101. The Choice is Yours
"Hey, Duke, what exactly are you doing?" Logan asked loudly, looking a bit confused.
(PS: You don't need to remind me anymore that the current Wolverine isn't called Logan yet; I know it's 'James.' But if I wrote 'James' or 'Jimmy,' would you even know who I was writing about? (￣.￣)...)
Duke smiled and said nothing. Instead, he gave a light wave of his hand, and the frozen group turned around to face the center of the circle. Most of them had been on guard facing outward, so their backs were to Duke; it was better to have them turn around to speak.
"I'm not trying to do anything, just informing you that two people present today must die. As for who dies, the choice is yours." Duke smiled.
"Duke—what are you doing?!" Logan was getting angry.
"Oh, right, this guy is already dead, so... only one person here needs to die." Duke glanced at Agent Zero, who now had two extra blood holes in his forehead.
Then, with a wave of his hand, ten ice hammers appeared out of thin air, about the thickness of a finger and the length of a forearm.
The ten ice spikes floated in pairs toward Logan, Wraith, Wade, Blob, and Electric Man. Two spikes separated, one pointing at Victor and the other at William Stryker.
(PS: Who was the guy playing with light bulbs in "Wolverine 1"? I checked and found three names: 'Idea,' 'Beak,' and 'Bolt.' I'm not very familiar with this character and couldn't find accurate information, so I'll call him 'Electric Man' for now? If anyone finds the correct info, let me know, and I'll change it.)
Victor was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "Duke—what do you mean?!"
Logan was also shocked: "Stop joking around!"
But he keenly sensed that Duke was being serious.
"I'm not joking. Two people must die today. Whether it's him... or him, the choice is yours." Duke raised his index finger, moving it back and forth between Victor and William Stryker. "Once you've decided, just reach out and flick the ice spike in front of you, and you'll be saved."
"Stop joking, we won't kill our own," Electric Man said.
"Oh? I hope you'll still stick to your opinion later." Dukeglanced at Electric Man with a half-smile, then spread his hands, and the 'Arc of Embodiment' appeared again.
A 100-inch projection screen appeared in the center of the circle, naturally showing the plot from the movie "Wolverine."
There was both picture and sound.
Strangely, even though it was a single screen, everyone saw a 100% front-facing image.
The first to appear was Electric Man, still in that performance shack full of light bulbs. Seeing this scene, Electric Man was instantly stunned.
Electric Man: [I always thought it would be Wade who came looking for me.]
Wade, not far away, was slightly taken aback. Why look for him? He wasn't gay, and he hated muscular hunks the most.
The scene shifted, and Sabretooth Victor appeared.
Everyone present was stunned, including Logan. The Electric Man in the footage was clearly older.
"What is this?" Logan asked.
"It's the future."
The future?
The footage continued...
Victor: [Well, Wade's dead!]
Wade instantly gripped his dual swords tightly. What did that mean? He was dead? Could it be... If he weren't so far away, he would have wanted to swing his longswords and hack this bastard to death.
[I'm not afraid of you... I'm not afraid to die.]
[How do you know? You haven't tried it yet.]
As he spoke, Victor suddenly raised his claws. [Slash—] Blood splattered, and the light bulbs in the shack went out.
Electric Man subconsciously clutched his neck, cold sweat breaking out on the back of his head.
"No! That's not me! I didn't do that, this..." Victor shouted anxiously.
But he vaguely felt that this might really be something he would do... in the future.
Then the following scene left him speechless.
On the screen, he took out a test tube, collected some of Electric Man's blood, packed it, and turned to leave.
"What does this mean?" Logan's eyes turned red.
"Just keep watching. He kills more than just one," Dukesaid with a slight smile.
Meanwhile, Bradley's gaze toward Victor was already filled with murderous intent. He slowly raised his hand... wanting to touch the ice spike.
"Electric Man!" Logan roared.
Victor, however, had a cold sneer on his face: "You know this can't kill me."
Electric Man was stunned.
"No, no, no. This isn't an ordinary ice spike." Duke wagged his index finger, making Victor's heart nearly stop, but the next sentence gave him a brief moment of relief. "Wait until I tell you to make a choice. Otherwise... you'll die as well."
Terrified, Electric Man quickly retracted his hand, though he still glared at Victor with fury.
"Continue!" Duke waved his hand, and the scene shifted, this time to Wolverine's life.
Of course, this scene was a bit embarrassing for everyone to watch: Wolverine and Silver Fox Kara in bed. Although they hadn't started the battle yet, it was still quite... something.
"Who is she?" Logan asked.
"If I hadn't stopped you, you would have met in a year, or at most three to five years. 'Silver Fox' Kara is probably the woman you loved most. Of course, she's not that simple. Keep watching." Duke smiled.
The plot shifted to William Stryker finding Logan and telling him that Bradley had been killed, hinting that 'only Victor was unharmed.'
This made Victor turn his head in anger, staring intently.
Based on his years of life experience, he judged that this bastard was definitely behind all of this.
Logan also sensed something.
The scene shifted again. Silver Fox Kara was killed, and Logan held her, roaring at the sky. There were beastly claw marks all over the car and tree trunks. Then, Logan and Victor had a big fight; naturally, Logan lost. William Stryker appeared, claiming he wanted to help Logan. Finally, the Adamantium injection.
Of course, to ensure 'Wolverine' wouldn't disappear, Dukespecifically gave a close-up of the newly made dog tag.
—[Wolverine]
This wasn't a full movie being played, but rather snippets of footage or something like a slideshow, advancing rapidly.
At the very end, Duke showed the scene where William Stryker broke his promise.
[Go to the island? No, we'll use his DNA to create Weapon XI.]
[Erase his memory!]
Next was the scene of Wolverine going berserk and fighting his way out of the base.
William Stryker's face turned pale on the spot. He indeed had such thoughts, but... they weren't mature yet, just a vague concept. Could it be, could these really be things he did in the future?
This was bad!
Looking at Agent Zero shooting at him in the footage, and then at the corpse lying on the ground, Logan curled his lip slightly: "What are those? Why would my bones turn into metal?"
"You'll have to ask your dear Major William Stryker about that. Isn't that right, Major, My Lord?" Duke smiled and raised his hand to pull the Meteorite toward him. "It's this thing. The thing you found for him, which ended up being injected into your body. Isn't it ironic?"
Logan gritted his teeth, grinding them loudly.
"These aren't real. They're fake. You created them on purpose to drive a wedge between us. Even if I really did those things in the future, I'm innocent now. Are you saying that because I'll definitely kill someone in the future, you should kill me in advance?"
William Stryker suddenly calmed down.
"This is a crime. This is murder."
102. Only Two People Will Die Here Today
"Idiot!"
Duke glanced at William Stryker and then ignored him.
"Actually, I just don't understand. Logically, Victor's strength is even greater than Logan's, and he also has self-healing abilities. You could have used Victor to create Weapon X as well, so why did you have to choose Logan?"
William Stryker also wanted to shout, how the hell should I know?
What the hell is 'Weapon X' anyway?
Damn, this is so frustrating.
The screen changed scenes again; this time, it was a slideshow.
Logan escaped and ended up at a farm, where a kind old couple took him in. But unfortunately, the couple was subsequently tricked and killed by Agent Zero. In the end, Logan took out Agent Zero.
Real men never look back at explosions!
At this point, Logan took one last look at the dead AgentZero.
In the next scene, the black man, Wraith, appeared.
Wraith told Logan the 'truth'.
Then they went to see 'Blob' Fred...
Seeing his future self, Frederick Dukes howled in disbelief, "Is that fucking me? Oh, no—it looks like I need to watch my food intake."
He was still eating when he got on the plane!
He was satisfied with his muscular build, but he didn't like turning into a pile of lard. However, he was in a decent mood; at least he was alive and hadn't been killed by Victor, even if all that fat was hideous.
Then he smugly gestured at Victor in a show of defiance.
With all that fat, Victor couldn't even hurt him; it was a natural defensive barrier.
The latter shot back a look: "Believe it or not, I'll rip your guts out!"
Blob told Logan the truth.
