Chapter 51 – Summon Again
After showing Wanda and Helen Zhao his newest research results, Zhang Xuan came alone to the lakeside outside the lab.
Zhang Xuan produced two Summoning Cards and performed two summons at once.
Two summoning arrays appeared simultaneously. He glanced at the left one, saw the unmistakable silhouette of a man, and quickly looked away.
He turned to the right-hand array and his face turned into this:
୧( ˃᷄～˂᷅ )୨ so blue, so thin, so sad.
One look at those long "beautiful legs" and the sultry upper body in the right array told him exactly who had arrived.
"At last a female—no, a female creature—and I still can't do anything about it."
While he was bemoaning his failure, a cloyingly sweet voice answered his grumble.
"Ara~ Master~ I'm totally doable, you know. Shall we slip into those woods and find out?"
The fully materialized female's honeyed voice nearly gave Zhang Xuan diabetes, and she even invited him to queue for a duo match.
"Are you my Master? Senju Tobirama, paying respects to my Master."
Tobirama on the left dropped to one knee in salute.
Mosquito Girl darted forward and hugged his arm; black patterns ringed her bountiful chest, deliberately leaving a white circle in the center.
Feeling the soft, almost leathery surface, Zhang Xuanasked, "Is that skin, or an evolved leather suit?"
"Oya~ Master's so direct. If you want to know, come find out with me personally."
She cooed and swayed, her apples bouncing along; the friction of that leather texture gave Zhang Xuan ideas nature never intended.
"No, no, those legs are just too out of place—I can't deal with it."
On the verge of violating natural law, Zhang Xuan pushed the rubbing Mosquito Girl away.
She sighed in disappointment, puffed her cheeks, and said, "I'll evolve human legs and the look you like, but till then please don't reject me, Master."
As she spoke, she actually started crying, looking utterly pitiful.
Mosquito Girl: (´◔ ～ ◔`) What's going on—why hasn't Master come to comfort me?
Opening her eyes, she saw Zhang Xuan already walking off with his arm around Tobirama's shoulders.
Mosquito Girl: (｀ロ´)
Zhang Xuan slung an arm over Tobirama's shoulder and gossiped, "Tell me, Tobirama, don't you think Uchiha Madara and your big bro were a bit too close?"
The question opened Tobirama's floodgate of complaints.
"You're absolutely right, Master. My sister-in-law and I complain about it all the time, but big brother never listens. It's a vicious cycle: he keeps chasing after Madara, she comes crying to me, and I go scold my brother."
"Alas, those naturally evil Uchiha. Fortunately, big brother came to his senses and finished him off—though the fight left him badly injured, and he died a few years later."
Puffing her cheeks, Mosquito Girl flew after them, sending swarms of mosquitoes to hunt; she would evolve legs and skin soon and win her Master's exclusive affection.
Zhang Xuan arranged a room for Tobirama, found a staffer to teach him computers, and helped him blend into this World and its tech.
As for Mosquito Girl, he merely forbade her from killing civilians and set her free... Meanwhile he stared at a World map dotted with targets, wondering how to make them vanish quietly.
Once the first batch disappears, the rest—especially in remote foreign areas—will hide in underground Bases or private doomsday bunkers.
Tony's face darkened reading the intel, but his armor is too conspicuous; he has his company—and Pepper—to protect.
He'll provide everything short of the armor, especially intelligence support.
J.A.R.V.I.S. used to risk infiltration by that S.H.I.E.L.D. dark thing; now the tables have turned—Tony strengthened the system to treat S.H.I.E.L.D.'s servers as his own data warehouse.
Tony has no worries about this 'loner' Zhang Xuan; his U.S. assets are a burger joint and little else.
Zhang Xuan can leave the States anytime and start over elsewhere.
In a casual chat Zhang Xuan even mused about remodeling Australia and founding a new nation there.
"Forget it—take out whoever we can; the ones who hide can wait. If they stir, we'll find them eventually."
Tony shrugged. "Your call. Jarvis will back you whenever you need." He then logged off.
Ethan, back after studying abroad, chimed in: "Zhang Xuan, I've built a hand-picked militia of a hundred men in my homeland."
Zhang Xuan: "I'll send an assistant. You just keep morale up and rally the scattered people."
"Let my assistant handle any rebels—she alone is more than enough. She'll find you tomorrow."
Ethan: "Got it. Photo or contact so I can pick her up?"
Zhang Xuan: "No need. Just wait."
With that, Zhang Xuan ended the call and looked back at Melina and Yelena.
Setting Wanda down, he prepared to start his World war.
Mosquito Girl wanted in on the fight, but Zhang Xuanrefused—no furries allowed unless legs are silky, pale, and human.
Furious, she flew to the wilderness and vented on the wildlife, devouring every critter within kilometers.
Zhang Xuan waited in Mosquito Girl's room until she returned.
Seeing him there, she excitedly assumed he wanted to research cross-species intimacy.
She lunged to hug him with her big claws—and missed.
"Master~ gimme a hug~"
Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes and pointed at her limbs. "Those ruin the mood; come back after you've evolved."
"Here's a mission: go here, find him, wipe out the hostile faction against him."
He showed her Ethan's profile on a tablet she couldn't grip, so he held it for her.
In the end he gave her a custom phone clipped to her slightly larger blood-storage sac.
"Master, really? That spot should be for..."
"Zip it—say more and the mythical beast shows up. Evolve away most of your mosquito traits until you fit my aesthetics, then we'll talk."
Zhang Xuan silenced her before her mouth summoned something even worse.
Chapter 52 – Trouble at the Doorstep
Peter, who had been given an all-night crash course by Harry at the cost of the poor guy's sanity, stepped out of the room yawning and then rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"Uncle Ben? Aunt May? What are you doing here?"
Ben and May came forward and hugged him.
"We got an invitation from your boss, so we came. It was too late last night to disturb you," Uncle Ben said.
"I thought you wouldn't make it and was planning to pick you up myself today."
The words had barely left Peter's mouth when he noticed the unease on their faces. He pressed, "Uncle Ben, Aunt May, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Aunt May got up to fetch him breakfast; Uncle Ben lifted his teacup for a steadying sip. "If your boss's men hadn't come 'inviting' us with hardware in hand, we probably wouldn't be here," he said at last.
Ben mimed firing a gun.
"The trip scared us half to death, but seeing you and Harry talking by candlelight—so happy together—set us at ease. At least you're safe."
Peter scratched his head; he hadn't expected Zhang Xuanto drag Uncle Ben and Aunt May here by force just to keep him indoors.
He felt both glad and worried.
His feelings were a complicated knot.
He was relieved they'd be safe here, yet terrified the outside World would soon descend into chaos and countless people would be hurt.
Yet terrified the outside World would soon descend into chaos and countless people would be hurt.
Ben sensed Peter's anxiety, clasped the boy's hand on the table and spoke earnestly: "Peter, go do what you feel you must. With great power comes great responsibility. Like your father, you're meant for more than an ordinary life."
"Your dad looked like any regular guy, but as his brother I could feel how special he was. So be bold and do what you have to—just promise you'll keep yourself safe."
With Uncle Ben's eight-word mantra ringing in his ears, the power inside Peter surged, ready to burst its seal and evolve completely.
Garfield-Spider evolves—into the Amazing Spider-Man!
Already Peter was planning how to shuttle between New York and the lab from now on, juggling both Worlds... Meanwhile Zhang Xuan was listening to Mosquito Girl's report: night had fallen in the Middle East; after a full night's flight she had reached Ethan, used mosquitoes to spell out a message and lure him out, and the two had met without a hitch.
"Ethan, Mosquito Girl is the helper I'm sending you. When there's someone you need eliminated, just tell her." Zhang Xuan's voice came through the communicator.
The moment the words landed, Mosquito Girl cooed in protest: "Huh? Master, you're so unfair—shipping me off the minute I'm no longer useful. What a rotten Master~"
"Don't talk nonsense; I sent you so you could evolve faster. Behave, work hard, and grow into something capable soon," Zhang Xuan soothed.
