Chapter 63: We'll Fish for Them Ourselves
"We'll fish for them ourselves."
After Arthur said that, the safe house was silent for a few seconds.
Wanda looked at him, her gaze steady. "Where do we start fishing? Is there a clue in the data from Siberia?"
"There is, but not much." Arthur walked to the master console and pulled up the last intercepted encrypted communication record. "Most of it self-destructed, leaving only a few fragments pointing to several possible emergency transfer coordinates. They are all remote places in Europe and Asia, looking like temporary safe houses or backup command nodes."
He tapped his finger on several coordinates. "S.H.I.E.L.D.will definitely go and sweep these spots once they get the peripheral data. But I don't think the real big fish will stay in places like these that are obviously marked."
"Then where?" Pietro leaned over and asked.
"In the 'net'." Arthur pulled up another file, an analysis chart of Hydra's internal communication protocols and encrypted node topology, which had been compiled from the Greenland and Siberia base earlier.
"Their high-level communications run on a very independent, physically isolated emergency network. The Siberia base was one of the core nodes, but it exploded. Given the nature of this organization, there must be a backup, more hidden 'root server'."
He pointed to a blinking virtual node on the topology map marked "Unknown - High Level - Transfer". "Based on the backtracking of the residual data stream, combined with the final data packet transmission path before they self-destructed... I've locked onto a few possible 'root server' areas. One of them, with the strongest signal residue, points to Eastern Europe, an old, abandoned nuclear bunker complex left over from the Cold War."
"You're going?" Wanda asked.
"Yeah." Arthur nodded. "Just me. Quick, clean. If it's empty, or just a discarded pawn, I'll treat it as scouting. If there's actually something there... then I'll see if I can catch some 'bait'."
Wanda didn't object immediately. She thought for a moment and said, "Be careful. In a place like that, there will definitely be more traps than in Siberia, not fewer."
"Understood." Arthur smiled. "This time, I won't 'mooch' or 'barge in'. I'll just go take a look, take a shot at it regardless, and run once I'm done."
He looked at Pietro. "Brother-in-law, the house and those'Sleeping Beauties' are in your hands. Keep the alert level at maximum. Aside from me and Wanda, if any magicor non-magic teleportation fluctuations approach, sound the alarm immediately."
"Rest assured, leave it to me." Pietro patted his chest. "The two of you, one goes out to have fun, the other stays home to hold down the fort. The division of labor is clear."
Arthur looked at Wanda again and held her hand. "Wife, I'll be back soon."
Wanda gripped his hand back and squeezed hard. "Take your full set of 'gear'. Also, if something feels wrong, retreat immediately. Don't hesitate."
"That goes without saying; I'm a famous practitioner of the 'better safe than sorry' school." Arthur joked, then turned and walked to the center of the safe house.
Golden light swirled around him, and complex spatial coordinate runes were quickly outlined before him.
He didn't open a large Portal; he just tore open an extremely subtle rift, just enough for one person to pass through, and then he slipped inside.
The golden light and the rift disappeared at the same time.
Only Wanda and Pietro remained in the safe house, along with the unconscious test subjects on the medical beds.
Pietro smacked his lips. "Brother-in-law's teleportation is getting more and more like a horror movie; there's not a single sound."
Wanda didn't reply. She walked to the master console and pulled up the real-time location and environmental data transmitted back by the micro-beacon Arthur was carrying.
On the map, a dot of light was moving rapidly through a barren mountainous area in Eastern Europe.
Eastern Europe, deep in a certain mountain range.
From the outside, this was just an ordinary hillside overgrown with weeds and shrubs, without even a decent road.
Arthur stood behind a large rock halfway up the mountain, eyes closed.
His super-senses had already penetrated dozens of meters of soil and reinforced concrete, "seeing" what was below.
A massive, labyrinthine abandoned nuclear bunker complex. Most areas were deathly silent, the power cut off, the air foul. But in the core area, there was an extremely faint energy reaction—not electricity, but specific spectral fluctuations generated during the transmission of some encrypted data stream, and also... the "afterheat" remaining after magical defenses were triggered.
"Late, but not completely late." Arthur muttered.
Most of the facilities below had indeed self-destructed; he could "hear" the muffled sounds of structural collapse and equipment overload burning coming from deep inside. But the slight fluctuations in the core area indicated that before the self-destruct program started, or at the same time, there was still some "unfinished business".
"Hiding in plain sight, huh? You play that well."
He found a hidden ventilation shaft entrance disguised as a natural rock crevice—the physical mechanism of the entrance itself had also been destroyed from the inside, but to him, it was no different from bean curd dregs.
He didn't use magic; he just inserted his fingers into the gap of the twisted metal panel and pried it open gently.
Snap.
The panel shattered like a biscuit.
He slipped inside and slid down the vertical ventilation shaft, landing without a sound.
It was pitch black inside, filled with the smell of char and molten metal. The emergency lighting was all out, with only the sporadic flickering of fire caused by the distant self-destruct devices.
Arthur moved through the complex underground passages like a Shadow. His speed was too fast; the trigger-based physical traps (tripwires, pressure plates) and energy traps (infrared, lasers) along the way couldn't react in time before he had already passed.
After winding around, he arrived at the core area.
It looked like an old-fashioned large computer server room, now in shambles. Server racks were toppled, most melted by high heat into lumps of twisted metal. There were clear traces of directional demolition on the floor, intended to destroy the storage devices.
Arthur walked to the center of the server room, crouched down, and pressed his palm onto the floor, which still retained some warmth.
"Physical destruction is quite thorough, but unfortunately, data is the kind of thing that... sometimes leaves a'soul' behind."
A faint golden glow appeared in his eyes.
The Sorcerer Supreme's magic isn't just for fighting; it can also do some delicate work—for example, backtracking the "traces" of energy and information flow within a certain area over a short period of time.
Just like erasing pencil writing hard with an eraser, the paper still leaves indentations and graphite powder. Large-scale data destruction and energy shocks also leave brief, magically detectable "imprints" on the fabric of space-time.
Golden magical light, centered on Arthur's palm, spread out like ripples, slowly sweeping across the entire wreck of the server room.
In the air, some blurry, intermittent fragments of light and shadow began to emerge. These were the "echoes" of the final moments before the data was deleted, the "tire tracks" left when the encrypted communication stream passed through here.
The fragments grew more numerous, gradually piecing together some incomplete images and text snippets.
Arthur focused intently, filtering out useless noise and capturing key information.
[…Lurking…Waiting…Opportunity…]
[…"Sigma"…Disagree…Too slow…]
[…Must seek…External assistance…]
[…Will they…respond?…Coordinates…]
[…Risk…but worth it…The only thing that can counter the "Guardian"…]
[…Protocol…Next contact…Pacific Ocean…International waters…Latitude and longitude…]
[…48 hours…Confirm…]
The fragments flickered a few times and dissipated completely. The magical backtracking had reached its limit.
