Chapter 192

S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Secret agent?

Black Widow Natasha?

Hearing Eren's explanation, Gwen initially felt a hint of delight. However, as she processed his words, she blinked in surprise, completely stunned.

With Natasha's striking beauty and perfect curves, Gwen had assumed she was a model or a celebrity.

But to her shock, Eren had just told her that Natasha was a secret agent.

The nature of a secret agent's work was even more dangerous than that of an ordinary spy.

Gwen couldn't quite understand why such a beautiful woman would choose such a high-risk profession.

And…

Even if she was a secret agent—

Black Widow? That title sounded way too ominous!

To be honest, Gwen found it difficult to associate such a venomous-sounding name with the alluring woman she had just seen.

Recalling some of the warnings her father had given her about agents, Gwen hesitated before voicing her concern to Eren.

"If she really is a secret agent, was it okay for you to tell me her identity?"

Eren chuckled at her words. "As long as you don't say anything, who would know that I told you?"

Gwen paused for a moment, then laughed along with him.

"Alright! I guess that means I have to keep this secret now."

After a brief pause, she asked again, "But… how did you even meet her? My dad told me that secret agents' identities are usually highly classified, and regular people aren't supposed to come into contact with them."

"Regular people can't, but I'm not a regular person."

Eren winked at her before saying, "Let's talk as we walk."

"Alright."

As they walked together out of the cemetery, Eren's voice rang in Gwen's ears.

"Actually, the reason I first got involved with them has a little something to do with you."

Gwen's eyes widened. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Remember when we were kidnapped? The gang that took us was called the Drowned Ghosts. After I escaped from them, they came after me again… even found their way to my home."

"I had to pay $100,000 to the Chinatown Triad to settle things. But when they went to the Drowned Ghosts' base—Morning Star Bar—to deal with them for me, they ended up encountering something very bizarre…"

"And that's when I first crossed paths with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Natasha."

"I see…"

By the time Eren and Gwen had nearly exited the park, Gwen finally understood how he had met Natasha.

Realizing that there was nothing romantic between Eren and Natasha, she felt a bit relieved.

After a moment of hesitation, she added, "My dad always told me that agents like them always have ulterior motives when they interact with people. If possible, we should avoid getting too involved with them."

"Don't worry. I barely interact with them in daily life. She only came today to return a favor from last time."

"That's good."

Gwen nodded before checking her delicate wristwatch.

"It's already 12:23. We don't have much time left. We need to be at MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) by 1:30 to meet up with our teacher. I don't want to miss this rare off-campus literature class."

The field trip Gwen was referring to was part of Midtown High's cultural enrichment program.

It was a tradition among many of the nation's top high schools.

Before graduation, these prestigious schools typically organized various cultural and athletic activities for their 12th-grade students.

This weekend, Midtown High's cultural course included a visit to New York's largest museum—MoMA.

Due to the busy schedules of 12th-grade students, the trip had been arranged for the weekend.

Four groups, split between the morning and afternoon, would be guided by different teachers for the tour.

Participation wasn't mandatory.

Students uninterested in museums, or those who had other obligations, could opt out by informing their supervising teacher in advance.

However—

For most students, the trip wasn't just about the museum.

Even if they weren't art enthusiasts, they didn't want to miss out on the exclusive 90% discounted tickets for the event.

Not to mention, going to a museum with friends was fun in its own right.

(As an elite New York school, Midtown High had certain privileges when organizing trips, and the heavily discounted ticket price was one of them.)

Originally—

Eren had no interest in such activities.

Not wanting to waste time, he had planned to get an exemption from the trip.

After all, he already had a valid excuse—the Joker's funeral was scheduled for that weekend.

But—

As fate would have it, the student assistant responsible for organizing the trip for their class was none other than Gwen.

When she heard Eren wanted to opt out, she raised an eyebrow at him.

"So, you're not interested in an event I'm helping organize? Well, in that case… do you still expect me to be your date next weekend?"

Faced with Gwen's silent but unmistakable threat, Eren could only sigh in defeat, rubbing his nose as he reluctantly agreed to join.

However—

After Gwen learned that Eren needed to attend the funeral with Tony Stark, she made some adjustments.

She spoke to the teacher in charge and got his schedule moved from the morning to the afternoon.

Given the circumstances—that one of their students was accompanying Iron Man Tony Stark to the funeral of a hero who had saved half of Harlem—

The school administration was surprisingly understanding.

They readily approved Gwen's request.

Once she had secured the adjustment, Gwen had even accompanied Eren to the cemetery today, staying nearby in quiet support throughout the service.

