Chapter 113: You Cannot Use Webs to Save People
Accompanied by soothing string music, Arthur and Gwenheld hands and danced slowly to the rhythm beside the huge Christmas tree in the center of the ballroom.
Their steps matched the dance music, aligning with the movements of the surrounding dancers, yet an inexplicable aura flowed from them—the boy gallant, the girl graceful—making them incredibly conspicuous.
How many times have we danced now?
Arthur looked into Gwen's eyes, which sparkled brightly, as if they held stars.
This is the second dance we've attended, and the thirty-sixth time we've embraced while dancing," Gwen said seriously.
Are you really counting?" Arthur chuckled. "Or did you just throw out a random number?"
Gwen smiled too, without explaining or emphasizing the point.
You have a lot of talent for dancing.
Really?
At least this time you didn't step on my shoes," Gwen said, her smile radiant. "We didn't have time to practice before this dance."
Yes, my busy Miss Spider," Arthur said, shaking his head.
The two remained silent, or perhaps, all emotional communication was completed within the repeating square steps of the dance.
Tonight is so wonderful. I really hope it won't be interrupted..."
Just as Gwen finished speaking, the phone Arthur was carrying suddenly vibrated. Arthur took it out. It was Gwen's phone; her dress had no pockets.
Often, the more you worry about something, the more likely it is to happen."
Arthur handed the continuously vibrating phone to Gwenwithout opening it; even between couples, personal privacy was necessary.
Gwen unlocked and opened the phone. It was an alert from the program she used to monitor police communication channels.
A trace of bitterness appeared on Gwen's face. The thing she least wanted to happen had occurred. This alert meant that a superpowered criminal had been detected on the police communication channel, most likely the Lizard Man. Even if it wasn't him, Gwen couldn't stand idly by.
Gwen read the alert: the police had found the Lizard Maninside Osborn Tower. Chief George was currently leading officers in a firefight with the Lizard Man... Reading this, Gwen's heart instantly tensed up, and she handed the phone to Arthur.
I think our dance has to stop. I need to go handle some things... I'm very sorry."
If it weren't for your invitation, I wouldn't be attending any dance," Arthur said, glancing at the phone before putting it in his pocket. He leaned down and whispered into Gwen's ear, "Besides, when I chose a Superhero as a girlfriend, I figured this kind of thing would happen—you might sneak off to save the World halfway through anything... So let's go, Miss Spider. I said anyone who dares to disturb me will definitely face bad luck!"
How come I remember you invited me?"
The Christmas dance music was about to reach its climax when two dark figures, side by side, turned and left the center of the ballroom. Suddenly, a commotion arose in the dance floor because Arthur's exit route didn't bother to bypass the dancing couples... They were in the center, and if they had to avoid every pair of dancers, it would be troublesome. Furthermore, making way for others was not Arthur's style.
Arthur walked straight toward the door. The guests, immersed in the music or the soft bodies of their partners, moved aside in confusion, as he showed no sign of turning.
This was an Aristocratic Academy, and every "noble" was a cultivated gentleman. This was the first time they had encountered someone so vulgar and disrespectful of etiquette at a ball.
Some guests were astonished, others glared at Arthur, and some even wanted to confront him... But when they looked at Arthur's face and eyes, they felt a sense of authority. The fear rising within them caused them to hesitate for a moment, and by the time that moment passed, Arthur was already far away, and they had lost their initial courage.
The crystal chandelier cast everyone's shadow onto the floor. Under the light, Arthur was completely composed, and his pace was rapid.
Gwen's golden long hair fluttered like willow catkins beside him. Her beautiful face was slightly flushed under the lights, perhaps embarrassed by Arthur's somewhat impolite disruption of the dance... Gwen watched Arthur's retreating back as the dancers ahead continuously made way. Following Arthur and experiencing this feeling of dominance was quite wonderful, as he provided an unprecedented sense of security... "Issue a notice, evacuate all personnel and vehicles south of 54th Street, blockade the intersections, and prohibit entry to all personnel and vehicles," Chief George roared into the walkie-talkie.
After speaking, he threw the walkie-talkie aside and firmly pressed one hand against the abdominal wound of the officer next to him, where blood continued to gush out.
The scene was a mess. Facing the Lizard Man, the police could only resort to saturation fire. Countless bullets and explosives were unleashed, turning a high-tech laboratory into ruins.
Hold on! Hold on! Reinforcements are coming immediately." Chief George looked at the huge hole smashed through the glass wall and asked into his headset, "Has the support arrived? It's gone to the roof!"
The Lizard Man was climbing the exterior of Osborn Tower. A patrol helicopter shone its searchlight onto the wall, tracking his figure until he quickly reached the rooftop.
The Lizard Man climbed onto the high tower on the rooftop. He quickly set up the Canary Device. Even though he hadn't used it in many years, he was still highly proficient.
The Lizard Man took out the Green Serum from his back and placed it into the Canary Device. He pressed the activation button.
Canary Device initializing. Three minutes remaining!" The system prompt sounded.
Humanity will welcome evolution today, and the Worldwill become perfect... Dr. Connors, you are truly great!" the Lizard Man muttered to himself.
Suddenly, an AH-64 Attack Helicopter flew quickly out of the darkness. The M-230E-1 Single-Barrel Chain Gun mounted beneath its nose began sweeping fire toward the Lizard Man atop the high tower. The pilot immediately adjusted the chain gun's rate of fire to the maximum one thousand rounds per minute!
The ammunition carried by the AH-64 Attack Helicopter consisted of M-789 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Armor-Piercing Rounds. One burst of fire blasted the Lizard Manoff the high tower and sent him plummeting onto the rooftop of Osborn Tower.
The helicopter remained locked onto him, and the single-barrel chain gun continuously poured out high-explosive armor-piercing rounds, which burst into bloody mist upon hitting the Lizard Man, leaving behind numerous bullet holes!
But the Lizard Man possessed powerful regenerative abilities. Even as the bullets kept striking him, his wounds slowly healed, and new muscle and skin grew back over the damaged areas.
The Lizard Man struggled to move under the barrage, his tail coiling around a canister of Low-Temperature Liquid Nitrogen.
The pilot watched this astonishing sight. Just as he was about to fire a missile, a silver metal canister flew toward him!
The metal canister containing liquid nitrogen exploded upon impact with the top of the attack helicopter. The liquid nitrogen, at a temperature of -196°C, sprayed onto the helicopter's power structure, absorbing a massive amount of heat as it vaporized, causing a layer of frost to condense on the aircraft's body.
Sparks flew from the attack helicopter's power system, and the fuselage wobbled, crashing into the side of an adjacent skyscraper.
The skyscraper that was hit erupted in huge flames, and the attack helicopter plunged directly into the floor. A few seconds later, a larger explosion occurred, sending countless pieces of wall and shattered parts tumbling to the ground... The Lizard Man watched all this coldly. Suddenly, he heard a sound and turned around; an identical silver metal canister rolled to his feet.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and the metal canister shattered. A large amount of liquid nitrogen surged out and began to vaporize, causing a layer of frost to creep up the Lizard Man, restricting his movements. Moments later, he was about to be frozen solid!
Open fire!" A command was given on the rooftop, and several police officers began concentrating their fire on the Lizard Man.
After being frozen, the Lizard Man's body became extremely fragile; ordinary police firearms could shatter his ice-encased body. The Lizard Man thrashed wildly, and Chief George raised a single-barrel shotgun and blasted his claw to pieces.
But the Lizard Man quickly grew new claws, and his expression became hideous and terrifying!
However, these firearms were not enough to kill him, and the low temperature of the liquid nitrogen was slowly dissipating. He would soon regain his mobility!
The Lizard Man slowly walked toward the officers, then accelerated into a charge, targeting Chief George first!
Chief George retreated while shooting at the Lizard Man, but the Lizard Man was too fast. He reached Chief Georgeand swiped him away with a single claw.
Chief George slammed heavily into a nearby wall. The Lizard Man's claw tore through his bulletproof vest, leaving three deep gashes on his chest.
Lying in the corner, gasping violently, he could only watch helplessly as the Lizard Man, like a wolf among sheep, easily dispatched several officers!
The Lizard Man impaled one officer through the abdomen with a claw, the tip emerging from the officer's back. When he withdrew the sharp claw, it pulled out bloody internal organs.
It grabbed another officer by the neck with its backhand: "You think you can stop me?"
The Lizard Man casually tossed the officer off the rooftop, bent his legs, and leaped toward the high tower.
Suddenly, a black and white figure descended from the high altitude darkness, delivering a flying kick to the Lizard Man's body!
