141. Caught Another New Pet
(The plot is indeed progressing quite quickly, I mainly wanted to connect to the Marvel Universe as soon as possible. Haven't you noticed the current plot is all DC and other stuff? Fine, I got it, I will pay attention to the plot control.)
X-Mansion.
Diana, who had just been hung up on, wasn't particularly angry; she just shrugged. "See... I told you, he's going through a rebellious phase lately, just like a child."
The two looked at each other.
"What's wrong with him?" Beast asked.
Raven: "He's not actually going through 'puberty', is he?"
Diana smiled, turned, and walked outside. "Don't worry, he's faking it!"
Faking it?
The two were even more bewildered. Faking... what?
The world of adults is really hard to understand!
At this moment in the Qatar region, a team of surviving special forces was locked in a bitter battle with an 'unknown creature.' The disparity in weapon levels was too obvious; the special forces were completely suppressed.
"Damn it!"
"What the hell is this thing!"
"Watch out—"
"Phone... phone, we need a phone."
"Phone, oh here, phone."
"Help me connect to the Pentagon, emergency call, do you hear me? This is an emergency... I don't have a credit card! I'm in the middle of a war, this is fucking ridiculous! I need a credit card, Epps, where is your wallet?"
"In my pocket!"
"Which pocket!"
"In my back pocket!"
"You have so many back pockets!"
"Left! Left! Left!" the black soldier shouted.
"Oh, it's a VISA, connect to the Pentagon..."
Just then, the world suddenly went quiet; the gunfire stopped. William was still a bit unaccustomed to it, as if the previous battle had all been a hallucination?
Pat, pat.
Someone was patting his shoulder.
"Hey, stop calling, come out and see God."
"What?" William paused, then looked up and out, and was instantly dumbfounded. After a long while, he said blankly, "I'm convinced, I'm the one seeing hallucinations now."
"No, you're seeing God," the black soldier Epps said.
In the distance, the giant mechanical scorpion that had rendered them helpless was now being dragged by its tail like a punching bag, unable to move. It was being slammed left and right, thundering against the ground with great force. If Miss Fox's boyfriend, Cannon Fodder B, were present, he would surely shout 'Yeah': This is that feeling, this is that feel.
After being slammed for who knows how many rounds, with crackling sounds, then... it continued to be slammed and smashed back and forth.
"Is... is it dead?"
"Is that a person?"
"Judging by appearances... it seems to be..."
"Seems to be?"
At this moment, the call to the Pentagon was connected, in Washington.
"Uh... in my life... I have never seen this thing... uh, to be precise, two things. Except... one seems to be finished already." William was somewhat incoherent.
Even though he was a battle-hardened special forces Captain, seeing this inhuman scene in the distance made his blood pressure soar. That giant mechanical scorpion, by rough estimation, weighed at least three to five tons. And that guy who looked like a 'person' could actually grab a three-to-five-ton heavy object with one hand and slam it around?
It was simply beyond words.
Washington, Pentagon side.
"Predator is arriving soon."
"Estimated arrival in two minutes."
After the images were transmitted back, the Minister of Defense, the old man John Keller, and everyone in the Pentagon were completely dumbfounded: "What is this?"
"I don't know!"
They saw that the firing had stopped at the scene, and in the middle of it was a huge mechanical scorpion. Originally a majestic beast, it was now like a rabbit, being grabbed by something and slammed repeatedly.
It seemed... like it was already done for?
"Is that a person?"
"Should be... Predator, zoom in on the image."
Soon, the high-definition images taken were fed back, but because of caution, they could only film from a distance, so it was still not very clear.
"Restore it immediately, compare it."
When the face of the person angrily smashing the scorpion monster was restored, everyone gasped, but at the same time, they felt relieved.
"It's Duke, Duke of Karazhan! Three months ago in Metropolis, he fought Superman and defeated him with overwhelming superiority." The subordinate finished, then muttered to himself in confusion, "Why would he be there?"
"The President must have notified the X-Mansion," John Keller guessed.
"Did he join the X-Men?"
"They probably have a cooperative relationship?" John Keller speculated.
He didn't know the specifics. Although as Minister of Defense he held many secrets, the X-Men only reported to the President.
The subordinate suddenly shouted: "He seems to have discovered us."
"Huh?"
Then, the image captured by the Predator was rapidly enlarging.
"Who told it to get close?"
"No one, it was grabbed by him." The subordinate pointed to the enlarging figure on the image and said.
Then, tsk—the Predator's screen went blank.
"..." John Keller's teeth ached. "He destroyed one of our Predators."
"Should we send the bill to the X-Mansion?"
"..."
At the scene in Qatar, the special forces team took a step back in unison, because that 'person' was dragging the giant mechanical scorpion over.
"Friend or foe?" William whispered.
"He destroyed our reconnaissance plane," the black soldier Epps also whispered, "Shh—quiet, he's coming."
"Pointing guns at me, are you very confident?" Duke said half-jokingly.
"Idiots, put them down immediately." William quickly gestured, so angry he wished he could go up and kick each of them.
They were usually quite smart, why were they so stupid now? We couldn't even take down the giant mechanical scorpion, could we possibly take down the 'person' who defeated the giant mechanical scorpion?
Did their brains short-circuit?!
"You are the survivors from the Sancerson Air Force base, right?"
"Uh, yes," the black soldier Epps said.
"Alright, I've already solved a trouble for your President, tell him not to bother me again; I'm on vacation right now! Also, that someone, that Minister of Defense behind the phone..."
In the Pentagon, John Keller was stunned. Is he talking about me?
The call hadn't hung up yet.
"I'm sorry for destroying your drone, just send the bill to the X-Mansion, don't come to me, or I'll flip out!"
John Keller didn't know whether to laugh or cry; of course, the bill wouldn't be sent.
If he provoked a guy even more powerful than Superman, he might as well just lock himself in an iron cage.
"Alright, goodbye."
"Wait, sir... this, can you give it to us for... research purposes?" William still didn't forget his goal.
"Oh this, no, it's my newly caught pet." Duke flatly refused.
Mechanical life, 'Giant Scorpion Monster' Scorponok.
This is a new life form, throw it into the beast pen quickly.
"Uh..." William felt very awkward.
"Forget it, I'll give you a piece as a trophy." As he spoke, Duke reached out and'snap' broke off a piece of armor, causing Scorponok to twitch in pain.
It also gave the squad a fright, their scalps tightening: "It... it's not dead yet?"
"Of course it's not dead, otherwise why would I catch a dead pet? Alright, I'm leaving, someone will come to pick you up in a while." After dropping the armor plate, Dukereturned to Karazhan.
The vacation trip has come to a temporary end.
142. Has Your Rebellious Phase Ended?
"What's the matter, has your rebellious phase ended?"
Inside Karazhan, Diana looked at Duke, who had just returned, smiled with her arms crossed, and completely ignored the steel monster dragging behind him.
"Ahem, don't spout nonsense. When did I have a rebellious phase? I didn't, stop talking nonsense!" Duke said awkwardly.
After all, between a man and a woman, even if the woman is a strong career woman, she needs to act coquettishly occasionally. The same goes for men; they need to act like a child once in a while to maintain the relationship.
As for 'rebellious'?
That wasn't a real adolescent rebellion, but rather the meaning of quitting the job; it meant he just wanted to go out and play, just wanted to have some fun.
Ever since he crossed over to this chaotic world, he had effectively been 'fighting' the whole time, without a moment of rest.
From fighting Ares in World War I → cleaning up Hells Kitchen → training Captain America to beat up Red Skull→ fighting big monsters on Skull Island → confronting Steppenwolf with the Justice League.
He had been fighting constantly and was getting a bit tired of it.
Although he was'sleeping' during other times, in reality, he was 'fighting' in the Astral Realm.
Sometimes he would wander, wander, and wander across endless swamps... unable to see anyone, accompanied only by dangers appearing at any time and monsters jumping out; his nerves were always taut.
He had grown accustomed to loneliness and the struggle between life and death.
You must know, in the Astral Realm, he was just a 'soul body', and crises... would pop out at any time.