Consequently, the Mutants present were all enraged. Regardless of anything else, the act of capturing Mutants for experimentation had already sparked their fury. Of course, they also learned that Victor was working for William Stryker.
The latter's heart skipped a beat again because he was surrounded by angry glares, while Victor quietly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he was just an accomplice; if the mastermind died... he wouldn't end up killing this group of 'brothers' in the future.
Then the plot took a turn.
Victor captured Cyclops at the school.
[Is our deal still on?]
[Of course, go and take care of him.]
"Wait! Wait! What deal?" Victor asked hurriedly.
"How should I know?" Duke glanced at him. "Do you really think peering into the future lets you see everything? Alright, don't worry, you'll see soon enough."
Then, the screen flashed to a scene where Victor crushed Wraith's spine to collect his blood.
"Hey, man, don't look at me like that. It's already been established that he's the one orchestrating everything behind the scenes. I must have been blackmailed or something." Meeting Wraith's gaze, Victor quickly tried to defend himself.
"I'm not deaf. What I heard sounded like a 'deal'!" Wraith said coldly.
"God knows what that is... What the hell! Fuck! Shit! I shouldn't have fucking come here," Victor cursed irritably.
Logan broke into the base and saw his dead 'lover', Silver Fox, only to find out that Kara had also been sent by William Stryker. It was all a lie; none of it was real.
Then, Victor jumped out.
[You can't let him go!]
[You can't beat him.]
[Then inject me with the Adamantium, like we agreed!]
[Your test results came back; you won't survive the injection.]
[If he can take it, so can I!]
[No, you can't!]
Silver Fox: [He's using us!]
"It seems... that was the deal you had with him." Dukeclapped his hands and sneered. "Pitiful. You were used by him to hunt Mutants, but in the end, the reward... never came your way. Was it really that you 'wouldn't survive,' or... were you just being used?"
Victor slowly turned his head and cast a furious glare at William Stryker: "You're fucking using me?! Die! Die! Just go to hell!"
He clawed frantically, but unfortunately, he was a bit too far away and only tore through the air.
Had he not seen everything before, he might not have believed William Stryker was using and deceiving him. But unfortunately, seeing what Logan went through made him understand. Stryker promised to take Logan to the island but didn't; it was clear he was using Logan. So, was he also being used to achieve some sinister goal?
It was hard to say.
This guy was only out for himself, wanting to create that bullshit Weapon XI (Deadpool) just to eliminate Mutants. Once Weapon XI was a success, he would likely lose his value.
Then the scene shifted, and everyone was dumbfounded, simultaneously sucking in a breath of cold air.
"Is this... Wade?"
"Wasn't Wade dead?"
"Ha, looks like Stryker finally managed to shut your mouth, Wade."
"That's what you get for talking so much; you finally got sanctioned for your big mouth. This is a bloody lesson, teaching us to be careful of what we say," Blob babbled seriously.
Wade appeared on screen, unable to talk, his mouth sewn shut.
Wade was exploding with rage. He had thought he was lucky because his death scene hadn't appeared. Who would have thought he was the most miserable, unlucky, and frustrated one? Never being able to chatter away again—how agonizingly stifling!
He glared angrily at everyone, his blood-red eyes then locking onto William Stryker, making the latter feel a chill down his spine.
"Could it be that they want to extract Mutant genetic abilities and use them on Wade?"
The subsequent battle proved the hypothesis; it was indeed so.
They injected the fused Mutant genes into Wade's body.
One could clearly see Wraith's teleportation, Logan and Victor's self-healing abilities, and the same Adamantiumclaws... or should they be called 'wolf swords'?
There was also a laser beam from an unknown source.
The Cyclops Victor captured didn't appear on camera, only the conversation between him and William Stryker at the school.
In the end, Logan was shot by William Stryker and lost his memory.
And Silver Fox eventually died.
The plot ended there. Duke waved his hand, and the projection vanished!
"Alright! I believe you all know about your futures now. Today, two people will die here. As for who dies, you start deciding." Having said that, Duke stepped aside.
It was clear who would live and who would die; it had to be William Stryker.
Not to mention that this guy was the big boss behind the scenes, but just considering Duke's relationship with Logan, Victor couldn't die. Did he think everyone was a fool? As soon as Duke appeared, his dealings were with Logan; the situation was obvious—the two were at least old acquaintances. If they really killed Victor, Logan would definitely seek revenge, and they might even be targeted by Duke.
And so...
"Hahahaha—do you really think..." William Stryker burst out laughing; by now, he knew he wouldn't survive.
So, there was no need to say anything more to beg for mercy.
No one cared whether these scenes truly happened in the future; they only hoped to survive today.
Only two people would die today.
Agent Zero had already fallen, so the remaining one was obviously him.
Unfortunately, he couldn't finish his sentence!
"Go to hell!"
Wade didn't use an ice pick; instead, he threw his sword directly, piercing through William Stryker's neck.
The ambitious man who had thrown the Mutant world into chaos collapsed, clutching his neck as blood bubbled out.
103. I Only Want to Know Where She Is
The long sword pierced his neck, making it impossible for him to speak clearly, his mouth making gurgling sounds mixed with blood bubbles.
"Some... someday (gurgle)... someone (gurgle) will finish... finish my... my work. You... Mutants... won't... this won't end..."
Duke walked over and looked down at him, whispering, "Are you referring to the [Sentinel]? I'm sorry, but it won't be born. You can go in peace."
"You—" William Stryker's eyes widened suddenly. "You... how do you..."
"How do I know? Since I know you're making Weapon X, is it strange that I know about the 'Sentinel'? Be on your way; what happens next has nothing to do with you anymore." Duke suddenly grabbed the hilt, pulled it out forcefully, and then casually tossed it back to Wade.
"Gurgle—"
William Stryker's eyes bulged out, and his hands desperately clutched both sides of his neck, trying to plug the flowing blood back in. But unfortunately, it was a futile effort. Gradually, his hands went limp and fell, and he collapsed to the ground, his bloodshot eyes staring wide.
Duke snapped his fingers, and 50% of the people died.
Cough, just kidding.
It was the 'Ice' freezing everyone that vanished, and the ice spikes suspended before them also disappeared into thin air.
Although they regained their freedom, no one dared to move easily.
"Thanks!" Wade shook the blood off his blade and nodded to Duke. "If it weren't for you, my end might really have been the most miserable. Oh—shit, that guy actually dared to seal my mouth?"
Duke glanced at him.
"Cough, I'll shut up." Wade quickly made a zipping motion over his mouth.
He probably won't be chatter-chatter-chattering on forever in this life, right?
Every time he starts to chatter, he'll probably think of the scene where his mouth was sealed.
"Alright. It seems the 'mission' has failed. What now?" 'Blob' Fred asked.
"Going back now is probably out of the question; the plane won't take us back," Ghost said.
"I've already cut off communications; they won't be able to find us for now," Electric Man said.
"Fortunately, that guy didn't prepare our files," Wadeshrugged.
Duke waved his hand, and a white portal appeared. "This is a portal to the outskirts of New York. I believe you'll find a way back."
The group was stunned; this was too convenient. They then thanked Duke and walked inside.
"Thanks!"
"If you need anything in the future, I won't hesitate."
"Same here."
"Thanks again, but I hope we don't meet again."
Duke suddenly called out, "Wade!"
"Something else?"
"If you get cancer in the future, come find me at Karazhanin New York."
"Cough—what... can-cancer? You're not kidding me, right?" Wade almost choked on his own spit. Damn, cancer sounds terrifying.
"You indeed get cancer in the future, but don't worry. For one, cancer is nothing; I can cure you. Secondly, your future has been changed, so I'm not sure for now if you'll still get cancer."
In the old X-Men timeline, Wade was turned into Weapon XI by William Stryker, which was 'Deadpool'. However, Wolverine changed the timeline in days of future past, so Wade's mouth was no longer sealed by William Stryker. But later, Wade developed lung cancer, and so... he participated in an experiment and became the new 'Deadpool'.
(PS: Forcing X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Deadpooltogether.)
Two self-healing types are enough; as for Wade, let him continue playing with swords.
The key is that the Deadpool style is hard to handle.
"Ah? Oh." Wade entered the portal in a daze, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.