Still pouting, she muttered, "Mean-hearted Master~"
"Ethan, build your power; Earth still has plenty of crises ahead." With that reminder Zhang Xuan cut the link with Ethan and Mosquito Girl; it was time to test his own plan.
"Crossbones, how's the prep?" Zhang Xuan dialed another number.
A manly voice answered: "Report, Marshal—everything's green, ready to attack at any time."
"Good, prepare to—"
Gunfire suddenly crackled outside the lab, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"Attack! Leave no one alive—bring back anything valuable!" Zhang Xuan ordered, decisive and cold.
"Roger! All units move! Priority target: test subject codenamed Electro—insulate your gear!"
Crossbones Rumlow answered at once and barked the assault order.
Target: Ravencroft Institute, the secret research Basecontrolled by Osborn Group shareholders.
After issuing the command Zhang Xuan headed out to see what the gunshot was about.
The shot had come at too perfect a moment—clearly a deliberate provocation, waiting for the man in charge to step out.
The instant the shot rang, Peter's first instinct was to shield Uncle Ben and Aunt May, hustling them to safety.
"Peter, be careful," Aunt May said, gripping his hand, her eyes full of worry.
"Don't worry, Aunt May, I'll be fine." He patted her hand and sprinted toward the sound of the shot.
Zhang Xuan and Peter arrived at the lab complex gate together.
Outside the gate stood ranks of armed troops; inside the sturdy iron gate a few striking Widows waited quietly for the Master—strike that—the boss who would handle the situation.
"Situation report—who are they?" Zhang Xuan asked grimly.
A Widow in her mid-twenties called up the surveillance feed and handed it to him.
The first figure Zhang Xuan saw on the screen was a painfully familiar one—General Ross.
"They demanded we hand over someone named Bruce Banner, but we don't have anyone by that name here."
Hearing the Widow's words, Zhang Xuan understood. "I know what's up. Open the side gate; I'll go out myself."
Peter started to follow but Zhang Xuan blocked him: "Forget it, weakling who can't even stop a bullet—stay inside."
Peter spread his hands in speechless surrender; he itched to flash Harry's happy fingers but feared Zhang Xuanwould break them, so he let it go.
Harry: indeed happy—Peter's jab at his ticklish spots nearly made him laugh himself unconscious.
Though worried, the Widows loyally obeyed, opening the personnel-sized side gate.
Zhang Xuan stepped out to face General Ross and his troops.
"Zhang Xuan, hand over Bruce Banner immediately—he's a federal fugitive."
Seeing Zhang Xuan emerge, Ross raised a megaphone and shouted.
Zhang Xuan began warming up, rolling his wrists and ankles. "Here's your chance—leave my turf. If you want to enter and arrest someone, show me a warrant first."
Before his echo faded, a soldier stepped forward and fanned a stack of arrest warrants for him to see.
"I know Bruce Banner is here. My troops will search the premises; you have no right to stop us. Obstruct us and you stand against the Federation," Ross said hardline.
Seeing they had the papers, Zhang Xuan looked briefly embarrassed, then shrugged: "Bruce Banner? Sent him to Russia ages ago—try Vladivostok or Yekaterinburg."
Chapter 53: Is This All You've Got?
"I don't care if he's in there or not; my purpose today is to go in and search." General Ross didn't believe his words at all.
Instead of getting angry, Zhang Xuan revealed a brilliant smile, but he uttered the words General Ross least wanted to hear: "Impossible."
Ross's face instantly darkened, and he sternly ordered, "Arrest him!"
A dozen soldiers immediately stepped forward, raising their guns at Zhang Xuan; two other soldiers, holding handcuffs and shackles, walked straight toward him, intending to restrain him.
Zhang Xuan raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
In an instant, dozens of Gatling guns equipped with riot shields appeared on the ten-meter-high walls of the park, aiming at General Ross and his army.
In the blink of an eye, striking red laser dots appeared on the chests of many soldiers—the marks of being targeted.
General Ross was both shocked and furious, roaring, "You are defying orders! You are opposing the Federal Army!"
Zhang Xuan maintained a faint smile. "I am not your soldier; there is no need for me to obey your orders."
Ross stared at Zhang Xuan with a somber face, as if wishing to kill him, saying word by word, "I will say this one last time: you are opposing the Military, you are opposing the Federal Government, and you are making an enemy of the United States."
Zhang Xuan didn't answer Ross. Instead, he spoke to the targeted soldiers: "Soldiers, the red dots on you won't kill you directly. Instead, they will shatter your limbs, leaving you unable to care for yourselves."
"Afterward, you'll be sent to a Post-War Veteran's Nursing Home for treatment. I have photos of what treatment looks like there. Play the video of the human experiments conducted by the Osborn and Militarypartnership."
As soon as he finished speaking, a projection rod suddenly popped out from the wall, projecting a clear image onto the park's main gate: a burly man with only his right hand left was lying lonely on a bed, his expression filled with despair and pain.
General Ross immediately sensed something was wrong. He pulled out his pistol and pulled the trigger at the projection rod.
His marksmanship was indeed precise, but unfortunately, the bullet lacked power. The projection rod deflected the bullet, and the ricochet happened to hit the leg of one of the soldiers surrounding Zhang Xuan.
"Ah—!" A scream rang out.
"Quick, save him!"
Soon, two soldiers emerged from the ranks with a stretcher and carried the wounded soldier away.
"Everyone, pull back!" Ross's expression was ugly to the extreme. Looking at the content on the projection, his fury surged. Those were secrets that were never meant to be discovered, and now they were being broadcast like this.
The video was split into many small screens, projecting different disabled soldiers undergoing human experiments. However, the results were never good; the screens were filled with the soldiers' shrill screams.
Seeing that none of his men were near the iron gate anymore, General Ross directly ordered the sniper: "Take it out."
After a few seconds of hesitation, the sniper took out the projection rod. It took three shots to finally shatter the sturdy device.
However, in the time it took for those three shots, the video had already played a large amount of shocking content.
General Ross was now truly exasperated and gave Zhang Xuan a final ultimatum: "Step aside now! Or you're going down!"
Zhang Xuan gave Ross a 'Betty Happiness Finger,' turned, and with a leap, easily jumped onto the ten-meter-high wall and back into the park.
"Tanks, prepare to blow open the gate."
The armored vehicles in front immediately split to the sides, clearing a firing position for the tanks.
Having jumped over the wall, Zhang Xuan led everyone away from the gate.
"Everyone, head to the shelter."
The Widows responsible for security in the park received the message and began organizing the evacuation of everyone to the safe zone.
Outside, the army retreated over a hundred meters. Otherwise, against the muzzles ten meters high on the wall, probably only the area directly under a tank would be safe.
A hundred meters away, the tanks were lined up side-by-side. The cover formed by their hulls helped the soldiers behind block any blue-flamed Gatling fire that might erupt from the wall.
With no obstacles left, the cannons were aimed at the gate, shells loaded, waiting only for Ross's command to fire.
"Fire!" Seeing that everyone was under cover, General Ross decisively gave the order.
Hearing the command, the tank crews pulled their triggers, and the shells whistled through the air.
The shells streaked toward the gate like meteors. Upon impact, a massive cloud of dust and smoke erupted, completely blocking the army's view.
General Ross held up his binoculars to check the state of the gate, but it was tightly obscured by the thick smoke.
When the smoke finally cleared, everyone's eyes widened.
With the dust settled, only a deep crater from the shell remained on the gate, but it hadn't formed a hole large enough to enter.
Behind the gate, Zhang Xuan rubbed his ears, which were ringing from the vibration. The arrogance in his tone was overflowing:
"That's it? That's it?! I use more strength than this when I'm sleeping with your mother. Your mother screams louder than this!"
General Ross and the soldiers trembled with rage. Ross gritted his teeth and ordered: "All tanks, switch to armor-piercing rounds! Turn him into a sieve!"
The order was given, and the five tanks simultaneously loaded their shells, switching to APFSDS (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) rounds.