Arthur withdrew his hand, his eyes cold.
"Sigma…External assistance…to counter me?" He curled his lips. "Not bad, can't win so you call for backup, right? And you called all the way outside of Earth?"
He stood up and searched quickly through the ruins. Under a terminal that had been blown apart, leaving only half its shell, he found half a storage chip module that hadn't completely melted. On it was a faint trace of data, originating from the same source as the "Sigma" communication in the backtracking just now.
He put the chip module away.
This place was not suitable for a long stay. The self-destruct might have follow-ups, or "Sigma's" people might remotely confirm the destruction.
He returned along the original path at a faster speed and leaped out of the ventilation shaft.
Standing on the hillside, he looked back at the pitch-black entrance.
"Pacific Ocean, international waters…48 hours…" He noted the coordinates and the time.
With a flash of golden light, the figure disappeared.
Safe house in Brooklyn.
Golden light shone, and Arthur appeared.
"You're back?" Wanda immediately came up to greet him, and Pietro also zipped over.
"Yeah, I got something." Arthur walked to the master console, first connected the half chip module to the reader, and then exported the information fragments captured by the magical backtracking.
On the holographic screen, the information began to integrate.
Wanda looked at those disjointed sentences, her brows furrowing. "Hydra…split? One faction wants to lurk, the other…this 'Sigma', wants to find helpers from outside Earth?"
"Looks like it." Arthur pointed to the two lines "External assistance" and "The only thing that can counter the 'Guardian'". "The spearhead is pointed directly at me. They think relying on Earth's power is a lost cause, and have started setting their sights on aliens or…other-dimensional beings."
Pietro gasped. "Damn, isn't this cheating? Can't win so you start a 'global' summoning of teammates?"
"And looking at it, they've already made contact, or at least have a channel for contact." Arthur pulled up the coordinates in the Pacific Ocean and the 48-hour timeframe. "The next secret contact is here, in two days. This place, international waters, far from shipping lanes, is convenient for hiding, and also convenient for…'picking people up' or 'delivering things'."
Wanda stared at the coordinates, her face serious. "Husband, what do you think the 'external assistance' they are looking for will be? An invasion army like the Chitauri? Or something else?"
"Hard to say." Arthur shook his head. "The Chitauri have been crippled, and as for Thanos…going by the normal timeline, it's still early. But there are plenty of factions in the Universe that want to stir up trouble. It could also be some cosmic mercenaries, Ravagers, or…civilizations with a special interest in Earth."
He looked at Wanda. "But no matter what it is, letting them make contact definitely won't be good. The 'Sigma' faction is desperate now; they'll do anything. Their threat is much greater than those lurkers who just want to hide and lay low."
"Then what do you plan to do?" Wanda asked.
"I'll go take a look." Arthur said. "Just me. I'll go to the vicinity of those coordinates in advance to scout, to see what on Earth they are up to. If it's a small-scale contact, I'll give them a'surprise'. If the scale is too large…I'll come back to call for backup, and we'll go together with Tony."
Wanda was silent for a few seconds. She knew her husband's decision was right, but letting Arthur go alone to a place where he might face unknown cosmic forces…
"I'll go with you." She said.
"Not this time, wife." Arthur held her hand, his tone very serious. "The house cannot be empty. Pietro needs you to hold the fort. The 'commands' in the brains of those test subjects haven't been figured out yet, and the early warning system needs you to maintain maximum sensitivity. Besides, what if this is a lure-the-tiger-off-the-mountain tactic? If we both leave, the house will be empty."
He paused and continued: "Me going to scout is the fastest and most flexible choice. If I can't win, I can run; they can't catch me. But if there's an accident, the house needs you to react immediately, and even…might need you to open a Portal to fish me out."
Wanda looked into her husband's eyes and saw the determination and calculation within. He wasn't playing the hero; he had weighed the options.
"…Okay." Wanda finally nodded, but held his hand tighter. "You promise me, if there's anything wrong, contact immediately, come back immediately. Don't take risks."
"I promise." Arthur smiled. "I'm coming back to eat the dinner you make, after all."
Pietro raised his hand nearby: "What about me, brother-in-law? What do I do? Stay home and stare at my sister?"
"Your mission is the most important." Arthur looked at him. "Stay in high-speed standby. If Wanda receives my distress signal here, or if there's any abnormality at home, you need to execute the backup evacuation plan at top speed, and take Wanda and the test subjects to the second safe house. Understand?"
Pietro's expression turned serious: "Understood! Guaranteed to complete the mission!"
Arthur checked the time: "There are about 47 hours left until the contact time they agreed upon. I'll prepare, leave tomorrow night, and be in position early."
Wanda nodded: "Leave the house to us. You yourself…must be careful."
"Rest assured." Arthur looked at the coordinate point deep in the Pacific Ocean on the holographic screen, his eyes narrowing.
"Let me go see what kind of 'alien surprise' these persistent ghosts have prepared for me."
Chapter 64: Alien Surprise
"Let me go see what kind of 'Alien Surprise' these persistent guys have prepared for me."
47 hours after Arthur said that, he was already standing deep in the Pacific Ocean, about 100 meters below the surface.
It was pitch black all around with high pressure, but to him, it was no different from standing in his own living room.
In front of him was a ship.
It was a very serious-looking marine research vessel, with the logo of some European research institute he had never heard of printed on the hull.
But in Arthur's eyes, the ship was glowing with "I have a problem" energy—underneath a thin camouflage shell mimicking the energy signature of a normal ship were dense arrays of encrypted signal transmitters and energy shielding devices.
"Good guy, disguised quite convincingly." Arthurmuttered, "Too bad, energy signatures are like a person's scent; they can't be hidden."
He didn't board the ship directly; instead, he swam around it once, using Super Hearing and X-ray vision to scan the ship inside and out.
There weren't many crew members, about twenty-something, mostly concentrated in the living area, looking like ordinary sailors.
But in the bridge and a secure cabin on the lower deck, seven or eight people had energy reactions that were clearly different—more alert, carrying weapons, and... they were surrounding a buzzing communication device that was constantly transmitting encrypted data streams to outer space.
"This is it."
Arthur slid silently to the bottom of the ship like a fish and found a drainage outlet.
He didn't use magic; he simply bent the reinforced grate with his fingers and squeezed inside.
Inside was the piping layer, damp and smelling of machine oil.
He moved quickly along the pipes, avoiding a few moving crew members, and within minutes, he reached the outside of that secure cabin.
The cabin door was tightly shut, requiring a password and biometric identification.
Arthur curled his lip and pressed his ear against it.
Intermittent conversations came from inside, in German, mixed with some strange-sounding, unintelligible vocabulary.
"...Signal strength... maintain... 'Ravagers' channel established..."
"...Quote confirmed... three units of high-purity Vibranium... coordinate data packet ready..."
"...Target parameters re-transmitted... 'Earth Guardian'... energy signature peak recorded..."
Arthur's eyes went cold.
