Chapter 16 - Ch: 201-206

Chapter 201 TVA Arrests Again

One day later, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data was still deleted by a joint effort of several major financial groups.

Even so, this data had already spread, and some forces had even finished downloading it.

Even ordinary people would have scattered data downloaded.

U.S. military Bases and virus laboratories around the World began to suffer constant attacks, and once these attacks started, they wouldn't stop.

It's hard to imagine what happens when a hegemonic country falls apart; if it declines too quickly, other regional economies will also suffer.

As a food exporting country, large amounts of food were burned.

The value of the U.S. dollar was also continuously decreasing. This wave of crisis would spread throughout the World, and the trade system established in the past would collapse.

Sellers lost their markets, and buyers who needed to import food also had no place to purchase from.

The chaotic situation, coupled with the President being taken away and still missing, meant there was no leader to give orders, and the chaos continued.

Furthermore, as the U.S. military lost its financial supply and shipping lanes became chaotic, a large number of pirates emerged, making even transportation lines impossible to guarantee.

U.S. military Bases stationed overseas also faced sieges, with weapons and ammunition dwindling.

Even if they withstood the first wave of damage with advanced weapons, there were still endless enemies to follow.

Blame the U.S. military for its many evil deeds abroad, once priding itself as God's promised land, standing shoulder to shoulder with God.

Now everyone knew that God could bleed too, and that little bit of awe dissipated.

War broke out again, and the entire World was in utter chaos.

None of this had anything to do with Steve Rogers; he had already arrived at the Bamboo Forest in front of Tarot through a portal.

No matter how fierce the fighting outside, it had no bearing on him, and he even felt a little like laughing.

The more chaotic it was outside, the better; he wouldn't suffer any losses anyway.

The areas he controlled could ensure peace and continue to produce resources, so whether other places were chaotic or not was irrelevant.

Now, mining robots, planting robots, and factory production and maintenance all used robotic arms and robots, requiring only a small number of engineers for repairs.

In critical areas, engineers weren't even needed.

Robots could directly repair machines; not even people were required.

Since people weren't needed, the decrease in population due to war wouldn't have much impact.

Firstly, there was no need for external procurement, and secondly, there was no need for external trade; self-sufficiency formed a perfect closed loop.

This was also why Steve Rogers didn't care at all. Although he was set up by Pierce, what did it matter?

Did they think this would affect him?

How naive.

Steve Rogers left external affairs to Hill and came to the Bamboo Forest.

Vast, lush Bamboo Forests stretched as far as the eye could see. There was also a thick fog on the periphery, and to reach the Bamboo Forest, one had to pass through the fog.

It wasn't that no one had explored it, but to pass through the fog, one had to go by sea.

If one took the land border, upon entering, there would be countless venomous insects biting. These venomous insects and fierce beasts, each one, possessed extremely strong toxicity.

Just one bite could cause a person to go into shock, and if one accidentally fell inside.

Within an hour, one would become a skeleton. After a day, not even the bones would remain, completely disappearing.

It was a natural barrier; even burning it with Fire was useless.

Instead, after the venomous insects were burned to death, the air would contain strong toxic gas that even gas masks couldn't block, still leading to death.

Going by sea was much simpler; one just had to avoid the giant whirlpools and pass through the gaps within them.

If there was no lightning and thunder, then it was still possible to reach this new continent.

As for what happened next, that was unknown.

Just as he was about to step into the Bamboo Forest, another portal opened.

A fully armed Time Variance Authority armed team appeared again. The first team member out, after locking onto Steve Rogers, raised his energy rifle and began to attack.

Steve Rogers dodged, pulled out his infinite-bullet pistol, upgraded to a laser weapon, and pulled the trigger.

The laser hit the opponent, creating only a ripple. The protective suit seemed to have some ability to absorb energy attacks.

Dodging the laser, he clenched his right fist, twisted his waist, and rotated his body using his toes.

Hah!

A powerful qi-infused punch struck out fiercely. The qigong energy, a product of Tarot, ignored the protective suit's effect, shaking the team member inside to death!

"Abnormal target detected, lock successful. Steve Rogers, you must come with us."

"Go to hell!"

Steve Rogers swung again, and mjolnir appeared abruptly, smashing through the incoming laser energy with an unstoppable force.

It sent one assault team member flying. This blow was enough to penetrate the armor of a battleship.

However, the opponent, though sent flying, did not die but struggled to get up.

It seemed they all possessed extraordinary defensive capabilities. Was the Time Variance Authority really that rich and powerful?

Did a mere foot soldier possess such exaggerated defensive power? Was it due to different dimensions, different timelines causing suppression, or was their equipment technology already comparable to divine artifacts?

Only that team member could know how terrifying Steve Rogers' power was. They wore limited-production, cutting-edge technology.

When apprehending individuals who disrupted the timeline, they basically didn't need to be dispatched.

Precisely because of their small numbers, they always had the best armor and weapons, and the targets they apprehended were all heinous criminals.

Some people had natural divine strength, others had all sorts of strange abilities—breathing Fire, spitting ice—there was nothing they hadn't seen, only things they hadn't imagined.

Their armor carried unique laws, a timeline law that could disperse immense damage across time.

This meant that each attack was essentially damaging the current stability of this World.

Once the timeline was disrupted and unstable factors arose, it could be pruned.

Before that, the World needed to be duplicated so that after the World's destruction, a new World could be immediately recreated.

Such an unreasonable defense was actually broken by a native!

How could this not surprise them? This was the law of time, the law of time!

Whoosh!

Seeing that long-range attacks weren't very effective, Steve Rogers stopped pretending and rushed in for close-quarters combat.

The two sides wrestled together. These people's fighting skills were extremely refined, and relying on their protective suit armor, they could fight him back and forth.

More importantly, their protective suits seemed similar to Iron Man's suit, possessing the ability to learn the opponent's moves.

This meant he couldn't quickly kill his opponents, as his moves would be learned, imitated, and then countered.

"Interesting. This reminds me of Taskmaster, but unfortunately, some things cannot be countered by imitation."

Steve Rogers grabbed the opponent's arm and rotated it using a unique technique.

The moment the opponent lost balance and control, he grabbed their head with both hands and roared with all his might.

Rip!

The protective suit armor was forcibly torn open by him, and the assault team member inside, a Black man, was staring at him with a surprised expression.

Crack!

The crisp sound of a neck breaking rang out. His head rotated three hundred and sixty degrees, and with his heart also blown apart, under this double-tap, he was as dead as could be.

Originally, an assault team only had five people, not many.

Two died in an instant, one by a sneak attack, and one defeated head-on.

When the leader came out, he discovered that two of his precious team members had actually been killed!

"You actually dared to kill my men!"

Brad was furious. Every one of his subordinates had been reformed from fugitives of the World. Before becoming assault team members, they were all renowned experts in their respective Worlds.

"Not only will I kill you, but after killing you, I'll take care of your wife."

Steve Rogers sneered. If the opponent had sent a chatterbox who didn't fight but just kept lecturing him incessantly.

Then he really wouldn't have been able to act, at least he could have sat down and listened, to understand this so-called Time Variance Authority.

As for whether he listened or not, that was another matter.

I may not listen, but you can't not speak!

Hearing the opponent's words, Brad laughed so hard he almost choked, not out of joy, but out of fury!

"Very well, the order from above was for me to bring you back alive. Now, it seems, that's no longer necessary.

Sometimes, if the target resists violently and the mission cannot be completed, one can only settle for a lesser approach to complete the mission. I'm sure you, as Captain America, can understand this."

Brad took off his helmet, revealing a White man's face, his eyes full of flippancy and arrogance, a typical old White man.

"You all, go!"

The remaining two team members didn't hesitate, charging forward one on each side.

The one on the left suddenly stopped, spread his hands, and then slammed them together towards Steve Rogers.

This move was very similar to a technique Hulk once used, and later taught to his cousin, She-Hulk Jennifer!

The air seemed to be sucked out. It was just a simple clap, so why did it feel like air was being drawn away?

From a physics perspective, air is everywhere. Even if the air here is drawn away, nearby air will quickly fill the void, leading to a continuous supply of air.

Now, a simple clap possessed such power; this was simply unscientific!

The powerful suction force briefly pushed Steve Rogersback. He braced his legs on the ground, which prevented him from being pulled over.

But as the opponent clapped suddenly, the absorbed air actually condensed into an air cannon.

The invisible air cannonball, arriving late but striking first, bypassed the team member in front and directly hit Steve Rogers.

Bang!

A stumble, it felt like being hit by a stroke of luck.

Yes, a heavy truck, not good luck.

The other team member took the opportunity to ambush, extending three adamantium claws from his right hand and directly stabbing towards Steve Rogers' neck.

Clang!

The sharp steel claws struck the upgraded shield, sending sparks flying.

Before he could think much, the opponent also extended adamantium claws from his left hand, launching a furious, storm-like assault on Steve Rogers.

The steel claws swung back and forth, moves wide and powerful, each stab made with full force, as if facing a sworn enemy.