"Loading complete." Five responses rang out one after another.
"Fire!"
General Ross didn't hesitate for a second and ordered them to fire. This time, Zhang Xuan hid behind the even harder C100 Concrete, lying flat on the ground and covering his head.
Seeing the powerful jet of metal erupting after the shell hit the gate, Zhang Xuan felt a chill.
It was a good thing he ran first; otherwise, that hit would likely have pierced through him. Though, it probably wouldn't have been fatal.
While he had the Missile Survivor skill, a tank shell probably didn't count as a missile... right?
However, seeing that the gate was only pierced and had no other issues, Zhang Xuan shouted arrogantly again: "You little trashes, is this all you've got?"
Outside, Ross and the others were obscured by smoke and firelight, but just hearing that arrogant voice told them the attack had failed.
"Helicopters, prepare."
The helicopters in the distance received the order. Once loaded with personnel, they flew over the park.
As the helicopters hovered over the park, the dozens of Gatling guns on the wall moved, their black muzzles all pointing in unison at the aircraft.
Looking at the helicopters, Zhang Xuan leaped onto the wall and shouted to General Ross:
"Move one more inch, and I'll..."
Bang! Bang!
Zhang Xuan, who had just leaped onto the wall, was sent flying by a massive force, slamming heavily onto the ground.
General Ross lowered his firing hand, a victorious smile appearing on his face.
"Seeking death, actually daring to show your head. Helicopter personnel, fast-rope down and open the gate."
"Roar!"
A deafening roar suddenly erupted, nearly making Ross drop the walkie-talkie in his hand.
The smile on his face froze instantly; the roar was both familiar and strange.
Before he could even wonder if he had misheard, a massive red monster lunged out of the park, smashing a deep crater into the ground upon landing.
"What is going on?" General Ross's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.
The monster before him was clearly Zhang Xuan. Aside from being three meters tall with bulging muscles, wasn't that face exactly the Zhang Xuan he had just ordered to be killed?
This kind of monster, so extremely similar to the Hulk, was exactly the existence he had dreamed of. To think Zhang Xuan had achieved it! How could he remain calm?
He immediately barked, "Zhang Xuan, and you still claim Bruce Banner isn't in your hands? sonic cannons, prepare!"
Chapter 54: Water Dragon Bullet
Zhang Xuan was also incredibly furious at this moment. He had originally wanted to play around with him, but he hadn't expected them to use a Barrett to snipe him.
If his Killing Intent Perception hadn't sensed two lethal bursts of killing intent, allowing him to transform into Hulk in time, he wouldn't have escaped injury.
Tobirama appeared by his side, his face full of guilt—he had been ready to protect Zhang Xuan at any moment, but he hadn't expected those weapons to be so fast that even he couldn't react.
Zhang Xuan didn't blame him; he had been negligent himself.
Zhang Xuan didn't blame Tobirama; after all, he was also to blame for what happened.
After transforming into the Red Hulk, his voice became deep and raspy: "Don't let a single one escape."
"Mhm." Tobirama nodded with a hum.
"Fire!" General Ross roared through gritted teeth. The tanks, which had just finished reloading, fired their shells at Zhang Xuan. The rest of the soldiers also raised their guns, emptying their magazines as if the bullets cost nothing.
Tobirama had already disappeared before they opened fire. Although General Ross was shocked by the white-haired man's disappearance, he didn't feel that the man posed any threat; his attention was entirely on the reddened Zhang Xuan.
Armor-piercing shells whistled toward him, and Zhang Xuan didn't dare be careless. His Killing Intent Perceptioncaptured a lethal threat aimed at his chest, and he immediately used his highest-level Hardening skill there.
His body, which could already block shells, became even harder. Three Armor-piercing shells struck Zhang Xuan's chest, shattering into countless fragments, yet his chest remained completely unscathed.
Having withstood the lethal Armor-piercing shells, Zhang Xuan ignored the hail of bullets, charged in front of the tanks, and flipped them all over. He then snapped off a tank's barrel to use as a weapon.
"sonic cannons!"
Five sonic cannons aimed at Zhang Xuan simultaneously, and the powerful sound waves instantly sent him flying. Zhang Xuan tumbled a few times on the ground to steady himself, only to be suppressed in place by the ensuing sound waves, unable to move.
Since Zhang Xuan had nothing to throw at the moment, he waited for Tobirama's action.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu."
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu."
The massive water dragons smashed the five sonic cannons to pieces, destroying other vehicles along their path of attack.
No longer suppressed by the sonic cannons, Zhang Xuanpicked up the tank barrel he had dropped and charged toward the remaining crowd.
Zhang Xuan swept the barrel back and forth; with every swing, the barrel sent fragments flying.
After more than thirty people died, the morale of the survivors broke, and they all tried to flee in their vehicles.
Seeing this, Zhang Xuan shouted, "Tobirama, keep them here."
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall." x4
Four Senju Tobiramas used Earth Style simultaneously, and tall earth walls rose on all four sides. They were not only tall but also extremely thick.
Another Tobirama threw a Kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God Formula into the area enclosed by the walls. He then appeared where the Kunai had been, disappeared again, and finally left behind over a dozen corpses with pierced hearts.
The people on the ground saw bodies falling from the sky and scrambled away, fearing they would be crushed.
Seeing the retreat route blocked, General Rossimmediately ordered, "Blast through the walls!"
Seeing that those people had nowhere to run, Zhang Xuan gave General Ross, who was in the middle of the troops, a savage grin and continued to swing the barrel, smashing one person after another to death.
Blocked by walls on all sides, with a red monster slaughtering them in front and a white-haired man appearing from time to time behind them, uttering cool lines and using various skills to take the lives of those around them.
The remaining third of the men were all terrified, and one by one, they knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.
"We surrender! Don't kill us!"
Once one person led the way, others followed suit.
"We surrender too!"
"I surrender as well!"
"I surrender!"
In an instant, General Ross was left with only a few loyal personal guards. He looked at his subordinates kneeling all over the ground with fury, his anger boiling over.
"Traitors, cowards, a bunch of spineless weaklings..."
Soldier 1: "Officer, the money we're paid is only enough for us to do this much."
Soldier 2: "That's right. We don't want to end up like the people in those videos, becoming your guinea pigs."
General Ross: "Your highest honor is to perish together with the enemy! Does this behavior live up to the oath you took under the Stars and Stripes?"
Zhang Xuan didn't care about their infighting; instead, he jumped onto the earth wall Tobirama had created.
"I'll give you a chance now. Those willing to work for me in the future, stand over there. Those who aren't, stay where you are." Zhang Xuan's voice was loud and deep, but those who had surrendered felt a surge of joy upon hearing it.
Just as Zhang Xuan finished speaking, General Ross fired a pistol shot into the air. "I dare anyone to move! If you go over there, it's treason, and you'll be executed on the spot!"
This made those who were about to move hesitate. They looked at Zhang Xuan, hoping for instructions.
Zhang Xuan shrugged and smiled. "Why are you looking at me? You can also choose not to surrender, but this will be the result." He tapped the tank barrel on the ground.
The soldier who had first led the surrender picked up his gun, aimed it at General Ross, and slowly backed away while saying, "General, let's part ways on good terms. Don't try to stop us."
Soon, the other surrounding soldiers also aimed their guns at General Ross. General Ross could only watch helplessly as they retreated.
In the end, he took out all his anger on Zhang Xuan. If it weren't for him, he wouldn't have gone from a general surrounded by subordinates to an isolated commander threatened by his own men.
Zhang Xuan looked at General Ross with a smile. Originally, he...
...had wanted to kill them all, but thinking about his subsequent plans, it seemed he could use these people as cannon fodder and thugs.
Of the original 150-man squad, Zhang Xuan had killed nearly 40, and Tobirama had killed over 50. The rest were basically all standing by the earth wall.
This left General Ross and his six men alone to face Zhang Xuan atop the earth wall.
