Chapter 121 The Uninvited Guest?
Chapter 122: Uninvited Guest?
Punctually, Russell arrived at the first floor of the reading room, opening the doors to welcome guests.
With most of New York destroyed, many people lost their jobs and became idle.
As one of the few entertainment venues that remained perfectly intact, the reading room's recent foot traffic was much higher than ever before.
Every day, many people came to borrow and return books.
Many others even queued up in advance to enter the reading room to read, study, or work.
After all, in New York at this time, finding a place with a good environment and heating was not easy.
Soon, the first, second, and third floors, most of the seats in the reading room, were occupied.
But this had little to do with Russell.
He was the boss and had his own lounge.
Sitting in the lounge, Russell stopped musing and focused on playing with the Power Stone in his hand.
Although he had decided to give the Power Stone to Loki, it wasn't now.
It's not poverty that troubles people, but inequality.
It wouldn't be too late to give it to the three of them together after obtaining the Reality Stone.
Russell had a good understanding of the Power Stone's abilities during his ten-day war (one-sided beating) with Thanos.
He could even mimic the Power Stone's energy to achieve similar effects.
But what bothered Russell was that his compatibility with the Power Stone was not high, preventing him from fully utilizing its abilities.
The amplification the Power Stone provided him was almost the same as when he mimicked it himself later.
It could be said that Russell defeated Thanos entirely by his own strength.
Putting away the Power Stone, Russell began to play with the Mind Stone.
If the Power Stone was like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard—then the Mind Stone was like chicken shit.
It was useless to Russell himself, and giving it to a member of the Sorcerer Supreme Team could even cause trouble.
Just as Russell was about to put away the Mind Stoneand take out the Tesseract (Space Stone), his transcendent perception was triggered.
Someone is watching me!
Following the sensation, Russell saw a thin, small, melancholic girl in a red coat.
Daenerys Targaryen!
Oh, no, that's Gaya, the Skrull princess.
Seeing Russell look at her, Gaya, a little nervous and awkward, forced a smile.
Russell grinned, returning the smile.
He had no prejudice against Marvel's aliens.
He found that Marvel's alien civilizations were actually quite similar to Earth's civilization, just with a different facade.
Billions of years ago, perhaps the origins of these alien civilizations were all on Earth.
Withdrawing his gaze, Russell quietly observed the girl with his mental power.
Russell had seen many Skrulls, but he was too lazy to bother with them.
The Skrulls' disguise was very good on a physical level, but not good enough.
At least, it couldn't fool Russell.
This was the first time Russell had encountered a Super Skrull.
He was very curious what would happen if a Super Skrullimitated him.
"He found me."
The fledgling princess was flustered at this moment.
"Did he see that I'm not an Earthling?
"Probably not, otherwise he wouldn't be indifferent?
"No, since he can defeat Thanos, the Master of the Dark Order, he must have seen many alien races in the Universe, and he might not have a prejudice against Skrulls."
A bold and sudden thought popped into Gaya's mind, quickly overwhelming her reason.
"How about I just go over and try to strike up a conversation? As long as I shake his hand when I greet him, I can acquire his abilities and memories."
Gaya mustered her courage, stood up, and walked towards the lounge.
In the lounge, Russell's mouth twitched slightly.
He retracted his previous evaluation of the Mind Stone.
Although the Mind Stone was useless to him and couldn't be used to enhance his combat power like Thanos, when combined with his telepathic abilities, the effect was still quite good.
Knock knock ~
"Come in."
Looking at the innocent young girl, Russell smiled.
"Sit. What would you like to drink? Coffee, tea, or something else?"
"Tea, thank you."
Looking at the girl who had just sat down, Russellshowed a mischievous smile.
He took out a green banknote and pushed it over.
"Could I trouble you to buy something from [Maximoff Drinks] next door?
"I'd like a cup of grass jelly with less ice and less sugar. You can also buy a cup of whatever tea you like; it's on me."
Gaya, somewhat dazed, took the green banknote and stood up, walking towards the door.
Only after stepping out of the reading room did she suddenly realize.
"Gaya, don't be nervous. He didn't see through your disguise."