You see him sleeping for a whole century, but in reality, he was fighting for a whole century, wandering across wastelands, sand seas, swamps, gobi deserts, and ice fields for a whole century.
His spirit remained in a state of high alert, lasting for a whole century.
Fortunately, he had already entered the demigod realm and no longer needed to travel into the Astral Realm.
After fighting for a whole century, he suddenly relaxed, and then... he was a bit unaccustomed to it.
Honestly, for a period of time, he couldn't even tell if the version of himself in the Astral Realm was real, or the one here...?
Which one was actually a dream?
Simply put, it was — — — — [Get lost! I've been fighting for a century, and you still want me to fight? Screw off!]
Therefore, rebellion occurred.
He simply quit, went out to wander... no, went out for a vacation!
Diana, of course, wouldn't dwell on this; exposing her own man's embarrassment was not something a smart woman would do.
She turned her head and glanced back: "What kind of thing did you bring back?"
"Ah, right, a 'pet' I just caught." Duke quickly changed the subject.
"A pet?"
"Stop playing dead." Duke walked up and kicked it.
The giant scorpion monster quickly moved its scorpion claws, lay obediently on the ground, and pretended to be a harmless little life form.
This man was too terrifying; he had thrown it around! If it hadn't sensed that Duke's real intention was to 'keep' it as a pet, it would have probably already dismantled him into parts.
Diana was very curious: "Is this... a mechanical toy?"
"Respected lady, hello, I am an alien life form from the planet Cybertron, and I am now the Master's pet." The giant scorpion monster quickly said.
Isn't it good to be a pet? As long as I can live, it's fine!
"I didn't expect you to be so spineless." Duke was a bit surprised, then kicked it again.
"Cybertron?" Diana was very curious.
"It's just a purely mechanical planet, but... it should have perished, right?" Duke said.
The giant scorpion monster was a bit surprised; who exactly was this person, and how could he be so familiar with their home, Cybertron?
"A mechanical planet?" Diana was surprised again, but soon didn't care; there were ice giants and gas giants, so having a purely 'mechanical planet'... didn't seem strange.
Then, she thought of a key question.
"Does this thing have a soul?"
"Uh..."
Whether it had a soul or not, he really didn't know; they were all born from the'Spark'.
The Spark was a type of unknown energy. As the most basic and mysterious component of the Transformers, the Spark bestowed the Transformers with bodies and life.
In essence, the Spark was a type of unclassified small energy.
Why they could, and how they bestowed life upon the Cybertronians, remained unknown.
Karazhan had absolute suppression power over souls. It could be said that unless it was a soul of the Ancient One's level, it would absolutely not be able to escape.
But these guys were just 'life forms' purely bestowed by the Spark.
Did they have souls?
Should their'soul' be called a'Spark Core'?
You must know that the'Spark' did not exist solely in one or some parts of the robot's body, but filled the entire body.
When life ended, energy of a certain frequency would be released from the Cybertronian's body; it was usually believed that this was the Spark leaving its body.
And for particularly long-lived mechanical beings, the decay and ending of the Spark proceeded along with the overall degradation of the body; simply put — — — — (rusting).
Overall corrosion!
So, did this guy have a soul?
"Bang — —"
Duke raised his hand and finished it off directly. The giant scorpion monster didn't even have time to wail before it went to meet Primus, the 'Primus' of planet Cybertron.
Then, 1 second, 2 seconds... a minute passed.
"Sure enough, only a type of special energy floated out, and there was no 'soul body'."
Duke used the Power of Rules to restrain that weak mass of energy, eventually forming an energy ball about the size of a quail egg.
If one had to be pedantic, this thing should count as their soul, right?
Karazhan did not classify it as a soul, but as ordinary energy.
It was just a pity that the energy eventually dissipated.
"Sigh, forget it, throw it away!"
He was a bit disappointed; he had thought he had caught a special type of pet, what a pity.
He had originally thought it was the kind of mechanical pet that a Hunter would catch, but who knew this guy didn't have a soul; never mind!
He grabbed it and casually threw it into the lava, where it quickly melted into molten iron.
"Disappointing!"
"Alright, don't be disappointed. What exactly is this guy's origin?" Diana asked.
"According to what I understand, probably a long, long time ago, they had visited Earth and disguised themselves as machinery to hide in the human world, such as... vehicles, airplanes, tires, etc. They were collecting information about the human world.
These Cybertronians were called the 'Vanguard'." Dukesaid.
Diana's eyes suddenly lit up: "Now that you mention it, I seem to remember.
In Themyscira's library, there is indeed a book recording mechanical life.
It's just that I didn't pay attention at the time, but now it seems... the ancestors of the gods had clashed with them a long time ago."
Of course they had clashed.
It was not strange at all.
Just like The Fallen in "Transformers 2", who even built a Pyramid to play with.
Although the era was uncertain, Apocalypse had also built Pyramids.
Very strange, very clever.
Could it be that the Holy Shield Brotherhood... had also once clashed with the Cybertronians?
143. Caught Several Autobots
High in the sky, four 'meteorites' were falling.
Had the Department of Defense really not detected them? Had they not arranged for missiles to shoot them down?
Just like in the original plot, Bumblebee was still carrying Sam Witwicky to meet them.
Watching the four giant fireballs falling from the sky, both of them were a bit dumbfounded.
That's right, Miss Fox was there too...
Just as the two were nervously about to hold hands, a figure descended from the sky and hovered in front of them.
"I knew it, Miss Fox, you wouldn't listen to my advice."
"It's you—" Mikaela froze, then hurriedly said, "You, you, you, you can actually fly...? Wait, listen to me, this is an accident, it really is an accident."
She recognized him; this was Duke, who had advised her to stay away from Sam.
It was indeed an accident, an accidental ride in Bumblebee... this car!
Sam Witwicky was also somewhat shocked by this floating Duke.
Is he even human?
Duke didn't care whether it was an accident or intentional on Miss Fox's part, because the four 'giant fireballs' in the distance were getting closer and closer.
Just as the fireballs swept over their heads, he suddenly raised both hands: "Freeze!"
It had a bit of that 'Moon Worshipper' vibe from Chinese Paladin.
The four giant fireballs instantly froze in mid-air, the flames gradually disappearing... until they finally turned into four dark, strange, metallic-patterned'space travel pods'.
Sam Witwicky was so scared that he sat frozen on the ground.
Miss Fox secretly curled her lip. Did she actually have a tiny bit of a crush on this guy? Her standards were too low, right?
The day before yesterday, right after Duke told her to stay away from Sam, someone named Sam showed up. Originally, she just wanted to hitch a ride home, but after thinking about Duke's words, she... 'went straight into the tiger's den'.
People, you know, all have that kind of rebellious psychology.
You don't want me to go, so I'll go anyway. I want to see if this guy named Sam Witwicky is really a terrorist. Of course, she also harbored a tiny bit of fear, thinking, what if he really is a terrorist... and what if she angered him...?
So, she got into Bumblebee anyway.
Of course, she was just planning to play along. No matter how she looked at it... this 'kid' didn't look like a terrorist at all; he was so low-tier.
Yesterday, Sam was pedaling his bike for his life, trying to escape the living Bumblebee. She hadn't chased him, nor had she noticed Sam; she was just biking by when Sampulled her down.
The rest was just like in Transformers 1, the only difference being whether she sat on Sam's lap or not.
Then she was dragged here and saw two transforming cars fighting.
And then, suddenly, she saw the giant fireballs flying from the sky...
In her nervousness, she wanted to grab something, and coincidentally, Sam Witwicky's hand was right there, so...
Duke brought his hands together. The four 'giant iron balls' in the sky, as if under a binding spell, were instantly pulled together. Then, with a casual flick, he tossed them onto the grass at the bottom of the nearby slope.
"Ancient One, don't hide anymore." He suddenly turned his head and shouted to the side.
"Hehe, I haven't congratulated Mr. Duke on ascending to the rank of demigod yet." Not far away, the air seemed to suddenly turn into reflective glass, and a figure stepped out from it.
Demi... demigod?
Miss Fox was completely dumbfounded.
"Ancient One, you..." Duke glanced at Miss Fox and walked ahead first, "Let's go meet these four visitors from outer space first."
"Please!"