Ravagers? The name alone sounded like no good news.
Quoting Vibranium and Earth coordinates? Are they putting a bounty on me?
He didn't wait any longer.
He pressed his finger on the electronic lock of the cabin door, and a faint bio-electric simulation pulse flashed.
Click.
The soft sound of the door unlocking was masked by the buzzing of the equipment inside.
Arthur pulled it open a crack, slipped in, and gently closed the door behind him.
His movements were as fast as a blurred Shadow.
The people in the cabin didn't even react.
Arthur had already appeared in front of the communication console working at full capacity, pressing one hand on the data transmission interface.
"Borrowing a light to check some data."
Golden magic light instantly surged into the console.
The encrypted data stream scrolling wildly on the screen paused abruptly, then froze as if hit by a pause button, and immediately began reverse parsing.
All the content being sent and already sent exploded into plain text on the secondary screen next to it.
"Enemy attack!"
A man closest to the console, wearing a White researcher uniform but with a bulging waistline, finally reacted and reached for his gun.
The moment his hand touched the gun grip, he froze.
Arthur didn't even turn his head, his other hand waving casually behind him.
An invisible force like a mjolnir smashed into everyone in the cabin except Arthur.
Bang bang bang bang!
Seven people, including the middle-aged man who looked like the captain, were all pressed against the cabin wall by this force, unable to move, unable to even make a sound, only their eyeballs could roll in terror.
"Be quiet, I have some questions for you."
Arthur finally turned around, swept a glance at the people pinned to the wall, and his gaze landed on the captain.
"You, you're the one in charge here, right? Where is 'Sigma'?"
The captain's face turned red, his eyes full of fear and struggle, but his mouth remained tightly shut.
"Tough guy?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow and walked up to him.
"I like tough guys. But your heartbeat betrayed you, buddy; it's beating like a drum."
He reached out, a touch of golden light on his fingertip, and gently tapped the captain's forehead.
"Come on, let me see."
The captain's body twitched violently, and his eyes instantly lost focus.
A few seconds later, Arthur withdrew his hand.
"Antarctica... outpost... energy replication device..."
Arthur muttered the keywords and a set of precise coordinates he had dug out from the other's surface consciousness.
"Alright, thanks."
He turned back to the console, looking at the parsed communication records on the secondary screen.
The content was very clear.
The "Sigma" faction was negotiating online with a cosmic mercenary organization called the "Ravagers."
The other party agreed to accept the commission to execute a "High-Value Target Elimination" mission against the "Earth Guardian" (which was him, Arthur).
The quote was three pieces of high-purity Vibranium and a packaged data set of Earth's civilization and defense force coordinates.
The negotiation had reached the second round, and some Earth coordinates and the target's preliminary energy signature data had already been sent in the first round of communication.
"You really know how to do business."
Arthur sneered, tapping the console a few times.
"Too bad the client is about to be gone."
He directly activated the physical destruction protocol at the bottom layer of the console and added a little "ingredient"—a trace of highly compressed magic energy flowed along the data stream and was pumped back into the core components of the transmission array.
Hum—!
The console emitted a puff of green smoke, and all screens instantly went black.
Immediately after, the lights in the entire cabin began to flicker wildly, and a shrill alarm sounded.
"Self-destruct sequence initiated. Countdown: 60 seconds."
A cold electronic voice sounded.
Arthur glanced at the captain and the others pinned to the wall, their faces full of despair.
"Have a nice swim."
He snapped his fingers, the force pinning them vanished, and the few people fell to the ground.
Arthur himself turned into a golden light and disappeared from the spot.
One second later, he appeared in the sky above the sea a few kilometers away.
Behind him, a series of dull explosions came from inside the camouflaged research vessel, flames erupted from the portholes and vents, and the ship tilted rapidly and began to sink.
Arthur didn't look back, turned around, and the golden light flashed again.
Brooklyn, safe house.
Wanda was staring at the global early warning system interface on the main console, where the beacon representing Arthur's vital signs and location had remained stable near that coordinate in the Pacific Oceanuntil a few minutes ago, when the beacon suddenly showed "High-speed movement, Direction: Returning."
She had just breathed a sigh of relief when the golden light lit up in the room.
Arthur was back, not even a drop of water on him.
"How was it?"
Wanda immediately went up to him.
"There were fish, but the bait was almost eaten."
Arthur walked to the main console and quickly entered the coordinates he had just memorized and the summary of the parsed communication records into the system.
The holographic screen lit up, displaying the employment terms of the "Ravagers" organization and the coordinates of the "Sigma" Antarctic outpost.
Wanda looked at the screen, her brows furrowed tightly.
"Ravagers... cosmic mercenaries? Are they really going to find aliens to deal with you?"
"Looks like it."
Arthur pointed to the "Partial data sent" record, "The first round of communication has already been sent out; Earth's coordinates and my basic energy signature might have already entered the 'Ravagers' database. Although incomplete, the risk is already there."
"This 'Sigma' must be eliminated."
Wanda's voice was very cold.
"They cannot be allowed to contact the outside again. And that energy device, it cannot be left behind."
"That's what I'm thinking too."
Arthur nodded.
"Antarctica outpost, the coordinates were obtained. Dug out of the captain's brain, it can't be wrong. There is a primary energy replication device moved from 'The Cradle', presumably 'Sigma' kept it as a bargaining chip or wanted to continue researching it."
He looked at Wanda: "My idea is, don't wait. Go there now, before the 'Ravagers' side can react, wipe out 'Sigma', and destroy or seize that device."
"I'll go with you."
Wanda said, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"This time it's not reconnaissance, it's a cleanup operation. Two people are faster and safer. Let Pietro watch the early warning system at home; he can handle it now."
Arthur looked at his wife's firm eyes, knowing he couldn't persuade her, and what she said made sense.
"Alright."
He took Wanda's hand.
"Then let's go together. Quick battle, quick decision."
He connected the communication with Pietro.
"Brother-in-law, where are you?"
"Lifting at the gym, what's up, brother-in-law?"
Pietro's voice came over with a bit of panting.
"Stop lifting, come back and work. Wanda and I are going out, leaving the house to you. Turn the early warning system to the highest level, keep an eye on any abnormal cosmic signals or energy fluctuations, especially those coming towards Earth. We might have provoked some 'cosmic street thugs', we have to be on guard."
"Cosmic street thugs?"
Pietro paused for a moment, then his voice became serious, "Understood! I'll be back immediately! You two be careful!"
The communication hung up.
Arthur and Wanda looked at each other and started checking their gear.
Actually, there was nothing to check; their main gear was themselves.
"Teleport directly?"
Wanda asked.
"Yeah, teleport to the outskirts of the coordinate point, observe first."
Arthur said.
"That place in Antarctica, the harsh environment itself is a line of defense. We have to be careful not to step into an ice crevice as soon as we arrive, or trigger some environmental sensors."
"I'll build the initial camouflage and protection."