After secretly encouraging herself, Gaya arrived at the drink shop.
At this time, the drink shop was also packed with people. Wanda and Pietro were also helping their parents entertain guests.
"Be careful, hold it steady."
Wanda looked at the adorable girl in front of her and reminded her softly.
"Okay, thank you." Gaya thanked her and moved her hand away from Wanda's.
She just wanted to get information about Russellindirectly through this neighboring girl.
But she never expected her talent to tell her that she had just replicated two abilities: mind enthrallment and telekinesis.
'This girl, why is she so strange?'
Watching Gaya walk into the reading room, Wandawithdrew her gaze and stopped thinking about it.
No one could cause trouble on Russell's turf.
"Mr. Russell, here's your grass jelly."
"Thank you, Daenerys." Russell took the grass jelly, politely saying.
"Daenerys?" Gaya sat down, puzzled, "Is that your friend, Mr. Russell? My name is Gaya, you might have mistaken me for someone else."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Gaya, I made a mistake. Daenerys is indeed my friend."
Russell spoke nonsense with a straight face.
Hearing of someone means knowing them, and meeting them means they're friends.
However, Russell and the Mother of Dragons had certainly never met, so they could only be considered acquaintances, not friends.
"But, Gaya. Do I also look a lot like your friend?"
Russell said with a strange tone.
"Why do you say that, Mr. Russell?"
Gaya was puzzled again; she couldn't quite follow Russell's train of thought.
"Otherwise, why are you holding my hand and not letting go?"
When Russell took the grass jelly, Gaya's hand unconsciously pressed onto Russell's hand.
She didn't even notice it herself.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Russell."
Gaya let go of his hand, looking somewhat bewildered.
"Gaya, you're not going to say I look a lot like your future friend, are you?"
Facing Russell's teasing, Gaya seemed to freeze.
'Why is this girl so dumb?'
Russell wondered silently, waiting patiently.
He was quite curious to see if a Super Skrull could replicate his abilities, and if so, to what extent.
Meanwhile, Gaya's mind was filled with confusion.
Her talent feedback indicated that she hadn't replicated any talents.
This was unscientific!
"Couldn't replicate any talents?" Russell asked with some disappointment.
Chapter 122 Director Fury, hang in there (crying voice)
Chapter 123: Director Fury, Hold On (Sobbing)
After a long while, Gaya finally recovered from her shock.
"Mr. Russell, you know my identity and purpose?" Gayaasked, puzzled.
Russell took a sip of milk tea and calmly said, "I know, but it's not important. As long as you don't bother me, I don't care about the Skrull's affairs."
Gaya remained silent.
She seemed to be hesitating about something.
"Are you perhaps wondering why you couldn't copy my abilities?"
Seeing that Gaya didn't speak, Russell had to take the initiative.
Gaya looked at Russell, nodded gently, and waited for his explanation.
What Russell said was exactly what she was thinking.
She didn't believe that Russell had no superpowers at all.
"Perhaps the gap in life levels is too great. Therefore, your settings are ineffective against me."
Russell took a sip of milk tea and slowly explained.
"According to my classification method,"
"Your life level is only in the first stage, at most the early second stage."
"Whereas my life level has already reached the late third stage, peak perfection, and is about to reach the fourth stage."
"If you're lucky, you might be able to copy some incomplete abilities from me;"
"If you're unlucky, getting nothing is also normal."
"Just like Wanda, you just copied two abilities from her, didn't you?"
"But those two abilities are only her most superficial ones."
"Her true abilities, you likewise cannot copy."
"Gaya, don't be too superstitious about the Super Skrull's copying talent."
"In this World, the most top-tier talents are all unique."
Russell didn't lie to Gaya.
At least, he thought so.
All mechanisms require strength (numerical value) to support them.
Compared to the type of ability, strength is the fundamental aspect.
The so-called ability to copy is quite good for compensating for shortcomings.
But if it can't break through the upper limit, then that's all it is.
In "X-Men: Apocalypse," Apocalypse, the Mutantancestor, acquired countless Mutant abilities, and none of them were weak.
