Chapter 51 – Eustass Inflates the Superheroes' Appearance Fee! (Please Vote!)
S.H.I.E.L.D., helicarrier.
Eustass and Dr. Banner arrived on the carrier by quinjet; once on deck, Eustass glanced at his phone—the money had landed.
Not far away, another quinjet touched down on the flight deck.
The hatch opened.
Agent Coulson stepped out with a blond man in a brown jacket, and they introduced themselves to Natasha as she walked up.
"Hello."
"Hello."
Captain America and Black Widow met for the first time and exchanged greetings.
"You need to head to the Bridge—they're starting the trace."
Natasha glanced at Coulson and reminded him.
"Dr. Banner!"
Rogers spotted the somewhat-simple-looking man chatting with Eustass in the distance and recognized him.
Coulson had briefed him about Banner on the quinjet.
"Oh my, hello."
Banner stared in shock at the living legend in front of him and eagerly shook his hand.
This is one serious vintage relic~
"Hello."
Eustass smiled and extended his hand toward Captain America.
"Hi there—you're huge."
Rogers looked at Eustass's size and greeted him with a grin.
"In a real fight I'm just so-so; Captain's my idol—how about teaching me some close-quarters moves when you've got time?"
Eustass said with a laugh.
"Of course."
Rogers happily nodded; having such a towering fan felt great.
What he didn't know was Eustass's motto: worship your idol, then beat your idol.
"I hear you can find the Tesseract?"
Rogers looked at Banner.
"Is that all you've heard?"
Banner chuckled.
"That's all I care about."
Rogers replied.
Banner nodded; the man had no special opinion of him—good.
"Don't you find all this fascinating?"
"Mm, actually it feels oddly familiar."
The two said while looking around.
Banner meant the tech; Rogers saw the drill-sergeant vibe of the soldiers.
"How about a bet?"
Eustass smiled at the two of them.
"I'll bet ten bucks."
Rogers jumped in.
"No money."
Eustass waved it off.
"Then what do we wager?"
Banner asked curiously.
"If you lose, you'll grant me one request—nothing that violates your conscience."
After he spoke the two men high-fived; Eustass tapped each palm—deal sealed.
"I bet that in a moment something you two could never imagine will happen—starting with this 'ship,' if we can call it that."
Eustass grinned.
"And then?"
Rogers turned back, puzzled.
"For example, where it's headed—you'd never guess."
Eustas smiled down at the helicarrier beneath his feet.
"I don't believe it; it must float on the sea. That's how it was in my day—only a few decades, I figure the tech's just been tweaked a bit."
Old-timer Rogers spoke from the limitations of his era.
"I figure it's going to sink—Fury must want to lock us in a big tin can and dump us on the seabed."
Banner maliciously guessed; after years of being hunted, his view was understandable.
"I bet it's got another destination entirely."
Eustass tilted his head toward the sky.
No matter how the two imagined it, they couldn't picture the thing taking flight… until gigantic mechanical roars erupted and four colossal thrusters appeared, spinning at high speed.
Seawater whirled into massive vortexes.
The entire hull slowly rose; in an instant it shot clear of the surface, the four giant engines whirling furiously and carrying the ship skyward while torrents of seawater streamed off the deck.
"Whoa-whoa-whoa—looks like I'm behind the times."
Rogers clapped Eustass on the shoulder in amazement.
"Seems Fury wants to drop me from ten thousand meters."
Banner joked at his own expense.
The group left the deck and entered the carrier's interior.
Eustass clapped the two men on the back:
"My request isn't much—Rogers, go ask Fury for a fee right now, same rate as us."
"I already get a salary."
Rogers said.
"Way too low."
Eustass patted his shoulder.
"All right."
Rogers nodded; asking for money wasn't unreasonable.
Eustass grinned—he intended to disgust the World's top brass.
If Superheroes doing good for free wasn't appreciated—and future lawmakers wanted to regulate them—then they might as well charge for their services.
When the day came that heroes slacked off because the pay was too lousy, those fat-cat higher-ups would panic.
Rogers walked in, spotted Fury ahead, went straight up and asked for a fee.
He'd lost the bet to Eustass, so he'd do as asked—nothing against his conscience.
"A fee? Fair enough—how much?"
Fury asked.
"Whatever he's getting."
Rogers pointed toward Eustass in the distance.
Fury's face contorted in pain as he looked at Eustass.
Before drawing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention, Eustass had pulled stunts like extorting media companies with a Joker photo and demanding sky-high prices.
Now, aboard the helicarrier, the guy was egging Superheroes to charge—per mission, no less.
Did they think he was a walking ATM?
If heroes one by one demanded fat fees, how could he keep exploiting them for free help in the future?
"Captain, I'll transfer it in a minute."
Fury said helplessly; the Captain was a key player he'd invited—he had to pay.
"Thanks. Just deduct that ten bucks from it."
With that, Rogers turned and left.
Fury: "..."
Fury sighed, walked over to Eustass. "Why didn't your wife come? I invited both of you."
"I don't think you can afford my wife."
Eustass grinned—he loved bragging that his wife, Helen Cho, had an IQ to rival Stark's.
If Fury couldn't afford Stark, he certainly couldn't afford Eustass's wife.
"Hmph, so you're the cheaper option."
Fury quipped with a smile.
"I want an extra zero, or Banner and I walk right now."
"Damn, I was joking—don't take it seriously."
Fury was startled—adding a zero? Did money grow on trees at S.H.I.E.L.D.?
"I was joking too, *that* Fury."
Eustass said with a laugh.
"Fuck, that's a hell of a joke—watch it, I could sue you for discrimination."
Fury groaned.
"That, that, that~"
Eustass kept repeating with a grin.
"All right, we're friends—call me whatever you want." Fury quickly moved off and shook hands with Banner.
He kind of regretted inviting Eustass.
The guy wasn't just reckless—he had a venomous mouth.
A short while later.
"We've got a match—67%! Wait, 79%! Stuttgart, Germany!"
Coulson stepped to a computer and stared at the screen showing Loki in a suit.
Eustass clenched a fist—looked like a fight was coming.
Chapter 52: 52. nano armor is Super Cool! Loki Fails Again! (Please vote with recommendation tickets!)
Eustass and Rogers boarded the quinjet and quickly headed towards Germany.
Sitting in the cabin.
Eustass glanced at the ring on his hand.
He and Helen Cho got married while this World was still relatively peaceful.
It's just that the gifts they exchanged were a little unusual.
"You're married? Do you have children?"
Rogers looked at the ring on Eustass's hand and said with some envy.
If he hadn't fallen into the ice back then, he probably would have married Peggy and spent his life with her until old age.
"No children yet."
Eustass said with a smile.
This World is too dangerous, he wanted to wait a little longer.
Once he, the father, smashed all his enemies, he would be able to create a safe environment for his son to grow up in.
"Coulson told me you're a good fighter. We should spar sometime."
"Okay."
Eustass smiled happily, looking at Rogers as if he were a fat sheep.
Then, both of them looked at the screen beside them.
It displayed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance footage of the party at Kunning Street No. 28.
On the screen, Loki, dressed in a suit, adjusted his tie and walked into the party.
The two clenched their fists, knuckles cracking.
Germany.
Stuttgart.
Kunning Street No. 28.
Gentle violin music echoed through the hall, as socialites, men and women, held wine glasses, comfortably toasting and chatting with each other.
Loki blended in, searching for someone. He walked along the railing on the second floor, and in his suit, he waved the gentleman's cane in his hand, gracefully descending the spiral staircase.
After descending the spiral staircase, Loki lightly tossed the Mind Stone, disguised as a gentleman's cane, in his hand. He caught the other end, and the scepter fiercely struck a security guard, knocking him to the ground.
The music suddenly became high and aggressive. Accompanied by the music, Loki knocked down security guards who came running, grabbed an important figure, and threw him over.
Loki took out a Retinal Acquisition and Transfer Imaging Device from his suit. The small components inside the device began to spin at high speed with a whirring sound.
He abruptly pressed it against the eyes of the person in charge.
The screams that echoed throughout the hall frightened the crowd of socialites, who retreated in alarm, crying out.
On the other side.
Hawkeye, who had stolen the materials, stood behind the heavy protective door. The transmission device, which he had pressed onto the retinal scanning device, began to construct a virtual retinal image.
The heavy protective door slowly opened. Hawkeye ran in, grabbed the materials, and retreated according to plan.