Then he reacted instantly.
"Hey, wait, don't I have Logan's'self-healing' ability now? Why should I fear can..."
He turned his head, but the portal had closed at some point. He almost hit his nose on... well, a nose full of air. In the outskirts of New York, there was a smell like grass; it had just rained.
"Eh...? Thinking about it carefully, that's not right either. Although I have Logan's healing ability, it doesn't prove I haven't had cancer. Oh, my head hurts."
"Am I really going to get cancer?"
He started chatter-chatter-chattering again. Hearing this, Blob, Electric Man, and Ghost quickly hurried away.
"Hey, you guys... fine, I don't want to be with three muscular hunks anyway. I'm going this way."
After saying that, Wade turned and walked towards the other side.
—Back in Lagos.
Victor was just thinking about entering the portal when it disappeared.
"What... what does this mean?"
Speaking of which, Duke really liked this version of Brother Tiger; he felt it was full of evil charm. As for the one in X-Men 1, although closer to the comic setting, that was just a guy who had been brainwashed so many times he turned stupid.
Taming a beast would be very interesting.
"I didn't come to find you just to change your miserable futures, but for something more important... no, more interesting." Duke waved his hand and tossed the Meteorite in his palm. "Of course, I have to take this thing away first. Leaving it here is bad luck."
"Going to kill a god again?" Logan asked.
"God? Hmm... in a way, they are indeed 'gods'. But not to kill a god, but to kill a god's opponent," Duke corrected.
"A god's opponent?" Logan was curious.
"Who cares about gods or their opponents? Hey, Duke, you can do this, right? I'm sure that guy was lying to me and using me, but I'm sure I can handle it. Inject me with the Adamantium," Victor stepped forward and said, his previous fear completely gone. He even kicked the William Stryker on the ground a few times on his way over.
"To be honest, I don't know if he was using you, nor do I know if you would die. But one thing I am sure of."
"What thing?"
"This thing reinforces bones; it replaces your bones with this Adamantium. Logan's ability happens to be bone spikes, so they'll be replaced with Adamantium Clawss, but you... yours are fingernails."
Victor raised his hand blankly and looked at his claws.
He seemed to understand.
"Even if you were injected with the Adamantium and survived, only your defense would be stronger. It wouldn't add much to your 'attack'."
Victor suddenly hated his claws a bit. He used to think they were quite convenient and didn't hurt as much as his younger brother's every time he used his ability, but now...
Fingernails are strictly speaking 'Ungual Structures', belonging to connective tissue, mainly composed of Keratin, a product of keratinization.
Reinforcement can only strengthen bone. Could it really turn his fingernails into Adamantium?
Victor was a bit dejected and instantly lost interest in the 'Meteorite'. He leaned toward Logan: "Jimmy, the future doesn't count; it was all that bastard making trouble."
"I know." Logan glanced at him and then walked toward Duke. "Where is she?"
"Who? You mean... Kara? You haven't fallen for her, have you? That's just your future wife; you have plenty of new choices now."
For example, after returning to New York, you'll sleep with the boss's daughter, and several times at that.
"I only want to know where she is?"
104. You look like a friend of mine; her name is Carol Danvers.
South Vietnam.
Jiangang Air Force Base, night, pouring rain.
"Colonel Packard, there's a call for you." The guard pointed to the phone booth.
"This is Packard."
"Packard, this is General Ward. Can you guys carry out one more mission?"
"No problem on my end, Sir."
"Don't be in a hurry to answer. You've already started preparing to return home. Are you sure you don't need a period of rest?"
"Whatever orders I receive, I should carry them out, Sir."
"Don't get excited yet. The Landsat program has discovered a new island..."
————
Nightfall, boarding the ship...
"Mason Weaver, photographer." A lady dressed in a very casual style, carrying a camera backpack on her shoulder, walked over.
"You've been in South Vietnam for two years. What have you been doing?" The Colonel, who looked a lot like a certain'soy sauce Lu Dan', took the ID and examined it carefully.
"Working for the Research and Observation Group."
"You've got guts; it's respectable. But it's people like you who made us lose support back home."
"You're actually blaming us non-combatants for causing you to lose the war?"
"Cameras are much more dangerous than guns. We didn't lose; we just stopped fighting."
Weaver didn't say anything, just gave a polite smile, then took her ID and boarded the ship.
Just then, a group of people walked over—three men and one woman. The'soy sauce Lu Dan' immediately became vigilant because none of the four looked like easy targets, especially the two muscular men in the back with thick hair and beards. As for the one who made him feel the most danger, it was the young Asian man walking in front.
"Stop!" The soy sauce Lu Dan raised his hand to block them, then took the ID handed over by the young man, his brow furrowing instantly. "Camp Lehigh... Instructor?"
"Is there a problem?" Duke smiled.
"As far as I know, the Camp Lehigh establishment was abolished after World War II in '45. It should be a training camp belonging to the Strategic Scientific Reserve." The soy sauce Lu Dan sneered.
Beside him, Diana shook her head speechlessly. She really didn't understand why Duke was using an 'old ID' instead of a new one.
"If I may ask, Colonel... is your name 'Nick Fury'?" Dukeasked.
"Who, Nick Fury? Sorry, I don't know who this Nick Furyyou're talking about is. I'm Colonel Packard."
What a pity.
Duke only saw confusion in his eyes, not shock.
Not even a trace.
There are two versions of Lu Dan: one is a WWII veteran, and the other was likely born in the sixties.
Just like Black Widow—one was born in 1928 and active during World War II, crossing paths with Captain Americaand Wolverine; the other was born in 1984.
This world is so interesting. The plot of Skull Island has begun, which made him unable to resist testing the soy sauce Lu Dan. Although he knew about the existence of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, he didn't know that after the war it had been reorganized into the S.H.I.E.L.D., abbreviated as S.H.I.E.L.D.! The Camp Lehigh base still exists, but it has been classified, and outsiders don't know about it.
It seems he isn't Nick Fury.
"Sorry, I might have the wrong person." Duke smiled and took back his ID.
"If you're here to mess around, I'll blow your brains out." The soy sauce Lu Dan slowly pulled out the pistol at his waist. "Even if this ID is real, that was back in '45. It's been 28 years, and you... don't look like a fifty-year-old man."
The age on the ID was 20.
Behind him, the brothers Logan and Victor were laughing. Blow his head off? You'll probably end up like Agent Zero, won't you?
"Sorry, Colonel Packard, he's just messing around. That was his father's; this is our ID." Diana smiled and handed over a new document.
The soy sauce Lu Dan took the ID suspiciously, gave it a quick glance, and then holstered his gun. "Miss Diana, this isn't a laughing matter. His name is also 'Duke'?"
"Yes, is that strange?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing. He looks a lot like his father. What about them..." The soy sauce Lu Dan glanced behind him; these two were a bit too fierce, feeling like they'd killed more people than even he had.
As for Duke?
It's not strange for fathers and sons to have the same name; there are tons of them in the United States, not unusual at all.
Unfortunately, he didn't quite understand Chinese customs. In China, it's very 'unusual'!
"These are the assistants we hired, also 'bodyguards'." Diana glanced at Victor, her eyes filled with even more disdain.
Brother Tiger scratched his forehead; he didn't dare voice any opinion. Back in '19, she was someone who dared to pin even Ares, the God of War, to the ground and thrash him.
He was no match at all.
Actually, he had known back then that he was being looked down upon.
He had a strong killing intent; could he be blamed for that?
Besides, the people he killed weren't exactly good people.
"They're soldiers, right? We're all soldiers here; we don't need them." The soy sauce Lu Dan still felt those two were dangerous.
"Trust me, you'll need them." Duke patted the soy sauce Lu Dan's shoulder and boarded the ship with Logan and Victor.
"You..."
Diana quickly intervened: "Colonel Packard, since you're all soldiers here, you won't mind two more, right?"
Lu Dan thought about it and nodded in agreement: "Alright, Miss Diana, I'm doing this for you. Please."
Can't afford to offend her.
She's a secretary from the White House; in ancient times, this would be the duty of a military supervisor.
"Thank you."
