Chapter 181: Skye (Part 2)
After klein finished speaking, he didn't care how Skyewould react and walked straight out of the alley.
Skye stood where she was, the cold wind blowing into the gaps of her torn clothing, making her shiver.
But klein's thrilling teaching session just now and his final harsh words were like ice water poured over her head, instantly cooling and clearing her chaotic, feverish mind.
She watched klein's departing back, her thoughts churning like boiling water.
Go to S.H.I.E.L.D.?
That was undoubtedly the safest and most correct choice.
A decent job, a stable income and benefits, and even the ability to use official resources to continue searching for her parents' whereabouts.
It sounded like the "turning point" she had dreamed of countless times while living in her beat-up van.
But...
Her left hand unconsciously pressed against her pounding heart.
Her intuition had saved her life countless times in past escapes and cyber confrontations.
And now, that damn intuition was screaming at her like crazy.
Follow him! Follow this man in front of you!
If you miss this, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!
This thought was so intense that it overpowered her momentary, very real fear.
"mr. klein!"
Skye snapped her head up, her eyes filled with a desperate resolve.
She didn't even bother to fix her torn collar as she hurried to catch up, stopping two or three steps behind klein.
"I... I still want to follow you."
klein paused. He didn't turn around, but merely tilted his head slightly, glancing at her with undisguised confusion and scrutiny.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, sir," Skye's voice was soft but clear.
klein stopped and turned around, tilting his head as he sized her up for a few seconds. His gaze swept over her torn collar and her still-pale face, then settled on the stubborn glint in her eyes.
"Tch, fine then." He clicked his tongue, his tone laced with a hint of disdain. "Only because you're decent-looking. If you were ugly, I'd ship you off to India right now to spend your days pumping out kids for the locals."
Skye was stunned for a moment, then it clicked, and a hint of color finally returned to her face.
"Pack up your junk and come with me first." klein waved his hand dismissively.
"Yes, mr. klein!" Skye immediately turned and ran toward her beat-up van.
"Just take your personal belongings," klein's voice drifted from behind. "Leave that piece of junk that makes noise everywhere except the horn. It's an eyesore."
"Understood!"
A few minutes later, Skye jogged back to klein's side, clutching a bulging old backpack filled with her laptop, various homemade devices, and a few personal items.
Without another word, klein placed a hand on her shoulder. The space rippled with a familiar shimmer, and the two of them instantly vanished from the cluttered back alley.
The next moment, they appeared in the command center of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s temporary headquarters.
Coulson, who was frowning at a holographic map, sensed the spatial fluctuation. He turned to see klein and an Asian girl beside him, clutching an old backpack and crouching on the floor, dry-heaving.
Coulson's single eye widened slightly. His gaze flickered between klein and Skye, lingering for a moment on Skye's obviously torn collar, his eyes instantly filling with complex implications.
"What are you looking at?" klein irritably interrupted Coulson's imagination, pointing at Skye. "My new assistant, Skye."
Then he turned to Skye and said, "This bald guy is Phil Coulson, the current Acting Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Skye nodded somewhat awkwardly to Coulson. "Hello, Director Coulson."
Coulson masked his expression and gave Skye a gentle smile. "Welcome, Miss Skye."
"Also," klein continued to Coulson, "she and her little friends are the ones who almost treated your firewall like their own backyard earlier."
They call themselves... Rising Tide? Their hacking skills are okay, passable."
Coulson's pupils contracted slightly, his gaze toward Skyebecoming more scrutinizing and surprised.
So the source of that stealthy and tricky intrusion was this young-looking girl and her companions?
"I've talked to them, and they've agreed to be recruited. If you think these rookies are useful, set them up with full-time benefits, give them official status, and pay them a salary. Don't be stingy."
As for who exactly is involved and how to arrange them, talk to Skye."
klein added, "Of course, if you think they're a hassle and don't want them, I'll just send them back to whatever they were doing. Anyway, I've brought her to you and delivered the message. How you handle it is up to you."
With that, klein patted Skye on the shoulder. "Talk to him and explain your situation clearly. I'm going to see if that old fellow Whitehall has opened his mouth yet."
He then walked off toward the temporary interrogation room, leaving Skye where she stood.
Coulson watched klein leave, then refocused his attention on Skye.
"Miss Skye, please have a seat." He motioned to a nearby chair and sat down himself.
"We are indeed in need of talent with excellent information technology skills, especially during this reconstruction period. Could you tell me more about you and your companions?"
"For example, how many of you are there? What are your respective areas of expertise? What was your primary focus previously?"
Skye took a deep breath, placed her backpack by her feet, and sat across from Coulson. She knew this was the critical moment that would determine the future for her, Mike, and Eli.
"Our organization is called Rising Tide. Currently, there are four core members, including myself."
"Besides me, who handles deep penetration and data cracking, there's Mike, who specializes in hardware reverse engineering, signal tracking, and physical security;"
"Eli focuses on social media analysis, public opinion management, and information fragment integration;"
"And then there's Lucy. She's quite unique; she researches certain ancient encodings and occult symbols."
She chose her words carefully, omitting some of their previous investigations that skirted gray areas and emphasizing their technical capabilities instead.
"We've looked into many covered-up incidents before, including what happened to Ms. Jiaying..." Skye observed Coulson's reaction as she mentioned the name.
"We believe in the importance of information transparency, but we also realize that some of our previous methods might have been ill-considered."
Coulson listened quietly, his fingers quickly noting key points on a tablet.
His expression remained unchanged, but a flicker of evaluation passed through his eyes.
A small team of four with complementary skills, even including a member familiar with the occult.
In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current state of talent depletion, especially with a severe lack of trustworthy technical personnel, this was like sending charcoal in snowy weather.
Although their background was a bit "wild," since klein had brought them personally and seemed intent on mentoring this girl named Skye, their basic trustworthiness and potential were likely guaranteed.
More importantly, they were young, driven, and hadn't yet been fully assimilated by the bureaucracy or infiltrated by HYDRA. They were exactly the fresh blood needed for the reconstruction period.
Chapter 182: Interrogating Dr. Whitehall
"I understand." Coulson nodded after Skye finished speaking.
"Miss Skye, and everyone from the Rising Tide, your skills and passion are exactly what we need right now.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is rebuilding. We need to establish a more secure and efficient information network, and we also need to re-examine and analyze the vast amount of data accumulated over the past decades to distinguish truth from lies and purge the remaining poison of HYDRA."
He leaned forward slightly and said in a sincere tone, "I officially invite you and your companions to join S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Information Technology and Data Analysis Department.
You will enjoy the treatment, clearance, and resource support of official Agents, but you must also abide by strict discipline and confidentiality regulations.
We will arrange necessary training and guidance for you to help you use your abilities in the right places."
Skye's heart beat a little faster; she hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
"My companions... they might be a bit scattered right now, and it's not very convenient for them to come here directly."
"That's easy to handle." Coulson revealed a slight smile. "You can contact them through secure channels and inform them of our intentions.
We will arrange absolutely secure meeting locations and access methods for them to transition in gradually. As for you..."
He glanced in the direction where klein had left. "Since mr. klein designated you as his assistant, I think your position can temporarily be attached to the Office of the Special Advisor.
However, your daily work and technical support will still be primarily arranged and coordinated by our Information Department. Do you think that's acceptable?"
Skye nodded immediately. "It is, Director Coulson. Thank you!"
"No, I should thank you for being willing to join." Coulsonstood up and extended his hand.
"Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Skye. I hope we can work together to make this World a little safer."
Skye also hurriedly stood up and shook Coulson's hand with some solemnity.
Meanwhile, in the observation room outside the temporary interrogation room, klein was crossing his arms, looking through the one-way glass at the pale face inside.
Watching Dr. Whitehall being questioned in turns by interrogation experts, a cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Take your time, no rush. Dig out every single detail from his gut and make it clear."
He whispered into the communicator.
After receiving klein's clear instructions, several experienced and ruthless S.H.I.E.L.D. interrogation experts took turns, launching a merciless 'Great Memory Recovery Technique' on Whitehall.
Although these Agents were not saints with moral obsessions and had used extraordinary means in necessary missions, after witnessing Whitehall's detailed and sickening experimental records with their own eyes,
a cold fury rose in everyone's hearts. Those vivisections and organ thefts that crossed the bottom line of humanity
caused everyone to feel a pure, visceral disgust toward Whitehall's core.