The Lizard Man crashed heavily onto the ground. Gwenlanded, rolled to absorb the momentum, and reached the edge of the building. Aiming at the falling officer, she raised her hand and shot out a web line!
After catching the falling officer, Gwen secured the web line to the wall and turned to confront the attacking Lizard Man.
Arthur, watching from high in the air, shook his head slightly. He calmly watched as the officer slammed into the wall of the building due to inertia. Blood flowed from his head and dripped down from the height; he instantly lost consciousness.
I hope this makes you understand that you cannot use webs to save people..." Arthur said flatly.
What are you doing, Dr. Connors?" Gwen jumped up and punched the Lizard Man back. "What did you put in there?"
Gwen saw what was happening on the high tower. As the intern team leader for Dr. Connors's team, Gwen was familiar with the research equipment in the office, so she naturally knew about this Canary Device.
Lizard Gene Serum!" The Lizard Man flashed a hideous smile and swung his claws at Gwen again.
Gwen nimbly dodged the Lizard Man's attack. She grabbed the Lizard Man's tail, spun, and prepared to slam him against the wall, but halfway through, the tail snapped off, and the Lizard Man tumbled away.
Gwen disgustedly tossed the still-twitching severed tail aside. "You want everyone in New York to turn into ugly lizard monsters like you?"
You know about the Canary Device? Who are you?" The Lizard Man charged at Gwen again. "No matter who you are, you can't stop me!"
Do you know what you're doing? You've lost your mind, Dr.Connors!" Gwen shot a web line, grabbed an iron canister, and smashed it hard against the Lizard Man.
Of course I know what I'm doing! I can make humans flawless; I am creating a perfect World!" The Lizard Manabsorbed the impact of the iron canister and wrestled with Gwen. "Like Parkinson's patients, watching in fear as their bodies slowly stop obeying them, or patients with macular degeneration whose vision grows dimmer every day."
I longed to fix my own flaws, and finally, one day, all of this became reality... I didn't just fix myself, I'm bringing evolution to all of humanity, unlike selfish you, hoarding the spider gene!"
You are completely insane!" Gwen said. She punched the Lizard Man's head sideways, then shot a web line toward the high tower. She climbed up, circling the tower, until she reached the Canary Device. The screen displayed the countdown: 57, 56, 55... The tower shook continuously, and the crazed Lizard Man climbed along its structure. His roar echoed: "It is all settled!"
Gwen knew that the current situation was beyond her ability to handle. Helplessly, she shouted into the darkness above: "I need help!"
After shouting, Gwen crouched in front of the Canary Device's operation screen, observing. Even as the tower's shaking grew more violent and the Lizard Man leaped into the air behind her, fiercely swinging his sharp claws, Gwenshowed no reaction.
The Lizard Man, flying through the air, wore a terrifying smile. He seemed to envision tearing Gwen apart, but suddenly he felt an invisible force surge toward him from all directions.
The Lizard Man froze. His body, defying gravity, remained suspended in the air, unable to move, his posture unchanged.
A few seconds later, Arthur slowly descended onto the high tower. He pulled his collar up high to cover his face; he had no desire to be a Superhero or attract media attention.
Miss Spider, why can't you handle things alone every time? It makes it hard for me to feel comfortable with you being a Superhero."
Now is not the time for this!" Gwen manipulated the screen with both hands. "This is the Canary Device. It can administer drugs to the human body on a massive scale. Dr. Connors put the Lizard Gene Serum in it, meaning if we don't stop it, everyone in New York will turn into Lizard Men tonight!"
Wow, eight million Lizard Men, that sounds cool!" Arthursaid seriously. "They could form a new race—if Lizard Men still count as people..."
It's not cool at all! I don't want my parents and brother to turn into lizards!" Gwen said. "We need to stop it from working."
Can't we just blow it up?"
No!" Gwen spoke quickly. "The drugs inside the Canary Device have already finished mixing. All that's left is to launch it to form a reaction cloud. If we blow it up, the Lizard Gene Serum will spread through the air, and many people will still be infected, genetically mutated, and turn into Lizard Men!"
Chapter 114: Dance, Dance, Dance!
The city lights couldn't reach this height; the top of the tower was shrouded in darkness, with a cold night wind blowing.
The streets below looked like flowing rivers of stars, the converging lights like a tide that could surge at any moment.
"15, 14, 13..." The Canary device system continuously issued countdown prompts.
Arthur waved his hand, and the restrained Lizard Manfloated over.
"Dr. Connors?" Arthur said indifferently, "Can you stop this Canary device from working? Well, I don't want to see green-skinned lizards in the city every day..."
"No, how can we stop humanity from ushering in an evolution?" The Lizard Man laughed wildly, "No one can stop this!"
"Mhm."
Arthur nodded, extending a finger and pointing into the air.
The Lizard Man instantly felt an unbearable sharp pain emanating from its chest. Its vitality was rapidly fading... The Lizard Man looked down in disbelief as its skin and flesh tore open, and a green, still-beating heart slowly flew out!
For the first time, the Lizard Man's face was filled with terror. It wanted to stop all of this, but, being restrained, it couldn't even make a single move, only able to watch helplessly as its heart was ripped out by an invisible force!
"If it can't be shut down, then die!" Arthur said indifferently.
He casually swept the Lizard Man away. The Lizard Man's body flew over the floors and began to fall, accelerating all the way to the ground!
During this process, the Lizard Man, with its vigorous vitality, had not yet lost consciousness. It felt its body plummeting at extreme speed, like a kite with a broken string.
The whistling wind rushed past its ears, but at the very last moment, it saw a green laser beam shoot from the Canary device at the top of the tower. Nearing death, it actually smiled... The Lizard Man crashed to the ground with a bang, the immense impact creating a large crater in the street. Fortunately, the pedestrians and vehicles on this section of the street had already been cleared, preventing any casualties!
"I can't turn it off! I can only reduce the effective diameter of the reaction cloud it produces to the minimum!" Gwenshouted anxiously, "Unless the antidote serum for the Lizard gene is launched through the Canary device, otherwise, all humans within a one-kilometer radius, centered on Osborn Tower, will be infected and turn into Lizard Men..."
"Uh oh..."
Arthur looked at Chief George, who was still lying in the corner of the rooftop. He might have a Lizard Man father-in-law... Gwen, at a loss, looked at Arthur. She was now unable to resolve the predicament she faced and could only place her hopes on Arthur.
"I can't conjure up the Lizard gene antidote serum out of thin air; even magic can't do that!" Arthur shrugged.
"No, Arthur, you must have a way, right?" Gwen took his hand and said, "Many innocent people will suffer misfortunes, and my father will be among them... I know you're reluctant to act, but please help me!"
Arthur seemed to see the tears in Gwen's eyes through her spider mask. His adorable little girlfriend crying and pleading was truly heartbreaking and impossible to refuse... The Canary device shot a green beam of light straight into the sky. The light exploded high in the air, producing a green reaction cloud!
As the substance spread, humans under the reaction cloud began their painful mutation.
Chief George's eyes widened, and he kicked the ground violently. His skin began to turn bluish, and white keratin continuously grew on his face... "If you had listened to my advice that day and completely killed the Lizard Maninstead of handing him over to the Police, none of this would have happened." Arthur embraced Gwen, placing one hand on the Canary device's loading platform, "What do you think? Am I right, Gwen?"
Gwen didn't speak, and Arthur didn't mind.
"Now, let's purify this World that is about to become ugly!"
Suddenly, the Horse Talisman's imprint swirled in Arthur's eyes, and he fully activated the Horse Talisman!
A white beam of light shot into the clouds again, exploding to form a massive reaction cloud. The healing effect of the Horse Talisman was several times faster than the previous Lizard gene serum!
In the corner of the rooftop, the mutation reaction occurring on George suddenly stopped. His body returned to its original state within a few seconds, and even the three bone-deep wounds on his chest rapidly healed.
And the officer next to him, whose abdomen had been pierced by the Lizard Man's claws, also astonishingly found his pain diminishing. He had been on the verge of death, unable to breathe properly, but bathed in this white light, his wounds were rapidly healing... Gwen also witnessed this astonishing scene. Her father and the injured officers stopped mutating, and the injuries sustained in battle also recovered. They stood up, touching their newly healed wounds in disbelief... "Are you the Savior?" Gwen looked at Arthur in disbelief.
"Uh..." Arthur thought for a moment and said, "Sorry, I'm not interested in saving the World; I'm just your Savior."