This time, only she and Duke came; Doutzen Kroes and Samir stayed behind to look after the other battlefield.
———— Soon, a small meeting was convened.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Nieves, the field supervisor for the Landsat program."
Duke and the other three stood aside. Hearing this, he chuckled softly: "Honey, this name is just perfect. Nieves—it sounds like 'Ni Fu Si' (You go to your death)!"
Sure enough, it fits the plot of this movie; this guy really is going 'to his death.' He gets snatched into the sky by a leafwing and torn to pieces while standing on the bow of the ship. As for those who landed on the island later, they died just as quickly.
Truly 'you go to your death'!
"Don't make fun of his name." Diana glanced at him; she naturally understood the meaning of those words.
"This is my colleague, Steve Woodward, a data processor."
Duke curled his lip: "There really are a lot of people named Steve."
The following was all plot introduction; he had no interest in it and quietly slipped out.
"Hello."
"H-hello."
Mason Weaver was listening carefully when someone suddenly appeared in front of her, startling her for a moment, but she still politely shook hands.
"Beautiful, you look very familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
Weaver thought he was trying to pick her up. Hearing this, she gave a polite smile and let go of his hand: "Is that lady your..."
"My wife."
"..."
Weaver was stunned. He admitted it so readily?
I mean, you already have such a beautiful wife with such a great figure, so why come over to me? And even if you were hitting on someone, shouldn't you be doing it behind her back?
You've got some nerve, doing this right in front of your wife.
"Your wife... doesn't mind?"
"Mind what? Oh, haha, you've misunderstood. I'm not trying to hit on you. I just wanted to say... you look like a friend of mine; her name is Carol Danvers."
105. Wife, you forgot I have a healing factor.
"Carol Danvers? That's a strong resemblance." Weaverpaused for a moment; she felt this man probably wasn't trying to hit on her.
Aside from the fact that his wife was not far away, the mysterious aura about him also made her feel very strange. Let's put it this way: she always felt this guy wasn't human... or at least, not an ordinary 'human'.
As a journalist and photographer, her eyes were sharp.
"Of course."
Duke reached into his pocket, took out a wallet, and then pulled out a 'photo' from it, which showed Carol Danversboarding a plane in her Air Force uniform.
Weaver gasped and shook her head with a smile: "Heh—if I didn't know that my jerk of a mother only had one daughter, I would have really thought... this was my long-lost sister."
As she spoke, she scrutinized it carefully again.
"It really is similar."
"Almost 100%. At first, I thought you were her too." As he spoke, Duke tucked the 'photo' back into his wallet and returned it to his pocket.
"If I hadn't seen the photo, I really wouldn't believe that two people with over 98% similarity and absolutely no blood relation could exist in this world. Heh, I'm tempted to give my jerk of a mother a call and ask."
It was just a photo manifested by 'Arc of Embodiment magic'.
Of course, Weaver couldn't be Carol Danvers. Based on the timeline, Captain Marvel should have just been born not long ago.
"You... keep her in your wallet, your relationship isn't ordinary, right? Your wife..." Weaver asked in a low voice.
"We're good friends, she knows about it." Duke smiled, turned around, and walked back. "By the way, it was nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
Diana glanced at Duke as he walked back, the corners of her mouth curling up: "You sure know a lot of people who look like your 'friends', don't you?"
"You understand."
"Hmph."
"Strange, you should be worried about me cheating at a time like this."
"Unless you want me to'snip' it off with scissors while you're asleep." Diana extended two fingers and made a pinching motion downward.
"Hiss... Darling, did you forget I have a healing factor?"
In other words, even if you cut it off with scissors, it would just grow back.
Diana frowned, her scissor-hand gesture turned into a fist, and then she squeezed hard!
Life was clutched in her hand.
"Surrender, surrender, I admit defeat, I surrender!"
"Smart move."
Diana smiled, let go, and patted him gently.
The meeting ended, and the crowd dispersed.
Duke spotted a figure and quietly slipped over. Diana saw it, but just shook her head speechlessly and didn't pay it any mind. She wasn't worried about Duke cheating because, no matter how stupid he was, he wouldn't 'cheat' so openly.
On this trip, he seemed exceptionally excited.
"Looks like someone he knows, could it be..."
It wouldn't be like with Steve Rogers again, would it?
Interesting.
This was a beautiful woman, nearly 1.7 meters tall, with long black hair, wearing a white off-the-shoulder sweater and black suspender overalls. What was most expressive about her were her particularly captivating, large, sparkling eyes.
"Hello!"
"Hi, hello."
"My name is Duke."
"My name is Jing... no, San, you can call me Miss San."
This was spoken in Chinese.
Duke suddenly smiled playfully: "You just said a word... 'Jing'?"
Are you 'Deadpool' or something, knowing you're living in a movie?
"No, you misheard, I didn't!"
"Alright, Miss San."
"Mr. Duke, why... do I also look like one of your friends?" San smiled.
Obviously, she had overheard the conversation between Duke and Weaver just now.
"Then I'll head back first, you should take care and get some rest early." Brooks, the Black man nearby, left very tactfully.
"Mhm." San waved with a smile.
Duke glanced at the departing Black man and continued: "Although you do indeed look like someone I know, we aren't friends, I just know of her. Well, I know her, but she doesn't know me."
"Is that so?"
San blinked her beautiful, large, sparkling eyes; she was very curious about Duke. To be precise, it was because they were the same skin color. They were the only two on this ship, so it was inevitable that they would be a bit 'closer'.
She was curious about Duke because of Diana.
In this era, it wasn't that there were no Chinese men marrying foreign women, but it wasn't common. Most Chinese people abroad huddled together for warmth. Only those with money and power would often have foreign beauties around them, but most of the time it was just because they lusted after their bodies.
In this era, they were still subject to discrimination while abroad.
Therefore, she felt it was very novel that Duke had managed to hook up with a beautiful foreign woman.
"Don't worry, with me here, this journey won't have any danger." Duke patted her shoulder and then turned to leave. "It's late, time to sleep, time to sleep."
San tilted her little head, watched Duke gradually walk away, and curled her lip: "What a weird person!"
After saying that, she didn't think about it anymore and went back to her room.
Tom Hiddleston quietly snuck into the restricted area, looking a bit confused.
Oh, wait, it was Mr. Conrad.
He discovered that the place was filled with ammunition and weapons everywhere.
[U.S. Military Ammunition Crate]: Ammunition quantity 600 rounds, ammunition caliber 7.62mm, ammunition purpose aerial shooting.
He was using a lighter to illuminate the ammunition depot, not even worried about accidentally setting it off.
"What are you doing down here?" Unfortunately, he was discovered by Weaver.
"What are you doing here?"
"Why would a geological survey need explosives? Do you believe what they said?" Weaver held her camera, taking pictures as she walked.
"I thought you were just busy chatting." Conrad smiled.
"What do you think of that guy?"
"Who? Duke?"
"Yes."
Conrad smiled: "Why ask me?"
"I feel like he's not one of us."
"I'm not one of you either, Ms. War Photographer." Conrad said.
"It's anti-war photographer, sir."
Conrad shrugged: "Fine! I agree with your point of view; he is indeed here for a vacation."
"Vacation?" Weaver was slightly stunned.
"Can't you tell? Everyone here is on edge! The Landsat group and the resource exploration group are on edge due to the rigor of scientific research; the soldiers, battle-hardened heroes, are on high alert due to their wariness of the unknown. As for me, I am also in awe of the unknown; and as for you, you're afraid of being caught taking photos."
Weaver curled her lip, but still put away her camera.
"Only he... oh no, only those four look completely relaxed. Not only that, but they are also somewhat... excited and eager."
"You mean... they're here for an adventure/vacation?" Weaver's eyes widened.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Not quite, but close enough."
"Who's there!" The two turned their heads in unison.
106. What Is Her Ultimate Goal?
"It's you?" Weaver was stunned for a moment.
Conrad: "..."
"Talking about someone behind their back seems a bit impolite, doesn't it?" Duke walked over with a smile.
"It's impolite to criticize someone behind their back; this is just a normal discussion," Conrad said.
"OK."
