Russell saw with his own eyes how Killian spat out magma-like blood to kill Tony Stark.
That magma-like blood could easily melt flesh and bone.
Just like now!
He slowly stood up from the chair, walked around the table, and looked down at Mr. Paradox, who had collapsed to the floor.
The once high-and-mighty superior now lay dying, a fist-sized hole burned through the left side of his neck.
The charred wound oozed streams of scarlet blood with every weak heartbeat.
"How… Hehe… Hehe..."
Mr. Paradox only managed to utter a single word before he began choking on his own blood, unable to continue speaking.
His eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.
He couldn't understand it—how could someone clearly registered as an ordinary human, a worthless time offender, suddenly unleash a power as terrifying as Killian's?
The scans taken at capture had shown no anomalies!
But there was no time to dwell on it now.
His mind grew heavier, his body numb, and the world slowly faded to darkness.
In the final seconds of his life, he saw a pair of mocking eyes staring back at him—
As if silently saying: How arrogant. How stupid.
Damn it… I still had other methods...
With deep unwillingness, the light in Mr. Paradox's eyes finally faded away.
At that moment, the alarm sounded.
Russell wasn't surprised.
The TVA likely had biometric monitors on all high-ranking officers, and an alarm would trigger upon their death.
He remained calm—no panic, no fear, and surprisingly, no excitement at having killed someone for the first time.
He crouched down and quickly rummaged through the dead man's pockets, retrieving a foldable time tablet and a controller.
At the same time, the plundering system prompted again:
Plunder complete: [Healthy Body (White)]
"Slightly enhanced resistance to illness and no hidden health issues."
Russell looked at the entry and sighed.
Seriously? This TVA supervisor was that useless? No powers, nothing special—just marginally healthier than average?
With the Extremis virus already enhancing his body, Russell didn't even bother equipping it.
He turned his attention to the controller.
After having seen Mr. Paradox operate it earlier, he quickly identified the correct button.
Ding.
The time collar unlocked.
Russell was free again.
He couldn't help but smile in relief.
Next was the time tablet.
Thanks to the passive boost from the [Knowledge Curse], he was confident he'd be able to operate it without trouble.
But just as he opened it—
A sudden red flash burst from the screen!
Out jumped a floating, clock-like entity, her voice sharp and saccharine:
"Woooow~ The folks left behind said something might happen… and they were right!"
It was Miss Minutes.
Her face twisted with a creepy cartoon grin as her body inflated in size, looming over Russell.
Russell hadn't expected that.
Why was Miss Minutes hiding in Mr. Paradox's tablet?
And judging by her tone—someone like He Who Remains (Kang) had taken notice of him?
That wasn't good news.
Russell froze, playing up his shock.
Miss Minutes laughed gleefully.
"Hey there, sugar~ How'd you get the Extremis virus? Tell me, and maybe I won't have to kill ya."
But before she could say anything else, Russell had already recovered.
Though the situation had taken an unexpected turn, he knew Miss Minutes didn't have a physical body—she couldn't fight.
Without responding, he turned back to the tablet, trying to open a time portal.
But after setting the time and destination and pressing Confirm, nothing happened.
Miss Minutes giggled.
"Ohhh, poor time offender~ Looks like your clearance ain't high enough."
"My authority on the tablet's just a li'l higher than a supervisor's, y'know~ You're not goin' anywhere~"
She shrunk back to file-size and floated in front of him, arms crossed.
"You might as well give up, sugar. You're pretty special though—'He Who Remains' is definitely gonna wanna use ya~"
Russell narrowed his eyes.
Use me? No, more like dissect me.
He had watched Loki, after all. He knew what the TVA—especially Kang—was capable of.
He didn't bother trying again.
Instead, he slipped the tablet into his pocket, looked at the floating cartoon clock, and said coldly:
"You shouldn't have kept quiet around Mr. Paradox."
Miss Minutes giggled.
"If he dies, he dies. We've got plenty more where he came from."
Russell shook his head.
"No, not about his death."
"But you shouldn't have let me remove the time collar."
Just then, the door burst open.
A squad of TVA Minutemen charged in, batons glowing with golden energy.
Miss Minutes didn't say a word to warn them about what Russell had done—or what he could do.
She floated lazily, legs crossed, ready to observe like some curious researcher.
Russell's eyes turned molten gold.
His veins glowed like molten metal beneath his skin, and the air around him shimmered with heat.
In the next second, he lunged forward—
—but at the last moment, he changed course and ran straight into a Minuteman's baton.
Miss Minutes' smug face twisted instantly.
Her cartoon expression shifted to one of panic.
"Stop!! Don't attack him!!" she yelled. "STOP!!"
But it was too late.
The lead Minuteman couldn't pull his strike back in time.
The golden baton made contact with Russell's chest—
—and the cutting effect activated.
Russell looked down at the dissolving space on his chest with no fear.
He smirked, looked at Miss Minutes, and waved.
"Bye-bye, you bodyless cartoon mascot."
"Oh wait—scratch that. You're not even a cartoon man."
"You're just a clock."
With that final taunt, his body completely vanished—erased from existence.
All that remained was a group of stunned Minutemen, and Miss Minutes, who floated in the air, cycling rapidly through expressions of anger, confusion, and pure panic.
The Void.
Russell got up from the dusty ground and patted himself off.
He felt lighter—free.
Plan A may not have succeeded, but at least he'd escaped the TVA's grasp—even under Kang's watchful eye.
And he still had the supervisor-level time tablet.
With the [Knowledge Curse], he might just be able to crack its restrictions.
And even if that didn't work, he still had the Infinity Stone-powered sling ring.
Escaping the Void would be tough—but not impossible.
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he noticed something moving on the hill in the distance.
A figure sprinting fast. Shield in hand.
Was that… Captain America?
No—
Was that the Thunderer?
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