Gwen threw herself into Arthur's arms, embracing him tightly. Gwen buried her head in his chest, her body still trembling from excitement and thrill.
"Don't you know how strong you are?" Arthur said with wide eyes.
"Oh, sorry!" Gwen released her grip. "Before, you were invincible and omnipotent; I thought you had no weaknesses."
"This isn't a weakness; this is a normal human's endurance!" Arthur retorted.
"It should be an abnormal human with many magical abilities." Gwen looked at Arthur and said, "Tonight was perfect... except for our Christmas dance."
"That sounds even more perfect... The dance isn't important." Arthur suddenly took a step back and said, "So, do you want to dance now?"
"Here?"
"Of course!"
Gwen took off her spider mask, her blonde hair fluttering in the wind. She placed her hand in Arthur's. Arthur put his arm around her waist and calmly said:
"This is the thirty-seventh time we've embraced to dance."
Arthur and Gwen danced on the small platform at the top of Osborn Tower. Their movements were fluid and graceful, their steps meticulous. The wind whistled in their ears, like a string orchestra performing an impassioned dance piece... Piano and cello intertwined, rising and falling, seemingly narrating and extolling the descent of fate, like surging, high waves, then slowly calming.
"Am I seeing things?" an officer looked up at the two figures embracing and dancing in the dark sky. "This is too crazy..."
"Come give a hand! Henry is hanging on the webs; he hasn't fallen yet!"
An officer, grabbing the webs on the wall, shouted, and the other officers ran over... "How's the Lizard Man? I just saw it fall."
"It fell and made a big hole in the road! We've confirmed it's dead!"
"Over!"
George finished speaking and closed the communication channel. He looked up, frowning as he stared at the two figures on the tower, but there was almost no light in the night sky, so he could only see two blurry figures moving.
"One is Spider-Woman; I saw clearly when she fought the Lizard Man. Who is the other one?" George asked.
"Sorry, Director, we don't know either..."
Suddenly, a helicopter flew in from the dark sky. It looked like a civilian rescue helicopter or a media helicopter. A searchlight hanging from its nose emitted a pure white beam of light, piercing the darkness like a sword.
The helicopter shone a searchlight onto the tower, and only then did George see the two figures: one wearing a white and black spider suit, and the other wearing a full black suit, as formal as if they had just come from a dance or banquet.
Arthur and Gwen seemed to be under a spotlight. Gwen, with her mask removed, buried her face in Arthur's arms; she didn't want the media to expose Spider-Woman's true identity tomorrow morning.
"It's really annoying!" Gwen said.
Arthur smiled faintly. Suddenly, the light beam shining on them trembled violently. The helicopter above lost its balance and swayed, its flight altitude beginning to drop.
Red lights flashed in the helicopter's control room. No matter how the pilot adjusted the controls, it was useless. A news reporter's scream came from behind, and the pilot, covered in sweat, tried to make an emergency landing on the helipad of a nearby high-rise building.
"Uh oh..." Gwen watched the helicopter about to crash into the high-rise.
Ultimately, it was Arthur who gave the helicopter a hand, allowing it to land successfully.
"Safe landing. I guess we should go too." Arthur said with a smile, "Want to go down and say hello to Mr. George?"
"Uh... if he sees me in this uniform, he'll probably explode, right?" Gwen felt a bad premonition just thinking about it.
"Alright then, hold me tight when we fly."
Although the Rooster Talisman could control multiple targets in flight, even without physical contact, Arthurcould still carry Gwen.
"I'm holding on very tight!" Gwen clung to Arthur like a koala... Mrs. Stacy brought the Christmas dinner's main dish, roasted turkey, to the table. Her secret method was to stuff the turkey's belly with roasted potatoes, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, kale, carrots, and other fillings, then roast it all together in the oven.
Arthur took a knife and fork to carve the roasted turkey onto plates, and Gwen distributed the plates to everyone.
"You two are a match made in heaven," Mrs. Stacy said, propping her chin on her hand.
"OK, although it's late, everyone is still gathered to enjoy Christmas dinner." George, now in a fresh formal suit, said as he raised his glass.
Everyone clinked glasses. Mrs. Stacy said with some dissatisfaction, "You should thank Spider-Woman and You-Know-Who, otherwise everything tonight would have been ruined because of you, and we would have spent this Christmas outside the emergency room."
"I am indeed grateful to You-Know-Who. It was a miraculous power that instantly healed my injuries and even saved a dying officer whose intestines had been ripped out by the Lizard Man," George said calmly.
When George returned home, he was still wearing the blood-stained shirt with a torn chest. Mrs. Stacy was startled at the time, and even when George showed her his already healed wounds, she was still terrified.
Gwen listened to her mother's words and turned to look at Arthur, who was silently drinking juice.
"Thankfully, no one was injured tonight, and everyone can have a wonderful Christmas," Gwen said with a smile.
"No, someone has left us forever." George placed his knife and fork on the edge of his plate and said, "Officer Henry was thrown off the building by the Lizard Man. Although Spider-Woman arrived in time and caught him with her webs, by the time we pulled him up, he was completely dead. His head must have hit the building. That white holy light could only heal the living; the dead are forever dead..."
Gwen's smile froze. She stiffly turned to look at Arthur, who silently held her hand.
"Spider webs really aren't suitable for saving people."
"Dad, did you arrest Spider-Woman?" Her brother, Howard, suddenly asked.
"No, the Police had long since withdrawn the arrest warrant for Spider-Woman." Listening to his son's words, George paused, his hand holding the dinner fork. He slowly looked at Gwen and said, "What I mean is, the Police will no longer be Spider-Woman's enemy. Today I understood that this city needs a hero; New York needs Spider-Woman."
"I think if Spider-Woman knew she had the approval of the New York Police Department Director, she would definitely be very happy." Gwen nodded, then turned to look at Arthur again, who was pouring gravy on his roasted turkey.
"Is the roasted turkey that fragrant?" Gwen squeezed Arthur's hand.
Mrs. Stacy also looked over.
"Of course," Arthur speared a piece of chicken and turned, meeting Mrs. Stacy's expectant gaze, "It's very good..."
...After dinner, Arthur drove back to his detached Villa in Queens. As he finished washing up and stepped out of the bathroom, he felt a familiar energy source rapidly approaching.
The room window opened automatically, and the next second, a figure flew in at high speed, then stopped mid-air.
"Wow!" Arthur exclaimed, looking at Gwen's attire and makeup, "Are you sure you can stop at such a high speed?"
Gwen was actually obediently wearing that black sleeveless gown, her fair skin exposed at the neckline and neck, her legs clad in 10D black stockings, and wearing a full set of accessories. She must have changed into it when she was near Arthur's home.
Arthur looked at Gwen's fair neck, and Gwen confidently said, "Of course I can, I'm sure!"
Arthur controlled Gwen to land steadily, her high heels making a crisp clinking sound on the floor as she touched down.
Gwen practically threw herself into Arthur's arms. Although her makeup was exquisite, she seemed to be in a somewhat bad mood. Arthur knew why.
"Don't think about those things. Tonight you saved many people; you're already very outstanding," Arthur said, stroking Gwen's back.
"You saved them all... I didn't do anything, didn't even save a falling officer." Gwen's bright and charming face wore a trace of sadness. "Arthur, you're more suited to be a Superhero than I am."
Arthur smiled and shook his head. He said nothing, just lowered his head and kissed Gwen, his hand sliding from her waist.
"Only a fool would be interested in saving the World," Arthur said after a long while. "This night is so beautiful; we should do something else."
Arthur pressed Gwen down, kissing her fair and tender nape, then moving down her neck. Because of the wind from web-swinging, Gwen's skin was cool, like tempting ice cream.
Gwen looked back at Arthur, her eyes like silken threads through her messy blonde hair.
"Good girl, lie still..."
Arthur patted Gwen's thigh, clad in black stockings.
Chapter 115: Tesseract
Inside the secret research Base of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Joint Dark Energy Mission, West Wing Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Laboratory.
The massive laboratory was filled with various research equipment. The room was very dark, and a blue, cube-shaped object floated on a platform in the center. It continuously emitted fluorescent blue light, illuminating the entire laboratory and serving as the only light source inside.
Dr. Selvig, the only researcher in the laboratory, was holding an iPad and recording data. As usual, he exclaimed, "It's truly beautiful!"
"Dr. Selvig, can you turn on the lights in the room? It's so dark in the lab I can't even find my phone!" A voice came from the corner—it was the security Agent on duty, Hawkeye Clint Barton.