General Ross looked up at Zhang Xuan and, as if having made a decision, said, "I surrender."
Hearing General Ross's words, Zhang Xuan smiled. "And after you surrender?"
General Ross looked at Zhang Xuan in confusion. "I've already surrendered, what more do you want?"
Zhang Xuan was speechless. "If you surrender, you surrender. What I care about are my benefits! What do you mean, 'what more do I want'?"
General Ross snapped, "According to the Geneva Convention, regarding surrendered prisoners..."
Zhang Xuan: (๐ᵒ̌beneficialᵒ̌)☛ "Why are you insulting me, kid? It seems you haven't been educated by the Lightning Dharma King. Let me show you what the proper attitude for surrendering looks like."
Zhang Xuan formed hand signs and spoke to the air, "Tobirama, watch closely and see if you can gain any insights from this."
Tobirama's original body appeared beside Zhang Xuan, watching his hands as they formed signs. He felt the faint energy flowing within Zhang Xuan's body.
"This move of mine is the Lightning Attraction Technique, the ultimate skill of the famous educator, the Lightning Dharma King. If you can survive it, it means you have a heart of repentance. If you can't, it means you're an irredeemable bad kid."
Zhang Xuan remained in the hand-sign-forming state. Seeing this, Tobirama thought: 'You don't intend to leave him any way out at all, do you?'
"Zhang Xuan, mistreating prisoners will be sanctioned by the International Military Tribunal..."
Chapter 55: Roast Ross
A bolt of lightning as thick as a car struck down, engulfing General Ross. The lightning lasted for a full five seconds before stopping.
The soldiers who saw this had faces as pale as ash. Three of them were pierced by the electric current because they had metal objects on their persons, and they even implicated the people around them.
Looking back at the center where the heat had dissipated, a lava pit two meters deep appeared in the original ground. In the center of the pit, a mouth remained—General Ross's mouth, which was so hard that even the lightning could not melt it.
Tobirama looked at the deep pit in the ground. Although he had seen high-level lightning ninjas, they couldn't achieve the power Zhang Xuan had. To gather such thick lightning at one point and maintain it effortlessly for five seconds was simply terrifying.
Wanda and the others in the safe house saw the giant lightning that lasted for five seconds through the surveillance, and their jaws dropped in shock.
Only Peter's expression was unpleasant because he felt that enemies who had already surrendered should not be killed.
Harry patted Peter's shoulder, signaling him not to speak. Peter also knew that if he spoke, he might be torn apart by Sister Wanda. When Zhang Xuan was hit by two sniper rifles just now, the magic energy on Sister Wanda's body made him feel afraid.
Fortunately, Zhang Xuan got up; otherwise, Peter felt that Wanda would have gone out to kill everyone outside, and if he dared to say one more word, he would have been killed too.
[Killed recurring boss General Ross. Obtained Nuclear Weapon Controller, Obtained Summoning Card ×2]
[Nuclear Weapon Controller: Can control all nuclear weapons on Earth.]
Zhang Xuan: From now on, the Earth's national surname is Zhang.
Zhang Xuan heard the system's prompt, then looked at the messy battlefield below and the people who survived by sticking to the walls, and ordered: "Everyone, clean up the battlefield and take all the intact weapons."
"Tobirama, after they finish cleaning up, bury all the unusable items underground," Zhang Xuan said, turning to Tobirama.
"Alright, I will restore this place to its original state," Tobirama nodded in response.
Zhang Xuan changed back to his original form, grabbed a bottle of happy water from the guard room, and lazily walked toward his bedroom.
The Widows who came out to clean the battlefield and the Widows watching the surveillance all covered their eyes and ran away shyly.
The male colleagues watching the surveillance all covered their eyes and left feeling inferior.
Wanda and Helen Zhao went back to the bedroom together, and the rest of the people went about their business.
The following time was for Wanda and Helen Zhao to double-team the Great Demon King. Finally, the two who were no match were rescued by Elena, Kyrie, and Sonia, three Red Room adventurers from an otherworldly club who suddenly appeared.
Unfortunately, the three Red Room adventurers didn't last long either before being defeated by the Red Hulk, each beaten until they were covered in 'reported' blood.
[Hundred Refinements to God: 25/100]
"I've suddenly lost a day of my life. From tomorrow on, I'm abstaining."
Zhang Xuan was very remorseful: "To think that because of this matter, I let those evil people live another day. It's truly a sin."
Zhang Xuan got dressed, preparing to check the experimental products and subjects sent by Crossbones.
An hour later, at the underground Base of the Triskelion.
Under the leadership of Crossbones, Zhang Xuan met Sebas, who had already taken control of the S.H.I.E.L.D.branch of Hydra.
"Master, I have controlled the Hydra S.H.I.E.L.D. through magic. I can seize control and replace S.H.I.E.L.D. at any time," Sebas bowed respectfully and reported his achievements during this period.
"Sebas, you've done well. Where is Sexy Prisoner?"
Sebas replied with a constipated expression: "Master, you can completely forget about that person. I will assign him tasks periodically. Right now, he is interrogating the captured Max, code-named Electro."
Zhang Xuan: (٥ ´dish`)
"Then let's wait until he finishes the interrogation."
"Take me to see the other things from Osborn."
Sebas took Zhang Xuan to the items picked up while maintaining justice.
Looking at the mechanical tentacles placed in the laboratory, as well as the Vulture's wings, Zhang Xuansuddenly thought of Superior Spider-Man.
If he gave these to Peter, it seemed like it would be quite good. New York was going to be in chaos tonight; giving Peter some equipment seemed like a good idea.
This Green Goblin flight suit seems like it could be given to Harry, and this... Norman Osborn's head?
Sebas saw Zhang Xuan stop his pace, so he also looked at that lone head.
"Master, this head still retains consciousness, but it's the consciousness of a demon. I sealed it the first moment I saw it."
Zhang Xuan became interested upon hearing Sebas's explanation and asked: "You're saying this head is still considered alive?"
"Yes, but the body was occupied by a demon, so it still retains its final consciousness. Perhaps it hopes to be resurrected in the future with the help of Osborn's technology."
"Sebas, can you kill this demon?"
Upon hearing this, Sebas stated confidently: "Without the slightest effort."
Zhang Xuan was very satisfied but still instructed: "Use your full strength; you absolutely cannot let him escape."
Sebas stepped forward and tightened his gloves: "Master, does the head need to be kept?"
"No."
Sebas assumed a punching stance and performed a brief power-up.
Crossbones, following behind them, felt the powerful aura emanating from Sebas. He was so scared his legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground. The other soldiers felt much the same, but they all gritted their teeth and forced themselves to stand.
The little bald Sitwell, who had just arrived to meet the leader and caught up with the main group, immediately had his legs go soft, collapsing onto the ground in a duck-sit position.
Sebas finished charging and threw a punch. Norman Osborn's head, along with the wall behind it, was punched through, leaving a basketball-sized hole.
The hole went straight through to the other side of the wall, where the helipad could be seen. Everyone watching was shocked; this was a wall a full meter thick.
"Master, the demon has been eliminated."
Zhang Xuan naturally knew, because he had received the system's prompt.
[Eliminated the Green Goblin's lurking clone, resulting in no possibility of the Green Goblin's resurrection. Obtained skill Invisibility, Obtained Summoning Card *1]
Zhang Xuan was still very surprised. To think there was a reward; it was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
"These two pieces of equipment, help me transport them to the laboratory."
Zhang Xuan pointed at the mechanical tentacles and the new generation military armor, which was the Green Goblin suit.
With a wave of Sebas's hand, several soldiers came out, packed the items, and loaded them onto a truck, preparing to transport them away.
Looking at the other items, they were all results of various perverted human experiments, and Zhang Xuan had no interest in them.
"No loose ends were left at the Oscorp Tower, right?"
Sebas: "No, everything was handled very cleanly. Someone will be watching, and if there's any abnormality, we'll receive word."
"That's good. Prepare yourselves. There are many people we need to deal with tonight. Are those people in the distance in position?"
