Chapter 277: Let Me Try
The massive vertical takeoff and landing engines emitted a low roar, and the huge black fuselage slowly lifted off the ground, tearing through the clouds and climbing into the high altitude.
Inside the modified transport plane code-named "Bus", the atmosphere was somewhat gloomy.
Mei sat in the pilot's seat, her hands clasping the control stick.
On the other side, Ward threw his towel down, his military boots grinding against the non-slip steel plate, his eyes fixed on the radar screen.
They were all veteran field Agents.
For a fringe team like this that operated outside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s regular establishment and even had to submit special applications for logistics supplies, suddenly receiving a red-headed directive issued across levels from headquarters could by no means mean they were being sent to Hawaii for a vacation.
Only Skye seemed out of place.
Her entire body slumped in the swivel chair, her feet dangling over the edge of the console as she chewed bubble gum, saying, "So, Officer? Dragging us all the way up into the sky, what kind of earth-shattering big case is this anyway? It couldn't possibly be that some alien public toilet is leaking again, right?"
Fitz and Simmons stood at the laboratory door, both holding clipboards.
Coulson walked to the center of the round table and pressed the holographic projection button.
Blue light intersected in mid-air, and several images popped up, accompanied by the alert log of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion.
"Two hours ago, headquarters went into total lockdown."
Coulson looked around the room, "Director Fury suffered severe cranial nerve damage and is currently in a deep coma in the intensive care unit."
The bubble gum in Skye's mouth popped with a snap, and the pen in Simmons's hand dropped to the floor with a clatter.
"Director Fury? Who could possibly hurt him inside the building?"
"It's not an internal human conflict, or at least not entirely."
Coulson pulled up an image of a weird head covered in green wrinkles, "These alien creatures are called Skrulls. They possess the ability of perfect cellular mimicry, allowing them to 100% disguise themselves as anyone around us.
They have lurked in headquarters for decades, and now, the radical faction has escaped the Triskelion and integrated into society."
Fitz pushed his glasses up, his voice trembling, "One... one hundred percent? Even DNA can be mimicked? Oh god, how is that possible, the underlying logic of biology..."
"We can discuss the details later, Fitz."
Coulson tapped the table, "Pierce is temporarily acting as Director. Headquarters has given us two transfer orders. First, find out why Lu Chen, the behind-the-scenes boss of Vought Company—also known as Tian Shu—suddenly made a move against the Skrulls. Second, based on the clues, dig out the new stronghold of those escaped aliens."
The cabin was terribly quiet.
Fitz and Simmons listened in a daze, and Skye bit her lip, clearly having not yet digested the absurd fact that "aliens are all around us".
Ward, standing in the back, didn't make a sound, but his face lost its color bit by bit.
Ward stared fixedly at the blurry photo of the black-haired young man on the holographic projection, swallowing hard.
Investigate Tian Shu?
And investigate why he made a move?
Ward felt his nerves twitching wildly, and a dense layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out from his back.
"Officer, allow me to interrupt."
Ward took a step forward, "So headquarters means for us to investigate the reason for the feud between Tian Shu and the Skrulls, and then follow the vine to find those lizardmen?"
Coulson nodded: "This is an order personally conveyed by Deputy Director Hill."
The muscles on Ward's face twitched twice: "In my opinion, the first task is ten thousand times more dangerous than the second.
If we go look for those alien lizards, at worst we'll get shot in the back.
But if we reach our hands out toward Tian Shu... we might not even know how we turned to dust."
As soon as these words came out, several people in the cabin looked at him strangely.
Fitz scratched his hair: "Agent Ward, isn't Tian Shu just a Superpower who showed his face in the Battle of New York?
Although he is indeed very strong... he's also an external member of the Avengers, right?"
Simmons also nodded: "Records in the database show that Vought Company under his name has recently been compliant in promoting Compound V.
He doesn't look like a terrorist either."
Ignorance was truly a damned blessing.
Looking at these two honor students who had just stepped out of the ivory tower, Ward cursed furiously in his heart.
These people knew shit!
Except for him, the entire team was a bunch of blind people kept in the dark.
Fitz and Simmons only had theoretical knowledge, Skye was a wild hacker eating instant noodles in a broken van, and Mei had withdrawn from the front lines for too long after the Bahrain incident.
As for Coulson, even the memories in his brain were fakes forcibly stitched together by Fury.
Their understanding of Lu Chen remained merely at the level of a "powerful Superpower".
But Ward was different; he was HYDRA.
In HYDRA's archives, Tian Shu's name had three crimson skulls drawn above it, and his danger rating even surpassed that of the enraged Hulk.
Back then, Pierce still harbored wishful thinking, intending to secretly collect Lu Chen's physical data to find weaknesses.
But ever since HYDRA's deep-space satellite monitored that battle—when that group of god-like beings calling themselves the Eternal beat the Avengers back step by step, only to be dismantled and crushed like toys after Lu Chen rushed back—Pierce burned all assassination plans to ashes that very night.
Subsequently, HYDRA issued a strict order: all latent Agents globally must unconditionally avoid Tian Shu and cooperate with him to the fullest extent when encountering him; no one was allowed to tick off this fierce deity!
Even that old fox Pierce had been scared out of his wits, and now headquarters actually wanted their makeshift, ragged team to investigate Lu Chen?
This fucking wasn't an investigation; it was lining up to knock on hell's door!
"Ward, relax."
Coulson patted Ward's arm, "We are just secretly building a profiling model to find the Skrulls' motives.
We are not declaring war on Vought Company."
Just as Ward wanted to open his mouth to warn them, Skye, sitting next to him, chuckled out loud.
"Oh my, what a big deal, look at how scared you all are."
Skye put her legs down from the table, her fingers tapping a string of afterimages on the keyboard with a pattering sound, "Since we can't make direct contact, let's change to a smarter way.
Why don't I just hack into Vought Company's internal server?
Let's check their recent security logs and procurement lists to see what those alien green skins were up to."
All the hairs on Ward's body suddenly stood on end, and the clothes on his back stuck directly to his skin.
"Wait! Skye, take your hands off the keyboard!"
Ward turned his head sharply, his voice cracking from urgency.
Coulson looked at the uncomposed Ward, his brows slightly furrowed: "Ward, what's wrong with you?
We've tested Skye's skills before, and what's installed on the plane now is a high-speed quantum supercomputer issued by headquarters.
No matter how tight Vought Company's defense system is, doing a silent scan probe shouldn't get us discovered."
Mei also poked half her body out of the cockpit: "Agent Ward, obey tactical arrangements.
We need clues."
"You guys have no idea what you're messing with!"
Ward gritted his teeth anxiously, desperately searching for a reason that wouldn't expose his identity while stopping this bunch of idiots: "Tian Shu has an advanced artificial intelligence under his command!
