Chapter 206: We Are the Preventers
Stark Tower.
The Avengers had gathered.
To be precise, the original Avengers.
Only, Thor was missing from the team, replaced by a one-eyed man in a black leather trench coat.
Nick Fury sat at the conference table, his single eye sweeping over everyone present.
Banner, Steve, Natasha, Hawkeye, and finally stopping his gaze on Tony.
"So, Stark, you called me over from S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in the middle of the night and summoned all these people to your tower," Fury said in a low voice, "just to wait for someone we haven't even seen a hair of?"
"Correction: I didn't call you; he had me notify you." Tony took a sip of his drink. "And I run this tower now. I can invite whoever I want."
"He said there's a crisis involving the survival of Earth." Fury crossed his hands on the table. "Where is this crisis? An alien invasion? Or some secret weapon going out of control? Can any of you give me accurate intelligence?"
Tony leaned back in his chair, spreading his hands.
"I honestly don't know."
Fury narrowed his single eye. He hated this feeling of losing control the most. Someone with unfathomable power was now bypassing S.H.I.E.L.D. and directly assembling the Avengers team he had worked so hard to prepare.
"You don't know?"
"I only know he told me to gather you all. He didn't tell me who the enemy is, nor how to fight them."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"To be honest, I'd really like to know right now too. After all, it's very rude for the host of a meeting to be late."
Steve glanced out the window.
"Has the World really gotten this dangerous?" Steve sighed, his eyes full of complex emotions. "I slept for seventy years, and after waking up, I find myself not only dealing with aliens flying all over the sky, but also facing unknown enemies set on destroying Earth."
"Get used to it, Captain. Villains these days don't play by the rules," Tony chimed in casually.
"If it's a real crisis, we do need to prepare in advance," Natasha turned around and said. "But that's assuming we know where the enemy is."
Fury did not join in their idle chatter.
He stared at the entrance of the conference room, his fingers lightly tapping the tabletop.
What was he really trying to do?
Was he assembling the Avengers to fight a threat, or was he using a crisis as an excuse to gather all these superheroes together?
In the former case, they needed Lu Chen.
In the latter case, they needed to guard against Lu Chen even more.
Just then, the doors to the conference room opened.
Lu Chen walked in with Helen Cho and Shuri.
"Good evening."
His gaze swept across the crowd, landing on Nick Fury.
"This time, we don't need to be called the Avengers."
Lu Chen took a step forward.
"This time, we are the Preventers."
Tony stared at the two unfamiliar faces behind Lu Chen—an Asian woman and a young Black girl—his eyebrows raised high.
"Preventers? Are these the helpers you brought?"
"Dr. Helen Cho, a biotechnology expert."
Lu Chen pointed to Shuri.
"Shuri, Princess of Wakanda, the most brilliant researcher in the field of Vibranium technology."
Lu Chen's eyes swept over everyone present, from Tony's cynicism to Steve's seriousness, and finally to Nick Fury's scrutinizing single eye.
On the way back, he had been thinking about how to convince this group of heroes of the impending crisis.
Lies? Deception? He had prepared several versions of stories, but in the end, he discarded them all.
Dealing with an old fox like Nick Fury, any lie would be sniffed out for flaws.
So, Lu Chen chose the truth.
Of course, a truth with key information withheld.
"It's troublesome to explain."
Lu Chen stepped forward.
"Better to let you see it with your own eyes."
The scene before everyone abruptly twisted and shattered.
Stark Tower disappeared, replaced by a vast, boundless black Universe.
Stars swept past them one by one.
Immediately after, a massive figure appeared at the end of their vision.
It was a humanoid being. With a simple reach of its hand, it could hold a star in its palm, crushing it like a piece of candy.
"The Celestials."
Lu Chen's voice echoed in everyone's minds.
The scene shifted rapidly.
They arrived at Earth in ancient times, wild and primitive.
Using incomprehensible power, the Celestials created a group of beings that looked identical to humans but possessed extraordinary abilities.
Face after face flashed before the Avengers' eyes—precisely the individuals Lu Chen planned to deal with.
Ikaris, Gilgamesh, Tina...
"They are the Eternals, creations of the Celestials. Their mission is to safeguard humanity on Earth, eliminate all threats, and allow the human race to thrive."
In the illusion, time began to accelerate.
From living like savages to building civilization, from slash-and-burn farming to the Industrial Revolution, the shadows of the Eternals remained hidden in the background of history, silently watching over it all.
Steve even saw the battlefields of World War II, but the Eternals never showed up.
"But divine gifts of goodwill often come with a price tag."
Lu Chen's voice sounded again, tinged with mockery.
The vision plunged violently into the center of the Earth.
Deep within the scalding magma, a curled-up, equally gigantic embryo was slowly pulsating.
With every heartbeat, it seemed to absorb the life energy of billions of living beings on the surface.
"When the population of intelligent life reaches a certain threshold, it becomes nourishment for a newborn Celestial buried deep in the Earth's core."
"When the newborn Celestial breaks out of its shell, it will destroy the entire Earth."
"They call this process the 'Emergence'."
Boom!
The illusion vanished.
Everyone in the conference room snapped back to reality; several of them couldn't help gasping for breath, cold sweat pouring down their brows.
The immersive experience just now was far too real—the shock of a planet being crushed into pieces and the terror inspired by the giant fetus at the center of the Earth still lingered in their hearts.
The entire conference room fell into a deathly silence.
After a long moment, it was Nick Fury who first broke the silence.
His single eye locked tightly onto Lu Chen, his voice low.
"A very interesting story, like a well-crafted sci-fi movie."
"But I have a few doubts."
"First, how do you know all this?"
"Second, if what you say is true and the Eternals are supposed to ensure the human population grows, why have they remained vanished without a trace? Hundreds of millions died during the two World Wars—where were they? During that alien invasion in New York not long ago, when Earth nearly ended—where were they then?"
"Third," Fury narrowed his single eye, "all of this is just your word. How are we supposed to confirm if what you say is true? After all, both you and the Eternals you speak of are nothing more than sudden threats in my eyes."
Fury's words acted like a bucket of cold water, snapping the Avengers awake from their lingering shock.
That's right—Lu Chen himself was a massive unknown.
Why should they believe an apocalyptic prophecy brought by someone of unknown origin?
Lu Chen had anticipated this scene long ago.
This was precisely his purpose in bringing Nick Fury here.
Letting these people uncover and discover the truth for themselves was far more convincing than him trying to persuade them endlessly.
What's more, Nick held a trump card in his hand that could summon Captain Marvel, which served as the ultimate insurance policy.
He was just about to speak, guiding them to investigate certain clues.
But Tony suddenly spoke up.
"Alright, guys."
Everyone's eyes turned toward him.
Tony's eyes bore a rare expression, a mixture of shock and absurdity.
"Setting everything else aside for a moment, the people this guy called 'Eternals'... seem to genuinely be abnormal."
"What do you mean?" Steve asked.
Tony didn't answer directly, but instructed into thin air, "Jarvis, project the search results from just now and show everyone."
"Very well, sir."
The next second, several giant holographic projections expanded in the center of the conference room.
On the screens appeared a clear portrait of one of the Eternals shown by Lu Chen.
Immediately after, next to that portrait, image after image bearing historical marks was displayed.
A yellowed black-and-white photograph, taken on a European battlefield in 1918, showed that very face clearly visible in a corner.