Sebas looked at Sitwell. Sitwell hurried over and said: "Hundreds of small factions in Southeast Asia are ready and can be remotely wiped out at any time."
Chapter 56 – Arresting the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"The backstage bosses of several parks have already been marked and can be eliminated at any time. The locations of all the Middle East terrorist cells have been verified and sent to Mr. Ethan."
"Marshal, shouldn't we reinforce the Middle East? We have a lot of undercover agents there—pulling out like this feels too hasty."
Zhang Xuan raised a hand to stop Sitwell. "Doesn't matter. For the Middle East you only need to provide intel. Tell me about the European setup."
Sitwell opened the projector; it displayed a map of Europe dotted with circles.
"Marshal, our manpower is limited. Per your orders, to guarantee a hundred-percent success rate we can split into a maximum of sixty-two teams."
"Are they the previously confirmed targets? No changes?"
"No changes. In two hours, at European midnight, we strike simultaneously—no one escapes. Record everything." Sitwell answered dutifully.
"Clean up properly; have S.H.I.E.L.D. handle the aftermath."
"Yes, sir." Sitwell left to carry out the orders.
He was panicking inside. Originally they'd planned to wait for the Helicarriers to sweep away threats to HYDRA; now the new boss was launching the operation within half a month. Tonight alone would erase over ten thousand lives—including former partners.
Yet it felt more thrilling. Watching those little fools toil for them while hidden had been fun, but being the chief culprit of global chaos was exhilarating—he felt back in the days led by that Rejected Art Student.
Instead of returning to the lab Zhang Xuan went upstairs—he needed Nick Fury's Pager to keep Captain Marvelfrom barging in and ruining things.
The Skrulls probably could contact Captain Marvel, but they wouldn't; it wouldn't help their invasion of Earth.
He reached Fury's office unimpeded. Nick Fury stood with his back to the door, gazing outside while pondering World peace—and how to build a mere few-dozen-square-foot safe-house with the newly credited five grand; it was killing him.
The sound of the door cut his thoughts short. First came anger, then alarm—only a handful could enter his office directly.
He yanked the gun from under the desk; by the time he spun round the muzzle was already aimed at the door—then he froze at the sight of the figure there.
"Zhang Xuan? What are you doing here—and how did you open my door? I want an explanation."
Zhang Xuan gave a cryptic smile, shut the door and charged straight at Nick Fury.
Fury fired rapidly, but every bullet ricocheted off Zhang Xuan's body.
Fury cursed the freak and slapped the panic button.
Pressing it only made him swear louder: "Damn it—there's a mole!"
"Argh!"
The big black guy could only lie there screaming; his once-proud skills were useless. Zhang Xuan slammed him down with a single overpowered palm and pinned him.
Zhang Xuan showed no mercy, crushing Fury's Forearmwith a snap, then frisked him and found the Captain Marvel-summoning beeper in an inner pocket.
He pocketed the Pager without crushing it—damage might still trigger a signal. He'd hide it instead.
"Bastard—how do you know about that? Who are you?" The Black Egg's face twisted in pain, unable to fathom how Zhang Xuan knew so much, slipped into his office unseen, and even cut the alarm.
How many moles did he plant inside S.H.I.E.L.D.? Fury didn't dare think; now everyone looked like a potential traitor.
Zhang Xuan slapped the chattering Black Egg, then phoned Crossbones to handle the cleanup.
Fury kept rattling off questions: "What's your goal—take over S.H.I.E.L.D. through me?"
Zhang Xuan sneered: "S.H.I.E.L.D.? Too small. Your vision's tiny—no breadth at all."
A chill ran through Fury: "You plan to use the Helicarriers to hold the globe hostage?"
Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes. "Helicarriers? How many nukes can they stop? Weak—laughably weak."
Fury's dread deepened. "Then what on Earth do you want?"
Standing by the window, Zhang Xuan gazed at Manhattan's forest of skyscrapers and slowly spoke twenty-four words: "Freedom, equality, justice, rule of law. Patriotism, dedication, integrity, amity. Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony."
Hearing them, the Black Egg was dumbstruck, then raged: "Then why attack me? I've been keeping Earthpeaceful—S.H.I.E.L.D.'s worked nonstop for that!"
Zhang Xuan spun and kicked him.
"Pah—You call that peace? Regional peace is peace? Peace for your U.S. overlords is peace?"
Fury spat blood, still arguing: "There's no absolute fairness—wherever humans exist there are classes and strife. All we can do is safeguard peace in some regions."
Zhang Xuan ignored his sophistry; he simply wanted to build the World he envisioned.
"I've got a plan, and I'm working on it. You're just bugs that happened to be in my way—easy to sweep aside."
A minute later, after clearing the entire corridor, Crossbones knocked. Zhang Xuan pressed the button to open the door.
"Crossbones?! You're the mole!" Fury stared in shock as the man entered.
This was his elite squad—yet they were all Zhang Xuan's men. Now he truly had no one left to trust.
Crossbones rolled a new chair to the main seat and tossed the old one—polished shiny by the big black butt—into the hallway.
"Marshal, please be seated." After that, nearby agents with disinfectant and alcohol wiped down the entire desk.
Only then did Crossbones crouch, patting the clown who'd often sprayed spit at him: "Director, come with us. Sleep tight—when you wake the World will be getting better."
He produced a syringe and jabbed it into Nick Fury's neck.
"Crossbones… your plan won't succeed… someone will stop… you…"
"Marshal, we're taking him away."
Zhang Xuan reminded: "Lock him in the 20-Ton Cell."
Crossbones, recalling some unpleasant memory, grimaced but answered, "Yes—he'll receive maximum-security treatment." He still took Fury's chair along.
Crossbones led Fury out; every monitor room held insiders, so they left without alerting a single S.H.I.E.L.D.agent.
Chapter 57: Ancient Virus Invasion
Zhang Xuan gave Tony a call.
"Tony, come over—I've got something cool to show you."
"Just tell me; I'm in the middle of building new armor."
"It's about HYDRA."
"On my way."
Ever since getting that intel on HYDRA last time, he'd been developing every kind of armor. A month was lost to Zhang Xuan's lithography machine, and he was still forging weapons for the strike on the Sokovia HYDRABase Zhang Xuan had pointed him to.
Now, hearing Zhang Xuan had news on HYDRA, Tony set down his tools, suited up in his newest armor, and flew for New York.
At twice the speed of sound, Tony reached Zhang Xuan's New York residence in under an hour.
But after knocking and scanning the house, he found no one, so he called Zhang Xuan.
"Where are you? Nobody's home."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, Triskelion, same room as last time. Use the front entrance; I'll have someone let you in."
At those words, Tony got back in the armor and flew to the Triskelion.
He stayed in the armor the whole way and, led by one Agent, arrived at the office from last time.
The door opened; seeing Zhang Xuan in the main seat, Tony blinked. "Why are you sitting there? Where's that ten-dollar premium slave?"
Zhang Xuan tapped the table, motioning Tony to sit.
"Tony, sit. I've got plenty to show you."
Tony stepped out of the armor, sat at the desk, and looked at the projection—Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia dotted with red marks.
"What does this mean? Are those red dots dangerous?"
Zhang Xuan didn't answer; instead he pulled up underground surveillance footage for Tony.
Tony showed no reaction, which surprised Zhang Xuan—until he realized Tony was studying one corner of the feed, then zoomed in.
"Zhang Xuan, I think that's my dad's anti-gravity rig. Look—something that big is already off the ground."
Zhang Xuan had never paid attention to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research; at Tony's words he looked and saw it really was floating.
Tony was stunned—his father's project had actually succeeded.
And judging by the size, the object had to be enormous.
Tony started checking other feeds, mentally assembling the pieces, then blurted, "Oh my god."
"Oh my god—they're trying to make a carrier fly. And it's totally doable."
It was the first time Tony had seen this, and he was amazed; the monkeys he'd looked down on had built a craft that huge.