Wanda said, dark red Chaos Magic already beginning to circulate faintly around her.
"Close to the ice environment, it should be able to fool most detections."
"Good."
Arthur nodded and began to construct the Portal.
Complex space coordinate runes lit up in the air, and the golden light gradually expanded.
Wanda walked to his side and squeezed his hand.
"This time, eliminate them completely."
She said.
"Must."
Arthur grinned.
"Always being kept in mind, it's quite embarrassing."
A flash of golden light, and their figures disappeared from the safe house.
Only the Antarctic coordinate point remained, glowing faintly on the screen on the main console.
Chapter 65: Fighting Dirty
As the golden light dissipated, the biting cold wind and a vast expanse of white ice sheet instantly slammed into Arthur and Wanda's faces.
"Whoa, this place is even more intense than a freezer's freezing compartment." Arthur stomped his feet. Beneath him was a solid layer of ice that had been there for ten thousand years, and in the distance were endless icebergs. The sky was grey, and the wind whipped past like knives.
Wanda didn't speak. She raised her hands, and dark red Chaos Magic, like a warm film, quickly covered their bodies, isolating the bitter cold. She closed her eyes to sense their surroundings, then pointed to an inconspicuous grey metal building about two kilometers to their front right, half-buried under the ice.
"It's there. The energy reaction is very strong—weaker than 'The Cradle' core in Siberia, but more... concentrated. And," she opened her eyes, frowning, "I can feel 'Sigma' himself. He's inside, in the main control room. There are also at least seven core members with not-so-weak energy signatures."
"What about the scale?" Arthur narrowed his eyes, using his Super Vision to penetrate the ice and metal walls, scanning the outpost inside and out. After the scan, he chuckled.
"Good grief, are they playing an 'Ice Age' version of an Dungeon here?" Arthur pointed at the building. "There's only this tiny lump above ground, but they've dug at least five levels underground, covering an area nearly the size of two football fields. On the bottom level, a few large canisters are humming, and the energy readings aren't low. They match the junk parts we found in Greenland and Siberia. It should be the 'replication device' they moved here, and it's already started preheating."
Wanda's expression turned serious. "The device has started? What are they replicating?"
"Looking at the energy spectrum, it seems like they are trying to stabilize the output of a mixed energy, simulating a low-quality hybrid version of 'Chaos Magic' and 'Kryptonian Energy'." Arthur curled his lip. "A second-degree failure of trying to imitate a tiger and ending up with a dog. Still, if we let them mess around like this, and they actually create an unstable bomb, blowing up this ice sheet would be quite troublesome."
"We need to solve this quickly," Wanda said. "Hubby, how do we fight? Blast our way in?"
Arthur thought for a moment. "Blasting in directly will make too much noise. If they get desperate and overload the device or destroy all the data, it'll be a loss. Here's the plan: I'll go through the front door and make a big scene to attract everyone. You go from the side. I remember there's a ventilation duct on the third underground level that leads directly to the energy zone. You sneak in from there and use your magic to interfere with those devices. If you can paralyze them, great; if not, force a shutdown."
He looked at Wanda. "The key is to not let the data self-destruct, and don't let 'Sigma' escape. I'll be responsible for catching people, and you'll be responsible for cutting off their escape route."
Wanda nodded. "Understood. Be careful, there must be a lot of people at the front."
"Don't worry, they're all just mobs." Arthur grinned. "I'm a professional at clearing minion waves. Give me a signal when you're done on your end."
"Okay."
The plan was simple and crude, but effective.
Arthur swaggered toward the heavy alloy door of the outpost. Fifty meters from the door, the automatic turrets on it turned, and red targeting lasers locked onto his head.
"Hey, people inside, listen up!" Arthur shouted, his voice carrying far in the cold wind. "You have been surrounded by me alone! Put down your weapons, hand over 'Sigma', and accept reform—that is your only way out!"
Responding to him was the roar of the turrets and the firing of high-explosive shells.
Arthur didn't even move. The bullets hit half a meter in front of him, as if they had struck an invisible wall, clattering to the ground.
"Tsk, fighting dirty." Arthur shook his head, then raised his hand and flicked his finger at the door.
Hum! A visible shockwave of air slammed into the door. Boom!!!
The entire three-meter-high, half-meter-thick alloy door, along with the door frame and the walls on both sides, was blasted inward by this single blow, like a toy swatted away by a giant, crashing down the corridor with a series of loud clangs.
Alarms instantly blared throughout the entire outpost.
"Enemy attack! Frontal breach! Maximum alert!" Chaotic shouts and running footsteps came from inside.
Arthur brushed the non-existent dust off his body and stepped inside.
In the corridor, lights flickered. A dozen heavily armed guards in white polar combat suits aimed energy rifles at him, and behind them were two big guys wearing heavy exoskeletons, carrying large-caliber machine cannons.
"Fire!" the leading guard shouted. Energy beams and solid projectiles poured toward Arthur like a rainstorm.
Arthur sighed. "Too slow."
His body flickered, leaving an afterimage in place. The next instant, he had already appeared in the middle of the group of guards.
Crackle! Bang! Clang! The sounds of fists hitting flesh, metal twisting, and bodies slamming into walls rang out in unison, interspersed with short, sharp screams.
In less than three seconds, the corridor went quiet.
People were lying everywhere on the ground, and weapon parts were scattered all over. The two big exoskeleton guys had been dismantled into parts, and the operators were passed out in their cockpits.
Arthur didn't even look and continued walking inside. His Super Hearing locked onto the direction of the main control room, and he also heard an abnormal humming sound of obstructed energy flow coming from the underground energy zone.
"Wanda succeeded." He quickened his pace.
The door to the main control room was encrypted, but he didn't need a password. He placed his hand on the lock, using bio-electricity simulation combined with a bit of magic interference.
Click. The door opened.
Inside was a huge circular room, filled with screens and consoles. Seven people in high-level uniforms were busily operating something, and in the center stood a middle-aged man with grey hair and sinister eyes—this must be 'Sigma'.
When Arthur entered, he happened to hear 'Sigma' growling into a communicator: "...Initiate final protocol! Destroy all data! Initiate..."
He saw Arthur, his voice stopped abruptly, and his face instantly turned pale.
"Keep shouting, don't stop." Arthur walked over and casually pressed a guy who was trying to pull a gun into the console, shattering the screen all over the floor.
"You... how could you be so fast..." Sigma took a step back, his hand quietly reaching for a red button under the console.
"Want to self-destruct?" Arthur laughed. "Sorry, those precious machines of yours underground have just 'fallen asleep'. As for the data..."
He pointed to the main control server. "My wife is helping you make a 'backup', don't mention it."
Sigma's hand froze.
Just then, the entire facility shook violently! The ear-piercing alarm turned into an even more shrill shriek!
"Warning! Energy core unstable! Unknown energy interference detected on the third underground level! Forced shutdown of the replication device sequence failed, switching to overload status! Explosion countdown: 60 seconds!"