"Please—"
This old rascal had been hiding on the side from the very beginning. He probably misunderstood that Duke had a crush on Miss Fox and deliberately exposed Duke's status and strength.
He wanted to provide an assist.
Telling Miss Fox, the one in front of you is a 'demigod', oh.
It was actually unnecessary. If he really wanted to hit on Miss Fox, he would have already gotten her on his boat.
The four 'giant iron balls' clattered to life, then gradually transformed and combined into four towering, black-iron robots over 10 meters tall.
Duke: "..."
Damn it, why do they all look the same?
If there were no surprises, these four black-iron Autobotswere Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Jazz. Before scanning and changing into Earth vehicles, they really looked quite similar, with only some details being different. At a first glance, you couldn't tell who was who at all.
Miss Fox also hurried down the slope.
Only Sam Witwicky was trembling, taking a long time to stand up, which caused his score to drop even further in Miss Fox's heart.
"Strong ones of the world of humans, it is an honor to meet you. I am Optimus Prime, and we are mechanical lifeforms from the planet Cybertron." The black-iron robot on the far edge said.
"Optimus Prime?" Duke asked. This isn't the Optimus Prime I want.
"This is my lieutenant Jazz, weapons specialist Ironhide, and medical specialist Ratchet. We have no hostility; we are here to..." Optimus Prime glanced at Bumblebee, who was suppressed and unable to transform, not far away.
"Wait a minute!"
Duke raised his hand to interrupt Optimus Prime, then manifested a 'Peterbilt heavy truck'.
"Scan it."
Optimus Prime was somewhat shocked and puzzled, but he still scanned it, finally turning into the familiar 'red and blue CP version' of Optimus Prime from his memory.
"That's much easier on the eyes."
As for Ironhide, Jazz, and Ratchet, since he didn't have any specific impressions of them, it didn't matter whether they changed or not, but he still manifested a [GMC Topkick 6500 truck], [Pontiac Solstice hardtop convertible], and [Hummer H2 search and rescue vehicle] for the three of them to transform into.
At least they wouldn't look like they had the same face.
The Ancient One looked at Duke curiously. How did he know what they would look like in the future?
"Alright, now you can state your intentions, right?" Duke, of course, knew their intentions.
"We are here to search for the allspark, and we must find it before Megatron does. Our planet was once a powerful empire, peaceful and harmonious, until one day, the Decepticon Megatron betrayed us. All forces that did not submit to them were destroyed, and our planet faded away in the war."
"The allspark also disappeared into the stars, and Megatron followed it to Earth...,...,..., the coordinates of the energy source on Earth were imprinted on his lens."
Ratchet also added: "If Megatron finds the allspark, he will use its energy to convert the machines on Earth and build a new army. By then, humanity will perish."
"Perish?" Duke scoffed, then turned to look at the Ancient One. "Is this within your jurisdiction?"
"It can be." The Ancient One said.
"Or it can not be? Haha!" Duke laughed, his eyes full of mockery. "You robots think too highly of yourselves, don't you? Just now, I could have destroyed you all."
"You—" Ironhide was very angry.
"Ironhide!" Optimus Prime punched Ironhide, then apologized to Duke. "I apologize for Ratchet's rude words. The potential of humans is infinite. My ancestors once came to Earth, and they suffered quite a loss. Although Ratchet exaggerated, the allspark will still bring you quite a bit of trouble. I assume you wouldn't just watch that happen, right?"
"That is true..."
144. I've Cut Your Role as the Male Lead
"After finding the Allspark, will you leave?" Duke asked again.
Optimus Prime said in a low voice, "Cybertron has been destroyed."
"Alright, I understand." Duke nodded, then looked at Ancient One, "Do you think we can allow them to live on Earth?"
Ancient One shook her head, "This is not something we can decide."
"Yeah."
The power of a nation is ultimately very strong. Although Karazhan is not afraid, it wouldn't casually cause trouble and then go to war with the United States. In the end, if things went wrong, he would end up becoming a villain. The most critical thing is that he knows the Transformersare very troublesome. The first three movies were fine, but in "Transformers 4," the Autobots were almost enemies with the world, and in "Transformers 5," Optimus Primesimply turned evil and wanted to destroy Earth.
This guy is just a bundle of trouble, a walking trouble-maker.
Mentally speaking, he really doesn't want the Transformers to stay on Earth.
However, it doesn't matter; no matter how much he turns evil, he is no match for me.
"Human powerhouse, may we leave first? Time is tight, we must get Sam Witwicky's glasses first," Optimus Primesaid.
Actually, Duke is very curious.
It's just a pair of glasses, and broken ones at that; how have they been preserved for over a hundred years?
"I know where they are, let's go."
As he spoke, Duke floated toward Sam Witwicky and reached out toward his face.
"You... what are you doing? You..."
"Go to sleep. You won't remember the bizarre things that happened in the past few days. Go to sleep. When you wake up, it will be a beautiful world!"
Thump, Sam Witwicky fell to the ground.
"Sorry, you didn't pass the audition. I've cut your role as the male lead!"
Be an ordinary person, just like you said yourself in "Transformers 2"!
Then he turned his head to look at Miss Fox, startling her.
"You... what are you going to do? I... I don't want my memory erased."
"I never said I was going to erase your memory," Dukelaughed.
"Huh?"
"Although the male lead has changed, considering you've worked so hard, I'll leave the female lead role to you."
Duke said a bunch of inexplicable words, completely confusing Miss Fox.
He opened a portal, threw Sam Witwicky back into his own small bedroom, and then retrieved the glasses. While getting the glasses, he saw Seymour Simmons, that guy from Sector 7, and incidentally scrambled his mind.
You just canceled his role as the male lead, and now you're running over here; that's not giving him any face!
"Thanks, human powerhouse," Optimus Prime thanked him.
"No need to look; I just checked, it's hidden in the Hoover Dam," Duke said.
"Hoover Dam? Are you asking them to attack the Hoover Dam?" Ancient One frowned.
"The Decepticons probably already know, right? But what you said makes sense. We can't directly attack the Hoover Dam, nor can we sneak in to take it out." Duke nodded. This was a matter of principle. Although he wasn't someone who liked to follow principles, Ancient One was here, after all. "I can still have a word with the President."
"Then, I'll leave this matter to you. I'll celebrate with you later." As she spoke, Ancient One opened a portal and went home.
Duke curled his lip. Are you lazy? You are lazy, right? No, wait, you don't have a 'you'.
"Hello, Raven."
"Is that Duke?"
"It's me. Raven, contact the President immediately. Tell him to quickly grant me access to the Hoover Dam; I need to take the Allspark. Things have gotten a bit big. Aliens have arrived, the Decepticons will soon attack the Hoover Dam, and we have the Autobots on our side... ah, forget it, just tell the President quickly," Duke shouted.
"I understand!"
Before hanging up, Duke added, "Oh, right, for you guys, things are a bit big, but for me, it's nothing."
Listening to the dial tone, Raven had a black line on her face: "..."
Indeed!
For most Mutants, Transformers are still quite a threat.
For example, Raven, beast, and Wolverine; you can't hurt them at all. Even if your claws are hard, you can't handle their iron shells, right?
Of course, the current Wolverine can still handle it.
Most Mutants against Transformers basically end up getting wrecked. Those like Nightcrawler can protect themselves, but Professor X would be useless; those like Quicksilver can pose a threat, but it's a toss-up; Jean Greyand Cyclops, those Omega-level ones, can easily destroy Transformers; and finally, it's worth mentioning that Magneto is a natural counter.
However, Magneto has gone off to farm now.
You wouldn't die if you didn't step on me, would you?
Raven angrily punched Duke a few times in her mind, but she still dialed the President's private line: "Hello, Mr. President..."
——On this side, Miss Fox was also pumped up, hugging Duke's arm and shaking it: "You... you know Raven? Raven... that Raven is 'Mystique' Raven, right? I'm her idol, no... she's my fan... ptooey ptooey, I'm her fan. Can you get me an autographed photo?"
Mikaela is actually a fan of Mystique?
But it doesn't seem that out of place; that fat nerd scientist is a fan of Wolverine.
"I'll take you to meet her in person another day, you can ask for it yourself."
