"Ordinary agents? I can hardly imagine that a few months ago, you wouldn't have easily acted against such ordinary agents."
"I have no choice. Reality keeps moving forward. Haven't you also been constantly changing your methods of dealing with me? It's just that I'm too strong, leaving you with no options." Adam walked in.
No matter how much Coulson tried to hide it, deep dejection showed on his face. "I originally thought I could win this time. No matter how you look at it, the loser should have been you. You had no chance."
His voice carried profound exhaustion and bitterness.
Why had it come to this?
For this operation, Coulson had prepared so much. He had personally contacted the Eternals and ventured deep into the South American rainforest to bring out Druig.
He had run countless simulations on his computer, accounting for every variable. After learning of Druig's abilities and their effectiveness against Xenomorphs, he had been utterly confident of victory.
Adam had won so many times already. This time, Coulson felt he should win at least once... just one victory... and he could send Adam to prison forever.
But the entire course of the battle left even the experienced Coulson stunned, wondering if he had the wrong script, if some unknown enemy had altered his perception, and everything he saw was an illusion.
"Druig successfully controlled all the Xenomorphs, only to turn that power against his own people. A betrayal like that is rare even in human history, let alone among the Eternals."
Coulson slowly rose from his computer desk, let out a long breath, and stretched his arms, extending into a deep yawn as if he were just an ordinary office worker.
Unfortunately, he wasn't.
"Is that your final statement?"
"Not entirely. I really want to know what Druig read in your mind. Just how many terrifying psychic traps did you secretly implant in your own brain?" Coulson's expression was complex and difficult to describe.
Adam countered, "Couldn't it simply be that my mind is truly pure?"
"Yes, pure enough to turn an Eternal like Druig... who's thousands of years old... into your fanatical follower on the battlefield? I believe in science." Coulson shook his head. He didn't believe a word Adam said.
According to his speculation, Adam must have long ago used various methods to layer his mind with countless mental mazes and thought restraints, building an insanely robust psychic defense precisely to prevent mental intrusion.
"Was it to counter Professor X? I think so. As far as I know, your Weyland Corporation doesn't have advanced psychic shielding technology like S.H.I.E.L.D. uses to guard against people like Professor X. So you could only do it this way." Coulson said.
Adam glanced behind Coulson. The expensive equipment was active, transmitting their conversation in real time.
Fury's voice came through. "Adam, spare his life. I can trade you the highest-quality weapons. Have you heard of symbiotes? I have some stored here. I can give them all to you, letting you instantly gain many extremely powerful super Xenomorphs…"
"No. I'm not very interested in symbiotes." Adam replied.
"Then what do you want? To turn him into one of your puppets, like Elektra and the Sentry?" Fury's voice turned cold. "We can talk."
Adam let out a chuckle and said to Coulson, "Hear that? He'd rather I kill you outright than risk me extracting useful information from your head."
"This is the fate of an agent. You should understand this. Once it's confirmed there's no way out, detonating one's own brain to completely destroy all known secrets is what a high-level agent like me should do."
Coulson smiled helplessly. "Director Fury initially wanted to send the Howling Commandos and Steve to protect me, but I felt it was unnecessary. Once the Eternals were defeated, there was no way I could escape. Besides, an agent who repeatedly fails on the same target has no value."
"I used to think highly of you. You were extremely dedicated. But you were too dedicated... pouring all your energy and all your methods into dealing with me." Adam looked at him. "Farewell."
A Xenomorph emerged from behind Adam, its tail piercing through Coulson's skull and destroying his brain.
Adam sighed, glanced at Coulson's corpse, then sat down in the seat Coulson had just vacated.
"Nick Fury, are you satisfied with this outcome? Another one of your operations has been dismantled by me. Your most trusted aide has died by my hand. The only difference is that my strength has grown again. The power of the Eternals has all become mine."
Adam continued, "You can fail countless times, but every one of my successes advances me by leaps and bounds, leaving you with fewer and fewer options."
"Is that a victory declaration? It's rather ordinary." Fury said.
"No, this is a declaration of war. You'd best not let me find where you are. But I guess, given your paranoid nature, the moment Druig defected to me, you had already fled to some secret base. And that base is in some remote, uninhabited location with thorough soundproofing and other precautions."
"You're right, but I prefer you use a different word... like 'retreat' instead of 'flee.' This is only the beginning."
"It's already over. You have no way to deal with someone like me. The best chance was to act before I revealed my abilities. Unfortunately, who would pay attention to a nameless nobody like me? By the time I acted, your response was already too late."
