At this moment, the fact was proven once again: the Iron Man Armor technology had pushed the concept of 'getting stronger by spending money' to its extreme. As for numbers, that was just a joke; the knock-off robots Ivan brought were cleaned up by Lieutenant Colonel Roddy and Tony together in less than a minute.
However, as the boss, Ivan, by spending money, had successfully specialized into a super boss with high health and attack. Wielding Whiplash by himself, he single-handedly defeated both Roddy and Tony.
"No choice, Tony, move aside a bit. I'm going to use a special weapon to deal with him." After being knocked down by Ivan several times, Lieutenant Colonel Roddyfinally made up his mind and pulled out the big killer weapon that the Military had invested heavily in.
"Let me blow him up with 'Ex-Wife'." A small launcher popped out from Lieutenant Colonel Roddy's shoulder. Under Tony's puzzled gaze, a shell no bigger than a cigar was ignited.
With a flash of Fire, this Krypton Gold weapon, at a 'rapid' speed of twenty kilometers per hour, directly hit Ivan.
"Dong!" With a crisp sound, the ultimate Krypton Gold weapon bounced off, skipped on the Water, and then sank directly.
"Forced HP Deduction -1!"
It was as if Tony saw such a prompt appear above Ivan's head.
The scene instantly fell into an awkward silence. Roddy's mouth opened and closed; at this moment, he was completely distraught.
"What? What the hell is this? Where's my big Krypton Gold killer? This limited edition item that the Militaryspent so much money to get from Hammer, how could it be like this?"
"Didn't they say spending money makes you stronger? Why did my money go down the drain? I'm not convinced, I want to see Old Ma. Why can't I be a daddy even after spending money?"
"This is Hammer's weapon, right?" Looking at Roddy, who subconsciously nodded, Tony showed an expression of hating that Iron could not become Steel, as if he was saying, "Spending money is good, but if you don't spend it on my official genuine product, you deserve to be scammed."
"Let me do it instead." Tony strode forward. He felt he should let his old friend witness the truly correct way to spend money.
Then, a few seconds later, he was hung up and beaten by Ivan with Whiplash, and Roddy, who came to help, was also stepped on the ground by Ivan.
There was no way; Ivan was no longer that amateur player from the racetrack who, relying on a bit of skill, would strip to the waist and wield two whips, ready to fight.
Ivan had already fallen. He learned to throw money, and through a dirty PY deal with Hammer, he endured humiliation and finally obtained a set of strengthened, thickened, high-performance armor. The Ivan who would be hit and vomit blood by a car driven by a RMB player's subordinate no longer existed, and all of this was forced out by the rich second generation in front of him.
Tony also realized that normal methods wouldn't work against this blackened madman, so he looked at his good friend Roddy. "Roddy, do you want to be a hero?"
"What do you mean?" Roddy, the useless teammate, looked bewildered when he heard this.
"Nothing, just follow me. I'll take you to unlock a new pose." Tony said, already extending his hand.
And trusting his good friend, Roddy also extended his hand. The energy cannons on both their hands lit up simultaneously, and two energy beams shot out at that moment, converging together, and then a Strangechange occurred.
"Die! Behold our combined technique!"
"Boom!" With a dazzling explosion Impact, everything fell silent.
Ivan never expected that the Iron Man Armor would have a combined ultimate move setting that multiplied its power, so caught off guard, he directly knelt.
However, looking at Tony, who walked over in a victor's stance, the dying Ivan laughed. "Tony, you lost. Remember what I said? I'm not just going to get revenge on you, but also your family, everything about you."
"What do you mean by this?" Tony's brow furrowed, and at this moment, he suddenly felt a little panicked.
"You know what I mean?" Although constantly spitting blood, Ivan smiled even more mysteriously.
"Oh, no, it's Pepper!" Tony thought of the answer he least wanted to consider.
"Tony, I'm going to make you regret it for the rest of your life!" Ivan laughed maniacally, his eyes revealing deep hatred for Tony and the Stark family.
And around him, the energy output devices on the chests of those machines suddenly all lit up.
"Tony, these mechanical soldiers are going to self-destruct." Roddy said, already activating his thrusters.
"Pepper, you must be alright." Tony had already accelerated his thrusters to the maximum. At this moment, he could only pray that Lu Yifang had arrived, and with his strength, he should be able to protect Pepper.
········
"Lu Yifang, Tony won't be in trouble, will he?" At this moment, on the other side, Pepper was nervously looking at Lu Yifang. She was just an ordinary woman, but because Tony wanted to be Iron Man, she was constantly worried.
"Don't worry, that flashy guy, although a bit of a scumbag, has a strong life force." Lu Yifang said with a wave of his hand.
And just as Lu Yifang was comforting Pepper, several flashes of Fire appeared in the dark night sky, and several blurry figures were rapidly approaching.
"What is that?" Pepper asked confusedly.
"It should be a trump card Ivan left behind, specifically to deal with you." Lu Yifang's eyes narrowed, because he had already detected the nearly out-of-control power within these machines.
"But don't worry, entrusted by others, loyal to their affairs, I'm here." Lu Yifang said, already pulling out a large handful of throwing knives. He had specifically brought these from home before coming, anticipating this situation.
"Go!" A series of throwing knives flew out, emitting a sharp sonic boom. The speed of the throwing knives easily exceeded several times the speed of sound. And under the terrifying dynamic mass of the throwing knives, these rapidly approaching mechanical soldiers were easily torn apart.
"Boom!" Several mechanical soldiers exploded directly in mid-air because they were hit in vital points, while the others were pierced through and fell to the ground out of control.
And just as he finished dealing with these mechanical soldiers, Lu Yifang suddenly discovered that behind these robots, there was another flash of Fire, and it seemed to be even faster.
"There's still one, so I'll send it to you too." Lu Yifanglooked at the three throwing knives remaining in his hand, then threw them all out.
And this time, the supersonic throwing knives, while hitting the target, also bounced back a fragment of a throwing knife.
"Uh, it seems this last one is a bit sturdy and durable." Lu Yifang blinked. For that instant, he suddenly felt that the target looked familiar.
And at this moment, Pepper's phone automatically made a call, and from it, Lu Yifang seemed to hear Tony's cry of pain.
"Uh, that last one, it wasn't you, was it, Tony?" Lu Yifanglooked at Pepper's phone, then at the figure struggling to stand up not far away, and he already had the answer in his heart.
My temporary boss was knocked down from the sky by me. What should I do now? Waiting online, it's urgent!
"Kid, you did that on purpose, didn't you?" Tony's dissatisfied questioning voice already came through.
"This was an accident, and now is not the time to talk about this…."
"Are you sure it was an accident? Why did they each get one knife, but I got three?" Tony was really annoyed now. Although the Iron Man Armor protected him, being stabbed down from the sky with knives like this, he felt he really couldn't save face.
"Are you sure you don't want me to finish talking? Look around you!"
"Your topic change is too lame. My surroundings… Holy s***!" Tony turned around to look. At the spot where he fell, two other mechanical warriors had also fallen, and judging by the frequency of the red light flashing on their chests, it seemed there was no time left.