"This piece of scum doesn't even deserve to breathe," a senior interrogation officer whispered to a colleague during a break in the records, his tone filled with undisguised loathing.
Therefore, even when Whitehall was on the edge of excruciating pain and mental collapse, screaming with tears and snot streaming down his face, "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Please stop!"
klein, through the one-way glass, only coldly raised his hand, signaling the interrogation experts to continue.
The interrogation continued until Whitehall's breath was as thin as silk, his pupils were dilated, and his physiological indicators were on the brink of collapse before klein finally gave the order to stop.
"Stop. Have the medical team keep him alive. Don't let him die so easily. He's still useful."
Soon, a detailed interrogation report was delivered to klein's hands.
He flipped through it quickly, his gaze suddenly stopping on one page.
The report mentioned that in the later stages of Whitehall's research, especially after he successfully transplanted Jiaying's organs to achieve rebirth, a mysterious middleman had taken the initiative to approach him.
This person not only provided deeper secrets regarding the obelisk but also assisted Whitehall in improving the experimental process,
and even seemed to be guiding him to pay attention to those 'coordinate person' who began unconsciously recording coordinates after coming into contact with the obelisk.
"A middleman? A gang of enhanced individuals?" klein put down the report. He immediately thought of the group of enhanced individuals who had suddenly attacked while they were pursuing Whitehall earlier.
Looking at it now, that was definitely no accident. They likely belonged to the organization behind this middleman.
In the report, Whitehall also mentioned that the middleman had vaguely hinted at how to safely utilize the energy inside the obelisk and even use it to create more enhanced individuals.
Holding the report, klein found Coulson, who was analyzing data in the command center.
"The situation has changed, Phil." klein slapped the report down in front of Coulson, quickly and quietly explaining the new intelligence extracted from Whitehalland his own judgment.
"The ones who snatched the obelisk are likely Jiaying and her group of enhanced individuals. Her goal is to use that thing to create an army. The longer we wait, the bigger the trouble."
Coulson's expression turned solemn instantly. He quickly scanned the key parts of the report, a cold light flashing in his lone eye.
"Understood. It seems we are facing not just the legacy of HYDRA, but also a potential organization of enhanced individuals."
He pointed to a large screen nearby, which displayed a 3D model formed by the convergence of coordinates recorded by all the coordinate person.
"Our people have completed the preliminary analysis. All these coordinates ultimately point to an area deep in the mountains with extremely hidden geographical coordinates.
The model shows that there may be a large, secluded underground structure or spatial anomaly there."
He turned to klein. "mr. klein, Jiaying and the obelisk are the current highest priority threats.
I will immediately assemble an elite tactical squad to head to this coordinate point for reconnaissance and confirmation.
If the target is confirmed to be there, we need to formulate a meticulous raid plan.
Therefore, I want to leave finding Jiaying and the organization behind her to you. You are the most suitable candidate."
klein pondered for a moment and then nodded. Coulson's arrangement was reasonable. Letting him take the lead to conduct high-risk, high-reward reconnaissance was the most efficient choice.
"Fine, leave Jiaying and the obelisk to me. Wait for my news. Also, keep a close watch on Whitehall. Don't let him die, and don't let anyone contact him. We might still be able to squeeze something else out of his brain."
"I understand," Coulson responded solemnly.
klein then turned to Skye, who was working hard to adapt to her new environment, and instructed,
"Follow Coulson for now and learn how to be a proper Agent. Don't run around blindly. I'm going out to handle some business and will come back for you."
"Okay, mr. klein," Skye replied immediately.
klein said no more; with a flicker of his body, he vanished from the spot without a trace.
Chapter 183: Coulson Takes Action
After seeing off klein, Coulson immediately began making arrangements.
First, he assigned Skye the task of contacting and integrating the Rising Tide organization, instructing her to bring Mike, Eli, Lucy, and the others under control as soon as possible.
Next, he pulled up a holographic map marked with eight different locations repeatedly pointed to by the coordinate people.
"These coordinate points must be investigated immediately; they are the highest priority." Coulson began deploying his forces into the communicator.
"Tactical Response Teams A, B, and C, head to coordinates 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The Intelligence Analysis Groupwill follow up with real-time data. Teams D and E will serve as mobile reserves, standing by for support at any time. Move out!"
Coulson planned to send out elite tactical squads in batches to conduct simultaneous reconnaissance and raids, striving to seize the initiative.
However, shortly after the orders were issued, piercing alarms inside the command center exploded one after another like falling dominoes!
"Director! A massive riot has broken out at New York's Subway Hub 3. An enhanced individual has hijacked a train, and the target seems to be the coordinate person in the crowd who has been carving on the walls!"
"Los Angeles Port District! Report! An unknown energy entity is attacking a freighter, intending to seize a coordinate person hiding in the cabin!"
"The underground pipes in the City of London are experiencing unknown energy surges; civilians are trapped!"
"Mass mental instability has appeared in Shibuya, Tokyo, suspected to be the influence of special abilities!"
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s communication channels were instantly flooded with emergency distress calls from all over the World.
The city surveillance screens switched, showing chaos, explosions, and panicked crowds fleeing everywhere.
Those coordinate people affected by the power of the obelisk had now become the hunting targets of the enhanced individuals.
Moreover, these attacks were extremely sudden and clearly well-planned, aimed at creating chaos and pinning down S.H.I.E.L.D.'s already stretched-thin forces.
"Damn it!" Coulson slammed his fist onto the control console. The opposition was clearly moving as well, and they were faster and more unscrupulous.
"Local police and S.H.I.E.L.D. contact stations in each city, do your best to maintain order, evacuate civilians, and prioritize protecting the coordinate people!
Notify Reserve Teams D and E: cancel standby and head to New York and Los Angeles immediately! Fast!"
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s personnel were slipping away like sand through fingers.
In just over ten minutes, the elite field forces available to Coulson were completely siphoned off, everyone exhausted from rushing to various flashpoints.
Looking at the last point on the map, which was also the main coordinate point with the most concentrated energy reaction, Coulson's face turned grim.
He couldn't wait any longer. The attacks by the enhanced individuals were no coincidence; they must also be looking for this target. Once they found and controlled it first, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Notify the remaining tactical support squad to assemble. As for... Skye, you and the rest of the staff continue to monitor the global situation and keep communication lines open."
As Coulson gave the order, he began quickly checking his sidearm and gear. "I will personally lead the last of the personnel to the main coordinate point."
"Director, let me go too!" Seeing this, Skye immediately stepped forward to request. Although she had just arrived, she understood the urgency of the situation.
"I might be able to help; my equipment can try to jam signals or..."
Coulson quickly checked his gear, refusing without even looking up.
"You're still a rookie, Skye. Your battlefield isn't here. Stay here, keep communications open, and integrate your partners as quickly as possible—that is your most important task right now. We need reliable support from the rear."
After finishing his gear, Coulson patted Skye's shoulder and, leading the last few fully armed remaining Agents, walked quickly toward the landing pad.
Soon, the roar of a quinjet engine faded from near to far, disappearing into the night sky.
After Coulson left, the S.H.I.E.L.D. temporary headquarters felt much emptier.
Following instructions, Skye began to put all her effort into contacting her companions from the Rising Tide.
At first, communication was not smooth; her partners didn't understand why Skye had joined S.H.I.E.L.D., but after her explanation...
She finally got them to have a preliminary understanding of the situation and reluctantly persuaded them to agree to contact S.H.I.E.L.D., arranging an initial meeting time and security verification method.
By the time she finished all this, several hours had passed, and the sky had long since turned dark.
A passing clerical Agent poked his head in. "Skye, do you need me to bring you some dinner?"
"Oh, thanks, that would be great." Skye rubbed her aching eyes, her gaze never leaving the screen.
"I still have some data to verify; just bring me anything that can fill my stomach."
"No problem."
As the footsteps receded, Skye was truly the only one left in the massive command center.
In the silence, only the sound of her own typing could be heard.
Just then, the S.H.I.E.L.D. communicator she had just been issued on her wrist vibrated. The caller ID displayed on the screen was none other than Phil Coulson.
Skye quickly answered: "Director? How is the situation?"
Coulson's voice came from the other end, but the background seemed to have some noisy electrical interference, making his voice sound a bit distorted.
"Skye, listen to me. We've encountered a special situation here. I need you to come to the following coordinates immediately to meet up with us, and bring your portable equipment and data analysis modules.
Go to the following coordinates immediately; do not tell anyone, and act alone. The coordinates are: Latitude XX degrees XX minutes North, Longitude XX degrees XX minutes West. I repeat, come here immediately and alone!"