At the party.
Loki, with his long, slicked-back hair and dressed in a suit, enjoyed watching humans flee before him, a small, pleased arc curving at the corner of his mouth.
Loki pursued the screaming, fleeing crowd, as golden armor, a horned helmet, and a green cape appeared on him.
Holding the sharp Mind Stone, he followed closely, creating an intense sense of oppression and fear for the fleeing humans.
"All of you, kneel!"
Loki's illusions constantly appeared on the periphery of the crowd, surrounding the humans.
In the sky.
The quinjet flew in quickly.
The cabin opened.
Eustass and Rogers looked down. Loki was humiliating the humans present, treating them as slaves.
Then an old man stood up, glaring angrily at Loki and retorting something.
Loki, enraged, prepared to kill him.
"I'm going in!"
Rogers said, picking up his shield.
"You protect the people, leave the fighting to me."
After Eustass said that, Rogers hesitated, nodded, and then jumped down.
Eustass also jumped down after him.
Rogers was stunned. He looked over. Was this guy a Super Soldier too?
As Eustass fell, he tapped the ring on his hand.
The ring instantly began to change, the material expanding and nano-materials spreading over his entire body.
During this time, with the support of a large amount of funds, Helen Cho had successfully researched Nanotechnology ahead of schedule.
iron man armor?
Outdated!
In a moment, Eustass's body was completely covered by the armor. He spun in mid-air, flame jets propelling him rapidly towards Loki.
Rogers was stunned for a while. What kind of hellish technology was this?
On the ground.
Loki suddenly raised the Mind Stone and fired an energy beam at the stubborn old man.
Rogers instantly landed among the crowd, raised his shield, and directly deflected the beam.
The energy beam instantly knocked Loki down; it bounced back so quickly that the second princess of Asgard(temporarily) was caught off guard.
Loki instantly looked up in anger, his face ferocious.
Eustass flew over in an instant and slammed a punch onto Loki's forehead.
"Boom!"
Loki's head crashed into the ground, cracking the concrete. Debris flew everywhere, his helmet's golden horn bent, and he was in a sorry state.
"I remember the last time I was in Germany, someone also lorded over everyone, and ended up getting taken down,"
Rogers said as he walked over.
"Hehehe, a soldier, an outdated man..."
Loki, even though he was pinned down by Eustass's fist, was still stubbornly taunting Rogers.
"You're soft everywhere else, but your mouth is really hard, isn't it?"
Eustass retorted.
Loki: "..."
Loki propped himself up with both hands, trying to get up.
Eustass applied a little force with his fist, and Loki's head crashed into the ground again, sinking into a pit.
Just like Luffy when he first arrived in Wano Country and met Kaido, his mouth was stubborn, but his body was very honest.
"You... have the... *puff, puff*... guts... let me go... fight fair!"
Loki's face was buried in the pit, and when he spoke, gravel dust got into his nose and mouth, making his speech difficult and forcing him to gasp for breath.
"A defeated general is always a defeated general, right, Loki, second princess?"
Eustass's words instantly enraged Loki.
Originally, Loki was just acting for S.H.I.E.L.D., trying to infiltrate and cause trouble.
But these words flipped his rage switch.
"Die!"
Loki roared in a deep voice, and a dagger suddenly appeared in his hand, which he awkwardly threw at Eustass.
Eustass slapped it away with his hand, Armament Hakiwrapped around it, directly sending the dagger flying.
Loki broke free and instantly stood up, kicking out.
As Eustass kicked, Loki instantly retracted his leg, and his scepter thrust towards Eustass's leg, which was covered in nano armor.
"Clang!"
A spark flashed. Eustass kicked the sharp Mind Stoneaway, then punched Loki in the chest, sending him flying horizontally and bending the roadside iron railing.
Eustass picked up the Mind Stone through the armor layer and quickly walked towards Loki. Loki's body had already shifted into an illusion, preparing to ambush.
But Eustass suddenly turned around and swung the Mind Stone.
"Bang!"
"Ah!"
Loki screamed as he flew out.
[host defeated Loki!]
[Reward: Strength × 2!]
Eustass strode forward, pointing the sharp end of the Mind Stone at Loki's neck. "You, who live only in past glory, will never surpass me, second princess of Asgard."
Loki looked at him with a face full of rage, his eyes splitting with fury.
Chapter 53: 53. Captain America: Stop it, you two! (Please give me your monthly votes!)
Loki saw Eustass, as if recalling the scene when he first came to Earth to deceive his brother, only to be kicked by Eustass for no reason.
His anger exploded, and Loki could no longer maintain his sanity.
"You're the princess, your whole family are princesses! Ahhh, you lowly mortal, let go of me!"
"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to conquer Midgard and make all of you my slaves, groveling before me!"
Loki roared in anger, he had never been this furious in his life.
Eustass calmly looked at Loki, completely ignoring his 'second princess' remarks.
"Losers can only grovel at the feet of the victors and shriek, doing nothing else."
After Eustass finished speaking, the scepter in his hand spun, whistling down, and a single blow knocked Lokiunconscious.
Explosive music came from the sky.
A figure in gold and red nano armor descended from the sky. Tony Stark, wearing his nano armor, landed on the ground. He boredly looked at the unconscious Loki, shrugging his hands helplessly:
"Hey, whose little princess is this, sleeping on the street? This pose is truly 'charming and graceful'."
Beside him, Natasha, who had landed the quinjet and walked out of the cockpit, suppressed a smile as she approached:
"Gentlemen, we should take him back for interrogation."
"Oh, beautiful lady, you're even more graceful. By the way, how much of your genetic sequence have you supplemented?"
Stark was still bothered by Natasha's espionage within his corporation, so he turned to mock her.
"Just one more of yours."
Natasha, accustomed to being mocked, boldly retorted.
"Forget it, I'm a clean person."
Stark smiled and waved his hand, walking towards the quinjet with Eustass.
Natasha took a deep breath, ignoring his veiled insult about her being dirty, and turned to handcuff Loki.
Not long after.
The jet took off, returning to the helicarrier.
Eustass sat inside the cabin, looking out the window.
Beside him, Loki felt a surge of smugness at his successful scheme.
Eustass glanced at him disdainfully, and Loki instantly flipped the switch to lose his sanity.
"When I rule this Planet, I'll make you beg for my forgiveness like a dog!"
"Your Highness, second princess, how old are you? Have you reached menopause?"
After Eustass said that, Loki froze for a moment, then instantly flew into a rage and tried to kick him, but Eustass pushed him back down.
To the side.
Rogers always felt that Loki lost too quickly, but Starkmocked him, saying his fighting looked like aerobics.
"Rumble—!"
Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky not far from the jet, startling Natasha, who was piloting it.
"What's wrong, are you afraid of lightning?"
Rogers looked at the panicked Loki, who resembled Duck Neck Jerry seeing Tom Cat, or Kun Kun seeing the enraged Little Black Fan.
"I don't like that guy who's about to thunder."
Loki said, looking at the others.
The thunder was dense, and lightning snakes constantly moved in groups within the thick dark clouds. A figure rapidly descended, landing with a dull thud on top of the jet. Everyone instantly looked up.
"It's Thor..."
Eustass looked up at the top, excitedly rubbing his hands together.
"Who cares if it's Thor or whatever!"
Stark said, quickly grabbing his helmet, putting it on, opening the hatch, and walking towards it with an unfriendly expression.
Thor landed right inside the cabin. He glanced at Eustass, his pupils contracting. He had developed a bit of a psychological shadow from being hammered by Eustassover the years.
Over the years, Eustass, when idle, would go to Asgard to fight Thor. At first, Eustass would say some complimentary words to trick him.
But later, Thor kept losing, losing, losing, never winning.
He understood... it was better to avoid Eustass when he saw him.
He only gained a little experience from fighting, while Eustass made rapid progress with each fight.
Every time Eustass came, Thor would get beaten several times.
Over time, he instinctively wanted to hide when he saw Eustass.
This was also why Eustass later kept looking for the Green Giant; Thor always avoided him, not letting him 'harvest' anymore.
Thor struck Stark down with one hammer, then grabbed Loki and jumped out, making his escape.
Eustass let him run, rubbing his hands together. The melee between Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America was about to begin, and this time he was going for multiple rewards!
Stark and Captain America jumped out of the jet one after another. Eustass waited for a while, not letting Natashaclose the hatch. Estimating that the time was right, he then jumped down.