A newspaper from the 1960s featured a front-page article on a social movement, and among the crowd was that exact same face.
A screenshot of surveillance footage from the 1990s—under the blurry pixels, that completely unchanged face was still recognizable.
Photo after photo, clip after clip, spanning over a century of time.
Yet the person in the photos had not changed a single bit in appearance or expression, as though time had completely stopped for him.
"Just now, I had Jarvis run facial recognition comparisons in global databases using the faces of those people from your illusion."
"And then, we found this..."
"A terrifying fact."
On the holographic screens, faces belonging to different Eternals were displayed side by side, each face accompanied by a long list of historical records from different eras and countries.
Some had been ancient philosophers, some medieval knights, and others modern movie stars.
They appeared in every corner of human history, yet they had never grown old.
Tony swallowed hard and pointed at the screen, saying word by word:
"They do not age."
Chapter 207: My Hometown
Tony's words, "They don't age," landed heavily on everyone's heart.
On the holographic screen, those photographs and materials spanning over a century silently conveyed a fact far more real and far more shocking than the illusion created by Lu Chen.
Nick Fury believed in his own intelligence network, but he also believed in Jarvis's search capabilities.
Therefore, all of this was true.
"Even if they don't age, it doesn't prove they're aliens, let alone that there's a giant exploding embryo buried beneath Earth." Nick Fury tried to grasp at the last shred of logic.
"The newborn God slumbers at the center of the Earth. With His massive body, perhaps you can explore something beneath the Indian Ocean." Lu Chen spoke, giving a verifiable direction.
Fury immediately chimed in:
"Do you have coordinates?"
"None."
"You want us to go to a sea area of millions of square kilometers to find something buried deep underground?"
"Doesn't S.H.I.E.L.D. have a global monitoring network?"
Lu Chen looked at him.
"If you can't even find an anomaly of this scale, there's no need for the Avengers initiative to continue."
The conference room fell silent for a moment.
Tony placed his wine glass back on the table.
"I like that sentence. Although it sounds like it's cursing everyone, I'll take it as encouragement for myself."
Lu Chen handed the clues over to S.H.I.E.L.D., and his purpose wasn't just to have them verify the Celestials.
He needed Fury to mobilize all satellites, submarines, and global databases. Once S.H.I.E.L.D. started investigating, the long-standing traces left by the Eternal would be uncovered.
This was much less troublesome than him explaining it personally.
More importantly, Fury would help him look for those hidden Eternal members.
Having someone else do the work for you was always more cost-effective than searching one by one yourself.
"As for your other questions—" Lu Chen swept his gaze over everyone—"follow me."
Steve stood up.
"Where to?"
"To see the leader of the Eternal."
"What if she refuses to cooperate?"
Lu Chen turned his head sideways.
"She will cooperate."
With that, Lu Chen turned to Tony.
"First, find a top-tier laboratory for the two people I brought back."
"Fine." Tony shrugged, eyeing the silent Helen Cho and the disgruntled Shuri. "But I have to test their mettle first; Stark Industries doesn't keep idlers."
Tony turned sideways and spoke into the air:
"Jarvis, open the experimental zone for them and prepare the equipment needed for biotechnology and nano-engineering. Energy, materials, and computing resources—allocate them at the highest authority level."
"Sir, the highest authority level includes the security system of Stark Tower."
"Then give them the second-highest authority. I'm not generous enough to give away my own house as well."
Shuri raised her head.
"I need Vibranium raw materials, precision scanners, and a mainframe capable of high-intensity computing."
Tony looked at her.
"You're so young and you already know what equipment you need?"
"Still better than someone your age who relies on a suit of flying scrap iron to solve problems."
Tony's smile froze at the corner of his mouth.
Steve looked elsewhere, his shoulders moving slightly.
Natasha raised a hand to cover the corner of her lips.
"I heard that." Tony pointed at Shuri. "Everyone here heard it."
"So when will the equipment arrive?"
"Jarvis?"
"Already being deployed."
Shuri put away the Vibranium module.
"Efficiency is alright."
Tony turned to Lu Chen.
"Where did you find this little monster?"
"Wakanda."
"Great. Now even a kid can roast me."
Helen Cho stood to the side, her gaze falling on Tony.
"I need complete human tissue samples, nanobot operation records, and your existing regeneration technology data."
"What are you going to research?"
"First look at your technical level, then decide how much I can help you modify."
Tony's eyebrows raised.
"Sounds like you're planning to tutor me."
"If your foundation is poor enough, perhaps it's necessary."
Tony looked at Lu Chen.
"Both of them are very aggressive. Are you sure they're here to help me?"
"As long as they can keep up with your thinking."
"They better keep up."
Finished speaking, Tony turned around and prepared to walk towards his armor display area.
Lu Chen looked at him. "Where are you going?"
"Of course to put on my armor. Who knows what kind of dragon's den you're dragging us to."
But before his words finished echoing, telekinesis expanded from the conference room, and everyone's feet left the ground simultaneously.
"Wait a minute, I can fly by myself."
"No need."
Telekinesis dragged everyone rushing out of Stark Tower.
Tony turned sideways to adjust his posture, and after adapting for a few seconds, unexpectedly broke into a smile.
"This is the first time I've flown without armor."
He spread his arms.
"I have to say, it feels pretty good."
Steve looked down at the rapidly shrinking city below.
"Do you usually travel with people like this?"
"It depends."
"Depends on what?"
"When we're in a hurry."
This time even Banner couldn't help but smile slightly.
A few minutes later, everyone stopped above an old building.
Tony looked down at his feet.
"You hide her in a place like this?"
"Did S.H.I.E.L.D. search this place?"
Fury's expression became even uglier.
Lu Chen led everyone to land on the rooftop, raising his hand to press against the ground beneath his feet.
The metal structure made a dull sound.
The floor slabs, steel bars, and underground pipes vibrated simultaneously, and the entire building seemed to be supported by an invisible palm. The next moment, the metal secret room buried a hundred meters underground was pulled out layer by layer.
Soil fell from the gaps.
The thick metal walls stopped in mid-air, and the outer armor split open automatically, revealing the compartments inside.
Everyone's line of sight fell deep inside.
A woman was lying on a bed, breathing steadily.
Steve walked closer by a few steps.
"Is she still alive?"
"Living very well."
Natasha observed Ajak's limbs and neck.
"No restraints, and no wounds."
"She doesn't need restraints."
Lu Chen reached out his hand, his mental power sweeping across Ajak's brain.
"I have already hypnotized her. All your doubts will be answered through her."
The mental power descended.
The woman's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her body was still lying on the bed, but her consciousness had been dragged into a blank area.
Lu Chen stood in front of her.
"Answer the following questions according to your true heart."
Ajak sat up.
"Yes."
Fury stared at her, trying to judge her state from her expression and breathing.
Ajak's eyes lacked focus, but her answers were excessively clear.
Lu Chen spoke:
"First question: your identity."
"I am the leader of the branch of the Eternal sent to Earth by the Celestials."
"Second question: what task did the Celestials assign to you?"
"Eliminate the Deviants on Earth and safeguard humanity."
Tony raised his hand.
"Deviants? What specifically does that refer to?"
Ajak's gaze turned to him.
"Failed products that destroy human reproduction and affect the gestation of the God."
Tony's hand stopped in mid-air.
Lu Chen didn't give him another chance to interrupt.
