Chapter 375 – Allen and Morgan's Island Adventure
"Grandpa Allen!"
Morgan's big, sparkly eyes lit up as she stared excitedly at the mischievous-looking Allen.
For someone so young, being locked in a room all alone had been sheer torture. But fear? That didn't register at all—Morgan was certain her dad, Tony, would come to rescue her.
"Shark Knight, you've got the wrong guy. I'm Captain Old Man now." Allen struck a proud pose, hands on hips.
"Grandpa Allen, has Nanaue come yet?" Morgan pouted, pitifully saying, "He hasn't come to play with me in forever."
By now, Allen had already bent the steel bars with his bare hands and lifted little Morgan out. He muttered grumpily, "Don't even get me started. That guy ditched his bros the second he got a girlfriend. Those two ocean critters are nauseatingly inseparable."
"Is Nanaue's girlfriend pretty?" Morgan blinked curiously.
"A gaudy pink dolphin," Allen sneered. "Just looking at her screams trouble."
"Pink?!" Morgan clambered up Allen's arm and perched herself on his shoulders, legs hooked around his chest and arms wrapped around his head. Her face glowed with anticipation. "I really want a pink dolphin!"
Allen locked eyes with her and promised, "Consider it done. Grandpa will get you one."
"Yay!"
Bang!
The iron door was suddenly kicked open, and a gang of thugs stormed into the cell.
"Damn it, he's a mage! Stay sharp!"
The armed goons raised their weapons to fire—but Allen's hands were already glowing with magical light. Silently, he unleashed a spell.
The intruders' aggressive expressions twisted with shock. One by one, they collapsed, convulsing violently, foam spewing from their mouths.
"What's wrong with them?" Morgan looked on in confusion and a touch of sympathy.
"They ate something dirty and got a stomach bug," Allen replied casually, pulling the silencing staff from his belt. With one hand on a toilet plunger and the other gripping his shield, he marched boldly out of the cell.
Meanwhile, in the island's surveillance room…
Killian ended a call with his brother Jack. Watching the monitor display of Allen and Morgan escaping, he said coldly, "Eliminate that man at all costs. Just make sure the hostage survives."
This remote island, isolated and outside any nation's jurisdiction, wasn't just crawling with armed mercenaries—it also had a squad of Extremis warriors.
That lawless freedom gave Killian the confidence to threaten Tony Stark.
The problem? Allen was the wildcard.
Pop!
In the corridor, Allen yanked the toilet plunger free from a thug's face, leaving behind a red mark as the man lay unconscious from lack of oxygen.
The exit loomed just ahead.
"Little Morgan, want to go home?" Allen asked, looking up.
"Nope," Morgan said stubbornly, eyes shining. "I wanna keep playing outside!"
"Well then," Allen said indulgently, "who am I to say no? Grandpa spoils you, after all."
He raised the toilet plunger high and shouted, "Operation Punish the Criminals—commence!"
Just outside the door, the Extremis warriors arrived. Fiery veins glowed beneath their skin, and their bodies radiated intense heat.
Seeing them, Allen bolted into the dense forest.
The island was large, covered in thick jungle. Within moments, Allen had vanished from sight.
In truth, he'd slipped through a portal to Arkham Fortress to retrieve a metal case filled with equipment.
"Grandpa Allen, how are we going to beat the bad guys?" Morgan asked, watching him dig a hole.
"With traps, of course," Allen said confidently. "I'm a trap expert, remember?"
Elsewhere on the island, Jack led the Extremis warriors and a group of thugs, tracking with hunting dogs.
One of the warriors, flanked by three mercenaries and a hound, called out, "Boss, we've found something."
They stopped in front of a sign stuck in the ground:
Man-Eating Plant – Danger!!!
A tiny seedling peeked out from the dirt, drawing a few snickers.
"Man-eating plant? Really...?" Jack scoffed—
Aaargh!
The moment he stepped on the sprout, he let out a blood-curdling scream.
A steel-jaw trap had snapped shut on his leg.
Furious and humiliated, he realized the trap was ridiculously simple—yet effective.
"Find him. I want him to wish he were dead!"
Pain was secondary. What hurt most was his pride.
Thanks to the Extremis virus, he could survive nearly any injury short of total decapitation—even a crushed heart would regenerate in minutes.
He reached down to pry the trap open—
Zzzap!
A jolt of high-voltage electricity surged through him.
His whole body spasmed as smoke curled from his hair.
When it finally stopped, he stared blankly, mouth puffing smoke.
"Yoo-hoo! We're over here!"
"Yoo-hoo! We're over here!"
Two familiar voices rang out—one loud, one small. Allen and Morgan stood not far off, taunting gleefully.
"After them!"
Jack snapped out of it, fury reigniting. He took a step to charge—
Thud!
And face-planted instantly.
The trap had been chained to the ground.
"Boss, are you okay?"
A mercenary moved to help, but Jack barked, "Don't touch me!"
In that moment of collapse, a jolt of agony from below the belt told him another surprise was waiting: a nail planted in the ground.
No doubt about it—those two little devils had set it up.
"You little brats, you're gonna pay!"
"You little brats, you're gonna pay!"
Allen said it first, Morgan echoed, the two of them acting like a pair of giggling lunatics.
"Forget about me—just catch them already!"
Jack struggled upright—but then froze in place, eyes bulging.
Something was… swelling.
Thanks to the Extremis virus, he could regenerate anything—but that didn't make the pain any less real.
Yep, no doubt—Allen had just hit him with the Kun Expansion Technique.
"Everyone, after them!"
Allen hoisted Morgan in his arms and gave the chasing goons a friendly wave.
The mercs slowed down, suddenly suspicious of more traps.
They exchanged uncertain glances before reluctantly giving chase. Each prayed that if they got maimed, Killian would at least reward them with Extremis enhancements.
After all, regular guys who signed up with Killian were usually doing it for the virus.
The chase continued until they reached a cliff's edge.
Allen stood there with Morgan in his arms, calling out, "Don't come any closer, or I'll throw her off the cliff!"
"..."
The mercs froze, dumbfounded.
Weren't these two supposed to be on the same side? Why would he threaten them with his own hostage?
They hesitated, unsure how to proceed.
Just then, Jack caught up, having finally freed himself from the trap. His face darkened. "Let's see how you escape now."
"Don't come any closer—I mean it!"
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