Natasha sighed. These people all had such strange temperaments; she couldn't manage them.
Eustass's body continuously plummeted, breaking through the clouds, and then rapidly falling towards the dark forest below.
Within the gloomy forest, Stark was knocked down by Thor, who then swung his hammer at Stark.
Flames jetted from Eustass's armor, instantly accelerating him forward. His armor was enveloped in Armament Haki, and he kicked Thor.
"Bang!"
A dull thud echoed. Thor continuously recoiled backward, his hammer, used for blocking, trembled slightly. He looked at Eustass in shock.
Over these years, Eustass's strength had become even greater than before.
"Thor, it's been a while. Why do you always avoid me?"
As soon as Eustass finished speaking, he instantly flew over, punching Thor.
"Let me explain..."
Thor quickly shouted, but Eustass brought out his 'I'm not listening, you're a turtle chanting scriptures' attitude and slammed a punch at Thor.
Thor raised mjolnir to block. Eustass's iron fist descended, releasing Armament Haki, which transformed into an Impact wave that slammed into Thor. With a bang, Thorcontinuously recoiled backward, crashing through several towering trees.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, this isn't the time for you two to exchange pleasantries and be all lovey-dovey, OK?"
Stark quipped from the side.
Eustass quickly flew over, already itching for a chance to beat him up.
Mocking him and Thor for being intimate?
First, he'd give him two solid punches!
"DUANG~!"
Eustass threw a punch. Stark quickly dodged, but Eustassused Observation Haki to perceive his movements, and Stark failed to evade.
Stark took a punch to the head and flew out, embedding himself in a nearby cliff face, creating a human-shaped crater.
"Holy moly, is this really nano armor?"
Stark said, feeling depressed. He didn't understand how it could be so powerful while also being light and convenient.
"Come on, let's fight again!"
Eustass instantly rushed in front of Thor and delivered a spinning kick. Thor quickly raised mjolnir. Eustass kicked the hammer, and a clang of metal rang out, sending Thorstumbling backward.
"Stop it!"
At this moment, Rogers, slowly descending with a parachute, quickly shouted.
Eustass glanced at him:
"So slow, old man~"
Then, he continued to beat Thor, completely ignoring Rogers.
Three Superheroes, and Loki watching the fire from afar.
That added up to four rewards.
Eustass didn't want to miss such a good opportunity to reap rewards, so he naturally used whatever sarcastic remarks he could to instigate a fight.
Chapter 54. 54. Loki, Transform for Me! (Requesting recommendation votes!)
The next instant.
Lightning flashed, Thor swung his hammer, and a large amount of lightning struck toward Eustass.
Lightning filled the sky and fell, the dazzling light making the others subconsciously close their eyes, and the ground was scorched.
Amidst the lightning.
An invisible barrier blocked all the lightning.
Eustass raised both hands high, releasing Armament Haki, which formed a barrier to block the lightning. At the same time, his feet instantly stomped the ground dozens of times, executing the fusion technique of Moonwalk and Soru—Razor!
His entire body formed a sharp trajectory in mid-air, instantly flying in front of Thor, who was suspended in the air rotating mjolnir, and delivered a punch.
Over the years, some of the Rokushiki extension techniques he trained himself, while others were given as combat rewards, allowing him to learn most of the Rokushiki extension techniques beyond the basic Rokushiki moves.
Thor looked at the opponent in shock. Too fast!
This guy's progress is terrifying. Is this really the combat power achievable by a Midgardian physique?
The lightning dissipated. Rogers, looking angrily at the two people in the air below, suddenly threw his shield toward them.
Eustass punched Thor, smashing him hard in the face, while grabbing the shield with his other hand. Haoshokuwas wrapped around it, and his body spun in the air, accelerating sharply before smashing it back at Captain.
Rogers reached out to catch the shield, but an invisible yet substantial shockwave hit him. Rogers immediately fainted.
Thor landed on the ground, wiping the blood from his face:
"Eustass, I didn't come here to fight you this time. I came to stop Loki's conspiracy..."
The next instant.
Eustass flew over quickly. Thor hurriedly swung his hammer. Eustass, still in mid-air, kicked Thor's wrist holding mjolnir away, wrapped Haoshoku around his elbow, and brought his elbow down onto Thor's head.
Thor fainted.
[The host defeated Iron Man Stark!]
[Reward obtained: Conqueror's Haki intensity x2!]
[The host defeated Captain America Rogers!]
[Reward obtained: Armament Haki intensity x2!]
[The host defeated Thor!]
[Reward obtained: Armament Haki intensity x2!]
Eustass glanced at Stark, who had just broken free from the stone wall, and Rogers and Thor, who had just woken up.
He walked toward Loki, who was watching the fire from afar.
"Hehehe, I surrender! You can't hit me again! Brother, help... Ah!"
When Loki saw Eustass approaching, he immediately raised his hands in surrender.
In the end, he was still punched down by Eustass, and the dust on the ground vibrated outwards.
Eustass looked at his fist wrapped in Armament Haki. Hmm, it was a little harder now.
"I've had my fun, do as you please."
After Eustass finished speaking, he sat down to wait for the jet to return and pick them up.
Thor, Rogers, and Stark silently looked at the miserable, unconscious Loki lying face down on the ground.
Loki was truly miserable. That punch was much harder than the ones they received.
Loki's head was buried in the dirt.
Thor pulled his younger brother out like a radish, without much blame for Eustass.
As a friend, he understood Eustass's eagerness for battle.
"Um, you should try to be calmer in the future. I think you are too impulsive. It's not good for a young man to be so rash."
Rogers walked over and advised him gently.
Eustass glanced speechlessly at his idol.
He did this precisely to get stronger through fighting; losing rationality wasn't a factor at all.
"Do you know what his motto is?"
Stark sat nearby and took off his helmet.
Rogers quickly looked over.
Thor, who was sitting on his younger brother's back, also quickly looked over.
"Worship the idol, then defeat the idol."
Stark complained.
In the past two years, Eustass had also beaten him up several times under the guise of practicing close combat.
"He also told me that even gods have a health bar, and he wanted to try pulling them off their pedestal."
Thor said with a wry smile.
"Did he pull them down?"
Rogers asked curiously.
"Look at this..."
Thor pointed to the bruises on his face.
Rogers was speechless, looking at Eustass in horror.
Today, he had truly gotten to know this terrifying fan... Not long after.
Natasha returned, flying the quinjet, to meet everyone.
The quinjet took off.
Inside the cabin.
Eustass, wearing his armor and holding the Mind Stone, poked Loki in the chest every now and then.
Loki only felt a sharp sting, as the tip of the Mind Stonewas quite sharp.
"I heard magic can turn people into cats. Why don't you transform? Transform for me!"
Eustass joked while poking Loki with the scepter, but he was actually trying to figure out the secret to controlling people with the Mind Stone.
Loki glanced sideways, feeling speechless.
"Great Princess Your Highness, do you know that wonderful magic? Turn your second princess Your Highness into a cat."
Eustass smiled, looking at Thor beside him.
"If Thor transforms, he'd definitely be a lion, hahaha."
Stark said, laughing.
"It would definitely be a very mighty golden male lion!"
Thor said, laughing.
In the corner.
The old man, Rogers, felt somewhat out of place with these few unconventional individuals.
"Can you all be a little serious? We are here to deal with the enemy, not to goof off!"
Rogers couldn't stand it anymore and said angrily.
Loki curled his lip. See? They were already fighting amongst themselves. Dealing with Superheroes was simple~
He glanced at Eustass, unable to figure out what this guy was trying to do.
Sometimes, he felt like this guy's sarcastic remarks gave him the illusion that they were teammates... "Hehehe, relax, buddy. You know Loki is captured, and the Tesseract will be found soon. We're winning, so don't wear a long face all the time."
Stark said with a smile, "Oh right, how much should I charge Fury for the appearance fee? S.H.I.E.L.D. will probably face financial strain and layoffs after paying us."
The few people instantly laughed again, and even Lokicouldn't help but chuckle.
"Enough! You people have no sense of decorum or rules! We are in the middle of an operation, not going home!"
Rogers shouted.
Eustass lowered his head and glanced at the Mind Stonein his hand. He wasn't anxious, but these guys were getting worked up first.
"Are you being controlled? Why are you so impatient? Nod if you are being controlled."
Eustass poked Captain with the scepter.