"What did you do?!" Sigma roared into the communicator.
Wanda's voice came from the communicator on Arthur, sounding a bit urgent: "Hubby, the device has a linked self-destruct program! It was triggered when I interfered! They're going to explode!"
"Got it." Arthur replied, then looked at Sigma. "Looks like your little toy has quite a temper."
A flash of despair crossed Sigma's face, then turned into madness. He slammed the red button, and at the same time, a necklace pendant around his neck lit up with blue light—it was a micro-teleportation device!
"Let's die together! Guardian!" he roared.
The blue light enveloped him.
"In your dreams." Arthur reached out and grabbed at the air.
The mass of blue teleportation light that was about to form was like being pinched by an invisible giant hand; it twisted violently and then extinguished with a pop.
Sigma fell from mid-air and crashed to the ground, the pendant around his neck shattering into powder.
Arthur walked over, stepped on the hand he was trying to use to reach for another weapon, bent down, and ripped a data storage chip module implanted in the back of his neck directly out.
"Thanks. I'll take your 'graduation thesis'."
He grabbed the ashen-faced Sigma and turned to run outside. "Wanda! Retreat!"
"Coming!" A dark red light rushed out from the underground passage entrance. Wanda appeared beside him, her face a little pale, but her eyes were very bright.
"I've roughly understood the principle of the device. It's interesting. Let's talk when we get back," she said quickly.
"Let's go!" Arthur grabbed Sigma with one hand and took Wanda's hand with the other. Golden light exploded.
The second after the three of them disappeared, rumbling—!!! A terrifying explosion came from deep underground, the entire outpost structure completely collapsed, and raging fire and thick smoke erupted from various exits, only to be quickly swallowed by the snowstorm filling the sky.
Brooklyn, safe house. Golden light lit up again, and Arthur, Wanda, plus a Sigma tied up like a mummy with magicropes, appeared in the room.
Arthur threw Sigma to Pietro, who ran out after hearing the commotion: "Brother-in-law, watch him well. This is a big fish."
Pietro's eyes lit up: "Alright! I guarantee I'll make him even more obedient than if he had entered a S.H.I.E.L.D.interrogation room!"
Arthur walked to the main console and inserted the data chip ripped from the back of Sigma's neck. Wanda also walked over and pulled up the energy flow spectrum recorded by her Chaos Magic when she was interfering with the device earlier.
The data began to parse. A few minutes later, Arthurswore. "Damn, we were still a step too late."
Wanda looked at the screen, her expression also not looking good: "Did they really send out part of the coordinate data? To those 'Ravagers'?"
"Yeah." Arthur pointed to an encrypted transmission log. "The timestamp is from before we arrived at the Pacific Ocean relay ship. The data packet is incomplete, but it contains the approximate location coordinates of Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy, as well as... my basic energy fluctuation characteristic samples. Although it's also a low-quality knockoff version, it's enough for interested cosmic mercenaries to lock onto the search range."
He leaned back in his chair. "The 'Sigma' faction is gone, but the threat of these 'Ravagers' hasn't been lifted yet. These cosmic street thugs might already be on their way."
Wanda took his hand. "Then we'll get ready. If one comes, we fight one. If a group comes, we fight a group."
Arthur held her hand back and laughed. "That's a must. But before that..."
He looked at the energy spectrum recorded by Wanda. "You said earlier that you had a new understanding of the device's principle?"
Wanda nodded, pointing to several key energy resonance nodes on the spectrum. "Their replication approach is very crude, but the direction is interesting. It's not simple imitation; they were trying to use Mind Stone energy as a 'binder' to forcibly merge different energy characteristics. Although they failed, this 'forced fusion' approach, if used in reverse..."
Her eyes lit up. "Maybe it could be used to reinforce our early warning system nodes, or... develop something else."
Arthur looked at his wife's glowing profile, and the bit of irritability he felt because of the 'Ravagers' dissipated quite a bit.
"Not bad, wifey. You went to cause some destruction and managed to pick up some new skills along the way." He laughed. "Then let's study it. As for those potential 'cosmic couriers'..."
His eyes turned cold. "We'll just sign for the package, and then give them a 'negative review'."
Chapter 66: Delivery
"We'll just sign for the package, and then give them a 'bad review'."
After Arthur said this, the room was silent for a few seconds. On the console, the data chip extracted from Sigma's brain and the energy spectrum recorded by Wanda were still flashing.
Wanda stared at the scrolling data streams, her brow still furrowed.
"Honey," she said, swiping a finger across the holographic screen to bring up a specifically marked encrypted log. "Look at this. The timestamp is from before we destroyed that relay ship in the Pacific Ocean. Although part of the data packet was intercepted, the approximate coordinate of Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy, and... your baseline energy fluctuation signature sample, have already been sent out."
Arthur leaned in to look. The log was written in an awkward encryption format, roughly meaning, "Part of the goods have been shipped. Please keep an eye out for delivery. The balance is to be paid upon receipt."
"This Sigma is quite efficient," Arthur said, twitching the corner of his mouth. "Useless when it comes to paying up, but a real pro at backstabbing their own teammates."
"The point is, the Ravagers have already received it." Wanda's voice was a bit heavy. "Even if the data is incomplete, it's enough for them to know where Earth is and who to come looking for. And..."
She paused and pulled up another fragmented file recovered from the wreckage of the Antarctic outpost server.
"And in the communication, Sigma made you sound... particularly valuable." Wanda read the text on the screen. "'Suspected of possessing individual biological energy and dimensional manipulation abilities that transcend conventional cognition. Threat level extremely high. Recommend high-spec elimination protocol.' They even attached your peak energy readings, which they guessed based on the residual energy from our previous conflicts."
Arthur chuckled. "Oh? They even made me a 'Combat Power Assessment Report'? That's quite the dedicated service."
"Don't laugh." Wanda turned to look at him, her eyes serious. "Mercenary organizations in the Universe will do anything for a high enough reward. Now that they have the coordinates and a target profile, even if the data is knock-off, they will definitely send someone to verify it."
She tapped the console a few times to bring up the real-time interface of the global early warning system.
"Our warning system covers Earth's atmosphere and low Earth orbit, but beyond that, it gets a bit fuzzy. If the Ravagers' ships have advanced cloaking or space-jump technology, they might sneak right up to our doorstep without us noticing."
Arthur set aside his joking demeanor and nodded. "Understood. Then raise the alert level to maximum. Set all nodes of the warning system to full power, and focus on scanning for spatial anomalies in low Earth orbit and near the Lagrange points. Also..."
He thought for a moment, then connected to the encrypted line with Tony Stark.
The communication connected after two rings.
"Hello? Zhang? If you're calling at this hour, you'd better have good news, or at least something that won't make me lose another couple of hairs." Tony's voice had some background noise; it sounded like he was tinkering away in his lab.