In fact, it was true, because one of the team members who died earlier was his father. Wasn't this a sworn enemy?

Hulk and Wolverine?

It could be them, but it's also unlikely to be them.

Even Steve Rogers himself didn't know how many timelines there were, nor which one was correct.

Undoubtedly, the two people in front of him were certainly Wolverine. The other one was hard to say; she didn't look like a woman, but her physique was similar to a normal person's. No matter what, Hulk couldn't be this thin and short, could he?

Wolverine's furious attacks made the shield almost smoke.

He seemed to have the upper hand, beating Steve Rogers so he couldn't lift his head, but in reality, apart from fiercely attacking the shield, he didn't seem to have much success.

Why was he fiercely attacking the shield?

Did he have a grudge against the shield?

Why not hit the head?

Why not use a groin kick?

Bang!

He did!

But the user was Steve Rogers, and the object of attack was Wolverine.

Even after being infused with adamantium, all his bones were replaced with a sturdy alloy.

But this spot wasn't; it was still flesh and blood.

This groin kick was fast, accurate, and ruthless, making Wolverine kneel on the spot.

He couldn't even maintain his steel claws and retracted them. He could recover quickly; even an injury like shattered testicles could heal.

This was Wolverine's advantage. Even if he had almost no long-range attack methods, once he got close, unless there was a direct attribute counter, with his defensive power, recovery ability, and steel claws, he would still have the last laugh.

Steve Rogers turned and grabbed Wolverine, pinning him down.

His body was still hot, the Extremis virus burning. Wolverine, who had been indifferent, suddenly struggled violently. He cried out in pain, trying desperately to stop the opponent, but it was useless.

The high temperature slightly melted the adamantium. But it was this tiny bit of liquid metal entering his bloodstream that quickly suppressed Wolverine's healing ability.

Then, with his heart pierced, Wolverine, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, was now a corpse!

Adamantium, once formed, was very difficult to melt again; even temperatures of tens of thousands of degrees could only soften it.

Not being able to melt it didn't mean there was truly no way. A tiny bit of fragmentation was actually enough.

Adamantium was extremely strong, but no one knew that this metal caused immense harm to the human body.

Wolverine could endure it only because of his strong healing factor. Toxins were constantly expelled by his super metabolism, ensuring his body wouldn't be severely damaged.

It seemed Steve Rogers had only captured Wolverine, but Wolverine died because of it.

Brad's smile grew more ferocious. He carved another blood mark on his arm; it seemed every time a teammate fell, he would carve a blood mark on himself.

"Is this Wolverine?"

Steve Rogers seemed unfazed, even able to chat and laugh with the opponent. This was merely the calm before the storm.

Chapter 202: Infinity Stones Are the Trump Card

Yes, this is Logan from another Universe; it's not wrong to call him Wolverine. Steve, why can't you just be a cog as planned?"

Brad shook his head regretfully, seemingly heartbroken by such matters.

No matter what, he had decided to kill Steve in this place. He would not allow his teammates to be killed, nor would he allow his mission to fail.

He treated every teammate like a brother. If you kill my brother, then I will have to kill you, so that my teammates can rest in peace in heaven.

The remaining teammate tore off his mask, revealing Dr. Banner's face, only he hadn't transformed into the Hulk, but maintained the Hulk's signature green panel.

Sure enough, it was a Hulk from another Universe. It's impossible to say how many Universes there are.

Each Universe represents a timeline; they can exist, but they cannot change any direction.

"How did you do that? It looks like a combination of wisdom and strength, very good."

Steve picked up mjolnir, gripping his shield with one hand. His combat suit absorbed even light, showing no reflection.

With a major battle imminent, he still had the leisure to talk and chat. Either he had a big heart, or he wanted to gather intelligence.

Dr. Banner in front of him seemed a bit dull. Although his eyes were calm, there was always a hint of an empty, lifeless illusion.

Without answering, Dr. Banner began to run, his body expanding as he ran. By the time he reached the front, he had already become a standard three-meter-tall giant.

He raised both hands high and slammed them down.

Clang!

Fist and shield collided head-on, with no sound spreading; everything was absorbed by the shield.

The originally unremarkable shield gradually began to change color, losing its U.S. standard pattern and returning to a pure silver appearance.

At this moment, it was visibly turning red at a speed perceptible to the naked eye, indicating the limit of the power it could withstand and absorb.

The shield can be destroyed; as long as it exceeds its limit, it can be broken.

If it were Thanos, he would instantly spot the shield's weakness and use his large cleaver to grab the edge of the shield and chop at it fiercely.

By breaking it at a single point, the shield would be unable to disperse the immense force, leading to the entire shield being damaged once one point was compromised.

The Hulk in front of him was doing just that. It seemed like a ridiculous and irrational act to continuously attack the shield with his fists.

But every punch he threw landed on the edge of the shield, where the conduction capability was inherently weak, only able to spread unilaterally. It couldn't spread from the center outwards, which would inevitably cause the pressure to skyrocket!

Seeing this, Steve also guessed that this Hulk was no longer the simple-minded brute from his own Universe, but a Hulk with extensive combat experience.

Such a Hulk is the most terrifying. Even if Thanos came, he wouldn't be able to make the Hulk fear him or be afraid to transform again with just a combination of punches.

Moreover, the opponent's eyes were very calm, but the feeling he gave was one of increasing fury.

The Hulk's strength characteristic is very strange: the angrier he gets, the more he uses that anger to stimulate his cells, thereby gaining greater strength.

Logically speaking, there should be a limit to strength. Once the strength exceeds a critical point, let alone hitting someone, his own muscles would likely collapse due to the immense force at the moment of punching.

But the Hulk in front of him was far from his limit. From the very beginning, each punch started with a ton of force and gradually increased.

Two tons, three tons, all the way up to ten tons, and he still hadn't stopped—this wasn't his limit yet!

Steve could also easily deliver ten tons of force, and many heroes could achieve it with a sudden burst.

But that situation is a burst, not sustainable. The Hulk in front of him was punching extremely fast, almost three or four punches per second at such speed.

Maintaining a stable power output under such conditions seems like an impossible feat.

Yet, every one of the Hulk's punches carried about ten tons of force, and it was still increasing, which was truly somewhat exaggerated.

Feeling the increasingly heavy force on the shield, Steveturned to dodge when the Hulk slammed down again, bringing the shield in his hand down hard on his head.

The red shield flashed with a purple glow as it slammed down fiercely on him.

The accumulated force already exceeded one hundred tons. Such a violent force colliding with a relatively fragile head, the result was predictable.

Bang!

The Hulk was sent flying, but Steve held onto him, pulling him back to ensure the force was fully absorbed.

With a hundred tons of force infused, the Hulk swayed and fell.

He wasn't dead, just seemed a bit dizzy.

Steve followed up with another punch, but it was blocked by the Hulk's hand.

He chewed for a moment, then spat out his teeth. The hundred-ton blow earlier had only knocked out a large tooth; he didn't even suffer a concussion!

Coupled with his sinister expression and a cold laugh, the Hulk in front of him had not suffered any serious injury at all!

Sizzle!

High heat instantly rose as Steve applied his inner energy to augment his strength, beginning a struggle of power with the Hulk.

At this moment, Brad took out a samurai sword and slowly approached, unhurriedly.

Taking advantage of the stalemate where Steve was grappling with the Hulk, he raised the samurai sword high, clearly not intending to fight one-on-one.

Even if Steve from this timeline was already very strong, countless times stronger than Captain America from other Universes.

But wouldn't he still end up regretting his demise?

To be honest, if Steve hadn't killed his teammates, he would have been happy to recruit and absorb him to chase those time fugitives together.

Now, it seemed unlikely. He would not forgive any fugitive who killed his teammates; such fugitives were often utterly heinous, with no room for redemption.

Seeing his leader act, the Hulk also roared, further gripping Steve's hands to ensure Steve couldn't escape.

Pfft!

A head flew high into the air, and the headless body remained in its posture of exerting force.

The Hulk's ferocious face flew through the air, maintaining a savage ferocity, with a hint of bewilderment in his eyes.

He seemed unable to comprehend how, despite his immense effort, he was still the one who died?

Just now, Steve suddenly exerted force. Although he was restrained, he was able to twist his body.

He merely ducked his head, and the unlucky one was the Hulk!

Brad also appeared surprised and bewildered, quickly followed by a hint of anger, which finally detonated his reason.

The extremely sharp samurai sword continued to swing and slash. He no longer cared about leaving a complete corpse for his teammate. The Blade sliced through, delivering a fierce chop, and the air produced an unbearable sonic boom.

Pfft!

The tough, leathery body that could withstand countless energy weapons was brutally chopped into pieces by the samurai sword.

Steve also took the opportunity to kick away the Hulk's remains, pushing them aside.

Bang!

mjolnir sent Brad flying, then flew back, pressing down on his bones. With ten thousand tons of gravity on him, he couldn't push it off for a moment!