"When intelligent life develops to a sufficient number, what will happen?"
Ajak replied:
"The newborn God will burst out of the ground and turn surface life into nourishment."
Banner's expression changed.
"Nourishment?"
"The God needs to absorb the life energy of intelligent life to complete its birth."
This time no one was joking anymore.
Lu Chen continued to ask:
"Since large-scale wars lead to a large number of human Deaths, why didn't you stop them?"
"The Celestials required us not to interfere by force in human wars and development."
"Where were you during the New York invasion?"
"We cannot interfere in humanity's own wars, nor did we receive orders from the Celestials."
Fury stared at Ajak.
"You watched with your own eyes as humans died?"
Ajak did not respond with emotion, only repeating her answer:
"We cannot interfere."
The four questions ended.
Fury was still observing Ajak.
He believed a small fraction of it.
The remaining part might be answers pre-implanted by Lu Chen, or it might be the truth.
Hawkeye said: "Why not wake her up and let us interrogate her?"
Lu Chen didn't answer, only letting his gaze fall back on Ajak.
"What is inside your body?"
Ajak's eyes suddenly showed a brief focus.
"The communication orb of the Celestials."
Ajak continued:
"It allows me to mentally connect with the Celestials and transmit information to Arishem the Judge."
Implied meaning: once she woke up and realized she was imprisoned and interrogated, the Celestial Arishem the Judge would immediately know everything happening on Earth.
Tony looked at this scene comparable to a science fiction movie, his erratic thinking taking the upper hand again.
He pointed at Ajak, then looked back at Lu Chen: "So, those two assistants you brought back were also hypnotized by you like this?"
Lu Chen turned his head without batting an eye.
"That's not the case."
"Doesn't the movie often portray it like that? Forcing those genius scientists to build weapons for themselves, but scientists always leave a backdoor, ultimately using that backdoor to complete a counter-kill."
"But I have always traded sincerity for sincerity."
He spread his hands with an expression of sincerity.
"If you don't believe it, you can go to my hometown and ask around about my reputation."
Natasha caught the keyword in his words, a trace of inquiry flashing in her eyes.
"Where is your hometown?"
Lu Chen grinned.
"New York!"
Chapter 208: The Curtain Rises
"New York?"
Natasha caught the nostalgia in Lu Chen's voice, and just as she was about to press further, the metal bed suspended in the compartment rose on its own.
Ajak, along with the bed, floated to Lu Chen's side.
Almost everything that needed to be said had been said.
Sersi could be rescued, and so could Sprite.
But not Ajak.
This woman held the authority to contact the Celestials. As long as she woke up, even for just a few seconds, Arishem the Judge might learn of the changes happening on Earth.
She had to be hidden away by Lu Chen himself.
"Wait."
Nick Fury jogged a few steps, blocking Lu Chen's path.
"If she really can contact the Celestials you spoke of once she wakes up, then Earth has entered its highest risk level."
Fury raised his single eye, shifting his gaze from Ajak to Lu Chen.
"A target like this should be handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D. to take over."
"Take over?"
"We have specialized facilities for detaining supernatural targets, with backup power, independent life-support systems, 24/7 surveillance, and multi-level personnel verification."
Fury did not back down.
This wasn't about fighting over a prisoner.
At least, not in his own eyes.
Ajak possessed intelligence and communication means that could destroy Earth. Handing such a target over to a superpowered individual whose identity was a mystery and who acted entirely on personal judgment was no less risky than leaving her to the Celestials.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. will dispatch a top-tier squad to handle the escort."
Lu Chen's eyes met that single eye.
This one-eyed man was used to putting everything into filing cabinets.
But Ajak was not the Tesseract.
A gaze crashed into Fury's mind across the gap.
[Nightmare Cage]
[Mental cycle established]
Just as Fury reached for the communicator at his waist, his vision shifted to the S.H.I.E.L.D. command center.
Alarms covered every screen.
Outside Earth's orbit, a giant hand that blanketed the sky reached toward the North American continent. Red Death numbers ticked up rapidly, and every communication channel was calling S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Officer, the target has awakened!"
"The Celestials have locked onto Earth!"
"All Avengers have lost contact!"
Fury rushed to the main console and slammed his hand down on the emergency authorization.
But a prompt popped up on the screen.
[Authority has been revoked by Nick Fury]
In the next second, the Helicarrier plummeted from the clouds toward New York.
The screen went black.
Fury stood in the command center once again.
The same alarms.
The same cries for help.
The same giant hand.
Only this time, the bodies of Steve, Tony, and Natasha were on the screens.
"Officer, who did you hand Ajak over to?"
Coulson's voice came through the communicator.
"Officer?"
"This was your order."
The cycle restarted. This terrifying ability from Mindstorm could drag a target's consciousness into a mental nightmare, endlessly looping the most painful and terrifying moments of their life. However, after acquiring Sprite's illusion projection, he could now show them whatever he wanted them to see.
In reality, his body swayed and fell straight backward.
Steve was quick-eyed and agile, stepping forward in a flash to catch him firmly from behind.
Supporting Fury, he realized that this always-tough Director was completely limp, his eyes tightly shut, cold sweat instantly covering his forehead, and the corners of his mouth twitching unconsciously.
Steve handed him over to Hawkeye, and just as he raised his head to ask something, he was interrupted by Lu Chen's words.
"If there really is someone who can snatch a person from my hands, as this idiot suggests, then..."
Lu Chen's gaze swept over Steve.
"Can you watch over her?"
Steve furrowed his brows.
"I didn't say I would be responsible."
Lu Chen shifted his gaze to Hawkeye.
"Or you?"
Hawkeye supported Fury, his lips twitching.
"I'm good at archery, not guarding alien Gods."
"Then you?"
Natasha met Lu Chen's gaze and immediately spread her hands.
"Don't drag me into this, I just follow orders."
That being said, she had already noted down every detail before and after the Nightmare Cage was activated.
No gestures.
No contact.
This meant that as long as Lu Chen wished, everyone could lose consciousness at the exact same moment.
Even more troubling, they couldn't judge whether what they saw was real or an illusion provided by Lu Chen.
The previous projection of the Celestials might also become another cage.
Tony walked over to Fury and scanned his vital signs with his wristband.
"Physically he's fine, but his brain activity is off the charts."
He looked up and stared at Lu Chen.
"Where did you stuff him?"
"His work memories."
"That doesn't sound like something that would put him in a pleasant mood."
"Which is why it's suitable for reflection."
"Reflecting on what?"
"Don't stuff everything into your own pockets."
Tony closed the scanning interface.
This statement was warning Fury as well as S.H.I.E.L.D.
And yet, they couldn't refute it.
If Ajak fell into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands, it would only take one undercover operative pulling the plug on the mental suppression equipment for the entire Earth to be put on the Celestials' disposal list.
S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't even stop the Chitauri over New York, let alone Arishem the Judge who created the Eternals.
Steve still didn't make way.
"Even if you think his plan has issues, we can still talk it through."
"We just talked."
"Making someone lose consciousness doesn't count as communication."
"He proposed a plan, I rejected it. He continued to block the way, so I cleared the obstacle."
Lu Chen raised his hand.
"Captain."
Natasha suddenly spoke.
Steve turned his face.
"Natasha?"
"Fury can't propose a safer plan."
Natasha squatted beside Fury, checking his pupillary response.
