"Damn it. What did you do?"
The Inhumans had come here with confidence because of their abilities. Those powers were not only their strength in battle, but also their means of escape.
Just as they had arrived through Lockjaw's teleportation ability, their plan to leave depended on the same power.
No. At this moment, they had no time to think about escaping.
Right now there was only one priority.
They had to kill Nolan Locke.
Only if Nolan Locke died would they have the chance to think about the future.
Medusa clenched her teeth.
"Crystal!"
She called out sharply.
Crystal turned toward her sister.
"We still have three minutes."
Hearing that, Medusa let out a breath of relief.
"That's enough. Nolan Locke, today is the day you die. Even without our powers, we can still kill you."
Her logic seemed simple. Even if no one could use their abilities, there were still so many of them.
One man against a group.
It should have been easy.
As long as they killed Nolan Locke, they could search for the device that was causing the agonizing headaches and shutting down their powers.
But Crystal's expression was grim.
Medusa did not know the truth, but Crystal did.
The device Nolan had taken out was something that made him immune to attacks.
Which meant the only ones truly affected were them.
And Crystal still had no idea how Nolan had resisted her attacks earlier.
Just thinking about it filled her with despair.
Nolan calmly observed everyone present before shifting his gaze toward Crystal.
He sighed softly. There seemed to be a trace of regret on his face.
"I told you we could talk. Why didn't you agree?"
The moment his words fell, a dull thud echoed.
Thump.
"Viper!"
Medusa's pupils shrank.
Viper was one of the Inhumans' remaining elites. His powers were formidable, and he was also a seasoned warrior.
Yet now he had died without warning.
A chill ran through everyone's hearts.
They did not fear death. The moment they chose to participate in this assassination, they had already accepted the possibility of never returning.
But no one could remain fearless in the face of the unknown.
Another dull sound followed.
Thump.
Another person collapsed silently.
Medusa's pupils trembled.
She could not endure it any longer.
"Kill Nolan Locke!"
This was their only chance to survive.
But Nolan remained calm. He simply continued staring at Crystal.
"So," he asked quietly, "do you regret it now?"
Nolan spoke calmly.
"I've always believed that I'm a rather gentle person. Especially when it comes to women."
He thought back on his past.
He had killed many people, but only one woman connected to him had died by his hand, Madame Hydra.
Even then, he had given her a chance.
She simply had not taken it.
I really am a gentle man.
Nolan silently congratulated himself.
"So…"
"Why did you force me to do this?"
As he spoke, an Inhuman who had rushed toward him suddenly collapsed beside him.
Shock was frozen across the man's face.
When his body fell backward, a tiny robot crawled out from the back of his neck.
Only then did the Inhumans finally understand what had been killing their companions.
But that raised an even more terrifying question.
When had that robot attached itself to him?
Why had he felt nothing?
And if there was one…
Were there more hidden on their bodies?
"Damn it!"
Medusa roared in fury.
Everyone here represented the dwindling strength of the Inhuman race. Losing even one was painful enough.
Yet now these elite warriors were dying without dignity.
She rushed toward Nolan.
No robot attacked her.
Hope sparked in her chest.
After all, she had endured brutal combat training since childhood.
Even without her powers, even though the sonic device filled her body with agony and dulled her thoughts, she still believed she could kill Nolan Locke.
Her leg whipped through the air in a powerful kick.
Confidence burned in her eyes.
But the next moment Nolan showed her the gap between them.
Bang.
He responded with a kick of his own.
In an instant, Medusa was sent flying backward.
Her right leg snapped in half.
Even someone as strong as Medusa could not suppress the scream of pain that followed.
Nolan's expression remained utterly calm.
"So where does your confidence come from?"
Even without powers, he had never been an ordinary man.
Every battle he had fought had become experience etched into his body. Two enhancements had strengthened him beyond normal human limits.
And with his data-based ability supporting him…
He could not imagine a scenario where he would lose.
Nolan's eyes turned cold as he looked at Crystal with open mockery.
"This is the foundation of your confidence?"
"Without your powers, you can't even put up a proper fight."
His words struck Crystal like a slap.
But inside her heart there was only fear.
Wasn't Nolan Locke supposed to be a normal human?
Why was he so strong?
This level of strength was impossible for an ordinary person. Even Captain America would not possess such power.
Thoughts raced through her mind before collapsing into a single desperate cry.
"Big sister!"
She saw the pain on Medusa's face but had no idea how to change the situation.
"Nolan Locke! Turn off that cursed device and let them go. You can do whatever you want with me!"
Fear and despair had crushed her.
So she placed her final hope in the idea that Nolan might vent his anger on her and spare the others.
But Nolan only looked at her with cold amusement.
"Why do you think people can commit mistakes and walk away without punishment?"
Even as he spoke, several more Inhumans suddenly died as tiny robots drilled through their hearts.
These little machines were born killers.
Unfortunately, their effectiveness was limited to creatures like humans. Against monsters like the Hulk, whose bodies were practically indestructible, they would be useless.
Crystal collapsed to the ground.
Blood surrounded her, and tears filled her eyes.
She regretted everything.
This was all her fault.
If she had persuaded her sister to abandon hatred when Nolan had offered negotiations, perhaps they could have lived peacefully on the moon.
If she had destroyed that device, their powers would have remained. Even if they could not kill Nolan Locke, they might have escaped.
If she had never contacted her sister…
Then the only one who would have died today would have been herself.
But she had done none of those things.
She had personally delivered the weapon that would destroy the Inhumans into Nolan Locke's hands.
She had personally led her sister and her people into this carefully prepared trap.