In the end, wasn't he still wiped out by the Phoenix Force's mechanical divine intervention?
After Gaya left the reading room, she found a quiet place and called Gravik.
"Gaya, did you succeed? Can you transform into Russell's appearance and obtain his memories?"
Although Gravik couldn't see, Gaya still slowly shook her head.
She had tried, not only Russell but also the appearance of the little girl selling milk tea, she couldn't transform into.
"He found me."
Gravik:!!!
Bethesda, a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. Base.
The resurrection plan for the late S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Nick Fury, was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
The overall person in charge of the plan was Agent Phil Coulson.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had mastered two resurrection methods.
GH325 and Dragon Bone.
Considering Russell's reminder, Coulson decided to use the first method to resurrect Nick Fury.
Director Fury, although this method comes with immense pain, I believe you can endure it.
"Begin the surgery!"
At Coulson's command, a top medical team began operating on Nick Fury and injecting GH325.
After the GH325 injection, cell regeneration occurred in Nick Fury's chest wound.
Nick Fury's consciousness also suddenly recovered.
His entire body was paralyzed, Nick Fury couldn't move, he could only move his lips, pleading.
"No, stop, quickly stop."
Through the wall above, Nick Fury saw clearly what was happening to him.
His scalp and skull were peeled back, and a parallel medical robotic arm was directly operating on his cerebral cortex.
This pain seemed to reach his soul, and no anesthetic had any effect.
"Let me die, please, please."
"Really, I beg you, let me die."
The pleading in Nick Fury's tone moved the medical staff.
"Perhaps this is a mistake, who gave the order."
"Acting Director Coulson."
Inside the operating room, Nick Fury's pleas continued;
Outside the operating room, Coulson cheered on his old superior.
"Director Fury, you can do it, hold on."
After a long time, the operating room door opened.
"The surgery was successful, but the patient is already immersed in painful memories and cannot extricate himself. If this continues, his mind will collapse."
"Director Fury will definitely hold on, he is the King of Agents, the extraordinary leader of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Just as Coulson was secretly praying for Nick Fury outside the operating room.
A brilliant golden beam of light streaked across the sky, heading towards the operating room.
When the light dissipated, a golden-haired, gleaming, sturdy woman in a combat suit stood beside Nick Fury.
The person who arrived was Captain Marvel, Carol.
Nick Fury successfully pressed the Captain Marvel pager when he was attacked by Ebony Maw and was on the verge of death.
But unfortunately, Captain Marvel had to fly back slowly.
She couldn't, like Russell, arrive directly through a portal.
"Carol, kill me, kill me."
Noticing Carol out of the corner of his eye, Nick Furypleaded.
"What's going on, Coulson. What happened to Fury?"
Noticing Coulson entering, Carol asked.
Coulson was brief and to the point.
"Director Fury unfortunately died in an attack by Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf, the generals of the Dark Order."
"I used GH325 to resurrect him. A side effect of GH325 is immense pain."
"The Director is now being tormented by the painful memories of the surgery."
Carol looked at Nick Fury on the operating table, a flicker of unbearable emotion in her eyes.
After more than a decade apart, she didn't expect her old friend to suffer such torment.
Drawing on her own experience of being brainwashed by the Kree and eventually regaining her memories, Carolencouraged Nick Fury.
"Fury, hold on. Conquer your memories, control them. Believe in yourself, you can do it."
"I can't. Kill me, please, Carol. Kill me."
"Director Fury, just a little longer."
"I'll arrange a memory transplant surgery for you immediately."
"After the surgery, you will forget these painful memories."
Seeing Nick Fury's will to live constantly weakening, Coulson quickly comforted him.
Carol frowned.
Because of her own experience, she was very averse to memory transplants.
But at this moment, seeing her friend's painful appearance, she wouldn't object inappropriately either.
Fury, after all, isn't a strong warrior.
After a silent sigh, Carol walked out of the operating room.
After Coulson also came out, she asked, "What happened next? Did the Dark Order slaughter half of the creatures on Earth?"
"No." Coulson shook his head, "We captured Ebony Mawand killed Black Dwarf."