Duke nodded, then slapped him across the face. Before Tom Hiddleston could even react, he was sent flying. In reality, it was the gust of wind generated by the slap that sent him flying.
The atmosphere instantly became tense and hostile.
"Hey, isn't that a bit much? They just said a few things about you," Weaver said, unable to stand the injustice.
Duke ignored 'Captain Marvel' and took a step forward. An 'ice snake' instantly formed on the ground. The ice snake slithered over like a bolt of lightning, wrapping around Conrad's legs and slowly climbing upward. In an instant, it had covered Conrad's body.
The waves of cold air emanating from it made Conradshiver uncontrollably.
"Who... who exactly are you?" Weaver's mouth hung open in shock. Despite her fear, she pulled out her camera and began snapping photos rapidly.
"Sss... You... who are you, you... sss... ha... who exactly are you, and what do you th-th-think you're doing?" Conradwas so cold he could barely speak.
"The ice snake will freeze you into an ice sculpture within a minute. Try to break free yourself," Duke said.
"You... I... sss... h-h-how do I do that?"
"Use your magic."
"I... I... I don't know any f-f-fucking magic... D-d-did you get the wrong person?" Conrad had, of course, heard Duke and Weaver's conversation.
They were standing very close.
Weaver was also a bit stunned: "Does he also look like someone you know?"
"Yeah, a villain," Duke said, then added in his heart, an 'evil god.'
"Huh?"
"You... you definitely have the wr-wr-wrong person." Conrad could no longer stand and was crouching on the ground from the cold.
Thirty seconds passed, and his lips had turned a deep shade of purple.
"It seems you aren't Loki." Duke waved his hand, and the ice snake vanished instantly. He then pulled Conrad toward him, injecting heat that immediately dissipated the chill in his body.
"I... I'm okay?" Conrad marveled as he rubbed his arms, his body feeling warm. He had just thought he was going to freeze to death. "Loki is... the Norse God of Mischief?"
Duke didn't say anything and turned to walk away. This world was far too interesting. It wasn't just Marvel, nor was it just DC; it wasn't a pure American comic world. This world also had Kong and the Monarch Project. Heaven only knew what kind of mutations the 'characters' within might undergo.
He knew Weaver wasn't Carol Danvers because the timeline didn't match and the character traits were wrong. But Conrad—what if he really was Loki in disguise?
After all, that guy frequently traveled between the Nine Realms. Who knew if Conrad had been replaced?
Although it was unlikely, Duke still had to test it to be absolutely sure.
During those thirty seconds, he hadn't sensed any magical fluctuations.
"Try your best to stay alive. If you can live for another forty years, you'll see a 'God of Mischief' who looks exactly like you." Duke waved his hand and vanished, leaving the two even more bewildered. "Oh, by the way, be very careful. This journey... is going to be quite thrilling."
A sentence drifted over lightly, making their hearts tighten once more. This 'mission' was indeed not that simple!
In 2012, an old, white-haired Captain Conrad was dumbfounded when he saw Loki wreaking havoc in New York on television.
Of course, Weaver saw it even earlier. In 1995, Weaverwas stunned when she accidentally saw Carol Danvers, who looked exactly like her younger self.
As for Colonel Packard, he didn't get to see his 'good brother' Nick Fury because he had died of old age.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
————
When they were about 80 kilometers away, the storm clouds surrounding Skull Island appeared in everyone's sight.
"They won't make it through." Diana shook her head with her arms crossed.
"Colonel Packard should have a way. With current Air Force standards, as long as they find a low-pressure gap, flying in shouldn't be too difficult," Logan said.
"Is this where we're going next?" Victor asked.
Duke: "Isn't it exciting?"
"Very exciting!"
"There's even more excitement to come."
"Oh?"
"Take these."
One for each person, three 'Bluetooth headsets' in total.
"This is..."
"A product of Doctor Erskine. Put it in your ear, and after pressing the button on it, you can communicate with others who have a headset. If you don't press it, you can only listen, not speak," Duke explained.
"Good stuff."
"If we had this back then, we wouldn't have gotten separated."
Brother Tiger is also a man with a story, huh?
———— [Attention: Takeoff in two minutes. All personnel, please board your designated aircraft.]
Duke walked to his plane and took a look: "Forget it, I'll go find one myself."
This pilot was that talkative black guy, the one who would be taken down by the giant gorilla. Although he would certainly be fine with him there, he didn't want to get on this plane.
"Logan, Victor, go to your planes."
"Okay."
"See you later."
"Make sure to stay safe. Help others if you can, but if you can't, don't bother," Duke instructed.
If they fell from the plane, the two of them wouldn't be able to save anyone; it would be enough just to look after themselves. Although they couldn't die, it wouldn't be much fun to be crushed underfoot by Kong.
Even having their bodies pierced by branches and such would be child's play in comparison.
"Mm-hmm!"
"Honey, you go take Weaver's plane."
"To help you look after your 'old flame'?"
"Stop joking. And remember, help if you can, but if you can't, just worry about yourself," Duke laughed.
That woman isn't Captain Marvel, and she has nothing to do with Captain Marvel. If she dies, she dies. Oh, if it were Captain Marvel, she wouldn't die anyway.
"Alright, what about you? Going to San's?"
"As expected of my darling, you know me well."
Diana gave him a side-eye and turned to leave.
"Why did you come up here? This isn't your plane, is it?" San asked in confusion as she saw Duke board.
"Me? Heh, I'm giving you more screen time," Duke laughed as he buckled his seatbelt, though it was pointless.
"What?" San was a bit dazed.
Duke smiled and said nothing.
Everyone knows you're just a bit player here; the plot would remain perfectly coherent whether you were in it or not.
Hey, I've appeared again.
Hey-ho, I'm still here.
Oh wow, I'm not dead yet.
Hehehe, I've come out again...
But who could have imagined that a weak woman in a floral shirt and bell-bottom pants would be the mastermind behind all this?
The mastermind, the instigator!
In the post-credits scene, she speaks eloquently and elegantly, clearly a 'core member' of the Monarch Project.
She didn't just fool Tom Hiddleston and 'Captain Marvel'; she fooled the audience too. But if you think about it, the head of the Five Armies of the Great Wall, the leader of the Monarch Project, plus a future Pacific Rim warrior—perhaps she is the key that links it all together.
Reincarnation, or immortality?
What is her ultimate goal?
In the end... who is the King of the Monsters?
107. The Gorilla is Coming...
"How strange, we didn't feel the slightest bump?" The pilot of Fox 3 was quite confused.
It wasn't just the two of them; the four passengers inside the cabin were also completely dazed.
The 'big star' San, the 'black man' Brooks, the 'data analyst' Steve, and the field commander Nieves—all four of them were stunned.
While the pilot felt no turbulence, the four of them didn't even feel the wind. The sound of thunder and lightning outside had vanished, leaving only the sounds from inside the cabin.
Duke had always been curious why they flew with the doors open in a thundercloud. Weren't the people inside afraid of being struck by lightning?
San stared blankly at the black runes covering the cabin and swallowed hard. "Who... who are you exactly?"
"The person giving you more screen time!"
"..." San rolled her large, beautiful eyes, rendered speechless.
Without me, could you even say this much?
In the original story, you had fewer than ten lines. You didn't even have as much screen time as Brooks, a supporting character's supporting character. He's just a minor actor in the United States, while you're a top-tier celebrity; that black youth's Baidu entry isn't even a quarter of yours.
You insisted on squeezing into this role. Why? To be responsible for shouting '666' from the sidelines?
Or to remind the audience every now and then, 'Hey, I'm still here'?
"Drop us off over there," Nieves began to command.
I'm actually the first to land? Oh, I forgot about that. I wanted to see Kong from the plane.
The helicopter landed.
The soldiers began moving the testing equipment. Once everything was set up, Nieves officially began his death wish.
"You may drop the Seismic Charges now."
Are you an idiot?
Coming to a strange place without any intelligence and just starting to drop bombs!
If you don't die, who will?
Bombs were dropped one after another. 'Boom!' 'Boom!' 'Boom-boom—' Explosions rang out, and flames shot into the sky, turning the forest into a sea of fire in an instant.
Countless animals were incinerated into roasted meat.