"Really? Oh—yes!"
Miss Fox was excited and leaned in to give Duke a peck.
Miss Fox isn't simple at all; she has quite a lot of thoughts.
Duke didn't react. Soon, a message came to his phone saying the access had been granted. He decisively didn't call, afraid of being stepped on again.
"Alright, the access is granted, but only one of you can go in with me."
"@...@#%@#*&￥*..." Bumblebee made a series of unintelligible chirping sounds.
His vocal system wasn't fixed yet, but he was finally able to stand up and transform.
"Agreed!"
"Let Bumblebee go."
"Hmm."
"I will teleport you to a location near the Hoover Dam. Based on my judgment, the Decepticons will soon attack the dam, and you can take care of them there," Duke said.
Optimus Prime patted his chest: "Understood!"
In reality, Duke didn't really understand why they had to bring the Allspark into the city.
Did they think urban warfare was better than being in the wild? In the wild on Earth, nothing has a speed that can match the Decepticons. Were they thinking of urban warfare, using destroyed buildings as cover? Although war sacrifices are inevitable, isn't it a bit too inhumane to just involve civilians like that?
The subsequent reparations would probably bankrupt the government.
Certain human rights organizations would make them regret sitting in their offices!
And the most unscientific thing was having Sam take the Allspark to the rooftop for a helicopter to pick it up!
Damn it, are helicopters faster than the Decepticons?
Isn't this a logical contradiction?
Building a dam to hide it underground was to isolate it from alien detection. If you hid it in a subway or something, that would be slightly more acceptable.
Damn!
Sending it to the top of a building and then having it drop back to the ground; Michael Bay, you're just playing with Sam.
You've really screwed the logic into oblivion.
145. Was "Iron Man"'s inspiration from "Optimus Prime"?
After sending "Bumblebee" in, "Duke" left. Of course, he didn't really leave; he was observing from the shadows |ω•`).
Although the subsequent plot development had significant deviations, for some reason, it still ended up in "Los Angeles".
Could it really be as he guessed, that urban warfare is better for dealing with the "Decepticons"?
Speaking of which, the transformations among the "Decepticons" are diverse, while "Optimus Prime"'s side can only turn into cars. It really lives up to the name "Autobots".
The protagonist, "Sam", had already been crossed off by "Duke".
Then the protagonists became the two special forces soldiers, "William" and Epps.
"Simmons" from Sector 7 certainly wouldn't just sit by and watch; he also participated in this operation plan.
After "Duke" obtained permission from the "President", the plan was prepared.
Although it was unclear why the battle scene still went to "Los Angeles", fortunately, there was no illogical plot where "Sam" ran up the stairs holding the "Fire".
What surprised "Duke", however, was that people from "S.H.I.E.L.D." had actually gotten involved.
He also saw two familiar figures— "Black Widow", "Hawkeye".
At this stage, these two were the only "S.H.I.E.L.D." Agents who were both familiar and capable in combat.
————
At this moment, in a certain company, a party was being held, and someone was dancing in the middle of the room in a slightly 'comical' manner.
If "Duke" were here, he would surely find this scene familiar, because back then on the "hms tamar", "Robert Stark" had danced exactly like that.
That's right, the person dancing in the middle of the room was none other than "Robert Stark"'s grandson, the nearly 40-year-old "Tony Stark".
Just then, with a [Boom], the building shook violently.
"It's an earthquake!"
"Earthquake—"
"Get down!"
Panic immediately broke out at the party.
"Happy", acting as both driver and bodyguard, rushed over to protect his boss.
"What, an earthquake?" "Tony Stark" swayed a few times before steadying himself.
Although he wasn't certain, he keenly sensed that the vibration frequency was extremely abnormal; it didn't feel like an earthquake.
The "Los Angeles" area is located on the west coast of the "United States", right within the range of the 'Pacific Ring of Fire', the world's largest seismic belt, making it a high-risk earthquake zone.
However, the sensation of this seismic tremor wasn't the inertial swaying of an earthquake; it felt like... it had been hit by artillery shells!
Don't ask how he knew what it 'felt' like to be hit by artillery shells.
"Happy, what's happening outside?"
"I don't know, it looks like a fight broke out." Soon, a message came from the bodyguards on the ground floor, "Aliens are invading, all of "Los Angeles" is in chaos..."
Before he could finish, "Happy" froze, his small eyes wide open.
Just then, a huge iron shell flew past the window, shattering a large section of glass, and the two quickly lowered their bodies to take cover.
It was "Optimus Prime".
"What was that thing that just flew by?" "Tony Stark" was a bit dazed.
"It looked like a... robot?" "Happy" handed his phone to "Tony"; it was a picture taken by the bodyguards below.
"Hiss—" "Tony Stark" blinked, "Let's go, to the workshop."
The monitors there could see what was happening around the entire building.
"Pepper" ran over nervously: "Tony."
"Don't worry, come with me first."
After seeing the chaos outside, "Tony Stark" was even more stunned.
Although more and more 'aliens' had been appearing on the internet over these years and he knew a fair bit, it wasn't the same as seeing it with his own eyes and experiencing it firsthand.
Like Lord Ye who loved dragons!
Lord Ye loved dragons very much; he had dragons carved on his belt hooks and wine vessels, his room was decorated with dragon carvings, and he even collected paintings of dragons. But when he finally saw a real dragon, he was so terrified that he turned and ran, panic-stricken as if he had lost his soul.
The current "Tony Stark" was not yet "Iron Man", still a mere mortal, so it was no surprise he was shocked to see the battlefield outside, which looked like the apocalypse.
When he saw the scene of "Starscream" destroying an F-22, he was even more shocked.
At the same time, an unprecedented, intensely burning idea sprouted in his heart.
"You say... inside these robots, is there someone piloting them?"
"Eh, are there people piloting them?" "Pepper" suddenly realized, and for some reason, she let out a sigh of relief.
"How is that possible!" "Happy" mercilessly shattered her fantasy, "No country can create this kind of technology; it must be aliens."
"Extraterrestrial mechanical life?"
The sudden thought in "Tony Stark"'s mind became increasingly clear: "Tell me, why can't we humans build such mechs, wear them on our bodies, and fly in the sky just like them?"
"Huh?" "Happy" was stunned.
"Pepper" was even more dumbfounded, completely unable to keep up with "Tony Stark"'s rhythm.
If "Duke" were here, he would definitely be even more dumbfounded; so the concept of "Iron Man" was inspired by "Optimus Prime"?
This...
Infinite coincidences, infinite possibilities!
Outside, the battle was nearing its end.
"Hawkeye" was the same as always, standing on top of a high building sniping robots, especially that guy "Starscream". Unfortunately, "Starscream" flew much faster than the "Chitauri", and could even stop suddenly and fly backward like a hummingbird. He didn't succeed and was almost killed.
Of course, this also helped him find tricks, as well as... shortcomings, for his future ["Battle of New York"].
"Black Widow" seemed to have replaced "Sam", running around holding the "Fire".
"It's about time for this to end!"
"Duke" descended slowly from the sky and slammed heavily onto "Megatron", the immense force pinning it hard to the ground!
"Who are you..."
Clang—!
With another kick, before "Megatron" could react, it was kicked high into the air.
"Damn it, who—is it!"
"Your "grandfather"."
"Duke" suddenly realized something: "Superman" never seems to use his feet, right? Or does he? From what he had seen, "Superman" always used his fists to pummel enemies. In "Duke"'s memory, he didn't recall "Superman" ever kicking anyone!
Was it to maintain his image?
He suddenly soared into the sky, clenched his fists, and slammed down heavily again.
Clang— "Megatron" seemed to suffer a force of a hundred thousand catties, slamming into the ground at super-high speed. This time, it couldn't get up again.
Not far away, "Black Widow" breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. Was this still human strength?
No, he wasn't 'human' to begin with.
"Duke"—a target "S.H.I.E.L.D." had always highly monitored, and of course, one of the few behemoths "S.H.I.E.L.D." dared not provoke.
However, she didn't know that "Duke"... was actually an 'old-timer' of "S.H.I.E.L.D." from the past.