"Continuing to block him will only result in fewer conscious people here."
Tony raised his hand and pointed at himself.
"Just to be clear, don't count me in. I'm already prepared to go back and have a big argument with two interns."
Lu Chen bypassed Steve.
Telekinesis supported Ajak as the two of them shot straight into the high sky, leaving behind only Lu Chen's sigh.
"As expected, the language of the black guys here doesn't translate well. I kind of miss A-Train."
The metal secret chamber sank back underground.
The isolation layers closed in sequence, quickly hiding all traces.
After flying out of New York, Lu Chen changed directions several times, and even manufactured three metal pods with identical energy signatures along the way, tossing them into different areas.
Ajak, however, remained by his side the entire time.
This strategy meeting was an information screening process from the very beginning, which was also why he had Tony bring the Black Boiled Egg along.
Nick Fury was responsible for questioning.
Tony was responsible for verifying.
Steve was responsible for establishing the bottom line.
Natasha was responsible for finding loopholes.
Rushing to tell the Avengers a doomsday story was far less reliable than letting them raise doubts on their own, investigate on their own, and then come to the "truth" on their own.
People are always more willing to believe facts they have reasoned out themselves.
Just like now, although everything he said was true, he had deliberately concealed the most critical link.
Up to now, the fact that the birth of the Celestial would absorb all intelligent life on Earth as nourishment was known only to the leader Ajak and the strongest warrior Ikaris among the Eternals.
And the only ones who had truly stood firmly on the side of the Celestial from beginning to end were only Ikaris and Sprite.
The remaining members of the Eternals—Sersi, Tina, Makkari, Phastos, Druig... they were all the opposition, with Kingo being an exception; unwilling to participate in fratricide, he was a neutralist.
He hadn't mentioned a single word of this information.
If Lu Chen laid out all the intelligence, the Avengers and the Eternals would very likely cooperate directly.
High-altitude wind pressure swept past.
Lu Chen gazed into the distance.
I believe you will also help me conceal this matter, right, Ikaris?
After all, relying on you alone, it is absolutely impossible to rescue Sersi.
You will definitely do everything you can to convince your teammates to lend you their power and activate the "Uni-Mind" state.
But once you dare to tell them that the ultimate outcome of saving Earth is to let the entire Earth and the humanity on it be destroyed together...
Will they really willingly lend you their power?
They currently think that Ikaris is merely gathering old friends to rescue their companion who was abducted by a powerful human.
Meanwhile, the Avengers will treat every Eternal as a potential executioner of world destruction. Even if they still have doubts, it doesn't matter; his upcoming battle with Ikaris will force them to step up.
Both sides are missing a piece of the information they possess.
Lu Chen happened to stand right in the middle of the gap. From beginning to end, this was a war of asymmetric information.
Chapter 209: Poor Wretches Destroyed by Fate
The metal capsule sank deep into the wasteland, the soil closing over the gaps.
Lu Chen raised a hand to flatten the ground, burying several layers of metal isolation plates around it, sealing off even the surrounding space with a magnetic field.
As for when Nick Fury would wake up...
Lu Chen looked up at the rising Sun.
Isn't he supposed to be the King of Agents? If he can't even survive a nightmare like this, then it'll just depend on my mood.
Lu Chen shot up into the clouds and flew toward Sokovia.
The Avengers had already been drawn into his game.
Helen Cho and Shuri had also been sent to Tony's laboratory.
Next, it was time to recruit the subordinates he had chosen.
Wanda's Chaos Magic had an extremely high ceiling, and Pietro's super-speed was equally suited for keeping the Eternal in check.
Above Novi Grad, the capital of Sokovia, Lu Chen reined in his Flight ability and spread his psychic power out in all directions.
The crowds on the streets, the vehicles, and the buildings were all brought into his perception.
Soon, he locked onto the locations of the two.
Hundreds of Sokovians gathered in the square.
Banners read anti-war and anti-foreign forces, and there were even several pieces of old shrapnel bearing the logo of Stark Industries.
Wanda stood at the front of the crowd, clutching a megaphone in her hand.
The voices of the protesters rose wave after wave.
"Sokovia doesn't need American heroes!"
"We don't need the wars they bring!"
"Stark Industries, get out of Sokovia!"
Angry, hoarse slogans echoed one after another. Every face, young or old, was filled with hatred for war and confusion about the future.
Lu Chen descended from high above.
The noise in the crowd cut off at that exact moment.
A gentle yet irresistible psychic force field expanded outwards, instantly soothing everyone's panic and astonishment.
Hundreds of people stood with their mouths open, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.
Lu Chen hovered ten meters in front of the pair.
His psychic force swept over Pietro.
Fragments of memory flooded in like a tide.
A dilapidated apartment.
Parents beside the dining table.
Artillery fire when he was ten years old.
A missile stamped with the Stark logo smashed through the wall and into the building floor.
His parents fell in a pool of blood.
He and his younger sister were trapped under the rubble, clinging tightly to each other.
Less than a meter in front of them was another unexploded bomb, its red "Stark" logo looming in the dark like a hideous mockery.
Two full days and nights.
Every second was terror of Death and hatred for their powerlessness to change reality.
Later, the siblings dropped out of school, joined rallies, protested against war, foreign interference, and Stark Industries selling weapons around the World.
Lu Chen withdrew his psychic power.
From start to finish, these two had never truly let go of that disaster.
After surviving in the ruins, they had merely used hatred as their reason to keep moving forward.
Wanda and Pietro also felt this uncanny silence.
The siblings exchanged a glance, both seeing vigilance in each other's eyes.
Pietro took a deep breath, stepped forward to protect his sister behind him, and looked up at the figure in the sky, yelling loudly, "Who are you? What do you want?"
"Wanda, Pietro."
Just these two names sent a shock through the siblings. Pietro's tone was relatively polite, but his right foot had already shifted back half a step.
Lu Chen saw his movement and didn't expose him.
"I know your past."
Pietro's expression changed.
Lu Chen continued, "I also know why you've been participating in protests all these years."
"Do you want power?"
"Power sufficient to change your fate."
Pietro's breathing hitched.
Change their fate?
He looked at his sister beside him, then at his numb, despairing compatriots around them.
What he needed was precisely the power to change all of this.
Lu Chen knew that when dealing with people who had struggled in despair for over a decade, reasoning was useless. They needed to see an absolute entity capable of shattering all fear.
"Just like this."
Lu Chen raised his right hand, pointing his palm toward the sky.
No chanting, no preparation.
A massive beam of light shot out fiercely from his palm, piercing straight through the sky!
In that instant, the brilliance of the Sun seemed to be completely eclipsed by this beam of light.
The entire World was left with only that pure, destructive light.
BOOM!!!
The sea of clouds was brutally severed by this terrifying energy.
The explosion detonated tens of thousands of meters in the high sky.
A visible shockwave expanded outward. The clouds for tens of kilometers around were swept clean, revealing a blue sky that looked almost unreal.
A massive void appeared in the sky above Sokovia.
Sunlight poured down without hindrance, shining onto the square.
The siblings looked up, their minds completely blank.
That sky-piercing beam of light, that destructive power—it made them subconsciously recall that desperate night.
If...
If back then they had possessed such power...
Even if it were only one ten-thousandth of this power...
Would their parents not have died?
Once this thought surfaced, it could no longer be contained.
With a thud,
Pietro's knees buckled, and he dropped straight to his knees.
