Chapter 130: Alternative Plan
October 19, 2022 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Don't let the Old Bartender's super unreliable appearance fool you; he... alright, to be fair, a lot of the time he *is* damn unreliable.
But don't underestimate the rapport between the Old Bartender and Tony.
The Old Bartender has a suspicious nature and trusts no one, which is somewhat similar to Batman. His difficult early life experiences have always led people like him to assume the worst of others.
But that doesn't mean he has no friends or... people he can trust.
Tony is the only person the Old Bartender has trusted so far, and vice-versa. Don't let their constant trash-talking, endless taunts, and sarcastic remarks fool you. When pushed, the two would even come to blows—though Tony always left the Old Bartender black and blue. Outsiders would surely think this old man and young man were the biggest enemies under the heavens.
But it's precisely because they harbor no dark thoughts and are open-minded that they can bicker with each other without reservation.
For example, right now, the Old Bartender remained vigilant around Amanda. This woman was no ordinary person; he'd never seen anyone carry so many blades and weapons on them. If she was dangerous, or even if it was uncertain, the paranoid and insecure Old Bartender advocated striking first and simply killing her.
Tony subtly shook his head, stopping him.
No matter how strong Amanda was, she was still human. Regardless of her intentions or thoughts, it was enough for Tony to ensure he was stronger than her. Besides, wasn't the Old Bartender constantly watching her? The Old Bartender's vigilance was unparalleled. Even if Amanda was a highly trained assassin, the Old Bartender had spent most of his life living on the edge; how much worse could he be? Don't forget, the Old Bartender had spent decades escaping countless encirclements from the Vampires.
"The Fountain of Rejuvenation has an owner?" Amanda, whether she noticed their exchange and pretended not to, or simply didn't care, showed an astonished expression. This was the first time she'd heard the true secret of the Fountain of Rejuvenation.
Her expression truly changed, and she was visibly affected.
The Court of Owls had controlled a pool of the Fountain of Rejuvenation for hundreds of years, never ceasing their research into it, yet this was the first time they learned it had an owner. Even more terrifying was that the Fountain's owner seemed capable of controlling, or even erasing, those who had used its waters. Amanda still remembered that terrifying sense of despair; everything in her body screamed, and her spirit and body nearly collapsed.
"Is it a Psychic? Using the Fountain of Rejuvenation as a medium? We must find him and kill him!" Amanda's expression was grave, her resolute tone suggesting she was about to crush a bug.
"A Psychic... I suppose so..." Tony's eye twitched. Kill whom? If that entity so much as exhaled, let alone the few of them, the entire Earth would be gone. If it weren't for the Sorcerer Supreme holding down the fort, who would dare speak like that?
"Who is it, exactly? We must kill him, no matter the cost!" Amanda was filled with Killing Intent.
Tony was speechless. An organization of the Court of Owls' caliber wasn't qualified to know the secrets of the Cosmos. Confined to the small place of Gotham City for hundreds of years, their horizons were limited. But Tony had no intention of explaining. Even if he did, what good would it do? Could the Court of Owls immediately assemble an interstellar fleet and fight their way to Hell?
The boundless Multiverse alone could trap countless Super Interstellar Civilizations, let alone breaking through the Speed Force Wall's blockade to reach Hell. That was an entirely different level.
The Speed Force Wall tightly enveloped countless Multiverses, serving as the source of speed for The Flash and other Speedsters. It was both a blockade of the Multiverse and a form of protection, depending on how one interpreted it, largely preventing the fragile Multiverse from being easily invaded by worlds beyond the wall, such as Hell and Apokolips.
This wall not only existed in the Three-dimensional World recognized by people, but also traversed countless Timelines, past and future, and spanned countless Dimensions.
The Speed Force Wall, with the exception of a few extremely special locations, was truly omnipresent. The difficulty of breaking through such a wall was immense. Ninety-nine percent of Transgressors simply built dimensional portals. For an unknown Demon to just stare through with wide eyes, that was truly terrifying.
The Old Bartender sat to the side, looking utterly bewildered. It seemed something extraordinary had happened in the days he'd been hanging around the bar. Tony briefly explained the situation to him, but without going into detail, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain the source of his intelligence.
He was currently a standard Planetary Being; logically, he wasn't qualified to know the secrets of the Multiverse, and speaking too much would only arouse suspicion.
"I will investigate this matter. You don't need to concern yourselves with the specifics. The other party is very strong; killing us would be too easy for them." Tony firmly placed his teacup on the table and said in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on Amanda.
Amanda frowned, then reluctantly nodded.
Tony snorted softly, saying no more. The Court of Owls had already exposed its existence, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had its eyes on them, though they couldn't act due to potential repercussions. If Amanda sent back information, and the entire Court carelessly investigated, revealing more to S.H.I.E.L.D. and other agencies, it would become a huge problem to explain.
"Also, call Crane back. He doesn't need to waste his time at Oscorp. Osborn has been freezing him out for so long; it seems they received a warning. There's no possibility of further cooperation. I'll initiate the backup plan; he no longer needs to waste time with Osborn." Tony instructed.
Tony had planned to use the Dionesium Factor Technology in his possession as a bargaining chip to find other partners. However, Oscorp, perhaps having received a warning from higher-ups or for some other reason, showed no intention of further contact, thus missing out on the Dionesium Factor Technology.
Oscorp was a relatively suitable partner, but for some unknown reason, they refused to contact him. It no longer mattered, though; he would find new partners and kill two birds with one stone.
...
Oscorp.
The female assistant handed the latest documents to the current Chief Executive Officer. As the Executive Officer processed the files, the assistant couldn't help but remind him, "Are we just going to leave Crane alone? He is Tony's man, after all."
"Ignore him." The Executive Officer was a middle-aged man with a cold expression. With Old Osborn gravely ill in bed, he was temporarily taking over the leadership position. It was a pity he wouldn't hold it for long, because that old fool, Old Osborn, had become senile and actually wanted to bring his son, who was still studying abroad, back to be CEO. It was an utterly foolish move; what did a wet-behind-the-ears punk know about running a company?
Old Osborn must have gone senile!
The Executive Officer said, "A Mutant who got a little opportunity and became arrogant, does he really think he's something special? The business world isn't as simple as their street brawls. What right does he have to cooperate with our Oscorp? Even if we're currently facing heavy criticism, we're not so desperate as to partner with any Tom, Dick, or Harry! Moreover, cooperating with him at this critical juncture would put us under even greater pressure!"
The female assistant received a message, and her face immediately changed. She hurriedly handed the latest news to the arrogant Executive Officer: "It's a message from General Ross terminating our contract. General Ross said he found a more suitable partner..."
With that, the female assistant offered a wry smile.
"What? The Military is terminating our contract? Without our help, he has nothing, having just returned. How can he advance the Super Soldier Program?" The Executive Officer was stunned.
(end of chapter)