Chapter 172: Chapter 170: Hanging by the Streetlamp
Black Adam looked at the constantly transforming Chino until he finally stopped.
"So that's how it is. I knew there was no such thing as free power in this world. Shazam is just a tool."
Chino grabbed Black Adam from the side, his overwhelming strength locking him in place.
"Shazam!" x2
The familiar power returned once again, but there was no joy on Black Adam's face.
"What do you mean by a tool?"
"Do you want to know? Why your child was chosen? Why the gods gave their power to mere ants? Why you saved the world but were still sealed away?"
Chino's words were filled with temptation.
"Yes, I want to know."
Black Adam frowned, his gaze locked onto Chino.
"Become my subordinate."
"I swore upon my death that I would never be a slave."
Black Adam's tone was resolute, his eyes filled with unyielding will.
"What if I revive your wife and child?"
Chino asked casually.
It was a move that never failed.
"…"
Black Adam froze, his eyes suddenly filled with a torrent of complicated emotions.
Ayeh, Hurut.
Familiar yet distant faces surfaced in his mind.
"You don't believe me?"
"…I believe you."
Black Adam's voice was deep. Faced with such irresistible power, there was no need to deceive him.
When standing before the desire to reunite with family, past oaths seemed incredibly fragile.
"Mas…ter!"
Black Adam made his decision and spoke.
After signing the contract—
"From now on, call me Chief."
Chino nodded in satisfaction. Doing business with a guy like this was efficient—no nonsense.
"Wait right here."
With prior experience, Chino vanished from the spot.
Three seconds later, he reappeared.
This time, with two people by his side.
"Father?"
"Adam?"
Ayeh and Hurut were still startled after being abducted. When they saw someone familiar, they cried out.
In an instant, Black Adam appeared before them, pulling them into a tight embrace, as if he wanted to merge them into his body and never let go again.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
At this moment, he was no longer the fearless, mighty Black Adam—just an ordinary man yearning for his family.
Chino didn't interrupt them. Instead, he approached the ruins, only to hear a noisy commotion as he drew near.
"Red, pull harder! Ow ow ow!"
"Harley, hold on! Almost there!"
Pamela was barefoot, standing on Harley's shoulders, gripping the crown on Harley's head and trying to yank it off, so hard that Harley's eyes were rolling back.
"What the hell kind of look is this?"
Chino had only been gone for ten minutes, and they were already up to some ridiculous antics.
[Honk honk honk honk—this is the first time I've seen elegant Pamela like this. Must be Harley's mischief.]
Venom's laughter rang in his mind.
"Darling!"
Pamela was startled by Chino's voice, and let go out of reflex. Her foot ended up kicking Harley, who tumbled backward.
"Ahh—"
"Careful."
Chino rushed forward in a flash and caught the falling Pamela.
A beam of light from the ceiling of the cave shone down, landing on Chino's armor, casting a divine glow upon him.
"Darling…"
Pamela gazed at him dreamily, her eyes sparkling.
"You okay, Pamela?"
Chino smiled gently at the beauty in his arms, his voice impossibly tender.
"I'm fi—"
"Of course Little Red's fine. I'm the one in trouble."
A disgruntled voice came from behind them—it was Harley.
Pamela snapped out of her daze and stepped out of Chino's arms.
Looking at the dusty Harley, she looked apologetic.
"Sorry, Harley, I didn't mean to."
"You're forgiven, Little Red."
Harley got up, patted the dust off herself, and gave a mischievous smile.
"Can someone explain what's going on here?"
Chino looked at the crown of Sabbac on Harley's head, clearly puzzled.
Venom slid off Chino and grabbed the crown on Harley's head, lifting her into the air like a ragdoll and shaking her a bit.
"Chino, it really won't come off."
"We tried already. Let me down!"
Harley flailed her limbs in the air.
"Can't you behave? You dare wear something from a tomb?"
Chino shook his head helplessly.
"But it was just floating there, looking so lonely, like it was waiting for its king. How could I not try it on?"
Harley pouted, defiant.
"Then keep wearing it forever."
Chino replied dryly.
"No way! I can't wash my hair with this thing on. And I can't do cute hairstyles. Plus, I swear it's getting heavier!"
Harley twisted her neck uncomfortably.
"Darling, help Harley. It's also my fault I didn't stop her."
Pamela hugged Chino's arm, swaying it as she spoke sweetly.
"Then tonight, I want a good back rub."
Chino smirked.
"Okay." Pamela blushed.
"The full body." Chino pushed it.
"Got it. Hurry up."
Pamela gave him a playful slap.
Chino stepped in front of Harley and began examining the crown. This wasn't in the original story, so he wasn't quite sure what was going on either.
The only way might be… to have Harley die once and inherit Sabbac's power.
Harley leaned in closer, sniffing the chest in front of her.
It smelled… so good? How could a man smell like this? She inched closer instinctively.
Smack.
"Don't move."
"Oh."
Harley obediently responded.
But a few seconds later, she sneakily pressed a finger against his abs.
So hard!
In Chino's view, the crown was glowing with magical energy tightly bound to Harley's soul.
It had acknowledged her as its master.
Forcibly removing it was possible—but the soul was fragile. Who knows what consequences that could cause?
"Sigh…"
Chino smacked his forehead, completely helpless.
"Darling, is there really no other way?"
Pamela asked with concern.
"Don't worry, Little Red. Worst case, I die. Just hope I don't get crushed in an ugly pose. Actually, if I lie down now, maybe I won't get crushed."
Harley said as she tried to fall over dramatically.
Chino grabbed her and pulled her up, taking out a demon contract.
"Here. Sign this."
"What's this? 'Help Harley obtain Sabbac's power. In return, Harley must work for Chino for 10,000 years!'"
Harley, who was always scatterbrained, was instantly shocked into clarity.
"Chino, are you trying to get yourself hanged on a streetlamp?"
"Look at the benefits below."
"'A million per month, full benefits, core member card of the Demon Group—what's the use?'"
"It means you get discounts when shopping. If you're bullied, no matter who's at fault, someone will help you. Even if you get bored and go rob a bank, we'll clean up the mess."
That part was true, though everyone was too busy to mess around like that.
"Well damn, my body's this valuable? I'm in!"
Harley grabbed the pen and signed her name without hesitation.
Quote of the Chapter:
"Loyalty forged in desire is never as strong as loyalty forged in sacrifice."
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