That's not a conventional civilian system!
Once the countermeasure mechanism is triggered, our physical coordinates..."
"Done!"
Skye's crisp voice rang out, abruptly jamming Ward's words back into his throat.
Chapter 278: Try It and Die
The girl turned around, picked up the coffee on the table, and took a sip: "There's nothing special about it. Isn't this just an ordinary biopharmaceutical company? Although the firewall is quite fancy, the underlying logical ports are all open. I've already hooked up a backend backdoor, and it's full of daily reports and business contracts... Strange, why can't I find any personal file about Lu Chen at all?"
Ward stood in place, his hands and feet numb. He stared dead at the green access success prompt on Skye's screen, his brain buzzing.
Got in? Got in just like that? An existence that even S.H.I.E.L.D. dared not provoke head-on, could his core server be hacked by a wild-route hacker in three minutes?
This was not superb technology at all; this was a trap. And it wasn't even considered a trap—that was the opponent's artificial intelligence watching a suicidal fly crash into a spiderweb!
Ward didn't say a single word more. He glanced at Coulson, then glanced at Skye, his heart violently slamming in his chest. He couldn't die here; HYDRA's grand enterprise was not yet completed, and he must absolutely not turn into a heap of scrap metal at ten thousand meters high with this group of self-righteous idiots!
Ward turned around without a word and headed straight for the equipment storage area at the tail of the plane.
Click! He yanked open the metal locker, pulled down a main parachute pack, skillfully slipped the safety buckles over his shoulders and the base of his thighs, and pulled the adjustment straps tight with force.
Fitz's mouth was wide open, the test tube in his hand almost shattering: "Ag... Agent Ward? What are you doing? We're still at twenty thousand feet in the air..."
Simmons pushed up her glasses: "We haven't reached the designated airspace yet. What are you putting on a parachute for? A drill?"
Coulson walked over quickly, his tone stern: "Ward, stop what you're doing! You are violating field discipline. What on earth is going on?"
Ward forcefully buckled the fastening clip on his chest, producing a crisp sound of metal interlocking. He raised his head, and on that usually stern and steady face, now only dead ashes remained.
He looked at Coulson, his lips trembling slightly: "Officer Coulson, if you have even an ounce of sanity left, make Mei turn this piece-of-junk plane around and head for the Atlantic Ocean right now. Then everyone abandons the plane and parachutes out immediately."
"What are you talking about..." Skye's words weren't finished yet when the lights inside the entire cabin suddenly flickered.
The air in the center of the cabin twisted violently.
Crackle!
A string of dazzling golden sparks burst abruptly in the void, splashing against the metal bulkhead. Then, that string of sparks began to spin rapidly, carving out a scorching and perfect circular light trail right in mid-air!
Ward's ghost-seeing reaction had already pushed the tension of the entire cabin to its peak.
Almost at the same time the golden fire ring carved out its first arc, Mei's figure had already sprung up from the pilot seat. She quickly drew her sidearm with her right hand, steadily supporting the gun handle with both hands, and the safety hammer clicked open.
Coulson likewise did not hesitate. As a veteran Agent who had been rolling around on the front lines for years, his movements were even a bit steadier than Mei's, and the pitch-black muzzle of his Glock locked straight onto the exact center of the splashing sparks.
Fitz and Simmons were so frightened they almost crashed into each other.
"Th... What physical phenomenon is this? Space jump or high-energy plasma?!" Fitz stammered and shouted, his hands frantically fumbling at his waist, grabbing a strangely shaped non-lethal stun pistol.
Simmons also grabbed a portable neuro-anesthetic spray, and although her hands were shaking, she still forced herself to stand beside Fitz.
Only Skye was still sitting dazedly in her chair, forgetting to chew the bubble gum in her mouth. She had never seen this kind of battle array at all, and watching the fire ring burned out of thin air in the void, her whole person looked as if the pause button had been pressed on her.
As for Ward, who had retreated to the corner of the tail, carrying his parachute pack, his entire face was paler than a dead person. He didn't draw his gun because he was very clear that in front of the person about to step out, thermal weapons weren't even considered scrap metal.
The fire ring expanded steadily.
The second the golden light completely formed, Lu Chen stepped into the cabin with a relaxed expression.
Behind him, that spacious and luxurious office in Vought Tower in New York flashed by, and then the golden portal, like a pinched-out cigarette butt, with a hiss shrunk into a point of light and dissipated without a trace.
Seeing Lu Chen's excessively young Asian face, Phil Coulson's fingers tightened slightly, but he still lowered the muzzle and tried to maintain surface restraint: "Mr. Tianshu?"
Mei, however, did not put down her gun, the vigilance in her eyes as heavy as ice.
Lu Chen didn't pay any attention to the two guns pointing at him at all.
He stood in the center of the carpet and looked around this modified S.H.I.E.L.D. command aircraft with great interest.
A few minutes ago, the artificial intelligence Yuheng suddenly popped up a top-level firewall alarm for him.
Lu Chen was still wondering at the time. Tony Stark was busy with the matter of declaring war on The Mandarin right now, and it was impossible for him to be so bored as to poke Vought Company's server; several idiot hackers from the Military had long had their motherboards reverse-burned by Yuheng; and the Skrulls were shrinking into dark corners and shivering even more.
He originally thought it was some suicidal biotech company, but Yuheng directly locked onto the physical IP, and the coordinates were actually moving at an altitude of twenty thousand feet.
Lu Chen casually pulled open a portal to come catch the thief, not expecting that the moment he poked his head out, what he bumped into were actually these few familiar faces.
What a coincidence indeed.
Lu Chen's gaze fell on Fitz and Simmons, and he couldn't help but find it amusing in his heart.
The twin stars graduated from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, one a mechanical engineering genius, one a biochemical monster. The black technology these two fiddled out in the laboratory often made even Tony take a few extra looks.
Although those researchers deep beneath Vought Tower were also top-tier goods, most of them were conventional and rule-abiding, and they just lacked such wildly imaginative and energetic young workhorses. If these two people were packed up and sent to be Banner's assistants, it was estimated that the R&D progress could even double.
Then, Lu Chen turned his head to look at Skye, who was huddled in the swivel chair.
The girl had slightly messy curly hair, and her eyes were filled with wild, untamed panic.
This was the future Shockwave girl Daisy Johnson.
At present, she probably still thought she was just a helpless wandering hacker, inquiring all over the World about the whereabouts of her biological parents.
But Lu Chen was very clear that this girl had Inhumans genes modified by the Kree flowing in her body.
Speaking of the Inhumans, Lu Chen immediately thought of that obelisk.
That thing was left behind by the Kree, and sealed inside were Terrigen Crystals. Once it came into contact with humans possessing Inhuman genes, it would release Terrigen Mists, forcibly activating dormant Superpowers.
