Rio de Janeiro Slums
Night fell, and the narrow, winding alleys of the slum were filled with the damp air, a mixture of garbage, sweat, and cheap alcohol.
Bucky pulled his cap low, the collar of his black jacket turned up, obscuring half his face. His mechanical arm was hidden beneath a glove, but his fist was clenched, ready for any sudden development.
The walls on both sides of the street were covered in chaotic graffiti, and some extremely small and hard-to-spot markings caught his attention—twisted skulls enveloped in a ball of green flame. It was the symbol of the Dimension Demon God Dormammu's followers.
"The intel was correct," Bucky muttered softly, his footsteps unwavering.
A few drunkards leaned against a wall, their eyes hazy as they sized him up, but Bucky's gaze merely swept over them coldly, and they instinctively averted their eyes. Here, dangerous people rarely flaunted themselves, and the subtle killing intent emanating from Bucky was enough to make even the most reckless thugs retreat.
He turned into an even darker alley, at the end of which was a rusty iron gate, with a faint purple light seeping through the cracks. Two burly men stood beside the gate, their arms covered in various tattoos that, upon closer inspection, formed Dormammu's symbol when pieced together. Their waists bulged, clearly concealing weapons.
Bucky didn't stop but walked straight towards them.
"Stop," one of them reached out to block him, his eyes wary. "Outsiders aren't welcome here."
Bucky slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of cold eyes: "I heard that 'truth' can be found here."
The two men exchanged glances, and one of them sneered, "You? An outsider, seeking truth?"
Bucky didn't answer. He just pulled out a coin-sized metal piece from his pocket, engraved with the same cultic runes. This was a token he had confiscated from a HYDRA Base.
The guards' expressions changed. After a moment of hesitation, they finally stepped aside: "Go in, but don't cause trouble."
The iron gate opened, and Bucky stepped inside.
—Behind the door was another World.
Under dim lights, dozens of cultists knelt on the ground, chanting obscure incantations in low voices. In the center of the room, a black-robed figure stood on a stage, surrounded by strange purple energy, his eyes as black as ink, as if capable of devouring all light.
"Another lost soul seeking power?" the black-robed figure slowly spoke, his voice like it came from an abyss.
Bucky stared at him coldly: "I've come for answers."
"Answers?" The black-robed figure laughed, his laughter like countless pieces of glass rubbing together. "Dormammu's truth is only bestowed upon devout followers."
"I don't believe in gods," Bucky's voice was calm, "but I heard you can awaken dormant power."
The black-robed figure narrowed his eyes, and purple energy flowed around his fingertips: "What do you mean?"
Bucky was silent for a moment, then finally spoke:
"Mark-2 - Devil Edition."
The air in the room instantly solidified. The black-robed figure, after hearing Bucky's words, suddenly let out a chilling laugh.
"Interesting…" His voice became distorted. "It seems you are more valuable than I imagined."
Bucky's mechanical arm clicked into combat mode, but the next second, the entire space began to twist and deform.
The walls flowed like melting wax, and strange ripples appeared on the ground. The surrounding scene peeled away like a broken mirror, revealing an alternate dimension composed of countless mirror surfaces.
"Mirror Dimension?" Bucky vigilantly looked around but saw countless versions of himself in the mirrors—some were HYDRA's Winter Soldier, while others were blood-soaked killing machines.
The black-robed figure had vanished. In his place, a man whose eyes were completely eroded by darkness stepped out of the mirror.
"Kaecilius…" Bucky whispered the man's name.
"You are quite knowledgeable, Winter Soldier." Kaecilius's voice came from all directions, a strange smile on his lips. "I don't know where you got the information about the Mark-2 - Devil Edition armor, but everything is predetermined."
"Speak, what do you need?" Kaecilius's voice returned to normal.
"I know that the Dimension Demon God's energy can activate that armor."
"Perhaps it can, perhaps it cannot. Besides the earliest kill footage from the Middle East, there is no other information about that armor." Kaecilius waved his hand, and a tea table and four futons appeared between them.
"However, do you know about Whiplash's armor in Monaco?" Kaecilius walked to a futon, sat cross-legged on it, and gestured for Bucky to take a seat.