————
"Tony Stark" gasped: "I think I saw my '"grandfather"'?"
"Huh? Mr. "Robert"?" "Pepper" looked completely confused.
"Are you... seeing ghosts in broad daylight?" "Happy" was even more speechless.
Your dad is dead, and your "grandfather" has been dead for decades. If you see your "grandfather" right now, what is it if not seeing a ghost?
This "grandfather" is of course not that "grandfather".
That "grandfather" in "Karazhan", "Tony" didn't explain.
He knew of "Duke"'s existence, but had never been to "Karazhan" to see him, even '"Grandma"' "Diana" rarely saw him, ever since "Howard" passed away.
146. Negotiations
The battle was over.
In fact, with Duke's participation, any battle could end easily, because not many 'people' could withstand the power of one of his punches.
He possessed the strongest physical attack derived from Superman, as well as his own supreme magic.
With the two stacked together, blowing up Thanos was a breeze.
As for the Transformers, it was truly impossible to categorize them by power levels.
They looked tough, but even a special forces soldier like William could blow one up with a grenade launcher.
Let's just call them Hero Level!
Miss Fox watched the entire battle from a distance, her mouth hanging open. She claimed she wanted to go to New York. However, her family's financial situation was poor, and Duke didn't help her directly; he only cleared her criminal record and got her father released. The stubborn Miss Fox declared that she would definitely get into a university in New York, even if it was a third-rate one.
If that failed, she would just go to New York to work.
It seemed like she intended to stick to him.
However, Duke didn't say anything. He was looking forward to the moment Mikaela met ONeil (the female lead from "teenage mutant ninja turtles"). Seeing two identical people together would likely be very interesting.
Wahahahaha—
The Battle of Los Angeles was over. The process of the battle wasn't the most important part; the cleanup work afterward was the most, most, most troublesome.
The four-way negotiations began.
John Keller represented the Department of Defense, and by extension, the President and the political and military circles of the United States; Duke represented himself, Karazhan, and the X-Mansion; Nick Fury represented S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Council behind it; Optimus Primerepresented his fellow Transformers.
That's right, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s massive carrier made an early appearance. Because of Optimus Prime's giant size, they couldn't meet in a conference room and had to hold the negotiations on the carrier's open-air flight deck.
All irrelevant people in the vicinity were cleared out, leaving only some people with status or power to stand 'guard.' For example, Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, Agent 13, Hawkeye, and others. It was unclear what they were guarding against; they were just there for show.
The beautiful Black Widow became the waitress serving tea and water.
Duke gave her a wink, which was promptly ignored. Oh, wait, no—she sent back a roll of her eyes.
Then he found Optimus Prime increasingly bothersome. With a wave of his hand, he used the 'Power of Rules' to compress Optimus Prime's size. The ten-meter-tall robot instantly became a two-meter-tall life-sized 'action figure'.
Nick Fury's face was full of disdain: "Why didn't you do that earlier?"
If he had, they could have gone into the conference room instead of standing up here in the high-altitude cold wind.
Minister of Defense John Keller also had a look of helplessness.
Optimus Prime repeatedly told himself in his mind: This person... is not to be trifled with!
"These negotiations mainly focus on two points: 1. The issue of your stay or departure; 2. The ownership of the allspark," John Keller spoke first.
That's right, this time the allspark had not been burned down to a single shard; it was intact.
As soon as he finished speaking, Optimus Primeimmediately spoke up: "The allspark naturally belongs to us. It is our life, and also our mother. Put yourself in our shoes—can your mother... belong to someone else?"
These words were quite blunt, and John Keller was momentarily speechless.
"Mr. Prime, we cannot allow you to run around with an uncontrollable 'energy source.' Its threat level is no less than a nuclear explosion. Since you mentioned putting yourself in our shoes, please do so, Mr. Prime—if someone were running around your home with a lethal weapon..."
Optimus Prime lost his temper; this was indeed an unavoidable problem.
"Unless you leave Earth and never return," Duke said faintly, his feet resting on the circular negotiation table.
"Does Mr. Duke want us to leave?" Optimus Prime asked.
"You are indeed a lot of trouble, but to me, it's nothing," Duke waved his hand. "What I want to emphasize is that if you stay, the 'allspark' indeed needs to be supervised. Of course, if you want to leave, you can take it with you!"
The implication was: we don't want your stuff.
Optimus Prime hesitated. Cybertron was gone; they were essentially homeless! Wandering the Universe was a miserable experience, and their people were constantly dying. They needed a stable planet and the protection of a powerful being.
Having wandered for a thousand years, he understood this very well.
Furthermore, even if they wanted to leave Earth, it would be difficult to achieve.
Their spaceship had disintegrated upon entering Earth's atmosphere, meaning it was hard to leave. Don't think that just because they were metal, they could fly into space—at least... not yet!
So, given the current situation, their only choice was to stay.
Nick Fury spoke up at the right time: "The 'allspark' can be handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D. for supervision."
"I'm sorry, I don't trust you." Optimus Prime glanced at Nick Fury and shook his head.
Although they were comrades who had 'fought side by side,' they had appeared so suddenly that Optimus Primewas very wary. Compared to Nick Fury, he was more inclined toward John Keller—if only he weren't the U.S. Minister of Defense.
Obviously, the allspark could only be given to a trusted third-party power and absolutely could not be given to a specific nation or the like...
John Keller also breathed a sigh of relief. He knew the hope of him keeping the allspark was slim, but he still didn't want Nick Fury to take it.
To put it simply, as the Minister of Defense, he had to be responsible for the United States, while the Council stood behind Nick Fury's S.H.I.E.L.D., which conflicted with U.S. interests.
"Fine, the 'allspark' will be under my care." Duke tapped the table—with his foot, of course.
"Mr. Duke!" Nick Fury still wanted to make an effort; this was a new type of energy source, after all.
"You seem to have forgotten who gave you the 'Tesseract', haven't you?" Duke glared at Nick Fury. Don't be too greedy, kid!
"Cough, cough..." Nick Fury coughed a few times and gave up.
Howard hadn't told him; these things were recorded in Level 10 classified files.
He knew he wouldn't gain anything today.
Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the others were slightly stunned. From the sounds of it, the 'Tesseract' was given to S.H.I.E.L.D. by Duke?
What exactly was this man's background?
They could only access limited information, knowing only that Duke was a veteran from the World War I era. Living until now while still looking twenty showed he was long-lived.
"If it's handed over to Mr. Duke for safekeeping, then I am at ease," Optimus Prime said, nodding.
"Aren't you afraid I'll keep it for myself?"
"Haha, Mr. Duke is joking. With your strength, you wouldn't be interested in the 'allspark'."
He really wasn't wrong.
The allspark's level was about the same as a Mother Box; no, it wasn't even as valuable as a Mother Box. Currently, it could only be used for mechanical life, making it too niche, and Duke didn't want to mass-produce Transformers!
Seeing that the 'ownership' of the allspark was settled, John Keller brought up a new topic: "Since Mr. Prime has decided to stay on Earth with the Autobots, let's talk about cooperation. Since you've decided to stay in the United States, you should choose to cooperate with us..."
Nick Fury was not to be outdone and joined the scramble.
Duke had no interest in this; he only knew that his collection had gained another item.
Leaving the negotiation table, he quickly ran over to Maria Hill: "Beautiful Hill, how about I buy you a drink?"
"Sorry, I still have work."
147. Going to Dig Up an Ice Cube
"Sorry, I still have work."
Well, I hit a wall.
Speaking of which, Maria Hill never smiles when she's in uniform, but she turns into a completely different person once she takes it off.
Then I ran over to Black Widow's side.
"Miss Romanoff, how about I buy you a drink?"
Natasha gave a charming smile, though her eyes were a bit cold. "You were just rejected by Hill. If I were that easy to ask out, wouldn't that be a step down in value?"
"Heh heh." Nearby, Hawkeye chuckled.
"Seems like I'm getting shot down again." Duke shook his head, then turned and ran over to Agent 13. "Miss Carter..."
"I'm very sorry, I also..."
Duke waved his hand. "You remind me of your aunt."
Agent 13's voice came to an abrupt halt.
"You—how do you...?"
