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Fini then continued, "Furthermore, I can tell you the truth behind your mother's disappearance!"
Hearing Fini's words, Hope's expression shifted as her gaze instantly sharpened. Although her father had told her that her mother died in a plane crash, she hadn't believed a single punctuation mark of that story.
After all, there was no flight record, and no one even bothered to search for the body. Everything was far too illogical.
"Just who exactly are you? And what do you want?" Hope asked, her eyes locked onto Fini.
"Mind grabbing lunch together?" Fini spread his hands, ignoring the question, and repeated his earlier invitation instead.
This time, Hope didn't refuse. She pulled out her phone, stepped aside to make a call, and then returned to Fini, saying, "Let's go!"
Afterward, Fini drove Hope to a nearby restaurant that, while not exactly high-end, still looked quite decent.
As soon as they sat down, Hope couldn't wait to ask, "Who are you really?"
"Don't ask questions that are so hard to answer!" Fini put on a helpless expression. Keeping his eyes on the menu, he continued, "I am Fini Halsize. Real name, and real identity."
Hope stared at Fini in silence for a moment before asking again, "What business do you have with Hank? And... how did my mother die?"
"How should I put this..." Fini sighed. He first called the waiter over to order their food, then looked at the stern-faced Hope and explained, "I'm quite interested in the Quantum Realm, so I want to have a detailed discussion with him about it. As for your mother, she's actually not dead yet!"
The main reason Fini wanted to contact Hank Pym through Hope was to push them to build the Quantum Tunnel sooner. There was no need to follow the original plotline and wait until Thanos was almost at Earth's doorstep before they started researching the Quantum Realm.
"You're saying my mother isn't dead?!" Hope excitedly shot up from her seat in an instant, drawing the attention of quite a few people around them.
"Calm down first!" Seeing her agitation, Fini waved his hand, gesturing for her to sit down, before continuing. "While she isn't dead, seeing her won't be that easy."
Hope took a deep breath and sat back down in her chair, though the uncontrollable excitement in her eyes remained. She asked again, "Where is she?"
"The Quantum Realm!" Fini didn't beat around the bush and answered directly. "Your father actually knows about this too. It's just that he assumes your mother has been in the Quantum Realm for so long that she must be dead by now. But the concept of time works differently there; she's actually still alive over there."
"The Quantum Realm..." Hope murmured in shock. She then looked at Fini and asked, "You said my father knows about this too?"
"Yeah!" Fini nodded.
"I need to go find him!" Hearing Fini's confirmation, Hope immediately stood up, ready to leave.
"Hold on a second!" Fini hurriedly stopped her, saying, "Let's finish eating, and then you can take me with you. I need to find him to ask about the Quantum Realm anyway."
Only then did Hope sit back down. Her eyes carefully scrutinized Fini, full of suspicion as she asked, "Who exactly are you?"
Realizing what she had asked, she recalled Fini's previous answer and quickly added, "I mean your identity besides your name and the Silver Laboratory!"
Fini paused for a moment, rubbed his chin, and replied, "As for my identity... technically, I should be a sorcerer. Though, I imagine you might be more familiar with that awful nickname, 'Silver Knight'!"
Hearing Fini's words, Hope froze, her gaze growing increasingly astonished. She couldn't help but exclaim, "You're the Silver Knight?!"
"Keep it down!" Seeing Hope's reaction draw another round of stares from the surrounding patrons, Fini sighed helplessly. Had he known this would happen, he would have ignored her wariness and booked a quiet private room.
Even though Hope wanted to stay calm, her heart was in absolute turmoil. She had never in her wildest dreams imagined that Fini's true identity was the Silver Knight.
"No wonder it's called the Silver Laboratory!"
Overhearing Hope's muttered realization, Fini's expression immediately became a little embarrassed.
Back when he acquired the laboratory in Seoul, it originally had a very Korean-style name that Fini strongly disliked. But since he possessed absolutely zero talent for naming things, he couldn't come up with anything good after racking his brain. Ultimately, he just lazily slapped on the name 'Silver Laboratory'.
Fini found that the "superhero" identity was actually quite useful. After hearing that he was the Silver Knight, Hope's wariness and suspicions decreased significantly.
Despite the drop in suspicion, Hope still didn't completely trust Fini. So, she couldn't help but ask, "But how do you know about my mother?"
"I know plenty of things!" Fini rolled his eyes and said, "For example, I know you guys are currently trying to figure out a way to replicate Pym Particles. But let me tell you, Darren Cross is not a good person. If his research succeeds, the consequences will be very severe."
Hope's expression shifted multiple times. Fortunately, knowing that Fini was the Silver Knight had bolstered her mental fortitude to some degree.
Soon, the food arrived. Hope ate with a complex expression; the information she received today had been a massive shock to her.
After they finished eating, Hope couldn't wait to lead Fini to her father's house.
She still didn't entirely believe everything Fini had said, so she needed to verify it with her father. As for whether bringing Fini along was dangerous, she had already considered it.
If Fini wasn't the Silver Knight, given her own skills, she would be fine. But if Fini truly was the Silver Knight, then even ten of her wouldn't be enough to stop him.
Fini drove them all the way to a luxurious mansion, and Hope simply used her key to open the door. When Hank Pym saw the two of them, his face was filled with surprise.
Or rather, he was extremely surprised to see Hope. As for Fini standing beside her, he merely glanced at him without caring.
"I didn't expect you to come back!" Hank Pym looked at Hope with complicated eyes. Toward this daughter who resented him and had even kicked him out of his own company, he felt no anger—only guilt.
"I didn't expect to either!" Hope looked back at her father with an equally complicated expression. But she wasn't here to reconcile; she was here for answers. Getting straight to the point, she asked:
"Did my mother actually go into the Quantum Realm?"
Hank Pym, who had still been feeling sentimental just a moment ago, saw his expression drastically change upon hearing this sentence. His brows instantly knitted tightly together. He cast another glance at Fini, who was curiously observing him from the side, and asked in a deep voice:
"Where did you hear this?"
"She really is there!?" Honestly, seeing Hank Pym's reaction gave Hope her answer. She couldn't help the wave of excitement swelling in her heart, because she remembered Fini saying that her mother wasn't dead yet.
"Yes!" Since Hope already knew, Hank Pym felt there was no need to hide it any longer and nodded directly. However, he didn't explain the circumstances. Instead, he looked at Fini and asked:
"Who is he?"
There was no way Hope could have known about this for no reason, and the biggest anomaly in the room was Fini. Therefore, Hank Pym surmised that this matter must be related to him.
(End of Chapter)