Chapter 59: Good News

"Good news, Henry, good news," Marian said excitedly over the phone.

Henry, who had just started cooking dinner—braising meat and waiting for the rice cooker—received this call out of the blue.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and asked curiously, "I thought you didn't handle work after hours. Don't you go home to rest earlier?"

"Union agents are still agents. Have you ever seen an agent with fixed working hours?" Marian complained. Then she added, "And this news concerns you—don't you want to know it sooner?"

"Oh, sweetheart, I care more about your quality of life—don't exhaust yourself. Of course, I'm glad to hear good news, and even gladder that you thought of me first."

"Tsk tsk tsk, I'm starting to envy all the girls you fooled with that mouth of yours," Marian said, clicking her tongue. "Aren't you completely unlonely now, just eager to get rid of me?"

"How could that be? I'm a poor man who can only cook his own meals, then spend the evening watching soap operas on TV. Can you imagine how boring that is?"

Although the evening program was spoken offhand, "boring" was indeed Henry's feeling. After all, entertainment in this era was far too monotonous for someone who had lived through a previous life.

At night, his usual activity was listening to music while tinkering with his computer. Whether programming or managing systems, Henry could find satisfaction in it—but more often, it was a sense of accomplishment, not enjoyment. These were different feelings.

"Too bad, I'm waiting for my date to pick me up, so I'm staying at the union. You're only acting pitiful now—it's too late for that, baby. I gave you my number long ago; if you'd asked sooner, I might've considered you."

"Ha ha," Henry laughed awkwardly twice.

Since learning American male speech patterns in Alaska, Henry had indeed shown signs of letting loose—but he hadn't dared to let loose his chastity.

Do you know what was most popular in 1990s America?

Answer: AIDS.

DC's Superman even had a cold once—even if not in the main canon—proving that Kryptonians exposed to yellow sun aren't immune to all toxins.

So, would Henry still jump?

His Kryptonian eyes did have built-in X-ray vision, but that only let him see how many bone screws someone had; or, if he looked shallowly, the color of their underwear.

For diseases with obvious pathological features—like cancer or blood clots—he might detect them. But expecting him to spot a viral infection? You're asking too much of a Kryptonian!

After personally spending two days wandering hospital wards, Henry could say with certainty: many illnesses were invisible even to Kryptonian super-vision.

If combined with super-smell and other abilities, the range of detectable diseases would expand—but blind spots still remained.

As for whether Kryptonian super-vision could see viruses, that question was meaningless.

Bacteria, fine—but do you know how fast viruses mutate and evolve?

In one night, oral bacteria can go through three to five generations; harmless strains might turn harmful. That's one reason you brush and rinse your mouth in the morning.

Viruses evolve even faster. Trying to identify a disease by observing a virus's shape? You're torturing an alien.

Perhaps Kryptonian abilities themselves could be adapted for detection—but Henry felt continuing research into this was obsessively narrow-minded.

In short, even if it wasn't HIV, even if it was latent syphilis with no obvious symptoms, Henry couldn't identify it.

So Henry truly didn't want to indulge his chastity in Hollywood—especially since it bordered the San Fernando Valley. Don't assume Kryptonians are immune to everything.

Besides, flirting is one thing—do you really think you're a bulldozer?

If you rack up too many unpaid sexual debts, doesn't that contradict your goal of living a sleazy, low-key life? Each one becomes a weakness—if some shady organization finds out, do you think they'll morally resist using them?

It's more believable that this universe was created by a pig turning into Spider-Ham, and that it's a fairy-tale world where no one dies.

So, once again, Henry dodged Marian's implication with laughter and changed the subject: "Sweetheart, stop teasing me. What's this good news you're talking about?"

"Fine, if you're so eager to get rid of me."

"Hey, that's unfair—I'm heartbroken. I just didn't want to interrupt your date. That'd be terribly rude."

At the same time, Henry heard a man shout over the phone: "Baby, I'm here! Are you ready?"

Marian covered the receiver and yelled, "Sweetheart, wait a sec—I've got a work call." But Henry could still hear the voices.

Back on the line, Marian's voice was slightly downcast: "Alright, I can't delay long. The good news is: the Devil Warriors production team notified me—you've been cast as an extra."

"Oh, that's truly good news. I think I'll have a great dream tonight," Henry said cheerfully.

"So remember to come to the union these next few days to pick up materials—we'll be heading to the set soon. This time, they require you to stay with the crew the entire time."

"Oh, that's a peculiar requirement," Henry said, raising an eyebrow.

Normally, only the paid lead cast needed to be present for the entire shoot. If behind-the-scenes work required their presence—like promotions, interviews, or dubbing—they still had to show up.

If an actor wanted to do other things or accept other offers, they had to request leave from the director or producer.

Extras were different—they were usually paid daily or hourly.

That meant the production team could save money by concentrating scenes requiring extras into a few days, minimizing their usage—or only calling them in when a specific shoot was scheduled.

This way, they didn't have to pay extras for the full duration of filming.

Even if someone couldn't come when called last-minute, swapping them out wouldn't be a problem—if it were, they wouldn't be extras.

So Henry was surprised by Marian's claim that the team required him to stay with the crew the entire time.

Still, surprise aside—some production teams were rich enough to demand such things. Who wouldn't be happy to get paid just to hang out on set?

But the full details still depended on the contract and materials they sent. Henry smiled and said, "Got it. I'll come to the union tomorrow to pick up the materials."

"Alright, I'm hanging up."

"Have a wonderful night."

"Too bad it's not you," Marian said wistfully.

New book has been contracted—please follow, collect, and recommend, thank you~~

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(End of Chapter)