She hadn't told anyone about her identity; only a limited few knew, and a few of those were no longer around.
"How do I? I worked with your aunt and was also Captain America's instructor. Why do you think I would...?"
Sharon Carter, influenced by the deeds of Peggy Carterand Captain America during World War II, had joined S.H.I.E.L.D. after growing up. She was stunned upon hearing these words.
"You—"
"Your aunt actually never got married? My, I really couldn't tell; her feelings for Steve were so deep." Duke shook his head and smiled. "To be honest, I truly didn't notice. How did they even get together? Strictly speaking, they didn't even hold hands; they only shared a kiss before Stevefinally disappeared. To stay celibate for him for sixty years—I'm impressed, truly impressed!"
Sharon Carter rolled her eyes, speechless. "That's called being 'Battlefield Soulmates.' Someone like you wouldn't understand."
"Ouch, what do you mean'someone like me'? What kind of person am I..."
"Asking out three women in a row, and doing it face-to-face. What kind of person? A scumbag!" Sharon Carterglanced at him and huffed.
Holy crap!
My short temper!
Hmph, looks like I need to dig Captain America out sooner. When the time comes and those two are together, let's see if a little girl like you still has a chance.
When your aunt goes back to Captain America, you little girl can be mine, wahahaha. Hmm, wait? If that's the case, wouldn't I be dropping a generation in rank for no reason?
Forget it, let her go... fight her own aunt for a boyfriend!
Just hearing it sounds so exciting!
Well, Captain America was dug up in 2011, and right now it's only four years off. Digging him up now doesn't seem like a big deal!
It's just a bit earlier; there's no major difference.
"Go have a drink with me, and I'll tell you where Steve Rogers is." Duke chuckled.
"You!" Sharon Carter's eyes widened suddenly, then quickly dimmed. "Stop joking."
"Believe it or not. The address is right here; you're welcome to come. If you're late... maybe I won't be in the mood to tell you anymore." Duke waved his hand, manifesting a line of small characters in the air before they dissipated. "Ah, it looks like their talk is almost over. Seize the opportunity; time waits for no one."
Duke patted Sharon Carter on the shoulder and walked back to the negotiation table.
Sharon Carter gritted her teeth in hatred. Scumbag, he really is a scumbag, using threats to pick up girls. A total scumbag!
In the end, John Keller managed to take the lead in the negotiations. As mentioned before, Optimus Prime did not trust Nick Fury. His appearance was too coincidental, as if it had been planned in advance! Furthermore, while their individual combat power was a shortcoming, their technological strength was quite formidable.
This aircraft carrier alone was already comparable to Cybertronian technology from a thousand years ago.
(PS: Cybertron is finished, and its technological level has stagnated.)
He instinctively refused, so he chose John Keller.
And most importantly, they were indeed operating on U.S. soil, so it was best to cooperate with the US Government. Although the United Nations Security Council was also based in the U.S., he knew very well that the Council's interests sometimes conflicted with those of the US Government.
He also knew very well that the Council didn't amount to much.
Therefore, cooperating with the powerful United Stateswas undoubtedly the best strategy.
The specific details of the cooperation would not be discussed on the aircraft carrier; this was considered a secret and could not be known by Nick Fury.
"See you later, Sharon."
The negotiations ended, and Duke waved his hand and left.
After reporting to the Council, Nick Fury's expression was very ugly. Clearly... he must have been lectured.
As soon as he came out, he ran into Sharon Carter.
Speaking of which, this girl was quite unlucky. When she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. in her early years, she was ranked 13th among the Agents. In many people's eyes, 13 was still an unlucky number. However, she was a bit special; 13 seemed more like her lucky number, as she had never failed a mission.
"Something the matter?"
"That Duke guy just told me that he knows the whereabouts of Captain America." Sharon Carter hesitated for a long time before deciding to tell the boss.
"What? Are you sure?" Nick Fury was shocked.
No one knew better than him who Duke was. An instructor at Camp Lehigh, he had personally trained the outstanding Captain America, Steve Rogers. Yet he himself was content to disappear, unrecorded in history. One had to say, this was always a kind of injustice.
Although Captain America's abilities came from the serum, according to the records of the veterans, if it hadn't been for this instructor, Captain America would likely have fallen from Red Skull's plane and died long ago. Even if Red Skull's conspiracy couldn't have succeeded, without Duke, the myth of Captain America... wouldn't have been able to be written.
As for Captain America's 'whereabouts,' it had been S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top priority for sixty years. The old-timers all believed—he was still alive.
And according to the records of Peggy Carter, the former superior, Duke had once given three possible locations where Captain America might have crashed. But the area was huge; they searched for nearly five years and ultimately found nothing.
Could it be that he actually knew Steve's whereabouts all along?
But why didn't he give the exact location back then?
Why wait sixty-odd years to mention it again?
Or perhaps, his strength was insufficient back then, and he only found it now?
Regardless, this was good news. Once Captain Americareappeared, the significance would be immense.
"Then go find him."
"But he proposed... he towards me..."
"Sharon, you understand the significance of Captain America's return. I won't order you to do it; you must weigh this decision yourself. Of course, if you choose to refuse, I will personally go talk to him."
"..."
————
Inside Karazhan.
"What? You want to open a shop? What kind of shop?" Diana felt that since her boyfriend woke up this time, his train of thought had become quite peculiar.
"The 'Wish House.'"
"What is that? A place to help people fulfill their wishes?" Diana was a bit confused.
"Something like that."
"Something like that..."
"I'm free anyway, and I'm bored. I can't just keep sleeping, right?" Duke chuckled and reached out his hand. "Wife, give me some money."
"..."
148. The Eldest Grandson Was Captured by a Monster
Duke had no money; he was just like Jack Ma.
[I have never received a monthly salary.]
[I have never touched money.]
[I have no interest in money.]
Duke had no money; the money was all in Samir's hands, and the entire Hells Kitchen was Karazhan's property.
The predecessor of Hells Kitchen was 'Hells Kitchen'—a rectangular area bordered by 59th Street to the south, 34th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the east, and the Hudson River to the west, which is Midtown West in Manhattan. In its early years, Hells Kitchen was a notorious slum, but after Duke arrived in New York in 1920, he gave it a major overhaul.
Now that hell has turned into 'heaven,' it could be said to be the area with the lowest crime rate in all of New York.
Over the past 90 years, Karazhan's properties have spread throughout Hells Kitchen, with more than 80% belonging to Karazhan.
So, Duke had no money, but he was actually among the top names on the New York rich list!
But of course, this money was all in Diana's hands.
A few days later, a small shop named "Wish House" opened for business.
Hells Kitchen was all Karazhan's property, so there was naturally no need to spend money to buy a shop; asking his wife for money was mainly for 'advertising.'
By the time Sharon Carter appeared at the Wish House, she was completely dumbfounded, thinking she had entered a 'magical fairy tale world.'
The entire cottage was covered with a strange dark green vine, and on the vines were countless 'lamps' emitting warm yellow and white halos. When she leaned in for a closer look, she realized they weren't 'lamps' but flower buds.
Everything, including the seats, sofas, counters, and so on, was composed of these vines.
There were no light bulbs inside the cottage; the lighting relied on these glowing 'flower buds.'
Moreover, there were countless 'Little Spirits' flying up and down inside, taking care of everything in the house; even the wine glass in her hand was brought by a little spirit.
The entire house made one feel as if they had entered the world of some magical witch.
Sharon Carter glanced at Duke; well, he should probably be called a 'magical wizard.'
"Wish House, is this a place where you grant people's wishes?" Sharon Carter asked curiously.
It was very strange.
These dark green vines looked like some kind of organism, but some were exceptionally hard while others were softer than a sofa, like the ones she was sitting on now.
"Of course, I won't help them realize just any wish, like 'I want to be President,'" Duke said, lying comfortably in a hammock woven from vines.
"Then what about my wish, can you help me realize it?" Sharon Carter smiled and put down the glass in her hand. "I've already drunk it."
Meaning, you were going to treat me to a drink, and I've already had it.
"Of course!" Duke glanced at her and smiled.
He had no intention of hitting on her at all; he was just looking for a suitable candidate for the reappearance of Captain America.