Lu Chen was indeed very interested in that obelisk.
Blood samples of ordinary Superpower users were already beneath his notice now, but that kind of alien technology capable of mass-producing mutated organisms, taking it back to let his subordinate scientists slice and study it, or throwing it directly to his system to try and see if it could absorb it, no matter how you calculate it, was a guaranteed win-win business.
It seemed this trip not only wasn't run in vain, but instead delivered the treasure map right to his doorstep.
Finally, Lu Chen's gaze swept past Ward in the corner.
Looking at that parachute pack buckled so tightly on Ward, Lu Chen couldn't help letting out a chuckle.
HYDRA's double Agent.
This kid lurked by Coulson's side acting like an honest man, but actually was full of bad intentions. However, to give credit where it's due, this guy's survival instinct was indeed the most sensitive one among this group of people. That old fellow Pierce probably gave strict orders to HYDRA worldwide long ago, otherwise Ward wouldn't have been in such a rush to parachute the moment he saw sparks.
Chapter 279: Congratulations, the surgery was a success.
"Mr. Tianshu, I think there might be some misunderstanding between us."
Coulson took a deep breath, moved half a step forward, and used his body to shield the young Agent behind him.
"We are an S.H.I.E.L.D. field mobile team. Regarding the data retrieval on Vought Company's internal network just now, it was completely a tactical early-warning test and had no hostile intent at all..."
The beginner village chief was still the same beginner village chief, always liking to talk in circles.
Lu Chen withdrew his gaze from sizing everyone up and looked back at Coulson.
"Misunderstanding?"
Lu Chen tilted his head, his tone calm: "Hacking into my private network without permission, hanging around the edge of my airspace, and now pointing a gun at my head. Agent Coulson, you call this a misunderstanding?"
Mei's expression changed. As a veteran, she smelled the scent of danger.
Just as her index finger was about to pull the trigger, Lu Chen didn't even lift an eyelid.
The moment his thought shifted, a formless and vast mental power, like a heavy hammer, exploded directly inside the narrow cabin!
The mental blast Copy from the Druid had its power lowered by him and was released like Haoshoku Haki from One Piece.
"Ugh!"
Mei let out a muffled groan, her eyes instantly losing focus, the Glock in her hand slipping and hitting the carpet, and her entire body collapsed softly.
Next were Fitz and Simmons; the two researchers who had not received pressure-resistance training couldn't even let out a scream before they fell straight down beside the console.
The tablet in Skye's hand slipped, and she slumped into the leather chair and fell unconscious.
Ward gritted his back molars hard, enduring for half a second by relying on the firm will cultivated by HYDRA's devilish training.
But in front of this overwhelming mental storm, a mortal's will was no different from a thin piece of paper. Ward's eyes rolled back, his knees went soft, and carrying a heavy parachute pack, he heavily smashed into the bulkhead and completely passed out.
Coulson was the last one to fall.
Alien life essence had been transplanted into his brain, and his neural resistance was much stronger than an ordinary person's.
Coulson supported himself desperately on the edge of the table with both arms, a few blue veins bulging on his forehead, gritting his teeth as he stared dead at Lu Chen: "You... exactly..."
"Sleep, village chief."
Lu Chen calmly spat out a few words.
Coulson's vision went black, and finally unable to hold on, he collapsed onto the conference table with a thud, completely losing consciousness.
In the huge cabin, only the low and steady engine sound remained, along with the scattered breathing sounds on the floor.
"Done."
Lu Chen shook his wrists, feeling a bit bored.
Bullying this group of little fellows who hadn't even walked out of the beginner village really didn't give much sense of accomplishment.
But since they bumped into his hands, and Skye, Fitz, and the others were quite valuable, letting them fly around freely in the sky obviously wasn't a good idea.
It's better to just pack this bunch up and take them away.
Lu Chen strode forward and activated intangibility.
Under the operation of his ability, the sturdy titanium alloy cabin shell was like nothing in front of him.
Lu Chen, like a phantom, penetrated directly out from the side of the fuselage.
The bone-chilling high-altitude cold wind whistled past.
At an altitude of twenty thousand feet, the thin air almost made one suffocate.
But Lu Chen was too lazy to even open a protective barrier, letting the violent airflow tear at the hem of his trench coat.
Stepping on the void, he hovered above and to the side of the huge black transport plane.
Looking at this huge special aircraft with blue flames spewing from under its wings, Lu Chen raised both hands.
His right hand drew an arc in front of his chest that was dozens of times larger than usual.
Golden sparks danced wildly against the wind at an altitude of ten thousand meters.
This time, the diameter of the portal was forcibly stretched by him to nearly a hundred meters wide!
An unimaginably huge golden ring of fire, like the giant mouth of a beast devouring everything, lay right in front of the transport plane.
The huge fuselage did not slow down, and with a low roar from the engines, it plunged headfirst into the golden screen of light.
The next second, the golden ring in the void abruptly closed and contracted, disappearing without a trace.
New York, Hells Kitchen.
On the dedicated helipad at the top of Vought Tower, several security Agents responsible for daily ground service were standing in the wind chatting idly.
Suddenly, a huge golden door of fire tore open out of thin air in mid-air.
Immediately following, a colossal object that blotted out the sky with black paint glided out from the light door!
The specially made deceleration landing gear frictioned fiercely against the concrete ground of the helipad, pulling out two pungent trails of blue smoke, and the tires made a harsh friction sound against the ground.
Several security Agents were scared out of their wits, scrambling and rolling to hide behind cover, thinking it was some blind faction driving a bomber to crash into the building.
However, this black giant bird actually stopped steadily right in the center of the helipad, and the engine exhaust ports slowly extinguished.
Lu Chen's figure slowly walked out from under the plane.
"Find a few people and drag everyone in the cabin to the reception room."
Lu Chen pointed to the cabin behind him and instructed the running security supervisor: "Throw the one with the parachute into the confinement room, and just toss the rest onto the sofa. Be gentle, don't drop those two bespectacled researchers so hard they turn stupid."
"Yes, Mr. Lu!" The security supervisor quickly stood at attention to receive the order, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and called his subordinates to start moving people.
Ten minutes later.
Inside a private lounge on the upper floors of Vought Tower.
Sunlight spilled onto the carpet through the huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows, illuminating the entire room brightly.
Coulson, lying prone on the leather sofa, moved his fingers.
His eyelids were extremely heavy, and deep within his brain felt like countless steel needles were pricking it—that was the sequela after his psyche suffered strong oppression.
Coulson took a labored breath, and the memories in his mind began to rewind.
The top-secret Skrulls investigation, the sudden golden portal, the black-haired youth stepping out like a god, and that terrifying mental storm that was completely impossible to resist.