"Sorry... I don't know what's going on."
Rogers quickly said, sitting aside to take deep breaths, inhaling, exhaling... The serious Captain America clearly didn't get Eustass's joke.
"It's okay, menopause is normal."
Eustass laughed.
Loki burst out laughing.
Finally, he wasn't the only one being called menopausal.
"Captain, there's one thing you need to understand: we were invited to help, we aren't begging to help you. If you want to talk rules, fine, we'll leave right now."
After Eustass finished speaking, he patted Captain.
This was the only time he had seriously offered advice. They didn't owe S.H.I.E.L.D. anything, and the agency pushing too hard would only escalate conflict.
"Thank you for the reminder."
Rogers said gratefully.
"How about we schedule a fight sometime?"
Eustass asked with a smile.
Steve Rogers: "..."
Not long after.
The jet arrived at the helicarrier.
Loki was locked inside a cage.
Eustass studied the Mind Stone, while the Superheroesaround him argued constantly, with conflicts brewing.
Eustass was certain he hadn't been affected, because his Observation Haki was still functional.
Chapter 55. 55. The Mind Stone's Influence on Observation Haki! (Please give monthly votes!)
To the side, on the virtual screen of the glass table, was a video of Fury talking to Loki, who was imprisoned in a cage.
Through their conversation, Loki hinted that S.H.I.E.L.D.harbored unspeakable secrets.
At the same time, he looked at the camera and meaningfully said that the cage was not designed for him.
Dr. Banner, sitting inside and watching the surveillance footage, frowned.
"This guy is really long-winded."
Dr. Banner forced himself to speak calmly to change the subject.
"I think he's doing it on purpose."
Captain Rogers found the blind spot.
"What's wrong with you?"
Captain Rogers glanced at Eustass, who was holding the scepter.
"Nothing, just practicing concentration."
Eustass said with a smile, staring at the Mind Stone.
In the setting of Observation Haki, Observation Haki is closely related to one's psyche and requires calmness to ensure its use.
Observation Haki cannot be used when one is emotionally agitated or has lost their rationality.
Whether Observation Haki can be maintained proves whether he remains calm.
If he isn't calm, it proves that he is affected by the Mind Stone.
No sooner had Eustass finished speaking than his Observation Haki began to falter.
He quickly put on his face mask, allowing the middle layer of his battle suit to fill with energy, and his emotions miraculously returned to normal.
Eustass understood that the Mind Stone didn't necessarily affect people through direct contact, as he was holding the scepter with a battle suit gloveseparating them.
Most of the others hadn't touched the scepter either, yet they all started arguing.
The reason was simple: the longer the Mind Stone was kept there, the unique radiation it emitted would affect everyone's emotions, making them irritable.
"You call that practicing concentration? Anyone who didn't know better would think you wanted to fight."
Stark walked in, chatting with Coulson, and smiled as he patted Eustass's shoulder.
"That's exactly what I had in mind."
Eustass laughed.
"Just kidding, don't take it seriously."
Stark quickly moved away from him.
"Let's get back to business, why are you two talking so much nonsense?"
Rogers quickly shouted.
Eustass glanced at Rogers.
Rogers was a bit too serious and stern right now.
This was also due to the scepter's influence.
"Loki has an army called the Chitauri. They are not Asgardians and don't belong to any Planet. Loki plans to lead them to attack Earth."
Thor said glumly, "And the condition is the Tesseract."
"An extraterrestrial army."
Eustass said, "So he needs to use the Tesseract to open a portal to send that army over, and that's why he took Dr. Selvig."
"Dr. Selvig, oh no."
Thor's face was somewhat angry; Dr. Selvig was his friend.
"Loki controlled him with magic, and one of my colleagues too."
Natasha said sadly.
"I don't understand why Loki surrendered. How can he command an army from here?"
Rogers sat to the side and quickly asked.
"He doesn't need to command the army; with the overwhelming technology of the alien army, humanity is bound to lose."
Eustass crossed his long legs, placing them on the table, with a laptop diagonally on his lap, browsing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system information... Stark, beside him, installed a small device on Fury's command console, also wanting to invade S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system.
He looked down and noticed another small device there.
Stark pretended nothing was amiss, walked to the side, glanced at Eustass, and pinched his chin, suppressing a laugh.
"Exactly."
Dr. Banner nodded, "I don't think we should focus on Loki; his thoughts are unpredictable. If you ask me, he's just a madman."
"You'd better watch your words. Loki is indeed unreasonable, but he is an Asgardian."
Thor shouted angrily, "And we are brothers."
"He killed eighty people in two days."
Natasha said with a grim expression.
"Cousin..."
Thor said awkwardly.
"I think his plan is related to machinery, iridium metal. What do they need iridium for?"
Dr. Banner pondered for a moment before speaking.
Stark watched Eustass hack into the system, pointed at the screen, and gave him some guidance.
"It seems to be a stabilizer?"
Eustass looked up and said.
"Good work."
Stark gave a thumbs up.
"Thanks for the compliment, but the practical work still depends on you."
Eustass smiled and patted Stark's shoulder. He couldn't help but laugh when he remembered Stark Towerbecoming a battlefield.
"Barton should be able to help Loki find the other materials. Currently, he's still missing a high-density energy source to activate the Tesseract. It should be almost ready."
Stark said confidently.
"He needs to heat the Tesseract to at least one hundred million degrees to meet the theoretical requirements."
Dr. Banner quickly added.
"Unless Dr. Selvig can find a way to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."
"If he can do that, he can achieve ion fusion in any reactor on Earth."
The two spoke back and forth, leaving the old man Rogers completely bewildered and unable to understand.
Eustass continued to browse the system information. His opinion on the stabilizer was simply copied from the original plot, as this wasn't his area of expertise.
"It's good to finally meet you, Dr. Banner."
Stark stood up and greeted Dr. Banner.
However, Stark's next words were not as pleasant.
"I'm a huge fan of yours. I really admire how you turn into a big green monster when you lose your temper."
Stark's words were truly challenging Dr. Banner's patience.
"But he can tear apart your iron shell," Eustass said with a smile, "I brought him here, so show some respect. If you provoke him, Stark Tower might get demolished."
"But he can tear apart your iron shell," Eustass said with a smile, "I brought him here, so show some respect. If you provoke him, Stark Tower might get demolished."
After Eustass finished speaking, Stark nodded helplessly, "OK."
Fury walked over and asked the group to help study the Mind Stone to understand why Loki turned his two most reliable subordinates into controllable monkeys.
"What does 'turned into monkeys' mean?"
Thor looked confused.
"I know!"
Rogers quickly shouted, "This time I finally understand."
Eustass and the others exchanged glances with Thor. "Shall we go get something to drink?"
"Alright."
Thor followed Eustass and left.
"Shall we get to work, Dr.?"
"This way, sir."
Stark and Dr. Banner also left.
Rogers sat alone in his original spot, awkwardly scratching his chin, wondering what he said wrong to be isolated.
Lobby.
Eustass handed Thor a cup of bitter coffee, which made Thor frown as he drank it.
"It's good to be calm. Of course, don't be like Rogers, too overly serious. Too much is as bad as too little."
Eustass finished speaking, then sat next to an Agent with a cup of bitter coffee, reaching out to press a button next to the Agent.
The classic pixel game of space shooting appeared.
"Start, what are you waiting for?"
Eustass laughed.
The other person smiled and quickly continued to slack off and play the game.
Chapter 56. 56. Passive-Aggressive Superheroes! I Want Both Rewards! (Please vote!)
Rogers was unpopular at this moment for a reason.
He was a bit too serious, treating everyone like they were his subordinates.
Thor was chatting with Coulson nearby, and Eustass was playing a pixel game with the Agent.
Soon after.
His phone chimed, and Eustass stood up, excused himself, and walked toward the lab.
Turning on the assembled computer, Eustass looked at the information displayed.
"What exactly are you doing, everyone?"
Fury quickly walked in and asked.
"Resting, and waiting for a fight."
Eustass laughed, sharing the information with Stark, Banner, and Rogers. Thor couldn't receive it because he didn't have a phone... Stark looked down at the information, somewhat surprised.
"You should be helping me figure out the location of the Tesseract!"
Fury demanded.
"You only paid for the fighting."
Eustass laughed, "One payment for two jobs? Is your heart as black as your face~"
Fury glared angrily at Eustass, "You better stop bringing that up!"