"Sir... I don't know what you see in us, but I... I crave power!"
"I crave the power to change fate!"
He bowed his head, pressing his forehead heavily against the ground.
"But I know that power given without reason must come with a price. I have nothing except this life of mine... Please let me bear all the costs alone!"
Lu Chen looked at Pietro. With a slight flick of his telekinesis, a gentle force lifted him up.
Before Lu Chen could speak, Wanda stepped forward abruptly.
"No, Brother!"
Wanda grabbed Pietro's shoulders. Her body was also trembling, but her eyes were frighteningly stubborn.
"Whatever the consequences, we'll bear them together!"
Pietro grew anxious.
"Wanda, listen to me..."
"I won't listen!"
Lu Chen watched this scene with a bit of helplessness.
Why did he feel like some demon lord bewitching people's minds?
He spoke directly.
"You don't need to overcomplicate things. The price is very simple."
"Work for me."
Work for him?
That was the price?
The siblings looked at each other. They had assumed it would be something cruel like selling their souls or sacrificing their lives.
Without almost any hesitation, they spoke in unison.
"We are willing!"
"Very good."
Lu Chen nodded.
His telekinesis wrapped around the two, defying gravity, and carried them soaring into the sky, flying toward Hells Kitchen.
It was also time to establish his own territory in this World.
Below, on Novi Grad Square.
The Mind Control slowly dispersed, and the crowd woke as if from a dream.
They watched the three black dots disappear at the horizon and then looked at the eerily clean sky above their heads, their faces full of confusion and shock.
High in the air, Pietro felt the howling wind past his ears. Instead of being afraid, he excitedly clenched his fists.
He turned his head to look at his sister beside him, who was also supported by telekinesis.
Wanda was gazing blankly at her rapidly shrinking hometown below, complex emotions swirling in her green eyes.
Chapter 210: Just How Far Did Those Eyes See?
When Lu Chen flew past the Triskelion with Wanda and Pietro, his mental power probed directly downward.
Thick walls, electronic barriers, and identity verification were completely useless in front of mental perception.
Inside a high-rise office, Alexander Pierce was sitting behind a spacious desk, holding a newly compiled briefing in his hand.
"Hello, snakehead."
A voice rang out in Pierce's mind without any warning.
Pierce's fingers trembled, and the document almost dropped to the ground.
He jerked open the drawer to pull out his service pistol, springing up from the chair in an instant, his back pressed tightly against the wall, his muzzle quickly pointing at every corner of the office.
Nobody.
The secretary outside didn't have any reaction either.
"Who?"
He was certain he had heard a voice just now, and it was so clear that it was as if someone was speaking right by his ear.
No, it was in his mind.
"Send some people to Hells Kitchen to take orders."
The voice stopped there, with no follow-up whatsoever.
Pierce stood in place and waited for dozens of seconds.
Gone?
"Damn it."
His expression was very ugly.
An attitude of only giving orders and being too lazy to even give a single sentence of explanation—no one had dared to use it on him for many years.
He went back to his chair and sat down, his brain turning rapidly.
Being able to send a voice directly into someone else's mind—thinking back and forth, it seemed it could only be that guy codenamed "Tianshu".
Pierce felt a chill down his back. The last time his subordinate reported that Tianshu knew about the existence of HYDRA, it had already shocked him extremely. He had thought the other party only knew a little peripheral information through certain channels, but he hadn't expected that the other party was even completely clear about himself, the deepest-hidden HYDRA leader.
"Where on Earth did he find out from..."
Pierce sat back in the chair, his fingers pressing against his brow.
Assassination?
Tianshu could survive inside the Chitauri mothership and beat Hulk back into human form. Existing weapons hitting him were no different from throwing stones into the sea.
Poisoning?
Ordinary toxins couldn't even solve super soldiers.
Kidnapping people around him could be tried, but according to existing intelligence, Tianshu's origin was unknown, and his public relationships were close to zero. In case they failed to grab his weakness and instead angered the other party, the power accumulated by HYDRA over generations would probably be uprooted.
All these paths were impassable.
He lowered his head to look at the briefing that had just been delivered to the desktop.
In the images captured by the satellite, a beam of energy pierced through the clouds, and within dozens of kilometers above Sokovia, not a single cloud could be found anymore.
Pierce stared at the photo and swallowed hard.
Damn it.
He couldn't beat him, couldn't investigate him, and was even tracked down directly to his door.
He forcibly suppressed the grievance in his heart of being ordered around like a dog and pressed the internal communicator on the desk.
A few seconds later, an Agent pushed the door open and entered.
Pierce recovered his expression of being in control of everything and ordered, "Gather a few elite tactical squads and rush to Hells Kitchen immediately. Once you get there, obey Tianshu's commands in everything. Remember, no matter what requests the other party makes, unconditionally obey, and be sure to establish a good relationship with him."
The subordinate was stunned for a moment. Go to Hells Kitchen to listen to someone else's commands? But he didn't dare to ask more, and immediately lowered his head to reply, "Understood, Officer."
The Agent turned and walked outward.
When he was almost at the door, Pierce suddenly thought of a person.
"Wait."
The other party stopped his steps.
"Bring that woman who contacted Tianshu last time over as well."
Pierce tapped on the desktop.
After that woman returned to report, he had originally prepared to dispose of her.
A person who knew about HYDRA yet failed to complete the task had no value in continuing to live.
Fortunately, he had kept an extra mind at the time, considering that that woman was named by Tianshu, so he didn't make a move immediately, but just locked her up first.
Unexpectedly, this consideration came in handy now.
Since Tianshu didn't kill that woman, perhaps his impression of her was not bad.
Upon hearing this, the subordinate understood the crux of the matter, and a few more points of admiration immediately appeared on his face.
"My Lord, just how far do your eyes see? Even such idle chess pieces can come in handy."
Pierce leaned back, finally regaining a sense of being in control of overall situations.
"Hmph, enough for you to learn."
He waved his hand.
"Why aren't you going yet?"
"Yes."
The subordinate nodded repeatedly and quickly retreated, and the office door closed again.
The smile on Pierce's face disappeared as well.
So what if he could see farther?
With a monster standing above his head who could shove a voice into his brain at any time, he couldn't even determine whether his own office was safe.
This feeling was terrible.
High in the air, Lu Chen retracted his mental power.
HYDRA had operated on Earth for decades, with personnel, funds, and secret channels all readily available. Rather than building an organization from scratch, it was better to use it directly.
As for loyalty?
That thing was the most worthless.
As long as Pierce understood the price of rebellion, he would be more obedient than loyal subordinates.
Pietro was supported by telekinesis on the right side, staring fixedly at the increasingly dense buildings below.
"Boss, where on Earth are we going?"
He adapted to this title very quickly.
Anyway, he had already agreed to work for Lu Chen, so what he called him didn't matter. As long as he could truly obtain that power to change fate, having him call him teacher would be fine.
Wanda glared at her brother.
"Can you be quiet for a while?"
"I've been quiet for a long time."
"From leaving Sokovia until now, you've asked six times."
"Really?"
Pietro recalled earnestly for a moment.
"Then maybe the wind was too strong, and you heard wrong."
Wanda didn't bother with him anymore.
She looked at Lu Chen at the very front. This man knew their names and knew the disaster that happened when they were ten years old, but never explained why he chose them.
Work for him.