Steve walked over, picked up the samurai sword, and quickly threw it aside.

Two sharp Blades popped out from the hilt! If he had still been holding it, his palm would probably have been severed!

This weapon design had a bit of Blade's shadow.

And Blade had coincidentally disappeared before, along with the Elders of the Vampire Kingdom, who had also vanished.

Only some Vampire minions remained, without much power, unable to pose an effective threat.

They couldn't even defend against ordinary ultraviolet rays, and their strength was only slightly greater than that of ordinary people, limited, and still could be countered.

Unless they kept themselves completely covered all the time, Vampires would still face being hunted and slaughtered.

"They've all been brainwashed into puppets by you. Time Variance Authority? Just a den of iniquity, a garbage place."

Steve took out another samurai sword, this one made of Vibranium, equipped with high-frequency vibrations, capable of further enhancing Vibranium's sharpness by another level, truly cutting through metal like mud.

"You're already on the blacklist, the kill list! Kill one of me, and there are thousands more of me, endless, haha!"

Brad hadn't expected a mission that was a sure thing to fail. He had miscalculated, not realizing that mjolnir's weight was enough to suppress him.

Indeed, one should never underestimate anyone. None of these time fugitives are easy to deal with.

These fugitives should be sent to the Void to be devoured, leaving not even a speck of dust.

"I have a question, why do you absolutely have to catch me?"

Steve wasn't in a hurry to kill the opponent. If the opponent had a trump card, didn't he?

The cards seen on the surface are not cards at all; they are merely a pretense to deceive the opponent.

"If you don't die, stronger threats will emerge, the timeline will collapse, everyone will disappear, everyone will be finished."

Brad secretly pulled out a one-shot kill pistol, the Time Variance Authority's latest invention. It works against people from any timeline; once hit, they dissipate, completely vanishing.

Doing so would make trimming and repairing timelines extremely difficult, as this method of death would make it impossible for characters in the current timeline to be resurrected by any means.

This posed a significant obstacle to their trimming and repairing of timelines.

But at this point, there was no time to worry about such things. Kill him first, or else he would be the one to die!

His body was restricted, but his hand could still move.

"Is it that same old rhetoric again? Incompetent failures only make excuses and reasons. Truly capable people have already started looking for solutions."

Steve shook his head, a crimson glow appearing in his left hand. Energy swirled in his hand, and he snapped his fingers.

Snap!

Brad was horrified to find his pistol had turned into a banana. How was this possible?

"The Infinity Stones shouldn't be effective, impossible, absolutely impossible!"

He had forgotten one thing: every Universe has Infinity Stones or similar items. These top-tier artifacts represent the laws and meaning of existence in their current Universe, rules that cannot be overturned.

Only upon arriving at the space where the Time Variance Authority is located, that mysterious area, would all Infinity Stones, and even artifacts, become ineffective.

For example, mjolnir, when it arrived there, was just an ordinary hammer, too ordinary to be used for hammering nails or tightening screws, even considered clumsy.

But if the Infinity Stones remained in their respective Universes, anyone who came would have to face the wrath of these Stones.

Clearly, Brad had forgotten this.

In his office, these Infinity Stones, wildly sought after by people, were nothing more than stones used to weigh down paper documents.

Aside from being pretty and crystalline, they were less eye-catching than a stroll through Portland Street.

Steve originally didn't want the Reality Stone, but this Stone seemed to be fated with him, so he would use it.

Not using it was because he didn't want to rely on the Stones. It's like playing a single-player game with cheats enabled; it easily becomes dull, tiresome.

Using it once is satisfying, using it always is always satisfying.

"Tell me, how do I get to the Time Variance Authority?"

Steve walked up to Brad, placing one foot on his nose, interrogating him in a highly humiliating manner.

With his nose and face stepped on by a boot, Brad felt like he was about to explode with rage. Was there any more humiliating way than this?

It was utterly outrageous, how could such an outrageous thing happen!

Humiliation!

This was outright humiliation!

"I'll take you to the highest court, I'll sue you to death, you beast! Don't think I'll tell you anything!"

Bang!

Under the effect of the Reality Stone, Brad's head transformed into a giant, expanding balloon that was continuously inflating.

When the gas filled too much, exceeding the critical point.

His head exploded, and his body followed suit, dying a truly gruesome death.

Steve had never intended to spare their lives. He didn't care about the so-called Time Variance Authority, nor the so-called Sacred Timeline.

He lived, and he would live according to his own ideas. He would not follow a script decided by others, much less obey their commands.

Go back to being that old-fashioned Captain America?

Don't even think about it. It would be dull and boring. Such a life, it would be better to just die.

When one has no ability to resist, obedience is the only way to survive.

Now that he was fully fledged, powerful enough to contend with Odin, the so-called Time Variance Authority was no longer a threat.

If he wasn't mistaken, his current timeline was the Sacred Timeline, and trimming it wouldn't be simple.

Although he didn't know why they didn't trim it, there must be concerns or it must be impossible to trim.

If a simple cut would solve everything, why would they send people to their deaths?

It was precisely because they couldn't that they sent people. They wanted to capture him, brainwash him, and throw him back to continue being a perfect workhorse tool.

Having seen through their intentions, Steve knew what he needed to do next.

He needed to continue getting stronger, first by devouring or refining Odin's residual divine power.

Damn Odin, he couldn't even rest in peace after death.

To punish Odin, Steve decided to make Frigga bear twenty children. Once she bore twenty, she would be considered liberated.

Old man Odin, he probably never dreamed that his wife would bear children for someone else, right?!

Chapter 203 Wives Deeply in Love

Collect the bodies of these people for reverse engineering, especially the things they carry; gather them all.

Anything that can transcend eras must have its unique merits.

After doing all this, Steve lifted his foot and walked into the Bamboo Forest, disappearing into the mist.

Beyond the Universe, in a place not on the timeline.

This place is very similar to the Land of Nihility at the end of time, except that everything in the Land of Nihility is regularly filtered and cleared, while here it is not, but exists in Eternity.

Operations Management Department.

A white-haired woman looked at the signal of the light going out on the screen, her aged face showing a ferocious anger.

"Minister, the First Combat Squad was completely wiped out, and the locators we embedded were also obscured."

"I can see it!"

The old woman roared. That Brad was her lover, and he died just like that. Where would she find another slave to grovel at her feet?

Steve's data was retrieved: his avatar, resume, and abnormal changes were all recorded in the archives.

According to this timeline, Steve should have been trying to integrate into modern life while carrying out various missions for S.H.I.E.L.D. after the Avengers 1 battle.

Only later would he slowly start to discover HYDRA's undercover agents within S.H.I.E.L.D., and then realize that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been replaced, becoming 'Snake S.H.I.E.L.D.', a chilling process.

The current Steve not only took Thor's original Mjolnir, but also Doctor Strange's exclusive equipment—the Cloak of Levitation.

He even went to Asgard to fight Odin, forcing Odin to unseal his divine power and engage him in a full-blown battle.

This ultimately led to his body being unable to withstand the power, the seal breaking, and the premature appearance of Hela, the Goddess of Death.

If it were just Steve's individual anomaly, it would actually be within a reasonable range.

As a Sacred Timeline, fluctuations are very normal. But large-scale changes, that seems very unreasonable, very abnormal.

Such a maverick must be suppressed, captured, brainwashed, have superfluous memories cleared, and be re-transformed into the pre-defined and recorded personality template.

This way, by re-inserting him into the timeline and making some minor adjustments, the timeline can be ensured to follow the predetermined script.

This is also why Steve must be captured; such a protagonist is very difficult to replicate, so it's best to put the original back.

Watching Steve enter the Bamboo Forest and disappear from the screen.

The old woman gritted her teeth and had her subordinates print out the combat report, listing detailed parameters.

She was going to seek help, to the Court of Justice. As the Operations Department, they only had the right to apprehend fugitives, and their firepower level was restricted.

All captured fugitives would go to the Court of Justicefor trial, either to be remade, exiled to the Land of Nihility, or to stay and become employees of the Time Variance Authority.

The Time Court is the most powerful department; they can increase or decrease the firepower restrictions of the Operations Department.

They have jurisdiction over all other departments, so the Minister reports any issues.

The old woman was not the Minister of the Operations Department, but merely a middle-level manager, close to the top. She held the report, hesitated, then changed into a professional suit suitable for a woman of the World, and walked towards the Minister's office.

There are also unspoken rules here, and dirty dealings.

Just looking at this point, one knows that the Time Variance Authority is a garbage place full of filth.

It would be better to use robots throughout; using flesh-and-blood creatures will inevitably be influenced to some extent, their thinking distorted, misled, and thus they will make mistakes.

Only robots, managed by a core program, cannot be turned, will not slack off, and will not abuse their power for personal gain.

What a pity.

Steve sent all his equipment back to the safe house laboratory, entrusting Su Rui with cracking and researching them.

Now the entire laboratory relies on her for scientific research; her importance has skyrocketed, to the point where even having children has to be postponed.

