Chapter 121: Combining magic and Science?
Early the next morning.
Malibu, laboratory.
Master Wong stood in the center of the laboratory with dark circles under his eyes.
At this moment, he was dressed in a sorcerer's robe, looking completely out of place with the surrounding high-tech scene.
Last night, he hardly slept all night, and his mind was in a mess.
The good news was that Luca and the others had developed an interest in magic.
The bad news was that their methods of learning magic seemed to be a bit different.
After thinking about it all night, Wong couldn't think of any good solution.
In the end, he decided he could only steady Luca and the others' interest first.
Once they got over this period of novelty, he could lead the two into the magical realm through orthodox learning methods.
But now, he was trying to make a final struggle by explaining the seriousness of magic to Tony, who was busy in front of the workbench.
"Mr. Stark, you must understand."
Wong said earnestly, gesturing with his hands in front of his chest.
"magic is the resonance between the soul and the multiverse. It requires meditation, enlightenment, and awe of unknown power! You can't use machines to..."
"Shut up, fatty."
Tony interrupted Wong.
While chewing the dried blueberries in his mouth, he rapidly tapped on the virtual keyboard.
"In the laboratory, there is no such imprecise word as enlightenment. Science is science; everything can be quantified and parsed."
Tony turned around and pointed his finger at Wong.
"What you call magic, in my view, is just an unparsed quantum interference phenomenon."
"You connect to the energy fields of other dimensions through specific brainwave frequencies, and then transport the energy over like thieves. This is called physics, not mythology."
Wong was dumbfounded, his worldview severely impacted.
By the Vishanti, this guy actually called sacred magic quantum interference?
"Jarvis, import the Chaos Magic frequency recorded yesterday. I want to see what the logic of this energy really is."
"Right away, sir. Building the energy model." Jarvis's voice echoed in the laboratory.
Wong completely collapsed, holding his forehead and wailing in pain.
"This is a blasphemy against magic! If Sorcerer Ancient One knows I let you do this, she will exile me to the Dark Dimension!"
"No, fatty, this is a modern upgrade to magic." Tony smugly raised his eyebrows.
"By the way, has Kamar-Taj applied for a magic patent? If not, Stark Industries will go to the patent office to register it this afternoon. From now on, you wizards drawing circles will have to pay copyright fees to Stark Industries."
Wong opened his mouth wide, unable to say a word for a long time.
Could he say he just wanted to go back to the Himalayas to shovel snow right now?
Just then, Steve, who was sitting on the corner sofa munching on a hamburger, spoke up.
"What the hell are you bullshitters yapping about early in the morning?"
Steve took a fierce bite of the hamburger and cursed incoherently.
"You call this thing magic?! Back when I was fighting Nazis in Europe, those cultists under Red Skull were boasting just like this, saying they mastered the power of gods, and in the end, didn't I smash their balls to pieces with a shield?!"
Steve crumpled the wrapper into a ball and threw it into the trash can.
"And you, Tony. Can't you fucking speak like a normal human being? What quantum, what interference, do you think you're shooting a movie?"
Tony rolled his eyes, not even having the desire to retort.
He was already used to this moral paragon who spewed crap out of his mouth.
"Old Popsicle, your brain is still stuck in the era of smashing walnuts with stones, I don't blame you. You just need to quietly eat your delicious burger and watch modern technology rub gods into the ground."
Right at this moment.
Accompanied by the sound of the laboratory doors opening, Luca walked in.
He was wearing a loose white shirt, with the collar casually unbuttoned, revealing his firm pectoral muscles.
Behind him followed Wanda and Pietro, as well as Jessica Drew wearing a black hip-hugger skirt.
Jessica was holding a tray with a few cups of coffee on it.
Although a sweet smile hung on her face, she was cursing like mad in her heart.
That dead scumbag Luca!
Just crawled out of Gwen's bed last night, and this morning he started flirting with the Witch!
Why hasn't he died of exhaustion?!
What kind of monster did HYDRA actually provoke?!
Did that old bastard Pierce have water in his brain, asking me to monitor a pervert like this?
Jessica felt the hip-hugger skirt was suffocatingly tight, but she didn't dare resist Luca's command at all.
She knew very well.
As long as she showed even a tiny bit of abnormality, the seemingly cynical Luca would snap her neck without hesitation.
Because he learned that Wanda was called over to be part of an experiment, Pietro had been staring dead at Luca since morning.
His fists were tightly clenched, his eyes full of anger.
But he didn't dare make a move because he owed Luca one billion in mental damage fees.
More importantly, he knew that in terms of speed, Luca was faster than him.
Luca didn't know what Pietro thought of him.
At this moment, he walked to the center of the laboratory, casually took the coffee handed over by Jessica, took a sip, and nodded with satisfaction.
"Assistant Jones, your skirt today fits my aesthetic. But your heartbeat is a bit fast, is the laboratory's air conditioner too cold, or are you thinking about something you shouldn't be thinking about?"
Luca slightly lowered his head and leaned close to Jessica's ear, his voice low and magnetic.
Jessica was so frightened that her back went cold, and all the hair on her body stood on end.
"N—No, boss. I'm just... a little unaccustomed to the environment here."
"Is that so? That's good."
Luca chuckled and looked at Wanda.
Wanda was wearing a long red dress today, looking full of youthful maidenly charm.
This was the outfit Pepper taught her to wear, but she was very unaccustomed to it.
Therefore, until this very moment, her hands were still nervously twisting together.
She originally thought Luca brought her to the laboratory to conduct some terrifying experiment.
But when Luca approached, not only did she not feel afraid, but her heartbeat accelerated and her cheeks flushed slightly.
At this moment, the scene she saw in the illusion that day involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
That man who cried upon seeing his long-lost parents, that madman who would destroy the World to avenge his family.
On the outside, he looked like a scumbag with no bottom line.
But deep down, he was actually more lonely and fragile than anyone else.
Wanda told herself this in her heart.
"Don't be nervous, Wanda."
Seeing Wanda's nervousness, Luca smiled slightly.