Watching the needle shake uncontrollably, San said in surprise, "This seismic response... it's incredible."
"Landa..." Brooks also looked like a mad scientist. He had just picked up the walkie-talkie when Duke interrupted him.
"The 'incredible' things are yet to come!" Duke clapped his hands and shouted loudly, "Alright, stop what you're doing. You've finally provoked something you shouldn't have. Prepare to die!"
Beep-beep— A sound came through the earpieces.
"What shouldn't we have provoked?"
"Dear, you'll find out very soon." Saying that, Duke patted San on the shoulder. "When things go south in a moment, remember to stay by my side. Don't run around, and I'll keep you safe!"
San looked up in confusion. Before she could ask, and before the surrounding soldiers could angrily raise their guns to question him about his 'prepare to die' comment, a violent explosion echoed from the distant sky.
Everyone craned their necks in unison, looking around.
"That's... a plane exploding?" The soldiers on the ground reacted immediately.
"See, I told you. You've provoked something you shouldn't have."
A soldier suddenly leveled his rifle and walked over. "What are you saying? What exactly do you know? Speak—are you the one behind this?"
"I don't like people pointing guns at my head." Dukeglanced coldly, and frost began to rise beneath his feet.
Ice spread rapidly, instantly freezing the soldier inside a pillar of ice.
"If I were you, I'd get on the planes and get out of here instead of wasting time on useless efforts." After speaking, Duke grabbed San and kept her by his side. At the same time, he waved his right hand, projecting an image of the gorilla's rampage.
Instantly, everyone was dumbfounded.
In the image was a gorilla taller than a ten-story building. It violently threw a tree, instantly impaling a helicopter. Then, with a swat of its massive paw, another was gone. With a simple pull of its hands, a helicopter was torn in two. It grabbed one helicopter and threw it like a stone, causing two planes to explode into a violent fire in the sky.
The squadron circled 360 degrees, firing their cannons intensely, yet it didn't cause any substantial damage to the massive ape.
Its size was too great; even headshots were ineffective.
The cannon shells could only pierce the gorilla's thick hide, penetrating a few dozen centimeters at most.
Unless they hit the eyes, it was useless.
Planes were shot down one after another.
"No—"
Seeing this, the soldiers on the ground shed painful tears. Those were their comrades.
"You still have time to cry? That gorilla will be here very soon!"
Suddenly, the whole area went silent!
Beep-beep.
"Should we take it down?" Diana asked.
"No! Our target this time isn't him, but his enemy. Darling, stay safe. Once you land, move toward me," Duke said.
Although Wonder Woman couldn't possibly be hurt, he still had to show concern.
No matter how strong a woman is, she occasionally needs a shoulder to lean on.
"Got it."
San grew nervous, clutching Duke's arm tightly. "Enemy? What enemy? An enemy of that... thirty-meter-tall gorilla?"
God above.
If it was an enemy of the gorilla, wouldn't it also be dozens of meters long?
Heavens, had she come to hell?
"You knew all along, didn't you? Why didn't you tell them?" San pressed.
"Them? You should say 'us', shouldn't you? Oh, I forgot, you were supposed to know all along too." Duke smiled and winked.
"I..."
San was momentarily at a loss for words. Of course she knew, but she hadn't been certain that such things actually existed here.
On the plane, Logan and Victor were both stunned.
"Oh... Holy shit!"
"Is that a monkey?" Logan frowned slightly.
"This is really exciting! Duke was right, it's too exciting!" Victor laughed loudly. "...!"
However, before he could finish laughing, a soldier was tossed toward them, the rotor failed, and the plane tilted, crashing headlong into the forest.
"Oh, fuck!"
"Logan, let's go." Victor called out and was the first to jump from the plane.
He could jump from a hundred-meter tower; what was this height to him?
Logan didn't jump immediately; he hesitated for a moment. As the plane was about to hit the trees, he tore open the cockpit door, grabbed the two pilots—one in each hand—and jumped toward the other side. Just before hitting the ground, he threw them out horizontally to cushion the impact of the high-speed fall. The two soldiers only suffered some superficial injuries, but Logan took the brunt of the landing impact, and his waist snapped.
He lay on the ground, unable to move.
At that moment, the plane crashed down.
"You really do love playing the Good Samaritan."
At the critical moment, Logan was pulled out by the timely arrival of Victor, barely escaping being crushed into a pancake.
"Thanks," Logan said.
The two soldiers also scrambled over. "You're actually okay?"
The fractured waist had already healed.
"What, were you hoping I wouldn't be?"
"No, no, of course not. I just wanted to..."
"Save the thanks for later. Let's get out of here." Logancalled out, running into the distance with Victor.
They ran without a clear direction.
The immediate priority was to get away from the battlefield and then find their companions.
"That's the first time I've seen such a huge monkey. My eyes have been opened today," Victor shouted as he ran.
"Ha, that's a gorilla, not a monkey." Logan still had the heart to be pedantic, then his expression changed suddenly as he kicked Victor away. "Watch out!"
A towering tree crashed down.
"You really didn't hold back with that kick." Victor stood up, rubbing his waist.
"Heh, now we're even."
108. Gorilla Language
As expected, the flames of war spread to the testing team's side.
Watching the mountain-like gorilla leap over from not far away, the testing team was completely dumbfounded. They hurriedly ran behind some crates, attempting to hide from its sight.
San wanted to go too, but Duke held her firmly: "Stay by my side, you'll be fine."
[Roar—]
After crushing a few grunts, Kong was surprised to find that there was actually a 'male' who wasn't afraid of him?
Instantly enraged, he stomped down heavily with his giant foot.
"Ahhh—" San screamed.
Sure enough, writing down the Spell Formula a bit earlier was the right move.
Give women a fulcrum, and they can shatter the Earth with their vocal cords!
He was fine, but Logan and Victor were miserable, nearly knocked unconscious by the vibration. Sounds within a one-meter diameter could be transmitted through the earpieces, but sound sources beyond one meter could not. The other three couldn't hear the chirping and noisy sounds around them, but because San was right next to Duke, the sound was transmitted.
The vibration directly caused Logan and Victor to stumble.
As for Diana, this was nothing to her.
Duke raised his hand with a wave, and a blue turtle shell covered them up.
Clang—!
A massive counter-shock was transmitted, causing the ground to tremble instantly, while Kong was also knocked back several steps, falling to the ground with a world-shaking thud.
[Boom—]
The shock once again made everyone's chests feel tight.
Consequently, everyone present was dumbfounded. What on Earth was this 'turtle shell'?
Of course, more than anything, they felt lucky to have survived the disaster.
San was filled with shock, staring blankly at Duke. Just who was this person?
Kong was still a bit dazed after the sudden 'attack.' After sitting up, he shook his massive head and glared at Dukefuming with rage, then raised a giant fist to smash down.
Just then, Duke reached out again, and a magic rune array shimmering with purple light suddenly appeared outside the blue dome.
"Stop. I am not your enemy, and I am not with them."
Kong was taken aback.
The people inside the turtle shell also turned their heads in unison to look at Duke, their faces filled with confusion. You're talking to a gorilla? Even though this thing is huge... it's still a gorilla, even if we can't define or name it. Well, 'Titan Great Ape' would be a fitting description.
San, in particular, as a biologist, knew very well that gorillas don't have their own 'language' or a vocal communication method like humans. True, gorillas can use sounds to send some simple signals, but most of them are used to supplement action language, commonly known as 'body language'.
Currently, chimpanzees have over four thousand types of body language, but only about sixty have been decoded.
Some can be used in isolation, while others can even be combined to create more complex communication.
When a mother gorilla extends a foot to her child, it means 'climb onto me'; when one gorilla touches another's arm, it means'scratch me'; and chewing leaves is meant to attract the attention of the opposite sex.
You're talking to it, can it even understand?
However, Kong stopped his attack, which made her deeply puzzled. The key should be that glowing 'rune array', right?
Exactly, this was a type of magic that allowed communication with all things.
It could translate the 'languages' of creatures on both sides into signals they could understand and then transmit them to each other.
You could think of it as the 'manual subtitle group' from 'iPartment'.
