxia smiled, a genuine smile. Momo held his hand. The past had been painful, but the future, unexpectedly, opened with a promise of light, of support, and of a love that defied the barriers of the multiverse. Super Earth was not just a military force; it was a new home, forged by fire, loneliness, and intertwined hearts.