"We're not doing blood draw experiments today. Stark Industries' technology is much more direct than you think."
Tony had already set up more than a dozen energy detectors in the center of the laboratory, with all probes aimed at Luca and Wanda standing in the center.
A circle of special-material glass also rose around them, flashing with light.
Seeing this battle array, Wong was so anxious that he jumped up and down, the fat on his face trembling.
"Stark! Are you guys crazy? That is Chaos Magic! It's a forbidden power that can warp reality and modify probabilities!"
"You're letting Luca absorb it directly? His body will turn into a bunch of butterflies or glass shards! You guys simply don't understand the terribleness of Chaos Magic, it will turn people into a pile of scrap!"
Tony spread his hands, paying tribute to a certain Lakers legend.
"Fatty, put away your mythology stories. At Stark Industries, as long as it's energy, it can be quantified. As long as it can be quantified, it can be utilized."
"Jarvis, turn everything up to maximum!"
"Right away, sir. Detectors are ready."
Luca stood in the center of the shield and casually threw his clothes aside.
His muscular lines were fully displayed.
This was vastly different from the rigid muscles of bodybuilders.
To be precise, it was a physique full of explosive power and streamlined aesthetic.
It gave the feeling that every single muscle contained earth-shattering energy.
Wanda stared straight ahead, her face completely flushed, and even her breathing became rapid.
Jessica, standing in the corner, couldn't help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
Although she wished she could kill this scumbag.
She had to admit that this body was simply God's masterpiece.
Chapter 122: Is This Even Human?
"Come, Wanda."
Luca crooked his finger at Wanda, his eyes flashing with a gleam of excitement.
"Use your magic to hit me, don't hold back."
Wanda was stunned for a moment, hesitating slightly.
"But... this will hurt you."
"You overestimate yourself, Little Witch." Luca smiled gently.
"If I can't even digest this bit of energy, how can I be the leader of the Justice League? Come on, let me see your limit."
Pietro shouted from the side, gritting his teeth.
"Wanda, forget about him! Since he's courting death, grant his wish! Use your full strength to blast this arrogant fool into pieces!"
Wanda took a deep breath, her gaze gradually becoming firm.
She knew Luca was strong, so she decided to hold nothing back.
The next second, she thrust her hands forward abruptly, a massive amount of crimson energy condensing in her palms.
Boom!
A red beam of energy, like an angry dragon bursting out of the sea, slammed fiercely into Luca's chest!
A sudden change occurred!
Chaos Magic was indeed different from Hulk's kinetic energy, and also different from the thermal energy of the Sun.
It did not care about physical laws or the conservation of energy; it represented the underlying modification privileges of the Universe.
The moment the red light touched Luca, it wasn't absorbed immediately as usual.
Instead, Chaos Magic was already attempting to modify Luca's body!
Luca's chest began to turn into eerie pixelation, much like the static screen on a television.
Following that, those pixel blocks began to turn into transparent crystalline substances, as if Luca's flesh and blood were being transformed into inorganic matter.
"Hahaha! He can't hold on!"
Seeing this scene, Pietro shouted excitedly.
"I knew it! No matter how strong he is, he's still a human. How could he possibly withstand magic! He's going to collapse!"
Wang Ye was so frightened that he closed his eyes, unable to bear watching Luca's tragic state of turning into a pile of glass shards.
However, Luca merely let out a muffled groan.
Then, he lowered his head, gazing at the changes on his chest, and his eyes burst out with dazzling white and blue light!
"Modify reality? A bit interesting."
Luca sneered.
The energy inside his body sensed the invasion of high-dimensional energy.
Coincidentally, his serum was all about infinite evolution and energy absorption.
When encountering incomprehensible energy, the serum's passive defense mechanism began to operate.
Hum!!
A layer of dazzling white and blue biological force field erupted from within Luca.
The force field, like a flame, quickly enveloped his entire body.
And inside his body, the white and blue energy was like a giant beast opening its bloody maw, biting down in one gulp on the invading red energy!
Two completely different forces unfolded a fierce tug-of-war inside Luca.
But in less than a minute, Chaos Magic was defeated.
Those crystallized skins began to self-heal under the flushing of the white and blue light.
Subsequently, Luca's cells began the assimilation mechanism.
The red energy was still pouring from Wanda's hands into Luca's body.
However, it could no longer cause substantive damage to him; instead, it became nourishment for his evolution.
"This... how is this possible?!"
Wang opened his eyes, shocked beyond measure.
"He ate the Chaos Magic? What the fuck kind of monster is this?!"
Steve was also somewhat surprised, unable to help letting out a curse.
"What the fuck, is this kid a bottomless pit? He can absorb any damn thing?"
The red light was gradually swallowed up by the white and blue light.
Wanda let go, panting heavily, her forehead covered in sweat.
She had outputted the maximum energy she could currently control.
Luca let out a long sigh of relief, closing his eyes to feel the changes inside his body.
He clenched his fist, a few faint red electric arcs flashing between his fingers.
Although very little, it meant that his cells had successfully assimilated part of the Chaos Magic.
"Gentlemen, this is incredible."
Jarvis's voice sounded in the laboratory, and a 3D cell structure diagram was projected on the holographic screen.
"Mr. Luca's cells are producing antibodies. His resistance to reality warping has increased. Moreover, the activity of these unknown particles is thousands of times that of the new element; it seems to possess subjective consciousness and can directly rewrite the arrangement probability of surrounding molecules."
Seeing the data on the screen, Tony could no longer hide his fanaticism.
"I knew it! I knew it!"
"This is not magic at all! It's the administrator code at the bottom of the Universe! Jarvis, have you captured the band frequency of the Chaos Magic?"
"Already fully recorded, Sir."
"That's great! As long as I crack this frequency, I can install anti-magic armor on the armor! At that time, whatever demon god! In front of my technology, they are all scum!"
Tony was already conceiving the blueprints for the new armor in his mind.
Luca couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the crazy Tony.
He walked up to the slightly panting Wanda, looking at her gently.
