Coulson was somewhat helpless; this level of non-cooperation reminded him momentarily of Tony Stark's arrogance.
However, it wasn't without any gain. Seeing the other party like that, the one he called "Master," Deathstroke, if nothing else, was very wealthy. Coulson had seen this rich demeanor many times.
With these small gains, maybe in the future, they could slowly piece together Deathstroke's real identity. By then, he could be promoted, get a raise, become the chief commander, assume the deputy director's position, marry Melinda, and reach the peak of his life!
Therefore, Coulson wasn't embarrassed and retreated with a smile.
"Do you want me to sneak a peek at what he looks like?" Youyou lowered her voice and whispered to Coulson.
Her superpower was quite suitable for stealing things; snatching a piece of cloth covering a face and putting it back would be a moment's work.
Coulson shook his head, holding Youyou back to prevent her from acting impulsively: "It's useless. He's still a minor; his appearance will definitely change in the future. The mystery of Deathstroke's identity has persisted for almost a century; it's unnecessary to take risks to prove it."
Youyou shrugged indifferently. She merely made a suggestion, afraid Coulson might be embarrassed. But since he was still sensible, she said no more.
As for the secrets of the mages and the Magic Realm, they weren't the concern of the Inhumans.
This was Siberia in winter; even spitting in mid-air could freeze. As an ordinary person, she needed more activity to maintain her core temperature.
A few minutes later, the sunlight was blocked. A giant plane canceled its stealth mode, swept up a massive amount of snowfall with its strong airflow, and landed on the ground.
The rear cabin opened, and the Shield Squad boarded one by one. Seeing their pickup plane had arrived, Wang said nothing, starting to draw circles to prepare to return to his Master.
But at that moment, everything around began to shake violently. The snowflakes on the ground quivered like popping candy, and the previously sunken pit now protruded like a fish's eyeball, as if some giant creature were pushing against the earth's crust.
Coulson grabbed Wang and pulled him back onto the Harmony before the cabin door closed. He quickly strode to the wall and pressed the intercom.
"Pip, emergency takeoff, maintain height at 200 meters, and move one kilometer away from the epicenter."
"Yes, sir." The pilot responded immediately, pushing down the engine lever. The vertically taking off and landing Harmony ascended before the ground changed and widened the distance.
And just then, they saw the snow-covered ground, along with the now transformed and expanded pit, bulging like an inflated balloon.
Soon after, before anyone could figure out what was happening, a large patch of the ground, including the former big pit and nearby Leviathan structures, soared into the sky.
When the heavy, multi-million-ton cover completely disappeared, revealing the underground city below, the sound of rocks shattering and soil collapsing slowly echoed like thunder in the wind-filled cabin.
The cabin door finally began to close slowly. Coulson pressed the intercom button again, instructing the pilot to fly further away, while he ordered Simmons and Fitz to return to the research chamber to observe the sky's phenomena through scientific equipment.
For that vast expanse of rock, several kilometers in diameter and nearly a hundred meters thick, was like the thick cork of champagne under gas pressure, shooting straight into the clouds and disappearing from sight.
Coulson had seen Daisy knock Brigadier General Talbot, who had absorbed heavy gravityium, into outer space, but he had never seen such a vast piece of land being launched into the sky. Thinking of how everyone stood on that cover just minutes ago made his throat feel a little dry.
Wang took a deep breath. Unlike others, he sensed that Dark Matter was becoming active in that darkness that even sunlight couldn't disperse.
'Must first meet with the Supreme Mage, then figure out how to deal with Dormammu's potential arrival.'
The boiling darkness, interspersed with flashes of multicolored lightning, was transforming from particle-like suspended air into clouds, accumulating in the Abyss below the former underground city, and by now, was clearly unrestrained.
He raised his hand to draw a circle, not bothering to greet the relieved-looking S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel. Clearly, they knew nothing.
The magic matters were for the Magic Realm to resolve. As for their deal with the Supreme Mage, they would discuss that if Earth still existed afterward.
The Teleportation Gate opened, and he vanished in an instant. The bustling S.H.I.E.L.D. crowd didn't even notice him.
In a flash, he returned to the underground city, though it wasn't really an underground city anymore but rather a bottomless pit.
His teleportation destination was right beside Deathstroke.
As part of the Guardian Race, they had the opportunity to get close and study the Time Gem. Locking onto that unique frequency, they could teleport directly to the Supreme Mage, a special skill passed down through generations.
However, Su Ming was now standing on the edge of a cliff, looking up at the sky. Wang almost fell into the Abyss when he teleported over.
Su Ming swiftly grabbed his collar and pulled him back.
"Why so careless?"
He glanced at Wang, stretching his waist. Being confined with Hive in a closed space inevitably caused some jolting.
Hive did make a last gamble but only managed to suppress some of the Dark Matter beneath and send the underground city's glowing plant-filled canopy flying. In the end, it was devoured completely by Strangulation,
"Are you alright, Master?" Wang also walked to Su Ming's side, looking up at the sky as well.
"Hydra isn't at the level to make me lose; are those people settled in?" Su Ming waited for a long time without seeing the rock cover fall again, estimating it had been sent out of Earth's orbit. Next, he should handle the Element Zero business.
Strangulation, while devouring Hive, also swallowed a lot of gravityium. A small head extended from Su Ming's waist, spitting it out.
If it were any other metal, Su Ming might attempt assimilation or absorption, but gravityium could drive one insane. And since the symbiote was connected to the host's nerves and shared thoughts, it was best not to mess with such things.
If it hadn't assured him it could spit it out cleanly, Su Ming would have thought of summoning Kama Taiji's mages to give it an extensive cleansing.
"They're settled. Are we going to deal with Dormammu now?" Wang asked, slightly excitedly, staring at the silver liquid metal on the ground.
The God of the Dark Dimension was a well-known Demon God, not the mightiest but undeniably formidable.
Going out with the Supreme Mage for the second time and facing such an opponent, Wang naturally felt thrilled. It was the adrenaline rush; anyone would find it hard to resist.
However, he got excited too soon. Adrenaline couldn't last long; if things worsened to Dormammu's arrival, he'd likely deflate.
"The Longevity People ran away while I dealt with Hive; quite clever... Next, I'll handle Dormammu. You go to the Three Great Temples and Kama Taiji to inform the stationed Great Mages. Dormammu has somehow intruded into the Protective Array, tell them to prepare for a review."
Su Ming exposed the lower half of his face, lit a cigarette, feeling slightly sore. During self-healing, he needed a bit of nicotine to suppress the bloodthirsty desire.
Defense Array breaches were minor issues; no wall is completely airtight. Let alone mages, who borrow different Demon Gods' powers, the Earth Protection Array was left with loopholes by The Ancient One when it was built, and Dark Matter, in essence, was indeed a form of energy.
Demon Gods also have their exploitable weaknesses. Su Ming has plans for facing them. For instance, Setorak likes to peddle rubies, Snake God Set is obsessed with the number '7', Zom enjoys playing with fireballs...
But occasionally letting one or two breaches is acceptable. If Dormammu's backdoor information got out, and other Demon Gods' avatars visited frequently, how could Su Ming live peacefully?
Therefore, Su Ming first plugged this hole himself, letting those professional warlocks think of a solution, saving him endless trouble in the future.