"There are other geniuses in the World; using tech my old man left behind and taking this many years to finish it—yeah, they're geniuses. Just way behind me."
"All right, let's get to why I asked you here."
At that, Tony closed the video.
"Right—what about HYDRA?"
Zhang Xuan stood, arms raised: "Welcome to the HYDRAbranch of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Tony couldn't process it; he tapped his own head to be sure he hadn't misheard.
He even reached to tap Zhang Xuan's head, wondering if Zhang's brain had short-circuited.
Zhang Xuan dodged: "Sit. Let me explain."
Tony finally sat, ready to listen.
"S.H.I.E.L.D., created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby..."
"Wrong—let me start over."
"S.H.I.E.L.D., under the World Security Council, handles supernatural incidents and global crises. Its old foe was HYDRA. During World War II its predecessor, the Strategic Scientific Reserve, was formed by the Allies to counter Nazi super-tech units..."
Tony cut in: "Get to the point."
Zhang Xuan: "Fine. Point is, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been taken over by HYDRA—it's a snake pit now, so call it S.H.I.E.L.D.—or Snake S.H.I.E.L.D."
Tony slammed the table. "Jarvis, alert mode—anti-eavesdropping on."
Seeing Tony's tension, Zhang Xuan stood, pressed him back into the chair, and went on:
"Relax. I'm now the branch head of HYDRA—here, I'm in charge."
He pointed to a corner: "See that eyepatch?"
Tony followed his finger, nodded. "Looks familiar—like the one your slave wore."
Zhang Xuan confirmed: "Exactly his. I just had him imprisoned."
Tony: "So why would HYDRA pick a Black man as their leader? And you just took over the whole outfit that easily?"
Zhang Xuan saw Tony's misunderstanding and explained, "No—he really was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director. Right now I'm S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director, moonlighting as the snake-shield bureau's Director."
Tony looked even more lost. "If he's on our side, why are you going after him? Shouldn't we team up with him and wipe out the snake-shield bureau?"
Zhang Xuan face-palmed. "Tony, dig out your brain and look—does this guy look like someone worth partnering with? Seventy percent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the snake-shield bureau. That's the kind of Director he was."
Tony's heart jumped. He'd expected a lot of snake-shield people, but shouldn't it be seven for S.H.I.E.L.D. and three for snake-shield? How did it become three-seven?
"You sure it's three-seven, not seven-three?" Tony asked uncertainly.
Zhang Xuan nodded. "Exactly—three for S.H.I.E.L.D., seven for snake-shield."
Tony leaned back, exhausted, and wiped his face.
"You're right—kick the idiot out."
"Actually it's not that bad. Most of them are S.H.I.E.L.D., but the senior Agents still take orders from Nick Fury."
Tony: "Like?"
Zhang Xuan counted on his fingers: "Hill, Hawkeye, Coulson, Mei… Sharon Carter, Fitz, Simmons…"
Tony folded Zhang Xuan's less-than-ten fingers shut—he didn't want to hear any more.
"So you're telling me you became HYDRA's leader—don't tell me you're here to talk me out of revenge?"
Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes and corrected him.
"HYDRA S.H.I.E.L.D. branch leader."
"So?"
"Dummy. We lie low first, then find every last HYDRA cell and wipe them out in one go."
Tony nodded, but he still didn't look happy.
"You're right, but I still feel lousy."
Zhang Xuan stood, walked over, and perched on Tony's desk.
"How about now?" Zhang Xuan coquettishly placed Tony's hand on his thigh and stroked it.
"Eww—" Tony yanked his hand back and wiped it on his pants, disgusted. "Now I feel worse."
Though he said that, Tony's expression had relaxed a bit.
Zhang Xuan sank into the luxury chair Rumlow had given him. "Tony, I've got my plan. Jarvis must've told you part of what Ethan and I are up to, right?"
Tony nodded. "I know a bit. I even called Ethan and sent two armors to guard him, though they've never been activated."
Zhang Xuan waved him off. "No need. The Middle East is about to turn into the kind of hell the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms or the Wei-Jin Southern-Northern period was."
Tony didn't know that history, so Jarvis helpfully explained:
"Sir, the Wei-Jin Southern-Northern Dynasties were a wonderful era. According to videos, many women long to time-travel there to see the handsome men and experience the great-female-lead age. A popular line: I want to time-travel to the Wei-Jin Southern-Northern Dynasties, to see men celebrated for their softness, to see heroines charging on the battlefield, to witness love blessed by heaven."
Zhang Xuan: (꒪ж꒪ ‧̣̥̇)... Tony: ୧(·•᷄ࡇ•᷅ )? "You guys expanded that fast in the Middle East?"
Zhang Xuan laughed and cried at once. "Jarvis, set aside certain gendered statements and search again."
"Understood, sir." Jarvis fell silent for several seconds.
"Jarvis? You still there?" Tony asked after hearing nothing.
Zhang Xuan: "Did it crash?"
"Apologies, sir, I seem to have hit a snag," Jarvis said. "Please give me a moment to sort the data."
Zhang Xuan: "I think Jarvis needs a virus cleanup."
Tony shot back instantly. "Impossible. Jarvis can't catch a virus."
"Sir, the Wei-Jin Southern-Northern Dynasties were the age when women held the highest status, the era of great heroines conquering the land. There, men were prized for softness, while on battlefields women wielded blades…"
Zhang Xuan: (°mouth°๑)
"Tony, cut Jarvis off the network—if this keeps up he'll fry."
Jarvis (꒪ั﹃ ꒪ั): "Wei-Jin Southern-Northern Dynasties—absurd yet wonderful! Steam the men, stir-fry the women, stew the old, roast the young. Big girls boil, second girls steam, third and fourth girls cook on low heat. Wei-Jin Southern-Northern Dynasties, let's chat in the pot—absurd and wonderful, just add red dates to the soup…"
Chapter 58 – People in Love Go into the Same Pot
Tony was startled by Zhang Xuan's reaction and started typing rapidly.
Jarvis: "Our clan of a certain surname is rising—climbing a 10,000-meter mountain is nothing, we can do it too… Girlfriends, I scored 749 on the College-Entrance Exam—see, it's not that hard… Sisters, I've finally flown a Fighter Jet that's been monopolized for decades… Chickens, I'm a Vice-Premier-Level Academician, and I still chase idols… So what!"
Fortunately Tony moved fast, ejecting every drive Jarvishad used for storage these past two days.
Sure enough, Jarvis quickly returned to normal.
"Sir, I seem to have lost a chunk of memory—was that your doing?"
Seeing Jarvis stop rattling on about men taking softness as beauty and the era of the great female lead, Tonyfinally exhaled.
Tony's face was grim as he turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, "Just how terrifying were the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties? A gap of over a thousand years, and they still infected Jarvis."
Even now he felt a chill of dread when he thought about it.
Zhang Xuan's expression was equally grave, fingers steepled before his nose as he said solemnly:
"Steam the men, stir-fry the women; the neither-old-nor-young become a barbecue."
"Boil the generals, pan-fry the soldiers, throw the power ministers in for noodle soup."
"Serve the Pure-Talking Philosophers with cold skin—add sour and spicy for extra style."
"Stew the Confucians, pickle the Daoists, and let the Buddhist Feast bring picnic flair."
"Sweet for the Southern courts, salty for the Northern—combine meat and veg for full flavor."
"Fatten the bones of the dead, leave the starved thin—chaos and hunger, day after day."
"They were sealed away properly, but some who call themselves the 'Awakened' dug them up again. Under their influence the things even began to mutate; I never expected Jarvis to fall victim too."
Both men kept silent for two minutes—partly out of fear of those dynasties, partly to monitor Jarvis for anomalies.
Another five minutes passed; seeing Jarvis stay normal, they finally relaxed and shook off the dread.
"Now tell me why the Middle East has turned into the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms version of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties," Tony asked, returning to Zhang Xuan's earlier remark.
Zhang Xuan outlined his and Ethan's plan, including using HYDRA to pinpoint the locations of Middle-Eastern terror cells.