"Uh-huh, clip empty~"
After saying that, Eustass raised his hand and aimed it at Fury.
"Put that down!"
Fury quickly roared.
"You put it down."
Eustass said coldly.
Fury quickly lowered his head. His anger had spiked when Eustass disdained him, and he had subconsciously picked up the Mind Stone.
"Keep yourself calm at all times, otherwise, what difference is there between you and a big gorilla?"
After Eustass spoke, Stark added, "No, no, no, gorillas still have intelligence."
Fury, with his one eye, glared angrily at Stark, his blood pressure soaring.
"Okay, okay, let's talk business."
Banner quickly smiled and waved, pointing to the screen nearby, "The signal is locked, and we are searching for Gamma Ray markers. Once found, the target will be pinpointed within half a mile."
"The Tesseract can be retrieved eventually, but can you please explain what Phase Two is?"
Stark looked at the data on the screen and questioned Fury.
"Bang!"
A slapping sound rang out.
Rogers slammed a weapon that looked suspiciously like HYDRA technology onto the table.
"Phase Two is S.H.I.E.L.D. using the Tesseract to manufacture weapons."
Rogers stated.
"It's S.H.I.E.L.D.."
Fury quickly emphasized.
"No, it's S.H.I.E.L.D., and this time I think Eustass's sarcasm is spot on."
Rogers said, glancing angrily at the weapon.
"What are you kidding, how long are you going to keep bullshitting, Black卤 Egg?"
After Eustass spoke, he enlarged the virtual screen, which displayed all sorts of high-energy weapons secretly developed by S.H.I.E.L.D..
Powerful weapons created using the Tesseract's energy, such as firearms and long-range missiles.
"Do you know what's going on here?"
Banner looked at Natasha walking in from a distance.
"Don't you want to leave this place, Dr.?"
Natasha also spoke aggressively, as if she had swallowed gunpowder, pressing Banner step by step.
Everyone present was speaking as if they had swallowed gunpowder.
Only Eustass was pretending... "Be careful..."
Eustass patted Stark on the shoulder and whispered.
"The place I was staying was much farther away than this, what does it have to do with me?"
Banner laughed awkwardly.
"Loki is using you!"
Natasha said coldly.
Eustass looked at her, knowing that Natasha believed she had outmaneuvered Loki and figured out his purpose.
In reality, she hadn't.
Loki was using an open conspiracy.
He certainly intended to use Banner, but he was exploiting Natasha's self-proclaimed cleverness and vigilance to provoke Banner.
Natasha knew Banner was Loki's target, so she was extremely wary of him and, under the influence of the Mind Stone, said highly provocative things.
"Then what is your purpose?"
Banner shouted.
"I didn't flirt with you to get you here."
Natasha shouted.
"Then I'll leave, and it won't be because you're paranoid. What I need to know is why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to create weapons of mass destruction!"
Banner said angrily, pointing at the missile structure diagram on the screen.
"It's because of him!"
Fury quickly shifted the blame to Thor.
Thor: "???"
"Previously, Earth welcomed an extraterrestrial visitor, and some of his personal grudges resulted in a small town being leveled.
We learned that there are other forms of life in the Universe, and they are much stronger, more advanced, and more developed than us."
Fury shouted.
"Our people bear you no ill will!"
Thor said disgruntledly. Historically, they had even fought enemies for Midgard.
"But you are not the only ones in the Universe, nor are you the only threat. This guy!"
Saying this, Fury brought up a photo—it was Joker. "We can't find any information, data, or life trajectory of him on Earth. We don't even know what kind of place this Dressrosa he talks about is.
He alone could wipe out everyone here. How terrifying must this so-called Dressrosa be as a whole?
This Universe is too vast, and we humans are surrounded by enemies."
"Dressrosa? Rose in full dress?"
Banner was completely confused upon hearing this.
Eustass was stifling a laugh.
Simply based on the English pronunciation, it was difficult for them to understand the meaning of Dressrosa.
The word 'Dress' in Japanese means 'dress' or 'one-piece dress'.
"That's not the point!"
Fury angrily slammed the table, "There are many people in this World who cannot be defeated, and they cannot be controlled."
"Like how you control the Tesseract?"
Rogers said.
"It was your development of the Tesseract that attracted Loki and his allies!"
Thor roared angrily, "To others, this is a signal that you Earthlings are ready for high-level warfare!"
"High-level warfare?"
"Like nuclear weapons. That stuff can make everyone calm down."
Stark said, twirling a pen in one hand.
"Why don't you tell us how you made your fortune, Stark!"
Fury turned around and looked at Stark, diverting the focus.
"If he were still manufacturing weapons, then they'd definitely be buried..."
Rogers knew that Stark had shut down his weapons division, but under the influence of the Mind Stone, he couldn't control his sarcasm.
As the argument grew fiercer, Eustass sat aside, took off his helmet, drank highly concentrated bitter coffee, smiled as he watched them, and secretly recorded the Superheroes' embarrassing moments.
He swallowed a large mouthful of bitter coffee—which he had specially ordered—and tossed a few coffee beans into his mouth with his other hand.
Ugh~
The bitterness was so intense that he didn't need the battlesuit's energy layer to interfere with the Mind Stone's radiation; he could calm down just fine.
"How are you doing?"
Eustass looked at the slightly inappropriate Stark nearby.
"I'm fine, just being a bit inappropriate."
Stark said with perfect clarity; the influence on him wasn't actually that significant—his speaking style was just naturally abrasive... "Loki is distracting us."
Eustass said.
"Too bad no one is clear-headed."
Stark said, twirling the pen in his hand, "Tell me, what doesn't he want us to know?"
"You'll know soon enough."
Eustass smiled.
Far away from the helicarrier.
A fighter jet rapidly approached the helicarrier. Hawkeye Barton disguised all the fighter jet's clearance information as an accepted authorization for the helicarrier, leading his team to prepare their weapons and gear.
On the other side.
Behind the clouds.
A fighter jet slowly followed behind. Sharon Carter and her team were fully armed, checking their equipment.
Sharon opened the hatch.
A large number of threads wrapped in Armament Hakiquickly flew over, converging inside the cabin and transforming into a Shadow Rider Thread Clone.
Taking advantage of the Superheroes' distraction, Eustasssplit off a large number of threads, flew out of the helicarrier, transformed into a Thread Clone, and rendezvoused with Agent Carter.
He planned to capitalize on the internal conflict Loki had stirred up among the Superheroes, playing both sides! He wanted the rewards from both parties!
Chapter 57: 57. The Avengers Fight Among Themselves! (Please give recommendation tickets! Please give monthly tickets! Please give rewards!)
"What are we, a team? No, no, we only create chaos when we're together! Like a ticking time bomb!"
Inside the lab.
Banner shouted angrily.
"You need to calm down!"
Fury quickly looked at Banner.
"Banner is fine. You, the black donkey, need to calm down."
Eustass said, putting one arm around Banner's shoulder and holding the Mind Stone in the other hand.
The Hulk inside Banner represented anger, and it was already very difficult for an angry Banner to endure until now.
On the contrary, Fury and Rogers, who originally seemed serious and proper, were truly affected.
"Who are you calling a black donkey? Say that again if you dare!"
Fury glared angrily at Eustass.
"black donkey!"
Thor stood with Eustass, poking Fury's chest and shouting.
"Why can't a man vent properly?"
Stark said with a smile.
"Are you trying to cause chaos? Get out!"
Rogers angrily slapped Stark's hand away.
"Let's see how you make me leave."
Stark looked at Rogers angrily.
The Mind Stone didn't have too much of an Impact on Stark, Marvel's greatest mind.
His dislike for Rogers, on the other hand, stemmed from his father constantly praising Rogers in front of him when he was alive... "Yeah, playing hero behind armor. What are you without armor?"
Rogers circled Stark, full of fire.
"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."
Stark said.
"I've seen many people who are nothing ten times stronger than you!"
Rogers said angrily.
Eustass looked at the two of them.
Stark was arrogance, Captain was prejudice.
"You're definitely not the type to sacrifice yourself, to lie on barbed wire and let your comrades walk over you."
Rogers said angrily.
Eustass couldn't listen anymore and directly pulled Rogers over:
"Let me tell you what he is. If there were no people like him in history, the Super Soldier Serum would not have been born, and you wouldn't be here now. While you deny his identity as a scientist, you also deny your benefactor."