The niece was just perfect.
Not his niece, but Captain America's 'niece.'
Just then, a news bulletin suddenly broke on the television.
"According to the latest reports, Tony Stark, the current chairman of Stark Industries, was ambushed during a business transaction in Afghanistan, and his whereabouts are unknown. — This is NBC, reporter Leslie reporting for you."
Duke stood up with a start. This unlucky grandson of his had been captured again.
Wait, why say 'again'?
It's just that the events of Iron Man seem to have happened early?
Uh, not really that early.
"Let's talk about the ice-digging operation later; I think S.H.I.E.L.D. has work to do again," Duke said coldly.
"..." Sharon Carter was frustrated, but she also knew that now was not the time to discuss Captain America.
She knew a bit about the relationship between Howard Stark and Duke.
She didn't have the clearance to view S.H.I.E.L.D. files, but many people were aware of the photo Howard often carried. Moreover, before Howard passed away, he frequently went to Karazhan; no matter how foolish one was, they should have guessed the relationship between them.
"I won't see you out."
Duke glanced at her, then opened a portal and returned to Karazhan.
There was also a TV in Karazhan; obviously, Howard had seen it too.
Seeing Duke return, he suddenly knelt down: "Something happened to Tony!"
"Rest assured, by seniority I am at least his grandfather; how could I just watch something happen to Tony? How about this, I'll take a trip to Afghanistan right now. You don't need to be nervous either; I've looked at that boy Tony, he's not someone with a short life." Duke raised his hand slightly, and Howard stood up.
In Avengers: Endgame, Tony was about fifty years old when he died, which is indeed a short life.
But now, the tragedy probably won't repeat.
"Re... Really?" Howard was so excited he cried.
He just didn't want the black-haired to see off the white-haired, which was why he hadn't chosen the potion Dukeleft him.
That red potion would make him young again instantly, and then... who would look more like the father when they stood together? In another thirty or forty years, he would still have black hair, while Tony would already be white-haired.
Wouldn't that be the black-haired burying the white-haired?
He knew Duke had more 'medicine,' but... how many times could it be given?
Man is mortal after all.
Now he just wanted Tony to live well and give him a grandson, instead of following his example... waiting until he was an old man to think about marriage and kids.
He doesn't learn the good things, only the bad!
"However, he is destined to face this hurdle. As long as he crosses it, he will gradually grow into an existence comparable to 'Captain America,' so I didn't resolve this hurdle for him," Duke said.
Captain America?
"Rogers?" Howard was stunned for a moment.
Of course he knew Steve Rogers; they had worked together for a year in the early days. To be honest, the reason this little guy from Brooklyn could become 'Captain America' was entirely orchestrated by him.
Just marketing tactics.
Undeniably, he indeed had great achievements, but it was still not enough to become the spirit of America.
After World War II, the U.S. was in a Great Depression; besides food and clothing, they needed someone to guide and lead them spiritually, and at that time, Steve Rogers' story was born.
He truly became the spirit of America—Captain America—not that dancing monkey Captain on stage!
And now, Captain America has indeed become the spirit, culture, and even the faith of America. At least in the hearts of some army grunts, Captain America carries more weight than God.
Believe in the Captain, and you can win.
Steve was indeed a man-made 'Captain America,' and his personal abilities were even overly mythologized in some places, but he was indeed highly decorated.
Thinking that his own rascal son could one day be comparable to Captain America, how could Howard not be skeptical?
149. Mera Arrives
(PS: The events of "Aquaman" have been moved forward to officially connect with "Iron Man 1")
In the vast desert of Afghanistan.
The white desert stretched endlessly, with not a single plant in sight, yet a flash of red was drifting along.
Duke took a closer look and saw that it wasn't a red fire, but hair—wine-red hair. "Why did she end up here?"
Then his expression changed.
"That damn fish-man, is he actually trying to cuckold me?"
This was more than he could bear!
Duke changed direction and dove straight down.
————
Below, two people were arguing.
One was a woman with wine-red hair and a full figure, wearing a beige Trench coat. The other was a guy with dark brown hair and a thick beard, looking quite a bit like the 'Sect Leader of the Moon Worshipers'.
"This is all your fault!"
"How can you blame me?" The bearded man looked innocent.
"If you hadn't broken the navigator, would we have ended up all the way in Afghanistan blowing in the hot wind?"
"Fine, blame me!" The bearded man surrendered, then started arguing again. "But if you hadn't found that private plane, would we have gone the wrong way?"
"Can you blame me for that? How was I supposed to know the plane's compass would fail!"
"It failed, but did your stupid Atlantean locator fail too?" The bearded man was also angry.
"You—"
[Boom!]
At that moment, a person descended from the sky.
Once he saw clearly, the bearded man was stunned. "Why are you here?"
"I should be asking you, why are you here? And looking at this... you seem to be in the posture of trying to hit on my fiancée." Duke stared coldly at the bearded man.
"Huh? Fiancée... isn't your wife Diana... Oh, I get it, you're that water man!" The bearded man realized. Indeed, this guy with the thick beard was 'Aquaman' Arthur.
"You're that 'water man'?" The woman with wine-red hair also sized Duke up from head to toe. This woman was the Sea Queen Mera, though, of course, she wouldn't be the'Sea Queen' anymore.
"You should call me 'husband'." Duke smiled.
"Hmph, I haven't acknowledged you yet."
"This was decided by Nicole... no, your adoptive mother. Do you want to go against her wishes?" Duke asked with a half-smile.
Mera hesitated. Although Atlanna was her adoptive mother, she was actually closer than a biological mother, and she naturally didn't want to go against Atlanna's wishes. Besides, this person looked alright, even if he wasn't the muscular type.
"Who is that Diana?"
"Cough, cough—" Arthur realized he had misspoken and quickly looked elsewhere.
"She is also my wife; we met over eighty years ago," Dukesaid with a smile, not hiding it.
"Hmph!" Mera didn't have any particular resistance—her father, King Nereus, had several queens—but she felt a bit uncomfortable. "My current 'fiancé' is King Orm. If you want me, go kill him first."
Duke was a bit displeased. "Who did it?"
"Huh?"
"I said—who found a new fiancé for you?"
"My father, of course," Mera huffed.
"Then... while I'm killing his brother, should I kill your father as well?" Duke's killing intent gradually began to spread. "He actually dared to void our 'agreement'?"
"It's not her fault; she was sacrificed to the Trench by King Orm. And she is, after all, only my 'adoptive mother'; the marriage alliance was arranged by my biological father." Mera was somewhat surprised by Duke's killing intent. Were all the people on the surface monsters?
"You mean Atlanna? She's not dead, she's still alive!" Dukesaid.
!
"What! She's still alive? Are you serious?" Aquaman Arthurbecame anxious and stepped forward to grab him while asking.
After a glare from Duke, he quickly let go.
"I didn't'see' her death, and her life signs are very healthy. Unless... something blocked my gaze or misled me, otherwise... she should be alive. There aren't many things in this world that can obstruct me," Duke said arrogantly.
"That's great! Then, then where is she?" Arthur asked again.
"In the place guarding the 'trident of aquaman'!"
Mera and Arthur glanced at each other. "Isn't that our destination?"
"Hold out your hand."
"Huh?" Mera was a bit dazed. "Hold out my hand?"
"Quickly, I'm giving you a gift."
"Oh..." Mera was a bit confused, but she still held out her delicate hand.
Turning her hand over with the palm facing up, Dukecarved a complex magic rune array into Mera's palm, and did the same to the other palm.
"This is?"
Mera was curious. The two blue rune arrays flashed for a moment and then disappeared; no trace of the arrays could be seen on her palms at all.
Duke didn't speak. He circled his right hand at his side, and a portal appeared, into which he tossed a 'rock'.
Mera and Arthur were both a bit dumbfounded. Through the portal, they could clearly see... was this the ocean floor? If they weren't mistaken, it looked like the waters surrounding Atlantis!
"What exactly are you doing?" Mera was even more confused.
"This is a small 'portal'. The rock I threw in is a 'Beacon'. As long as the magic array is activated, you can draw upon the infinite seawater from the ocean floor. It's equivalent to carrying a mobile reservoir with you," Duke explained.