"The Dark Order won't give up. Its Master Thanos is far more terrifying than Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf."
Carol's tone was somewhat worried.
Although she was confident in her own strength, facing a behemoth like the Dark Order, she still felt that she was willing but powerless.
"There's also a powerful extraordinary warrior on Earth. His name is Russell, and he killed Thanos." Coulsonadded.
"Hmm?!"
Chapter 123 Panel Upgrade
Chapter 124: Panel Upgrade
Before Captain Marvel, Carol, learned of Russell's existence from Coulson, Russell already knew she had returned to Earth.
A beam of photon energy with such a massive energy fluctuation, heading straight for Earth from outside the Solar System—it would have been difficult for Russellnot to notice it.
However, although he noticed Carol, Russell didn't pay much attention to her.
Carol's combat power was average, she had no World-destroying ambitions, and she wasn't a Dimensional Demon God, so there was no magic energy to exploit.
There was nothing worth focusing on.
Recalling his attention, Russell continued to tally his gains.
The Tesseract, and the Space Stone within it.
Russell had already mastered quite a few spatial magicabilities.
Portals, Mirror Dimension, space distortion, space folding, and so on.
He even made a portable dimensional space for his clothes.
After all, Russell didn't have a battle suit.
In high-intensity combat, clothes would always get damaged.
It seemed that Russell possessed all the abilities of the Space Stone.
But the difference lay in intensity.
The Space Stone could significantly enhance Russell's spatial abilities.
Faster teleportation speed, easier ability release.
"These three Infinity Stones are all divine artifacts," Russell sighed, shaking his head, feeling quite regretful.
"Unfortunately, their effect in my hands will be greatly reduced."
Indeed, Russell not only had no battle suit, but he also had no weapons.
Or rather, his growth rate was too fast; battle suits and weapons couldn't keep up with the version.
Even the Infinity Stones.
For the first time in a while, Russell opened his attribute panel and looked at the 'Description' section.
Description: Upgrading, estimated upgrade time 9 months, remaining 3 days. (Started in February)
On Earth-404, New York time, it was already November 6th.
The panel upgrade was not far from completion.
And was three days a long time?
During frequent events, three days felt very long.
When nothing was happening, three days felt very short.
Out of consideration for Earth, Russell moved to a different location before the panel upgrade.
Mars, the large crater where Russell and Thanos had their epic battle.
Russell sat quietly, waiting for the panel upgrade to complete.
The first time is unfamiliar, the second time is familiar; this was his third time, so he was quite experienced.
deep blue, open.
[Name: Russell (Ancient God)]
[Attribute Points: 15574396]
[Sacred Body: 5]
Talent 1 [Energy Absorption]: Can absorb any energy and convert it into attribute points.
Talent 2 [Attribute Transfer]: Attribute points can be used to upgrade the Sacred Body.
Description: None.
Russell took a deep breath.
deep blue, add points!
Attribute Points - 3000000, Sacred Body + 1.
The consumption and growth of attribute points were still increasing proportionally.
Essentially, 1 attribute point still corresponded to 10kg of strength.
The next moment, Russell swiped his hand, opening an energy channel, and retrieved the 2 billion units of crimson energy from Mephisto, stored with Sorcerer Ancient One.
Crimson energy continuously flowed out from the channel, entering Russell's body.
Instantly, it vanished without a trace.
On the other end of the channel, Sorcerer Ancient One's gaze projected over. Seeing it was Russell, she smiled meaningfully and nodded.
Russell didn't respond to Sorcerer Ancient One; he was currently focused on the flow of the crimson energy.
After the panel entered its fourth stage, Russell finally saw how magic energy was converted into attribute point energy.
His body seemed to be connected to a strange, dreamlike Pure White Space.
All magic energy, upon entering this space, would be instantly converted.
The time consumed was zero!
Or rather, in this Pure White Space, the rules of space-time were completely different from the outside World.
Space-time could be infinitely stretched or infinitely compressed.
Half an hour later.
Attribute Points + 2 billion.
The crimson energy from Mephisto was completely devoured by Russell.
Although the time Russell spent absorbing energy was zero, the time it took for the energy to be transmitted was not.