"I've said more than once that the intensity of the light emitted by the Tesseract changes with its energy state," Dr. Selvig said without turning around. "Call Agent Bartonfor me."
"Understood, Dr." A female system voice, an intelligent assistant, sounded in the laboratory.
At a high vantage point in the laboratory, the screen of Hawkeye's phone lit up.
"I'm not a technician..." Hawkeye said, hanging up the call.
Suddenly, a blinding light shot out, carrying some kind of energy. Hawkeye quickly raised his hand to shield his eyes. His phone slipped and only hit the floor with a sound after more than a second.
"Dr. Selvig?" Hawkeye exclaimed in alarm. "What's happening!"
"I don't know!" A faint voice came from below. "I don't know what's happening either!"
The Tesseract, suspended on the platform, continuously shot out light. The fluorescent blue light illuminated the entire laboratory, and countless energies flowed across the surface of the Tesseract like lit up patterns.
Along with the intense glare came massive amounts of energy. Most of this energy was stored or transported away by the laboratory's equipment, but the small amount of overflow energy made Hawkeye, in the corner, tremble with fear, worrying that it might lose control and explode at any moment.
The Tesseract's energy release lasted for more than ten seconds. After those ten seconds, the light released by the Tesseract slowly weakened, and the laboratory gradually returned to darkness.
The flowing energy on the Tesseract slowly disappeared. Dr. Selvig only dared to approach the central platform after seeing the plummeting numbers on the nearby energy monitoring instrument.
The sound of chains sliding was heard from the dark corner. Hawkeye landed steadily and walked toward the platform.
"What just happened? Did the Tesseract lose control?" Hawkeye asked, full of doubt. "As a security Agent, I need to report this to S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I need to submit a report too. Agent Barton, you must sign the report to confirm that I was only conducting routine data recording and did nothing to the Tesseract!" Dr. Selvigstressed.
"Sorry, Dr., I can't confirm that. I couldn't see anything clearly from up there!" Hawkeye said seriously. "Besides, you're the best Astrophysicist. Even if you did something, I wouldn't be able to notice..."
"Sly Agent!"
Dr. Selvig grumbled as he approached the Tesseract to observe it. He could tell with his naked eye how the Tesseract had changed after the energy release: its internal patterns were denser, and a deep blue substance, like flowing liquid, was accumulating near the outer shell.
"Lights on!"
Following Dr. Selvig's command, all the lighting equipment in the laboratory turned on, and bright white light poured down from the ceiling.
Hawkeye blinked, taking a few seconds to adjust to the change in light before walking over to the control panel.
"Display the Tesseract's recent energy change data on the main screen."
The large screen instantly lit up. After taking one look, Dr. Selvig's face was filled with shock.
"Don't tell me the Tesseract is about to explode..." Hawkeye felt a pang of fear just considering the possibility.
"It won't explode," Dr. Selvig said, looking at the large screen. "The Tesseract's energy was constantly climbing. It broke through the safety threshold in five seconds, reached double the safety threshold in seven seconds, five times the safety threshold in eleven seconds, and reached the equipment's energy monitoring limit in thirteen seconds. After that, the data couldn't be observed... If it continued to increase like that, the Tesseract would definitely explode eventually. But thankfully, it stopped. The energy is currently still dropping and has returned to the safety threshold."
After hearing this, Hawkeye walked straight out.
"What are you doing?" Dr. Selvig asked his retreating back.
"I'm going to report this news to S.H.I.E.L.D.!" Hawkeyesaid without looking back.
"Are you sure you're not running away?" Dr. Selvig laughed from behind. "If the Tesseract explodes, you won't survive even if you run to the ends of the Earth!"
...Inside the conference room of the Anti-Demon Alliance's temporary Headquarters, several members were looking at the images projected on the large screen.
"A Lizard?" Thor asked, his face full of curiosity. "Are there creatures like this on Earth?"
"Not in Asgard?" Falcon, standing nearby, asked curiously.
"Of course not. And certainly no combination of Lizard and man," Thor said. "Our animals there are Pegasus, Hellhounds, and so on."
"Asgard is so cool!"
Thor smiled proudly... "Dr. Curt Connors injected himself with Lizard Gene Serum and became the Lizard Man. On Christmas Day, he escaped from a New York Special Prison and tried to create a terrorist incident above the Osborn Group, but he is not the main character." Captain Americafrowned slightly, looking at the whispers on the table.
The screen scrolled, showing a person wearing a black and white uniform bodysuit. The capture was taken from a distance using a zoomed-in lens, but even though the image was slightly blurry, her movements were clear: she leaped through the air, and a web shot out from her wrist.
"Spider-Woman, I know her!" Thor nodded. "Asgard has no spiders, and certainly no Spider-Man."
The screen scrolled again. This capture showed Spider-Woman and a mysterious man in a black suit standing atop a high tower. Searchlights descended like spotlights, and they embraced within the column of light.
"Her boyfriend?"
"Those two are the main characters," Captain America said. "Last night, the Lizard Man attempted to use a device to turn all the citizens of New York City into monsters like himself."
The screen then scrolled, and a short video began to play. In the video, a green figure was continuously falling next to a tall skyscraper, finally smashing a large crater into the road.
Captain America continued his explanation: "Although they killed the Lizard Man, his plan had already been successfully activated..."
"Died from falling? He fell to his death? Can people really die from falling? That's so lame!" Thor interrupted Captain America, speaking dramatically.
"Everyone in this conference room, except for you and Sam, cannot fly," Natasha retorted lightly.
"I can't fly either; it's the Mechanical Suit that flies," Samsaid.
Thor looked around at everyone's faces, then smiled and said, "My apologies!"
But that punchable face showed absolutely no sign of remorse.
Captain America sighed. He pulled up an image, and upon seeing it, the conference room immediately fell silent.
In the photo, the Lizard Man lay in a huge crater, covered in injuries from the high-altitude fall. But the first thing everyone noticed was the massive laceration on his chest... Looking into the opening, there was nothing; the Lizard Man's heart had been removed.
"Spider-Woman's attack is very... very fierce!" Sam said. "It's hard to imagine this bloody scene is the work of a girl!"
"What's wrong with that?" Thor asked, confused. "The Valkyrie of the Heavenly Palace loves nothing more than slicing open enemies' stomachs on the battlefield, leaving white, glistening intestines all over the ground..."
"It wasn't Spider-Woman; it was the boy next to her who did it," Captain America said. "That's her boyfriend."
"A new Superhero?" Sam shook his head. "Training in the Base every day, I don't even have time to check the news online. I didn't know a new Superhero had appeared. It seems I'm out of touch..."
"Not a Superhero. Someone neutral, hiding among the populace? I even feel like he's a villain," Natasha shook her head. "If Captain can confirm that the person next to Spider-Woman is the same boy who drove the Ford car near the school gate that night..."
"You've already met him?" Sam asked curiously.
"Not only met, but fought," Natasha smiled. She recalled that terrible Christmas Eve.
"What was the result?" Thor asked casually. "Just a boy. Even if he's a villain, we can easily defeat him."
Natasha gave a wry smile. She cast her gaze toward Captain America, who spread his hands, indicating he didn't care.
"The situation was completely one-sided. It was a crushing defeat..."
"I told you, just a boy!" Thor said, shrugging with a smile.
"We suffered a crushing defeat..." Natasha covered her face. "Captain and I combined couldn't fight back at all. I should say he easily subdued me with one hand, then easily dealt with Captain with the other, and totaled a Maserati... And when he left, he mocked us verbally. His taunting ability is no less impressive than his strength."
"Uh..." Sam fell silent.
Thor also fell silent, wondering if joining this organization was the right choice.
"Everything Natasha said is true." Captain Americaprojected a photo of Arthur onto the screen and played a video. "It is confirmed that he is Spider-Woman's boyfriend—Ricardo M. Luo, whose Chinese name is Arthur."
The background sound of the video was the massive noise of helicopter rotors turning. Under the searchlights, two figures danced gracefully atop the high tower, fully immersed as if they were performing a Tango.
"The victory settlement screen after defeating the Boss?" Sam made a motion of pressing a controller.
"Extremely romantic!" Natasha smiled like a proud aunt. "They are a perfect match!"
"Where were we?" Captain America tapped the table. "Although the Lizard Man died, his plan succeeded. Hundreds of people had begun mutating and were about to become Lizard Men."
"But at that moment, Arthur used a certain power to stop everything, and it was a power with formidable healing capabilities!" Captain America said. "Within a one-kilometer radius, the mutation reaction in everyone stopped. Not only that, but they rapidly healed all their physical injuries and diseases. Police officers who were dying from the fight, and even late-stage cancer patients, were all cured..."