"Not much," Bucky didn't sit down. Instead, he stood opposite Kaecilius with his hands in his pockets.
"That armor was an experimental product of Mephisto and Whiplash. It wasn't a success, but it was at least somewhat close. So, I'll let Mephisto's spokesman explain it personally." Kaecilius didn't mind Bucky's demeanor.
"Aren't you afraid I'm just a decoy?" Bucky was somewhat surprised that Kaecilius would be willing to tell him so much.
"A decoy? Ancient One hasn't walked among humans for a long time, and Asgard's God-King is grieving over the loss of his loved one. If not for the Dimension Demon Gods being severely wounded three years ago, perhaps this World would already be their paradise."
Kaecilius sneered, "And you are merely a mortal body, a combination of flesh and machine."
As he spoke, he gestured to the side, and a circle of black-gold sparks appeared in the air. The scene on the other side was just a reddish-brown mist, and then a middle-aged man in a tuxedo and top hat walked out.
He held a cane with a goat's head at the top, adorned with demon horns, and the goat's eyes were filled with two rubies.
His steps were extremely precise, each one perfectly placed, and the smile on his face made people feel at ease.
He walked to Kaecilius's side, took off his top hat, and bowed to Bucky and Kaecilius.
"Good day, gentlemen."
He scrutinized the suddenly appearing British gentleman—the man's Oxford shoes stepped into the void of the Mirror Dimension, yet produced real footsteps.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the gentleman said with a smile, introducing himself to Bucky. "William von Klaus, Earl of Devon County." His British accent sounded as if it had traveled from the Victorian era. "Of course, now friends are more accustomed to calling me—'The Merchant'."
Kaecilius scoffed: "The rubies you sold me last time turned three believers into walking candles."
William stroked the gem eyes on his goat-head cane, a perfect smile on his lips: "Dealing with demons always comes at a price." He suddenly turned to Bucky, his ruby eyes flashing with a strange light, "This gentleman seems very… complicated."
"Cut the crap, tell me how to activate that armor." Bucky felt uncomfortable looking at this pretentious guy.
"Rude, impatient U.S. citizen." William smiled and waved his hand, and a red mist appeared out of thin air, forming a high-backed chair beneath him. He sat down, crossed his legs, "But I like straightforward people, Bucky Barnes. I can provide you with a little help to activate the armor, but…"
"Speak."
"Activating the armor doesn't mean you can use it for too long. You need to bring it back. I think my Lord would be very willing to personally engrave Hell runes on it to drive the armor. At that time, you can get everything you want."
"Then… what's the price?" Bucky frowned.
"The price? Your soul, or Chen Tian's?" William rested his chin on his hand.
"Chen Tian? I'm not his match."
"That's none of our business, Bucky Barnes. This is the necessary price for the contract. Either offer a soul equivalent to yours, or offer Chen Tian's soul." William stared at Barnes with a smile, his pupils scarlet like a whirlpool, wanting to devour all souls.
"Deal. I will provide a soul of equal value." Bucky nodded.
"Very good!" William snapped his fingers and waved his cane in the void, and a contract formed from crimson light appeared. William produced a quill pen from nowhere and handed it to Bucky. "Now, sign your name, and our cooperation can begin."
Bucky was silent for a moment, then took the quill and wrote his name on the contract.
As he wrote the last character, the contract suddenly burst into flames, then transformed into the shape of a goat-headed demon before dissipating into the air.
Upon seeing the contract disappear, William clapped softly, "Bravo, now we are partners, Mr. Barnes."
William raised his hand and lightly drew his fingertip across the air, and a dark red crack appeared out of thin air. He reached into it, as if rummaging through some invisible treasure vault.
"Ah, found it," he smiled, taking out a ruby from the void.
William toyed with the gem, which was crimson on the outside and had light flowing within.
Then he tossed it to Bucky.
Bucky quickly caught it. The gem was cut into a perfect polyhedron, only the size of a thumb. Bucky stared at it, instinctively feeling uncomfortable—this gem didn't seem like a product of Earth; it was more like a fragment forcibly torn from some alternate dimension.