Looking at the balance of attribute points, Russelllingered for a moment, then waved his hand.
deep blue, add points!
Attribute Points - 282 million, Sacred Body + 94.
Terrifying power flowed through Russell's body.
This was a million tons of pure physical strength; if divine power were added, it would increase geometrically again.
A sudden urge arose in Russell's heart to try punching Mars.
In the past, he had tried to destroy a planet twice, but that was by relying on the talent [Energy Absorption] to draw on stellar energy.
Huh?!
Russell noticed something: the 'Description' section was still blank, with no prompt for upgrading.
With a thought.
Attribute Points - 3 million, Sacred Body + 1.
In the fourth stage of the panel, the upper limit of the Sacred Body was no longer 100?
What would it be?
Russell looked at the remaining 1.7 billion-plus attribute points and smiled confidently.
deep blue, continue adding points.
[Attribute Points: 574396]
[Sacred Body: 676]
Silence was the Cambridge of this night.
Russell never expected that after more than a year of arduous struggle in the Marvel Universe, he would return to the predicament he faced when he first transmigrated.
Not enough, attribute points were simply not enough!
Hmm, Sorcerer Ancient One still had over a billion units of magic energy.
With a thought, Russell opened Sorcerer Ancient One's energy vault, re-established an energy channel, and extracted energy.
Sorcerer Ancient One, naturally, discovered Russell, the energy thief, immediately.
"Is Mephisto's energy not enough?" Ancient One asked, puzzled, without stopping Russell.
Ancient One had calculated the energy Russell needed for each stage of his upgrade.
In her calculations, about 300 million units of energy should have been enough for Russell's current stage of upgrade.
"Just a billion points short."
Ten minutes later, Ancient One, seeing Russell still hadn't stopped extracting energy, asked, "A little bit?"
"A billion points," Russell said seriously.
He guessed that the limit of the Sacred Body should still be a multiple of 10.
That would be neat.
A moment later.
[Sacred Body: 1001]
Successfully broke through the 1000-point mark.
"A billion points?" Ancient One asked again.
"Maybe a trillion points," Russell replied.
Then, he stopped extracting energy, leaving several hundred million units of energy for Sorcerer Ancient Onefor combat.
"Continue."
Seeing Russell stop extracting energy, Ancient One urged him.
"If there's a fight, just leave it to you."
"Sorcerer, you're not trying to skip work, are you?" Russellasked, startled and wary.
He had just taken a big step on the path to invincibility and hadn't had enough fun yet.
To be able to wander freely in the Multiverse, he had even deliberately spent effort to deal with Thanos, that unstable factor.
"Sorcerer, although I promised you to succeed as Sorcerer Supreme, that will have to wait a few more years. I'm still young and need experience. (Waiting for Tony, Wanda, and Loki to grow up)"
Ancient One chuckled and shook her head, "Don't worry, I'm not in a hurry." (As long as you do my work for me, why would I skip work?)
Hearing Sorcerer Ancient One's assurance, Russellrelaxed and continued to extract energy.
Finally.
[Attribute Points: 262800]
[Sacred Body: 1122]
Chapter 124 Another Gwen
Chapter 125: Another Gwen
Tianji Star System in the Big Dipper.
In the adjacent Earth-65 Universe's Tianji system, when Russell demonstrated his power to the Spider-Men, he used stellar energy to shatter an uninhabited planet.
The Earth-404 Universe, naturally, was no exception.
Looking at the planetary debris in front of him, Russellturned and left.
Just now, he had further tested his Sacred Body.
It was impossible to achieve a planetary explosion on the surface of a planet purely with physical strength.
A nail can pierce a cake, but to destroy the entire cake, volume is more important.
Unless, with the aid of divine power for acceleration, one could quickly penetrate the entire planetary core, triggering a planetary explosion.
It is worth mentioning that the material composition of Russell's current body has completely transformed, differing from all matter in the real Universe and magicdimensions.
This is a substance unique to his Pure White Space, possessing various divine and extraordinary properties that he has not yet fully tested.