Tony was silent for a few seconds, then said slowly, "HYDRA really is terrifyingly capable—they actually tracked down those Terrorists the Middle East has been hunting for years."
Zhang Xuan explained, "Most Terrorists are funded by the U.S., so HYDRA just fishes some benefits out of that and naturally knows where a lot of them are."
Tony leaned back in his chair, eyes on the ceiling, and said quietly,
"You're right—we do need to keep this part of HYDRAaround; they've got far too many secrets we don't know."
Zhang Xuan nodded. "Exactly. We still have plenty of HYDRA to deal with, including an ancestor from thousands of years ago whom they want to bring back."
Tony's reclined body snapped upright; he stared at Zhang Xuan in disbelief.
"An ancestor from thousands of years ago? HYDRA's been around that long? I thought it started with the Nazis."
Zhang Xuan wagged a finger. "HYDRA's origin lies with the Kree thousands of years ago. After they came to Earthand abducted some humans for experiments, they created a monster even they couldn't control, then exiled it to an unknown Planet."
Tony: "That monster wouldn't happen to be HYDRA's origin, would it?"
Zhang Xuan nodded. "Exactly. The monster founded HYDRA. Though exiled to another Planet, his followers never gave up on bringing him back—for millennia they've kept at it."
"Tch—gotta admit, these HYDRA guys keep the tradition alive. For thousands of years they've been rich nobles, and they still are today."
Recalling that every HYDRA successor was a moneyed aristocrat, Zhang Xuan couldn't resist railing against evil capitalism.
"You Westerners—how come you never produced a Huang Chao to reshuffle the noble deck? Then I wouldn't have to worry about it."
Tony had only a half-understood grasp of the big picture; now he asked about the parts he didn't get.
"Is this Huang Chao the same race as those earliest Kree? And how did they create HYDRA's progenitor?"
Zhang Xuan clarified, "First, Huang Chao was an Easterner—an… anti-hero who ended the rule of the Aristocratic Clans. He's got nothing to do with the Kree; I was just venting."
"The Kree are an alien humanoid race that built a vast empire in the Universe and once came to Earth to abduct and modify humans."
Tony cut in, "I remember you saying Asgard's 'gods' protect Earth—so why didn't they stop these Kree?"
Zhang Xuan looked at Tony as if he were an idiot.
Tony: "What's that look for? According to you, Asgardshould have been guarding Earth long before the Kreearrived."
Zhang Xuan said, exasperated, "Tony, do you know how many people worldwide vanish without explanation every single day?"
Without waiting for an answer he went on, "Daily human trafficking probably claims more people than the Kreeever abducted. Who's going to notice a few more missing?"
"Asgard's main job is stopping alien cosmic races from invading Earth. Unless it's a species-level extinction, that old geezer Odin won't intervene."
Tony realized that made sense; he barely managed his own company, so Asgard treating Earth the same way wasn't surprising.
Zhang Xuan raised an index finger. "Let's look at the operation results—no need to think too far ahead; first integrate Earth's resources."
Tony stared at the dozens of camera feeds Zhang Xuanopened, puzzled.
Before Tony could ask, Zhang Xuan said, "It's live coverage—my teams conducting decapitation strikes in the Middle East, Europe, Southeast Asia."
"What the hell? How many people did you send? There are three pages just to scroll down?"
Zhang Xuan grinned smugly, "No idea—basically most of HYDRA plus Red Room operatives went. Not enough planes, so this batch is all we could airlift."
Tony cupped his ears in disbelief as he watched the scrolling captions under the feeds listing mission targets.
For instance, some tycoon's name followed by 'entire family,' or an organization's name followed by 'total annihilation.'
Then came a special feed: nothing but black-and-white static with occasional red flashes, captioned 'Mosquito Girl – Middle East.'
Tony pointed at the stream. "What does 'Mosquito GirlMiddle East' mean?"
Zhang Xuan enlarged the video for Tony.
"Those are mosquitoes—dense swarms of them—so many it looks like a snowstorm. Mosquito Girl is handling the entire Middle East solo."
Now, watching it, Tony felt as if mosquitoes were crawling all over him, a sick shiver running down his spine.
Chapter 59 – Ross' Men Come Knocking
"Her power is controlling mosquitoes?" Tony asked.
"No, she's a super-sized mosquito herself." Zhang Xuanthought of the picture Mosquito Girl had sent him—her evolution had gone out of control and turned her blood sacs into two enormous, rather grotesque balloons. He'd still saved it with ten-fold compression.
"She was engineered by scientists on another Planetbased on mosquito traits; she sucks human blood to grow stronger."
"What the hell? That's basically a Vampire!" Tony was shocked that Vampires actually existed.
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
"No, no—she's a mosquito, not a bat. But there really is a Vampire. Take a look: the Osborn Group found him—Morbius."
"A scientist who tried to cure his own blood disease and ended up turning himself into something almost identical to a Vampire. Later the Osborn Group imprisoned him, and now he's locked in my Special Cell."
Zhang Xuan opened a file containing videos and documents of the Weakened Morbius being studied, plus photos of him later sealed inside a 20-ton block.
Tony watched, intrigued, as the Vampire looked like he'd been stuffed into a Toilet. "You locked him in a lavatory?"
"Oh? You recognize that's a Toilet?"
"Saw one in India." Tony shuddered at the memory. "But I'm never going back."
Zhang Xuan: (O_o)? There's a story here.
Tony: As if I'd ever admit that while on a Business Trip in India, a hand suddenly appeared below the stall, nearly grabbed my junk, and cheerfully said, 'Master Stark, Five Thousand Dollars a go.'
Zhang Xuan didn't press; Tony looked ready to vomit—clearly the incident had scarred him for life.
"This is my latest prison design, tailor-made for Superhumans. Four walls of one-meter-thick refined steel, interior grooves; the prisoner is locked into the Groove, then a twenty-ton steel block is lowered in perfect fit, leaving only a Toilet-Sized Gap."
Tony commented, "Kind of a waste." He had no interest in such modified humans.
Zhang Xuan waved helplessly. "No choice—for now I can't think of anything better at keeping supers from escaping."
"Right now the World's Rich are fleeing to the U.S., so our job is to throw the World into chaos."
Tony watched footage of Southeast-Asian Warlordsbeing bombed, European and American Tycoonsassassinated, and Mosquito Girl darting across the Middle East.
He massaged his temples. "Zhang Xuan, do you realize what you've done? Keep this up and the World will descend into chaos—Europe will see massive riots."
Zhang Xuan shrugged. "Whatever. Small sacrifices before the big picture."
Seeing he couldn't stop him, Tony refused to join in; he'd just build as many armors as possible to Handlewhatever came.
He left in a hurry, saying, "I know nothing about today, and you never saw me."
Zhang Xuan's actions were too huge—bigger than Tonyhad ever imagined.
Though he disdained allying with capitalists and politicians, he lacked the nerve to offend so many at once; even he had to weigh the cost.
Zhang Xuan had antagonized the global one percent; if exposed, Tony would be implicated. He wasn't afraid for himself, but he had Pepper and Happy to protect.
So this time he'd only offer behind-the-scenes tech support.
Zhang Xuan glanced at bustling Manhattan; in a few dozen minutes the already noisy island would become truly rowdy.
For now the U.S. was safe—his Laboratory especially—if one overlooked General Ross' visit yesterday.
Beep-beep-beep.
The Office Phone rang; seeing the number 9 on the display, Zhang Xuan picked up.
"Marshal, your Laboratory may have a small problem. Need me to Handle it?" Sitwell's voice came through as a Video-Share Request popped up on the desk.
Zhang Xuan opened the feed and saw a large military force heading toward his Laboratory.
He frowned. "Whose troops are these?"
Sitwell: "General Ross' men. They haven't seen the General, so they're moving on your Laboratory. They're heavily armed—want us to send them home?"
"Can I get there before them?" Zhang Xuan asked.
Sitwell checked with an Agent beside him. "Marshal, if you need, we can stall them so you arrive first."