"A Priest?" Sam asked, his face full of disbelief. "That's not a power a person should have..."
"If he became a Doctor, I believe his net worth would quickly surpass Stark's!" Natasha said.
Arthur's photo was maximized on the screen. Thor said emotionally, "If all this is true, such a person would be treated as an honored guest in Asgard!"
"The Anti-Demon Alliance needs him!" Suddenly, Thor's eyes lit up. "Combat power is secondary. If he gives me a healing boost midway through my next decisive battle against a demon, I can definitely defeat the demon!"
"It's *them*!" Captain America emphasized. "Spider-Woman is equally important."
"Of course, we can use his girlfriend to lure him into joining the Anti-Demon Alliance!" Thor said confidently.
"But that's not the case. He's not on our side," Natashasaid, placing her hands on the table. "I even feel like he's on the demons' side..."
"Arthur's magic is very powerful; it can be used for attack and healing. His joining the Anti-Demon Alliance will definitely play a major role. At the very least, we must guide him onto the right path and absolutely cannot watch him fall to the side of evil," Captain America said earnestly.
The arrogant Thor also became interested in the mysterious Arthur. He was very focused during the rest of the meeting, but suddenly the conference room door was pushed open, and the meeting was forcibly suspended.
"I apologize for interrupting you all!" Hill said, entering through the door. "But it seems you need to stop what you're doing, because the Earth might explode at any second."
"What happened?" Captain America asked, standing up.
"A report came from the research Base: the Tesseract has lost control..."
The Anti-Demon Alliance team traveled by helicopter to the S.H.I.E.L.D. research Base. After flying over the last ridge, they saw the massive research Base through the aircraft window.
Factories and low buildings were interspersed, but they didn't look chaotic; rather, they were highly organized, clearly designed by a Master Architect.
"Wow..." Sam couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the magnificent Base.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has over a dozen Bases like this worldwide," Hill said lightly.
The helicopter began to descend. Dr. Selvig and Hawkeyewere waiting outside the helipad.
Hill led the group into the Base. Guards and Agents along the way saluted her: "Commander!"
"Dr. Selvig, I recall that NASA hasn't authorized the Tesseract research to enter the testing phase yet," Hillquestioned.
"I wasn't testing it, just recording normal data. This was the Tesseract's spontaneous action!" Dr. Selvig said. "AgentBarton can confirm this!"
Hawkeye remained silent on the side.
"The Tesseract self-activated? Is the Tesseract still in an uncontrollable state now?" Hill asked with a serious face.
"It's temporarily controllable, but the Tesseract's energy is constantly climbing..." Dr. Selvig said. "When we issued the alert, the Tesseract had already experienced one instance where its energy exceeded the threshold."
Captain America looked around at the staff. "Regardless, evacuate them first!"
Hill looked at Dr. Selvig, who hesitated for a moment before nodding immediately. "Although if the Tesseract loses control, the entire Earth will suffer..."
Chapter 116: Energy Fluctuation
Inside a department store in a small town outside New York, Wanda was browsing the shelves while Arthurstood beside her, pushing a shopping cart.
"What else do we need to buy? I did my homework before leaving: bottle opener, chocolate, plates, spoons... and chopsticks!" Wanda muttered to herself. "You once said during dinner that chopsticks are better than knives and forks."
Arthur watched all this calmly. Hypnotizing Wanda into becoming the mistress of the manor was almost too easy; this was the life she had always dreamed of. Wanda even provided explanations for many unperfected details of their life that Arthur hadn't established, believing them deeply.
"There are also winter clothes, bath towels, and so on. Wanda, do you need cosmetics? We can go to a specialty store later," Arthur reminded her. "Don't stock up too much on food; I'll take you shopping every Tuesday."
"Thank you, Arthur." Wanda said seriously, looking at Arthur, who was wearing the demon mask. She then hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. "I feel so happy every day I'm with you..."
The two pushed their shopping cart while waiting in line to check out. The other people didn't pay any attention to the man in the couple wearing a demon mask; the Demon's fans were everywhere in the U.S. As the hottest villain, the Demon's merchandise sold very well. You could meet several people wearing demon masks in a single Subway car in New York... Wanda and Arthur were talking quietly when suddenly two Black men rushed in through the door. One wore a hood over his head, and the other wore a plastic demon mask issued by a toy manufacturer.
Both aimed pistols at the cashier. "Don't shut it off! Give me all the cash, hurry up!"
The customers were used to this situation; it happened once or twice a year. Some stood still, playing on their Cell Phones, while others fearfully hid behind the shelves.
A few seconds later, the Hooded Man and the demon mask Man stuffed large wads of U.S. Dollars into their clothes. Normally, they would leave now, but suddenly the criminal wearing the demon mask spotted Arthur in the crowd.
"Is that the newly released Bionic Technology Mask? Bro, your demon mask is awesome!" Suddenly, he raised his pistol. "It's mine now. Take off that demon mask and hand it over to me!"
Wanda immediately stepped in front of Arthur. A hint of red appeared in her fierce pupils... Suddenly, everything stopped, and Arthur pressed his hands onto her shoulders.
"Whoa!" the demon mask Man yelled. "Your girl is hot! Wish I'd met her somewhere else... Now, please take off the mask, or I'll shoot!"
"Shit, what are you doing!" The Hooded Man next to him tugged at his clothes. "The Police will be here soon, we need to go!"
"The Bionic Technology Mask sells for two thousand three hundred U.S. dollars..."
"Alright... one minute!"
Arthur watched the scene with a smile.
"How about I protect you most of the time? If someone ever beats me up later, you can teach them a harsh lesson, okay?" Arthur whispered into Wanda's ear. "Now, be a good girl and hide behind me."
Wanda hesitated for half a second but obediently moved behind Arthur.
"I really want to give you this 'Bionic Technology Mask,' but I truly can't..." Arthur raised his hands in a posture of surrender. "Don't shoot! Just let me explain first."
"Because I can't take it off, look!" Arthur slightly tilted his head toward the demon mask Man and the Hooded Man. His fingers tapped his neck and cheek a few times, failing to reveal any edge of the Bionic Technology Mask. Then he said with a smile, "As you can see with your own eyes, it simply won't come off. There are no seams..."
Arthur was still trying hard to prove that he couldn't take off the demon mask, even stepping forward to let the demon mask Man try to remove it himself. Suddenly, the crowd fell silent... The two Black men, who just wanted a simple robbery, froze. The expressions on the faces of the surrounding customers and store staff became rigid. A terrifying thought arose in their minds, and they fearfully backed away from Arthur.
"It's perfectly seamless," Arthur sighed. "Just like the real demon mask..."
The demon mask Man trembled all over. The Hooded Man quickly drew his gun and fired. The next moment, his eyes widened!
The Bullet fired from the pistol flew through the air at an extremely slow speed. This was the first time the Hooded Man had clearly seen the Bullet's Flight Trajectory!
The demon mask Man had collapsed; his knees gave way, and he fell to the ground. As a loyal fan of the Demon, he naturally knew what would happen next... Arthur smiled, reached out, and flicked the Bullet. Suddenly, the Bullet spun and accelerated backward. A sharp shriek of air being cut sounded as the Bullet entered the Hooded Man's brow, shattered his hard Skull, and exited the back of his head, spraying blood.
The Hooded Man fell straight down, his head hitting the demon mask Man.
Just as Arthur turned his attention to the demon maskMan, his expression suddenly changed... He sensed a powerful energy fluctuation, and the energy was unprecedented; at least, he had never encountered it before.
Arthur frowned slightly. He was curious about what it was, but before investigating, he needed to send Wandaback to the Manor.
The hypnosis process was not yet complete. He certainly couldn't take Scarlet Witch to the battlefield now; if she were stimulated during a fight and woke up, all his efforts would be wasted... "Wanda, we need to leave quickly!" Arthur waved his hand, and the shopping cart flew out. He threw a stack of U.S. Dollars onto the cash register. "Keep the change; consider the rest a tip."
"Thank you, Mr. Demon," the cashier said cautiously.
Wanda quickly stepped forward and put her hand in Arthur's. Arthur activated the Snake Talisman Deep Invisibility and Mass Spatial Displacement abilities, returning to the Manor with Wanda and the shopping cart after several spatial displacements.
The demon mask Man kneeling inside the store felt as if he had received a great pardon. Just then, the store doors burst open, and a group of Police officers rushed in: "Raise your hands!"
The demon mask Man wept tears of joy; compared to the Demon, these Police were much kinder!