He found that the energy level of Chaos Magic was indeed too high.
Although his cells were abnormal, they couldn't become fat in one bite; they needed to eat small, frequent meals to slowly digest and evolve.
Thus, Luca reached out and gently lifted Wanda's chin.
Wanda was forced to raise her head, meeting Luca's deep gaze.
"Good job, Little Witch."
"Your energy is very special, I like it very much. From today on, you are my exclusive power bank."
Wanda was stunned, her big eyes filled with confusion.
"A... power bank?"
"That's right."
Luca gently stroked Wanda's fair cheeks.
"Every night, come to my room and charge me for an hour. In return, your debt will be reduced by ten thousand yuan every day. How about it, this deal is very cost-effective, right?"
Wanda's face instantly turned red, and her neck also blushed a pinkish hue.
"Ev... every night? Go to your room? Th... thi..."
At this moment, her mind was a mess like a pot of porridge.
Go to his room? A lone man and a single woman? Charging?
What kind of bold and wild words are these!
"You beast! I'll kill you!"
Pietro on the side was about to explode with anger.
Watching this scumbag flirt with his sister right in front of him, and even make such lewd requests.
How could he possibly endure it!
Pietro turned into a silver afterimage, waving his fists and smashing towards Luca.
However, Luca backhanded him with a slap.
Slap!
A crisp sound.
Pietro flew backwards at a speed even faster than when he came.
"My Lord is speaking, children don't interrupt."
Wanda was startled.
But seeing that her brother, although embedded in the wall, was not in life-threatening danger and had only passed out, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's settled then. Tonight at ten, I'll wait for you."
Luca released Wanda's chin and turned to walk towards the workbench.
Jessica, standing in the corner, was dumbfounded beyond belief.
This guy not only treated the Hulk like a punching bag, but now he could even eat the legendary reality-modifying magic as a meal!
This was no longer in the category of humans!!
Jessica secretly reached her hand into her pocket.
Relying on the professional qualities of an Agent, she sent an encrypted text message to headquarters on her mobile phone.
"Officer, the plan must be aborted... He can even eat magic, we simply cannot win... If we provoke him again, we will all die!"
After sending it, Jessica felt her back soaked in cold sweat.
At this moment, Luca suddenly looked at her with a half-smile.
"Assistant Jones, you're shaking so badly. Is the laboratory's air conditioner really too cold, or do you have any opinions on my charging process?"
Luca's gaze seemed to see through everything, piercing into Jessica's soul.
Jessica was so frightened that her phone almost dropped to the ground.
She had to suppress her fear and squeezed out a sweet smile.
"N... no, Boss. You're really amazing... I just... have a little hypoglycemia."
"That's good." Luca withdrew his gaze, picked up his coffee, and took a sip.
"Go prepare a new set of clothes for me, and by the way, pry that idiot off the wall. Stark Industries doesn't feed idlers."
Jessica felt as if she had been granted amnesty, and quickly nodded in agreement.
Chapter 123: Hunker Down and Farm
Jessica exerted all her effort and finally managed to pry Pietro out of the wall.
Pietro tumbled onto the ground in a pathetic state, clutching his swollen, red cheek and coughing violently.
After waking up, his first reaction was impotent rage.
First, he raised his head, wanting to fight Luca to the death.
But when he saw Luca's half-smiling face, Pietro swallowed the curse words that were already on his lips.
Fine.
He couldn't win, absolutely couldn't win against him.
Is this guy lucifer?!
Pietro only felt that Luca looked hideous at this moment, just like a demon.
Everyone stopped paying attention to Pietro's condition.
Anyway, he was a superhuman and wouldn't die that easily.
Steve walked up to Pietro, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and then blew out a long ring of smoke.
"Kid, your speed is indeed quite fast, as fast as the surrender speed of the French back then."
"But in front of real power, what you're doing is asking to be slapped."
"Can't you fucking learn from your sister and quietly act like a vase? Why do you have to bark around everywhere like an unweaned teddy bear? If I were your dad, I should've shot you against the wall back then."
Pietro was scolded until his face turned completely red, but he couldn't refute a single word.
Wong stayed quiet for a long while, silently observing everyone.
He had already discovered that not a single person in this so-called Justice League was normal.
It seemed that if he wanted to complete Sorcerer Ancient One's task, he still had to take it slow.
He walked up to Luca and let out a deep sigh.
"Stark, I finally see it clearly. Your thought processes are completely on a different dimension from Kamar-Taj."
Wong rubbed his throbbing temples.
"But I can stay and be your so-called chief magic consultant. The premise is... last night's food must be provided in sufficient quantities every day. And that red wine called Romanée-Conti, I want that too."
Hearing this, Luca couldn't help laughing out loud.
"No problem, fatty. As long as you obediently spit out the underlying logic of magic, Stark Industries can feed you into the fattest mage in the World."
With that, Luca snapped his fingers.
"Jarvis, open the black card access of Stark Industries for our Mr. magic. By the way, arrange a luxury suite with a panoramic kitchen for him in New York."
"Understood, Mr. Luca, access has been granted."
As soon as these words were spoken, the sorrow on Wong's face instantly vanished, and he contentedly rubbed his belly.
The dignity of magic?
In front of food, dignity was worth jack shit.
...
Meanwhile, in Washington.
Alexander Pierce was checking the encrypted text message sent by Jessica, his brows tightly locked together.
"He can even eat magic that alters reality; we simply cannot win..."
Pierce muttered the contents of the text message, his fingers tapping gently on the desk.
On the screen in front of him, Dr. Zola was waiting silently.
"Officer, what do you think?" Pierce asked in a deep voice.
Dr. Zola on the screen brought up the footage from the Monaco arena.
Especially the high-definition footage of Luca beating Hulk to a pulp in the stratosphere, as well as the energy fluctuation data sent back by Jessica just now.
"Human flesh cannot possibly carry these energies. But Lucas Stark's cells seem to possess something unreasonable."
Zola said this, his tone filled with full amazement.