"Boom!" With a loud bang, amidst the dazzling Fire, Tony Stark was sent flying into the sky again.
"Cough cough!" Witnessing this scene, Lu Yifangsuddenly coughed twice, and his gaze towards Pepperbecame serious.
"Well~ since the matter is resolved, I'll head back first. My girlfriend is waiting for me to go back and massage her legs. You don't need to thank me for today's events; it's all what I should do. Of course, when Tony comes down later, I hope you remember to remind him to settle the bill early."
Ch 77
I said, how can you two be so troublesome!" Fury sat in his office, his hand on his forehead, his face showing absolute exhaustion.
On the holographic projection on his desk, there were reports from various U.S. television stations about the Stark Technology Expo, with all sorts of speculations spreading, challenging the fragile nerves of the public and the government.
Although two days had passed, and the government had been trying to downplay the situation, it continued to escalate. Fury had to make time to invite the two individuals involved.
"What do you mean 'you two'? What does this have to do with me? I was there to help, and I just happened to blow up a few things," Lu Yifang grumbled discontentedly.
"It's such a small matter. Don't forget, you were the one who called me there, and is this even my fault?"
Listening to Lu Yifang's defense, Fury found it hard to say much, so he turned his gaze to Tony, who was beside Lu Yifang.
"Hey, hey! I'm a victim too! It was clearly Ivan Vanko and Hammer together…" Tony's voice trailed off, especially when he noticed the disdain in the eyes of Fury and Lu Yifang. He could only spread his hands helplessly.
"Alright, I admit there's a little… most, most of the responsibility is on me, alright? You're not going to put all the blame on me, are you? That's not fair, I paid for all the compensation for the casualties."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yifang and Fury finally withdrew their gazes before Tony could get agitated.
"What is this?" Tony, who had breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly noticed a document on Fury's desk, and on it was clearly written "Superman Team Preliminary Plan Report."
"Bang!" But just as Tony reached for the document, Fury, with quick reflexes, slapped his hand down on it.
"I don't want you to see this document, because I'm not sure it concerns you. This assessment report by Agent Romanoff about you is what belongs to you," Fury said, handing the document to Tony.
"Oh, let me see. Personality analysis: Tony Stark often acts impulsively. This must be about my last car race," Tony glanced at Fury, then continued to read aloud.
"Has self-destructive tendencies. Hey, hey, I almost died not long ago. Is it strange for someone who's about to die to do some strange things?
A typical narcissist…" Tony paused in his reading, as he seemed to realize he truly couldn't refute it.
"Alright, I agree, alright? And then there's the recruitment assessment for the Superman Team. Iron Man… of course he can… alright, I'll consider this matter," Tony said, closing the document.
"Where do you get that confidence?" Fury rolled his eyes at Tony, then reopened the document, gesturing for Tony to look further.
"Tony Stark: Not Recommended!" Tony froze instantly.
"This is completely unreasonable! You could accept the old me, but why can't you accept the new me? My illness is cured, and I've also sorted out my relationship with Pepper," Tony argued.
The flamboyant genius felt hurt, thinking that participating in this team was already him doing them a favor. Damn it, how dare they not want him? You've got the wrong script.
"In short, that's my conclusion," Fury said seriously, tapping the table.
"Of course, if it's just for you to serve as a technical Advisor, then there's no problem."
Hearing Fury's sudden change of topic, Tony's lips curved slightly, then he stood up and straightened his collar.
"Sorry, you can't afford me. I'm not like this poor guy sitting here," Tony said, turning and walking out with a flourish.
Only Lu Yifang, sitting by the side, rolled his eyes. That show-off must have said that on purpose, right? Was he still bothered by being blown away earlier? Definitely. That guy absolutely still holds a grudge.
Watching Tony leave, only Lu Yifang and Furyremained, looking at each other.
"Why did you lie to that show-off?" Lu Yifang spoke first, breaking the silence.
"What do you mean?" Fury's expression showed some surprise.
"Stop pretending, you know what I mean. Tony is probably already on your list, isn't he? Why didn't you tell him?" Lu Yifang said seriously.
"Alright, you're right," Fury spread his hands and sat back down in his chair.
"Before I answer your question, I want to ask you one: which came first, the superhero or the super villain?"
"What are you trying to say?" Lu Yifang's eyes flickered, showing that he was also a bit unsettled.
"What I want to say is, if there was no Iron Man, would Whiplash still appear? If there were no heroic deeds of Captain America, would General Ross be so obsessed with strengthening soldier research, leading to the creation of Hulk and Abomination?" Fury said, the look in his eyes becoming complex.
"I understand what you mean. Superheroes and super villains are often two sides of the same coin. They are essentially existences outside of social order. A normal World certainly cannot have super villains, but it doesn't necessarily need superheroes. Many people have this idea, and there is some truth to it, but…" Lu Yifang said, suddenly changing his tone, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Fury became playful.
"But no matter how reasonable it sounds, this isn't Nick Fury's style. You're the kind of person who would happily build a nuclear bomb even if you knew it might destroy the World."
"Facts have proven that nuclear bombs are indeed a good thing, and the nuclear energy technology extended from them has illuminated the path for humanity's future," Fury interjected, smiling.
"Humanity cannot avoid new powers forever out of fear."
This was Fury. He was an absolute radical. In his eyes, power never had a right or wrong, and he would never refuse to engage with new power out of fear.
"Then why are you doing this?" Lu Yifang asked, frowning.
"Undoubtedly, this World needs superheroes, but their appearance requires the right timing. At least in my opinion, they still lack a suitable stage," Fury said with a mysterious smile.
"Superheroes…? Besides Tony, do you have any other superheroes?" Lu Yifang tapped the table, speaking leisurely.
"Uh…" Hearing this, Fury's smile stiffened. "Alright, I have to admit that it's not just a suitable stage that's missing; I'm also actively looking for other suitable candidates."
"Who you look for is your business, but there's one thing I can mention," Lu Yifang said, holding the document in front of him and waving it in front of Fury.
"Why did you change the name on this to 'SupermanTeam'? Why didn't you call it the Justice League? Aren't you afraid DC Comics will sue you for copyright infringement?"
"Is the name not finalized yet?" Fury's expression was a bit awkward, and he couldn't help but grumble inwardly, "Damn it, if you hadn't been nagging me about superheroes over and over again, I wouldn't have been led astray."
"Then what do you think it should be called?" Furyretorted.
"Wasn't the last name pretty good? Don't forget what our purpose is in forming a superhero team. Is it for so-called justice? We are for the benefit of all humanity. Is justice important?"
"Avengers?" Fury chewed on the name, which at first listen, might lead people to mistakenly think it was a major villain group similar to HYDRA.
"Alright, you think about it. I'm going back now," Lu Yifang said, already standing up and turning to leave.
But just then, Fury suddenly looked up and called out to Lu Yifang. "Lu Yifang, do you know that Hammer is dead?"
Ch 78
Hearing this, Lu Yifang's steps paused slightly, and after his expression, with his back to Fury, changed slightly, he turned around.
"How would I know about this? How did he die?" Lu Yifang asked, turning around.