Adam said, "Now you have to face not only me, but also the mutants. Neither side is something you can handle alone."
"You can wait and see. S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what you think it is."
Fury ended the communication. There was no point continuing. After this, he would need time to lick his wounds and find suitable people to fill the gap left by Coulson.
But he still hadn't given up. As long as he was alive and backed by S.H.I.E.L.D.... an organization with a long legacy... he would not lose.
"Pheromones and psychic abilities have both failed. What other methods are there… There must be some. If the mundane world has none, then look to the mystic side."
In truth, Adam was secondary. The main threat remained the mutants.
If not for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s urgent desire to take over Adam's ever-growing legion and use that force to deal with the mutants or other threats, things wouldn't have escalated this far, and Coulson wouldn't have died.
It could only be said that every event inevitably creates ripples across time and forms towering waves at specific nodes, altering the course of the entire timeline.
Accompanied by a deafening roar, the entire building collapsed amid cascading thunder, turning into endless ruins.
When Adam's figure appeared in people's view, everyone knew the outcome.
The mastermind behind it all was dead.
Who could it have been? Many coveted the Xenomorphs, but few dared move against Adam. Even fewer could rally the Eternals to wage war against him.
But at this point, no one cared who had died. The dead had no meaning.
"The Eternals were completely wiped out. What a shame. They had contributed so much to humanity."
"Tsk tsk. I just want to know what Adam said to that Eternal who could control Xenomorphs to make him so emotional that he immediately rebelled."
"Who knows? It must have been intelligence shocking enough to overturn his worldview. Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. or other psychics could have remotely monitored it."
"That rebel Eternal could control Xenomorphs. Doesn't that mean psychics are Adam's natural enemy? We could also find some psychics to control the Xenomorphs."
"That's a great idea. I suggest you go do it right now, then wait for Adam to capture you and send you to fight for the Asgardians on an alien battlefield. Guess why people who need money don't just rob banks? Is it because they can't think of it?"
Anyone well-informed was exchanging various intelligence in the underworld, but all of it revolved around Adam without exception.
Globally, no one could attract more interest than Adam and the Xenomorphs.
On a steel island in the ocean.
"The Eternals failed. Except for Ikaris, who stayed far away, the others met miserable ends."
Professor X removed the Cerebro helmet. His entire face was unusually calm.
He had originally wanted to check whether Adam had taken the mutants captured from Stryker seriously.
Even though those mutants had lost their sense of self and could only exist as tools, tools still had their uses.
Sending them to fight for Asgard was one use. Keeping them in the Weyland skyscraper as guards was another.
Clearly, Adam's approach had relieved Professor X somewhat. At least Adam wouldn't treat mutants as cheap assembly-line products to be casually expended. This gave Professor X a small measure of psychological comfort.
As a result, he had witnessed the Eternals' large-scale assault ending in total annihilation.
"Every time I see you use Cerebro, I get nervous, worried your brain will have problems." Mystique looked at Professor X with a frown.
"Until our cause is complete, I won't fall again. My brain is an extremely powerful weapon."
"But there will also be new brothers and sisters joining us who are filled with fear of your abilities." Mystique said softly.
Cyclops spoke as if it were obvious. "Then that means those people aren't our brothers and sisters. They harbor malice and don't deserve to join us."
Around them, mutants from the Brotherhood showed strange expressions as they stared at Cyclops.
Malice? How many Brotherhood members hadn't done bad things or harbored malice in their hearts?
Even now, quite a few mutants were filled with hatred and suspicion toward Professor X.
People like Nightcrawler were even less restrained. He feared Professor X and Magneto, but ultimately cared about no one.
Uniting the X-Men and the Brotherhood was already so difficult. Recruiting the powerful and dangerous individuals outside these two factions would be even harder.
Professor X looked at these people with varying expressions. Even without using his powers, he could roughly guess what they were thinking.
"We will establish strict and comprehensive laws, with detailed classifications for different superpowers. We will create specialized courses to guide young mutants when their powers awaken."
Professor X pointed at his own head. "Of course, we will also regulate the occasions and timing for using superpowers. I will lead by example, because this is the 'weapon' that worries the entire world."
By the end, his tone carried a touch of self-mockery, successfully easing the atmosphere.
"It is foreseeable that those few Eternals will ultimately become part of Adam's power. With every victory, his overall strength undergoes earth-shattering changes."