"No good news, but I've got plenty of hair-loss-inducing stuff," Arthur said. "Long story short, I just took out a radical Hydra nest, and I dug something out of their leader's brain. Those guys, on the verge of death, packaged up Earth's coordinates and my 'personal resume' and sold them to a space mercenary organization called the 'Ravagers'."
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
"...Say that again? Sold to whom?" Tony asked.
"The Ravagers. Sounds like the 'Uber for Assassins' of the Universe," Arthur said. "They might have already sent people over, or they might be on their way. I need you to use Stark Industries' orbital monitoring satellites, and any space-based telescopes S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't scrapped yet, to keep a close watch on the perimeter of Earth, especially the airspace over the open Pacific Ocean. If there's any UFO or energy signal, notify me immediately."
Tony clicked his tongue. "I knew nothing good would come from getting involved with you. Fine, I'll adjust the satellite permissions right away. But, 'Ravagers'? I think I caught a glimpse of that name in some S.H.I.E.L.D. top-secret file. They seem to be a group of armed contractors active on the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. Their reputation... isn't great. They do anything for money."
"That confirms it then," Arthur said. "Sigma's asking price was Vibranium and my data. Earth still has stocks of Vibranium, and they gave them a knock-off version of my data. But these mercenaries will definitely come to inspect the goods."
"Do you need me to help 'host' them?" Tony asked. "My new armor is just looking for a live-fire test subject."
"Not yet," Arthur said. "You and your armor are too conspicuous. I'll go scout them out first to see if they're small fry or big sharks. If I need you, I'll call you."
"Got it. Keep the comms open." Tony hung up.
Just as Arthur put down the communicator, Wandabeside him suddenly let out a soft "Hmm?"
She closed her eyes, and dark red Chaos Magic flickered faintly around her. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, looking a bit puzzled.
"Honey, I just... I think I'saw' something," Wanda said. "Not with my eyes, but with magic perception. When I touched that data core, there was a tiny, very 'pure' fragment of psychic energy left inside. It's a bit like the energy from the scepter I sensed before, but... cleaner?"
She pointed to her forehead. "That fragment seems to have activated a part of my perception. I just tried to extend my perception outward, and well... it reached quite far."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "How far?"
"Almost to low Earth orbit," Wanda said. "I can vaguely feel the 'texture' of space there, and... a bit of an abnormal 'wrinkle,' like something just slid past and left a trace."
Arthur's gaze sharpened.
Almost simultaneously, the global early warning system on the console let out a short beep, and a red warning box popped up.
[Alert: Abnormal spatial fluctuation detected in low Earthorbit. Coordinates: Airspace over the open Pacific Ocean. Fluctuation characteristics do not match known Earth/Chitauri technology. Suspected unknown alien civilization vessel breaching the atmosphere. Projected landing point: XX degrees North Latitude, XX degrees West Longitude (coincides with the waters where the previous Hydra relay ship sank).]
Immediately after, Tony's communication request flashed in again.
Arthur connected.
"Zhang! My satellites caught it!" Tony said quickly. "A small ship, about the size of a bus. Its cloaking technology is very impressive; it almost slipped past! It just came down from low Earth orbit, the angle of its atmospheric entry was extremely tricky, and it's currently descending toward that coordinate point in the Pacific! It's that exact patch of ocean you told me to keep an eye on!"
"I see it," Arthur said, staring at the real-time trajectory map on the warning system. "Thanks, Tony. Keep monitoring it, and let me know immediately if there are any changes."
"What are you planning to do?" Tony asked.
"Go say hello." Arthur finished, then looked at Wanda.
Wanda had already stood up, dark red magic coalescing in her hands.
"Together," she said.
Arthur didn't object. The two walked to the center of the safe house.
A flash of golden light.
Open Pacific Ocean, late at night.
The sea surface was pitch black, with only faint moonlight shining down. There wasn't a single ship in sight.
Arthur and Wanda hovered in mid-air a few dozen meters above the sea. Invisibility magic allowed them to blend perfectly into the night.
"There," Wanda whispered, pointing her finger at a spot on the sea surface about two kilometers away.
Arthur's Superman vision pierced through the seawater, and he saw the thing.
A ship with a very... rugged design. It was about the size of a school bus, its hull a dull metallic gray, covered in various welding scars and external equipment. It had zero streamlined aesthetic and looked like it had been forcibly cobbled together from a pile of scrap parts. It was hovering quietly a dozen meters below the surface, its engines making almost no sound, with only very faint energy fluctuations.
"This aesthetic is very 'wasteland style'," Arthurmuttered. "Looks like the Ravagers organization isn't exactly flush with cash."
Wanda closed her eyes to sense it. "There are two humanoid lifeforms in the ship. Their energy signatures... aren't weak, but they're not particularly strong either. They just left the ship and are diving deeper into the seabed. Their target is... the wreckage of that previous Hydra relay ship."
"Going to find evidence, to confirm the intelligence," Arthur realized. "Looks like these mercenaries are quite cautious. They have to check the'sample' before taking the job."
"What do we do?" Wanda asked.
"You stay up here," Arthur said. "Use your magic to set up a silent barrier around this area. Don't let them send out any signals, and don't let them run away. I'll go down and 'chat' with them."
Wanda nodded, raising her hands. Dark red magic, like an invisible giant net, silently spread over the surrounding sea and sky, completely sealing off the area.
Arthur, meanwhile, dove into the water like a fish, without even splashing much.
He dove much faster than the two alien mercenaries. He quickly saw the two guys.
Two humanoid creatures, about two meters tall, wearing sturdy-looking diving armor, with thrusters on their backs. They were holding some kind of scanning device and rummaging through a pile of shipwreck debris.
Arthur didn't reveal himself directly. He first used an invisibility spell to hide himself completely, then swam silently behind the two.
One of the mercenaries seemed to have found something. He fished a scorched circuit board out of the wreckage, scanned it, and then said something into the communicator in his helmet—the pronunciation was very strange, not an Earth language, but Arthur could understand it.
"Confirmed, the wreckage energy signature partially matches the sample provided by the employer. Preliminary verification of intelligence credibility."
The other mercenary replied: "Risk factor still needs assessment. Target individual 'Guardian' energy readings are too high. Recommend continued observation; do not accept the elimination mission for now."
Hearing this, Arthur knew what was going on.
He dispelled his invisibility and appeared directly in front of the two.
The two mercenaries were startled and instantly raised their weapons—two energy guns that looked like large-caliber nail guns.
Arthur didn't give them a chance to fire.
He raised his hand and clenched the air.
The two mercenaries were grabbed as if by an invisible giant hand, clamped tight along with their armor, unable to move. They tried to struggle, but the difference in strength was too great; it was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
Arthur swam in front of them, looking at the two astonished, pale-blue-skinned alien faces behind the helmet visors.
"Good evening," Arthur said in the universal galactic language—this was something he'd learned from the Ancient One, and he hadn't expected it to actually come in handy. "You two are from the 'Ravagers' company, right? Coming to Earth for a trip without filing a report in advance isn't very polite."