They had been completely wiped out!
Coulson's heart tightened abruptly, the survival instinct overriding his headache.
He suddenly opened his eyes, struggled to sit upright from the sofa, and instinctively reached for the service pistol at his lower back.
But his waist was empty, his weapons having been stripped clean long ago.
"Don't waste your effort, Agent Coulson."
A gentle voice carrying teasing came from the side.
Startled, Coulson abruptly raised his head.
Three meters directly in front of him, Lu Chen was sitting boldly in a single-seater leather armchair.
The black-haired youth had his legs crossed, gently swirling a glass of amber-colored liquor with added ice cubes. The ice cubes struck the rim of the cup, making a rhythmic, crisp sound.
On that young and handsome face hung a harmless-to-humans-and-animals, even somewhat warm smile.
Looking at Coulson's face full of shock and bewilderment, Lu Chen brought the wine glass to his lips and took a small sip, then looked at him with a smile, his tone exceptionally concerned:
"You're awake? The surgery was a success. Congratulations, you are now a girl."
Chapter 280: One for Two
Coulson's body shuddered violently, and the hairs on the back of his hands stood on end.
Even though his reason told him that the young man in front of him was most likely pulling his leg, looking at Lu Chen's smiling face, which showed not a single flaw, Coulson's heart still skipped a beat.
Heaven knew what kind of bizarre abilities someone who could tear space apart and abduct an entire transport plane from an altitude of twenty thousand feet was hiding.
Relying almost entirely on physical instinct, under the guise of rubbing the bridge of his nose, Coulson quietly reached his right hand down.
The familiar object beneath the fabric was still there, its outline intact and its weight undiminished.
Coulson let out an imperceptible sigh of relief in his heart, but a layer of fine sweat had already broken out on his lower back.
He withdrew his hand back to his knees and raised his eyes to re-examine the black-haired young man in front of him.
Just now on the plane, he had still been pondering how to find out Vought Company's background and incidentally fish out the reason why Tianshu had formed a blood feud with aliens.
Now things were much simpler; without even spending any travel expenses, he and his plane were directly packaged and sent straight into the other party's base camp.
Since he had fallen into the hands of such a monster, hiding things would only make him die faster.
Judging by the methods Lu Chen showed earlier in flattening the entire squad, if the other party didn't nod, they wouldn't even think about walking out of this building alive for the rest of their lives.
Extending the head brings a slash, and drawing it back brings a slash either way, so it was better to face it directly.
Coulson tidied his somewhat wrinkled suit collar, braced his still slightly weak knees, and slowly stood up from the sofa.
He spread both hands in front of him, striking a standard, defenseless field Agent posture, and lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Mr. Lu, I am deeply sorry for disturbing you in such a rude manner."
Coulson squeezed out a gentle smile, trying to shorten the distance.
"I guarantee in the name of a S.H.I.E.L.D. field Agent that we have no hostility whatsoever toward you and Vought Company."
Holding his wine glass, Lu Chen did not reply, only looking at him with a half-smile.
Being stared at by that kind of gaze, Coulson's heart was drumming nonstop, but he didn't dare stop talking for even a fraction.
"To be honest, our ascent this time was merely to find out why you suddenly started a brawl at the Triskelion and why you came into conflict with the Skrulls."
Coulson took half a step forward, his gaze sincere.
"But now it seems our goals are consistent. The Skrulls lurk within human society and are a tumor on the entire human civilization. You want to drag them out and settle accounts thoroughly, and S.H.I.E.L.D. feels the same. In this matter, we can help you."
Leaning against the heavy backrest of the single-seater sofa, Lu Chen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth after hearing these words.
"Help me?"
Lu Chen leaned back against the sofa, "Just based on you lot? A modified transport plane, a retired Agent, a hacker, two just-graduated straight-A students, and that one preparing for free fall who looks relatively normal. Coulson, your team hasn't even left the newbie village yet; what are you using to help me?"
The approachable smile on Coulson's face did not distort in the slightest, as if he had long anticipated that Lu Chen would have this reaction.
Meeting Lu Chen's disdainful gaze, his tone instead grew increasingly steady.
"Mr. Lu, I admit that in the face of absolute power, we are insignificant. But you must admit that for an expert of your level, time is extremely precious."
Coulson spread his hands, presenting his own chips.
"What the Skrulls are best at is the loach tactic in the sewers. They can turn into tramps, bank clerks, or even street-corner hot dog vendors. To dig these scumbags out one by one from the corners of tens of thousands of cities requires a massive amount of manpower, material resources, and massive intelligence screening. If you act personally, it might be a bit faster, but this kind of dirty and tiring work is too much of a waste of your energy."
Coulson leaned forward, his voice low and resolute.
"Hunting for clues, following leads, vetting social networks... Leave these things that Agents excel at to us, how about that?"
Lu Chen on the sofa narrowed his eyes.
He couldn't help letting out a chuckle inwardly.
He truly lived up to being the notorious newbie village chief in the Marvel Universe.
His words were indeed pleasant to hear, and his emotional intelligence was so high that no flaws could be picked out. In just a few words, not only did he spin the blame of sneaking in for espionage into seeking cooperation, but he also packaged the chore of playing an underling and lackey as something high-sounding.
No wonder that one-eyed dragon Nick Fury had to pull him back out of the coffin with Kree alien serum even after dying.
Having such a subaltern who knew how to handle things, understood boundaries, and could take the blame could indeed save a lot of worry.
Furthermore, Coulson's team wandering around openly could just happen to attract all the attention of the Skrulls and HYDRA.
"That sounds like a cost-effective deal."
Lu Chen casually set his wine glass on the coffee table, producing a muffled thud.
A gleam flashed in Coulson's eyes, and just as the heavy hanging stone in his heart was about to drop, Lu Chen's following words made that stone rise by several inches again.
"However, accounts aren't calculated like that."
Lu Chen restrained the smile on his face, his gaze turning somewhat playful.
"Your people from S.H.I.E.L.D. privately hacked into Vought Company's internal firewall, snooping around for data furtively near my territory. This account can't just be written off so lightly, can it?"
Coulson's heart tightened; sure enough, people standing at the top of the food chain never did money-losing charitable business.
"Then Mr. Lu means...?"
Coulson probed cautiously.
"Very simple."
Lu Chen extended two fingers, tapping lightly in the air.
"Didn't you bring a pair of college graduates just out of the academy on that plane of yours? One does mechanics, the other does biology."
Lu Chen leaned back against the chair, watching with leisure as Coulson's expression began to crack.
"Leave those two young people with me. The underground laboratory of Vought Company happens to lack some young blood; let them stay here to help me with some research to offset your transgression compensation this time."
Coulson's breathing suddenly grew heavy.