Magneto deeply trusted Professor X's abilities... whether in superpowers, character, or organizational management. As long as he shed his past naive ideas about humanity, Professor X would undoubtedly be an excellent leader.
He was more concerned about Adam and curious about how Adam had turned the situation around.
Professor X said, "Conversely, as long as Adam suffers one serious setback, he will fall into the abyss and may never climb out."
"How did he lure that Eternal to defect? Didn't you say that guy was a psychic like you, and quite powerful?"
Magneto subconsciously thought of his helmet. Had Adam researched and obtained the technology to create psychic-blocking helmets during the brief time he held him captive?
But it couldn't be that simple.
"Adam performed no form of defense. He allowed the one called Druig to invade his mind."
Professor X's face was also full of disbelief. This was something he couldn't understand no matter how he thought about it. "Druig must have seen something extremely terrifying. That discovery prompted him to betray everything from his past without hesitation, stand with Adam, and raise his blade against his own people."
"I don't believe Adam's mind is normal. It must already be filled with all kinds of mental traps." Magneto said, and Mystique deeply agreed.
Defending one's own mind on a mental level wasn't some outlandish concept.
Some people with strong spirits and firm willpower, even as ordinary humans, could achieve a degree of resistance against psychic intrusion through self-suggestion and establishing thought-logic mechanisms only they could understand.
Yes, that meant the Batman next door. Who knew how many mental mazes that ordinary man had stacked in his brain, or how many psychic blind spots he had created that would be difficult even for gods to navigate.
"Charles, if Druig could do it, that means you can too. You could also seize control of all the Xenomorphs in an instant... even control Adam himself, as long as you invade his mind." Magneto suddenly found it rather comical.
He had been parasitized by Adam. Adam was deterred by Professor X. And Professor X would, to some extent, listen to him.
Professor X said nothing. He was also working hard to change his old ways of thinking. When it came to matters concerning the future fate of mutants, some past principles could be appropriately relaxed. There was no other choice.
However, controlling Adam… Professor X always felt it wouldn't be that simple.
Druig had already failed... defecting to Adam like a fanatic. No one knew what terrifying things he had seen in Adam's mind to be reverse-brainwashed and willingly abandon his Eternal origins and mission to wholeheartedly follow Adam.
"We are friends with them. We might join forces someday." Professor X replied. He really didn't want to stand in opposition to someone as troublesome as Adam.
Professor X was deep in thought. The sole surviving Eternal was doing the same.
Ikaris didn't even dare show his face now. Relying on his super-vision and super-hearing, he constantly monitored everything around him. The moment he spotted any Xenomorphs, he fled far away.
"The number of Xenomorphs is slowly increasing. It's like this all over the world…"
Ikaris's face was grim. Ever since being expelled by Ajak and the others, his mood had been poor. He had been wandering the world.
A wandering Eternal. Just thinking about it made Ikaris feel it was too absurd. He was an Eternal valued by Arishem. Why had he fallen to this state on this planet called Earth?
Because of what? Oh, it was all because of that person... Adam... and the Xenomorphs under Adam's command.
"Ajak is dead. Sersi is dead too…"
A trace of pain flashed in Ikaris's eyes, but not much.
Did he have feelings for these comrades? Of course, but not much. If he encountered an opportunity where abandoning his teammates would bring greater benefits, he would do so without hesitation.
Facts proved that Ikaris was also the last surviving Eternal, but he felt he probably wouldn't live much longer.
Because he had noticed that Adam's Xenomorph legion now included a man called the Sentry, who also possessed flight capabilities and possibly super-vision and super-hearing. He could fire heat vision from his eyes just like Ikaris.
He might even be stronger. This made Ikaris extremely anxious. If Adam decided to search the entire globe to find him, what would he do? Flee? There was no place for him on this planet anyway. He could only flee into the depths of space.
"Ajak and the others have definitely become part of Adam's Xenomorphs now. All the power they accumulated over the years has become Adam's strength. How am I supposed to deal with so many and such powerful enemies?"
Ikaris felt he was too miserable. Thinking back, he had simply been the first to attack Adam and the Xenomorphs, and now it had come to this. Of the eleven Eternals, only he remained... Druig no longer counted as an Eternal. From mind to body, he had become a Xenomorph.
Did he have to do the same as Druig and shamefully surrender to Adam? That might actually be a good idea. From what he had observed, Adam treated his subordinates fairly well and generally didn't interfere excessively with their actions.
Just as this thought arose, Ikaris suddenly felt his vision turn dark. He found himself in the starry expanse of space, with countless stars twinkling in the distance.