Mera's eyes gradually lit up. "Really?"
Her ability was 'Water Manipulation'.
In the water, she was formidable, but on land in places without water, she was on the same level as 'Black Widow'—an Agent with physical fitness far exceeding ordinary people.
Simply put, she was a melee mage who had been silenced.
"Quick, quick, tell me how to use it!"
After learning the method, Mera spent a few minutes familiarizing herself with it, and then discovered to her surprise that a large amount of seawater could indeed gush out from her palms!
"This is truly incredible!"
She controlled two streams of water to wash her hair; she had been miserable from the blowing sand.
Mm, wet hair is a plus!
"Alright, stop being so happy and tell me, how did you two end up here? I recall that Atlantis isn't in the Mediterranean, right?" Duke was curious.
Atlantis was in the Atlantic Ocean. Judging by the movie, they should have made landfall directly on the west coast of Africa and then flown to the Sahara Desert. As for which specific country, Duke wasn't sure. In any case, there was no way they should have ended up in Afghanistan.
"It's all him!" Mera glared at Arthur, who was speechless.
Even if it wasn't his fault, standing before Mera's 'fiancé', he didn't dare say anything. Besides, it really was his fault to begin with.
After hearing Mera's account, Duke didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
It turned out that Aquaman Arthur was driving a submarine and crashed it, breaking the navigator, so they dizzily passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean, finally making landfall in Turkey. Then they rented a private plane to fly to the Sahara Desert, but encountered an updraft halfway through. The turbulence caused the instrument panel to malfunction, and they ended up flying to Afghanistan!
Neither of them had realized the navigation had failed!
Afterward, the plane developed a fault, and the two were forced to jump out into the desert.
And that's how it happened...
150. Four Important Supporting Characters
"So, you're going to The Lost Kingdom to look for clues?"
"Mm-hmm."
"The location?"
"It's at..."
"Alright, accompany me to save someone first, then we can go find your 'trident of aquaman'," Duke said, waving his hand.
"Save someone? Who could possibly need us to accompany you to save them?" Arthur asked curiously, considering how powerful Duke was.
"My eldest grandson."
"You have a grandson?" Mera was shocked.
But then she thought about it; he had known that woman named Diana eighty years ago, so having a grandson wasn't that strange. It's just... was that grandson really that weak?
Duke saw Mera's confusion and said with a smile, "He's the son of an old buddy of mine. In terms of seniority, he's my 'grandson'."
Uh, why did that sentence sound like an insult?
"Forget it, just come with me. Treat it like a vacation," he said. Then, he picked Mera up in a bridal carry and took off into the air.
"Hey, what about me?" Arthur shouted from below.
"I'm definitely not carrying you."
Arthur grumbled. He didn't want to be carried by him either; the mere thought of that image... was too jarring. Although he couldn't fly, he could leap. Leap, leap, great leap—he chased after them.
Although the desert was vast and boundless, sensing life energy within it was quite simple. Inside a small mountain in a densely populated area—within a barren, rocky mountainous region—there was a very dense concentration of life signals.
"I think I've found it. Let's go!"
"Hey!" Arthur was frustrated, but he still followed with a great leap.
Mera carefully hid behind a rock, looking at the fierce-looking bandits in the mountain area, and frowned. "Who are those people?"
Arthur: "Bad guys."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm a good guy."
"Tch."
"Let's go!" Duke took the lead and walked toward the heart of the mountain area.
"Hey... he's really a handful." Mera tried to grab him but missed, so she had no choice but to follow, ready to kill them with water currents at any moment.
But she soon realized something was wrong. Those people around them actually couldn't see them? Although they were 200 meters away, there was no cover in front of them. To not see them at all—were they all blind?
"What did you do?"
"Haven't you noticed the changes in the surroundings?"
Mera scanned the area and indeed found something off. The air around them seemed to have some shimmering glass shards, and then she realized these strange glass shards were everywhere, enveloping them.
"This is the Mirror Dimension. You don't need to know the specific principles; in short, it's a world controlled by mages. It is a world of its own, and people in the real worldcannot see us," Duke smiled, then walked all the way into the cave.
In the innermost secret room, Yinsen was talking to the future 'Iron Man', Tony.
"Stark, your people must be looking for you, but they'll never find you in these mountains. You saw it just now—your Stark legacy, your life's work, has fallen into the hands of murderers. Do you really want to leave the world like this? Is this the great Tony Stark's final act of defiance? Or do you want to think of a way..."
"Why should I bother? They're going to kill me anyway. Even if they don't, I only have a week to live." Tony was very dejected at this moment.
After all, with only one week of life left, whether he did something or not, the result was death.
"Then this is your most crucial week, isn't it?"
Then, Tony's eyes suddenly lit up. "You're right!"
Even if he was going to die, he had to resolve this trouble. This was a mess he created, and he had to fix it himself. That way... he could leave in peace.
"What's right?"
Suddenly, a voice drifted in, right by their ears. The two turned their heads in surprise to see that at some point, two men and one woman had walked in. And the one in the very center was... his 'grandfather'!
That face he had looked at in a photograph for 37 years—his appearance truly hadn't changed a bit.
"Who are you..." Yinsen was shocked and glanced at the monitor. "How did you get in? Oh no, they must have found out, they'll be in here any second..."
The two were pulled into the Mirror Dimension; what was seen outside was merely an illusion left by Duke.
Tony waved his hand. "Don't worry, he's my..."
"What, not happy to see your grandfather?"
Why did those words sound like something a villain would say?
Mera looked at Tony in shock. This guy looked old enough to be Duke's father!
"Meeting for the first time, I didn't expect it to be in this kind of setting. Truly... My Lord Grandfather... good afternoon!" Tony shrugged awkwardly, forcing a strained smile.
For many years, he had been imagining the scene of meeting Duke, but he never could have imagined the first meeting would be under these circumstances! How embarrassing! How humiliating! He'd lost all face! And there was even a battery hanging from his chest... he looked stupid beyond belief!
"Hahahahaha!" Duke laughed triumphantly. He had waited for this day for a long time, and he patted Tony's shoulder hard. "Good, good, my eldest grandson, very good."
Tony bared his teeth a little from the patting. "I'm not doing very 'good' right now."
"Let's go, your father is waiting for you."
Tony's brain went 'buzz' and short-circuited. "The old man? Isn't he..."
Hadn't he been dead for eight years?!
"You still remember the jade pendant I gave him back then, right?"
Tony nodded; there was indeed such a jade pendant.
"That jade pendant can block a fatal crisis at a critical moment and save his life. When he 'dies', it also brings his soul into Karazhan. Howard is very happy now—he can eat, drink, and sleep. You wouldn't believe how carefree his life is."
Tony still found it hard to accept. "The old man is in Karazhan? Wait, wait, isn't he dead? Can a soul eat and drink?"
"What else? If it weren't for your old man, would I have come to save you? Hurry up, move it, I have things to do." As he spoke, Duke opened a portal.
Tony hesitated for a moment and didn't leave. "I want to use my own strength to end all of this. I can leave this place on my own!"
Mera took a careful look and said, "This grandson of yours is quite headstrong!"
Her perception of water was exceptionally keen. Through her investigation of the moisture in Tony's body, she reached a conclusion—this guy was dying.
"I feel like you're insulting me on purpose." Duke glanced at Mera, his forehead covered in black lines. What did she mean by 'this grandson of yours'? It felt like she was calling him a grandson!
Mera giggled and didn't explain. She was doing it on purpose, using innuendo.
"Are you sure?" Duke sighed.
"Yes."
"And you? You can leave," Duke turned his head and glanced at Yinsen.
There are four important supporting characters in Marvel.
Doctor Erskine: The man who single-handedly created the sense of justice that is Captain America.
Agent Coulson: It was precisely because of his death that everyone realized the importance of a team. Without Coulson... the Avengers wouldn't have become united so quickly!
Harley: The young boy who appeared in Iron Man 3. When Tony was about to fall into despair, it was this young boy who helped Tony get out of his predicament!
And finally, there is this Dr. Ethan. He saved Tony and made Iron Man possible, but lost his own precious life because of it!