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically... An unbearable High Temperature radiated from his abdomen, and with a scream, he was burned to ashes!
...The Anti-Demon Alliance group descended the Spiral Staircase and entered the Underground Laboratory. As soon as they pushed open the lab door, the Fluorescent Blue Light emitted by the Tesseract rushed toward them.
The blue light already overpowered the white light emitted by the lighting fixtures. The laboratory was filled with researchers in work uniforms, the sound of keyboards tapping echoing constantly. When the door was opened, the researchers uniformly looked up at the entrance, their eyes full of scrutiny as they assessed the group of newcomers who didn't fit in.
Superheroes are strong in personal Combat Power, but what is needed here is knowledge—this was the researchers' home turf.
Captain America stopped at the doorway. Seeing the Tesseract brought back many frozen memories. He would never forget that scene: the Tesseract emitted blue light, and Red Skull was teleported away right before his eyes.
"Seventy years ago, when you piloted the HYDRASpaceship that was about to explode into the North Pole, the Tesseract fell into the Arctic Ocean. Later, Mr. Starksalvaged the Tesseract... it was Howard Stark," Hill said as she walked. "Since then, we have begun researching the Tesseract. Although the research process has been slow, every discovery has allowed human technology to advance by leaps and bounds."
"I didn't know you had such a Heroic Tale!" Thor said, patting Captain America's shoulder.
Captain America remained silent, but Falcon, standing nearby, also felt honored. He smiled and said, "Everyone knows the Captain's Glorious Deeds!"
Hill looked at the Tesseract; it was indeed somewhat different from how she remembered it.
Thor also stared wide-eyed at the Tesseract; he had a more intuitive sense of that powerful energy.
"This is not a power that humans can Master..."
"But the fact is, humans have controlled it for nearly a hundred years. First, it was HYDRA, and now it's S.H.I.E.L.D.," Hill said calmly. "Dr. Selvig, can you tell me its current status? Or should we shut it down first?"
"I apologize, Commander, but we cannot shut it down. We tried cutting power to the Tesseract, but it is an energy source itself..." Dr. Selvig shook his head. He waved his hand, and a complex 3D Data Chart appeared on the screen. "This is the data record of its energy fluctuations. Starting over an hour ago, the energy exceeded the measurable Threshold of our equipment, and it continues to change—it's erratic and unprecedented. I cannot determine its current state."
"So, we can only wait now?" Hill asked. "Wait for it to calm down and go back to sleep, or wait for it to completely lose control and shatter the Earth?"
"If this is an energy issue, why don't we find an Expert in the Energy Field to solve it?" Natasha said, crossing her arms.
"Tony Stark?" Hill said, turning around.
"Mr. Stark is absolutely the best energy Expert on Earth," Dr. Selvig nodded.
Natasha looked at Captain America. After he nodded, she turned around, took out her Cell Phone, and walked outside.
Hill instructed the Guards: "Evacuate all Prototypes developed in Phase Two and temporarily transport them to Base Seven."
"You're evacuating the machines and equipment first?" Captain America was confused. "The Staff are still here."
"Captain, as long as the Earth doesn't explode, we have to do our jobs. Besides, evacuating personnel is much faster than moving large equipment." Hill turned her head again and said, "Move all the technology out, and load up the Phase Two Research Equipment too!"
Ten minutes later, Tony arrived at this Hidden Base, guided by the Coordinates Natasha had sent him. As he landed, he saw the evacuation scene: vehicles formed long lines slowly driving out of the Base, desperately rushing as if fleeing.
"Did you miss me, Agent Romanoff?"
Natasha, waiting nearby, smiled but said nothing.
"Your Armor looks a bit different?"
"Mark 7. I just upgraded it! Right after Demon Project," Tony said. "I learn from every battle to improve the Iron Armor. I like constant progress."
Now that everyone was evacuated, Commander Hillgranted authority to open all the Base's Safety Gates, and the two arrived at the Underground Laboratory without obstruction.
After pushing open the door, the Iron Armor opened, and Tony, dressed in a Suit, stepped out.
"Hey, Captain! And point break, Legolas, Bird Mimic, and the lovely Ms. Hill. Long time no see, everyone." Tonygreeted everyone while walking toward the Tesseract in the center.
"His Armor is very handsome!" Thor said to Falcon nearby.
"That's Iron Armor!" Falcon sighed. "I think so too. Compared to that, my Flight Pack sucks..."
"No, yours is handsome too!" Thor nodded seriously, trying to comfort Falcon. "It looks like a flying Big Bird. That's cool, isn't it!"
Falcon looked at Thor, his expression somewhat complicated... Tony shook hands with Dr. Selvig. The two were already acquainted. Dr. Selvig recounted the detailed status of the Tesseract again and placed the image on the Large Screen.
Tony began to examine it seriously. The laboratory instantly fell silent, and all the researchers focused their attention on Tony.
Many dilemmas were unsolvable for them, but they wouldn't stump the Genius Tony Stark. If even Tony was helpless, it meant the situation was beyond control.
"This looks very bad..." Tony said after a few seconds of looking.
"You don't have a solution either?" Hill asked, frowning tightly.
"So what are they still doing here?" Tony gestured to the researchers nearby. "Waiting to waste our escape time?"
Hill nodded and immediately gave the order for all the researchers to evacuate.
"Jarvis, scan its energy for me," Tony instructed without turning his head. "Establish its structure and Composition Analysis Data."
The Iron Armor advanced a few steps, and its Right Arm shot out a Red Laser that scanned the entire Tesseract.
"Apologies, sir, there is a lot of energy I cannot quantify. The cube appears to be a Protective Shell, containing something immensely powerful," Jarvis's voice rang out.
"The situation is getting worse and worse. The Tesseracthas been active, and we have no way to deal with it—we don't even know what happened!" Dr. Selvig said, clutching his hair.
"It's not just active; it's reacting." Tony leaned closer to observe the Tesseract, then looked at the data nearby. "The Tesseract activated its power due to some external reason, and it wasn't self-generated."
Dr. Selvig said with a wry smile, "I didn't do anything; just normal data recording..."
"No, Dr., I wasn't referring to you," Tony interrupted. "It's someone on The Other End playing tricks."
"The other end?"
"The Tesseract can open a Spatial Gate. A door can be pushed open from the outside, and it can also be pushed open from the inside," Tony explained, making a motion of pushing and pulling a door.
"Who would be inside?" Natasha asked curiously. "Aliens?"
"Who knows? I haven't met any Aliens," Tony said, shrugging. He suddenly remembered Thor. "I forgot we have an Alien Tourist right here. Maybe whoever comes through that door will be some relative of yours..."
Suddenly, a Notification Sound came from the equipment, and Dr. Selvig rushed over.
"The energy is climbing again..." Tony said with a smile.
Chapter 117: Loki
Suddenly, the sound of an electric arc pulse rang out, and blue energy arcs overflowed from the Tesseract, spreading into the air.
Everyone instantly exchanged bewildered glances. "Stark?"
"Don't ask me, I don't know either..." Tony said, taking a step back.
The energy oscillation intensified continuously, and a bursting roar emanated from the Tesseract. More blue energy arcs overflowed and mixed into the air, causing space itself to tremble.
The data displayed by the energy monitoring instrument connected to the Tesseract surged. In just over a second, it broke through the safe value and exceeded the energy threshold the instrument could monitor. The familiar event Dr. Selvig and Hawkeye knew was about to happen again... The roaring sound produced by the Tesseract's reaction grew more intense. Hawkeye and Dr. Selviginstinctively turned, closed their eyes, and shielded themselves with their arms, leaving the remaining few blinded by the suddenly flashing blue light. "Damn it, Barton!" Natasha exclaimed.
The dazzling blue light only lasted for a few seconds. Then, the blue light scattered throughout the office quickly converged onto one side of the Tesseract, forming a blue laser beam as thick as an arm!
The roaring continued. Where the laser beam from the Tesseract shone, space violently shook and was then torn apart, forming a circular door. "I want to stop it!" Thor said, shielding his eyes with one hand, while his other hand began spinning Mjolnir.
"Absolutely do not do that!" Tony interjected, raising both hands. The two positioning bracelets on his wrists lit up, and the Iron Armor Mark 7 instantly flew over, completing the entire donning process in under three seconds.
"It's fine if your attack is ineffective, but if your attack causes the Space Gate to collapse, no one knows what might happen! Maybe we'll all be sucked into the cosmic abyss..."
"Boom!" Before Tony could finish speaking, the blue circular door collapsed and dissipated. The Impact spread outwards, shaking everyone else so badly they couldn't stand steady.