This is out of concern that pregnancy would affect the progress of scientific research.

It's hard to say if this is good or bad. The good news is that she doesn't have to have Steve's children yet; the bad news is that everyone else has children, and she hasn't, which makes her somewhat unique.

In the Bamboo Forest.

Steve had been inside for seven days, and in those seven days, he hadn't seen a single person, not even the shadow of a rabbit.

Such a vast Bamboo Forest, yet not a single animal?

He crouched down to examine the ground; the soil was very loose, covered with fallen dry leaves from the bamboo.

Without people passing through, the soil naturally appeared loose. If people frequently walked on it, over time it would show signs of compaction.

But he had observed for a long time, and the soil here was consistently loose; apart from the gentle breeze, there was no other movement.

There weren't even ants, which was the strangest thing.

If there were no traces of animals, it would be easy to understand; perhaps they were driven away, or perhaps they were all killed.

If an area originally had no animals, it would take tens of millions of years of evolution for animals to perhaps develop.

Now, a silent Bamboo Forest, without a single trace of movement.

"Something's strange. When Wenwu came here, he could still encounter Guardians, so why have I been here so long and there's been no movement at all?"

With a thought, the Cloak of Levitation appeared behind him, lifting Steve into the air.

There seemed to be an ancient law restriction here, preventing him from flying higher or seeing far into the distance.

Everything was a vast expanse of white mist, obscuring his vision while making the air noticeably humid.

Here, all contact with the outside World was completely lost; without a water source, without food, those outsiders who mistakenly entered the Bamboo Forest would likely starve or die of thirst, even if they weren't killed.

Even if they carried enough food and water, the mist here increased the humidity in the air.

In such a damp environment, the human body can easily breed germs; the most direct consequence is a sticky, very uncomfortable feeling.

Over time, it's easy to get sick, and with no medicine to take when sick, one can only wait for death.

"Is it possible that this is an illusion, a trick of the eye, deliberately designed to prevent people from seeing through the Bamboo Forest?"

Steve returned to the ground. He stopped walking and found a relatively clean spot.

He snapped off bamboo by hand and built a simple frame to separate himself from the ground.

Then he sat on it, assuming a standard meditation posture to practice Tarot Qi Gong.

Time passed minute by minute; there were no attackers, no rustling of leaves, and at this moment, even the air seemed to solidify.

In the mist, a pair of eyes watched Steve.

From the moment he entered, he had been observed without missing any opportunity. Steve himself hadn't even noticed this surveillance.

To the observer, Steve was just a bit puzzled.

He had been inside for seven days, not eating or drinking, and not needing to use the restroom. Was he shy?

She had seen many outsiders, perhaps out of curiosity, or treasure hunting, or wanting to become apprentices, or looking for trouble and plunder.

Everyone who came in couldn't get out of the Bamboo Forest; out of thousands of people, only those who passed the Bamboo Forest's test could proceed to the next step.

Yet even so, countless outsiders died in the Bamboo Forest every year.

Their bodies and skeletons were all devoured by this Bamboo Forest, even their bones absorbed.

This also made the bamboo in the Bamboo Forest even tougher, making it excellent material for training equipment. Some special ones could even be used to forge weapons.

The observer sat cross-legged. She needed to rest for a moment, then go eat something, and then use the restroom.

Tarot warriors are also human; they also need to eat, but they can control the frequency. Eating once every few days, using the restroom once every few days, but it's impossible to not go at all.

Another seven days passed; it had been almost half a month.

Since Steve began meditating, he had been like an old monk in deep meditation.

He hadn't moved again; there were no mosquitoes, no poisonous insects, not even ants here.

This Bamboo Forest seemed to have a life consciousness that would devour all life entering it.

No matter how small an ant, it can provide protein.

No matter how small a fly, it can provide meat.

This is also why, apart from bamboo, there are only wild grasses no higher than the ankle and some unique external medicinal herbs here.

"Is this person sick?"

The observer closed her eyes in exasperation, continuing to meditate.

Suddenly, a ripple came.

She opened her eyes and silently retreated to the edge of the Bamboo Forest.

Here was a group of Tarot warriors dressed in coarse white cloth, all villagers who had lived here for generations.

Every villager, regardless of gender or age, bore traces of Tarot Qi Gong.

To learn Qi Gong, besides having specialized guidance, the rest depends on talent.

"A group of outsiders entered the Bamboo Forest seven days ago and have now died."

"They died, so what's the big deal?"

"Those people had residual viruses, and the Bamboo Forest has been polluted. This matter must be reported to the Elder; if the pollution is allowed to spread, we fear the Bamboo Forest will lose its barrier function."

They weren't hermits; they knew about the outside World.

However, they were not allowed to leave privately, and even for official duties, there were basically no instances of leaving the Bamboo Forest.

As long as they didn't go out, they wouldn't be tempted by the colorful World outside.

To leave the Bamboo Forest and live a free life, one's Tarot Qi Gong would be abolished, and they would become an ordinary person.

Tarot is responsible for guarding evil creatures; everything here is taboo, a secret, and no one is allowed to reveal it or know about it.

"You go report; I still need to keep an eye on that intruder. Also, please report my situation: this intruder knows Tarot Qi Gong. He looks a bit familiar, like the Captain America that's been making waves outside? I'm not sure, I didn't dare get too close."

"Captain America? What is he doing here? Does he want to invade like a Bandit?"

"I don't know either; you all go back and report the situation."

The monitor finished speaking and re-entered the Bamboo Forest. She vaguely felt that something was very wrong here.

Steve was still meditating like an old monk in deep meditation. He found that meditating here was very suitable, and the effect was unexpectedly good.

Qi Gong is a very profound skill; it cannot be seen or touched, yet it truly exists. It's hard to explain exactly what it is, but it's connected to the human body.

This is the power generated by cells, power originating from the human body.

Qi Gong merely stimulates the potential of the human body; essentially, it is an individual's power.

Ordinary people cannot utilize the hidden power of the body; this seems to require special methods to achieve.

Qi Gong was circulating smoothly, and there was a subtle trend of assimilating Odin's divine power. This surprised Steve, so he calmed down and continued to meditate, performing Qi Gong.

Each time he completed it, his understanding and experience of Qi Gong would reach a higher level.

Originally, his understanding was only based on what the system provided, and he had never really tried to understand it.

He purely treated it as a power amplifier, something that could be used to enhance strength and as one of the few long-range attack methods.

Qi energy originated from the East, but in the U.S. context, discussing Eastern mystical martial arts always felt a bit strange.

Coupled with the physique and strength granted by the Super Soldier Serum, he was once somewhat engrossed in it.

Later, with various rewards granted by the system, Tarot Qi Gong became somewhat dispensable, like something left in a corner and ignored, only picked up and looked at when he remembered it.

This long-standing neglect almost made Steve miss this treasure.

Everything here exists within the timeline; there will be no Gundams or unreasonable things appearing.

What surprised Steve himself was that half a month had passed, and he was still able to curb his impulses.

Before, without a wife by his side, let alone a day, even half a day felt difficult. Now, half a month had passed, and he was actually getting used to it.

This wasn't being confined, but rather learning to control himself freely.

He could feel and sense that he was still the same as before, with very strong thoughts and impulses that he wanted to act upon.

Before, he couldn't control himself; now, he was completely in control, having learned to say no.

Rarely able to calm down, Steve was not in a hurry to leave the Bamboo Forest and continued to meditate here.

The sky began to drizzle; this was probably the first weather change in half a month.

Strong winds blew, and the bamboo in the forest collided, making rustling sounds.

The 'shasha' sound of the bamboo leaves colliding was very pleasant; after living in the urban concrete jungle for so long.

Coming to this paradise, the restlessness he once felt in his heart could now settle down.

This is indeed a place for transformation, a very good place.

While Steve was still meditating carefree here, practicing Qi Gong and also honing his character and mindset.

Over in the safe house.

His wives were very worried about him. Besides knowing that he was safe, sound, and still alive, they knew nothing else.

As the eldest sister, Hill couldn't panic. But after half a month of not seeing him, she couldn't help but miss him terribly. She never used to feel this way, perhaps knowing her husband would return, she was fearless. Now, having lost contact, she felt somewhat uneasy.

At this moment, Hill realized that she had fallen so deeply in love with Steve that she was hopelessly smitten.

Chapter 204 A World Spider-Man Can't Understand

Edith, how is Steve doing now?"

Hill composed herself, a faint trace of thought still lingering in her mind. She really wanted to see Steve; as long as he was there, she would have motivation and confidence for anything she did, no longer feeling lost.

"Master is cultivating in the Tarot Bamboo Forest. Everything is safe."

Edith's mechanical voice was as cold as ever, completely devoid of emotional fluctuations.

Compared to Jarvis, there was indeed a bit of a gap; at least Jarvis would tell jokes and offer praise and compliments based on different news or information.

It was good that he was safe, but it had been half a month, and for him not to come and fulfill his 'public grain' duty was indeed a bit unreasonable.