Faced with Gwen's subtle attempt to steer the conversation away…

Eren chuckled, "Don't worry, MoMA is on 53rd Street in Manhattan. At most, it'll take us a little over 20 minutes to get there. That still leaves us enough time to grab some lunch."

Estimating the speed at which Eren drove his Aston Martin, Gwen realized his timing wasn't too far off.

She then suddenly turned to him and said, "Since we have some time, how about I treat you to pizza? I know a place nearby that just launched a new Supreme Pineapple Pizza. It's pretty good."

"Sounds good. Just point me in the right direction. I've actually never tried pineapple pizza before."

"Really? Then you better get ready to enjoy it."

Forty minutes later…

Gwen watched in disbelief as Eren single-handedly devoured two entire large pizzas.

Seeing her astonishment, Eren grinned, "The pineapple pizza you recommended was actually pretty good. I've never had anything like it before—sweet and tangy… kind of refreshing."

"No matter how refreshing it is, eating an amount meant for four people is still ridiculous! I honestly don't get how you can eat that much and still keep your figure."

Gwen eyed Eren enviously.

She herself had to carefully ration her favorite hot chocolate, allowing herself just one cup every two days to maintain her figure.

Meanwhile, Eren had just inhaled an amount of pizza that would leave two adults stuffed, and he still didn't seem full. Gwen couldn't help but envy his eat-whatever-you-want-and-never-gain-weight physique.

Noticing that Gwen had only eaten two slices, leaving most of her pizza untouched, Eren asked, "You're not gonna finish that?"

Gwen shot him a playful glare. "I did order for both of us, you know. But then you went ahead and ordered two more and finished them all."

Seeing that Eren still seemed hungry, Gwen simply pushed her remaining pizza toward him.

"If you're still hungry, you might as well finish these too."

"Don't mind if I do."

By the time they left the pizza place, it was already nearing 1:20 PM.

Fortunately, the museum wasn't far.

Seven minutes later…

Eren and Gwen arrived at MoMA just in time to meet up with their teacher, Tony, and the rest of the group.

Outside the museum, Midtown High students were engaged in lively chatter. However, the moment Eren and Gwen arrived together, a brief silence fell over the crowd.

Their supervising teacher, Tony, was a kind and easygoing young man.

Upon seeing the two arrive just in time, he flashed Eren a knowing smile before handing them their special discounted tickets.

After checking his roster to confirm that all students were present, he clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Before we head in, let's go over the museum rules one more time."

"1. Stay in an orderly group. No running or shouting."

"2. Listen quietly during the guided explanations. No loud conversations."

"3. Do not touch or deface the exhibits."

"4. No flash photography…"

After ensuring that all students had repeated the rules together, Tony nodded in satisfaction and led the group inside one of New York's most renowned modern art museums.

MoMA was one of the most famous art museums in the world.

It consisted of six interconnected exhibition halls, filled with a vast collection of artworks.

The main exhibition hall, standing 34 meters tall, was designed with extensive white walls to maximize the display of its collection.

On the second floor, paintings from around the world hung elegantly from the high ceilings.

Tony, ever the dedicated teacher, did his best to introduce the students to the museum's most famous masterpieces with engaging explanations.

Of course…

For the lesser-known pieces, he could only offer a polite apology.

After all, MoMA housed over 150,000 exhibits—even the museum's own staff couldn't possibly memorize them all.

"This painting here is Water Lilies, the magnum opus of the renowned artist Claude Monet…"

Tony's lecture was lively, and a group of students eagerly gathered around him, listening to his descriptions of the various artworks.

However—

Most students found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of exhibits and wandered off to explore their personal favorites.

This was where the student council members stepped in.

To prevent anyone from getting lost in the vast museum, student council members like Gwen had been assigned to keep an eye on stragglers.

While Gwen was busy keeping students from getting lost…

Eren—who had initially agreed to visit the museum just to appease her—suddenly found himself wearing an odd expression.

"…I just came here to kill some time. Didn't expect to stumble upon something interesting."

Lightly tapping his fingers near his temple, he silently activated Clairvoyance.

Instantly—

His vision darkened.

The once-bright museum seemed to be engulfed in an eerie shadow.

The walls, once pristine and white, now appeared tainted with an inexplicable, ominous aura.

The paintings—masterpieces from across the world—suddenly exuded a strange, unplaceable energy.

The portraits, in particular, seemed almost… alive.

Eren felt their painted eyes tracking his every movement, as if he were an intruder in their domain.

The long, gray hallways of the museum stretched endlessly, warping into a surreal, nightmarish corridor.

(End of Chapter)

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