These four words sounded simple, but what on Earth were they going to do?
Kill people?
Start a war?
Or become people like those arms dealers?
Wanda wanted to ask, but was afraid of hearing the answer.
Right now, they didn't have any chips. Lu Chen's willingness to grant power was already an opportunity the brother and sister couldn't refuse.
At least, he didn't force them, nor did he threaten them with the lives of ordinary people in their hometown.
Lu Chen glanced at Wanda.
Her worry simply couldn't be hidden.
This was also normal.
Having known each other for less than an hour, she followed a stranger across most of the World.
"We're here."
The three of them fell from high altitude, stopping in the middle of a street in Hells Kitchen.
This place was located on the west side of Midtown Manhattan, New York.
Pietro looked left and right.
"Boss, where are we going?"
"Wait a moment."
Lu Chen looked at the building behind him.
"From now on, this place is our territory."
Pietro opened his mouth.
He had thought they were going to some secret Base, but he hadn't expected it to be right here on the street.
Wanda also hadn't quite reacted yet.
That counts as conquering it?
Chapter 211: New Wo Hop To
A few minutes later, engine roars came from both sides of the street.
Dozens of black SUVs blocked the intersection, and the doors opened one after another. Dozens of fully armed Agent quickly got out of the cars and surrounded them from different directions.
Wanda was startled and immediately moved closer behind Lu Chen.
Pietro took half a step forward, blocking his sister.
"Don't be nervous." Lu Chen patted Pietro on the shoulder, signaling them to relax.
Led by a woman, the Agent walked in front of Lu Chen without raising their guns or issuing any verbal warnings.
Dozens of people lowered their heads simultaneously.
The leading woman took a few steps forward and bowed in salute.
"My Lord, we meet again."
She paused, her tone somewhat complex.
"Or rather, this is our first real meeting."
Simone felt insecure inside.
In the last mission, she couldn't even enter the room. After returning to report, she was locked into a secret cell again.
She had been terrified in the cell for several days, thinking she was dead for sure. As a result, today she was inexplicably released again, stuffed into a car, and sent once more to approach the man in front of her.
Lu Chen glanced at her.
This woman could be considered lucky.
If it weren't for Pierce still being kept alive, she would probably be lying in the HYDRA incinerator by now.
"Get up."
All Agent stood straight in unison.
Lu Chen asked:
"What is your name?"
"My name is Simone, My Lord." The woman answered respectfully.
Lu Chen nodded, pointing to the area behind him.
"This area will be my territory from now on. Take your people, take down the building behind me at the fastest speed, and clean up all those messy scum inside. Then find someone to rebuild it."
Simone was stunned.
Dozens of people. A uniform lot of elite Agent, equipped with the most advanced individual weapons of S.H.I.E.L.D., releasing this force would be more than enough to fight a small local war. She originally thought the other party would let them assassinate some big figure, or snatch some high-tech weapons.
As a result, the first mission was to let this group of top Agent come to Hells Kitchen to act as a demolition team and contractor?
But Simone was a smart woman; she quickly suppressed the astonishment in her heart,
"Your will is our command."
Lu Chen looked at her somewhat unable-to-keep-a-straight-face appearance, found it a bit funny, and added: "If you have any questions, just report them upward; your superior will solve them."
Simone immediately lowered her head and replied with an incomparable serious tone: "My Lord, from before, you have been my only superior."
Lu Chen was silent for a moment.
As expected of you, Pierce. This posture of lowering the head, this speed of sliding to one's knees, really gives people no flaws to pick on. I almost can't bear to make a move against you HYDRA.
"Then start the operation."
Simone turned around and raised her hand, and dozens of Agent immediately dispersed, blocking the entrance of Hells Kitchen and entering various buildings.
Soon, bursts of panicked cursing came from all around, followed by sporadic gunfire. No matter how arrogant the gangsters of Hells Kitchen usually were, encountering this group of killing machines wielding high-tech weapons, they only had the fate of being unilaterally crushed.
The cleanup work proceeded exceptionally quickly.
Simone did not follow them in. She quietly stood by Lu Chen's side, maintaining a respectful and unobtrusive distance. When the commotion inside the building subsided a bit, she cautiously asked.
"My Lord, since this will be our Base from now on, what is the name of your... force? When we register externally and handle some surface procedures, we need a formal title."
Lu Chen smiled. Since this could be considered the main Base in the Marvel Universe, then,
"Let's call it 'Vought Company'."
"Vought Company?"
Simone hurriedly took out her portable notebook and wrote down the name.
Lu Chen glanced at the Agent cleaning the building and asked casually: "Is there any good food nearby?"
Simone raised her head, looked at him, and then looked at Wanda and Pietro behind her.
Lu Chen's gaze fell on the siblings.
"What do you want to eat?"
Pietro swallowed his saliva, trying hard to put on an indifferent look.
"Boss, anything is fine, we aren't picky."
His call of "Boss" was extremely natural.
Simone heard it clearly from the side, her gaze turning around Pietro and Wanda twice, secretly recording the faces of these two young people in her heart. Being able to be brought by this My Lord and allowed to call him that, they were definitely not ordinary characters.
Wanda also nodded along.
"My brother and I can eat anything."
Lu Chen did not expose them.
Through Pietro's memory just now, he already knew what kind of days this pair of siblings had lived through these past years.
After their parents died, they had no relatives in Sokovia, nor a home in the true sense. In that ghost place of Sokovia with years of war, it was already a miracle for ordinary people to survive. Their memories were entirely filled with hiding everywhere, getting food through odd jobs and some disgraceful means.
As long as they could fill their stomachs, it was fine.
As for a decent meal, to them, it was no different from a luxury item.
Lu Chen glanced at Simone.
"Then bring a portion of every style."
"Understood."
Simone quickly checked the best-rated Chinese restaurant nearby and led Lu Chen and the three inside.
After ordering the dishes, she did not sit down, but instead turned around and walked out the door, instructing several Agent: "You guys go to other restaurants nearby and buy back all their signature dishes. Be quick, don't let My Lord wait too long."
Several Agent were stunned for a few seconds.
"Officer, are we going to buy groceries?"
"Any problem?"
"No, Officer."
Several people immediately dispersed.
Not long after, dishes were served one after another.
Pietro originally wanted to maintain restraint, but when the first plate of Dongpo pork was placed in front of him, his eyes could no longer move away.
Wanda held her chopsticks and delayed taking action for a long time.
"Eat." Lu Chen said, "Order more if it's not enough."
Hearing Lu Chen's words, he finally couldn't hold back, immediately picked up a large piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth, hissing from the heat, yet reluctant to spit it out.
Wanda was still a bit restrained at first, but seeing her brother's wolfing-down appearance, her stomach also began to rumble uncooperatively. She ate the food in front of her in small bites, but her speed was not slow at all.
The dishes on the table kept decreasing, and Pietro even took time to ask the waiter three times if there was any rice left. Wanda initially cared about her image, but later she couldn't care less, holding the bowl and eating up every last drop of soup.
Lu Chen sat nearby without urging them.
What he wanted was to completely subdue these two people, not just make them verbally agree to work for him.
Power was very important.
But for Wanda and Pietro, a truly satisfying meal was equally important.
Only when people lived like human beings would they be willing to think about further things, such as how to better serve him.
Chapter 212: Unable to Suppress the Corners of His Mouth
Pietro put down his bowl, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Boss, I suddenly feel that working for you isn't bad at all."