Meanwhile, Polaris and Jean Grey exchanged glances, both seeing the relief in each other's eyes.

As long as Steve was at home, neither of them could escape; they would always be regulars, not just because of their beauty, but also due to their unique temperaments.

It gave them a false impression, like a luxury car belonging to someone else, which they could drive hard without feeling bad, even if the mileage went off the charts.

Hill's gaze fell on the outer medical laboratory, where Spider-Man and Iron Man were still housed.

Now, Spider-Man showed signs of waking up; it seemed the treatment was very effective.

Iron Man Tony remained in a coma as usual, his limbs having been fully reconstructed, and he was now in a period of recuperation.

The new bones and muscles were being integrated with the original body cells, and they were observing for any rejection effects.

Generally speaking, one's own organs would not have rejection effects or reactions, but nothing was absolute.

The brand new limbs were all constructed using cultured original cells, essentially part of the same body; it was just a new growth and an old one, so observation was still needed during integration.

In the camera, Spider-Man, who had been lying still, suddenly sat up, his expression somewhat dazed.

Not long after, Dr. Octopus, who was reviewing data sheets outside, opened the door and walked in.

"Otto? Where am I? Have I been asleep for a long time? Has it been seventy years?"

Spider-Man Peter clutched his head, feeling the grogginess of just waking up, not yet fully alert.

"Hey, kid, you've been asleep for almost twenty days.

It's truly a miracle you woke up. Oh, you had extensive facial damage before, so we used your skin cells for cultivation and transplantation.

If you feel uncomfortable, don't scratch it. You need to bear with it, and it will get better once you adapt."

Dr. Octopus was quite decent when he wasn't evil. A typical White Dr., but without the inherent arrogance of White people, showing much more humanity.

Even after joining the Dark Avengers, he didn't seem to have done anything truly bad, only killing a few bank guards and robbing a few armored cars when he was 'darkened.'

Spider-Man was somewhat confused; he only remembered agreeing to help Iron Man rescue people, and then he was blown away by a high-temperature explosion, losing consciousness.

"Thank you, Otto, it's really good to see you."

Dr. Octopus's mechanical arm reached out and patted his shoulder; using the mechanical arm indeed saved effort and worry.

"You're welcome. If you recover well, I'll need your help with something."

"What is it?"

Spider-Man didn't refuse. Given their teacher-student relationship and his status as a superhero, as long as it didn't violate the law or public morals, he wouldn't say no.

The phrase 'good guy Peter Parker' was no joke.

Dr. Octopus pointed to his neck, where there was a damaged chip at the back.

"This is my control chip. It's been damaged since the last experiment, patched up for three years, and I've been using it until now.

There's always a second voice in my head, which bothers and pains me greatly.

I need to make a new chip to control my mechanical arms and eliminate the noise in my mind.

Unfortunately, chip manufacturing isn't my strong suit. I wanted to ask others for help, but they all have their own things to do, and I don't trust them."

Although they were all Dark Avengers, both Green Goblin and Whiplash were pure villains.

Green Goblin's evil and insidious nature went without saying; who knew if he would leave a backdoor in the chip for him.

Whiplash was purely inhumane; he used Hammer Industries as a springboard to create a large number of drones to retaliate against Tony, and also killed many civilians.

This person was a complete villain, and Americans don't trust Soviets, which is quite reasonable, right?

After much thought, only Spider-Man could help.

If Tony were still alive, asking Iron Man for help would also be a good option.

Unfortunately, Tony was lying there like a dead dog now; he wouldn't recover for several months, or even half a year.

To be beaten like this, and the villain to escape completely unscathed, disappearing without a trace.

Anyone who encountered such a thing would probably be the first to lose sleep.

Thinking of this, Dr. Octopus found it somewhat amusing, to the point of being laughable.

A mighty Iron Man, a superhero who participated in the Battle of New York and fought aliens, would actually fall so completely.

It seemed his combat intelligence hadn't increased at all. Whiplash had already said it two years ago: his palm repulsors took too long to activate and were completely ineffective.

Two years later, there was still no improvement. This loss was not unfair; it was very realistic and very correct.

Even if he had focused on the Iron Man Suit's attack methods, improved attack strength, and increased attack options, he wouldn't have lost so miserably.

Spider-Man shook his head vigorously, and his stomach rumbled.

"Before we start, I think you should treat me to a meal as payment. How does that sound?"

"Haha, excellent! Let's go out for a meal.

And I'll briefly explain the current situation to you. The World order has changed, and it's quite chaotic outside.

There's only one place that's relatively stable."

Dr. Octopus couldn't help but sigh when he said this, feeling a sense of lament.

The old White Dr. watched as the former U.S. declined, its hegemony collapsed, and now diplomatic and trade pressures were gradually emerging.

Prices soared, causing many companies to go bankrupt, and household economic pressure became exceptionally heavy.

It was hard to believe this was the U.S., a chaotic, decadent nation.

The more chaotic it became, the higher the crime rate, and the higher the crime rate, the more chaotic society became.

They arrived on the street outside, got into a car, and drove away.

Spider-Man found that things had indeed changed very quickly, and there were gunfights every few steps. Was this still the U.S. he remembered?

How could he wake up and find himself in such a place?

They left the street and entered an area blocked by high walls.

Vehicles underwent scanning and manual inspection before being allowed through the gate into the walled area.

Spider-Man noticed that the inspection personnel were from private companies, equipped with powerful firepower.

On the high walls, there were also automated laser turrets aiming, instantly piercing anyone who posed a potential threat.

In addition, armed personnel carrying anti-tank Stinger man-portable Rocket launchers were on patrol.

Good heavens, what on Earth was going on? Had he come to the Middle East?

Only that place was known for frequent warfare in his memory; now this was the U.S., how could it have become such a wretched state?

"Strange, isn't it? You won't find it strange later."

Dr. Octopus felt some regret; the collapse of hegemony led to the direct paralysis of fiscal revenue, beyond recovery.

Previously, the U.S. dollar was hard currency, but now hard currency had become bullets, firearms, and food and Water.

The complete collapse led to huge changes in Worldtrade.

The U.S. was an exporter of high-tech products and a major importer of low-end and mid-range consumer goods.

Now, with the collapse of dollar hegemony, the U.S. dollar had become waste paper, not even wanted for toilet use.

The U.S. dollar couldn't buy needed goods, and international capital acted as a weathervane; once anything seemed amiss or there was a hint of trouble, they would act immediately.

They didn't care about the U.S. at all; if the U.S. collapsed, what did it have to do with them, the capitalists?

Move to another place to continue wreaking havoc, or prop up a falling giant? Did you think they were good people?

After entering the high walls, there were shops everywhere. The neon-lit dance halls had disappeared, replaced by practical shops like blacksmiths.

The streets, which should have been filled with scantily clad women waving at cars, offering the experience of a car that cost hundreds of thousands for a few hundred bucks, were now empty.

Now they were all gone; not a single one could be seen on the street!

"This is Reston District, a community established by Vampires. You can think of it as a Chinatown magnified countless times.

They have a high degree of autonomy here, and it's currently the only safe haven left.

It's not so chaotic here; as long as you have a skill, you can earn food and points."

Dr. Octopus began to explain slowly. In the past half-month, the U.S. had collapsed to the point where each state was fighting its own battles.

No one could take on the thirty trillion U.S. debt, which also meant no one wanted to run for President to inherit the mess.

What did the federal debt have to do with their state governments?

In short, they wouldn't pay, and they didn't have the money to pay.

The whole World had bought U.S. debt, and now you're saying you won't pay it back?

Not to mention the interest, you're not even paying the principal?

No wonder others abandoned the U.S. dollar; such rogue behavior would only make people give up investing in the U.S.

But let's not just talk about the U.S.; other countries were also in a mess.

They all relied on importing high-tech products from the U.S., and then producing low-end, non-technological goods in their own countries to send to the U.S.

They traded quantity for quality to seek development.

But now the U.S. was in chaos, the market had collapsed, and U.S. debt had become waste paper.

They had all used real gold and silver to buy it, and suddenly it turned into waste paper. Public opinion pressure mounted, and riots followed.

In just half a month, the situation had deteriorated to this extent, which was unimaginable.

The reason there was no invasion of the U.S. was also because the U.S. military was still intact; even if it had declined, it could hold on for a while.

Later, when aircraft carriers lacked maintenance and upkeep, and weapons and ammunition supplies ran out, that would be the time for celebration.

Furthermore, everyone was overwhelmed with their own affairs, so they had no time to deal with the U.S.

The old order had collapsed, and a new order was bound to emerge to replace it.

Precisely now was an awkward period of transition, a time of old and new, with a gap in between.

Learning about the events of the past half-month, Spider-Man had a feeling of dreaming.

He suddenly thought of something very important.

"Otto, stop for a moment. I need to find Ursula, my wife."

With the situation so chaotic, it was the ordinary people who suffered the most!

Hearing this, Dr. Octopus laughed, and he laughed very loudly.