After Eustass finished speaking, he directly stuffed a handful of coffee beans into Rogers' mouth.
Rogers instantly sobered up from the bitterness and spat them out.
"S-sorry, I... I don't know what happened, I became unusually irritable."
Rogers quickly apologized, but Eustass ignored him.
Rogers said one thing wrong: Stark would be the one to sacrifice himself for all Earthlings in the future.
"Don't casually judge a person's good or bad, because what you see with your own eyes is not necessarily the truth."
Eustass said, then threw the scepter aside.
Just then, the device for locating the Tesseract kept beeping.
Banner quickly walked over to check the results.
Banner took off his glasses, his face filled with shock:
"Oh my god..."
"Boom!"
A huge explosion sounded.
One of the helicarrier's engines exploded on one side. The Impact and flames from the explosion quickly rushed along the pipes and burst out from inside the lab.
Eustass instantly swatted the pen spinning in Stark's hand towards Stark. The pen transformed into a nano-cluster, rapidly spread over Stark, and formed a nano armor, protecting Stark within it.
The other several people were all blasted away by the explosion, shattering glass.
The explosion stopped. Eustass looked around. The lab was in ruins, filled with flames and smoke.
"Captain, go help Stark fix the engine. It's broken."
Eustass quickly said.
"How do you know?"
Rogers was helped up by Stark.
"I hacked into the S.H.I.E.L.D. system and can monitor the ship's condition."
Eustass said, then quickly looked below the lab window, where Dr. Banner had fallen and was desperately suppressing his anger.
"Which engine!"
Stark quickly asked.
"Engine three has stopped working. Go quickly, or if another engine breaks, everyone on this ship will die with it."
Eustass said.
"Alright."
Stark said, then left with Rogers.
Lower deck.
Natasha lay on the ground, her leg caught by a steel pipe.
She anxiously looked to the side, where Dr. Banner lay on the ground with a pained expression, desperately suppressing the surging anger in his heart.
"Banner, you have to hold on, or you'll play right into Loki's hands.
We'll be fine. Listen, I guarantee with my life that I will get you out of here!"
Natasha quickly comforted and persuaded him.
"Get out? What a joke!"
Banner instantly turned his head, most of his face already green, "I'm going to... tear this place apart! Roar!"
The next instant.
Banner's body rapidly expanded, turning into a big green Hulk, and he smashed an iron can with one punch.
Eustass had been fighting the Hulk for years. The more the Hulk lost, the greater his anger, and the more furious his anger, the more terrifying his power became.
The Hulk suddenly looked over.
"Banner!"
Natasha quickly shouted.
The Hulk was furious. He was the Hulk, not Banner!
The Hulk roared and charged at Natasha.
Natasha anxiously struggled to break free.
The next instant.
A shadow struck.
A figure dropped from above, kicking the Hulk.
The Hulk took a kick to the head and tumbled backward.
Eustass, wearing his nano armor, landed on the deck and glanced back at Natasha.
Eustass reached out and pried open the steel pipe, then patted Natasha's butt, "You can go now. You can't handle this 'Green Fatty' model."
Natasha gave him a surprised look, then quickly turned and ran.
She had just taken a step when Eustass grabbed her by the collar and threw her into the distance.
Natasha instantly saved a lot of running time. As for whether she cursed, that was unknown.
'Looks like this doesn't count as a defeat.'
Eustass glanced at Natasha.
"Roar!"
The Hulk roared at him and quickly charged at Eustass.
"Let's warm up, my big green baby~"
Eustass said, his body instantly transforming into a sharp arc, rapidly flying towards the Hulk. Rokushiki Razor, a fusion technique of Razor and Moonwalk.
Eustass instantly appeared above the Hulk's head, unleashing an Impact Wave formed by Armament Hakiwith a palm strike, which destabilized the Hulk's body. The next instant, he spun around, his leg wrapped in Armament Haki, and delivered a whip kick to the Hulk's head, sending him flying.
The Hulk crashed through the helicarrier's steel wall and rolled a long distance inside the hangar.
Inside the hangar.
The maintenance crew for the fighter jets stared in shock at the Hulk lying there.
They all looked at him in fear.
Just then.
A long leg stepped out of the broken steel wall and quickly walked towards the Hulk. The crew members retreated in fear.
"Roar!"
The Hulk stood up, looked at the approaching figure, and let out an angry roar.
The Hulk clenched his large fist and swung a punch at Eustass.
Eustass raised one hand, catching the opponent's fist.
Then he lifted his leg and delivered a kick.
The Hulk quickly retreated, and as Eustass approached, he kicked upward.
Chapter 58. Loki: My foolish brother!
Eustass also kicked out, and the two kicked at each other. Their two feet, one large and one small, slammed together, and both simultaneously retreated.
Hulk crashed into the tail of a fighter jet, severely damaging it.
He looked at Eustass with immense anger, absolutely furious.
Hulk tore off a wing of the fighter jet. Eustass slapped out a palm, releasing Armament Haki, which transformed into an Impact wave that directly blasted the wing away.
The wing instantly pierced through the steel wall.
Hulk quickly rushed over, raising a fist to strike. Eustasskicked at him, his formidable strength directly deflecting Hulk's punch, then he threw a punch wrapped in Armament Haki, sending Hulk flying backward and crushing a fighter jet.
"Boom!"
The metal wall was blasted through by a hammer. Thorlanded next to Eustass, spinning his hammer. "How's it going?"
"No big deal. You go somewhere else. Oh, and watch out for your brother's old tricks."
Eustass nodded and said.
"Alright!"
Thor nodded and ran off to assist elsewhere.
Eustass, enveloped in Armament Haki, slammed his fists together twice, sparks flying. "Come on!"
"Roar!"
Hulk charged again, roaring and throwing a punch at Eustass... Outside the helicarrier.
A fighter jet rapidly headed towards the fourth-floor R&D lab, attempting to attract Hulk's attention.
The next instant.
A fighter jet suddenly appeared, its autocannons rotating and firing, directly hitting the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet.
The jet's fuselage was torn to shreds by the autocannon fire, plummeting downward.
Another fighter jet quickly swept past and landed on the helicarrier's deck.
Shadow Rider's Thread Clone led Sharon Carter and her team members rushing into the helicarrier, while simultaneously leaving a group to secure the fighter jet, awaiting evacuation.
"Buzz buzz buzz——!"
The team members entered the helicarrier and deployed miniature surveillance vehicles, which were controlled by team members hidden behind the scenes, providing intel.
"Bang bang bang!"
Gunshots rang out continuously as the team members eliminated everyone along the way, whether S.H.I.E.L.D.agents or Hawkeye's mercenaries.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Numerous threads flew out, taking down the Taxi Soldiers who were shooting at the Thread Clone, decapitating them.
Just then.
The helicarrier suddenly shuddered, and many engines lost control.
Hawkeye, who had destroyed the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarriersystem, quickly retreated, heading towards the designated rendezvous point.
A figure silently followed. Barton instantly turned around, and with his mind controlled by the Mind Stone, he immediately spun and shot an arrow at Natasha.
Natasha tilted her head, dodging the arrow, and reached out to grab Barton's arm. Barton kicked backward. Natasha quickly took half a step back, avoiding Bartonhitting her with his bow, and raised a leg, kicking Bartonbackward.
As Barton drew his bow, Natasha's agile body slipped into the lower pipe, causing him to lose his target.
Then, unexpectedly, she flipped out from the other side, hands on the ground, and kicked Barton, sending him stumbling backward repeatedly.
Barton quickly drew his bow and shot. Natasha grabbed the iron frame with both hands, her body agilely twisting to the side.
Barton quickly jumped to the opposite side and kicked at Natasha. Natasha grabbed the bowstring and raised her leg to block. Barton kicked her backward, causing her to hit the railing. Natasha was cornered by him.
The next instant, the two instantly separated, leaping to opposite sides. A thread flew in, directly splitting the steel walkway beneath them in half.
"Fufufufufu~ You proceed, I'll deal with them."
Joker said coldly. Sharon led the team members towards their destination.
Natasha and Barton exchanged glances, wary of each other while contemplating a strategy to deal with this terrifying guy.
The next instant.
Joker transformed into countless invisible threads and vanished, as if instantly evaporated into thin air.
Natasha and Barton's expressions changed in surprise.
"Too weak!"
Joker's voice appeared behind Natasha, striking her flying. Natasha's body slammed hard against the wall, instantly falling unconscious.