Wanda glared at him.
"Is that any way to talk to My Lord? Just a moment ago, you said you were willing to bear whatever the cost."
"I'm still willing now," Pietro wiped his mouth. "But if I could eat meals like this every day, I feel like I could bear this cost for a lifetime."
Wanda motioned for him to shut up, but she couldn't help laughing herself.
Simona walked in from outside the door at the right time, lowering her head respectfully: "My Lord, the cleanup work on the first floor of the building has been completed, and the site has been swept clean. Reconstruction will still take some time. In the past few days, would you consider settling down there first?"
Lu Chen nodded.
As expected of someone meticulously selected by HYDRA, she truly handled things efficiently.
He led Wanda and Pietro into an empty room and raised his hand to close the door.
Pietro and Wanda exchanged glances, their heartbeats instantly speeding up. They knew the real main event was coming.
Lu Chen took out the Mind Stone and placed it in front of the two of them.
The stone at the top of the Mind Stone released a radiance, suppressing the lights in the room.
"Is this it?"
Pietro stared at the Mind Stone, a hint of vigilance in his tone.
"Can it bring us power?"
"Yes." Lu Chen grasped the Mind Stone, "But the process might be a bit painful."
Pietro glanced at Wanda.
"Are you scared?"
Wanda didn't answer, just took a step forward and nodded heavily: "We are ready."
She was very clear that she and her brother no longer had a way out.
Since Lu Chen was willing to give them a chance to change their fate, they couldn't stop because of the pain.
"Hold on."
Lu Chen activated the Mind Stone.
The energy of the stone rushed out, falling onto the two of them respectively.
The powerful energy forcefully rushed into their bodies, tearing at their cells and forcibly rewriting their genetic sequences.
Lu Chen stood in front of the two of them, his mental power constantly locking onto their status.
Pietro gripped his hair tightly with both hands, the veins on his face bulging out one by one, and a painful roar came from his throat. His body began to tremble uncontrollably and fiercely, and the surroundings even produced visible blurred phantoms due to the high-frequency vibration of his body.
Pietro's body was too fragile; relying solely on an ordinary person's physique to endure the power of the Mind Stone carried no small risk.
Wanda, however, was completely different.
The stone inside the Mind Stone did not bestow power upon her at all; instead, it merely awakened what was already hidden within her body.
She was a natural Witch. When she was ten years old, the Stark Industries missile that smashed in front of them didn't explode not because it was a dud, but because Wanda unconsciously used her power to modify reality, causing the bomb to lose its explosive properties.
Chaos Magic.
This was a terrifying power capable of directly modifying reality. As long as Wanda completely awakened and fully mastered this power, she could basically walk sideways in the current Marvel Universe. That was a terrifying tier that spanned the multiverse, an existence that even Lu Chen could only look up to from afar.
Such a trump card must be firmly reined in his hands.
Lu Chen stared at Wanda.
Her expression slowly turned from pain to calmness, and wisps of dark red energy uncontrollably leaked out from her body. These red lights carried a bizarre and dangerous aura, as if they had a life of their own, circling and wrapping around Wanda's body to form an unconscious protective shield.
Lu Chen narrowed his eyes, staring at those red lights.
This was Chaos Magic. Even though it had just been awakened, this power displayed characteristics far beyond common sense.
In contrast, Pietro's condition was getting worse and worse.
He rolled on the ground in pain, sweat constantly oozing from his forehead, and his skin flushed red as if it were about to burn up.
Lu Chen frowned.
Just as Lu Chen was considering whether to forcibly cut off the energy transmission to prevent this kid from being bloated to death, Pietro suddenly raised his head and let out a hysterical roar.
Immediately afterward, his eyes rolled back, and he crashed straight onto the floor, completely losing consciousness.
Lu Chen squatted down and placed his fingers on Pietro's wrist.
The system panel popped up quickly.
[Super Speed LV5]
[Super Physique LV3]
Lu Chen took a glance, and breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
The ability had been successfully stimulated.
Although it was only LV5 and his physical body was still too weak, giving him a few injections should make him stronger, at least so he wouldn't be killed by bullets.
At this time, Wanda beside him also woke up from that wondrous state.
The diffused red light instantly shrank back into her body. She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was her brother lying on the ground.
"Brother!"
Wanda exclaimed in alarm, hurriedly ran over and threw herself beside Pietro, trembling as she touched his face, and anxiously looked up at Lu Chen: "Is my brother okay? What's wrong with him?"
Lu Chen withdrew his hand: "There's no major issue, his body just couldn't withstand such a massive energy impact all at once, and his self-protection mechanism made him pass out. He'll be fine after resting for two days."
Hearing this, Wanda relaxed slightly.
"Extend your hand, let me check your condition." Lu Chen looked at her.
Wanda didn't hesitate at all and obediently extended her right hand.
Lu Chen placed his hand on it.
The system prompt appeared once again.
[Chaos Magic] +
[Super Physique LV1]
Lu Chen's attention was completely captured by the name in front. He clicked the plus sign behind [Chaos Magic].
The next moment, new information lined up.
[Chaos Magic LV5 (Current Era)]
[Chaos Magic LV10 (Semi-Awakened)]
[Chaos Magic LV?? (Darkhold Amplification)]
[Chaos Magic LV??? (Fully Awakened)]
Lu Chen stared at the last two lines, having struck gold.
No, it could no longer be described with a treasure.
If she grew up completely, the entire Universe wouldn't be enough for her to toss around.
Lu Chen withdrew his hand, looking at the girl in front of him who was still worrying about her brother, his heart no longer caring to think about how strong a power those question marks represented.
There was only one thought in his mind right now.
He must capture her firmly.
This girl named Wanda must be tightly bound to his chariot.
"My Lord?" Wanda noticed that Lu Chen's gaze was somewhat strange, and called out softly, "My body... is there any problem?"
"No problem." Lu Chen stood up, "Your condition is even better than I imagined. Incredibly good."
Wanda set her mind at ease; that big meal and this power weren't taken for free, and she could also do something to repay him.
"Can I help you do things now?"
"Learn to control your power first."
Lu Chen stared into her eyes.
"In the future, you and Pietro will handle some things for me. But before that, I want you both to survive and become stronger."
Wanda was silent for a few seconds, holding Pietro's hand.
"Okay."
"Let him sleep." Lu Chen turned around, his back facing Wanda, and said, "When he wakes up, your lives will be completely different."
Wanda looked at Lu Chen's back, then looked at Pietro lying on the ground breathing evenly, and clenched her fists tightly.
She didn't know what the future would hold, but at least for now, she was no longer the person who could only wait to die in the ruins.
Chapter 213: Rookie
Lu Chen opened the bedroom door and directly called Simone, who was waiting outside.
"Arrange two rooms for them, and prepare their daily necessities as well."
Simone glanced at Pietro on the floor.
"Does he need a Doctor?"
"No need, he's just asleep."
Lu Chen used his psychokinesis to lift Pietro, sending him right in front of Simone.
The energy inside this kid's body had already stabilized; waking up was just a matter of time. If an ordinary Doctor were to see his current cellular state, he would probably have to suspect that his equipment was broken.
Simone reached out to catch him, only to find that Pietro was suspended mid-air, requiring no effort on her part at all.
"I will arrange it."
Wanda followed behind Simone and walked outward. When they reached the doorway, she turned her head back again.