Skye was stunned and subconsciously repeated the coordinates, her fingers typing them into the keyboard as the map quickly pinpointed the location.
It was an area far from the city, located in a desolate hilly region next to an interstate highway.
Skye's heart skipped a beat. Asking her, a newcomer, to bring equipment and go alone to an unknown mission site?
This didn't comply with any standard operating procedures, and it didn't match the cautious personality mr. klein had previously described for Coulson.
But then she thought, perhaps something truly unexpected had happened at the front, and her technical support was urgently needed?
Maybe it was a top-secret mission? One that the Directorfound inconvenient to issue through the internal system which might be monitored?
Perhaps the situation was truly so urgent that every second counted? She was just a rookie; maybe she didn't yet understand certain special operational methods of the Agent World?
Various thoughts warred in her mind.
Ultimately, the psychological urge to obey orders and the deep-seated desire to prove herself outweighed that sliver of uneasy doubt.
If the Director told her to go, he must have his reasons. She was now a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and should follow orders.
Hanging up the communication, Skye did not hesitate.
She quickly packed her laptop and several key external devices into her backpack, checked her issued self-defense pistol, and glanced at the empty command center.
Time was tight; she didn't even have time to report to any of the remaining personnel through internal channels.
Following the coordinates, Skye drove through the night for several hours before finally arriving at that remote hilly area.
Chapter 184: Jiaying
After Skye reached the hilly area and got out of the car, she found the surroundings filled with dense woods and steep slopes; it didn't look like there was a secret S.H.I.E.L.D.Base at all.
She immediately drew her sidearm alertly, leaned her back against the car door, and began to search the surroundings cautiously.
Just then, there was a slight movement in the bushes to the left, and a low voice sounded,
"Daisy."
Skye suddenly raised her gun and turned toward the source of the sound, only to see two people, a man and a woman, walking out from the bushes.
Gekko illuminated their faces; the woman looked to be about forty years old and had an Asian face, while the man was slightly older and had a Western face.
Holding her gun with her finger tight on the trigger guard, Skye backed away step by step, trying to distance herself from the pair who had emerged from the shadows.
Her gaze swept sharply over that woman. The woman who had been vivisected in the case photos and experimental records was now standing here alive. Aside from her somewhat pale complexion, she looked no different from an ordinary person. How was this possible?
"Who are you?" Skye pointed her gun at them, her voice remaining calm,
"Did you use Director Coulson's voice to lure me here? Do you know that impersonating a high-level S.H.I.E.L.D.official and forging emergency directives already constitutes multiple felonies.
Explain your origins now, and perhaps I can still plead for you during the trial to strive for a lenient sentencing."
The man took a step forward, stopping the woman who wanted to rush over, his gaze locked tightly on Skye's face,
"Daisy."
"I'm not called Daisy, I'm Skye," Skye immediately interrupted him, but her hand holding the gun tightened unconsciously.
The man shook his head, his tone certain: "No, you are Daisy, Daisy Johnson. She is your mother, Jiaying. And I am your father, Karl Johnson."
"What nonsense are you talking?" Skye's gun muzzle rose slightly, aiming at Calvin's chest, "I know who she is—Dr.Whitehall's test subject, someone who should have died decades ago. And who are you? What right do you have to say I'm your daughter?"
Calvin glanced at Jiaying beside him.
Jiaying's lips trembled, her eyes reddened, and she stared fixedly at Skye; in that gaze, there was pain, longing, and a certain kind of madness that Skye couldn't understand.
"I really am your father; we were once a family. When you were very young, we were forced apart."
"Apart?" Skye sneered, yet her gaze became even more alert,
"You make it sound so easy. The files state clearly that she was vivisected by Whitehall, and her organs and bone marrow were transplanted. How can a person who was taken apart into pieces still stand here and talk to me?"
Karl explained, "Your mother Jiaying is no ordinary person. She possesses a special ability to absorb the life force of her surroundings and convert it into her own,
thereby achieving rapid healing and even reaching a certain degree of immortality.
It was precisely because of this ability that Whitehallcaptured her and performed those inhumane experiments. I found Jiaying when she was on the verge of death..."
Skye's heart was pounding violently, but years of experience surviving alone allowed her to maintain her final shred of reason.
She stared at Karl and asked word by word, "How did you save her? You just said she can absorb life force. Did you use other people's life force to save her?"
Karl was stunned, seemingly not expecting his daughter to ask this question so directly.
He remained silent for a few seconds, a flash of pain and guilt crossing his eyes, before finally nodding,
"Yes! To bring your mother back to life... I needed life energy. A lot of life energy."
Skye felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. Her hand holding the gun was still steady, but her heart was racing in her chest, slamming against her ribs.
"How many people?" she asked, her voice so calm it felt foreign to her.
Calvin did not answer. He lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. But sometimes, silence itself is the answer.
"The entire Village," Jiaying suddenly spoke up, her voice sounding as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself, "Over a hundred villagers. They became the foundation of my rebirth."
Skye's pupils constricted suddenly. Although she had already guessed, hearing her father admit to sacrificing an entire Village of people to save her mother still made a chill rise from her spine.
"Over a hundred lives..." Skye's voice trembled slightly, "You just took the lives of over a hundred people like that, just to save one person?"
Jiaying looked at Skye with a complex gaze, "I know it's terrifying, Daisy. But when you lose everything, when you're taken apart into pieces and thrown into the ruins to wait for death, someone willing to pay any price for you, even if the price is the entire World... you will understand."
"I don't understand," Skye's voice was shaking, "I will never understand. To save one person, you kill a hundred? What kind of saving is that?"
She took a step back, her gun muzzle pointing at the two again, "Stay where you are, don't move. I am now arresting you in my capacity as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent.
Suspected of murder, kidnapping, fraud, and whatever else there may be. I am now arresting you according to the law."
Karl took a step forward, trying to explain, "Daisy, you don't understand the situation at that time..."
"I don't understand?" Skye's gun didn't move, "I don't understand why someone can so easily decide the life and death of others!
I don't understand why my biological parents would be such people!"
"Daisy! We are your parents! We did all of this just so that one day we could find you! To bring you home!"
"Home?" Skye laughed, a smile without any warmth, "My former home was a broken van, and my current home is with mr. klein. Not a pile of corpses built from over a hundred lives."
Her other hand quietly reached for the communicator at her waist, preparing to call for backup. But just as her fingertip touched the button, a sudden wave of dizziness hit her.
Her vision began to shake, and the ground seemed to be tilting. Skye staggered, forcing herself not to fall.
She saw another person appear beside Jiaying, looking at her, a strange Uzumaki rippling in those eyes.
Mental Interference...
"Sorry, Daisy," Jiaying said softly, "we can't let you call anyone. At least not right now."
Skye bit the tip of her tongue, the sharp pain clearing her mind for a moment. She pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
The bullet missed, hitting the ground near Calvin's feet. Under the Mental Interference, her accuracy was greatly diminished.
Calvin took the opportunity to rush forward, chopping down to knock the gun from Skye's hand while his other hand grabbed her wrist.
"We need to talk, Daisy," Calvin's voice sounded in Skye's ear, "as a family, let's have a good talk."
Skye struggled, but the other's grip was like iron bands. She raised her knee to strike Calvin's abdomen, but he easily parried it.
"Don't resist, daughter," Jiaying walked over, her pale fingers brushing against Skye's cheek. That touch sent a layer of goosebumps over Skye's entire body.
"We won't harm you. We just want to make up for the lost time."
"Let go of me..." Skye squeezed the words through her teeth, "you bunch of lunatics..."
"Maybe so," Calvin sighed, his eyes showing exhaustion and guilt, but more of a certain unsettling determination,
"But lunatics are still your parents, Daisy. That point will never change."
He pulled a small syringe from his pocket, the needle glinting coldly under the Gekko.
Skye's pupils constricted, and her struggle became more intense. But Mental Suppression surged in like a tide, causing her consciousness to gradually blur.
"Sleep for a while," Calvin's voice grew more and more distant, "when you wake up, we'll talk slowly. About your abilities, about your origins, and about why we called you here."
The needle tip pierced the skin of her neck, and the cold liquid was pushed into her vein.
Skye's thoughts began to drift, and then darkness swallowed everything.
Chapter 185: The Altar
Meanwhile, deep within an abandoned factory hundreds of kilometers away, Coulson and the elite tactical squad he led were making their way forward with great difficulty.