He truly didn't know, because Hammer wasn't killed by him, nor was it done by White Queen. However, to say that Lu Yifang had no premonition at all would also be false, as Lu Yifang had long since thoroughly understood Hammer's background.
"Within twenty-four hours of him entering prison, the prison guard arranged a cellmate for him, and then he was killed by that inmate. After killing Hammer, that inmate also committed suicide."
"With Hammer's importance, even your S.H.I.E.L.D.couldn't protect him." Lu Yifang's eyes narrowed upon hearing this.
"At the time, our attention was all on Ivan Vanko, so the New York Police Department was the first to apprehend him. Afterward, when we requested him from the New York Police Department, we unexpectedly encountered some obstacles. Clearly, someone behind the scenes was obstructing us. Before we could take stronger measures, the news of Hammer's sudden death came out," Fury explained.
"I see, but why are you telling me this?" Fury isn't someone who likes to share secrets. Who knows how many earth-shattering secrets are hidden within him.
"Because the inmate who killed him was a hidden Mutant."
"Hmph, so someone wants to smear us Mutants again?" Lu Yifang said, his gaze slightly cold.
"The main reason should be that it's impossible to guard against," Fury said, looking at Lu Yifang, whose expression had turned cold. "Although that Mutantmight only have V2-level strength, his ability is quite special. His fingernails have potent venom, making it a guaranteed death upon drawing blood, which is why our Agents monitoring him didn't have time to stop it."
"You're no stranger to isolated Mutants who aren't part of a group being plotted against and used," Lu Yifangsaid indifferently, glossing over it lightly.
"Although Hammer is dead, his company should still have some things that can be investigated."
"Very difficult," Fury sighed. "What happened at the Technology Expo directly caused Hammer Industries' stock to crash. After this company went bankrupt, all its assets mysteriously evaporated, including all liquid funds and other assets. Someone quickly transferred all of the company's assets, and Hammer Industries' internal network database was also destroyed along with many confidential files."
"It was the Military, wasn't it?" Lu Yifang stated the answer Fury wanted to say.
Of course, all the liquid funds were taken by White Queen, but the other assets were not. Lu Yifang had said he wanted to muddy the waters, but in a situation where a towering building was about to collapse, he wasn't the only one taking advantage.
It is well-known that a formidable arms dealer definitely has intricate connections with the government. Either he has people under him, such as Howard Stark, who has significant influence within S.H.I.E.L.D., or he has someone backing him, such as Justin Hammer.
How did Justin Hammer, without outstanding talent or a strong background, rise to power merely by talking? Of course, it was inseparable from the Military's support.
Stark Industries has an inextricably linked relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. The Military, which is at odds with S.H.I.E.L.D., naturally needed to support an arms dealer who could barely contend with them.
Now that Hammer Industries was clearly doomed, those who had been hiding behind the scenes and gaining immense profits through Justin Hammernaturally had to withdraw in time. Of course, they also needed to clean up their tracks thoroughly; it's better to quickly eliminate things that have no more use.
"So, you're not truly unable to investigate, but rather you don't dare to investigate further," Lu Yifang said, looking at Fury with a sudden playful tone.
"Aren't you asking the obvious?" Fury rolled his eyes.
Although in recent times, in the confrontations between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Military, the Military has been almost completely suppressed, this does not mean that the Military fears S.H.I.E.L.D.
Don't forget this is the United States. Although the U.S. Military often has various disgusting scandals exposed, it is, after all, the U.S. Government's favorite child, while S.H.I.E.L.D., no matter how well it performs, is merely a godchild.
Moreover, what's the point of relentlessly antagonizing the Military? Although the Military and S.H.I.E.L.D. have many conflicts of interest, both sides are essentially pawns of the government, and their fundamental interests are the same.
Self-destruction is naturally an extremely foolish thing, so for some matters, it's better to turn a blind eye.
What Fury didn't know was that Lu Yifang was counting on this very mentality of his. Although he knew there was something fishy, S.H.I.E.L.D. would definitely not intervene. As for those who were taking advantage of the chaos, who in the shadows would know who? If they got benefits, then so be it. Even those who didn't get benefits, if they didn't quietly shrink back, would they really dare to show their faces at a time like this?
"How boring." Lu Yifang waved his hand and turned to leave. After getting the information he wanted, Lu Yifang naturally didn't bother to stay there anymore.
"By the way, I heard you have a new Miss at your home," Fury suddenly asked.
"That's right. Not only do I have a new Miss, but now I also have a new girl. They are both Mutants. Is there a problem?" Lu Yifang said, walking out without looking back.
Fury did not call Lu Yifang back. He naturally knew that the so-called Miss was Deathstrike, Stryker's former personal bodyguard. But at that time, she was under Stryker's control; in a way, she was also a victim harmed by ordinary people.
And what Lu Yifang said at this moment naturally indicated his stance to protect Deathstrike. If Deathstrike doesn't commit any crimes in the future, then Fury can just let it go. After all, he doesn't find it convenient to interfere too much with Mutant affairs, as long as it doesn't cross his bottom line for crime.
On the other side, Lu Yifang, who had left, returned directly home, but at his doorstep, he saw a brand new red Rolls-Royce Phantom.
"What's with this new car?" Lu Yifang asked, looking at Katie and Yuriko.
"It seems to have been sent by someone from Stark Industries, saying it's for payment," Katie explained.
"I see." Lu Yifang caressed the new car, a slight smile on his lips.
It must be said that Tony was very trustworthy. Although the original agreement to let Lu Yifang choose a car had changed to a designated one, honestly, considering what happened that day, the fact that Tonydidn't launch a Rocket at him, sending him to the sky to stand shoulder to shoulder with the moon, already counted as not holding a grudge.
"From today onward, I can also be considered someone with a luxury car," Lu Yifang said, caressing the car with a sigh.
...
The next morning, on the Mutant Academy's playground, a red luxury car stopped in front of several Mutant students. A Miss got out of the driver's seat and respectfully opened the door.
"Master, please alight."
"Don't call me Master, call me Young Master!" Lu Yifang, wearing sunglasses, stepped out of the car, then extended his hand into the car.
"Lu Yifang, stop messing around." Katie took Lu Yifang's hand with a wry smile and stepped out of the car.
"Playing around like this occasionally feels pretty good," Lu Yifang smiled, his gaze then turning to the bewildered Mutant students.
"Hello, President!"
"Hello, President... Hello, President!" The students reacted at this moment and successively greeted Lu Yifang, their self-proclaimed Student Union President.
"It really does feel good." After a brief moment of showing off, Lu Yifang, satisfied, walked with Katietowards the classroom.
However, as he walked through the corridor, a man in a cloak suddenly approached him.
"Our Student Union President, interested in skipping class with me and going somewhere fun?" The man slightly raised his cloak, revealing a devilish red face.
"Red Devil, you dare to come to the school," Lu Yifangsaid, frowning slightly.
"Because this is a school, I dare to come," Red Devil said with a smile. "The Professor discovered me the moment I appeared." This was an unspoken understanding between the X-Men and the Brotherhood.