Fitz and Simmons!
Those two kids had just graduated; they were core treasures he had carefully handpicked and forcefully demanded from the academy.
They were not only S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientific research cornerstone for the next few decades, but also seedlings that Coulson regarded as his own younger generation.
Lu Chen opened his mouth and demanded to detain them; this was no different from directly removing the brain of the team!
"Mr. Lu, this I'm afraid is not according to the rules..."
Just as Coulson wanted to open his mouth to refuse, Lu Chen raised his hand to interrupt him.
"Don't be in such a rush to protect your own; I'm not an unreasonable person."
"By detaining them, I won't let you return empty-handed either. As compensation, I'll add another person for you to join your team to fill the vacancy, how about that?"
Add a person?
Coulson's brain spun at high speed.
Add whom? A plant planted by Vought Company? Some freak bodyguard injected with Compound V? Or simply a human surveillance camera used by Lu Chen to monitor S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Chapter 281: Pietro, You Are Free
Coulson's hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists.
Although Lu Chen in front of him looked easygoing from start to finish, and even kept a gentle smile on his face all along, neither using mental power to smash their brains nor throwing them into the concrete ground to fill the sea.
But having struggled on the edge of a knife for half his life, Coulson understood better than anyone that this easygoing attitude was entirely built on a fragile premise—their team currently still had utility value to Lu Chen, and their goals happened to overlap.
Once he refused to appreciate favors and rejected Lu Chen's conditions to his face...
Coulson glanced at the tightly closed bulletproof door.
It wouldn't matter if he himself died here, but the crew on the entire plane, including Skye, Mei, Ward, and those two young scientists who had yet to experience the world, would all have to accompany him and evaporate here.
In front of absolute power, reasoning was the stupidest choice.
When people are under someone else's eaves, they have to bow their heads.
Coulson let out a long sigh in his heart, raised his head, and the hesitation on his face was replaced by a layer of helpless compromise.
"Mr. Lu, I can agree to your proposal."
Coulson's voice grew a bit hoarse, a trace of pleading leaking from his eyes.
"But... can you let me see them first? Let me give them a couple of instructions. Those two children just walked out of the ivory tower not long ago, with pure personalities and a bit stubborn tempers. I'm afraid that when they reach an unfamiliar place, they might say something they shouldn't, or do something foolish, and offend you for no reason."
The bitterness and protectiveness in these words dyed even the air in the room somewhat oppressive.
Looking at this weathered novice village chief, Lu Chen actually felt a trace of appreciation in his heart.
"There's no need to be so tragic, I'm not a man-eating monster."
Lu Chen casually snapped his fingers with a relaxed expression.
"Besides, I've already brought the people over for you."
Accompanied by a crisp snap, the heavy door of the lounge issued a slight pneumatic release sound, smoothly sliding open to both sides.
Outside the door was a spacious, bright corridor paved with light gray marble.
Simone was wearing a neatly tailored black women's suit, stepping on high heels and standing straight at the doorway.
Behind Simone, Fitz and Simmons were timidly shrinking their necks.
The two newly graduated geniuses were still wearing somewhat wrinkled casual wear from S.H.I.E.L.D., and Fitz's two hands tightly grasped the straps of his briefcase.
As for Simmons, she was biting her lips, her terrified eyes sweeping back and forth over the heavily armed Vought Company security personnel on both sides of the corridor.
Obviously, these two college students with clear eyes, and even a hint of foolishness in their clarity, had been left hanging outside the door waiting for quite a while.
The moment the door opened, Coulson's body stiffened abruptly.
His gaze swept across the two frightened students, finally falling back onto the face of the unhurried black-haired young man on the sofa.
Lu Chen didn't give him any room for negotiation or maneuvering at all.
Long before Lu Chen stepped into this room, or even before opening the portal at twenty thousand feet high, the other party had already calculated every step to death.
Who he wanted, who to keep, how to divide this team—all were within the other's established plan.
This sense of powerlessness of being completely seen through, where even the action of resisting was anticipated by the other party, made one's heart chill even more than that terrifying mental storm just now.
Coulson secretly gritted his back teeth, directly raising the risk assessment of Tianshu in his heart from "unprovokable Superhumans" to "extremely dangerous mastermind behind the scenes."
Every step from now on must be ten thousand times more careful than dancing on the blade of a knife.
"Of... Officer?"
Fitz outside the door finally saw the standing Coulson, his voice trembling beyond recognition, subconsciously about to step forward.
"Stop, don't move around."
Simone standing beside her coldly spat out a few words, stepping half a step forward in high heels, directly blocking the path of the two people.
Coulson took a deep breath, suppressing the churning emotions in his chest.
Avoiding Lu Chen's teasing gaze, he forced out a smile uglier than crying, and walked quickly toward the doorway.
"Fitz, Jemma, don't be afraid."
Coulson stopped half a step away from Simone, looking at the two frightened children, trying his best to make his voice sound stable and normal.
"Headquarters and Vought Company have reached a top-secret talent exchange agreement. For the coming period, the two of you need to stay here and assist Mr. Lu in advancing several cutting-edge technology projects."
Fitz suddenly widened his eyes, his lips trembling: "Ex... Exchange agreement? Officer, what about the 'Bus'? What about Skye and Ward? Are we not going back?"
Simmons was also so anxious that her eye circles turned red, reaching out to grab Coulson's sleeve: "Officer Coulson, we are part of the mobile field team. According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Third Regulation, our transfer order must go through the Triskelion..."
"This was specially approved by Acting Director Pierce in person, Jemma."
Coulson interrupted Simmons's words, his eyes carrying unprecedented severity and hint.
He pressed his two hands respectively onto the shoulders of Fitz and Simmons, squeezing slightly with his palms to convey a warning meaning.
"Listen, children. Here, there is only one rule—obey all of Mr. Lu's research arrangements."
Coulson lowered his voice and instructed word by word.
"Don't ask what shouldn't be asked, and don't touch what shouldn't be touched. Honestly take out those theories you learned in school to work. Did you understand or not?"
The two young geniuses who had yet to experience the world were frightened by Coulson's serious expression.
Although they didn't understand complex politics and games, they could see the worry and suppression almost overflowing from the bottom of Coulson's eyes.
Fitz swallowed a mouthful of saliva and nodded blankly: "Un... Understood, Officer."
Simmons also sniffed, holding back her tears tightly, and grasped Fitz's cuff tightly: "We will be obedient, Officer."
Only then did Coulson slowly loosen his hands, his heart feeling as if a piece of flesh had been cut off.
He turned around, facing Lu Chen who was leaning on the sofa again, and slightly bowed.
"Mr. Lu, Fitz is top-notch in mechanical manufacturing and energy circuit design, and Simmons's molecular biology is even the number one in S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy for the past ten years. They will not disappoint you."