"Right now, he can even assimilate unknown magical energy. From a biological perspective, this has already deviated from the scope of humanity and is evolving toward a higher-dimensional lifeform."
Pierce also frowned, his gaze turning solemn.
"Should we still assassinate or capture him? I'm afraid it will drag HYDRA down with him."
"There's no need, Pierce."
Dr. Zola pondered for a moment and gave a rational analysis.
"Through behavioral logic comparison, although Lucas Stark is ridiculously powerful, he hasn't shown a goal of necessarily eliminating HYDRA. He is more like a capricious capitalist."
"As long as we don't touch his bottom line, such as his family and company, he won't proactively come to cause trouble for us."
"Furthermore, he currently treats Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. as his primary entertainment, which is actually beneficial to us."
After hearing this, Pierce nodded slightly.
Indeed.
Luca was strong, strong enough to make people wary.
But HYDRA's goal was to rule the World, to complete the god-seeking project, not to fight a bottomless pit to the death.
As long as Luca had no issues with them, they didn't need to target him.
Of course, the premise was that the other party hadn't discovered the truth about Howard and Maria's death.
If they really found out, given the personalities of the Stark Brothers, it would probably be very troublesome.
"In that case, let's sit tight and do nothing."
After pondering for a long time, Pierce ultimately made a decision.
"I will tell Jessica to continue lurking by Luca's side."
"She doesn't need to execute dangerous missions anymore; she just needs to transmit Luca's movements and Stark Industries' intelligence back every day. And I'll have her be smart and not anger that pervert Luca."
"Very well, Pierce, let's do that, and cut off all direct actions targeting the Stark Brothers. Let Nick Fury bear their wrath."
HYDRA's high-level meeting concluded here.
This wasn't because they were scared out of their wits, but rather because they made the choice that best served their interests.
Hunker down, farm, and let others go die.
...
Time blinked and arrived at ten o'clock at night.
Malibu Mansion.
Inside a huge bedroom.
This was Luca's bedroom, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the charming nighttime coastline of Los Angeles.
At this moment, Wanda stood in front of the bedroom door, extremely nervous.
This scene gave off the feeling of a lamb awaiting slaughter.
Tonight, she wore a slightly skimpy black silk nightgown.
This was what Pepper specifically dragged her out to buy in the afternoon, saying that employees of Stark Industries must have nightgowns matching their status.
But Wanda felt that the fabric of the nightgown was really too little.
For example, the neckline was cut very low, and the hem barely covered the root of her thighs.
For someone traditional like her, wearing this clothes was no different from wearing nothing at all.
She was incomparably nervous, and couldn't help taking a deep breath.
But strangely, she found that her mind was filled with those not-suitable-for-children images.
Go to his room? A lone man and a single woman? Charging?
How on earth is this supposed to be charged!!
Wanda bit her lips, and finally raised her hand to knock gently on the door.
"Come in."
Luca's response came from inside the door.
Wanda hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door and cautiously walked inside.
Chapter 124 How Did I End Up Like This?
The room was very quiet, and the main lights were not turned on; only a few dim ambient lamps were lit.
Right in front of her.
Luca stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the night view.
He wore a white bathrobe and held a glass of red wine in his hand.
Hearing footsteps, Luca turned around, his gaze unscrupulously sweeping over Wanda's graceful curves.
Her sleepwear clung tightly to Wanda's body, outlining her youthful and invincible figure.
"You dressed like this..."
Luca smiled slightly, swirling his wine glass.
"Are you planning to let me absorb energy, or absorb something else?"
Wanda was consumed with shame and anger, her face turning red down to the roots of her ears.
Shifting under shyness, she had no choice but to cover her chest and stutteringly retort.
"You... Didn't you say you wanted to recharge! How on earth do I charge you! Hurry up and finish so I can go back to sleep!"
Seeing Wanda looking like a startled creature, Luca chuckled and put down his wine glass.
Then, he walked over to Wanda in a few strides.
His tall physique brought a strong sense of oppression, causing Wanda to involuntarily take a step back until her calves hit the edge of the bed and she sat down with a thud.
Luca smoothly bent down, placing both hands on either side of Wanda's body, trapping her in his embrace.
The distance between the two was less than ten centimeters, and Wanda could feel the breath Luca exhaled washing over her face.
"Don't be nervous, Little Witch."
He took hold of Wanda's slightly chilled little hand, which was trembling from nervousness.
And their fingers were tightly interlocked.
"Close your eyes and clear your mind."
Seeing Wanda's obvious panic, Luca began to direct her.
"Let the Chaos Magic flow through our hands, bit by bit, into my body. Remember, go slowly. If the speed is too fast and makes me feel uncomfortable, I will punish you."
Wanda swallowed a mouthful of saliva and obediently closed her eyes.
Nodding slightly, Wanda began to mobilize the Chaos Magic.
Hum!!
Wisps of red energy slowly flowed into Luca's body along their interlocked fingers.
The moment it made contact with Luca's body, the energy inside him immediately rushed to meet it.
The two streams of energy produced a wonderful resonance at the junction.
This feeling was extremely peculiar.
Wanda felt as though a part of herself had entered Luca's body.
She could clearly feel Luca's powerful and steady heartbeat, feeling the surging power within his blood.
At the same time, because of the blending of energy, Wanda once again vaguely touched the emotions deep within Luca's soul.
That was the care for family covered up by cynicism, as well as a deeply hidden loneliness.
The touch at the soul level, coupled with the weakness brought by the loss of energy, made Wanda shiver involuntarily.
"Mn..."
Wanda couldn't help letting out a soft hum, her voice so sweet and soft that even she herself was startled.
Her face was so flushed it looked like it was about to bleed, and her whole body went limp.
She could only lean weakly in Luca's embrace, letting this man greedily extract her energy.
Luca closed his eyes, enjoying the integration brought by the Chaos Magic.
These high-level energies were like a tonic, making him want to cheer and leap with joy.
I have to say, the level of Chaos Magic was indeed very high.