Ch 79
This was a research institute located in a secluded suburb of New York. At this moment, in one of its quiet rooms, a red light suddenly flashed, and three figures abruptly appeared in the room. These three figures were, naturally, Red Devil, Yuriko, and Lu Yifang.
"I have to say, your ability is quite convenient," Lu Yifangpraised. With Red Devil's teleportation ability, the likelihood of him being exposed each time he came to the institute would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.
"Thank you for the compliment. It's my honor," Red Devil smiled slightly and gave Lu Yifang a standard attendant's bow.
"You've arrived." Just then, the door suddenly opened, and White Queen walked in.
With her mental power, she had sensed it the moment Red Devil teleported back.
"So this is our research institute," Lu Yifang looked around the surroundings with interest, then asked, "We shouldn't have to worry about funding anymore, right?"
"When Hammer Industries collapsed, we seized the opportunity to extract a total of 45 billion U.S. dollars in liquid assets. We shouldn't be short on funds for a long time. However, to be cautious, I still think it's best to let this money sit for a while. After all, although Ivan Vanko's money laundering skills are good, some guys have very keen noses," White Queen explained.
"You're probably worried about S.H.I.E.L.D.," Lu Yifangturned and looked at White Queen. "You can rest assured about that. I've already gotten an answer from Fury's mouth; he won't touch the mess that is Hammer Industries."
"That's for the best." Hearing this, White Queen's mood improved significantly.
"We have a facility, and we have money. Next, we need to find people. The few people I selected, although not famous, are definitely genuinely capable. Have you found them?" Lu Yifang turned and asked.
"Two of them were just invited by Red Devil. Since you brought it up, let's go take a look." White Queen turned and opened the door.
But just then, a young man with blonde hair, who looked to be seventeen or eighteen, appeared at the doorway. Seeing this figure, Lu Yifang was instantly stunned.
"John!"
"Lu Yifang!" The blonde young man was also stunned when he saw Lu Yifang.
Undoubtedly, this blonde young man was Lu Yifang's former roommate—Pyro John.
"I didn't expect you to be here." Lu Yifang's expression was a bit complicated. Speaking of which, John's seat in the classroom had been empty for the past two days, but because he was too busy, Lu Yifang hadn't paid much attention at the time.
Now it seemed that his roommate, somehow, had successfully connected with Magneto and defected to him. What was even more interesting was that Magnetohad actually placed John with Lu Yifang. This must have been intentional.
"I didn't expect you to be here either, Lu Yifang." John's expression was equally complicated.
"But it looks like we were on the same page after all. As expected, betraying Professor X and joining Magneto is the correct choice!" John said excitedly.
At the X-Men School, John felt very restricted. Although he knew that Professor and the teachers made such demands to protect them, John simply couldn't tolerate such a life. After all, freedom and indulgence were Pyro's nature. Therefore, after witnessing the shocking sight of Magneto unrestrainedly unleashing his superpowers, John's heart inevitably leaned towards the Brotherhood.
"Betrayal? I haven't betrayed Professor X. I'm just doing some things with Magneto, and Professor X knows about it. I'm actually skipping class right now; I still plan to go back for the afternoon class," Lu Yifang explained.
"There's such a thing as that?" John indicated that he understood every word Lu Yifang said, but why did they sound so incredible when put together?
"John, the relationship between Professor X and Magneto is far more complex than you imagine." Lu Yifang patted John's shoulder and said earnestly, "By the way, are you still going back for the afternoon class?"
Dropping out of school wasn't a good thing. When it came to teaching and nurturing, Professor X was far more reliable than Magneto.
"Can I still go back?" John looked at Lu Yifang in surprise.
Although Professor X and the teachers were very strict about controlling superpowers, it was naturally impossible for John to have no lingering attachment to life at the X-Men School.
"Of course, you can. If you're willing, you can completely attend classes at the academy while freely using your abilities here. If Professor X has any questions for you, just tell him I told you to do it."
Listening to Lu Yifang's words, John's eyes lit up. He stared at Lu Yifang for a long time before saying with a complicated expression, "You know, back at Acrylic Lake, I couldn't believe that the person who could directly contend with the Phoenix was my roommate."
"And now?" Lu Yifang said with a smile.
"Now I've decided, I'll follow you from now on," Johnsaid honestly. Although he was arrogant, he was someone who could correctly assess his own position and maintain a sense of awe towards those stronger than him.
"No problem, no problem. As brothers, I won't treat you badly. I'll buy you a coke when we go back this afternoon!" Lu Yifang said with a laugh, putting his arm around John's shoulder.
At the same time, Lu Yifang was also thinking that he would have the opportunity to recruit a few more promising Mutant students in the future, such as Iceman Bobby and Colossus Peter, who were both good choices.
··········
"Where is this?" The middle-aged man opened his eyes, looking at the unfamiliar ceiling. It was clear that this was definitely not the room where he had been imprisoned.
The man surveyed the simply decorated but very clean modern room. Besides him, there was also a thin man who looked to be in his fifties, currently knocking on the door, seemingly wanting to be let out, but it didn't seem to be working.
"Hi, let's get acquainted." Seeing the man wake up, the other man walked over, extended his hand, and said friendly.
"My name is Horton Radcliffe, and I am a scientist."
The man hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand as well. "Hello, my name is Dr. Stern, and I am also a scientist."
"I see. Since both of us are scientists, then the outcome is clear. The people who kidnapped us seem to want to use our knowledge," Radcliffe said thoughtfully.
"Many people have tried to get their hands on my ideas and research. I've always taken precautions, but I still ended up being captured. These people don't seem simple." The only thing that reassured Radcliffe was that no matter what these people wanted, since they were after the knowledge in his head, they wouldn't easily harm him.
Radcliffe was an independent scientist and had no nationalistic sentiments. Serving anyone didn't significantly affect him; as long as it wasn't research into extreme anti-human weapons, he could accept it, at most just putting in minimal effort.
As Radcliffe calmed himself with these thoughts, his attention suddenly turned to his colleague, because he suddenly felt that this name seemed very familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
"Dr. Stern...Dr. Stern." Thinking of this, Radcliffesuddenly became excited. "I remember now! A while ago, I heard about you from a few friends in the Military. The appearance of Abomination was related to you, wasn't it?"
Ch 80
That wasn't my fault. At first, I only wanted to help Dr. Banner. Even cloning his blood was just out of curiosity and for scientific research. Everything was perfect until General Ross brought that madman who had lost himself to power. That madman forced me to inject Hulk's blood into him. I had no choice at the time." Dr. Stern stood up and roared at Radcliffe.
If it hadn't been for the appearance of Abomination and the immense destruction he caused, Dr. Stern wouldn't have been implicated and ultimately imprisoned by the Military.
"Don't get agitated. I understand. I completely understand what you're thinking," Radcliffe waved his hand.
"To have the chance to obtain Hulk's blood, if it were me, I would do the same thing without hesitation."
Dr. Stern glanced at Radcliffe, his agitated emotions calming slightly. He took a deep breath, then turned to look at the door not far away.
"I want to leave here," Dr. Stern said, already at the door.
"Please, if I could get out, I would have already. This door isn't an electronic lock, but a traditional mechanical lock, so don't think about hacking the system. Seriously, what era is this? The people here are truly not keeping up with the times," Radcliffe spread his hands, saying with a helpless expression.