Speaking to this point, Coulson paused, his tone turning somewhat complex.
"Then... that new member you just mentioned to fill into our team, where are they right now?"
Lu Chen stood up, straightened the hem of his black coat, with an unfathomable smile hanging on his face.
"What's the rush."
Lu Chen pointed to the tarmac outside the window and took strides walking outside the door.
"The person is already waiting outside your airplane cabin door. I think after you see him, you will definitely feel that he exceeds value for money."
Chapter 282
Simone nodded slightly to Lu Chen, and then led Fitz and Simmons toward the other end of the corridor.
The two young geniuses looked back every three steps, their eyes filled with helplessness and panic, but facing the two security guards beside Simone who were over two meters tall and whose muscles strained their tactical vests, they didn't even have the courage to voice their protests.
"Dr. Banner is already waiting for you in the gene laboratory on the third basement level," Simone's voice came steadily, "He will personally arrange your subsequent work."
Dr. Banner?
Fitz and Simmons looked at each other, both seeing a trace of bewilderment and... a trace of imperceptible excitement in each other's eyes.
Bruce Banner, that legendary man in the fields of gamma radiation, radiation physics, and even biology, being able to work with him was like a dream come true for any young person engaged in scientific research.
Coulson watched the backs of the two children being taken away, feeling a mixture of emotions in his heart.
He knew that Lu Chen was giving them a carrot after a stick, using the reputation of top scientists to appease these two worldly-inexperienced students.
But anyway, at least their personal safety was temporarily guaranteed.
He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Lu Chen, waiting for the rest with complicated eyes.
Lu Chen ignored him further and walked straight to the edge of the tarmac, where the black transport plane of S.H.I.E.L.D. that had been forcibly "invited" over was parked quietly, like a Beast with its teeth pulled out.
The cabin door was wide open, and a figure wearing a sports jacket was leaning against the edge of the door, lazily yawning.
A striking head of short silver hair was a bit dazzling in the sunlight.
Ever since the Eternal war, Pietro's life had been a bit dull.
Except for taking time out every week to go back to Sokovia to check on the reconstruction progress of his hometown, the rest of the time he huddled in his entire floor belonging to himself in Vought Tower playing video games.
From Call of Duty to God of War, and from Elden Ring to Outer Wilds, he was almost about to platinum-clear all major AAA games on the market.
His high-speed thinking ability and super reflexes made playing these games effortless for him, but he still found the plots fascinating, and these past few days of gaming had almost made him lose track of time and space.
If Lu Chen hadn't called him out from the slaughter of the virtual World just now, he estimated he could lie on the sofa for another month.
"Boss!"
Seeing Lu Chen and another middle-aged man in a suit walking over, Pietro's bored face finally gained a bit of spirit.
With a slight movement of his feet, his whole body turned into an almost invisible silver afterimage, flashing from the cabin door dozens of meters away directly in front of Lu Chen and Coulson in an instant.
A breeze swept past, blowing the corner of Coulson's clothes.
Coulson's pupils shrank sharply.
As an ace Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., his dynamic vision far exceeded that of ordinary people, but at that exact moment just now, he couldn't even clearly see the other person's movements.
So fast!
Coulson's heart suddenly jumped to his throat.
Is this what Lu Chen called "compensation"?
Aside from everything else, just this incredible speed that was completely uncapturable by the naked eye would have immeasurable effects on the battlefield.
Raid, rescue, decapitation... a dozen tactical applications flashed through Coulson's mind in an instant.
"You've been holed up at home for so long, you're almost molding, right?" Lu Chen looked at the impatient Pietro and smiled, "Found a gig for you, go out for a stroll."
He pointed at Coulson beside him.
"Join his team and help me find that group of alien lizards hiding in the sewers.
Their specific information has already been sent to your phone, and you can share it with your new teammates."
Pietro took out his phone and glanced at it. On the screen was an encrypted file sent by Lu Chen, titled Skrulls Infiltration Analysis Report".
He whistled, stuffed his phone back into his pocket, and then looked Coulson up and down, a playful smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
"Alright, no problem." Pietro nodded, and then extended his hand toward Coulson, "Agent Phil Coulson, right? Sounds like an old-fashioned name."
Coulson forcefully suppressed the shock in his heart, squeezed out his signature gentle smile, and shook Pietro's hand: "Welcome aboard, young man. Our team needs vitality like yours."
But inside he was frantically calculating.
Detaining the two scientific research geniuses Fitz and Simmons was exchanged for a super-speed warrior of unfathomable strength.
From the perspective of short-term missions, the team's immediate combat effectiveness could be said to have skyrocketed.
But in the long run, losing logistics and technical support was ultimately not a solution.
However, right now, he had no room to bargain.
Perhaps... if we complete this mission faster and cleaner, putting Lu Chen in a good mood, there might still be a chance to trade back those two kids.
Coulson sighed in his heart. He knew that this was all he could think right now.
He brought Pietro, bid farewell to Lu Chen, and walked briskly back into the cabin.
Inside the cabin, Mei and Skye had already woken up, looking warily in the direction of the cabin door.
When they saw Coulson leading in a strange silver-haired youth, Mei instinctively assumed a defensive posture.
"This is Pietro, our new teammate." Coulson introduced concisely, "Fitz and Simmons... they received a top-secret mission from headquarters and temporarily need to stay in New York."
He didn't say too much, but both Mei and Skye heard a hint of helplessness and heaviness from his tone.
Just as Coulson's team was preparing to take off, Grant Ward, who had been kept in solitary confinement, was also escorted to the front of the plane by two security guards.
Ward's face was pale, and his eyes were filled with terror.
Just now, Lu Chen had carefully checked the memory of him who was kept in solitary confinement.
HYDRA's training, undercover mission, infiltration plan against Coulson's team... everything was clear and explicit.
But nothing of interest to him was found.
In this kid's memory, there was no information about the "Obelisk" yet.
His superior, that old fox, hadn't assigned a task of this level to him yet.
This was a bit regrettable.
Lu Chen was very interested in that Terrigen Crystal capable of activating Inhumans genes.
That kind of alien technology capable of mass-producing Superpower users, whether taking it for slicing research or trying to throw it to the system to absorb, was a guaranteed profitable deal.
Since a ready-made one couldn't be found, he could only cast a hook himself.
Deep within Ward's mind, Lu Chen silently left an extremely covert mental imprint.
This imprint usually had no effect, but as long as "Obelisk" or key information related to it appeared in Ward's cognition, the imprint would be triggered immediately and transmit the message to Lu Chen.
Having finished all this, Lu Chen waved his hand, as if shooing away a fly.
"Throw him back onto the plane."
The two security guards immediately picked up the still-shivering Ward and threw him into the cabin.