This was the first time in so long that Luca had absorbed such high-quality energy.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about absorbing the energy of a reactor, but he was afraid that something unexpected would happen if he couldn't absorb it.
But since he could absorb Chaos Magic this time, he could also consider adding a reactor to his armor to absorb energy in the future.
That way, he could absorb energy and grow stronger all the time.
Time ticked away second by second.
One hour later.
Charging ended.
Wanda was limp all over, paralyzed on the bed covered in a light sheen of sweat, panting heavily.
She felt as if she had run a marathon, truly having not a shred of strength left.
On the other hand, Luca straightened his body, looking refreshed and spirited.
The red and blue light at the bottom of his eyes flashed and disappeared, and feeling his strength improve once more, he twisted his neck with satisfaction.
Just as Luca was about to continue teasing the blushing Little Witch, Jarvis's voice rang out in the room.
"Apologies, sir, for the interruption. I did not mean to intrude, but Mr. Tony asked you to head to the tarmac. The venue for the Stark Expo has been completely set up, and you will be flying to New York early tomorrow morning."
"Got it," Luca replied casually.
"Additionally, sir," Jarvis continued to report.
"Miss Gwen just sent you a message."
"Read it."
"Miss Gwen says: Luca, my time as an exchange student has ended. Dad is pressing me, so I have to go back to New York first. See you in New York, tiger."
Hearing this message, Luca raised an eyebrow and smiled gently.
The little spider was returning to her home base.
It seemed New York would be even livelier than imagined.
Luca glanced at Wanda, and after thinking for a moment, he walked over.
Then he pulled a quilt from the side and casually covered Wanda's alluring, delicate body.
"Sleep here tonight, Little Witch. Get some good rest."
Luca smiled gently at her.
"Early tomorrow morning, I'll take you to New York to see the world."
After saying that, Luca strode out of the room.
With a soft thud, the door closed.
Only Wanda was left in the bedroom.
Wanda lay on the bed for a full ten minutes before she barely recovered a bit of strength.
She bit her lip and managed to crawl up from the bed.
After observing her surroundings, she sneaked out like a guilty thief and jogged all the way back to her own room.
"Bang!"
After closing the door, Wanda collapsed straight onto the bed, tightly covering her face with a pillow.
"Goodness... What on earth am I doing..."
She wailed inwardly, feeling her cheeks burning hot.
Her heart was pounding wildly, as if it was about to jump out of her throat.
And she felt that as long as she closed her eyes, the image of the two of them with interlocked fingers just now would surface in her mind.
The pleasure generated when their energies fused, and the warm breath Luca exhaled onto her face.
And Luca's body pressing closely against hers, as well as that massive pillar she vaguely sensed.
All those memories echoed in her mind like poison.
And it made her somewhat itchy with longing, her legs rubbing against each other continuously.
She didn't know why she was like this; this feeling was very strange.
"Clearly he's a scumbag without a bottom line, a bastard who smashed her brother into a wall..."
Wanda rolled over on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, her eyes becoming somewhat hazy.
"But... Why don't I hate that feeling?"
Just now when their energy connected, she truly and clearly felt the other side of Luca's inner self.
A man powerful enough to make people despair deep down possessed a desire to protect and a sense of loneliness stronger than anyone else's.
And this extreme contrast held a fatal attraction for a young girl whose heart was just awakening to love.
Wanda reached out, observing the fingers that had just been interlocked with Luca's; her fingertips still seemed to retain his warmth.
"I'll take you to New York to see the world..."
Recalling the somewhat doting words Luca said before leaving, the corners of Wanda's mouth curled up involuntarily.
"I'm crazy, I must be crazy."
Wanda quickly patted her burning cheeks, trying to drive those strange thoughts out of her mind.
How could I end up like this?
How could I be thinking about these things?
It must be that Luca deliberately attracted me!
Right! Exactly, it must be like this!!
Chapter 125: Truly Courting Death
Early the next morning.
The Villa's living room was already bustling with activity.
Everyone was making final preparations to head to New York.
Wanda had dark circles under her eyes and walked slowly down the stairs.
She hadn't slept well at all last night, and her mental state was poor.
As soon as she reached the edge of the living room, she caught sight of Luca sitting on the sofa.
Luca was wearing a dark suit today with the collar slightly open, holding a cup of coffee in his hand, and chatting with Tony on the side.
The moment she saw him, Wanda froze for a second.
Last night's memories started attacking her brain again.
For some reason, Wanda felt that her face must be flushed red right now.
She stopped in her tracks, not knowing whether to advance or retreat, and didn't even have the courage to look Luca straight in the eye.
Hearing the footsteps, Luca looked toward the top of the stairs.
Then, he raised an eyebrow, gave a soft smile, and let his gaze sweep unceremoniously over Wanda.
"Good morning, Little Witch."
"Did you sleep well last night? Looking at your complexion, it seems you really need to recharge."
Stimulated by these words, Wanda shuddered all over, tightly grasping the corner of her clothes as her speech became stuttering.
"I... I slept very well! I don't need... don't need to recharge! You... stop talking nonsense!"
Flustered, Wanda lowered her head and walked quickly to the dining table.
Nervous, she casually grabbed a piece of bread and shoved it into her mouth, not daring to look up at anyone at all.
Pietro, sitting on the other side, saw everything.
As a veteran sister-con, Pietro keenly sensed that something was wrong with his younger sister.
Moreover, judging by his sister's current blushing and evasive appearance, she looked completely like a young maiden experiencing romantic awakening for the first time.
Looking again at Luca's ambiguous, scumbag-like expression, Pietro instantly imagined ten thousand words of plot.
A lone man and a lone woman staying together in a room for an hour in the dead of night.
After coming out, his sister turned into this state.
What the hell else could they have been doing!
Pietro was so angry his teeth were itching.
In a fit of rage, he suddenly stood up, wanting to rush over and demand to know what Luca had done to his sister.
However, the moment he took half a step forward, he stopped.
Because Luca turned his head and gave him a nonchalant glance.
With just that one glance, Pietro remembered the scene of being slapped flying yesterday.