However, after Dr. Stern reached the door, he didn't check the lock. Instead, he suddenly clenched his fists, flexed his muscles, and then directly rammed his shoulder into it.
"Thud, thud, bang!" After three consecutive impacts, the ordinary door was forcibly broken open by Dr. Stern.
"What the heck, are you really a scientist?" Radcliffe's mouth dropped open. He felt that the person in front of him seemed to have a different style than himself. And sensing Dr. Stern's gaze turning to him, Radcliffeimmediately corrected himself.
"I mean… as a scientist, I thought you would open the door using a more scientific method."
"This is the physical method of opening a door, very scientific!" Dr. Stern said, then walked out without looking back.
"Slow down, wait for me." In this unfamiliar place, Radcliffe felt that it was better to follow a scientist who was good at using 'physics.'
After walking for a few minutes, the two discovered that this place was somewhat like a research institute. Except for the room they were just in, which resembled an ordinary reception room, most of the rooms here were filled with equipment, and there were some unfamiliar researchers walking around.
And when these people walked past the two, they didn't seem to pay any attention to them, until the two reached the end of the corridor and opened the door ahead.
Behind this door, the two first saw a large number of biochemical culture dishes, and various organisms immersed in these culture solutions.
"Didn't I say you couldn't come in without my permission?" an impatient male voice came. Under the gaze of the two, a bespectacled man who looked to be around fifty or sixty years old walked out.
"Who are you? Why haven't I seen you before?" the bespectacled man asked, puzzled.
"They are your colleagues, Dr. Cornelius," a young voice came. Outside the door, two men and one woman walked in, led by a young man wearing a poker mask.
Undoubtedly, this masked young man was Lu Yifang.
"Director, Deputy Director, and Mr. Alester, why have you all come?" The scientist named Dr. Cornelius, after scanning White Queen and Red Devil, finally fixed his gaze on Lu Yifang.
"When guests arrive, one must always greet them. So now, allow me to introduce them." Lu Yifang said, taking a step forward.
"First, this is Dr. Cornelius, currently our institute's only chief scientist. And these two are Dr. Horton Radcliffeand Dr. Musemse Stern. They…"
"I'm not interested in your identities. You're the boss here, right? Well, I'm telling you now, I just want to go home and see my family," Dr. Stern stepped forward, saying with a serious expression.
"Don't worry, Dr. Stern, my people have properly settled your wife and parents. They will be fine. You can see them whenever you want," Lu Yifang said, spreading his hands.
"You dare to kidnap my family!" Hearing this, Dr. Sternimmediately became furious. He clenched his fist and punched Lu Yifang's face.
"Bang!" Lu Yifang easily caught Dr. Stern's fist.
"Interesting." Although Lu Yifang was not injured at all, he felt the force of that punch. If it had hit an ordinary person, that person would have been dead or crippled. This scientist, who had a huge connection to Abomination and Hulk, was not as simple as he appeared.
And when Lu Yifang noticed Dr. Stern's pupils gradually turning green, he finally understood. "You also injected Hulk's blood, though only a very small amount."
"If I hadn't done that, I would have probably been killed when Abomination appeared," Dr. Stern, sensing Lu Yifang's terrifying nature, silently withdrew his hand and explained with a grim expression.
"Interesting. No wonder the Military imprisoned you. On one hand, you know a lot of detailed information about the genesis of Hulk, and even personally set up experiments to contain Hulk. On the other hand, the birth of Abomination is largely related to your unauthorized cultivation of Hulk's blood. Now the Military has permanently halted the enhanced soldier research project, so it's no surprise they would imprison a dangerous item like you."
"I never had any intention of becoming the next Abomination. They just don't believe me," Dr. Sternargued.
"I can feel the terrifying nature of that power. I don't want to become an inhuman monster. In fact, the Hulkblood in me has been specially extracted and weakened by me. It will only give me three to five times the strength and vitality of an ordinary person for a short period, and after that time, I will enter a period of weakness. I have always suppressed the growth of the Hulk power within me, trying to avoid using it. In this state, I won't be much of a threat."
"Since that's the case, instead of waiting for others to bestow freedom upon you, why don't you try to fight for it?" Lu Yifang suddenly said after hearing Dr. Stern's words.
"You can help me change all this." Dr. Stern's eyes stared intently at Lu Yifang.
"It won't hurt to believe me. Anyway, your situation can't get any worse, can it?" Lu Yifang said with a smile.
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
Seeing Dr. Stern agree, Lu Yifang turned his gaze to Dr.Radcliffe. At this moment, Radcliffe's eyes were fixed on Red Devil.
"Your appearance, you're a Mutant, aren't you?" Radcliffe slowly walked up to Red Devil. "I remember before I passed out, you suddenly appeared before me in a red light. You're a space-type Mutant."
"So, you two aren't Mutants either, are you?" Radcliffesaid, then turned his gaze to Lu Yifang and White Queen.
"What if we are?" White Queen frowned slightly. This person wouldn't be a scientist who discriminates against Mutants, would he? If so, White Queen might need to brainwash and reshape him again, which would be a troublesome task.
And after receiving White Queen's affirmative answer, Radcliffe's expression suddenly changed. "This is truly… marvelous."
Radcliffe began circling Lu Yifang, as if admiring a work of art. "The power you just displayed, and your appearance, although that gentleman's teleportation is also very good, his appearance is a bit… but all in all, Mr. Alester, you are truly perfect."
Radcliffe was so excited he was almost incoherent. "Do you know? I once envisioned many evolutionary paths for humans, including full/half-mechanical, fully digitized, and energy-based. But now I have to say, Mutants are also a very good choice. No, how can I use a derogatory term like Mutant? You should be called New Humans.
The fact that you came to kidnap me is an incredibly correct choice. What do you want me to do? I have extremely high attainments in the fields of biology, electronics, and artificial intelligence, so please, by all means, take me in. I will repay you with one hundred and twenty percent of my enthusiasm."
Hearing Radcliffe's words, White Queen and Red Devilboth fell silent. This person… isn't he crazy?
"Then welcome, Dr. Radcliffe." Lu Yifang smiled and extended his hand. Unlike White Queen and Red Devil, he clearly understood the reason for the person in front of him being so excited.
Horton Radcliffe, an extreme human evolutionist, has always been engaged in research in the field of human evolution, with an extreme obsession with human evolution.
And in the Marvel Universe, he is not an unknown figure. Lu Yifang vaguely remembered that he once developed the technology to mass-produce ancient Inhumans under the threat of Hive, the Inhumansleader. And given the complex origins between Inhumans and Mutants, Lu Yifang still highly values Radcliffe.
Of course, speaking of Inhumans, Lu Yifang felt that if there was an opportunity in the future, he could also go and meet them.
Regarding Dr. Stern, who was originally supposed to be a hidden big BOSS in the plot, unfortunately, the Hulkmovie didn't perform well and there won't be a second one. So Marvel definitely isn't planning to fill this plot hole. Therefore, I can only make small adjustments to Dr. Stern's subsequent settings myself.