Loyal and righteous, sharing hardships, not abandoning his responsibilities when most needed—he was indeed a good family man.

"Haha, I knew you'd say that. Don't worry, your wife and my wife are both in this community.

It's very safe here, and they can earn some food through their professional knowledge.

Now the U.S. dollar is waste paper; only food is hard currency."

Dr. Octopus laughed heartily; he knew Spider-Man was that kind of person, so he had made arrangements in advance.

Not to mention their teacher-student bond, even if he just wanted to win over Spider-Man, he had to do this.

It was very safe in the community, but contributions were required daily. The community didn't support idlers or useless people.

They didn't care about homeless people, humanitarianism, or anything; if you had the guts, go sue them in the Court of Justice.

It was estimated that the Court of Justice was shut down now; at this time, who needed a Court of Justice?

Those so-called environmental organizations, animal protection organizations, international human rights organizations, diversity departments, and other parasites.

Now, every single one of them was silent. Anyone who dared to question human rights in the community or demand supplies.

Anyone who claimed that the community's factories severely affected seal sleep quality and damaged the environment had now been sunk into the sea.

Playing these games in peacetime still had a market, only making people angry but afraid to speak out.

What period was this now? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it wartime.

Still clinging to old ideas and talking about 'isms' meant wanting to eat bullets!

Cheap pie couldn't fill you up, but free large blades—one bite and no one would utter a sound, not even a bad review.

"Thank you, Otto, you truly are a trustworthy and reliable friend.

However, I still want to go back and see Ursula with my own eyes before I can rest assured."

Spider-Man was still struggling to digest the changes brought by the shifting times; he couldn't even imagine what the future would become.

The World was in complete chaos, with demons dancing wildly; where would they go from here?

"Alright, I think my wife has already prepared dinner. It's hard to go to a restaurant these days.

I guess no restaurant would be open, and those that were would have already been driven out of business by 'zero-dollar shopping.'"

Dr. Octopus sighed as he said this. The so-called 'zero-dollar shopping' was essentially no different from outright robbery.

One just sounded a bit nicer, the other not, but in essence, they were the same.

Looking at the busy factories, and in the far distance, the fenced-off farmland, he never imagined that society would regress to this extent.

In chaotic times, weapons were the most important; with weapons and bullets, one could protect one's wealth.

Only then came planting food, and then developing industry.

The so-called industrial development was nothing more than picking up scraps from others.

Chapter 205 Tarot Guardian Yingnan

Inside the Tarot Bamboo Forest.

Two months had passed, and Steve was meditating as usual, unwavering.

He circulated his inner energy, slowly devouring Odin's divine power, digesting it, and converting it into pure energy for absorption.

Steve seemed to glimpse a higher-dimensional Worldand witnessed many extraordinary sights.

Why were the royal members of Asgard called gods?

It was because they were born with an affinity for laws, and that region itself was uniquely blessed, allowing them to comprehend many laws.

Regarding these laws, Steve only knew of their existence, similar to the Infinity Stones.

The difference was that the Infinity Stones were the physical embodiment of laws; anyone who could withstand their power could use the corresponding law.

The other type was an invisible, intangible law that required one to perceive and feel its existence with their heart.

Contacting, adapting, learning, and finally attempting to use them were all forms of experimenting with laws.

Summoning lightning was one such application of a law; a deep understanding of lightning allowed one to summon it anywhere, which was the Law of Lightning.

Just as the Guardian was getting bored, she finally saw Steve open his eyes; this guy had meditated for two months straight.

She was almost bursting, what a strange fellow.

Upon opening his eyes again, Steve discovered the secret of the Bamboo Forest; after absorbing Odin's divine power, he hadn't gained strength.

He had only gained a heightened sense of laws, able to perceive things he couldn't before.

If he needed an example, it was like ordinary people couldn't see microorganisms in water, but he could.

The things seen were the same, only the extent of what was seen differed.

This Bamboo Forest had a life of its own; its apparent tranquility was actually a hidden danger.

Recalling past war scenes, it was easy to spot a problem.

If in a forest, birds only circled above and never landed to rest, then there must be something they feared within that forest.

Applying this, one would realize that there were people ambushing inside, which is why the birds dared not enter.

The current Bamboo Forest was like this, except the ambush was not by people or animals, but by the Bamboo Forest itself.

Every bamboo stalk was like a tendril, serving as the eyes and ears of this Bamboo Forest; everything that happened here would be transmitted to the Bamboo Forest's consciousness.

However, the Bamboo Forest would not actively attack; it would only constantly shift, disorienting one's direction.

Furthermore, this Bamboo Forest was indeed vast, covering an area the size of an entire province, equivalent to twenty New York States.

With such a vast area, even flying an Apache attack helicopter would take a full day and night to exit this Bamboo Forest.

Since he had seen through the essence of the Bamboo Forest, he naturally also understood how to leave it.

Behind the Bamboo Forest, there must be the mysterious Tarot Village.

Legend said it was inhabited by descendants of the divine dragon and was the location of the Ten Rings. He wondered if the current Ten Rings had been taken by Xu Wenwu.

Without overthinking, Steve stood up and stretched his neck after sitting for so long.

Even after two months of meditation, standing up immediately caused no numbness or dizziness.

His unique physique, combined with the healing of Extremis, kept his body in its most perfect state.

Summoning mjolnir, Steve swung Thor's Hammer and threw it forcefully, letting the hammer pull him forward.

The Bamboo Forest rapidly shifted, attempting to block Steve, using its unique mist to interfere.

It even thoughtfully opened a small path nearby, as if telling Steve, 'This is the correct way, sir, please go this way.'

But Steve was unmoved, even when the illusion affecting his sense of direction reappeared.

He flew straight ahead, refusing to be misled.

This unexpected development surprised the Guardianwho had been watching; she needed to report this immediately.

He soared over the Bamboo Forest, charging straight through without any deviation. Even when dense bamboo groves and mountains blocked his path, Stevecrashed through them head-on.

It was merely an illusion; crashing through the Bamboo Forest, he felt no impact, but rather his vision brightened.

He had unknowingly arrived at an open space, still surrounded by the Bamboo Forest, but here, many cherry blossom trees were planted.

Pink petals drifted down from the sky, landing on the ground, mixing with the soil, and becoming spring compost to nourish the earth.

Occasionally, a gentle breeze would blow, lifting the cherry blossoms and withered leaves from the ground, sweeping them into the air.

Deprived of the wind's support, the withered leaves and cherry petals slowly drifted down again, forming a unique spectacle.

Not far from the open space, a masked woman dressed in classical wuxia attire stood in front of a bamboo hut, accompanied by a pretty maiden of twelve years.

"Outsider, stop advancing. We do not currently accept visitors."

The woman's voice was a little aged, and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes also told others that she was no longer young.

Dressed in a wuxia robe, a simple rope encircled her waist; the breeze lifted the hem of her clothes, giving her a somewhat ethereal and refined air of a female knight.

"I'm here for Hela; she's in Tarot."

Steve stated his purpose; he wasn't here to become a disciple.

While the Ten Rings were good, he didn't care much for them, or rather, didn't covet them greatly.

As for so-called divine artifacts, they were just that. He had the Infinity Stones, which were equally powerful.

Ying Nan's eyes flickered slightly as she re-evaluated Steve, immediately concluding that he was not someone to be trifled with, and she might not be able to defeat him even with all her strength.

This outsider was too powerful, so powerful that she felt somewhat overwhelmed.

"Go get the Ten Rings; I'll try to stall him."

The maiden nodded, turned, and ran towards the back.

It was still a long way from the village, and she didn't understand why her aunt was doing this. The foreign woman Hela was clearly in the village, so why not let them meet?

Perhaps they were even husband and wife.

Separating a couple was not something a martial artist should do.

But she didn't care; it was her aunt's order, and any consequences would be her aunt's responsibility.

Besides, her aunt had never been wrong, so she naturally chose to trust her aunt.

Watching the maiden run off, Steve spread his hands helplessly.

"Hela is my wife; I'm here to find her. I don't know why you brought her here; I just want my wife and I to be reunited."

Ying Nan clenched her right fist and placed her open left hand against it, performing a martial arts salute.

"I apologize, Ms. Hela came with me voluntarily. I bear her no ill will; she wished to continue her cultivation, which is why she came to Tarot.

During this period, you cannot meet her, as it will disrupt her practice.

I have no intention of separating you; once her cultivation is complete, whether she wishes to stay or leave to find you is her freedom.

Please understand, we of Tarot have our responsibilities, and I also hope to cultivate an excellent martial artist and foster good karma for the village."

Looking at her demeanor, her explanation was perfectly legitimate and righteous, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Steve sighed, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"I'm here for Hela, to have her fulfill her responsibilities and duties as a wife. If she wants to cultivate, I won't stop her.

I'll ask you one last thing: do you want to fight me, or will you take me to Hela?"

"More words are useless; let's settle it with our hands. What I said is the truth, please understand."

