This time, the Quiz Game decided to pull a stunt — not only did it give out two questions in a row, but it also refused to reveal the answer to the first one right away.
The players quickly guessed that the two questions must be connected somehow — perhaps they even had the same answer.
But with so few clues to go on, it was hard to figure out the details.
Before they could dwell on it, the countdown for the second question began. The players exchanged glances, and just like the first time, no one was eager to buzz in early.
Clearly, everyone intended to wait until the very last second before the timer hit zero, leaving the buzzer race up to pure luck.
This time, luck favored Natasha. She hesitated for a moment before answering — and chose differently from the first question.
"For this one… I'll pick A."
Tony raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm sticking with Ivan. I'll pick B!"
Homelander changed his mind, glanced at Tony, and also chose B. Erik followed suit.
Bruce Banner stuck with his earlier choice — A: Hank Pym.
The correct answers were quickly revealed:
[For the first question: congratulations to player Bruce Banner for buzzing in correctly. You gain 4 points]
[Player Tony Stark, player Homelander, player Erik Lehnsherr, and Player Natasha Romanoff answered incorrectly — 1 point deducted each]
[For the second question: congratulations to player Natasha Romanoff for buzzing in correctly. You gain 4 points. Player Bruce Banner answered correctly and gains 1 point.
Player Tony Stark, player Homelander, and Player Erik Lehnsherr answered incorrectly — 1 point deducted each]
The answers to both questions really were the same. Bruce Banner was the big winner, netting 5 points in one go. Natasha came out ahead too, with 4 points from the second question.
Everyone else? Not so lucky. They were all in the negatives — and the unluckiest of all was Homelander. The game had barely begun, and he had already racked up -5 points, earning himself a dose of electrotherapy.
Before the correct-answer video played, the Quiz Game delivered Homelander's penalty:
[Player Homelander has accumulated -5 points. Initiating first-level punishment]
"No!" Homelander reflexively shouted back.
But the next moment, crackling silver arcs of electricity engulfed him completely.
His mouth opened only to release ragged, pained howls, with smoke curling out between gasps.
Ever since gaining his overwhelming powers, Homelander had never endured pain like this. Even the brutal beating he'd recently taken from Superman hadn't hurt this much!
The unrelenting lightning wasn't just lashing his body — it felt like it was piercing straight through, striking at his very soul.
The agony and shuddering from deep within nearly drove him to his knees. By the time the punishment ended, he looked like a human-shaped lump of charcoal, thin wisps of smoke rising from head to toe.
Bruce Banner and Natasha, both new players, were shocked at their first glimpse of the electric punishment.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Is he even still alive?"
"Relax. First-level punishment won't kill you — it just lets you feel pain from the depths of your soul," Tony shrugged. "Honestly, it's nothing. The Quiz Game's been around long enough that you can tell who's a newbie and who's a veteran by whether they've been zapped before."
It took Homelander a long while to recover from the electrotherapy. By then, the light screen was already playing the correct-answer video.
The video picked up right after Natasha's earlier syringe jab at Iron Man.
Tony Stark's death wasn't a small matter. Beyond being Iron Man, he was also a billionaire industrialist.
Given that Natasha was the prime suspect, she was detained for questioning. She insisted she'd been framed, and Nick Fury — the one-eyed spymaster — was willing to believe her.
During transport, Fury handed her a sample of the drug previously injected into Tony, asking her to quietly investigate and find the true mastermind.
Natasha didn't disappoint. Even while handcuffed in the transport van, she easily freed herself and escaped.
Meanwhile, the scene shifted to New Mexico.
At this point in time, Thor had just been stripped of his godly powers by Odin and banished to Earth without Mjolnir.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had already constructed a research facility over the site where the hammer had landed.
In the dead of night, Thor broke into the facility, heading straight for his beloved weapon. Powerless as a mortal, he didn't notice a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows.
From a high vantage point, Clint Barton — Hawkeye — had Thor in his sights, bow drawn and arrow nocked. Fury, monitoring remotely, told him not to act rashly, and Barton kept his aim steady without firing.
But just as Thor reached the hammer, Barton's fingers loosened.
The arrow flew.
It struck Thor straight through the heart.
Powerless, the god of thunder fell dead on the spot.
Off screen, Tony let out a long whistle. "Hah! Another highlight reel for Thor. The mighty god of thunder, taken out by a single arrow! Hawkeye, all I can say is… nice shot!"
Natasha frowned and shook her head. "Tony, if you put it that way, you're not much better. You died to a tiny needle."
Tony shrugged. "Now I know how it was done — Hank Pym. His Ant-Man suit is perfect for sneak attacks like that."
"Clearly, Barton — just like you — was being used by Pym. He shrinks down, messes with you from the inside, and no one ever notices. But what I can't figure out is… why? If it was just about killing me to get revenge for my father kicking him out, fine. But why go after Thor too?"
Natasha thought for a moment. "My guess? It's also about revenge."
While they talked, the video showed Clint Barton getting the same treatment Natasha had earlier — taken into custody as a suspect.
In his cell, Barton sat in deep gloom, muttering over and over: "I couldn't have missed. I couldn't have fired that arrow."
Not long after, Director Fury came to see him — only to discover, to his shock, that Barton was already dead.
Three deaths in a row, all members-to-be of the Avengers.
A heavy atmosphere of conspiracy settled over Fury.
Elsewhere, Natasha found Betty Ross — Bruce Banner's girlfriend and a biologist.
Natasha wanted her help in analyzing the drug that had been injected into Iron Man, to find out exactly what was in it.
_____
T/N:
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