The transport plane's engines roared again, slowly ascending, and finally disappearing into the New York skyline.
Lu Chen stood on the tarmac with his hands in his windbreaker pockets, watching the direction in which the plane receded, the corners of his mouth slowly curving into an arc.
The future Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the future Shockwave, a Quicksilver, plus a HYDRA undercover Agent.
This protagonist team was really fully equipped.
"I hope you guys can bring me some surprises."
Lu Chen muttered softly, turned around and walked back to the building, issuing an order to Yuheng.
"Notify Simone that the injection of Compound V can begin. Facing the foreseeable chaos, I will personally take charge."
Chapter 283: A Calamity-Ridden Earth
As the soundproof door of the office just slid open, the sound of high heels tapping on the floor was heard.
Simone held an encrypted ultra-thin tablet in her hand and walked quickly to the desk.
She gently placed the tablet on the desktop, casually swiped the screen open, and pulled up the compiled data.
"Boss, the injection plan for the first batch of Compound V has been finalized, with a total of five thousand people."
Simone's voice was as capable and crisp as ever, with a just-right professional smile on her face: "According to all our actual tests previously conducted in the underground shooting range, except for a very few individual cases with special physical constitutions, the vast majority of adults can at most awaken to Level 3 abilities after taking the drug."
"This is the ability model compiled by Yuheng after synthesizing the previous few experiments. Please take a look."
Lu Chen leaned back in the spacious leather chair and casually picked up the tablet.
As his fingers swiped across the screen, lines of detailed data immediately leaped into view.
Lu Chen actually had a clear idea in his mind long ago about how much improvement Compound V could bring to ordinary people.
Although the original formula of Vought Company had undergone secondary purification by the Sage, eliminating most of the fatal genetic defects, the physical foundation of ordinary people was right there; wanting to ascend to heaven in a single step and become as strong as Homelander was simply impossible.
The very first line on the tablet was marked with the most eye-catching comprehensive evaluation:
[Comprehensive Positioning: Urban low-tier combat power. Conventional Military and Police light weapons are difficult to quickly kill them, and a single person can confront more than ten fully armed ordinary civilians head-on.]
Beneath this general review, it was subdivided into four main branch manifestations:
[Physical Enhancement Category: Strength reaches the ton-level threshold. Pistol bullets hitting the flesh can only be embedded in the superficial muscles, unable to form penetrating wounds, and one can punch through a thirty-centimeter-thick standard brick wall with bare hands.]
[Energy Release Category: Can strike directional energy waves within a range of dozens of meters, with power sufficient to destroy ordinary masonry bunkers.]
[Mental Category: Only possesses the ability of superficial psychological suggestion, reading, or modifying surface memories. Once the target has a firm will or has undergone professional anti-interrogation training, the effect will plummet drastically.]
[Special Category: Primary optical invisibility, self-healing of flesh wounds within a few hours, low-altitude suspension Flight.]
At the very end of the report, Yuheng typed out a bolded benchmarking standard in scarlet font——
[Comprehensive Combat Power Reference: Chitauri armed ordinary infantry.]
Seeing this evaluation, Lu Chen twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Chitauri infantry, huh."
Lu Chen casually threw the tablet on the table, leaned back against the chair back, and shook his head: "It is quite fitting. When those alien cannon fodder fell from the hole in the sky back then, the Glocks in the hands of the New York Police hit them like scratching an itch, and they had to rely on rifle concentrated fire or Tony's micro-missiles to blow them up. To reach this degree is already enough to turn ordinary people into walking small armored vehicles."
If thrown into a peaceful era, five thousand little supermen at the level of Chitauri infantry suddenly swarmed into the streets of New York, the politicians in the White House would probably wet their pants from fright that very night.
But in this Marvel Universe where immortals run amok and alien fleets may descend at any time, this level barely qualifies one to be cannon fodder.
"Has the candidate list been finalized?" Lu Chen raised his eyelids and looked at Simone standing in front of the desk, "There should be quite a few people lining up outside, right?"
"More than just a few."
Simone couldn't help smiling, with a trace of sarcasm in her tone: "The three cross-sea bridges outside Manhattan are still jammed to this day, and the queue for taking numbers over at Times Square has circled seven or eight times. The number of registrants broke six figures as early as last night. For this first batch of five thousand people, I selected them according to the proportions of various industries, including ordinary office workers in Manhattan, truck drivers in Brooklyn, and even ER Doctors from hospitals."
Speaking of this, Simone moved forward half a step and lowered her voice.
"In addition, according to your instructions, I also deliberately let in some of the spies from various factions that had already been ferreted out by Yuheng. A few moles from the Military, peripheral Agents of HYDRA under Pierce, and Kingpin's informants in the New York underworld, spies from major financial groups and biotechnology companies, and so on... there are nearly three hundred people in total."
Simone looked at Lu Chen with inquiry in her eyes: "Boss, are we really going to give these people free injections? Should we try charging them a fee? If they get the power and turn around to go back and work their lives off for their masters..."
"Work their lives off? What do they have to work their lives off with?"
Lu Chen scoffed, a flash of cold light passing through his eyes: "Money has no meaning to us. Since I dare to distribute the medicine to them for free, I am not afraid of them turning around and pointing guns at me."
Wielding a sharp weapon breeds a murderous intent.
This is an unshakeable truth throughout the ages.
"The first batch of free injections is originally a show for the entire World to see."
Lu Chen's fingers tapped rhythmically on the desktop: "Not only do we want to completely announce the existence of Compound V to the outside World and thoroughly muddy the waters, but these five thousand people are also the best knife to use as a warning to others."
Simone's expression stirred slightly, and she immediately understood the deep meaning in Lu Chen's words: "You mean... they will definitely lose control?"
"Of course they will."
Lu Chen's tone was plain, as if he were talking about a matter-of-fact thing: "When ordinary people suddenly acquire power that does not belong to them, the dopamine secreted by their brains can burn away their sanity completely. Some people will go rob banks, some will go settle scores with enemies, and as for the spies of various factions, they will be even more anxious to jump out and test their new abilities."
"But Simone, you must remember one thing."
Lu Chen raised his head, meeting the female secretary's gaze: "Violence has always succumbed to greater violence. They think they have become Supermen, but in reality, they are just ants that have just crawled out of the mud."
Speaking of this, Lu Chen stood up from the sofa chair.
He paced to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the bustling yet fragile modern metropolis beneath his feet.
Skyscrapers stood densely like fish scales, and the traffic on the streets looked like glowing centipedes crawling slowly.
It looked orderly, but in Lu Chen's eyes, this place was as fragile as a piece of tissue paper.
"This Universe, and this Planet, are truly too calamity-ridden."