"A gift from Hell," William's voice carried a hint of excitement. "Insert it into the energy interface on the armor's chest. It will automatically adjust its size, and then,"
"You'll be able to activate the armor."
Bucky nodded and turned to look at Kaecilius. Kaecilius understood, and with a wave of his right hand in the air, a black-gold spark teleportation gate appeared.
Bucky put the gem in his pocket and turned to leave.
"Mr. Barnes, remember, the gem can only activate the armor, but… it cannot allow the armor to engage in too much combat. Your goal is to steal the armor and bring it to me," William reminded Bucky just as he was about to leave.
Bucky stopped, listened to William's words, and then entered the teleportation gate again.
"William, can that armor kill Chen Tian?" Kaecilius didn't quite believe this. He firmly believed in magic and never had much hope for physical things.
William spread his hands and shrugged, "Can it or can't it? What does it matter to me? I'm just a 'Merchant'."
—
Bucky's figure reappeared in the alleyways of the Rio de Janeiro slum.
The damp night wind carried the stench of garbage, a stark contrast to the strange smell in the Mirror Dimension.
He instinctively touched the ruby in his pocket; it was emitting an ominous warmth.
"Time to go." He pulled his cap low. In the distance, police sirens and gunshots from gang clashes could be heard, but this street violence somehow brought him a sense of peace—at least this was human World chaos, not those damned magic tricks.
Five hundred meters away, Ban stood atop a water tower, his entire figure merging with the night.
He pressed his earphone, "2B, the Zhongshan Wolf has left the book bag."
2B's calm voice came from the other end of the earpiece: "Received. Master said… we can appropriately notify Mr. Dongguo before the Zhongshan Wolf finds its fangs."
Ban smiled coldly, "Received."
His figure dissipated into the air.
—
Arbitrator Tower · Chen Tian's Private Bathroom
Chen Tian lay back in the large bathtub, warm water enveloping his body, with a few soothing aromatherapy leaves floating on the surface.
He closed his eyes, his breathing steady, as if he had already sunk into a semi-conscious state.
2B stood behind him, her slender fingers gently pressing on his temples. She was wearing a black school swimsuit, her silver-white short hair slightly damp from the steam.
"Master," her voice was very soft, as if afraid to disturb his rest, "Ban has done as you instructed."
Chen Tian didn't open his eyes, just a slight upward curve of his lips, revealing a faint smile.
"2B," he slowly spoke, his voice lazy, "What way do you think… would make Tony leave his and Pepper's love nest?"
2B's fingers paused for a moment, then resumed the massage: "Send them on a trip?"
"Tony wouldn't be interested," Chen Tian gently raised his hand, his fingertips tracing the water's surface, creating ripples, "Tell Melina that Killian can start his 'revenge' now."
2B's red pupils flickered slightly: "You mean?"
Chen Tian finally opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in his dark pupils: "In the plan I gave Melina, with so many years of funding, Extremis is more stable than we imagined. I think Killian is already eager to seek revenge on Tony."
2B nodded: "Master, the message has been relayed to Ms. Melina."
"Very good. Although the plot of Iron Man 3 was delayed, it's still here, isn't it?" Chen Tian closed his eyes again.
Wanda gently pushed open the bathroom door. In the misty steam, she walked barefoot on the marble floor, her long legs looking even more alluring under the outline of her loose-fitting dress. Deep red silk lingerie clung to her graceful curves, and a sheer, translucent shawl slipped from her shoulders with each step, revealing her delicate collarbones.
"Is the water temperature still suitable?" Her voice was extremely seductive, like a fox spirit from ancient Dragon Kingdom.
Chen Tian raised his wet arm from the water. He hooked Wanda's waist chain and gently tugged, and the Witch tumbled into the bathtub, splashing water that wet 2B's swimsuit.
"Master…" 2B's voice became small. She was also pulled into the bathtub by Chen Tian.
For a moment, playful sounds filled the bathroom.
"Holy crap, Wanda! You can do that! Isn't this for kids?"
"Do you like it?"
"I love it!"
"Wow! 2B, can you open this part?"
"Master, this armor opens like this…"
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)