A colossal figure appeared before Ikaris.
"Arishem?!" Ikaris's face filled with disbelief.
…
"Arishem must have noticed the changes on Earth. He should respond, right? Probably."
Adam returned to the Weyland skyscraper and asked Druig, "Has Arishem contacted you?"
"No. Ikaris is still alive. If he's going to contact anyone, it will be him." Druig shook his head, his gaze burning as he looked at Adam. "Besides, Arishem doesn't matter anymore. You are the truth. You should be a god."
He had never seen anyone like Adam. On the mental level, even Arishem couldn't compare to Adam as the dominant will of countless consciousnesses.
But in terms of raw power, Arishem was naturally far stronger.
"Thank you for the praise. I'm not very modest. No matter how others praise me, I can accept it."
Adam nodded calmly. He always felt that after defecting to the Xenomorph side, Druig's thinking had swung from one extreme to the other.
This was indeed the case in the mental world. Adam could link with every Xenomorph, so he could indirectly sense Druig's will as well. This master of the mind had turned into an extremely bright orb of light, guarding him alongside the many Xenomorphs.
Clearly, after accepting Druig's wholehearted defection, Adam's resistance to psychic control had surged once again. One of his weaknesses had now been filled.
Even if he faced Professor X now, Adam could mount a fairly comprehensive psychic defense to a large extent.
This was Adam's terror. The more Xenomorphs he had, the greater his strength became on the level of consciousness and spirit. Every Xenomorph would become his most solid shield.
"The Celestial Tiamut at Earth's core is still sleeping. Under normal circumstances, its awakening is only a matter of time. As long as Tiamut is fine, Arishem won't come in person." Adam pondered.
Every new Celestial group was essentially nurtured by the conscious energy of countless intelligent life forms, only to exterminate those very life forms that had fed it.
The new Celestial would then travel to various parts of the universe, creating gravity, light, and heat to foster the birth of more life.
"We have enough time to deal with the threat of Arishem. Moreover, even if He comes to Earth now, He might not leave unscathed."
Earth still had the Ancient One standing guard, and the Time Stone was on Earth. Since it could resist Dormammu, resisting Arishem shouldn't be a problem either.
"Ikaris is a hidden danger. I'll find a way to locate him and make him one of us." Druig volunteered.
His enthusiasm was quite striking. At the very least, Elektra looked at the man with an odd expression.
"Chest-burst or not?"
"It doesn't matter. Whichever form, he will be with us forever. As long as you don't die, we will never be separated. That is the truth I saw."
Druig's eyes toward Adam were always filled with deep fervor. When he looked away at others, they returned to ice.
Adam didn't mind the man and said casually, "Then I'll leave it to you. If you need help, just say the word. This planet no longer needs Eternals serving the Celestials. Oh, and that spaceship outside... remember to store it properly on the empty ground north of the Weyland skyscraper and activate stealth mode."
Druig immediately left the Weyland skyscraper to faithfully carry out his duties.
But the moment he stepped out, he was met by the large crowd that had gathered again. Listening to their loud shouts, Druig noticed that many of them were also filled with adoration for Adam and a desire to join.
"Even if it's just to gain power and become superhuman from an ordinary person, it's worth paying attention to. This further proves that Adam is right... linking everyone's consciousness together." Druig thought.
Someone saw Druig emerge and shouted loudly at him.
Some fervently praised his heroic act of leading the Xenomorphs in a counterattack against the Eternals. Others proposed joining Adam's forces just like him.
"Sir, what is your name? Why did you break with those superhumans?"
"Look at me! I'm very strong. I can definitely become the best Xenomorph host... as long as there's no chest-bursting."
Druig realized he had still underestimated these people's fervor.
That made sense. In this increasingly chaotic world, where battles between supervillains and superheroes could affect large numbers of civilians, what was more important than gaining power?
And when it came to gaining power, Adam's Xenomorphs were impossible to ignore. Through multiple major battles and their persistent hunting of vampires, these powerful creatures that often moved through alleyways had been exposed to more people's view.
All one needed to do was join Adam and come into contact with the Xenomorphs to instantly become superhuman. Low cost, high return. Many hopeful people or adventure-loving lunatics had come upon hearing the news.
To Druig, these people's actions precisely proved the future.
"They are weak, but if we send Xenomorphs to parasitize them, they could still produce some effect… No, our current strength is already very strong. There's no need to use these people yet."
Druig thought this as he ignored them and boarded the massive spaceship they had arrived on Earth in.