Ch 81
With three top scientists now under his wing, Lu Yifang's research institute was officially off the ground.
Speaking of which, there are indeed many overpowered scientists in Marvel, but Lu Yifang needed to be very cautious when choosing them.
For example, the one who helped Ultron create Vision—while her research might speed things up, there were too many people watching her, and if she disappeared, who knew what kind of trouble would ensue.
As for the three in front of him, Dr. Stern was a scientistdiscarded for being worthless, Radcliffe was a stateless, free scientist, and as for Dr. Cornelius...
"Dr. Cornelius, Dr. Stern and Dr. Radcliffe have just arrived, so if they encounter any problems, I hope you can help them more," Lu Yifang said, looking at Dr. Cornelius with a smile.
"Of course, I'm more than happy to meet a few like-minded friends who are working together for the future evolution of humanity," Dr. Cornelius said excitedly, extending his hand to Stern and Radcliffe.
"From now on, we are comrades fighting together."
Watching the enthusiastic Dr. Cornelius greet them, Lu Yifang's lips curved slightly.
"Dr., I brought someone I want you to meet."
Lu Yifang snapped his fingers, and then Miss Yuriko, dressed in a maid outfit, walked in from outside the door.
Dr. Cornelius looked at the Miss in front of him, his expression changing slightly.
"Who are you…?"
At this moment, Dr. Cornelius felt that the woman in front of him seemed familiar, but no matter how much he recalled, he couldn't find any information about her.
It was Yuriko who, after a brief moment of daze, suddenly revealed her claws and walked step by step towards Dr. Cornelius, the killing intent in her eyes undisguised.
"Yuriko, stop!" With Lu Yifang's sharp command, Yuriko's figure trembled slightly and she immediately stopped.
"I'm sorry, my Miss seems to have mistaken you for someone else; you look a bit like someone she knows," Lu Yifang apologized to Dr. Cornelius.
"Haha, it's fine, I can understand," Dr. Cornelius said, waving his hand like a good-natured old man.
"Look at this little girl's claws; she must have suffered a terrible experiment.
The sins committed by those extreme conservatives against new Mutants are simply unforgivable.
If it weren't for them, my wife and daughter wouldn't have…"
As Dr. Cornelius spoke, he unconsciously clenched his fists, his eyes filled with intense hatred and unwillingness.
"Dr., don't worry, I can guarantee that those guys will all pay the price," Lu Yifang comforted him.
"Let's not talk about this anymore; I'll first take Dr. Sternand Dr. Radcliffe to understand the situation here." Dr. Cornelius waved his hand magnanimously and walked towards the other two.
Watching Dr. Cornelius converse with the other two, Lu Yifang turned his gaze to Yuriko.
"Well, did you recognize him?"
"Very familiar, I remember his aura.
Although I don't know why, Yuriko just really dislikes this aura and wants to kill him," Yuriko said, confused.
"Yuriko, the person you want to kill is already dead.
Whether from a spiritual perspective or in terms of appearance and physical characteristics, he has been completely erased.
Your enemy is already dead, understand?" Lu Yifangsaid, stroking Yuriko's hair.
"Yuriko trusts Master; everything Master says is right," Miss said softly, bowing her head slightly.
...
After a thorough inspection, much like a visiting senior leader, Lu Yifang expressed great satisfaction and delivered an important speech.
He told everyone to implement the spirit of the meeting, firmly uphold their ideals and beliefs, and for everyone to recognize the importance of the institute and the responsibility on their shoulders.
As the general manager, White Queen must not relax; she must grasp practical work firmly and dedicate herself fully to the cause of Mutant uprising.
As for White Queen's eye-roll, Lu Yifang chose to ignore it.
As a hands-off boss, he directly had Red Devil activate his teleportation.
The familiar room layout appeared before his eyes, and Lu Yifang returned home.
He should have been at school at this time, but the previous "inspection" had taken up too much time without him noticing.
Realizing he was already late, Lu Yifang decisively chose to skip class.
He instructed Yuriko to boil water for tea, then Lu Yifangmoved a chair to the balcony, basking in the Sun while flipping through the notebook left by his parents, looking as leisurely as a retired old cadre.
But this leisure did not last for a few minutes before Lu Yifang suddenly felt a strange energy fluctuation in the space around him.
Not far in front of him, space began to twist strangely into a vortex, and within this vortex, a large hole began to appear and rapidly expand.
"Teleportation portal!" By the time Lu Yifangunderstood what was happening, a bald woman in a yellow robe had already walked out from behind the portal.
"It's been a while, Lu Yifang," Ancient One said with a smile, greeting Lu Yifang.
"You finally came to see me, Sorcerer Supreme," Lu Yifang said, closing his notebook.
"Child, it seems you're a bit displeased."
"Of course I'm displeased!
Didn't you say I could learn magic?
Why is it that even though I diligently studied according to my parents' notebook, I still can't cast even a single spell?"
"Is that so? It seems the result is just as I expected," a hint of understanding flashed in Ancient One's eyes upon hearing Lu Yifang's words.
"What do you mean 'as expected'? So you really deliberately tricked me?" Lu Yifang's tone grew dissatisfied.
"So, can I actually learn magic or not?"
"Of course you can, child.
Any human being can learn magic.
While there are differences in aptitude, magic will absolutely not reject anyone," Ancient One said unhurriedly.
"Then is my aptitude not good?" Lu Yifang pressed.
"Of course not.
Your aptitude is unprecedented and unparalleled.
Compared to ordinary people, you are already countless steps ahead," Ancient One said with a smile.
"I know you are very confused, so answer one of my questions first: what is magic?" Seeing Lu Yifang's increasing dissatisfaction, Ancient One stopped keeping him in suspense.
"magic is when humans use incantations to draw energy from various dimensional planes of the multiverse, and then transform this energy for their own use," Lu Yifangpondered for a moment before answering.
The reason he had the confidence to question Ancient One about why he couldn't learn magic was naturally because he had diligently studied the basic knowledge of magic.
"You are correct," Ancient One nodded with satisfaction.
"We can actually replace the word 'incantation' with a more modern term: 'program code'.
Magicians observe the World and understand the laws of nature precisely to understand the source code of the World.
Then, based on this source code, we create our own programs."
As Ancient One spoke, she began to draw a simple magic circle with her hand in front of Lu Yifang, and after drawing the final stroke, Ancient One waved her hand.
The magic circle seemed to come alive, vibrating and transforming into a Fire magic circle.
"I just infused energy; as you can see, this is a program that successfully runs in the real World, with no bugs."
"So, magicians are essentially programmers, except they don't change the data World, but the real World," upon hearing this, Lu Yifang gained a deeper understanding of magic.
"But what does this have to do with me not being able to learn magic?"
"Lu Yifang, it seems your definition of magic is still too narrow," Ancient One shook her head.
"Lu Yifang, you should know that magic is a supernatural power.
Then how did the ancient mages first come into contact with supernatural power, and what qualifications did they have to access it?"
Upon hearing Ancient One's question, Lu Yifang was stunned.
Even now, with scientific instruments, studying and explaining supernatural power is still extremely difficult.