Ying Nan would not allow Hela's cultivation to be disturbed, just as she said. Their village had generations of Guardians suppressing a monster, preventing it from escaping.

After thousands of years of inheritance, they had grown accustomed to this reclusive life.

They did not wish to be disturbed, nor would they allow it to be disrupted.

Given the unpredictable changes in the outside Worldand the increasing power of the monster they guarded, which could also corrupt minds.

Ying Nan, as the Guardian, was under immense pressure.

Once the monster broke through the seal, Tarot Village would surely be annihilated, and she would have no words to face her ancestors.

Moreover, Hela was truly important; to her, Hela was the hope for saving the village.

As long as her cultivation succeeded, Hela would surely advance another level. Forging this good karma would only benefit Tarot Village, not harm it.

By then, the monster might even be easily eliminated, rather than an unkillable entity that could only be suppressed.

Therefore, both for public and private reasons, Ying Nancould not allow Steve to pass and thus disturb Hela's cultivation.

Concerning the survival of the entire village, as the Guardian, she would not allow such a thing to happen.

Before her words finished, the battle had already erupted.

Steve moved like lightning, unleashing a swift straight punch that cut through the air.

Ying Nan, however, was unhurried. She sidestepped, gracefully swaying like a willow in the wind, skillfully evading the attack.

At the same time, she extended her delicate hand, gently placing it on Steve's arm, and with a slight push along his punch, she attempted to throw his massive body off balance.

Steve, as expected of a Super Soldier, instantly adjusted his stance, following up with a spinning kick towards Ying Nan.

Ying Nan lightly tapped the ground with her toes, gracefully retreating, with bamboo branches swaying behind her.

She seized the opportunity, her palms fluttering like butterflies, precisely striking Steve's joints. Her seemingly gentle movements contained immense skillful force.

Steve felt this peculiar power and dared not be careless.

Relying on his exceptional physical prowess and rich combat experience, he launched fierce attacks, each move powerful and swift.

Ying Nan, in contrast, responded with the soft footwork of ancient martial arts, enveloping Steve's attacks like water, deflecting powerful blows with minimal effort.

Bamboo leaves fell in abundance under the intense air currents, intertwining in the air to form a tense yet fantastical scene.

The two exchanged blows, locked in a stalemate. The tense atmosphere of the battle was like a taut bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.

Steve charged again; this purely technical exchange was quite wondrous, further enhancing his combat insights.

He surged forward like an arrow, his right fist imbued with immense power, striking towards Ying Nan.

Ying Nan, however, was unhurried, her lotus steps light, her body swaying like a soft willow in the wind, easily evading the fierce blow.

Simultaneously, she lightly raised her slender hand, grasped Steve's arm, and with a follow-through, skillfully dissipated the punch's force, even attempting to use that momentum to destabilize Steve.

Steve, worthy of being a battle-hardened Super Soldier, quickly stabilized himself, immediately following with a side kick, as fast as lightning.

Seeing this, Ying Nan lightly tapped the ground with her toes, gracefully rising into the air, much like a light, floating leaf.

The moment she landed, she rapidly clapped her palms together, striking at Steve's vulnerable ribs.

Steve quickly crossed his arms to block, but felt a strange force transmit through his arms, leaving him slightly numb.

Given his physique, such a situation should be impossible. Looking at Ying Nan, her hands were drawing circles, and pure inner energy flowed within them; this was clearly a more profound form of Qigong!

And that last strike had clearly borrowed his strength, similar to the technique of deflecting powerful blows with minimal effort, then using a 'Star Shifting' move to return all the force.

This level of skill was evident; no wonder she could become a Guardian.

This technique was probably the true Tai Chi, wasn't it?

It was truly astonishing; how could such subtle and skillful moves exist?

Fortunately, he hadn't been overconfident, otherwise he really might have failed.

Never underestimate any opponent; arrogance, complacency, and looking down on others can easily lead to failure.

For a dignified Captain America to be defeated by an unknown female dancer would truly be a global laughingstock.

Subsequently, Steve swung his shield at Ying Nan. Ying Nan flexibly weaved through the gaps in the shield's attacks, sometimes gently pushing the edge of the shield to alter its direction.

At other times, she lightly nudged Steve's joints with her elbow, neutralizing his offensives.

For a time, strong winds howled through the Bamboo Forest, their figures intertwined, each clash sparking intense tension. The battle was deadlocked, neither able to gain an advantage over the other.

"You are very strong. What is your name?"

"Ying Nan."

After a brief exchange, they resumed their confrontation.

This time, Steve no longer used his usual modern combat techniques but tried to imitate Ying Nan's movements.

However she attacked, he would attack.

As a result, he was immediately put on the defensive.

Ying Nan's attacks were relentless, filled with killing intent, but at crucial moments, she did not deliver a fatal blow.

Steve also seized every opportunity, narrowly dodging each time.

If he went all out, with mjolnir as a divine artifact, no matter how advanced Ying Nan's Tai Chi was, she wouldn't be able to completely neutralize or redirect the force.

When power reached a certain level, exceeding a critical point, it was no longer about 'borrowing strength to strike.'

Instead, before one could even borrow the opponent's strength, one would already be caught in a backlash due to the immense power.

In such a case, defeat would be inevitable, and one might even perish due to excessive force.

Steve had no desire to kill Ying Nan, nor was there any need to kill her.

Having the opportunity to learn was still very beneficial to him.

If a one-hit kill wasn't possible, then skill became extremely practical.

Ying Nan also noticed that he was secretly learning from her. She couldn't knock Steve out, nor could she kill him.

As Steve said, he was just here to find his wife.

Doing this, preventing a couple from meeting, was already quite unethical.

If she were to then kill Steve, what would Hela think?

Chapter 206 Your husband is looking for you outside

One wanted to secretly learn moves, the other didn't want to kill, so they were locked in a stalemate, going back and forth.

In fact, even if Ying Nan fought with all her might, she couldn't kill Steve. With the Extremis, he could recover quickly even if injured.

The Super Soldier Serum itself accelerated recovery, and the Extremis elevated this ability to the point of regenerating severed limbs, making him virtually unkillable.

When the young girl ran over with the Ten Rings, she only saw the two continuously exchanging blows, which didn't look like a fight to the death.

And she had a strange feeling that her aunt seemed to be enjoying this moment.

After clashing once, they retreated again, both resuming their stances.

This time, Steve was learning formal Tarot Martial Arts, which, after generations of evolution and refinement, was very different from what the system taught.

How to put it?

If forced to explain, it would probably be moves belonging to a personal style.

Moves are dead, but people are alive; a thousand people have a thousand Hamlets in their hearts.

Without changing the basic core, finding one's own style and habits can better bring out the characteristics of martial arts.

This was also Steve's conjecture after sparring for so long, as Ying Nan didn't explain or speak, only continuously attacked.

Praying Mantis Boxing, Tai Chi, Wing Chun, and other moves switched freely, occasionally even using the domineering and fierce Bajiquan and Hung Kuen moves.

One shouldn't assume that because she is a woman, she wouldn't use fierce moves; this has nothing to do with gender, only with one's style.

Clearly, the Guardian before him had mastered a myriad of martial arts, reaching a level of complete control.

When it was time to borrow strength with Tai Chi, she would use Tai Chi.

When it was time to unleash power with Bajiquan, she could also execute Bajiquan with perfect mastery.

The seamless transition between them indeed had no sense of incongruity, which is why, purely in terms of skill, Steve had no ability to resist whatsoever, only to parry.

Occasional counterattacks were also due to opportunities given by the opponent, allowing him to use his own strength to counter her.

Truly worthy of being a Guardian of Tarot; with this level of skill alone, she could reach a Planet-level, a renowned strong person on the Planet.

"Aunt, I brought the things."

Ying Nan beckoned, summoning the Ten Rings, with five rings encircling each of her hands.

At this moment, her aura elevated to an astonishing degree, somewhat reaching the strength of Thor, though there was still a gap in physical prowess.

"Steve, I warn you once again, leave this place.

Your wife is safe here, and I am doing this for your own good. Please give her some time; she will come to see you after she completes her cultivation."

Ying Nan floated in mid-air using the power of the Ten Rings, with a gentle breeze being drawn in to encircle her, forming a whirlwind centered around her.

This whirlwind continued to expand, subtly showing a tendency to turn into a tornado.

"Then what I'm missing, you'll just have to make up for it."

Steve also took out his vibranium shield and mjolnir, looking at the mature woman before him with ill intent.

After fighting, that familiar feeling returned; he had to find Hela and make her immediately fulfill her duties and obligations as a wife.

"You go back to the village first and tell them to prepare their defenses. I'll keep an eye on things here. We'll use the Bagua formation against him later."

Ying Nan's voice, using internal energy, formed a straight line and was accurately transmitted to Xu Xialing.

"Okay, Aunt, I'm going now."

Xu Xialing quickly departed, using her light footwork, but not before taking a deep look at Steve, very curious about this man she had observed for two months.

