Chapter 373: The Mastermind—Killian
"Hey everyone, I'm the Macho Captain, slayer of sissies."
Striding confidently, Allen plopped down beside Deadpool, glanced toward the open kitchen where Pietro and Kurt were working, and held up three fingers, saying, "Three orders of clam stir-fried noodles, mildly spicy, no cilantro. Thanks."
Pietro eyed him up and down. "You're not playing Batman anymore?"
"What kind of question is that?"
Allen righteously retorted, "I've never imitated Batman. That's just one of my many identities—Bateman, Whipwoman, the Comedic Bat. Take your pick, each one's got its own fanbase."
"Allen, whether it's Batman or Cap, you're just not quite there," Wade interjected, blunt as ever.
"What do you mean not quite? I mimic whoever I play to perfection," Allen insisted stubbornly.
Wade replied seriously, "First of all, you don't have Batman's sexy cleft chin. Second, you're missing Cap's firm and perky ass."
"…"
Allen was momentarily speechless.
He stabbed at the noodles and shoveled a large bite into his mouth, the ends of the noodles dangling from his lips as he chewed and muttered with disdain, "So superficial. I bring substance to the table."
Slurp…
Gulping down the bite, Allen slung an arm around Wade's neck and asked with a grin, "Hey Wade, I'm now Latveria's diplomat. Kinda wild, right?"
"You really know how to push boundaries—playing Cap while working as a foreign diplomat."
Wade looked both impressed and baffled at the same time, like Allen's antics defied all logic.
Just then, Peter chimed in, "Mr. Allen, you've seriously ruined my life. Aunt May found out I'm Spider-Man and now she calls me nonstop asking if I've been hurt. I can't even patrol in peace anymore."
"Just set her up with a boyfriend and you'll be free," Allen offered nonchalantly.
While they chatted and caught up—
Pepper Potts was already being secretly transported to a hidden research base.
Through live surveillance feeds, the one pulling all the strings—Killian—issued remote orders.
"Boss, why do we have to kidnap them?" his assistant Joey asked, puzzled.
Most of Killian's followers were maimed veterans—many of them had lost limbs or suffered crippling injuries. After being injected with the Extremis virus and regaining full physical function, they held deep gratitude for Killian, even revering him like a god.
But kidnapping Iron Man's family? That was a whole different level of risk. They knew this wasn't just some petty crime—they were going up against the Avengers.
"I need Tony to work for us," Killian stated plainly, laying out his plan.
He had hit a wall with the Extremis virus—its flaws were deadly.
Without regular stabilizing doses, the virus turned people into human bombs. And with time, it became harder to control—the stabilizing effect grew weaker.
Clearly, Killian had been one of the first to undergo the procedure. His time was running out.
He turned to his followers, rallying them with fervor. "We're doing the right thing. Once we perfect the Extremis virus and synchronize it with the super-soldier serum, humanity will enter the superhuman age—and all of us will go down in history."
He had been keeping tabs on the super-soldier serum circulating in the black market, acquiring a batch for research through various channels.
Combining Extremis with the serum resulted in a tenfold boost in performance.
But the downside was just as extreme—the flaws magnified tenfold as well.
A subject who could have lived ten years now only had one.
Still, the power boost was enough to rival Superman.
If Killian could create an army of such beings, he was confident he could conquer the world.
"Begin the experiment."
At his command, hazmat-suited researchers—faces obscured—picked up a syringe of blue serum and injected it into Pepper Potts' main artery.
The serum flowed rapidly through her bloodstream, making the veins beneath her skin glow faintly blue.
Previously dazed, Pepper's eyes suddenly snapped open as she gasped for breath. Her body was clearly undergoing a transformation.
She tried to break free, but the alloy restraints held her firmly in place.
This was only the first step. The Extremis virus would come next, once her body adapted to the serum.
Killian watched with icy calm.
There was no doubt—Pepper was the ideal candidate.
Tony would do anything to save his wife. That desperation would unlock his full potential.
Morgan, meanwhile, was the bargaining chip. She would be used to trade for Tony's research on the perfected virus.
Though some of Killian's followers felt uneasy about the plan, when it came to their own lives, they threw their support behind him without hesitation.
Morgan, the final trump card, had already been secretly smuggled out of the country—hidden somewhere even Killian himself didn't know.
Time passed second by second.
On the lab table, Pepper's breathing gradually stabilized. Her vital signs returned to normal.
She had adapted to the serum.
Even Killian had to admit—the drug was a refined, stable product.
But its side effects were obvious.
Pepper's body began showing slight male traits—her muscles became more defined, and a faint layer of gray fuzz appeared on her lips, like the downy mustache of a teenage boy.
"Inject the Extremis virus."
Another syringe—this one filled with a lava-like high-temperature solution—was plunged into her.
Instantly, glowing energy surged through her meridians.
Researchers evacuated the room at once—not only fearing an explosion, but also worried that the restraints might fail and the test subject would lash out in a frenzy.
The Extremis fusion process triggered violent mood swings and a loss of reason.
Which was exactly what Killian intended.
Only if Pepper escaped would she return to Tony's side. Killian had no interest in facing Tony directly—not until the virus was perfected and he could stand proudly on the global stage.
---
After finishing their noodles and washing it down with fizzy drinks, the group continued chatting and catching up.
"Avengers assembly notice just came in."
Suddenly, Peter leapt to his feet, fired webs from both wrists, and swung out the door toward Avengers HQ.
"Looks like it's time for Captain Gramps to step up," Allen said, raising his hand.
A portal opened, leading straight to the top floor of Stark Tower.
The group stepped through into a large hall where many heroes were already gathered.
As the portal closed—
Pietro slapped his forehead, annoyed. "They didn't pay for their food!"
"Want me to add it to the tab?"
Kurt pulled out a notebook and started jotting down entries.
It was clear that Deadpool and Spider-Man frequently dined here on credit.
Understandable. Peter was just a student with barely any money, and Wade had always been broke—not at all like his cousin, Deathstroke, who was savvy with finances.
"The problem is Allen didn't pay either. That guy ate ten bowls of noodles. I will get that money."
Quicksilver didn't care about favors or gratitude—after all, Allen had shamelessly hit on his sister.
Grabbing a kitchen knife, Pietro vanished in a flash.
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations. Thank you for your support!)