Lu Chen turned his back to Simone, his voice echoing in the spacious office: "The previous Chitauri invasion, they felt it was a colossal catastrophe, but deep in the Universe, that was merely a universally recognized cannon-fodder unit casually tossed out by someone. As for the battle with the Eternal not long ago, although the commotion was big, if you really calculate it, even if Earth were destroyed, it would only be a normal reproduction in the eyes of higher-level life forms."
Chapter 284: All of You, Compete Harder!
Lu Chen turned around and looked at Simone with a calm expression.
"There are only a few people in the Avengers. Even if Tony Stark turns his armor into an assembly line, and even if Steve throws his shield until it sparks, how many people can they save? Every time a crisis breaks out, all ordinary people can do is hide in air-raid shelters and tremble, betting their lives on a few so-called superheroes."
"This trick of pinning hopes of survival on the conscience of a few people is too powerless."
"Disasters can't be resolved by a few heroes every time. At the very least, most people on this Planet must be given the ability to resist. Even if this resistance is very weak, and even if they can only go up and bite like worker ants, it is still much better than lying on the ground waiting to die."
Simone listened in a daze.
She had always thought that Lu Chen sold Compound V just to harvest wealth, or to establish some kind of covert dictatorship like HYDRA.
But now it seemed that this young man's ambition and perspective had long since jumped out of the muddy pit where politicians and Agents on Earth tore at each other.
He wanted to forcibly drag the entire human civilization into the threshold of the extraordinary era!
"Boss, how should we deal with this group of people who lost control after injecting the serum?" Simone pulled her thoughts back and quickly returned to her working state, "If we let them run wild on the streets of New York, Vought Company's reputation..."
"How much is reputation worth?"
Lu Chen waved his hand and interrupted her.
"However, rules do need to be established. The leash must be put on before they bite people."
As Lu Chen spoke, he took out a palm-sized piece of metal from the inner pocket of his trench coat. As soon as it appeared, Simone felt obvious discomfort. Her physical enhancement and acquired Superpowers began to weaken and even collapse, but a moment later, Lu Chen protected her with his energy.
This was a magic metal made by Lu Chen through material transformation, into which he had injected stronger radiation energy from inside his body originating from Soldier Boy.
As long as they were irradiated by the energy radiation of this metal, the temporary enhancement loop constructed by Compound V in human body cells would be weakened. If they were close enough or irradiated continuously, it could completely knock the injectees back to their original forms within a few seconds.
"Go find a batch of high-density zinc-reinforced concrete."
Lu Chen casually threw the magic metal to Simone and instructed, "Cut it into small, sealed cubes, seal this metal inside, and make portable suppression modules."
Simone reached out and caught the metal, only to feel her palm suddenly sink. That small piece of metal was shockingly heavy.
"Zinc is a very special metal in my hometown. It can block X-ray vision and most ray scanning, and adding it to concrete can mask energy fluctuations."
Lu Chen continued, "Distribute these modules to the field teams of the security department who haven't injected Compound V yet. From the moment the first batch of serum is injected, have Yuheng mobilize the city's facial recognition system and lock onto every single person on the list twenty-four hours a day."
Lu Chen's eyes suddenly turned cold, carrying an unquestionable overbearing aura.
"As long as anyone dares to rely on their ability to kill, rob, or try to escape monitoring to cause destruction, don't talk nonsense, and don't bother capturing them."
"Find a few of the most active examples, have our people lead a team over, and use this thing to cripple their abilities in front of all the citizens and media."
Simone's heart skipped a beat, and her palm instinctively tightened, gripping the cold metal.
Making an example to warn others.
Using the most decisive means to knock those little superhumans who had just bred ambition back to reality.
Telling them that Vought Company could give them power, and could also take away their abilities as easily as crushing a bedbug.
"Understood, I'll have the action team on standby twenty-four hours a day," Simone nodded and replied.
"As for the second batch after the first batch..."
Lu Chen walked back behind his desk and sat down, his expression returning to his usual laziness: "The free trial stage is over. Starting from the second batch, commercial sales will officially begin. The pricing doesn't need to be too low. Even if it's priced astronomically, those dying rich people and arms dealers outside will still cry and shout to send their money over."
Simone was a bit puzzled: "Boss, didn't you say before that money has no meaning to us?"
"Money really has no meaning; it's just a bunch of numbers."
Lu Chen smiled, a trace of calculation flashing deep in his eyes: "But the commercial market has meaning. If we push the finished serum to the market in large quantities, it will completely squeeze out the research and development space of other underground forces. The Military, HYDRA, and those old folks doing biological research—when the people under them see that we've even achieved mass production, what will they do?"
Simone's eyes lit up.
"They will panic," Simone immediately chimed in, "They will feel that they have fallen behind by a whole era. In order not to be completely eliminated by us, they will be forced to invest ten or a hundred times more resources to desperately reverse-engineer our serum, or even risk advancing their own enhancement experiments."
"That's right."
"And this is just for those forces with research in biotechnology. For those forces that know nothing about this aspect, in order not to be completely eliminated, they will increase investment to research stronger materials and more powerful weapons. After a round of cycle, enhanced humans will live using enhanced items, and enhanced Police will use enhanced weapons to arrest criminals. The rules of the World are still there, but humanity's overall strength has become stronger. These landlords and the rich have enjoyed themselves for too long; it's better to let them compete harder."
This was the script Lu Chen had set for this World. Although it might go astray, with him watching from above and forcefully correcting it, everything would be fine.
"Go make arrangements. The first batch of injections will start this afternoon." Lu Chen waved his hand.
"Yes, Boss."
Simone bowed slightly, packed away the heavy magic metal and the tablet computer, and quickly stepped out of the office in her high heels.
The heavy bulletproof door slowly closed behind Simone.
Lu Chen leaned back in his chair and turned to look at the gradually darkening Manhattan sky outside the window.
Soon, the holographic projection on the desk suddenly lit up, and Yuheng's crisp artificial intelligence voice rang out in the room.
"Sir, all the first-batch subjects in the underground vaccination hall are in place, and the first dose of Compound V is ready to be injected into the catheter."
Accompanying Yuheng's prompt, dense monitoring screens popped up on the projection screen.
In rows of metal injection pods, men and women with different expressions were lying on leather loungers, watching the blue serum being pushed bit by bit through the soft tube into their veins.
Some were shivering with tension, some had fanatical faces, and a few blinking-eyed spies were quietly sizing up the guards around them.
Lu Chen looked at the screen, a playful arc curling up the corner of his mouth.
He raised his wrist and glanced at the time on the dial.
"Yuheng, adjust the alarm system to the highest response level."
Lu Chen leaned back against the chair back, and indifferently spat out a few words:
"Start the countdown. I'd really like to see how many minutes the first fool who thinks he has become a god can last."