The intense pain throughout his body instantly sobered him up.
Fine, he couldn't beat him.
He really couldn't beat him at all.
Going up there was just courting death.
Pietro could only sullenly sit back down and rage impotently.
Of course, he could still stare at Luca and mentally kill him with his gaze.
If looks could kill, Luca would have died hundreds of times over.
"What are you looking at, kid."
Steve, sitting to the side, blew out a long ring of smoke and chimed in with a taunt.
Pietro looked over and saw Steve sitting with his legs crossed, holding a cigar between his fingers.
Most importantly, he was still running his mouth at him.
"Can you fucking only sit here and glare? If you don't dare to step up, shut up and stop making a fool of yourself here."
Pietro was scolded until his face turned completely red, leaving him with no choice but to glare angrily at Steve.
"Shut up! Outdated Old Popsicle!"
"An Old Popsicle is still better than a soft-hearted weakling like you." Steve sneered and flicked his cigarette ash.
"On the battlefield, someone like you wouldn't survive zero seconds. You can't even protect your sister, yet you still have the nerve to bark here."
Pietro was shaking with anger, but couldn't refute a single word.
He felt that he really needed to become stronger.
He wanted to be the fastest person on Earth.
By then, even Luca wouldn't be able to catch up to him!!
In another corner of the living room, Bruce Banner was sitting on the sofa holding a cup of chamomile tea.
Taking a cautious sip, he closed his eyes to feel it carefully, trying hard to control his heart rate.
Ever since he was brutally beaten by Luca, Hulk would immediately start playing dead as soon as he sensed Luca's presence.
Banner instead welcomed a long-lost peace.
He now felt that as long as he stayed by Luca's side, he was the safest person in the World.
"Gentlemen, would anyone like a coffee refill?"
Jessica was wearing a black-and-white maid outfit, holding a coffee pot as she walked over.
I have to say, her movements were standard and her tone was respectful, completely fitting the role of a qualified personal maid.
Jessica received Pierce's email last night.
After receiving this order, she felt a great sense of relief.
Now, she just wanted to play the role of an assistant and a maid well.
For example, serving tea and water, packing luggage, and absolutely not touching Luca's bottom line.
Jessica filled Luca's cup with coffee, her peripheral vision sweeping past Wanda's blushing face.
The high-ranking members of HYDRA didn't want to provoke Luca at all.
Wanda, on the other hand, was quite something, throwing herself right at him voluntarily.
She could only say she was truly courting death.
But that was fine too; having a woman distract Luca would make her infiltration mission much safer.
"Alright, everyone!"
Right at that moment, Happy ran in from outside the front door.
At this moment, he was drenched in sweat, holding a stack of schedules with an extremely anxious expression.
As the head of security and driver, Happy was now on the verge of a breakdown.
Just look at the kind of people filling this room.
A young boss who could blow up a monster squad, a big boss flying around in an iron suit, a fat guy who knew magic, a fugitive who could turn green at any moment, a foul-mouthed World War II antique, and a pair of Superpower twins.
As an ordinary person, he didn't dare to act fierce, nor did he dare to say anything.
He could only stamp his feet anxiously and urge everyone frantically.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the private jet is waiting at the airport! We must leave immediately! Miss Pepper is already on the plane, and if we're late, she's going to kill me! She really will kill me!"
Luca shrugged, then stood up and adjusted his jacket.
"Let's go, everyone. The stage in New York has already been set, let's go give them a little Stark shock."
Chapter 126: Mr. Superman, Did You Miss Me?
Half an hour later.
Los Angeles International Airport.
A luxury private jet bearing the logo of Stark Industries was parked on the runway.
Everyone boarded the plane one after another.
Wanda and Pietro had just stepped into the cabin when they were rendered speechless by the luxury before them.
No joke, this plane was even more luxurious than the last one.
The interior space of the cabin was huge, laid with thick carpets.
High-end sofas, holographic projection entertainment systems, and a private bar were all fully equipped.
Is this still a plane? Are you sure it's not a moving luxury palace?
As soon as Master Wang got on the plane, without saying a word, he walked straight to the catering cart area.
He pulled out a chair, sat down, and shouted instructions to the flight attendant.
"Bring all the food over. And Romanée-Conti, open two bottles for me."
The flight attendant smiled and complied.
Master Wang picked up a spoon, scooped a large spoonful of caviar into his mouth, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.
He had already succumbed to the shape of capital, and Luca had touched him with sincerity.
The precepts and rules of Kamar-Taj?
Screw it, nothing tastes as good as caviar.
Luca walked over to the sofa area and sat directly next to Wanda.
Wanda was startled and couldn't help shrinking back a bit.
Luca raised an eyebrow and lowered his voice.
"What are you hiding from? You weren't this timid last night when you took the initiative to reach out your hand."
Wanda's face blushed again, her lips pursed, not daring to look at Luca.
"I... I did that to pay off my debt! You said that charging could offset the debt!"
"Of course."
Luca smiled, leaned forward slightly, and moved close to Wanda's ear.
"Your energy quality is very high, I am very satisfied. We will continue when we arrive in New York. You need to get used to this frequency."
Wanda felt Luca's breath blowing against her ear, sending a tingling sensation all over her body.
Filled with shame and anger, she covered her face with her hands, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Pietro sat opposite, watching Luca flirt with his sister, gritting his teeth in anger, but could only turn his head to look out the window, forcing himself not to look.
"Luca."
Pepper walked over holding a thick document.
Today she was wearing a capable professional suit, her hair coiled at the back of her head, looking very professional.
Now, she needed to check the schedule for tonight's Stark Expo in New York.
Pepper noticed Wanda's dodging gaze and the bad smile on the corner of Luca's mouth.
Pepper knew the virtues of these brothers all too well.
Helplessly, she rubbed her throbbing temples, walked up to Luca, and glared at him.
Then she bent down and gave a low warning in a voice only a few of them could hear.
"Luca, listen. She is only 18 years old, and she is a newly recruited employee of the company. Can you restrain that ancestral gene of yours? We are going to New York to do serious business, not to throw parties."