"Thank you."
"Don't rush to thank me yet."
Lu Chen leaned against the edge of the table.
"When Pietro wakes up, the two of you still need to learn how to control your powers. Don't tear down the new Base the moment you get excited."
Recalling the uncontrolled red energy from just now, Wanda had a somewhat embarrassed look on her face.
"I will be careful."
The door closed.
Only then did Lu Chen reopen the system panel.
Copying wasn't urgent anyway.
Pietro's Super Speed was currently only at LV5, and his physique was only at LV3. It wouldn't be too late to use Compound V and other enhancement methods to boost him for a wave before copying.
Anyway, since the person had already entered Vought Company, could he possibly run away?
As for Wanda...
Looking at those few question marks on the panel, Lu Chen still felt it was a bit outrageous.
"System?"
[Present.]
"What on earth does it mean that the Chaos Magic level is LV???"
The panel flickered.
[Unable to estimate copying time; will not be displayed.]
Unable to estimate?
He knew that Wanda's Chaos Magic had an extremely high upper limit, a level capable of spanning across the multiverse. Yet this was the first time even the system couldn't give a specific time.
"System, why are you so trashy?" Lu Chen complained mercilessly.
The panel paused for two seconds.
[(╥﹏╥)]
A giant kaomoji popped out, occupying his entire field of view.
Looking at that crying expression, Lu Chen's mouth twitched.
"In order to avoid being scolded, you've even learned this act of acting cute now?" Lu Chen was somewhat speechless. "Hajisystem, you guy."
[(つω-｀)]
The panel changed to another aggrieved-looking expression rubbing its eyes.
"Alright, stop acting pitiful."
Lu Chen closed Wanda's ability interface.
"It seems I still need to find some high-end stuff to upgrade you for a wave. Otherwise, even if it can be copied, taking a dozen or twenty years, I won't even know what year it is by the time I finish copying."
The system did not reply.
Lu Chen didn't continue bullying it either.
In the current Copy column, the foreground was temporarily empty, but the background had a progress bar hanging continuously.
[Matter Transmutation LV9 (God Energy)]
There were still more than thirty days left.
If Ikaris could really wait a month before making a move, then everything would be easy to talk about.
The problem was that Ikaris couldn't possibly wait.
That guy took a fully charged blast from him head-on; even if he didn't die, his state wouldn't be anywhere good. Makkari could rescue him, but she had no way to make his injuries recover immediately.
This period of time was Lu Chen's preparation period.
Sersi was still in his hands.
Given Ikaris's feelings for Sersi, after he recovered to the extent that he could move, the first thing he would most likely do was call people over to rescue her. Wanting him to obediently hide for a month was about the same as expecting Tony to suddenly admit he wasn't a genius.
Unrealistic.
Lu Chen sifted through the existing list in his mind.
Wanda had already been activated, and Pietro had successfully gained his powers. The two of them could only be considered to have potential right now; they couldn't be dragged onto the battlefield immediately and needed some training.
There weren't many targets left that had Copy value and could improve his own combat power in a short time.
Calculating back and forth, right now there was only that big green hunk left.
"Go coax him."
Lu Chen stood up, and his figure directly disappeared inside the room.
The top floor of Stark Tower.
Lu Chen dropped down from high altitude, his shoe soles stepping onto the platform. The safety device beside the steel railing had just recognized that someone had broken in when Jarvis's voice rang out.
"Welcome back, Mr. Tianshu."
"Tony didn't delete my permissions?"
"Mr. Stark had considered it."
Jarvis paused for a moment.
"But he believed that deleting permissions couldn't stop you from entering, and would only make the security system report a few more meaningless alarms."
Lu Chen laughed.
Tony this guy never wanted to yield verbally, but his body was very honest.
So what if he really deleted the permissions?
Not a single door in the entire building could stop him. By then the alarms would ring endlessly, and in the end, the one getting annoyed would still be Tony himself.
"Is Banner here?"
"Dr. Banner is in the experimental area. Do you need me to connect you?"
"Go ahead, have him come up."
"Alright, sir."
Third basement floor, core laboratory.
This place currently looked simply like a vegetable market.
Inside the experimental area, Tony was using his fingers to drag a nano armor structural diagram.
"Vibranium is precious, I know."
"But just because the material is precious doesn't mean you should design all structures into enclosed modules. Nano armor requires self-programming, not a set of royal formal wear that can only change according to fixed routes."
Shuri propped her hands on the experimental table and retorted unceremoniously.
"Since you talk so nicely, then tell me, after the energy core is damaged, what do the dispersed nano units rely on to maintain themselves?"
"Don't tell me about backup energy. That would make the armor have at least thirteen percent more ineffective load."
Tony raised his hand.
"Thirteen percent? What you calculated is the basic density of Vibranium, without incorporating the lightweight support layer I designed at all."
"Your support layer will interfere with kinetic energy conduction."
"That's just a theoretical error."
"A theoretical error is still an error."
"Can you retain a little bit of the most basic respect for adults?"
Shuri tilted her head.
"Since when does science look at age?"
Tony opened his mouth.
How could this little brat be even more annoying than he was when he was young?
No.
When he was young, he at least knew how to respect a true genius.
She clearly hadn't learned that yet.
Helen Cho sat on the other side, watching the two of them quarrel once again, and could only speak up to interrupt.
"Perhaps we can retain some of the enclosed modules."
"Use independent structures for the areas with the highest damage rate, and continue to adopt Mr. Stark's self-programming plan for the other areas. This can reduce energy loss and also ensure the reorganization efficiency of the armor after it's damaged."
Shuri lowered her head and calculated for a few seconds.
"We can give it a try."
Tony immediately pointed at her.
"See that? This is how adults solve problems."
"This plan was proposed by Dr. Cho, what does it have to do with you?"
Banner sat nearby and couldn't help letting out a chuckle.
He had been invited by Tony to stay here, originally just wanting to help research the energy fluctuations of the Earth's core God, but ended up inexplicably joining the nano armor project as well.
However, this feeling wasn't bad.
Hulk had been much well-behaved these past few days; he hadn't roared in his mind, nor had he tried to seize control of the body because of a slight emotional change.
It was rare to be able to do research peacefully, and in his heart he even felt a bit grateful toward that youth.
At least it was better than hiding in the slums and constantly worrying about killing people.
"Dr. Banner."
Jarvis's voice came from overhead.
"Mr. Tianshu is waiting for you on the top floor."
The movement in Banner's hands stopped.
"Stark." Banner turned his head, looked at Tony, and said, "I'm going upstairs for a bit."
Tony threw the part in his hand into the trash can, waved his hand, and said without raising his head, "Go ahead, go ahead, remember to come back for dinner. Today I must definitely put this audacious little brat in her place."
Banner stood up and left the experimental area. He had met Lu Chen a few times, but they had never truly chatted.
He actually wasn't quite sure what Tianshu was looking for him for.
If it was about the Avengers, he should have directly looked for Tony or Steve.
Calling him up alone couldn't possibly be because he wanted to beat up Hulk again, right?
Thinking of this, Banner suddenly felt a bit unsure in his heart.
The elevator door opened.
Banner pushed the door open and saw Lu Chen sitting on the sofa at a glance.
Lu Chen raised his hand and pointed at his chest.
"You've come just in time, Dr. Call Hulk out, I have something to look for him about."