"Roar roar roar— (Human, you actually know our language?)" Kong expressed his confusion. He stared at the purple magic array in front of him, looking left and right, but simply couldn't understand what this thing was.
"I am your friend. I am not with them."
"Roar roar (Friend?)"
"Yes, friend. I am here to help you deal with the Skullcrawlers."
"Roar! — Roar roar roar — Roar?! (Skullcrawlers?)" Kong was puzzled.
"Uh, these things." Duke simply drew an image of a two-legged lizard. "What do you call them?"
That World War II pilot called them 'Skullcrawlers,' but Kong might not call them that.
"Roar—!!! Roar roar roar roar, roar— ('Angry' enemies. They are the ones who killed my father and mother. Dead Long-Claws.)"
Oh, it seemed 'Dead Long-Claws' was Kong's definition for them.
"That's right, I'm here to help you deal with them. I'm protecting these people; you're not allowed to kill them. As for the others, the ones shot down... forget it, do as you please." Duke waved his hand. "I'll come find you later."
He had originally wanted to protect those grunts, but on second thought, those guys weren't his people, so why bother? Most importantly, Colonel Packard wouldn't give up on his revenge. As for how many people would survive in the end, that would depend on their own luck!
"Roar roar roar... roar. Roar! (Goodbye, friend! I'll wait for you!)"
"Mhm, alright."
Kong beat his chest with one hand, then turned and strode toward the distant fleet of aircraft.
The people inside the turtle shell were once again dumbfounded. The gorilla beating its chest... why did it feel like it meant 'trust,' 'friend,' or 'buddy'?
Duke smiled and dispelled the turtle shell.
Kong wasn't a chimpanzee; over the long ages, they had evolved their own 'language'.
Scientists had reached a conclusion after research that whether a gorilla has language depends not on the vocal cords but on the brain. This fellow Kong's brain capacity... tsk tsk, he had several meters' worth of brain matter.
Of course, most of the time he still used body language, but that was mainly to intimidate his enemies; after all, he had no more of his own kind.
With no communication over a long time, he could only sit alone and think quietly.
Thus, he had developed a very high 'IQ'.
"You... you actually really talked to it?" San's face was full of disbelief.
"Heh, what's so special about that?"
"What did it say to you?"
She knew what Duke said, but she didn't know what Kong said. Especially that last sentence, 'alright,' which felt like Kong had made a request and Duke had agreed.
Duke smiled, revealing a wicked expression: "He said he could leave, but the condition is that I have to give you to him to be his wife."
San was instantly startled and shook her head repeatedly: "Impossible, impossible, you're lying to me. We're not even the same species. How could a gorilla possibly like a human?"
"Haven't you seen the 1933 version of 'King Kong'? It stars Fay Wray. The Kong in that movie fell in love with the heroine." Duke continued to smirk.
The 1976 and 2005 versions hadn't been released yet, so he had to use the '33 version as an example.
"I... I haven't seen it." San shivered.
"I... I've seen it. The Kong in it falls in love with the heroine, Ann." The Black youth, Brooks, raised his hand.
Duke shrugged: "See?"
"You... you must be scaring me."
"I'm not."
"No, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"You definitely are!"
"No, I definitely am not."
An awkward exchange.
Listening to this mindless dialogue, Diana expressed her speechlessness: "Alright, why are you teasing a little girl?"
"Life is boring. Teasing her makes me happy." Duke ignored San's angry gaze and asked with a smile, "Where are you now?"
"Moving toward your position."
"We'll meet up in a bit."
109. Karazhan's Stables Can Now Hold Pets
"Calling—Calling—is anyone else still in the air?"
Tom Hiddleston walked over: "They've all been shot down, not a single one left. We landed on the southern part of the island. There's a river a few kilometers away. If we follow the riverbank, we can reach the extraction point in the north."
"And then what? Our planes have all crashed," Nievesasked.
"Then we send out a distress signal. They'll send a search and rescue team. We just need to get to the extraction point in time." Saying this, Tom Hiddleston glanced at Diana, who had saved them. "You should know something, right?"
Diana glanced at him and walked straight ahead. "What I know might be a bit different from what you know."
"Us?" Tom Hiddleston frowned.
"Haven't you ever doubted the purpose of those scientists coming here?" Diana replied with a half-smile.
Tom Hiddleston was very sharp and reacted instantly. "It's Landa and the others... I knew there was something wrong with those bombs. They knew something like that was here all along? They just wanted to blow it out?"
"Perhaps? But what I know isn't the same as what they know. And as for what I know, you'd better not ask; it won't do you any good," Diana said.
Weaver walked over with her camera. Strange, the camera actually didn't break?
"So, there are two versions of today's events? One version is what we normal humans know, and the other version... is what you special people... know?"
Diana glanced at her with a smile. "You're very smart."
"Heh, I'd rather not be this smart."
"An anti-war journalist has to be smart, otherwise they won't survive," Diana laughed.
"I'll take that as a compliment then!" Weaver shrugged, even though the words could also be interpreted as a 'threat' from another perspective.
"I am complimenting you."
After walking for a few minutes, the two groups met up.
"Honey, it's so good to see you." Duke walked forward quickly and gave her a smiling hug.
It seemed Wolverine and Brother Tiger had fallen over there.
"Are you happy? Why do I feel like you were even happier while I was away?" As she spoke, Diana cast a half-smiling glance at San, who was looking a bit restless nearby.
This glance made her even more uneasy. Strange, why did it feel like being caught in the act as the 'other woman'?
No, I'm not the other woman.
I'm definitely not.
Saying that, she straightened her back to make herself look more righteous.
"You, stop scaring her. She's still just a young girl," Dukelooked back.
San really wanted to say, "Where am I small?!"
"Fine, since you're so protective of the fair sex, I'll give you face. So, is everything happening now within your expectations?" Diana turned serious and talked business.
"A few more people survived than I expected," Duke said with a smile.
More survived? Then who was supposed to die?
Tom Hiddleston's people hadn't seen Duke's prowess, but Nieves's side had seen it with their own eyes, and they all swallowed hard simultaneously.
"Hey, hey, what's the situation exactly?" On Tom Hiddleston's side, an oblivious soldier stepped forward.
Tom Hiddleston performed a backhand grapple, locking the guy's neck tightly. "Private, if you don't want to die, you'd better not provoke them. Otherwise, no one can save you."
After saying that, he threw the grunt aside.
"Cough, cough, you..."
For a moment, the atmosphere was tense.
The grunts on Nieves's side hurried over and whispered a few words into their companion's ear. The companion was instantly terrified!
"You're joking with me, right?"
Just him, such a small, frail-looking guy, could knock back that Titan Great Ape?
Are you telling me a fairy tale?
"If you want to die, I won't stop you, but don't drag us down with you."
"..."
The private immediately swallowed hard and didn't dare to make eye contact.
"Duke, right? I think you must know some things. I don't want to ask your purpose for coming here; I just want to know what we should do next," Tom Hiddleston asked.
"You only have two paths."
As he spoke, Duke materialized a forty-meter-long Skullcrawler, causing everyone's hearts to skip a beat in terror. Seeing them so scared they didn't dare breathe, Duke smiled and jumped onto the crawler's back.
"This is Kong's enemy, the Skullcrawler. Kong calls it 'Dead Long-Claws'."
"Didn't you want to ask what my purpose for coming here was? Actually, there's no harm in telling you. I just want to catch a few of these things and take them back. My place is still missing a few guard dogs, and I think these things are just right."
At this moment, everyone had only one thought: Crazy, crazy, completely crazy!
They'd heard of keeping lions or tigers as pets, but they'd never heard of keeping a 'demon' like this.
Weaver was secretly taking photos. Duke didn't stop her; she wouldn't be able to capture anything anyway.
Diana understood instantly. "You're going to throw them into Karazhan?"
"Exactly."
Karazhan's stables could finally be put to use, keeping a few Skullcrawlers.
Diana also felt that Duke had gone mad.
This thing was forty meters long, while Karazhan was only 66 meters high. That's right, it wasn't just a simple tall tower; its footprint was very broad. Each floor was huge—a thousand meters was nothing. Moreover, with the expansion of the Spell Formula, the external area could span the size of all of New York. This forty-meter size seemed large, but throwing it in there would be like a grain of rice in a palm.