"Arrange a Jet—I'm heading back."
"Yes, Marshal."
Sitwell set it up; ten minutes later Zhang Xuan landed at the Laboratory.
He jumped straight down, leaving two Craters in the ground.
The aircrew exhaled in relief when they saw him land safely and flew off.
Zhang Xuan flicked mud off his shoes—whoosh—
Watching a sole fly off, he gave another flick and sent the second shoe flying too.
He headed inside to change footwear, pausing to pat Wanda—busy researching Diet Pills—on the head. A bit Plump looked fine to him; no need to chase Skinny, as long as the curves didn't vanish.
Reaching the Main Gate, he heard vehicles pulling up outside.
Zhang Xuan palmed a can of Self-Defense Spray.
Sure enough, a big eye peered through an Armor-Piercing Shell hole; Zhang Xuan sprayed straight into the gap.
A piercing scream erupted outside.
"Ahh! My eyes—my eyes—"
More men jumped from the vehicles to help him.
"Get him to the medics," the leader ordered, then shouted at the gate: "Listen up inside—cooperate with our search. We have a government Warrant; defiance is more than you can afford."
Zhang Xuan swaggered open a small side door and leaned against it. "I'm right here—go on, try me."
"Mr. Zhang Xuan, we're under orders to search for General Ross and the dangerous fugitive Bruce Banner. Please comply."
The officer was polite, but Zhang Xuan wouldn't budge.
"Take a look behind you—you might change your mind."
The officer glanced back at the long column of troops a hundred meters away, unsure what Zhang Xuan meant.
Just as he turned to argue, he heard a Sound he would remember for the rest of his life.
Chapter 60: Three-Section Staff Lily
"Earth Style: Earth Wall Technique!" × 10
Eight long earth walls appeared on both sides of the army, and two more appeared at the front and back, completely surrounding everyone in the troop.
Seeing this, the officer lost his composure, staring with his mouth wide open; the towering earth walls could crush the army in the middle into pancakes at any moment.
"General, please. You are welcome to go inside and search whenever you like."
The officer's expression turned ugly. How could he not understand what the man meant? Going in to search meant abandoning everyone behind him.
But if he didn't search, he wouldn't be able to report back to his superiors.
Finally, he sighed, glanced at the earth walls behind him, and said softly, "I am truly sorry. I apologize for the disturbance just now."
The officer sensibly chose to back down. Going back now would only mean getting a scolding.
If all those soldiers died, a court-martial would be waiting for him—and that was assuming he could even make it back alive.
"My... My Lord, could you please let us go? We were only following orders." His trembling voice betrayed his panicked heart.
Zhang Xuan's bright smile gave the officer a glimmer of hope, but it was quickly replaced by disappointment.
"You people can go back, but except for your clothes, everything else stays behind."
Although the officer was disappointed with the result, he could still take everyone back. Even losing the equipment wasn't unacceptable. At most, he'd spend a few months in prison, but he'd keep his life.
"Alright, no problem," the officer agreed through gritted teeth.
"Tobirama, let them leave."
Tobirama nodded and retracted the front and back earth walls, allowing the people to leave.
The officer walked to the front of the soldiers and ordered, "Everyone, disarm completely, then leave on foot."
The soldiers looked at each other, but no one dared to disobey. As smart men chosen for the task, they understood the situation; if they didn't listen, they would be dead by now.
A minute later, the soldiers were left with only their warm clothes. The officer saluted Zhang Xuan, then turned and led the troop away.
"All units, about face, retreat at a run!" The troop slowly retreated, the faint sound of clothes rustling fading into the distance.
Zhang Xuan walked back to the laboratory to check on everyone's recent research results. If they had a good direction, he had to reward them properly.
Two o'clock in the morning.
Gwen's keen hearing kept her from sleeping. Since coming to the lab, she had started researching day and night.
Today, there was finally a breakthrough in the research. Helen Zhao said she was going to reward herself well, and as a result, she made so much noise in the middle of the night that Gwen couldn't sleep.
"Oh dear, why do my ears have to be so sensitive? I can't sleep at all."
Gwen had followed the rhythm and groaned along many times, but she was exhausted now. Her fingers were even wrinkled, yet things over there showed no sign of stopping.
"Forget it, I'll just make do for a night in the lab."
Helpless, Gwen put her bedsheets in the washing machine and walked out of the room, planning to spend the night in the lab's lounge.
"Hmm?"
Gwen's sharp ears picked up a sound, and she looked toward the direction it came from.
"What are those two doing in the middle of the night?"
Gwen quietly walked behind a tree and saw Peter and Harry taking off their clothes, occasionally making sounds like this:
"Harry, this outfit is too tight. Was it designed this way on purpose?"
"Stop talking and pull harder, it's about to come off."
"Harry, how about we just leave it exposed? No one should see us anyway."
"Fine, let's just go to the Base. There's lubricant there; we can try applying some, and it should slide right off."
Gwen: (づ꒪﹏꒪ど) "Oh, oh my god... middle of the night, two men, a small grove, lubricant, sliding off... Gwenknows nothing, she knows nothing!"
Gwen looked at the shirtless Harry, saw the clothes stuck on Harry's stomach, and the pants stuck on his calves, and realized her mind had gone to the gutter.
"It's all Felicia's fault for always showing me those kinds of comics. I'm almost being corrupted."
After the two left, Gwen also walked with light steps to the lab to rest.
After rewarding Helen Zhao—and letting the others take advantage of the situation—Zhang Xuan walked into the first-floor courtyard and took out three summoning cards.
He went for a triple summon; he was determined to pull someone he could have some 'fun' with.
Three summoning circles appeared, with three figures manifesting. Zhang Xuan was only interested in the last one.
The first two had completely flat, masculine physiques. Even if they were girls with that kind of build, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do anything.
Soon, three burly men—unsurprisingly—appeared before him, each looking very healthy.
On the left: "Master, Might Guy will burn for your youth!"
In the middle: "Master, Genos is ready at any time."
After a simple nod to the two, Zhang Xuan looked at the last, small figure.
The dark shadow vanished, revealing the original form.
"Master, Three-Section Staff Lily, awaiting your use at any time."
Three-Section Staff Lily wore a sharp suit with a lily flower on her head; she looked like she would get along well with Wanda. She had side-swept bangs with a streak of light blue dyed hair.
Zhang Xuan: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)σ✧ Sensible.
"Lily, wait for me in the living room. You two, come with me."
Zhang Xuan patted Lily's head and took Might Guy and Genos to their rooms.
He spoke to the Widows on duty about the two newcomers.
"You two will stay here for now. I'll arrange work for you tomorrow."
After Zhang Xuan finished speaking, he hurried back.
The two raised their hands, wanting to ask Zhang Xuan to stay, but he was already gone, leaving only a puff of dust.
The two looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Nice to meet you."
After shaking hands, they entered the double dormitory.
Inside the room, Lily sat upright on the sofa, waiting for Zhang Xuan to return.
Zhang Xuan returned to the room, brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes, sat down beside Lily, and asked:
"Lily, you should be an adult, right?" As he spoke, he glanced at Lily's bulging clothes.
Lily shyly covered her chest and said bashfully, "Not... not yet."
Hearing this, Zhang Xuan felt as if he had been crushed by a hundred-ton weight; he clutched his chest in heartbreak.
"Then... then how old are you this year? You didn't pad those, did you?"
Lily shyly covered herself and stated her age: "10... 14 years old."
Hearing this, Zhang Xuan felt like he'd been struck by lightning. He left the room, looking utterly despondent.
Lily called out from behind, but Zhang Xuan gave no reaction.
Finally, Zhang Xuan wandered through the park like a zombie until he was eventually taken away by two daring Widows.
The next day, Zhang Xuan looked at the four Widows lying on the floor, feeling as if he had been the one bullied.
The four Widows felt Zhang Xuan waking up and, ignoring their own exhaustion, continued their 'fatigue driving'.
[Hundred Refinements to God: 29/100]