Guided by coordinates and using mechanical sensors, they finally discovered a deeply hidden entrance at the bottom of the factory's rusted reservoir.
"Raise protection to maximum, energy shielding field fully active. Maintain formation, advance slowly," Coulsonordered in a low voice through the communicator inside his helmet.
The passage wound downward, and the rock walls began to show traces of manual excavation eroded by time, along with some indistinguishable ancient symbols.
The deeper they went, the higher the energy density in the air became, and their instruments emitted increasingly sharp alarms.
Suddenly, as one of the lead Agents rounded a corner, his foot seemed to trigger something.
There was no explosion, only an imperceptible, ripple-like ghostly blue light that swept across his body.
In the next second, to the horror of his companions, the elite Agent instantly lost all color, hardened, and transformed into a completely lifeless stone statue.
It happened so fast that he didn't even have time to issue a warning.
"Fall back! Don't touch anything!" Coulson's heart sank as he recalled the legends of the obelisk.
However, as another Agent attempted to investigate a seemingly safe niche on the side, an inconspicuous purple crystal inside the niche suddenly lit up.
The Agent let out a painful groan, his body shaking and twisting uncontrollably, as if something alive was crawling under his skin.
Within seconds, his body expanded, his bones made tooth-gritting sounds, and the rational light in his eyes was replaced by a beastly frenzy as he snarled and lunged at his nearest teammate.
"Subdue him!" Coulson ordered through gritted teeth. Intense pulses of energy hit the mutated teammate, and though it brought him down, seeing a former companion turn into a monster cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.
"Officer, the energy field here is extremely unstable and has a strong mutation-inducing property. Our current protection can barely hold out; we can't go any deeper. The energy readings ahead are ridiculously high!"
Coulson looked at the passage ahead, where ghostly light seemed to flow, then back at the stone statue and the mutated teammate still snarling unconsciously.
He took a deep breath and pulled a palm-sized precision device shimmering with silver light from his tactical vest.
"Activate the Breaker prototype. This is our only chance." This item was the latest development from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Science and Technology Department, based on the properties of certain 0-8-4 objects and reverse-engineered research on Tesseract energy.
It was a portable high-dimensional energy stabilizer and shielder that had not yet undergone field testing; there were very few in existence and they had not been issued to all personnel.
The silver device deployed, forming a pale blue spherical force field that enveloped the squad.
The force field hummed and rippled as it came into contact with the eerie energy omnipresent in the passage, but it successfully repelled it.
"Move! Pick up the pace!" Coulson led the team, advancing rapidly along the passage under the protection of the Breaker's force field.
The passage opened into a massive natural cavern, and in the center of the cavern was a circular altar clearly constructed by hand.
The altar was made of some black material that was neither metal nor stone, its surface covered in symbols similar to those on the passage walls but more complex and complete.
At the center of the altar was a groove.
Just as Coulson and his team reached the area around the altar, a series of footsteps echoed from a distance.
Coulson's pupils constricted suddenly; he raised his fist, and the squad instantly entered a combat stance, muzzles aimed at the entrance on the other side of the altar.
Another group of people emerged from there, and the face of the leader made Coulson almost unable to believe his eyes.
...
Back at the hills, Calvin led the way with Jiaying following closely behind. Two subordinates carried the unconscious Skye, while one man brought up the rear.
These were three of the five core enhanced individualsremaining under Jiaying's command.
They were Shadow, who could teleport short distances; Whisperer, who specialized in mind control; Prophet, who possessed fragmented precognitive abilities; Horn, who could emit directional ultrasonic blasts; and Bastion, whose body could metallize.
Accompanying Jiaying this time were Shadow, Whisperer, and Horn.
Calvin seemed extremely familiar with this place; he found an underground entrance behind a hill, and after everyone descended, he followed the guidance of a compass-like instrument in his hand.
Jiaying stroked the cheek of the carried Skye. "Our daughter will soon obtain the power she deserves. She will never be bullied again, and she will never leave us again."
Calvin nodded silently, but his brow remained furrowed.
The price of resurrecting Jiaying, the tragedies witnessed during the formation of this enhanced squad, and Jiaying's increasingly paranoid thirst for revenge all weighed on his heart like a giant boulder.
He could only tell himself that all of this was for the family, for their daughter.
"Although the altar can balance the crystal's energy and make absorption safer, there will still be some side effects. Daisy's body can..."
Karl didn't finish his sentence; he thought of the failed experimental subjects whose bodies had collapsed or whose minds had gone mad after consuming the raw crystals.
After Jiaying was saved by Karl, she had inadvertently learned the secret of the obelisk.
Inside the obelisk were hidden some inhuman crystal. These crystals could only be absorbed by specific groups of people; others would turn to stone upon touching them.
Jiaying had obtained a small piece of an ability crystal. She and Karl had used experiments to give the crystals to specific personnel, thereby allowing them to gain abilities.
However, the primitive method of consumption had significant side effects and a low success rate, which was why Jiaying only had five enhanced companions in total.
Through tireless effort, Karl had found this underground altar; he could use the altar's energy to greatly weaken the side effects of the crystals and increase the success rate.
This was the reason Jiaying, Karl, and the others had come here.
Jiaying smiled upon hearing Karl's words. "Of course, Karl. Daisy is our crystallization; she is the most perfect."
A cold light flashed through Jiaying's eyes for a moment; there were some things she had not told Karl.
The blueprint in Jiaying's heart was far more than just letting her daughter gain abilities.
Years of torture, dismemberment, and the pain of being plundered like an object had long since twisted the once gentle woman.
She was filled with deep-seated hatred for so-called normal society and any power that might threaten them.
Her ultimate goal, hidden deep in her heart, was to create a powerful army of enhanced individuals to change or even subvert the existing order.
They continued downward and finally entered that massive underground space from the entrance on the other side, walking straight toward the ancient altar radiating ghostly light.
Then, they saw the fully armed Coulson squad on the other side of the altar.
The air froze instantly.
The two groups of people met suddenly.
On one side were the S.H.I.E.L.D. elites representing order and rules, and on the other was the team of enhanced individuals moving through the shadows.
Calvin and Jiaying's expressions changed drastically; they clearly hadn't expected S.H.I.E.L.D. to arrive so quickly. In Karl's estimation, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents should have been trapped on the level above.
Coulson's gaze swept over the kidnapped Skye, past Karland Jiaying, and finally landed on the five followers behind them who had distinct, clearly extraordinary temperaments. The alarm in his heart soared to its highest point.
"Ms. Jiaying? How are you still alive? Release Agent Skyeimmediately and disarm. You are surrounded."
Jiaying took a step forward, a crazed smile appearing on her pale face.
"Put down our weapons? The ones who should put down their weapons are you. This is not a place you should have come. Kill them for me."
Jiaying waved her hand, and Shadow, Whisperer, and Horn charged toward the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents.
Chapter 186: klein Arrives
After leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., klein used the intelligence he gathered and the obelisk energy detected by 2B to locate Jiaying's base.
It was deep within an unnamed village on the border of the Himalayas.
klein's figure flew through the thin air, looking down at the village below.
Something was wrong; it was too quiet. According to the intelligence and energy readings provided by 2B, this should be the core stronghold of Jiaying's team of enhanced individuals, with dense energy signatures.
But now, there were only two energy signatures?
klein's brow furrowed slightly as his perception swept silently across the entire village like a tide.
Correct, there were only two energy signatures.
"Too late? Or a diversion?" klein wondered, his body flickering as he landed inside the village.
Indeed, klein had arrived late; just two minutes before he reached the spot, Shadow had teleported Jiaying and the others to the United States.
klein had just missed them.
As klein wandered through the village, he ran head-on into two people.
One was a Black man built like a steel tower, his skin faintly shimmering with a metallic luster, and the other was a thin, pale, middle-aged White man with exceptionally sharp eyes.
The two clearly hadn't expected an outsider to be able to break into their heartland so quietly.
"Who goes there?!" Bastion growled, his voice like muffled thunder. His muscles bulged as his metallic right arm instantly rose, pointing at klein.
"How did you get in?!"
Prophet's pupils shrank suddenly as a sense of crisis, so intense it almost made his soul tremble, pierced his mind like an icicle!
The fragments of the future he saw had never been so clear yet so hopeless—a golden-red light that devoured everything!
He wanted to shout to stop Bastion, but it was already too late.
"Noisy."
klein didn't even bother to look up; he simply willed it.