Barton raised his hand and shot an arrow. Joker grabbed the flying arrow. The tip of the arrow kept beeping.
Joker squeezed the arrowhead, and with a BOOM, the Explosive Arrow detonated. Joker was unharmed, walking towards Barton with a cold smile.
Barton turned to flee. Joker split a Parasite Thread, which drilled into Barton's body, controlling him to walk over.
An elbow strike landed, and Barton grunted, then fainted.
Eustass manipulated the Thread Clone, giving the controlled Barton some hardcore treatment.
Material Healing: Gently Waking His Sleeping Mind.
[Defeated Black Widow Natasha!]
[Reward: Reaction Speed ×2!]
[Defeated Hawkeye Barton!]
[Reward: Hawkeye's Eyesight!]
On the other side.
In Loki's cage.
Thor had once again fallen for his brother's trick, being deceived by an illusion into a furious charge inside.
"Earthlings say we are immortal gods. Want to test that?"
Loki stood outside, looking at the control panel and smiling.
"Ah!"
A muffled groan came, and a mercenary nearby was knocked unconscious.
Coulson held an energy weapon made from Destroyerwreckage, aiming it at Loki:
"Please step aside!"
Loki looked at the thing Coulson was holding and quickly released his hand from the control panel.
"Like this? We started developing this after you sent the Destroyer."
Coulson said with a smile, flipping a switch, and energy gathered in the barrel. "I don't know what it can do. Want to find out?"
The next instant.
The illusion was still looking at Coulson, while Loki's true body silently appeared behind Coulson, raising the Mind Stone and stabbing at Coulson.
A figure flew in with a sharp arc, instantly appearing between the two. Joker kicked Coulson flying, simultaneously grabbing the Mind Stone with one hand and slapping Loki across the face with the other.
Loki screamed and flew directly backward.
"Hiss, you guy, whose side are you on!?"
Coulson, kicked to the ground, shouted angrily.
Joker clearly saved him, yet still kicked him.
The Thread Clone looked back at Coulson, then at Thor, who was locked in the cage, feeling a bit speechless.
He directly slapped the control panel. Thor, who had been calmly watching Eustass's act, panicked and quickly called for a stop.
"Hey, NO——! Ahhh!"
[host defeated Thor!]
[Reward: Strength ×2!]
On the other side, Eustass, who was fighting the Big Green Guy, was somewhat surprised. This counts too?
This system's judgment is occasionally confusing, but it's generous and can be dealt with.
Eustass kicked away Hulk's swinging fist, using Observation Haki to sense Loki's location. Loki had taken advantage of the chaos to escape. The Thread Clonequickly rushed off; he had to beat Loki once to get a reward.
On the deck.
Loki, holding the Mind Stone and wearing a green cloak, led the mercenaries, quickly heading towards a fighter jet.
"Boom boom boom!"
Numerous thread pillars wrapped in Armament Hakiburst through the deck, rapidly striking and transforming into sharp spikes, stabbing towards Loki.
Loki quickly retreated backward, simultaneously dispersing many illusions.
"Damn it!"
Loki glanced back, his eyelids twitching wildly. These thread spikes didn't stab the illusions at all, as if they had seen through Loki's little trick, only stabbing the real Loki.
Chapter 59. 59. Tearing Apart the helicarrier? The Avengers Assemble! (Requesting Monthly Tickets!)
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The sharp thorns continued to fall, piercing through the helicarrier's deck. Loki quickly retreated backward as a thorn wrapped in Armament Haki swiftly struck. Lokirepeatedly swung the Mind Stone to block it.
"Clang!"
The Mind Stone was directly knocked back into Loki's chest, sending sparks flying.
Loki was blasted away. A stream of threads whipped out, striking Loki, followed by numerous other threads that continuously lashed at him.
The mercenaries in their fighter jets immediately evacuated, but Loki was whipped back and forth by the threads, falling from the helicarrier.
The mercenary-piloted fighter jet instantly swept past from below. Loki, covered in wounds, happened to land on top of the jet. He stared upwards with a resentful expression, climbed into the cockpit, and left with the jet.
[host has defeated Loki!]
[Reward: Reaction Speed x2!]
On the helicarrier deck.
Joker stood there, with a large number of soldiers rushing up behind him, some aiming rifles, others directly carrying Rocket launchers, all pointed at him.
"Hey, I don't think we need to fight. General Ross's actions against you were just a misunderstanding at first. We'll help you explain. How about we all sit down and talk?"
Nick Fury quickly stepped out of the crowd and shouted, "I heard about you saving Agent Coulson. You're a good person."
Joker looked back at him. What a smooth talker. Furydidn't even mention the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents he killed.
As expected of the King of Agents, cold-blooded and ruthless in order to win over allies.
Joker, controlled by Eustass, completely ignored Fury, just staring at him.
Meanwhile, the helicarrier continued to fall.
The giant engines continuously emitted black smoke. Furyand the others gripped nearby fixtures, watching Jokerwith grim determination.
Not long after, the helicarrier suddenly stabilized, and its engines returned to normal.
At the deck.
The steel deck was suddenly torn open by threads, and Agent Sharon Carter tumbled out, with other team members following closely behind.
"Got it."
Sharon said, standing behind Joker.
Joker nodded indifferently, then turned and left. Sharonglanced at her former superior, then led her team to retreat closely behind Joker.
"F***, what did he take?"
Fury quickly asked into his walkie-talkie.
"Report, the moment the system recovered, all our research data on the Tesseract was stolen!"
The Agent in charge of the system quickly responded.
"Oh, sh*t!"
Fury instantly panicked, quickly connecting to Stark and Rogers's comms. "Bad news, Stark, Captain, someone stole the Tesseract research data! They want to research energy weapons!"
"Coming!"
Below the helicarrier.
A nano armor figure flew shakily away from the engine, sparks flying, and wobbled towards the deck.
"Stop, buddy, or I'll open fire!"
Stark, piloting his damaged nano armor, hovered in front of Joker's jet, his palms aimed at the jet.
"Fufufufufu~"
Joker chuckled coldly as he stepped out of the cockpit, standing still and locking eyes with Stark in the air. A cold glint flashed across his evil glasses in the sunlight, and he curled his lips into a sneer, as if mocking:
"Are... you sure?"
With that, Joker held out one hand, palm facing up, and a large number of threads shot out rapidly, flying towards the sky.
"Clang, clang, clang—!"
One by one, the threads flew high into the sky, then quickly descended, the threads wrapped in Armament Haki fiercely piercing into the steel deck.
"Damn it, you lunatic!"
Stark was enraged, and an energy cannon condensed in his palm.
Eustass ingeniously adapted the Birdcage technique. He launched countless threads, all piercing into the helicarrier.
But what he wanted was not to trap everyone, but to use these threads to tear apart the critical parts of the helicarrier, thereby paralyzing this behemoth and making it crash completely into the ground.
"Hmph, come on, let me see, a true hero."
Joker said, his hand moving slightly. The threads embedded in various parts of the helicarrier began to move, starting to destroy the helicarrier.
"Damn it!"
Stark roared, and for the lives of countless people, he quickly moved aside.
"What, how disappointing~"
Joker said, sighing, then turned and walked away bored, retracting the threads and entering the cockpit.
"What do you take human lives for!?"
In the distance, Rogers, who was running quickly, roared. Rogers suddenly grabbed his shield and swiftly threw it at the jet.
"Boring. Only those who stand at the pinnacle can define so-called good and evil."
Joker stood at the edge of the cockpit, turned his head, grabbed the shield, which was wrapped in Armament Haki, and threw it back fiercely.
Rogers quickly reached out to catch it, but the shield, wrapped in Armament Haki, flew back and hit him, sending him tumbling far away.
The jet spewed flames, rapidly accelerating through the deck passage, taking off and leaving the area.
[host has defeated Captain America Rogers!]
[Reward: Speed x2!]
Inside the helicarrier.
"Boom!"
A loud bang echoed as a large green figure crashed through a steel wall, flew for a while above the hall, and by the time it landed, its body had already begun to shrink continuously.
Eustass stepped out of the large hole in the steel wall with his long legs, lightly tapped his nano armor, which then transformed into a pair of glasses and detached, which he then placed on his head.
Eustass had just used a Thunder Bagua kick version, with Conqueror's Haki wrapped around his leg, directly kicking the Hulk unconscious.