He had a charismatic quality that was very attractive to women, especially young maidens like her.

Although she wasn't a woman who hadn't seen men, she ran a boxing gym outside and had met many strange people, including tall and handsome men, and men with solid muscles.

But no man could be like Steve, possessing such a unique temperament, with muscles that weren't formed by hormones or drugs.

This was very interesting; to achieve such an effect without external forces required, firstly, talent, secondly, skill, and thirdly, effort.

With the Ten Rings equipped, Ying Nan's aura suddenly surged, and she performed a Tai Chi opening stance with her hands, floating lightly towards him.

When Steve tried to move, he found that the surrounding breeze had transformed into something akin to quicksand; every action he took seemed to encounter an invisible resistance.

Imagine moving in water, naturally facing water resistance; that's what it felt like.

It was very frustrating; every movement made was repelled and blocked.

Bang!

The Ten Rings accurately struck the shield, and the force of the impact was absorbed by the shield.

Just as Steve was about to use his accumulated power to counterattack, the Ten Rings bypassed the shield, directly moving past it, and the ten bracelets enlarged, instantly securing him tightly.

Ying Nan landed just then, looking at Steve, who was controlled from head to toe by the Ten Rings, and said expressionlessly.

"You have lost. If you are willing to leave, I can let you go. If you are not willing to leave, stay here.

You cannot enter the village; your wife is at a critical point in her cultivation. If you truly care for her, please wait patiently.

I guarantee with my life that she will return safely."

"Then I'll stay here. Is this the power of the Ten Rings?

Indeed, it lives up to its reputation as one of the divine artifacts. Unfortunately, you cannot unleash the full power of the Ten Rings."

Steve suddenly erupted, breaking free from the Ten Rings'bondage.

Ying Nan reacted swiftly, summoning the Ten Ringswhile turning to block with a 'retaining palm' technique.

Unfortunately, she was still a step too slow and was knocked unconscious by a hand chop from Steve.

Her martial arts attainment was very high; with her internal energy, she could even tear an Iron Man Suitapart with her bare hands.

However, her physical body remained that of a mortal, which was both an advantage and a weakness.

She never imagined she would be knocked unconscious one day; she was careless and didn't dodge!

Looking at the unconscious Ying Nan, the Reality Stoneon Steve's hand flashed.

In the end, he still used an Infinity Stone. Although it would create a strong dependency, making him less focused on improving himself.

Once he lost the Reality Stone, his strength would likely not just return to its original level, but would plummet due to over-reliance, and returning to even two-thirds of his original strength would be considered a success.

But it must be said, using the Reality Stone was simply exhilarating.

The gem could not change the Ten Rings, but the Ten Rings also could not affect the Reality Stone; both were independent entities.

Looking at the unconscious Ying Nan, this woman bore a striking resemblance to Michelle Yeoh.

Hmm, Steve suddenly remembered that there seemed to be members from the Raiders in the Guardians of the Galaxy, and among those space pirates, there was also a Raider who looked very much like Michelle Yeoh—not just similar, but identical.

"I told you you'd suffer, but you wouldn't listen. Now, see? You're out of luck!"

It was deep into the night.

Everyone in Tarot Village was a bit puzzled. They had said they would use the Bagua formation to deal with the intruder, but why hadn't he arrived yet?

Everyone instinctively looked at Xu Xialing; she was the one who brought back the intelligence, and as the Guardian's disciple, she still had some credibility.

Xu Xialing felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at, as if she had lied about military intelligence and deceived everyone.

It was the experienced and steady Uncle Yuan who finally spoke, stroking his beard and looking out at the Bamboo Forest.

"Perhaps they've come to an agreement, or perhaps they're still fighting. Since the visitor is Lady Hela's husband, there's no reason for us to drive him away; that's not the way of a true hero.

Xiaoling, you don't need to go back. Your master is a master, and no one has ever defeated her.

Go see Lady Hela. Everyone else, go home and rest.

Do what you need to do. Hey, you brat, I didn't tell you to defecate in public, scram, scram!"

Jiang Bao's head recoiled at the scolding, and he scurried away. He was unkempt, and only he would defecate in public.

He was eccentric, but he lived the most comfortably.

As long as I'm not embarrassed, then others are embarrassed.

Xu Xialing came to the innermost part of the village, which was where she and her aunt lived, and also the most beautiful place.

It was filled with cherry blossom trees, identical to the Watcher's residence in front.

Hela, who always wore smoky eye makeup, had surprisingly appeared with a bare face.

With smoky makeup, she resembled the Goddess of Death; with a bare face, she was no different from an Elf Queen of Middle-earth.

At this moment, she had changed into an ancient-style robe, no longer pitch black or dark green, but a striking red dress.

She was practicing martial arts with a stick, meticulously and seriously.

Normally, besides meditation, she practiced martial arts, seemingly accumulating some kind of emotion.

The opposite of death is new life; the opposite of dying is life.

After slaughtering the British army and then destroying the U.S. overseas fleet stationed in Germany, resulting in everyone's death and the fleet's annihilation.

She saw the struggles of mortals, and her disdainful expression changed, coupled with Steve's teasing remark at the time.

This gave her, who had been dormant for a long time, inspiration for a breakthrough, no longer confined to Asgard.

She also understood that over-reliance on something, once lost, would leave her with nothing.

Hela was arrogant; she didn't want to become a weakling, a weak person manipulated by Steve. If that happened, no matter what pose he made her strike, she wouldn't even have the ability to resist.

The arrogant Hela would not allow herself to become weak, so while inspiration surged, she also met Ying Nan and came to Tarot to cultivate with her.

As the Goddess of Death, she vaguely felt a hint of destiny; perhaps here, she could find what she was looking for.

When Hela arrived, many Tarot villagers only heard her name but never saw her.

They only knew this was a very important mission; Guardian Ying Nan, in the name of the Guardian, issued a notice not to provoke Hela, who was an honored guest and also an opportunity to resolve the suppression of the monster.

To remove the great mountain pressing on the heads of the Tarot people, Hela was key.

The Tarot villagers were relatively obedient and simple. Since the Guardian said so, they would obey.

After Hela practiced a set of stick techniques, she propped the bamboo long stick on the open ground.

She cast a glance at the beautiful young girl beside her, her tone cold, yet not entirely distant.

"Is something wrong?"

Xu Xialing hesitated for a moment, but out of humanitarianism, she still brought up Steve's matter.

Upon hearing the name Steve, a visible 'well' symbol appeared on Hela's forehead.

For Steve, she couldn't say she hated him, nor could she say she loved him. Even though they had been intimate a few times, she still couldn't fall in love with him.

She didn't even like him; he merely existed as a normal friend.

"He said he's your husband. Aunt is stopping him from coming in, saying it's for your own good."

"Then stop him. He's like an animal; I don't have time for him."

Hela unconsciously adopted the role of a wife. It didn't matter if she didn't admit it, but the fact was that she was.

She didn't think she would ever marry, nor did she think she would marry anyone else.

If she absolutely had to choose, it would be Steve. Because they were essentially a basic married couple, just without a wedding or acknowledgment.

She didn't want to marry Steve because he was very promiscuous, already having so many wives; marrying him would be doing herself a disservice.

But not marrying him, it was also impossible to marry anyone else.

How could the dignified Queen of Asgard, the renowned Goddess of Death, marry a man and become a housewife who stayed home all day tending to her husband and children?

Perhaps because Hela didn't deny that Steve was her husband, Xu Xialing also misunderstood, believing they were indeed married.

"Okay, I'll go tell Aunt.

Also, don't go near the seal. A monster is sealed and suppressed there. So far, there's no way to kill it.

If the seal is broken, it will be very difficult to reseal it, requiring the sacrifice of a Guardian's life."

Xu Xialing mentioned it, thinking that if it ever came to that, it would probably be her aunt who died.

"I'm not that stupid. I don't even care about that monster."

Hela snorted. Although she was disdainful, she wasn't so brainless as to do something she knew she shouldn't.

She could sense the monster behind the seal; its strength was not weaker than hers, and it was very unique, impossible to kill with conventional methods.

Thinking of this, she returned to the bamboo house and went back to meditate and practice.

Xu Xialing breathed a sigh of relief, thinking of going to find her aunt.

But looking at the sky, it was already late. Since things were as they were, she might as well make dinner first.

After dinner, it would be time for a bath, and after a bath, it would be time for bed.

So, she'd just talk about it tomorrow. There was no rush anyway.

Meanwhile, in the Bamboo Forest.

The awakened Ying Nan was still a bit confused, but soon she felt something was amiss. Seeing Steve, refreshed and humming a tune while practicing martial arts, she understood everything.

"You beast, you're not running? Good, wait until I kill you!"

As Ying Nan got up and prepared to exert force, she stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

She was severely injured and had to meditate using internal energy to heal her wounds and reduce the swelling.

"Bastard!"

Ying Nan sat cross-legged and began to circulate her Tarot internal energy. She was going to kill Steve, that beast!