As for ordinary people in ancient times, let alone using supernatural power, they didn't even have the qualifications to understand it.
Supernatural power in ancient times had always been the prerogative of gods and demigods in myths.
Thinking of this, and combined with what was said earlier, 'compared to ordinary people, he was already too far ahead,' a ridiculous thought uncontrollably appeared in Lu Yifang's mind at this moment.
"The origin of magic is Mutants!"
The origin of mages being related to Mutants is a setting I made in this book based on the plot, it has nothing to do with any movies, and I'm not sure if it exists in the comics, so please, researchers, don't delve into it; everything is based on this book.
Ch 82
In the ignorant primitive society, when ancient people were still struggling for food and warmth, Mutants had already mastered supernatural powers through their talents and were fanatically worshipped as gods by the ancients.
It is said that in a much more distant era, when humanity had not yet developed civilization and was in a wild state, Earth, for some reason, gave birth to a group of Superman-like beings. They possessed extraordinary power and established a remarkable civilization.
Although the civilization established by these Superman-like beings later perished for unknown reasons, some of the remaining Supermen on Earthinterbred with ordinary humans, leaving their extraordinary power in human genes, thus giving rise to Mutants.
"This is the information about the origin of Mutants that I restored from the most ancient magical texts," Ancient One explained to Lu Yifang.
"Thousands of years ago, Mutants obtained methods to enhance their abilities by excavating the ruins of those Supermen. Their loyal servants—the earliest human mages—gained fragments of knowledge about supernatural power from their Master's books."
The earliest mages were merely servants of Mutants. For the proud and aloof members of the Hidden Leisure Society who viewed ordinary people as mortals, this was certainly a humiliating fact. However, Ancient One's expression did not change in the slightest as she spoke. She had lived for too long and witnessed too much; so-called pride held no meaning in her eyes.
"Then, in the late slave society, Mutants ushered in a glorious era. An incredibly powerful Mutant established a Mutant dynasty in Egypt, proclaiming himself a god.
However, the dynasty established by this powerful Mutant ultimately perished in a rebellion, and that powerful Mutant also disappeared into the long river of history. The inheritance of Mutants was thus severed in this internal strife, which led to the continuous decline of Mutants over the next several millennia, eventually integrating into ordinary humanity."
"Apocalypse?" Hearing Ancient One's explanation, Lu Yifang already knew who the Mutant mentioned in the records was.
"Meanwhile, their former servant mages, relying on the scattered supernatural knowledge left by their Master, through thousands of years of exploration and the accumulation of countless generations, finally organized their research knowledge of the supernatural into a complete magic system. This is the origin of magic for Earthlings."
"How the tables have turned! The once high and mighty Mutants are now studying the mages' magic, and they still can't learn it," Lu Yifang said self-deprecatingly.
"Lu Yifang, the reason you can't learn magic is that Mutants and mages utilize the supernatural in slightly different ways. Mages need to study and understand natural laws, ultimately using the World's rules to cast magic. You Mutants are different; you don't need to study natural laws; instead, you are naturally able to utilize some natural laws.
To give a simple example, modern humans need to study science and then use science to build airplanes to fly, while birds are naturally able to fly."
"So what should I do? Give up my Mutant talent so I can learn magic? Doesn't that just become another melodramatic choice between abilities and magic?" Lu Yifang pressed.
"Lu Yifang, why do you insist on distinguishing between abilities and magic so precisely? Don't be fooled by appearances; they are essentially both about using supernatural power to influence reality, just as airplanes and birds both fly, and the results are the same."
"So what you've said all this time is that a Fire-type Mutant naturally possesses the ability to throw fireballs, so he doesn't need to learn the Fireball spell at all. He's born with the highest level of instant casting. What he needs to study is how to use magical knowledge to create a larger fireball, and this larger fireball can be called magic or considered an ability," Lu Yifang summarized.
"You're telling me not to rigidly learn the spells from books, but to learn the more essential knowledge within magic to strengthen my abilities, and that I can become stronger through magic?" Lu Yifang's eyes lit up slightly as he spoke.
Speaking of which, he had been awakened as a Mutantfor several months, and as he became more familiar with his abilities, his strength grew steadily.
At this point, Lu Yifang was no longer the novice he was when he first awakened. He had previously believed his power growth was related to his computational ability, influenced by an anime from his past life.
Although his abilities were very similar to Accelerator's, he was essentially a Mutant. The reason he possessed abilities was not some cheat brought by transmigration, but rather due to the X gene within his body.
And in the Marvel Universe, he had never heard of enhancing abilities by developing brain computational power. If that were true, then Magneto, with his talent, would have discovered it long ago. Lu Yifang could also easily ask Tony to create a supercomputing chip implanted in the brain using Marvel's black technology; it would be incredibly easy.
To be honest, the Mutants in this World are more like the Gemstone espers from the 'A Certain Magical Index' World, who awaken their abilities innately and use them purely based on talent, with no need for computational power at all.
The drawbacks of Gemstones are also extremely similar to those of Mutants: it is difficult to develop a complete cultivation system that allows for gradual strength enhancement, and leveling up relies entirely on natural talent.
Just like now, after several months of continuous power growth, Lu Yifang clearly felt this growth slowing down.
He could also instinctively feel that he had encountered a threshold, the threshold of a 5-level Mutant. He was only a hair's breadth away from being a 5-level Mutant.
Even if he let it continue, he would eventually cross this threshold, because he was a natural 5-level Mutant, so he would inevitably become a 5-level Mutant by relying on his talent.
But Lu Yifang had no patience to wait. As the plot developed, Earth would become increasingly dangerous, and to establish himself, he had to continue to become stronger.
What's more, there are strong and weak 5-level Mutants. Becoming a 5-level Mutant by relying on talent might only lead to a V5- or V5 level. Lu Yifangdid not want to stop there; he wanted to become a V5+, or even a V6 in the realm of true gods.
"magic might be able to help me advance my level."
"Theoretically, this is feasible, but there's one thing that needs to be clarified," Ancient One reminded. "Mutants are naturally able to use supernatural power, but this also limits your direction of development. For example, if a Fire-type Mutant studies non-Fire-type magic, or even Ice-type magic knowledge, it will only be counterproductive and harmful."
"This is like the spiritual roots in cultivation novels. All Mutants, compared to ordinary people, are like those extraordinarily talented single-spiritual-root and dual-spiritual-root geniuses. If a Fire-type spiritual root cultivates Fire-type cultivation methods, it will naturally be incredibly powerful, but other cultivation methods will be useless."
Thinking about it this way, Mutants have six major ability systems, and within each major system, the various minor classifications are as numerous as ox hair. If there really were cultivation methods, then the overlap rate of cultivation methods for each Mutantwould be truly too low, which is why it's no wonder the Mutant inheritance was broken.
The reason why the mages' inheritance has been passed down continuously and even improved is simple: because all these mages are essentially 'five-spiritual-root' wastes. They can learn any spell that a mage researches, with basically no compatibility issues, but on the other hand, their talent is horribly bad.
Except for Ancient One, basically all of them are trash. The reason Ancient One is so powerful is because she has lived for a long time, draws power from the Dark Dimension, and has the Time Stone.