An invisible, intangible Conquerors Haki was released toward the two.
Bastion felt an indescribable weight and suffocation crash down on him, as if the entire Himalayas were pressing down upon his soul!
His metallic body made an overburdened creaking sound, his bulging muscles instantly stiffened, and the fierce light in his eyes was replaced by endless fear as his consciousness flickered like a candle in the wind, about to go out.
Prophet was even worse off. He relied on his spirit and precognition; under this pure pressure of life-force levels, he let out a muffled groan as blood seeped from his seven orifices simultaneously, his mental defenses shattering like paper.
The two of them rolled their eyes back and collapsed to the ground, their fate unknown.
The entire process took less than three seconds.
"Tsk, it's quite useful for clearing out small fry." klein restrained his aura, walked over to the unconscious pair, and knelt down. He placed his right index finger on Prophet's brow and his left hand on Bastion's metallic temple.
The crimson-gold Phoenix Force seeped unstoppably into the depths of their consciousness, beginning to flip through the memory fragments in their minds.
Scene after scene, piece after piece of information, flowed rapidly through klein's consciousness like a movie playing in reverse.
klein learned that Shadow had activated his ability, taking Jiaying, Karl, Whisperer, and Horn with him in a collective teleportation.
"Teleported away? What a damn coincidence—talk about perfect timing," klein said, withdrawing his hands as a cold light flashed in his eyes.
Arriving and leaving right after one another, they had actually crossed paths.
klein wasted no more time. He casually pulled out two 'Sealing Charms' drawn with complex runes and slapped them onto the foreheads of Bastion and Prophet.
The charms ignited without wind, turning into two streaks of light that entered their bodies, completely imprisoning their remaining energy and conscious activity while leaving behind hidden tracking and monitoring marks.
Then, grabbing one in each hand like he was carrying broken sacks, he grabbed the unconscious pair and willed it.
A space jump took him directly back to the S.H.I.E.L.D.temporary headquarters.
klein casually tossed the still-unconscious Bastion and Prophet into the prison area.
The Agent on duty was startled and almost drew his gun, only breathing a sigh of relief when he saw it was klein.
"mr. klein! You're..."
"Two minor leaders under Jiaying. Watch them. They have my seals on them, so they can't run, but don't let anyone contact them, and definitely don't let them die."
"Yes! Understood!" The Agent didn't dare ask more and immediately called his colleagues over to move the prisoners, feeling a sense of awe in his heart.
mr. klein's actions were truly extraordinary; he went out once and brought back two core figures.
klein didn't explain further. His figure blurred again, instantly disappearing from the detention area.
With a shift in space, klein found himself inside the abandoned factory that Coulson and the others had entered.
klein's figure dashed through the winding downward passages, his perception spreading out like spilled mercury. He had long since noticed the eerie and volatile energy fields around him, but he didn't care at all.
His footsteps didn't stop, and the sounds of energy collisions and shouting from ahead became clearer.
He quickened his pace, and in an instant, he was approaching the entrance to the altar.
Before klein could even get close, he heard the sound of an intense battle.
It turned out that at the very start of the fight, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team had been pinned down in a corner of the cave wall, struggling to hold on behind temporary energy shields and cover.
Horn's ability was ultrasonic waves. Although the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents' helmets had built-in anti-interference filters, they were still affected.
Coupled with Whisperer creating fear illusions and mental interference, the Agents were greatly affected, and their combat effectiveness was severely reduced.
Furthermore, Shadow flickered like a ghost; every time he appeared, it was accompanied by a precise and ruthless attack, forcing S.H.I.E.L.D. to distract themselves to deal with strikes from their blind spots.
Coulson was sweating as he commanded the team to provide alternating cover fire, trying to suppress them with concentrated fire. However, the three enhanced individualscoordinated perfectly, their abilities complementing each other, leaving this elite S.H.I.E.L.D. squad only able to parry.
While Coulson and the others were pinned down, Jiayinghad unhesitatingly placed the unconscious Skye into the groove at the center of the altar.
Although Karl's brow was tightly furrowed, his hands didn't stop. He quickly took out a thumb-sized, deep purple inhuman crystal from a metal case he was carrying.
He carefully embedded it into a temporary micro-interface device installed on the side of Skye's neck.
"No! Stop! You'll kill her!" Coulson's eyes nearly burst when he saw this. Although he didn't know what Jiaying was doing, he knew it couldn't be anything good.
He roared hoarsely at Jiaying, ignoring the danger of stray bullets as he tried to rush out of the fray, only to be forced back by an amplified ultrasonic beam from Horn. He slammed into the rock wall, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Jiaying didn't care about Coulson's words at all as she embedded the crystal into the altar.
The moment the crystal was placed, every ancient rune on the altar lit up one by one. A ghostly blue light flared, and a majestic yet chaotic energy surged from the bottom of the altar, wrapping around Skye's body like a living thing.
Immediately after, a heart-stopping change occurred.
Starting from the neck where the crystal touched, Skye's exposed skin rapidly lost its color, turning gray-white like weathered rock.
This petrification trend spread across her entire body at a terrifying speed!
In just a few breaths, Skye, lying in the altar's groove, had turned into a gray-white stone statue without a hint of life!
"No! Impossible!" The expectation on Jiaying's face instantly froze, turning into unbelievable horror.
She lunged to the side of the altar, her trembling fingers brushing against Skye's petrified cheek. "My daughter is perfect! How could she be an ordinary person? This isn't right! Karl! This isn't right!"
Karl was also stunned, looking at his petrified daughter with eyes full of pain and confusion. He had calculated carefully; the altar should have neutralized most of the violent energy. As their bloodline, Daisy's success rate should have been the highest...
"How is it not right?"
A calm voice abruptly rang out in the vast cavern, clearly drowning out all the clamor of battle and Jiaying's screams.
Chapter 187: Skye's Awakening
Brian arrived at the center of the altar.
He didn't look at anyone else; his gaze first locked onto the guy who was constantly creating ear-piercing sound waves and making everyone irritable.
"So noisy."
As his voice fell, klein's fist, like a cannonball out of a barrel, slammed solidly into Horn's chin.
*Crack!*
Horn's ultrasonic attack, halfway through brewing, was forcibly smashed back into his throat. His eyes bulged, and without even a grunt,
his entire body flew backward like a sack with its bones removed, slamming heavily against the black stone wall at the edge of the altar before sliding down limply, unconscious.
klein turned back to look at the Whisperer, who had intended to use a Mental Spike to silently attack the back of klein's head.
However, the mental attack capable of making elite Agents collapse instantly seemed like an ice needle hitting a scorching Sun the moment it touched klein's gaze.
The Whisperer let out a piercing scream, his hands clutching his head as if something had exploded inside his brain.
Blood seeped from all seven orifices simultaneously. His eyes were filled with unspeakable fear and pain as his body twitched and collapsed to the ground, the intense pain from the mental backlash causing him to lose consciousness instantly.
Just as the Whisperer screamed and fell, a faint, almost imperceptible ripple appeared in the air beside klein.
Shadow's figure flickered out of the void like a ghost, a poison-tipped dagger gleaming with a faint blue light as it lunged straight for klein's heart!
The timing, angle, and speed of this strike were ruthless and tricky to the extreme.
However, it was as if klein had eyes in the back of his head.
With just a slight twist of his waist, his right leg whipped backward like a steel whip!
It struck Shadow's chest with unerring precision. The sinister grin on Shadow's face instantly froze; he felt as though he hadn't been kicked by a leg, but hit head-on by a high-speed train!
He flew backward like a broken kite, slamming hard against the distant rock wall, his fate unknown.
"A small fry who's only mastered the basics of space dares to attempt a sneak attack? How absurd."
From klein's appearance to the instant defeat of the three troublesome enhanced individuals like mere clay chickens and pottery dogs, only three or four breaths of time had passed.
The chaotic and intense battle within the altar suddenly fell silent.
The pressure on Coulson and the surviving S.H.I.E.L.D.Agents was greatly reduced.
"Control the scene! Arrest all targets!" Coulson was the first to react.
The Agents moved quickly, taking out high-strength energy-suppressing handcuffs specifically designed to restrict enhanced individuals, securing the unconscious Horn, Whisperer, and the near-dead Shadow.
klein walked toward the center of the altar, looking at Jiaying, who was kneeling beside the petrified Skye.
"You don't care at all if Skye is your daughter. You just need a perfect tool."