One mercenary tried to press a button on his armor, likely for a distress signal or self-destruct.
Arthur flicked his finger, and a sliver of golden magicenergy slipped into the armor's seams, instantly paralyzing all electronic equipment.
"Don't be nervous, I'm just going to ask a few questions," Arthur said in a calm tone. "I'll let you go after I'm done. Cooperate, and it'll be better for everyone."
A faint golden light welled up in his eyes, and his mind magic seeped directly into their surface consciousness.
The interrogation process was quick. These two mercenaries didn't have particularly strong wills, and under Arthur's absolute power and magical suppression, they basically answered whatever was asked.
They were indeed advance scouts sent by the Ravagersorganization. Their mission was to confirm the authenticity of the intelligence provided by the Hydra "Sigma" faction, and to assess Earth's defense level and the actual threat level of the target "Guardian" (which was Arthur).
The Ravagers' main fleet was still several galaxies away, holding a meeting to discuss whether to take the job. The reward was tempting (three pieces of high-purity Vibranium), but the risks seemed significant (Arthur's energy data looked a bit frightening).
So they sent a small ship over to take a look first.
If they confirmed the target was easy to handle and Earth's defenses were lackluster, the main fleet might come over to pull off the job.
If the situation wasn't right, they'd just consider the reconnaissance mission complete and go back to report "risk too high, suggest increasing payment or abandoning."
Very standard mercenary thinking.
After Arthur finished asking, he casually erased a portion of their short-term memory regarding being subdued just now, leaving only the memory of them "successfully finding the wreckage and completing the preliminary reconnaissance."
Then he released the restraint.
The two mercenaries regained their freedom, feeling a bit dazed, but with their memories modified, they only felt that they had completed the scanning mission and it was time to withdraw.
Arthur watched them swim back to that ugly ship and silently flicked a magical beacon, smaller than a speck of dust, onto an inconspicuous crack in the ship's hull.
The ship started up, silently surfaced, and then the engines glowed, quickly ascending, breaking through the clouds, and disappearing into outer space.
Wanda removed the silent barrier and flew to Arthur's side.
"Did you find out clearly?" she asked.
"Yeah." Arthur briefly summarized the intelligence he'd gathered. "The main force hasn't come yet, they're still hesitating. These two were just here to scope things out."
"You let them go, and left a beacon?" Wanda understood her husband's intention.
"Right." Arthur looked in the direction the ship had disappeared. "The beacon will follow them, recording their flight path and potential communication nodes. If we're lucky, we can trace it back to the Ravagers' lair, or at least a staging point they use often."
He put his arm around Wanda's shoulder. "Let's go, let's go home first. Although Sigma is gone, the mess they left behind isn't over yet. We need to dig out all their remaining hideouts on Earth and root them out before the Ravagersmake up their minds. Otherwise, being constantly targeted makes it hard to sleep at night."
Wanda leaned against him and nodded. Her Chaos Magic, while setting up the barrier and sensing the ship's energy earlier, had gained a clearer impression of that kind of rugged alien technological energy.
"That kind of energy, it's very... barbaric," she said. "It's completely different from Earth's technological system. My magic seems to be able to distinguish it more easily now."
"Good thing." Arthur smiled. "Next time another alien 'delivery' comes, you'll be able to recognize it at a glance."
Golden light shone again, and the two figures vanished from the pitch-black sea surface.
Only the waves were left gently lapping, as if nothing had ever happened.
Chapter 67: Countermeasure
The golden light dissipated in the safe house, and Arthur and Wanda just stood still.
"Did that 'dust' stick firmly?" Wanda asked.
Arthur walked to the main console, tapped his fingers on the virtual keyboard a few times, and brought up a nearly invisible, slowly moving light spot signal. "It stuck. The ship just broke through the atmosphere and is drifting outside Earth's orbit. The signal is very stable."
He pulled over a chair, sat down, closed his eyes, and drew several complex golden runes in the air with his fingers.
"Let me see what the customer service channel for this group of 'interstellar Uber drivers' looks like."
Those runes lit up for a moment, then turned into several strands of golden light, drilling into the interface of the main console.
The holographic screen immediately began to scroll wildly with various distorted symbols and data streams that did not conform to any of Earth's encoding rules.
Wanda also walked over and gently pressed her hand on Arthur's shoulder. The dark red Chaos Magic, like a layer of warm halo, wrapped around his arm and then seeped into those golden runes.
"The signal is a bit... drifting." Wanda frowned, "The underlying logic of their communication protocol is very strange; it's not electromagnetic waves, but more like some kind of directional energy ripple, mixed with... bio-electrical signals?"
"Whatever the signal is, as long as it can be cracked, it's fine." Arthur grinned, "Even if Jarvis came, he'd have to call me master."
The golden runes and dark red magic intertwined like two keys, forcibly twisting within those messy data streams.
Sizzle—!
The garbled characters on the screen paused abruptly and then began to rearrange into a structure that was barely intelligible. Although most of the content was still encrypted, the "shell" of the communication protocol had been peeled away.
"It's through." Arthur opened his eyes, "Eavesdropping now... Huh?"
He suddenly stopped, listening to something.
Wanda also felt it. Her hand pressing on Arthur's shoulder exerted slight pressure, and the dark red magicflowed faster.
From the main console's speakers came a broadcast, intermittent and mixed with intense interference noise. The language was not any of Earth's, but both Arthur and Wanda could understand the general meaning.
"...Coordinates... Kuiper Belt... Sector L-7... Abandoned Outpost... Rendezvous... Encountered... Attack... Repeat... Request... Support..."
The broadcast cut off there, leaving only the sound of sizzling static.
Arthur and Wanda looked at each other.
"The Kuiper Belt?" Arthur pulled up the Solar Systemstar map, pointed his finger at an area far outside sparks' orbit, "That's almost out of our backyard. Sector L-7... is an archaic method of naming interstellar coordinates."
"Do they have a gathering point there?" Wanda looked at that distant coordinate point, "Or a relay station? The broadcast said 'encountered an attack', 'requesting support'."
"Interesting." Arthur stroked his chin, "The 'Ravagers' got beaten up themselves? Dog eat dog? Or did they step on the tail of another 'local bully'?"
He thought for a moment, and his fingers started drawing in the air again. This time, the runes were more complex, and the golden light was brighter.
"Just eavesdropping isn't enough; I have to go see for myself." Arthur said, "But it's so far away, it's too much effort for me to fly there, and the magic energy isn't stable enough to transmit. I have to find another way."
Wanda understood immediately: "You want to use 'consciousness projection'? That super long-range reconnaissance magic? The one Ancient One taught, it consumes a lot of mental energy."
"Yes." Arthur nodded, "I need you to help me open a 'path' and stabilize the energy channel. My consciousness will follow the channel, like flying a kite—take a look and come back."
Wanda didn't hesitate: "Okay. How do we coordinate?"