But this thing was just too disgusting; she didn't like it!
Besides, this thing was so big; how much would it have to eat every day? They couldn't afford to keep it!
"Relax, dear. What I want are their'soul bodies'." As a couple with one heart, Duke understood her immediately.
"Then it's fine," Diana nodded.
Soul bodies could be shaped. When the time came, he could just touch them up a bit so they wouldn't be so ugly.
Karazhan possessed absolute soul suppression. Any person or thing that died inside would not have their soul go to Hell; instead, they would be permanently imprisoned within Karazhan. And as the Master of Karazhan, Dukewas the absolute will of these'soul bodies'—he was their Master.
Simply put, the soul bodies could not disobey Duke's orders; if he wanted them to die, they had to die.
Of course, if Duke allowed it, these soul bodies could temporarily leave Karazhan.
"Karazhan! You're the Master of that tower?" San finally reacted.
The others also gasped in unison. They had heard of the Mage Tower Karazhan in New York. Some were even New Yorkers who had seen it, tried it, and almost been driven mad by it.
Tom Hiddleston frowned; things seemed to be getting out of hand.
"Didn't I say so?"
"Did you?"
"Oh, then I must have forgotten." Duke patted his head. "Alright, back to business. Your first path is to head that way. Five kilometers away, there's a local village. You can think of them as 'Gravekeepers'. There's a veteran left over from World War II there who knows this place very well. You can follow his instructions to leave. If you choose this path, I'll give you a ride."
"Second..."
Swish. He raised his hand, and a portal appeared.
"This is a portal leading to the outskirts of New York. You can go straight back to New York, take a hot bath, and have a beer in one hand and a burger in the other. How wonderful that would be."
Everyone's bodies shuddered instantly.
110. I'm Starting to Believe You're the King of Monsters
Stay or leave?
It was an obvious choice.
But unfortunately, not everyone can make the right choice at a critical moment.
Duke originally thought these people would return to New York through the portal, but he hadn't expected...
Everyone present was stunned and didn't leave immediately, except for Nieves.
"I'm leaving... I want to go back... I've had enough of this place."
With that, Nieves picked up his toolbox and stomped toward the portal.
"I never should have come here!"
Unfortunately, he didn't succeed; he was caught halfway by Tom Hiddleston.
"Wait."
"What are you doing? Let me go... I want to go back."
"OK." Tom Hiddleston released his grip. "But I should remind you of one thing: your men are all here. I think you know what the consequences would be if you went back alone."
Nieves froze.
The Private First Class despised those who deserted their post the most, sneering, "On the battlefield, someone like you is a deserter. You'd be shot if you were caught."
Nieves shuddered!
"Our people are scattered within a 10-kilometer radius, and it's very likely some of your men are still alive. What kind of accusations will you face once they return? Even if you escape punishment, you'll spend the rest of your life in endless moral condemnation."
Weaver glanced at Tom Hiddleston. Did those words sound like his own feelings?
There's a story there!
"I can tell them there are giant monsters on this island! It's not that I'm running away, it's just..." Nieves shouted.
"Do you have evidence?"
"I..." Nieves was stunned. The next moment, he ran toward Weaver. "There are photos! There's photographic proof!"
"What are you doing?" Weaver became alert, quickly hiding the camera behind her back.
"Even if there are photos, they could say they're fakes," Tom Hiddleston said.
There was no Photoshop at this time, but there were still ways to forge things! Besides, who would believe a person was riding a forty-meter-long 'Devil Lizard' with two long claws?
Who would believe it?
"I... I don't care! Give me the photos!"
Nieves crazily snatched the camera, but when he looked...
"How can there be nothing?"
"What do you mean 'nothing'?" Weaver snatched her camera back and was also dumbfounded. In the photo, only Duke stood in mid-air; the forty-meter Skullcrawler was nowhere to be seen. "This... how is this possible?!"
As she spoke, she snapped a few more photos.
It was there when she first took the shot, but in just three to five seconds, the Skullcrawler on the screen had vanished.
"You..." She looked at Duke in disbelief.
As for Nieves, he had collapsed to the ground, his eyes completely vacant.
It's over! No evidence! Who would believe him once he got back? None of his team members had returned, only him. How did he get back? How would he explain it? If he said Duke did it, who would believe him? Without evidence and having abandoned his men, being accused was the least of his worries—his future was completely ruined. But going back meant living, while staying here... he might die!
"Heh, because it doesn't exist in the first place. It only exists in 'fantasy,' and 'fantasy' won't show up in your photos." Duke pointed to his head. "So, does this mean you're all staying?"
That's right, fantasies can appear to the eyes—hallucinations, after all.
"I'm staying. I won't go back so easily. But I'm going to stick by your side; you did say you'd keep me safe." San's large, bright eyes suddenly darted around as she spoke with a smile.
"I'm starting to believe now that you are the real 'King of Monsters'."
"Huh?"
"What about you guys?" Duke ignored her and looked around.
"I take people's money to do their work. Although I might not get the balance of the payment, I still have to live up to my professional ethics," Tom Hiddleston said.
You do as much work as you're paid for!
Weaver shook her camera. "One photo is ruined, but I have to take a few back with me, or I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
Don't you have photos of Kong?
A fanatical journalist is the type who risks their life.
"Since you can send us to New York, you should be able to send us to our comrades, right? We're going to find our brothers-in-arms. Even if we die, we'll die together," the Private First Class said.
"Exactly."
This time, because of Duke and Diana, four more soldiers were saved.
"Alright." Duke nodded. "I'll grant your wish."
Setting aside regional and international conflicts, the bond between soldiers is truly admirable. Except for those last few, most of them had died.
"And you?"
"My employer is Landa. I have to go collect my commission," Tom Hiddleston said.
"Then I'm going too," Weaver said.
"Me too."
"We might as well all go."
Duke was speechless. "So you're just going to ignore that World War II veteran? That doesn't seem very humanitarian."
"He's not our comrade," a soldier said.
"Besides, we don't have the time, let alone the ability, to save him," the Private First Class added.
Tom Hiddleston shook his head. "That's not part of my mission."
"I'm just a journalist." Weaver was a bit conflicted but still shook her camera.
"Don't look at us. You don't expect a scientist to go on a rescue mission, do you?" The Scientist Team refused in unison.
Diana gave Duke a nudge.
"Fine, I'll go save him myself later."
Duke couldn't care less about the life or death of some World War II Santa Claus; the man wasn't his relative. But unfortunately, Diana was there. While Wonder Womanwasn't a "Mary Sue," she would still do what she could to save those who could be saved. Saving a "Santa Claus" wasn't hard anyway; it was just a trivial matter.
He didn't want to let an insignificant person affect his relationship with Wonder Woman.
"Alright then, let's go."
The portal reappeared.
———— Meanwhile, by a stream on the other side.
The soldiers whispered among themselves for a moment, then Colonel Packard pulled out his pistol and walked over.
"Take my word for it, that thing is useless against us." Logan shook his head.
"Is this how you thank your benefactor?" Victor was rubbing his sharp claws, ready to tear open a throat.
"No, I'm here to thank you. Whoever saves my men, I will thank them," Colonel Packard said matter-of-factly.
"So, thanking us involves pointing a pistol at us?" Victorsneered.
"Thank you!" Colonel Packard gave a bow, but his pistol remained pointed at the two of them. "I've given my thanks, but the gun is for something else. Now, tell me everything you know!"
Logan shrugged. "We're just the boss's 'bodyguards.' As for the 'things we know' you mentioned, only the boss would know that. How would we bodyguards know?"
Speaking of "bodyguards," the two of them even shared a small smile.
Who was really protecting whom?
When boarding, Diana had said they were bodyguards, so they just went with it.
Logan just didn't expect that by 'admitting' to being a bodyguard today, he really would end up being one for the rest of his life.
"If I were you, I'd go ask him instead." Victor pointed a thumb behind him. "I'm sure he knows something!"
Packard glanced back. Landa!
Just then, by the stream bank, a small portal appeared, and Tom Hiddleston and the others filed out!
Everyone: "..."