"No! That's not it! You're lying!" Jiaying snapped her head up, her eyes bloodshot, as she hissed her rebuttal.
However, her frantic appearance was less like anger and more like a breakdown from having her most unsightly secret exposed.
"Daisy is my flesh and blood! I gave birth to her! Everything about her belongs to me! She has the right to gain power and the right to obey my arrangements—it's only natural!"
"Only natural?" klein sneered, his eyes filled with total indifference and disgust.
"Trading the lives of over a hundred innocent villagers for your own lingering existence is 'natural'?
"Treating your own daughter as an experimental subject and a future weapon is 'natural'?
"You people have been rotten to the core for a long time, with no moral compass to speak of. How do you still have the face to use the word 'family' to manipulate others? It's truly nauseating."
"No! What do you know! You have no idea what it feels like to be betrayed by the whole World! Karl and I..." Jiayingcontinued to scream hysterically, trying to defend herself.
Beside her, Karl's lips moved as if he wanted to say something.
But klein was already tired of listening to any more nonsense.
*Thud, thud.* Two punches.
One punch slammed into Jiaying's abdomen, cutting off all her screams. Her eyes rolled back, and she curled up on the ground, retching bile.
The other punch hit Karl's jaw, knocking his unsaid words back along with a few teeth. He didn't even grunt before fainting instantly.
The World was finally quiet.
klein walked to the edge of the altar's groove, leaning down to carefully examine the fully petrified Skye.
His fingers lightly brushed over the cold, hard stone surface, a faint reddish-gold light flashing at his fingertips.
A look of understanding flashed in klein's eyes. Skyewasn't truly petrified; it was because the energy level of Snape's inhuman crystal was too high.
However, the crystal Jiaying brought contained too little energy to complete the thorough stimulation and transformation of her constitution.
So she was stuck in a sort of dormant, pseudo-petrified state.
klein shook his head. These fools had almost ruined a good prospect.
klein placed his right palm face down, hovering over the chest of Skye's stone statue.
The reddish-gold Phoenix Force slowly permeated the interior of the statue while simultaneously stimulating the runes of the ancient altar below.
The altar lit up with a faint blue light once more. This time, accompanied by a subtle cracking sound, layers of grey-white stone began to peel off Skye's body, slowly revealing the human skin beneath.
As the last large piece of stone shell fell from her forehead, Skye's long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she suddenly snapped her eyes open!
Like a drowning person, she gasped for air, her chest heaving violently.
The moment her consciousness returned, an indescribable surge and a booming sensation swept over her!
Skye let out an uncontrollable groan of pain, her eyes instantly filled with a silvery-white light.
With her as the center, an invisible yet incredibly intense shockwave erupted!
The air let out an overburdened wail, the altar floor cracked, and debris fell. Those nearby, like Coulson and the others, felt as if they were in the center of a magnitude ten earthquake, unable to stand steady, their eardrums stinging!
"Such a huge commotion right after awakening?" klein raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by the girl's potential.
He stepped forward, pressed his left index and middle fingers together, and tapped Skye's forehead lightly with lightning speed.
klein traced a complex and mysterious rune onto the center of Skye's brow.
"Seal!"
klein barked softly.
The rune flashed and instantly sank beneath Skye's skin.
The rampaging shockwave came to an abrupt halt, like a flood with its gates slammed shut.
The suffocating pressure within the altar suddenly vanished.
The silvery-white light in Skye's eyes faded. She felt as if all her strength had been drained, and her legs buckled as she started to fall forward.
klein reached out and caught her.
Leaning against klein's arm, Skye was pale, her forehead covered in cold sweat, her chest still heaving.
She looked up at klein, who was right in front of her. "Th... thank you, mr. klein."
klein looked at her and curled his lip in distaste, but he didn't let go of her arm.
"Don't thank me. As long as you're okay."
Chapter 188: Skye's Awakening (Part 2)
klein pulled the weakened Skye closer to him and jerked his chin toward Coulson, who was directing his subordinates to clear the scene and detain the prisoners.
"Caught red-handed with the loot, and I've secured the scene for you. This Old Hag, her man, and these crooked-faced goons are all yours to interrogate.
What you can dig out depends on your own ability; there are two more of their accomplices in the S.H.I.E.L.D.prison."
He paused and whispered to the approaching Coulson.
"Keep the matter of the inhuman crystal and this altar strictly under wraps. You know how to write the report.
Once word of this leaks and catches the eye of those lords on Capitol Hill or some other ambitious power-seekers...
With your current weight, you won't be able to withstand that kind of pressure. If you're not careful, it'll be another Insight Project, or worse."
Light flickered in Coulson's lone eye; he naturally understood the weight of klein's words. He took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
"I understand, klein. I'll raise the security clearance of this matter to the highest level, and all those in the know will sign the strictest non-disclosure agreements. I will personally oversee the subsequent cleanup and reporting."
"Alright, as long as you have a plan." klein said no more, reaching out to rest his hand on the shoulder of Skye, who was still a bit unsteady on her feet.
Spatial ripples spread out, and the two figures instantly vanished from the dark, damp underground altar.
The next second, they were standing in the familiar backyard of the antique shop in Brooklyn's Chinatown.
Wanda was sitting in a rattan chair in the yard reading a book. Hearing the noise, she looked up and immediately saw the pale woman being half-supported and half-held by klein.
She closed her book and stood up, her gaze sweeping lightly over Skye's torn and dusty collar, her messy hair, and klein's hand supporting her.
Her red lips pursed almost imperceptibly, but quickly dissolved into a gentle and appropriate smile.
"You're back?" She walked over and naturally took hold of Skye from the other side, using the movement to gently nudge klein's hand away. "And who is this?"
"Skye, my newly recruited assistant." klein let go smoothly and rubbed his nose, feeling as if there were little knives hidden beneath Wanda's smile. "I just picked her up; she's similar to how you were back then, with some special abilities."
"I just picked her up, she's similar to how you were back then, with some special abilities."
Wanda gave klein a look of disbelief—only a fool would believe he just 'picked up' an assistant—but she didn't ask further, turning instead to examine Skye closely.
"You look so pale, are you hurt? Come in and sit down. Is it alright if I call you Skye?"
Being supported by Wanda and feeling the kindness radiating from her, Skye's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and she nodded somewhat awkwardly.
"Y-yes, that's fine. Thank you, I'm okay, I'm just... a bit exhausted." She stole a glance at klein and then quickly lowered her head.
"It's good that you're okay. Don't be a stranger here, treat it like your own home." Wanda smiled, chatting naturally with her about where she was from and what she liked to eat while leading her into the house.
klein watched the backs of the two women, smacked his lips, and walked into the shop.
2B was standing quietly by the counter with a piece of flannel in her hand, idly wiping a blue and white porcelain vase. The data stream in her left eye flickered steadily, appearing to process multiple pieces of information simultaneously.
Seeing klein enter, she stopped her movements.
"Boss, welcome back."
"Yeah, everything been okay at home lately?" klein slumped into his exclusive recliner and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Everything is operating normally; no threatening intrusions or abnormal events have been detected," 2B reported, then added,
"However, Mr. Stark had two encrypted communication attempts while you were away. Since you were out of the service area, the connections could not be established. He left a message stating it wasn't urgent and would contact you later."
"Tony? What does he want with me?" klein raised an eyebrow.
The light in 2B's left eye flickered slightly as if she were retrieving some intelligence.
"According to an analysis of public information flows and cross-verification with S.H.I.E.L.D. shared intelligence fragments, it may be related to the 'Superhuman Registration and Management Framework' recently pushed by the United Nations.
The bill requires all superpowered individuals to register with a United Nations Special Committee and accept the regulatory ordinances it establishes.
This matter has caused significant internal division within the Avengers.
The faction led by Captain Rogers believes the bill is essentially surveillance and control, infringing on personal freedom and prone to abuse, and has expressed opposition.
Meanwhile, Mr. Stark, based on considerations of international pressure following the Lagos and Sokoviaincidents and a belief in establishing a controllable order, is inclined to support or at least negotiate the acceptance of some form of regulatory framework."
After listening, klein chuckled and scratched his chin.
"Sure enough, what was bound to come has arrived. Alright, I got it."
He raised his voice, shouting toward the inner room where Wanda was talking softly with Skye.
"Wanda! Stop chatting! Get ready, we're going out for a big feast tonight! Let's celebrate and welcome our new member!"
He thought for a moment and added.