"You sit next to me and use your Chaos Magic to construct a stable energy link pointing to that coordinate." Arthurpointed to the point on the star map, "Don't worry about the details, just maintain the 'channel' so it doesn't break or drift. I'll handle the rest."
"Understood."
Wanda sat cross-legged on the floor next to Arthur and formed a simple hand seal in front of her chest. Dark red magic poured out of her, like a glowing stream, slowly flowing toward Arthur, and then spiraling up along the complex golden runes he was constructing.
Arthur also sat down and closed his eyes.
Those golden runes condensed into a fist-sized, slowly rotating ball of light in front of him. In the center of the light ball, a tiny, constantly changing miniature star map could be vaguely seen.
"Going."
After Arthur said this, his whole body seemed to lose all strength instantly, and his head drooped slightly. But the golden ball of light in front of him suddenly lit up!
A golden thread, thinner than a hair and nearly invisible, shot out from the light ball, plunged into the dark red magic stream Wanda had constructed, and then, following the direction of the stream, rushed into the depths of the starry sky at an incomprehensible speed.
Wanda's body trembled slightly. She could clearly feel that at the other end of the magic channel she was maintaining, something heavy yet incredibly flexible had suddenly "hooked" on. This thing was moving away at an astonishing speed, stretching the channel to be extremely long and thin, yet it remained exceptionally tough.
She had to concentrate all her mental energy to keep the channel from collapsing or breaking.
Time passed bit by bit.
The safe house was quiet, with only the faint humming of the main console's cooling fan.
Fine beads of sweat began to seep from Wanda's forehead. Maintaining this kind of super long-range, high-load energy channel was a first for her. She could feel her magical perception being forcibly "stretched" by this channel, extending toward the distant deep space.
It was tiring, but also... novel.
She could vaguely perceive that at the other end of the channel, Arthur's magical consciousness was traveling through patches of void space, skimming past the asteroid belt, and speeding toward that coordinate point.
I don't know how long it had been.
Wanda suddenly felt a violent vibration coming from the other end of the channel!
It wasn't a physical vibration; it was a pure energy shock.
She immediately increased her magic output to stabilize the channel.
Almost at the same time, Arthur's body shook violently, and he opened his eyes.
The golden light ball in front of him dissipated with a "pop". Wanda also breathed a sigh of relief, dispersed the magic channel, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"How was it?" She asked, her voice a bit hoarse.
Arthur didn't answer immediately. His eyes were still a bit unfocused, as if he had just returned from an extremely distant place.
After a few seconds, he spoke.
"I saw it." Arthur said, "Kuiper Belt, Sector L-7. There really is a dump there."
He brought up the blurry images recorded by the main console, which had been transmitted back by his magical consciousness.
In the image, there was a background of cold starry sky. Floating in the middle was a very small space station that looked like several metal cans welded together haphazardly; it was already broken beyond recognition, with several large holes in the outer shell. Around the space station, the wreckage of four or five spaceships was also floating. The styles of those ships varied; some looked like the wasteland style of the 'Ravagers' scout ships they had seen, while others were more... orderly, but all were smoking, and some parts were still slowly disintegrating.
The image zoomed in.
One could see new energy weapon burn marks and explosive gaps on the space station's shell and those wrecks. Some debris was still slowly drifting away.
"They fought, and it just finished not long ago." Arthurpointed to those marks, "Looking at the energy residue spectrum, it's not the same type of weapon. At least two or three parties fought here."
"The 'Ravagers' infighting?" Wanda asked.
"Or they bumped into other 'clients' or 'competitors'." Arthur said, "My consciousness just got close, wanting to see if I could find some data debris, but I triggered the strong energy interference field remaining there. It was like a high-voltage power grid; it almost scattered my strand of consciousness. I pulled back immediately."
He leaned back and rubbed his temples.
"But there's good news." Arthur said, "Looking at the mess at the scene and the distress broadcast, the 'Ravagers' must be having a headache lately. Their own backyard is on fire, so they probably won't have time to worry about this'small business' on Earth for the time being."
Wanda nodded, but didn't relax: "Not having time in the short term doesn't mean they won't come later. That coordinate point is one of their gathering points or relay stations. Although it's destroyed now, it shows their range of activity has already reached the Kuiper Belt. It's not particularly far from Earth."
"True." Arthur sat up straight, "So we can't let our guard down. They don't have time now, which just gives us time."
He began to operate the main console.
"Early warning system, add a new monitoring module. Focus on scanning the periphery of Earth, from the lunar orbit to the Kuiper Belt area; any non-natural, non-Earthspaceship energy signals, space jump ripples, or large-scale energy gatherings are to be marked, and the priority is to be set to the highest."
With the order given, the system interface immediately added a deep space monitoring area map.
"Also," Arthur thought for a moment and connected to the encrypted line with Tony.
The communication connected quickly.
"What now? My lab ceiling is about to be blown off by my new ideas." Tony's voice came through.
"Sending you some 'takeout'." Arthur said, "Kuiper Belt, Sector L-7 coordinates. Use Stark Industries' deep space telescope to take a look over there and see if there's a pile of space junk floating around."
It was quiet on Tony's end for a few seconds, followed by the sound of rapid keyboard typing.
"...Let me see... Retrieving recent space-based observation data... Kuiper Belt... L-7... Holy crap." Tony cursed, "There really is! A pile of debris, energy readings are all over the place, it's clearly from a fight. Where did you get these coordinates?"
"Trade secret." Arthur said, "Just tell me, are these coordinates worth you buying me a cup of coffee?"
"Worth it, totally worth it." Tony's voice became serious, "Battle wreckage appearing in such a place means the outer Solar System isn't 'clean'. I'll strengthen monitoring. Thanks, Zhang."
"You're welcome. Let me know if you find anything."
Hanging up the communication, Arthur looked at Wanda.
Wanda was working her wrists, her face showing a bit of fatigue, but her eyes were very bright.
"How do you feel?" Arthur asked.
"Very tired." Wanda said honestly, "But... it seems my 'magic vision' has improved. When I was maintaining the channel just now, I could feel the energy flow in very distant places, although it was very blurry. And the channel was so long and didn't break; I feel like I'm'sturdier' than before."
Arthur smiled and reached out to put his arm around her shoulder: "Of course, my wife is a potential stock."
Wanda leaned on him, looking at the new deep space monitoring module on the main console.
"What's next?" She asked.
"Next," Arthur said, "we'll keep watching. Keep an eye on Earth's periphery so the 'Ravagers' or whatever else doesn't slip in. On the other hand..."
His eyes turned cold.
"We also need to hurry and dig out the last of the trash 'Sigma' left on Earth. Only after cleaning up inside and out can we sleep soundly."
Wanda nodded and held his hand.
On the main console's screen, the blue light representing Earth floated quietly, with a new circle of nearly invisible, constantly scanning pale golden ripples on the outside.
Further away, the coordinate point marked as "Kuiper BeltL-7" flickered faintly in the depths of the starry sky like a silent warning light.