Not far away, Lockjaw barked furiously.
His voice was filled with rage.
Suddenly he charged toward Nolan.
He wanted to bite Nolan Locke to death.
But before he could get close, a robot pierced his heart.
"It's over."
Nolan walked toward Crystal.
As he spoke those words, every remaining Inhuman collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
This place had been prepared long ago as a hunting ground.
There had never been only a few of those tiny machines.
"If you apologize, I might still spare your life."
Nolan smiled.
Crystal stared blankly at the scene around her.
Her sister, who had been crying in pain just moments ago, now lay motionless on the ground.
Her people had all fallen.
Apologize?
"You monster!"
Her voice was hoarse with hatred.
Nolan accepted the title with a pleasant smile.
"Thank you for the compliment."
In the next moment, Crystal collapsed as well.
A tiny robot crawled out from her chest.
Monster.
When it came from an enemy, that was the highest praise.
Did anyone truly want to be called a good person by their enemies?
Those who chased such titles were usually already dead.
Soon footsteps echoed through the garage.
Base guards rushed in, their faces pale with shock.
"Mr. Locke."
Nolan spoke without emotion.
"Clean this place up."
After saying that, he turned and walked back into the base.
Retrieve his armor?
Back in his office, Nolan casually traced a circle in the air with magic.
Inside the glowing ring was the Mjolnir armor.
With the ability to open portals, why would he bother with something as troublesome as physically retrieving it?
This time the Inhumans had been almost completely wiped out.
All of their elite forces had died.
If fortune turned against them, the remaining Inhumans might eventually perish on the moon due to its harsh environment.
Of course, Nolan had never truly intended to fire the Emperor Titan's cannon at the moon.
He had only been frightening Crystal earlier.
Firing a cannon at the moon?
He would have to be insane.
That would only create one result.
A massive crater.
Perhaps even a slight shift in the moon's orbit.
Even the smallest change could affect Earth, bringing catastrophic consequences to the planet.
The importance of education.
Nolan chuckled to himself.
If Crystal had received a broader education instead of purely military training, things might have ended very differently.
Take Tony Stark, for example.
As Nolan was thinking, his phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and answered.
"Is it done?"
Tony Stark's voice carried no surprise.
Although he had been busy studying the structure of the Emperor Titan, the commotion in the base had alerted him.
"That's right," Nolan replied with a smile.
"You bastard. If you ever use me like that again, I swear you'll regret it!"
Tony snapped irritably.
Nolan did not care.
Everyone knew Tony Stark was a classic tsundere.
The best way to deal with a tsundere was simple.
Ignore them.
So Nolan immediately hung up.
Tony stared at his phone in disbelief as the call ended.
"Fuck. That bastard hung up on me again!"
Pepper Potts sighed helplessly.
"Then why do you keep provoking him?"
Tony glared at his phone.
"Pepper, get this straight. He provokes me. I never provoke that jerk."
Pepper simply shook her head with a weary smile.
There was nothing she could do.
After all, this man was her man.
Seeing that she did not respond, Tony shrugged and turned his attention back to the Emperor Titan.
"This thing is a masterpiece."
His voice was filled with admiration.
Even under heavy security, he had managed to observe a few details.
And those details had completely shaken his previous understanding of technology.
It made him feel as though everything he had researched before might have been wrong.
"This is practically an entirely different technological system. I hate to admit it, but Nolan Locke seems to have mastered the knowledge of an entire civilization."
It was the highest compliment Tony could give.
No one could truly master the technology of an entire civilization.
Yet Nolan Locke seemed to have done exactly that.
He had introduced a technological path completely different from Earth's.
It looked similar on the surface, but in reality the difference was like heaven and earth.
Pepper stared at Tony in surprise. She never expected such exaggerated praise from someone as proud as him.
Noticing her gaze, Tony stiffened.
Then he quickly said, "Pepper, forget everything I just said. Sure, Nolan Locke has some brains, but I'm the one who's actually right."
Confidence returned to his face.
So what if Nolan Locke was brilliant?
He was not far behind.
"Just wait, Nolan Locke. One day I'll surpass you in technology."
After two months of relentless work, the Emperor Titan project had finally reached a temporary conclusion.
Of course, the enormous plan was far from finished.
The Titan Project was a crucial part of Earth's planetary defense system. Building Titan bases across the entire planet would likely take more than a decade.
But at least the Emperor Titan itself was complete.
And that meant Nolan was finally free again.
"Will Galactus really come?"
Nolan looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowing.
He had already delayed for quite some time.
If not for Galactus, he might have already returned to the main universe.
The only reason he remained here was to wait for the Devourer of Worlds.
Galactus was one of the five cosmic entities.
Not only did he exist in this universe, but he also existed in the main universe.
Given Earth's endless streak of disasters, encountering Galactus was almost inevitable.
All these preparations were Nolan's attempt to challenge such a being.
But if he waited too long, it would delay too many matters in the main universe.
Whether it was worth it was something he still had to consider.
Far out in space, a streak of silver light shot across the void, flying straight toward Earth.
It was immediately detected by the Planetary Defense Ring.
[Threat detected. Attack mode activated.]
Every satellite in the defense system switched into combat mode.
But before the satellites could fire, a violent explosion erupted.
Boom.
One of the satellites was destroyed.
The silver streak had already pierced through the atmosphere and vanished into Earth.
"What was that?"
Tony Stark received the alert immediately.
At the same time, alarms began blaring inside NASA.
Something had happened.
And it was serious.
Their planetary defense system had failed to stop it.
More importantly…
What exactly was that thing?