Banner then changed back.
"Thank goodness, this guy finally fell asleep."
Agent Hill covered her bleeding forehead, looking at Banner lying on the ground, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Eustass patted Banner, who woke up groggily. He dragged Banner away to get him changed.
Hulk's legendary underwear was gone. If he stayed any longer, female Agents might start a 'length comparison' discussion about Banner.
[host has defeated Hulk!]
[Reward: Strength x3!]
Eustass was a little surprised, which proved that the stronger his opponent, the more rewards they provided him.
After so much training with him, Banner was already much stronger than before.
Eustass had just helped Banner walk a short distance, not even reaching the dorms yet, when he ran into Natasha, who had woken up and was carrying Barton away.
"Oh, that's quite a sight."
Natasha looked at Banner, exclaiming.
"Yeah, why don't you let us see your'sight' too?"
Eustass walked over with Banner.
"Hehehe, I just woke up and I'm a bit dazed, don't be like that."
Banner said helplessly.
"Alright, Natasha, you're out of luck today."
Eustass sent Banner into a nearby room, then turned and left.
Natasha watched him leave, shaking her head helplessly.
How did this guy know she was interested in Banner? Strange... Not long after Eustass left, Stark came looking for him:
"That Loki guy ran off. What do you think his objective is?"
"Loki is a classic megalomaniac. He craves flowers and applause, he yearns for a dramatic entrance, a way to shock the entire audience and raise the curtain. He needs an audience."
As Eustass spoke, Stark slapped his hand away. "Hey, don't point at me. Someone who doesn't know might think you're talking about me."
Eustass smiled, "So..."
"Damn it!"
Stark suddenly realized that Loki needed his Stark Toweras the location to open the portal. Stark turned and quickly left, coming to the edge of the helicarrier's hole, and put on a new pair of nano sunglasses.
The nano sunglasses began to extend their material, spreading over his entire body, transforming into a nano armor.
"See you in New York!"
Stark said, his armor spewing flames, quickly rushing out of the hole, flying out of the helicarrier, and heading towards Manhattan, New York.
Chapter 60: smile fruit! (Requesting Monthly Votes!)
Eustass stood in the corridor for a while, then Banner, who had changed clothes, walked out.
"Let's go, we still have another fight to catch."
Eustass said, throwing a pair of sunglasses to Banner.
"What is this?"
Banner asked, puzzled.
"Put them on, then take off!"
Eustass said, putting on a new pair of nano-sunglasseshimself. The material of the sunglasses extended and retracted, spreading over his entire body. Eustass, clad in nano armor, looked back at Banner. "Honestly, this thing is great for traveling."
Flames jetted from the armor's limbs, propelling Eustassinstantly out of the nearby hole, rapidly moving away from the helicarrier, and heading towards New York.
Banner quickly imitated him, putting on the sunglasses.
"Arm the armor?"
A clear female voice echoed from the frame of the sunglasses.
Banner quickly replied:
"Arm!"
The shape of the sunglasses changed, and the material quickly extended, spreading over Banner's entire body, transforming into nano armor.
"Please set the destination..."
"New York, Manhattan."
"Destination set!"
The next instant, the armor jetted flames, propelling Banner instantly into flight, leaving the helicarrier behind. A sonic boom erupted, scattering the clouds, as he sped towards New York.
Rogers, Natasha, Barton, and others' phones lit up. Eustass sent a message:
"New York, Stark Tower."
...New York.
Queens.
Mora Energy Group.
Helen Cho, wearing nano armor, stood in front of the control panel, pressing the virtual screen. A large number of armor schematics, represented by numerical units, appeared on the virtual screen.
Helen Cho glanced at the virtual screen on the other side.
In the image, a pure energy beam shot up from Stark Tower, and above the azure sky, a dark portal slowly opened, deep blue light continuously flowing, as the portal steadily expanded.
Beyond the continuously expanding portal was the dark starry sky, like a giant maw devouring everything.
Chitauri soldiers, piloting individual flying vehicles, poured out from the starry sky into the portal, arriving in Earth's sky on the other side, shrieking as they swooped down to attack.
"Go, Nano Legion!"
Helen Cho swiped her hand across the virtual screen, and all the nano weapons were activated.
The top platform of the group's building instantly unfolded. On the walls, numerous nano energy cores detached, and nano materials extended out, forming one unmanned nano armor after another.
Flames jetted, and arrays of nano armor instantly shot into the sky, rapidly heading towards Manhattan.
As one batch of armor took off, another large batch of nano cores released nano materials, constructing nano armor, which then also shot into the sky.
On the street.
People looked up, seeing large numbers of armor spread out, flying in an organized manner towards the portal in the distant sky.
In a short while, the Nano Legion flew near Stark Tower, forming ranks. Their internal systems released nano materials, constructing maglev cannons. Each armor had four crescent-shaped maglev turrets hovering beside it, locking onto enemies as the system marked them.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"
Beams of cyan energy shot out, flying towards the sky, directly annihilating the first wave of descending Chitauriflying units.
At the same time.
In the air.
"Activate the Stark Industries Nano Legion!"
Stark shouted while attacking the Chitauri individual units flying out of the portal.
Stark Tower.
Loki, his body transformed into golden armor, held the Mind Stone, standing at the highest point, looking down.
The next instant.
Large numbers of nano armor rapidly flew in, almost knocking Loki away.
Loki fell to the side, watching the nano armorcontinuously flying out from Stark Tower.
Careless!
Humans actually stockpiled troops themselves!
At the edge of the sky.
A figure, from a small black dot in the distance, gradually enlarged.
Eustass, clad in nano armor, flew rapidly. Countless groups of Chitauri individual combat units surged out from the portal, alarming like an overwhelming swarm of locusts.
Eustass controlled the armor, and nano materials transformed into a dozens-meter-long whip. Eustass's Armament Haki wrapped around it, striking at the countless Chitauri individual flying vehicles.
Eustass was powerful, wielding a dozens-meter-long whip with ease.
The whip swept across, hitting a large number of Chitauriindividual flying vehicles.
"Boom boom boom—!"
Flashes of fire continuously erupted in the sky above, with constant explosions.
[host defeated Chitauri individual unit!]
[Reward obtained: smile fruit ×1!]
[host defeated Chitauri individual unit!]
[Reward obtained: smile fruit ×1!]
[host...]
The reward sounds kept ringing, and Eustass ended up with over a dozen smile fruits... 'Garbage...'
Eustass felt a slight displeasure in his heart, flying quickly forward, but then the armor's flame suddenly lacked power.
There were two types of nano armor: one was a mobile armor, usually carried as glasses or a pen, but energy shortage was a big problem.
The other method was energy core storage, which provided long-lasting functionality and allowed for more nano materials to be used.
A Mora Group nano armor quickly flew over, its nano materials rapidly contracting towards the core, landing in Eustass's hand. Eustass pressed it against his front.
The armor was replaced, and Eustass quickly used the armor to travel, flying towards the portal.
Although the smile fruit had drawbacks, he wouldn't use it himself, but he could use it on the members of his small organization behind the scenes.
Those people were already desperadoes, so it didn't matter.
If they failed, they'd laugh their lives away; if they succeeded, they'd transform into decent combat power.
Eustass quickly flew upwards, facing the overwhelming number of Chitauri individual flying vehicles flying downwards. The core released a large amount of material, forming two nano whips that stabbed towards the sky.
"Boom boom boom!"
Not far away, Stark operated his armor, launching a large number of satellite missiles from his shoulders, blowing up many Chitauri flying units. He glanced at Eustass. "Hey kid, use thermal weapons! You're playing with a whip while wearing armor, you give me the feeling of a barbarian using a gun as a poker!"
As soon as Stark finished his taunt, the Chitauri, relieved to have dodged the attack, shrieked in mockery.
"Swoosh swoosh swoosh... thud thud thud!"
The next instant.
The two nano whips extended dozens of meters. The surface of the whips instantly expanded and split into numerous nano-filaments invisible to the naked eye. Like exploding fireworks, countless nano-filaments pierced in all directions.
The nano-filaments instantly penetrated the bodies of the Chitauri flying units. Hundreds of flying units, like candied haws strung together, lost their life.
Eustass suddenly swung, and the nano whips instantly flung away hundreds of Chitauri corpses.
Then he wielded the nano whips again, and the Chitauriindividual units, scared, fell into disarray, flying around erratically.