To be honest, if the Marvel mages were thrown into another World, they would probably all be magicapprentices; that's how bad the ordinary people's magictalent in Marvel is. The only one with slightly higher talent is probably Doctor Strange. Thinking about it, Lu Yifang even suspects that guy might be a genius who transmigrated from another World.
"Drawing knowledge from magic to raise my level is also quite difficult," Lu Yifang muttered with a wry smile.
Thanks to book friend Qing Yi for the reward, becoming the first Hall Master of this book, and also thanks to book friends such as Hua Kai H Ruo Xiang Yi, Shen Shen De God of Death, Feng Xing Jing Ke, Zi Feng Han Yue, and many others for their rewards. Thank you for your support!
Ch 83
For example, even for Fireman John, the Fire knowledge he studies may not all be beneficial to him; some of it might even lead him astray.
And John's predicament is child's play compared to the difficulties Lu Yifang faces, because John at least knows he's dealing with Fire.
But Lu Yifang has Vector Control; who can tell me what kind of magic knowledge he can draw upon for that?
"Lu Yifang, you don't need to be so disheartened.
While I don't know the exact method to increase your level, I do know one thing that is common: when using supernatural powers, besides utilizing rules, you also need spiritual power to control them.
Therefore, if your spiritual power increases, your control over your abilities will naturally also strengthen," Ancient One explained.
"That makes sense," Lu Yifang nodded.
Mages need spiritual power to cast magic, and abilities seem to be similar; when Lu Yifang treated Katie before, he felt extremely tired.
However, when he stomped Abomination to death with a few kicks earlier, Lu Yifang didn't feel any physical exhaustion.
Therefore, the reason he felt tired was definitely not like a mage running out of magic, or Misaka Mikoto's 'out of power' state, but rather excessive consumption of spiritual power.
So, no matter what he cultivates, at least strengthening his spiritual power will absolutely not be wrong.
"Wait a minute, if that's the case, aren't Psychic Mutants the strongest?" Lu Yifang suddenly realized.
"Ordinary Mutants use spiritual power to assist in strengthening their abilities, but Psychic Mutants only have spiritual power," Ancient One explained, clearly having studied Mutants thoroughly, as she had plenty of time.
"That's true," Lu Yifang nodded.
The most typical example is Professor X, known as the strongest brain.
And while White Queen possesses both Psychic and Enhancement abilities, the frustrating part is that these two abilities are mutually exclusive and cannot be used simultaneously.
The only one whose Psychic abilities truly complement other abilities is Phoenix, Jean Grey, which is why she... is truly formidable!
Possessing infinite energy and incredibly strong spiritual power is like having infinite HP and MP with cheats.
No wonder she couldn't die even after being submerged in the lake for three years in the original plot.
If Lu Yifang's ability couldn't also control energy, partially countering Phoenix, and if it weren't for her personality split, which allowed Lu Yifang to seize the opportunity and instantly kill her, he would likely have been at a disadvantage in a prolonged battle.
"Lu Yifang, this is a spiritual cultivation method I've modified; it should be generally applicable to most Mutants," Ancient One said, suddenly extending a finger and touching Lu Yifang's forehead.
In that instant, Lu Yifang felt a mysterious power about to enter his mind.
His body instinctively tried to activate its abilities, but Lu Yifang suppressed it with his conscious will.
When this mysterious power entered his mind, Lu Yifang was only momentarily dazed, and then a set of texts and images appeared in his mind, detailing this spiritual meditation method.
"Thank you, then I'll gladly accept it," Lu Yifang thanked Ancient One.
"You don't need to thank me, because this isn't given to you for free.
I came here because I still want to ask you for a favor."
"Tell me, as long as it's within my ability," Lu Yifangnodded and said.
Although his parents were Ancient One's disciples, Lu Yifang had not had much contact with Ancient One, and he didn't feel any emotional connection as a grand-disciple to a grand-master.
Therefore, it was best to repay this so-called favor as much as possible.
"I will be leaving soon to handle a very important matter, so before I leave, I need to resolve a long-standing hidden danger," Ancient One said, looking at Lu Yifang.
"Lu Yifang, you should return to New Mexico soon, so I hope you can help me retrieve a magical item; that item is called the saint venganza contract."
"Since you want me to go, that means it's inconvenient for you to act.
So, tell me where that thing is, and I can try," Lu Yifangfell into thought.
He felt the name was somewhat familiar, seeming to be related to Ghost Rider.
"I don't know where that thing is either," Ancient Oneshook her head and said.
"Then aren't you asking me to find a needle in a haystack?" Lu Yifang rolled his eyes upon hearing this.
"Although I don't know where it is, just now I left a special magic mark on you.
I believe that whatever is related to that item will actively seek you out," Ancient One explained.
"Lu Yifang, the magic world cannot easily interfere with this matter, otherwise it might alert a certain individual in the shadows, so I could only think of you."
"Why do I feel like I'm going to be bait?" Lu Yifangcouldn't help but grumble.
"Don't worry, at the critical moment, I will help you," Ancient One comforted Lu Yifang, then suddenly looked at Lu Yifang's pocket.
"Someone is coming for you, and I've finished explaining things, so I'll be leaving now," Ancient One said, already opening a portal and slowly stepping into it.
"Coming for me?" Hearing this, Lu Yifangsubconsciously looked around, then put his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Just then, Fury's call came in.
How did she know I would get a call?
Is it because of that thing?
Thinking about it, it makes sense; such an important item, anyone would carry it with them at all times, right?
Suppressing a small doubt in his heart, Lu Yifangpressed the answer button.
"Hello, is something wrong?"
"Indeed, it's about Coulson," Fury's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Don't tell me Coulson is going to die again and needs me to come to his rescue," Lu Yifang said somewhat speechlessly.
"No, not this time," Fury said.
It seemed that temporarily transferring his loyal subordinate out of New York had some effect; otherwise, Coulson, who had been constantly around Tony, might have really been killed by Ivan Vanko.
"But I just sent him to New Mexico to check out a situation.
I originally thought that troublesome space debris was just a meteorite or satellite fragment, and that we could just recover it and give it to the scientific research department.
But what the hell is this hammer he found?"
"And the most bizarre thing is that the craftsmanship of this hammer doesn't look like an Earth product at all, and it can't be moved an inch by any means.
So, this could be... sigh!"
"Whether it's Tony, or Lu Yifang, plus my capable subordinate, why are they all so good at causing trouble?
Can't you guys just let me rest for two days?"
Fury expressed that his heart was so tired, he might as well just retire and hand over the Director position to Hill or Coulson.
So, with an extremely complicated mood, Furyrecounted the matter to Lu Yifang and asked Lu Yifangto try and see if he could bring the hammer back with his abilities.
"So you talked for a long time and went around in circles," Lu Yifang's tone became strange.
"You're making me go all the way to New Mexico just to get a hammer!"
"..." Fury was silent for a moment.
Although he felt Lu Yifang's summary was correct, he still felt it necessary to add to it, or rather, to elevate the importance of this mission to make Lu Yifang take it more seriously.
"Let me correct you, what you need to get should be an alien hammer!"