Luca spread his hands with an innocent look.
"Pepper, this is prejudice. I'm just caring for the mental health of new employees. Besides, the scumbag gene is an excellent tradition passed down from Dad, and I'm just carrying it forward."
Tony, sitting on the other side in front of the holographic projection table, heard this sentence and immediately raised his head to retort.
"Hey, don't drag me into this. I'm very single-minded now, I only love science."
Luca sneered and unceremoniously dismantled his words.
"Yeah, so single-minded that you sent limited-edition watches to the cover girl of every issue of Playboy. Your single-mindedness is being single-minded to every pretty woman."
Tony rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with Luca.
He continued to drag Dr. Banner to discuss on the holographic projection table.
The projection table displayed the energy circuit diagram of the mark armor.
"Bruce, look here."
Tony pointed to a node.
"I plan to install an energy absorption and conversion device on the Mark VI. That pervert Luca can ignore the rules and absorb all kinds of energy. Although I don't have those cells, I can achieve it with technology."
Banner pushed up his glasses and looked at the blueprints carefully.
"It's theoretically feasible. But, Tony, you need to consider the load limit of the materials. If the absorbed energy exceeds the load of the armor, it will explode. Luca's body has no upper limit, but metal does."
Tony stroked his chin.
"You're right. I need a new alloy. Maybe I can see if there are any new metals to try."
Banner nodded repeatedly.
"Being cautious is always good. After all, not everyone can be like Luca, beating Hulk like a power bank."
Mentioning Hulk, Banner subconsciously touched his chest.
He could feel that Hulk was still playing dead deep in his consciousness.
...
A few hours later.
The plane landed at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The group took a motorcade and went directly to a top duplex apartment located in Manhattan.
Because Stark Tower was currently still under construction, everyone could only live here temporarily.
However, the luxury of this apartment was by no means inferior to the Malibu Mansion.
Moreover, it occupied a full three floors, featuring huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the night view of the entire New York.
After arriving at the apartment, everyone began to settle in.
Happy was busy directing security personnel to move luggage.
Jessica dutifully began tidying up the rooms and arranging accommodation for everyone.
Holding a glass of whiskey, Luca walked up to the floor-to-ceiling window and gazed at the bustling streets outside.
At this moment, a vigorous figure suddenly swung over from outside the window.
With a soft bang.
Gwen Stacy, dressed in casual clothes, skillfully climbed in through the window.
Today she was wearing tight jeans and a cropped jacket, looking youthful and energetic.
As soon as Gwen landed, she saw Luca, her eyes lighting up.
Then she rushed directly forward, wrapped her hands around Luca's neck, and gave him a big hug.
"Mr. Superman, did you miss me?"
Gwen raised her head and planted a passionate kiss on Luca's lips.
Luca also smoothly put his arms around Gwen's waist and smiled in response.
"Of course I did. The air in New York isn't as sweet as you."
This scene happened to be seen by Wanda, who walked out of the corridor.
Wanda was still holding a cup of water, and seeing the scene of Gwen and Luca kissing, she froze in place.
The Little Witch, who had been heartbeat-accelerated for Luca, felt a little sad for some reason at this moment.
A strong sense of crisis surged into her heart.
Wanda's hands unconsciously emitted a little Chaos Magic, and the water in the cup began to boil slightly.
Pietro happened to follow behind Wanda.
After seeing this scene, he immediately gloated, wishing Luca's backyard would catch fire.
"Wow, looks like our playboy is in trouble."
Steve blew a smoke ring, looked at the Shura field before him, and sighed.
"Ah, the battlefield of young people. Fucking more intense than fighting HYDRA."
Jessica quietly lowered her head, not daring to speak.
She tried hard to maintain her role as an assistant, but had already recorded this scene in her heart.
Pepper happened to walk out of the room, and seeing this scene, she was also speechless.
She rolled her eyes, walked over and grabbed Tony's arm.
"Tony, let's go. There are still many things to prepare for tonight's expo, don't watch this scumbag's performance here."
Tony was pulled out by Pepper, and still didn't forget to turn back and shout at Luca.
"Good luck, little brother. Hope you won't be torn to pieces by magic tonight."
Meanwhile.
On the other end of New York.
In the secret laboratory of Hammer Industries.
Justin Hammer was bragging to Ivan Vanko.
He had already rescued Ivan.
"Ivan, tonight is our moment."
Hammer pointed to the neat rows of iron army in the laboratory, his face full of arrogant smiles.
"Tonight's Stark Expo, I will let these babies make a dazzling debut. I want the whole World to know that Hammer Industries is the strongest. Tony Stark? He will be ruined tonight."
Ivan Vanko sat in front of a computer, holding a toothpick in his mouth.
Glancing at the data on the screen, he revealed a trace of a cruel sneer.
"People of the Stark Family must all die."
Hammer laughed out loud.
"That's right! They all must die! I've arranged everything. Tonight, New York is our home turf."
Chapter 127: Did You Make Up Those Words? X2
Meanwhile,
the atmosphere on the other side was extremely tense.
Facing Gwen's enthusiastic embrace and the deeply jealous Wanda in the hallway, Luca remained as steady as Mount Tai.
As a man of the Stark Family, what kind of Shura field hadn't he seen?
This kind of scene didn't even count as an appetizer.
Witnessed by everyone, he calmly released Gwen's lips and naturally wrapped his arm around her slender waist.
"My dear, let me introduce you."
Luca looked at Gwen and spoke in a relaxed tone.
"This is Wanda Maximoff. A newly recruited potential newcomer to the company, and also my personal power bank... Oh no, my personal assistant."
Hearing the term personal power bank, Wanda's face instantly blushed down to the roots of her neck.
Those ambiguous images from last night instantly rushed into her mind.
Then, Luca looked at Wanda and introduced her in a gentle tone.
"Wanda, this is the daughter of Director George of the New York Police Department, and also my girlfriend, Gwen Stacy."
Girlfriend?