Meanwhile, the Tesseract's energy instantly subsided back to the safe value, the flowing energy arcs on its surface vanished, and it returned to its original state.
People regained their balance and stood firm. Once the blue light arcs dispersed, they cast their gaze toward the scene. There was a figure in the thick, white mist.
"Jarvis, information scan!" Tony activated the Palm Cannons in both palms as he cautiously approached the cosmic visitor.
Thunder God Thor lowered the arm shielding his eyes and looked in that direction, involuntarily gripping Mjolnirtighter... Suddenly, he froze, stopping in his tracks, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The blue light and thick mist dissipated, and a green figure slowly stood up. Tony saw a sinister smile... The grin was chilling and slightly mischievous, and he nearly lost control of his Palm Cannons and blasted it out.
"Hello! My name is Tony Stark, and who might you be?" Tony approached slowly, holding up both Palm Cannons. "The rock era?"
The cosmic visitor had an appearance identical to a human. He had long, black, wavy, absurd hair and wore a green and black sorcerer's robe. In his hand, he held a scepter, the head of which was inlaid with a glittering gem.
"Loki Odinson," the voice came from behind. Tony turned to look at Thor, who repeated, "His name is Loki Odinson!"
"Odinson?" Falcon, standing nearby, was full of surprise. He remembered that the full name of the Asgardian in front of him was Thor Odinson.
"Yes, he is my true brother!" Thor shouted, "Loki!"
"Long time no see, Thor," Loki replied, smiling broadly. "But you've already made me unhappy right after we met. Correction: my name is Loki Laufeyson. Odinson is your Asgardian surname!"
"You are an Asgardian too!" Thor said in a deep voice, though he understood Loki said these things out of bitterness and resentment. "Why are you here? After you fell into the cosmic abyss, Heimdall searched the entire starry sky and couldn't find you..."
"What an emotional brotherly reunion sitcom," Tonymuttered to the side. "It seems the danger is over, right?"
"It doesn't seem that simple..." Natasha said, shaking her head.
"If you hadn't shattered the Bifrost Bridge, I wouldn't have fallen into the cosmic abyss," Loki said with a smile. "I came to Earth, naturally, because I have more important things to do. It is a sacred mission!"
"What is this more important thing?" Tony interrupted. "Sightseeing, checking in, sampling local delicacies?"
Loki smiled but remained silent. He looked up, saw the glittering Tesseract, and slowly began walking toward it.
"Don't go near it! Stay where you are!" Tony shouted. "Put down the spear in your hand!"
Tony raised his Palm Cannons and began charging them. Captain America and Natasha also prepared for battle. Hawkeye drew his bow and notched an arrow, and Falcon pulled out the Uzi Submachine Gun from his person.
"No need to be so tense. With me here, he won't cause any trouble!" Thor said confidently from the side, walking toward Loki.
But Hill was uneasy. "Dr. Selvig, retrieve the Tesseract!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Dr. Selvig took out a silver briefcase and opened it. This time, he easily cut the Tesseract's power, placed the Tesseract inside the case, and closed it.
Thor slowly moved forward. "Hey, Loki..."
Loki smiled as he watched Thor approach. He raised the scepter in his hand, and after a brief charge, a high-energy beam shot out, instantly blasting Thor away.
Loki flashed away, leaping out of the way. Two Palm Cannons destroyed the spot where he had been standing. Loki then used the scepter to fire an energy blast that struck Tony's armor.
Captain America quickly stepped forward and wrestled with him. Loki, relying on the power of the scepter, was subtly gaining the upper hand, but the room was now full of Superheroes!
Falcon brought out his submachine gun and sprayed bullets, but they had no effect when hitting Loki's chest. It seemed these Asgardians had formidable physical defenses!
Seeing this, Natasha didn't waste any more effort. She and Hill exchanged a knowing glance, and the two implicitly turned to guard Dr. Selvig and transport the Tesseractaway.
Hawkeye fired an arrow. Loki, having just repelled Captain America, easily turned and caught the incoming arrow with his hand! A cold smile appeared on Loki's face... Hawkeyeexpressionlessly pressed the operating button on his quiver, and the arrow caught by Loki instantly exploded, the force of the bomb blasting him away!
Loki, who had been blasted into a corner, climbed back up. Just as he picked up the fallen Mind Stone, Tony's Palm Cannon flew toward him, followed immediately by Thor's Mjolnir!
For a moment, Loki was scrambling to evade the attacks. God knows how the Chitauri calculated things, leaving him in such a predicament right from the start!
At this point, he was close to Hawkeye. Loki dodged the arrow Hawkeye fired, and he pressed the Mind Stoneagainst Hawkeye's chest. Instantly, blue light erupted from Hawkeye's eyes..
Chapter 118: Melee
Red alarm lights flashed inside the security corridor, and the broadcast repeatedly played the order for full evacuation and retreat issued by Hill.
Among a team of fully armed guards, Natasha and Hillprotected Dr. Selvig, who was carrying the Tesseract, right in the middle.
Hill took all the guards from the laboratory because these ordinary guards could not intervene in the battles between the Superheroes and would even become a burden to them.
Arthur, after deep invisibility, followed the energy fluctuations to this S.H.I.E.L.D. Base. He could feel that the mysterious energy source had calmed down and was still moving. He tracked the energy source into this corridor, where he encountered Hill and her group, and immediately deactivated the invisibility granted by the Snake Talisman.
"The situation in the laboratory seems a bit bad?"
"Didn't Thor say he could handle his brother?" Natashasaid skeptically. "Besides, they have many people: Barton, Captain, Tony, Sam... Five people should be able to beat one person, right?"
"Let's hope so..."
Hill and Natasha were still talking when the guards ahead suddenly stopped.
All the guards raised their muzzles, aimed at the person who had suddenly appeared in front of them, and waited for Commander Hill's order.
Hill and Natasha looked through the gap in the line of guards, and instantly, they became fully alert!
A familiar figure blocked the center of the security corridor. The alarm sounds and broadcast made the atmosphere tense, and the smiling demon mask added a sense of fear to the tension... "Madam, could you help me with directions?" Arthur ignored the heavily armed guards and met Hill's gaze.
Hill stared coldly at the demon. At this moment, she remembered the deceased Nick Fury.
Natasha, standing nearby, said with a slightly stiff expression, "Long time no see, Mr. Demon. Where are you going?"
"Downstairs," Arthur said, pointing to the ground, "But before that, you have to give me something."
"What?"
Arthur smiled: "You know..."
As he spoke, Arthur waved his hand. The formation of guards was split apart by a force, exposing Dr. Selvig, who was carrying the silver briefcase, directly in front of him.
"Bang bang bang!" Hill drew her gun and emptied the clip instantly.
The guards also pulled their triggers, and countless bullets poured toward Arthur!
Arthur still stood in place, smiling, without moving or dodging. The Rabbit Talisman greatly increased his reaction speed, and under the power of the Rooster Talisman, the bullets lost all their kinetic energy before hitting Arthur, then fell vertically in the air, hitting the ground with a crisp metallic clang.
"Stop!" Arthur said loudly, yet his tone was very calm.
Something unexpected happened to everyone! The hands holding the guns unexpectedly stopped firing and pointed the muzzles downward... Hill and all the guards were aghast. Except for Natasha, no matter what ability the demon displayed, she wouldn't be shocked... "Let's play a game! The counting sheep game, everyone has played it, right?" Arthur was all smiles, and the phantom image of a sheep appeared in his eyes. "One sheep, two sheep, three sheep..."
As Arthur's counting sheep game began, all the guards, as if turning traitor, aimed their guns at their nearby teammates!
Instantly, the corridor was filled with deafening gunfire! Most were two people shooting at each other, bullets striking their respective bulletproof vests and riot helmets, creating sparks and forcing them backward due to the kinetic energy.
Hill and Natasha were the only two unaffected, and they dove to the sides!
Amidst the rioting guards, Dr. Selvig, carrying the silver briefcase, slowly walked toward Arthur, a white mental energy swirling in his eyes.
"What is inside that?" Arthur asked Dr. Selvig, who was under control.
"It is the Tesseract, sir!" Dr. Selvig replied.
A hint of surprise flashed in Arthur's eyes. He waved his hand, and the briefcase in Dr. Selvig's hand flew out, finally stopping and hovering in front of Arthur.
The briefcase opened automatically, and a blue cube-shaped object appeared before him. The seemingly faint blue light dispelled the flashing red light of the alarm in the security corridor.