"Give that kid Pietro a call and ask if he's free to hang out; if he is, tell him to get over here. While you're at it, ask Aunt May and Peter if it's convenient for them to join. The more the merrier!"
Wanda's smiling response came from the inner room.
"Got it! You're so demanding! Skye, ignore him, let's find you some fitting clothes to change into first, yours are all torn..."
In the evening, in the backyard of the shop, the charcoal fire burned brightly, and the sizzling meat skewers and vegetables on the grill emitted an enticing aroma.
klein, wearing a dark apron, skillfully flipped the skewers with one hand while grabbing a beer from the ice bucket nearby with the other and taking a large gulp.
Wanda and Skye walked out of the house. Skye had changed into an old T-shirt and casual pants of Wanda's. The lingering paleness on her face had faded quite a bit, though her eyes were still a little timid, like a kitten that had just arrived in a strange environment.
"Come, come, come, we were just waiting for you!" klein greeted them, stuffing a few freshly grilled lamb skewers into Wanda's hand. "Try these, my own handiwork!"
Wanda took them with a smile and gave a skewer to Skye. Skye took a small bite, and the flavor of fat mixed with cumin and chili exploded in her mouth.
"Where's that kid Pietro? Where'd he go running off to now?" klein asked while brushing sauce onto the grilled corn.
"I'm here, I'm here!" Before his voice even faded, a silver afterimage swept into the backyard with a gust of wind, braking hard to a stop by the dining table.
Pietro was carrying two large bags of drinks and snacks, his hair a mess from the wind. "Brother-in-law, I was out shopping! Look, Coke, juice, and the preserved plums Aunt May likes!"
Aunt May was sitting at a folding table with Peter Parkerand his Mary Jane. "You certainly have a silver tongue! Come sit down, you're all sweaty from running."
Peter looked at Skye curiously, then at Wanda, and secretly gave klein a thumbs up.
Initially, Skye just sat quietly next to Wanda, eating small bites and listening to everyone talk. But soon, she was infected by this relaxed, everyday atmosphere.
In the afternoon, when she regained consciousness in that dark altar and felt the strange, violent power within her, as well as the unmasked exploitation and madness in her parents' eyes, she thought her World had completely collapsed.
She was a tool to be manufactured, a defective experimental product, an uninvited monster.
But here, no one looked at her with strange eyes.
Wanda would hold her hand and talk about girl topics, Pietro would make her laugh, and Aunt May would ask with concern if she had enough to eat.
Even 2B, who looked like a robot, would steadily catch a cup before she could even react when she accidentally knocked over a drink.
They didn't care about her past, they didn't care about what she had just been through, and they certainly didn't care about how unstable the power hidden in her body was now.
They simply accepted her, just as naturally as accepting a breeze that happened to blow into the yard or a falling leaf.
"Thank you..." Skye lowered her head, her voice very soft, almost drowned out by the surrounding talk and laughter.
But Wanda heard it. She reached out and gently hugged Skye's shoulder, saying nothing, only handing her a freshly grilled slice of steamed bun sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Chapter 189: Doctor Strange
The next morning, klein woke up with Wanda in his left arm and... air in his right.
"Tsk, the revolution is not yet successful; comrades must still work hard," klein muttered as he got out of bed quietly.
Although klein wanted to sleep in one big bed with everyone, he couldn't bring himself to do something so unscrupulous as taking advantage of someone in distress.
Even though Skye was currently sensitive and insecure, if klein, who had saved her, were a bit more forceful, she wouldn't refuse.
However, a forced melon is not sweet; no matter how much it quenches thirst, it doesn't taste good.
Coming downstairs, the sizzling sound of frying eggs came from the kitchen.
2B was standing in front of the stove wearing an apron printed with a cartoon cat, her movements as precise as if she were operating a delicate instrument.
The edges of the fried eggs in the skillet were slightly charred, and the yolks were round and full. Just as the eggs were ready, the toaster nearby popped out two slices of perfectly golden-brown toast.
"Good morning, Boss." 2B didn't look back. "Breakfast will be ready in three minutes. Coffee has been brewed at 68 degrees Celsius, matching your preference."
"Thank you." klein slumped into a chair by the dining table, watching 2B's fluid movements and marveling at how technology changed lives, even if this technology was a bit too advanced.
Wanda came downstairs yawning, her eyes sleepy as she shuffled over to klein, naturally sitting in his lap and resting her head on his shoulder.
"2B's breakfast is much better than mine," she murmured, her tone carrying a hint of slight grievance.
"I love what you make too," klein pinched her cheek, "it's just that there's a bit less variety."
"Then I'll learn!"
"Don't, you're fine just as you are. Having one all-rounder in the house is enough. If you become capable of everything, I'll start feeling the pressure."
After Skye came downstairs and they finished breakfast, klein was rubbing his stomach, planning to lounge in the yard and soak up some Sun, when the doorbell rang.
"Who is it? This early?" he muttered, gesturing for 2B to open the door.
After the door opened, an extremely destitute figure appeared at the entrance.
Seeing this person, klein was stunned; it was actually Stephen Strange.
This man was once the top neurosurgeon in New York and even the entire U.S., and he was also the future Doctor Strange.
At this moment, he was a World away from the high-spirited medical genius in Kline's memory.
He wore a crumpled, stained old overcoat. His hair was messy and greasy, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, and his entire being exuded a despair that radiated from his very bones.
Most striking were his hands hanging at his sides, which were constantly trembling.
The surgical master once hailed as having the 'Hand of God' now had fingers that were bent, stiff, and uncontrollably twitching, with the backs of his hands covered in surgical scars and needle marks.
Seeing Stephen Strange in this state, klein understood what was happening.
This was likely shortly after the car accident; his hands were severely maimed, and he had exhausted his fortune seeking medical help everywhere to no avail, finally finding his way here in desperation.
For such a brilliant medical genius to fall to such a state was the most biting irony of the situation in the U.S.
In this country, no matter how excellent you are, once you are caught in the system's crosshairs, you can fall from the clouds in an instant and be crushed by the machine.
At that moment, the system's prompt sounded in klein's mind.
[Ding!]
[Detected Marvel plot character: Stephen Strange]
[Extract reward?]
"Yes."
The roulette wheel in his mind spun and finally stopped.
[Congratulations, Host. This reward is—the Dark Magic of the Elder God Chthon]
[Load?]
"Yes."
...
2B stepped aside and said calmly, "Please come in, Dr. Stephen Strange."
Stephen Strange walked into the shop with heavy steps. He looked up, and in those eyes that were once full of confidence, there was now only deep exhaustion and a flicker of stubborn fire that refused to go out.
"mr. klein, I heard about you from Emily Russell. I once performed surgery on one of her clients, so we are acquainted.
She... she said you might be able to solve some special problems."
He painfully raised those trembling hands, displaying them before klein, his eyes filled with a final sliver of hope and plea.
"My hands were severely damaged in a car accident. Nerves, tendons, bones... all the top Doctors said they couldn't be restored.
I've tried every known medical treatment, and even some not-so-conventional methods. But they all failed."
He took a deep breath, "I beg of you! If you have any way, any possibility at all... please help me. Without these hands, I am nothing."
klein leaned against the counter, quietly watching Stephen Strange.
Of course he could treat him.
Whether it was using the Phoenix Force to reshape the body, Vishanti magic to repair the damage, or even using talismans and elixirs to slowly nourish them...
There were plenty of methods. Healing these hands was not a difficult task for him.
But the problem was that the bald Ancient One was likely holding a teacup right now, peeping through dimensions.
Stephen Strange was her designated successor, the heir to the Sorcerer Supreme.
If he stepped in and healed him now, wouldn't he be stealing the Ancient One's thunder? That old bald lady might come to his door with her fan to argue.
Furthermore, some paths must be walked by the person themselves, and some hurdles must be overcome personally.
What Stephen Strange needed was not just to have his hands healed; he needed to break his inherent perceptions and step into a whole new World.
"Dr. Stephen Strange," klein spoke slowly, neither directly agreeing nor refusing.
"Your current problem is not something conventional medicine can solve. Your hands are broken and need fixing, but this requires a power that transcends your original cognitive system."
He paused and continued,
"Let me recommend someone to you. He was once like you, having experienced a severe car accident with shattered legs and severe nerve damage.
At the time, all the experts unanimously judged after consultation that he could only spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, with no possibility of standing up again."
Stephen Strange's eyes widened slightly. As a top surgeon, he knew all too well what such a verdict meant.