Wanda was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say for a while.
But Gwen was a smart girl.
She keenly perceived the hostility in Wanda's eyes and saw that this girl had unusual feelings for Luca.
However, Gwen wasn't angry.
Luca's reputation was known worldwide.
From the moment she decided to be together with him, she had already prepared herself mentally.
Therefore, facing this situation at this moment, what she needed to do was display the confidence and aura belonging to a legitimate girlfriend.
Thinking up to this point, Gwen didn't hesitate, actively stepped forward, and smiled as she extended her hand toward Wanda.
"Hello, Miss Maximoff. Luca often mentions work-related matters to me. He is usually very picky, so you must be extremely excellent to be his personal assistant. Please take good care of Luca in his daily life from now on."
These words directly pinned Wanda down to the position of a mere wage earner.
Wanda felt terribly sour inside and wanted to smash the water cup directly into Luca's face.
But facing the powerful aura invisibly exuded by Luca, Wanda didn't dare to act out.
Having no other choice, she could only aggrievedly put away her Chaos Magic, and the boiling water cup also calmed down.
Thoughts were thoughts, but on the surface, Wanda still squeezed out a smile and shook hands with Gwen.
"Hello, Miss Stacy. Thank you for your concern, but this is my job."
Pietro behind them saw everything and was instantly deeply disappointed.
He had thought his sister would go wild directly and tear this scumbag into pieces with magic.
The result was just this? It was already over?
"Useless." Pietro muttered softly, rolling his eyes in anger.
Watching Luca's smooth operation, Steve couldn't help but shake his head.
"This kid's thick skin is thicker than fucking tank armor."
"His mouth could definitely trick a convent nun into bed. Pietro, your sister is hopeless; she's already completely eaten away by this guy."
Pietro's sore spot was hit, his face turned completely red, and he glared fiercely at Steve, but didn't dare to talk back.
Luca didn't care at all about Steve's roast.
Was this considered a roast? It was just speaking the truth.
Besides, a nun?
Why hadn't he thought of this identity before?
Tsk tsk, one could only say as expected of a World War II veteran, his hobbies were truly extraordinary.
Soon, he put his arm around Gwen's shoulders and continued to introduce the others in the apartment.
"Come, Gwen, let's meet them. This unhappy-looking kid is Pietro, Wanda's older brother, and his ability is Super Speed. Of course, not as fast as me."
Gwen waved friendly towards Pietro.
"Hello, Pietro. Nice to meet you."
Although Pietro hated Luca to the core.
But facing the warm and polite Gwen, he couldn't act out either, and could only reluctantly squeeze out a smile.
"Hello, Gwen."
Afterward, Luca pointed at Steve, who was sitting on the sofa smoking a cigar.
"As for this one, I think you should have seen him in history textbooks. Steve Rogers, an outdated Old Popsicle... Well, you probably call him Captain America."
Without Luca's introduction, Gwen was already stunned.
Although she had long known about Captain America's resurrection from the news.
But actually seeing her childhood idol sitting alive in front of her, she still felt very excited.
Thus, Gwen walked quickly in front of Steve and greeted him enthusiastically.
"Oh God! It really is you! Captain Rogers! I'm your super fan!"
Gwen was so excited she was dancing with joy, and began to recite the contents of the textbook endlessly.
"The textbooks say that in 1943 you single-handedly destroyed several German secret fortresses! And in the 1944 Normandy landings, you led the assault team to charge at the very front, wiping out a whole company of enemies by yourself! And in 1945, to protect civilians, you blocked a tank shell with your bare hands! You are simply too great!"
Gwen's face was full of admiration, and little stars flickered in her eyes.
Steve had originally wanted to greet her politely, but hearing what Gwen said, he was a bit baffled.
Thinking it over, this little fan must be joking with him.
Perhaps, the other party's way was just a bit special.
Thinking of this, he smiled gratifiedly, and then pointed at Gwen to tease her.
"You made up those words."
Gwen looked dumbfounded and quickly shook her head.
"No! These are all written in history textbooks! My classmates and I have learned these since childhood, and we deeply admire your heroic deeds!"
Steve seemed to understand something, and his expression instantly darkened.
"What a fucking load of bullshit!"
"Those fucking idiot politicians only know how to fabricate nonsense! I was frozen in the sea back in 1941, where would I get the time to do things in 1943 and 1944?"
"And block tank shells with bare hands? Why don't they write that I can blow up the Earth with one punch! This group of son-of-a-bitch politicians only knows how to use my name to fool you kids!"
The dumbfounded Gwen looked completely dumbfounded.
She stood there blankly, gazing at the bearded man in front of her who was full of foul language.
Was this still that Captain America who represented justice, bravery, honesty, and moral benchmarking?
Her idol image of many years instantly shattered.
Gwen's filter shattered all over the floor, making her feel a bit doubtful about life.
Seeing Gwen's dumbfounded look, Luca chuckled lightly.
"See that, little Gwen. Steve's little mouth is just like this, as sweet as honey. You'll see it many more times in the future, so get used to it slowly."
Steve snorted coldly and flicked his cigarette ash.
"I only speak the truth. Unlike certain people of the Stark Family, whose mouths are full of lies and liquid gold."
Gwen smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.
She didn't know about the lies, but as for the liquid gold, she had indeed taken a mouthful of it that day.
Seeing Luca and Gwen so intimate, Wanda felt increasingly bitter inside for some reason.
She lowered her head, gripping her hem tightly, her eye sockets turning somewhat red.
Seeing his sister's aggrieved look, Pietro really couldn't hold back anymore.
So he leaned close to Wanda and persuaded her in a lowered voice.
"Wanda, wake up. Luca is just a playboy, he doesn't care about you at all, stop being fooled by him."
It would have been fine if he hadn't spoken, but as soon as he did, it drew a murderous look from Wanda.
Pietro was stunned for a moment, frightened by his sister's gaze into shrinking his neck, then gave an awkward smile and obediently shut his mouth.
Fine, as an older brother, he really didn't understand the feelings between women.