"It's truly beautiful..."
Arthur felt the stable energy source before him and reached out his hand... "Bang bang bang!" Hill poked her head out and raised her gun to shoot at him again.
All the bullets converged in front of Arthur, twisted together by immense force, and fell.
"Agent, aren't you going to thank me for being promoted to Commander? I helped you get rid of your biggest obstacle." Arthur smiled faintly.
"I am very grateful to you!" Hill shouted, "That's why I used my Commander authority to list you as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s number one most wanted criminal!"
"My deepest thanks!" Arthur said, laughing, "An outstanding person like me will always be number one in every aspect!"
Hill wanted to say more, but her body was flung sideways, and her head hit the corridor wall, knocking her unconscious.
"So, do you still intend to stop me?" Arthur turned his head to look at Natasha.
"No," Natasha could only shake her head and say, "Mr. Demon, please proceed..."
Arthur's gaze fell upon the Tesseract in front of him. Under the control of the Rooster Talisman, the Tesseractfloated up. It seemed to be lit up, and brilliant blue light filled the entire corridor.
"Sir, its energy is surging!" Dr. Selvig nearby shouted.
Arthur naturally knew. Possessing the Dragon Talisman, his sensitivity to energy far exceeded all scientific instruments on Earth.
Arthur calmly reached out his hand, and the Tesseractsettled steadily into his grasp. Suddenly, the blue light scattered in the corridor vanished, the surging energy stopped, and everything returned to peace.
"That's truly unbelievable!" Dr. Selvig said, looking at the Tesseract, which had calmed down in Arthur's hand. He had thought Arthur had mastered the Tesseract's energy.
Arthur was very calm. For him, in the Marvel Universe, it was like having God's perspective; he naturally knew what this object was.
But he was completely fearless, because he possessed the power of immortality from the Dog Talisman! Eternal life means having nothing to fear.
"Now, let's go downstairs and take a look." Arthur said lightly to Dr. Selvig. "Lead the way."
...Loki slowly lowered the Mind Stone pressed against Hawkeye's chest, a smile covering his face: "What is true peace..."
"Clang!"
Suddenly, Tony flew up and delivered an Iron Fist punch to Loki's face, and Mjolnir flew in from the side, knocking him away.
"The older brother can't control the younger one?" Tonyturned to Thor. "Right after you said you could handle him, he used that short spear to blast you away..."
Tony's words stopped abruptly as Hawkeye aimed an arrow at him and detonated it!
Tony climbed up from the ground, his face full of disbelief.
"Legolas?"
"Things seem to be getting worse..." Falcon felt uneasy.
Captain America restrained Loki and questioned him: "What did you do to him?"
Loki, even in distress, maintained his smile. "Bringing him back to the correct side, granting him power, freedom..."
Captain America punched Loki in the face.
Hawkeye stood still, his eyes glowing blue... Suddenly, he drew another arrow, notched it, and fired!
Tony fired his repulsor ray to intercept the arrow, but he was still knocked back by the residual blast.
"Barton?" Thor shouted, flying up while swinging Mjolnir, intending to subdue Hawkeye.
But Hawkeye still didn't react. He kicked Thor in the stomach, using the force to flip backward and fly away. In the air, he drew three arrows from his back and shot them toward Thor.
Thor reacted extremely fast, continuously swinging Mjolnirto strike and detonate the high-speed arrows, turning his head and using his hand to sweep away the firelight produced by the explosions.
Falcon, standing nearby, seized the chance and leaped forward to hug Hawkeye. Falcon used all his strength: "Calm down, Agent Barton!"
Hawkeye, expressionless, forcefully headbutted backward. Falcon cried out in pain, two streams of blood flowing from his nostrils. Hawkeye then slammed his elbow into Falcon's abdomen, broke free from Falcon's restraint, and lunged forward, continuing to draw and shoot arrows to block Tony's advance!
"Damn it!" Tony cursed angrily. The Iron Armor wasn't equipped with tranquilizer darts, and he couldn't use lethal weapons on Falcon. "Jarvis, add a note to the Mark 8 development log to include a few tranquilizer darts for the Armor."
Thor, standing nearby, grabbed Loki by the collar and raised his hammer, saying angrily, "Stop your tricks! Or else..."
"What a lively scene!" The laboratory door was pushed open again. Instantly, everyone stopped moving, looking surprised at the figure that suddenly appeared in the doorway.
"Demon?" Thor stared intently at Arthur, as if confirming his identity.
Loki's smile widened slightly. He subtly activated the Mind Stone, and the scepter fired an energy blast that hit Thor in the chest, sending him flying out.
After doing all this, Loki calmly straightened his collar and hair, which had been messed up during the fight. He then looked at the equally elegant person at the laboratory door... The person wore a mask resembling a demon from Asgardian murals and was dressed in suitable clothes. Of course, Loki didn't pay attention to these details, focusing instead on the Tesseract in his hand!
The Superheroes were also full of surprise upon seeing the Tesseract held in Arthur's hand. They grew even more confused when they saw Dr. Selvig standing behind the demon—had Dr. Selvig also been controlled by the demon?
"What did you do to Hill and Natasha?" Enemies meeting made Captain America's eyes burn with rage as he looked at Arthur.
"Besides death, what else could I grant them?" Arthursaid, smiling at Captain America. "Guess how they died? Burned by fire, shot by their teammates' bullets? Or..."
Before Arthur could finish, Captain America couldn't bear it anymore, and he charged toward Arthur!
"Captain!" Tony tried to stop Captain America.
Arthur waved his hand casually, sweeping Captain America aside. Tony arrived in time to catch him, and the two stopped only after overturning several pieces of research equipment.
"Hahaha..." Arthur laughed out loud. "Is this all the strength you can unleash when fueled by anger?"
Arthur ignored everyone's stares and walked into the laboratory, speaking as he went.
"I truly apologize for deceiving you just now. Actually, the two ladies are still alive. I can not only sentence them to death but also grant them a chance to survive." Everyone's eyes were focused on Arthur. "A beautiful flower welcoming its demise also possesses a sense of beauty. I believe one should choose a good moment, rather than casually burying them deep underground... What do you think?"
A solitary round of applause sounded. It was Loki, his face showing unconcealed admiration.
"Who do you think you are? God, master of human destiny?" Captain America climbed up from the ground and said firmly, "You cannot control anyone's fate!"
"At least right now, I can control your fate, Captain America!" Arthur smiled. "Now, kneel!"
Suddenly, immense force descended. Captain America lost his balance and was instantly pressed down, falling face-first to the ground.
"Alright, alright, lying prone works too." Arthur shook his head.
A hammer flew in from behind. Arthur activated displacement to dodge.
"Hey! Ambushing is unethical," Arthur said, looking at Thor, his eyes turning red. "Haven't you had enough of the taste of lasers?"
Lasers shot out from Arthur's eyes. Thor, having suffered before, quickly dodged, but the laser still grazed his arm slightly, instantly creating a bloody hole from which blood flowed freely.
Thor reached out and recalled Mjolnir. He jumped up and smashed the hammer down. After Arthur dodged, Thorsmashed a large hole in the floor.
Thor's battle awareness was excellent. He turned around and used Mjolnir to block the laser shot by Arthur, then swung the hammer again toward Arthur's head!
Suddenly, a massive pillar of energy burst forth from Arthur's chest. Thor was repelled by the powerful impact, smashing through one side of the laboratory wall and disappearing.
"Oh!" Loki exclaimed. He bent his right arm and placed it under his left shoulder, performing a salute, and asked, "Are you the Master of Earth?"
"Not exactly, but close enough. I can dominate everyone. Welcome to Earth!" Arthur was very pleased with his attitude. "I like talking to polite people."
"Me too," Loki said, pointing to the Tesseract in Arthur's hand. "So, respected Master of Earth, can you now return what is mine?"
"Yours?"
Arthur was also all smiles. He raised his arm and activated the Dragon Talisman, shooting a brilliant pillar of flame from his palm.
Loki sidestepped the astonishingly powerful fire attack, slowly rising while leaning on his scepter.
"Whose Tesseract is it now?" Arthur said lightly, looking at him.
Loki did not answer Arthur's question. Loki still smiled, but the warmth on his face had diminished significantly... It seemed the man called Demon before him was much more troublesome than the group who considered themselves Earth's protectors.
"Long time no see. Everyone knows me, right? Since last time, a qualified Earthling must first recognize the Demon." Arthur said, holding the Tesseract and scanning the crowd. "Everyone is here today. What was the name of your group again... Anti-Demon Alliance, right?"