"However," klein's tone shifted, "now, he can not only walk normally but also play basketball on the court, running and jumping freely, no different from an ordinary person."
"This... how is that possible?" Stephen Strange instinctively retorted, a challenge born from his medical instincts.
But immediately after, a more intense light erupted in his eyes, "How did he do it? Where is he? What method did he use?"
"As for the method, it's not convenient to go into detail. As for where he was cured..." klein walked behind the counter, tore off a sticky note, grabbed a pen, scribbled a few words, and handed it to Stephen Strange.
"Kamar-Taj. Go find a person named Ancient One. Just say that klein, who owns a shop in Brooklyn, sent you."
Stephen Strange took the note with trembling hands, his brow furrowed as he looked at the unfamiliar place and name.
"Kamar-Taj? What kind of place is this? A medical institution? Or..."
"You'll know when you get there." klein waved his hand. "I can only say that the answers you need are there. But whether you can get them, and how much you can get, depends on your own luck.
I've pointed out the path for you; whether you walk it and how you walk it is your own business."
Stephen Strange stared at the note for a long time, then looked up at klein, and then at his own trembling, scarred hands.
Finally, he gripped the note tightly, as if clutching a final lifeline, and bowed deeply to klein.
"Regardless of the outcome! Thank you, mr. klein. At the very least, you've given me a direction."
With that, he turned and walked out of the shop with steps that were still heavy, but his back seemed a bit straighter.
Wanda came to klein's side at some point, looking in the direction Stephen Strange had left. "That Kamar-Taj? Can it really heal him?"
"What can be healed is never the hands, but the heart." klein stretched.
"As for whether he'll succeed, that's up to him. Some people are destined to walk a path unlike any other. As for us, we'll just wait and watch the show."
Chapter 190: Sorcerer Ancient One
klein was walking back with Wanda in his arms when he suddenly paused.
"What's wrong?" Wanda looked up at him.
"A friend has arrived," klein let go of her, his expression a bit subtle. "You guys head back inside first, I'm going out to meet him."
As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished from the spot.
When klein reappeared, he was in a World where the sky and the buildings were completely inverted.
Clouds flowed beneath his feet, broken clock towers hung upside down in the air, and the flow of time here appeared chaotic and distorted.
"Sorcerer Ancient One," klein looked around, his voice echoing in the inverted space, "You've looked for me several times, and now you've finally decided to show yourself. Do you really have that much faith in Strange?"
"Actually, I have more faith in you."
Following that calm voice, a figure manifested in front of klein.
A bald head, yellow Taoist robes, and the Eye of Agamottohanging around her chest. It was indeed Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One.
The moment she appeared, a system notification sounded in klein's mind:
[Ding!]
[Detected Marvel plot character: Sorcerer Ancient One]
[Would you like to draw a reward?]
"Yes."
The roulette wheel spun in his mind and finally came to a stop.
[Congratulations Host, the reward this time is — "Fairy Tail" — Time Magic (Ultear's Arc of Time - Time Back/Time Passage abilities)]
[Would you like to load it?]
"Yes."
A mysterious wave spread out with klein as the center.
The flow of time in the inverted World seemed to pause slightly before returning to normal.
klein felt his perception of time become exceptionally keen, as if he could touch the very texture of time.
A hint of rare surprise surfaced on the Ancient One's originally calm face.
Those eyes of hers, which had seen through countless timelines, were now carefully sizing up klein, her gaze growing increasingly solemn.
"Interesting," the Ancient One spoke slowly,
"Previously, I observed your future through the Eye of Agamotto, and every time there was a different result.
Sometimes you become Earth's Guardian, sometimes you cause a disaster, and sometimes you disappear into some dimensional rift. But just now...
Your timeline suddenly became unobservable. It's as if someone has woven a mist of time around you."
klein raised an eyebrow, understanding in his heart that this was the effect of his newly acquired Time Magic.
Ultear's Time Magic could not only reverse or accelerate local time but also seemed capable of interfering to some extent with others' observation of one's own timeline.
"Maybe I just learned how to protect my privacy? To keep you old folks from peeping!" klein shrugged and said half-jokingly.
The Ancient One did not laugh. She took a few steps forward, ripples appearing in the void beneath her feet as if she were stepping on solid ground.
"Strange is indeed the successor I've chosen," the Ancient One admitted,
"He possesses the potential to become an excellent sorcerer and is destined to face great trials. But your appearance has caused many timelines to branch out."
"So you're here to warn me? To tell me not to interfere in Strange's business?" klein asked.
"No," the Ancient One shook her head, "on the contrary. I hope you can give him a push at the appropriate time."
Now it was klein's turn to be surprised.
The Ancient One continued, "Strange relies too much on logic and science. To make him accept the existence of magic, he needs a strong enough shock. And you just happen to be good at creating such shocks."
"You trust me that much?" klein said with a half-smile. "Did you already see me sending him to Kamar-Taj through your peeping?"
"The timelines show that whether you do it or not, Strangewill eventually come to Kamar-Taj," the Ancient One said calmly,
"The only difference lies in the path and the cost. And the cost of the path guided by you is actually the smallest."
The two faced each other in the inverted World. Time flowed in an eerie manner here, with fragments of the past and future drifting like snowflakes.
"Why don't you use the Eye of Agamotto to see what I'll do next?" klein tested her.
The Ancient One smiled slightly. This was the first time she had shown a genuine smile since appearing, one carrying a certain wisdom that had seen through the World.
"It's precisely because I can't see through it that it's interesting. klein, you have become one of the greatest variables on this timeline. And variables are sometimes exactly what's needed to break a deadlock."
She raised her hand, tracing a complex magic circle in the air with her fingertips. Amidst the shimmering golden light, the surrounding inverted scenery began to fade, and images of the normal World gradually emerged.
"I'll leave Strange to you. I hope you can help him when he needs it."
The Ancient One's figure began to become transparent, and her voice gradually drifted away,
"Additionally, regarding your newly acquired ability. Time is the most powerful and dangerous force. Those who play with time will eventually be played by time. Remember this."
As her voice fell, the Ancient One vanished completely. klein was standing on the streets of Brooklyn again, as if everything just now had been a mere hallucination.
But he could feel a subtle control over time within his body. With a thought, a falling leaf by the roadside suddenly stagnated in mid-air, then slowly fell at a speed ten times slower.
"Time Magic! Interesting?" klein muttered, a flash of excitement in his eyes.
If used well, this ability was practically a god-tier skill.
Accelerating or decelerating locally during combat, reversing his own state when injured, or even turning the tide at a critical moment.
However, the Ancient One's warning also echoed in his ears. The power of time was indeed dangerous; one mistake could trigger a chain reaction or even create a time paradox.
"Boss?"
2B's voice came from behind him. klein turned and saw her standing at the shop entrance, the data stream in her left eye flickering slightly.
"Detected abnormal space-time fluctuations around you, lasting 37 seconds. Do you need me to activate defense protocols?"
"No need, just an old friend visiting." klein waved his hand and walked back into the shop.
Wanda and Skye were sitting in the living room. Seeing him return, they both cast inquiring looks.
"Finished talking?" Wanda asked.
"Yeah, finished."
klein walked into the shop, sat down beside Wanda, and casually picked up an apple from the table to take a bite. "An old friend asked me to look after her disciple."
Wanda blinked, thoughtful. "That down-and-out man from earlier?"
"Little Wanda is quite smart," klein raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think that?"
"Just a feeling," Wanda tilted her head, organizing her words,
"There's something about that down-and-out man that's very similar to me, but I can't say exactly what it is, just a certain quality?"
"Magical potential." klein finished it for her.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Wanda's eyes lit up. "Now that you say it, I understand! It's that kind of person with a natural affinity for magic, he just doesn't know it himself yet. You went out right after he left, so it must be related to him."
"Smart." klein rubbed her hair approvingly, then changed the subject,
"Since that's the case, why don't you teach Skye how to use her abilities? After all, you went through the same thing back then; it should be better with you teaching her."
Wanda gave him a side-eye, thinking to herself, 'Don't I know you? It's not just about wanting me to teach her; you clearly want us all in one big bed together, getting us used to you, you dog of a man, in advance.'
But she didn't expose him. She just stood up and held out her hand to Skye. "Let's go, let's head to the backyard. It'll be a bit hard to control your abilities at first, but don't be afraid, I'll be with you."
Skye looked at klein a bit nervously, and seeing him nod, she handed her hand to Wanda. The two girls went to the backyard hand in hand.