This naturally caused another sensation. Countless people pulled out recording devices and frantically snapped photos.
Everything seemed to calm down.
As time passed, Adam appeared to have stopped advancing on the surface, and the whole world suddenly became much quieter. Superheroes and supervillains alike busied themselves with their own affairs, while the mutants worked on determining the location for their new nation.
This was a rare period of calm.
As time went on, however, something unexpected happened: Weyland Corporation's name grew louder and louder. The company began continuously producing various medical drugs.
People with inside knowledge knew these drugs were most likely led by Mister Blue... Samuel Stern.
If that were all, it would be fine. But soon, people discovered that Weyland had released a drug capable of extending lifespan, codenamed ALIEN-1.
The world erupted.
A drug that could extend life just by taking it was undoubtedly an unbelievable thing on 21st-century Earth. For a time, many suspected it was an elaborate scam.
But the moment they saw it was produced by Weyland Corporation... and that the company's owner was Adam... they closed their mouths. That didn't stop them from harboring strong skepticism.
After some daring individuals took the drug and confirmed it was effective, global public opinion exploded completely.
At this point, even those who had criticized Adam and the Xenomorphs online and harbored doubts completely flipped their attitudes, lavishing praise on the Weyland Corporation under Adam's leadership for pioneering history and leading advancements in Earth's biotechnology.
"The drug is real? It actually works? It extends human telomeres?"
"I don't believe it. You can extend your life just by taking medicine without any health regimen? Is there something wrong with this drug?"
"Taking it for one week extends lifespan by about two weeks. Each subsequent dose has greatly diminished effects and eventually stops working. It doesn't mean you can extend life by years or even decades in one go. This has already been verified."
"Tsk. I just wonder what the manufacturing principle behind this drug is…"
But major powers proficient in biological research already knew where this drug came from.
"This substance seems to be a secretion from Xenomorphs? We can't be certain, but the molecular structure is very similar! Xenomorphs can be used like this?"
S.H.I.E.L.D. had the most authority on this matter. After all, they had briefly possessed a batch of Xenomorphs and naturally kept some specimens.
"A while ago, Adam had Samuel Stern register a large number of trademarks. It looks like he was preparing for this."
Honestly, this caught people somewhat off guard. Since founding the company, when had Adam ever seriously operated Weyland Corporation? He had mostly focused on developing Xenomorphs and expanding his power.
Even his residence had been the abandoned building Stryker had once approved... run-down and drafty everywhere.
Now, after rebuilding a super skyscraper, he was seriously doing scientific research?
And now he was using Xenomorph secretions to develop longevity drugs for sale, harvesting goodwill from around the world.
There were already people with sinister intentions speculating that Adam was doing this to make it easier to recruit cheap hosts worldwide when he needed soldiers in the future.
He wouldn't even need to deliberately recruit elite soldiers. Just a group of vagrants as hosts would instantly yield a batch of qualified Xenomorph warriors to send to the battlefield.
In the eyes of the world, Weyland Corporation's status in the field of biomedicine had skyrocketed. No one would turn down extended lifespan.
Adam remained very calm about these changes.
Using Xenomorph secretions to create drugs that could extend human lifespan was real, and it was something Adam had planned to implement long ago.
"Human average lifespan is only a few short decades. That's too terrible. If we really let humanity develop on its own, who knows how long it would take to develop life-extending drugs? It's better if I take the lead. I have Xenomorphs... an innate advantage."
Adam sat on a bench, looking down at the scenery outside through the glass.
The area around the Weyland skyscraper was, admittedly, rather desolate with few buildings. But this was only temporary. It wouldn't be long before populations began migrating here and settling around the skyscraper.
Because people would struggle in this messed-up world for a while. They would lose more family and friends in one major event after another, becoming increasingly pained and desperate. Then they would realize that this was the safest place. Xenomorphs constantly patrolled the streets and alleys, eliminating anyone with ill intentions.
Adam looked down at those who frequently came, trying to join Weyland Corporation and become superhuman. He shook his head.
This was only the beginning, and they were already feeling anxious and uneasy? The future would only become even more despairing.
"Using the Xenomorph threat to bind the world, using longevity drugs made from Xenomorph materials as bait to pry open the entire world. In the end, the entire planet will be unable to leave the Xenomorphs... or me. At that time…"
A massive pool of recruits would become Adam's most solid support. Vast numbers of powerful Xenomorph superhumans would surge toward the depths of space like a geyser, baring their fangs and claws.
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