But at least, when he accelerated rapidly, his body mass did not change, easily breaking the speed of light.
The law that an object's mass increases with acceleration seemed to be ineffective for him.
When he pierced the planetary core, his Sacred Bodyshowed no damage at all.
Taking a step, Russell returned to the reading room.
After a period of adaptation, he had readjusted his usual strength.
He no longer had to worry about accidentally crushing the ground or causing an earthquake when walking.
In the reading room's lounge, Gwen was quietly reading a book.
But it wasn't the older Gwen, it was the younger Gwen.
The older Gwen had been busy fighting various malicious incidents all over New York during this time, and except for coming back to sleep at night, she usually didn't stay at the bookstore.
She wasn't earning the salary Russell paid her at all.
"Good morning, little Gwen."
"Good morning, Russell."
Russell looked at little Gwen, a little puzzled as to why she had come to see him alone.
"Little Gwen, is there something you need me for?"
Little Gwen looked up, her small face serious, and said to Russell, "Russell, I heard you're a sorcerer, right?"
Russell shook his head: "Not a sorcerer, but the Sorcerer Supreme."
Little Gwen was puzzled: "Is there a difference?"
"The Sorcerer Supreme is the most powerful among sorcerers."
"Oh." Little Gwen nodded thoughtfully, "So, Russell, you really are a sorcerer."
Russell remained silent, just nodding.
You're still young now, so I won't correct you for calling me a sorcerer.
Soon, you'll know what to call me.
"Russell, I think I've encountered another older Gwenrecently."
Little Gwen said seriously.
Another Gwen?
Russell wondered, was there something special about Earth-404?
First, Helen and Gwen, mother and daughter from Earth-65, came to this World one after another.
Now, another Gwen?
"Where did you see that older Gwen, little Gwen?"
"In a dream."
Little Gwen looked serious, as if worried Russell wouldn't believe her, and emphasized again.
"Russell, I'm not playing a trick on you, I really saw another Gwen in a dream."
"I believe you, little Gwen, really."
After little Gwen explained her purpose, Russellimmediately noticed the abnormality about her.
"This might be a Gwen from another Universe, whose soul, for some unknown reason, came to this Universeand attached itself to you.
"Then, you saw her.
"There are two possibilities for this.
"One possibility is that the Gwen from that Universe is a powerful sorcerer, skilled in magic like astral projection.
"Through her Multiverse counterpart, she is traveling the Multiverse.
"The other possibility is that the Gwen from that Universedied.
"Her soul left the real Universe, and there was a mishap when it was being drawn to the Hell Dimension, affecting you (her counterpart).
"Little Gwen, how do you want me to help you?"
Russell didn't mind lending a hand to little Gwen.
After all, she was also named Gwen.
Of course, another point was that as the (future) Sorcerer Supreme, he needed to understand the special nature of this Universe.
Little Gwen, with a serious face, thought for a long time before speaking:
"I want to know why that older Gwen appeared in my dream, and then I'll decide. Can you help me talk to her, Russell?"
"Of course, I can."
Russell smiled confidently.
That older Gwen had left some soul aura on little Gwen.
Through these soul auras, Russell could easily find her.
Russell formed a hand seal in a practiced manner, and Pure White energy flowed, forming a mysterious rune.
Then, with a pull of his hand, he drew a wisp of that older Gwen's aura from little Gwen's forehead and placed it into the rune.
The next second, the Pure White energy was activated and disappeared into the void.
"Found her, little Gwen, let's go see her."
Calling out to little Gwen, Russell joined his two fingers and drew a circle.
Golden magic sparks flickered, and a beautifully carved portal slowly formed.
Little Gwen looked at the wondrous and dazzling scene, utterly captivated.
Russell didn't rush her, waiting for little Gwen to slowly come to her senses.
"Russell, is this magic? Can I learn it?"
A moment later, little Gwen recovered, blinking her big eyes, looking at Russell expectantly.
"You want to learn it, little Gwen?" Russell asked with a smile.
"Mmm-hmm." Little Gwen nodded repeatedly.
"However, only the Sorcerer Supreme can decide whether to teach spells to ordinary people."
Little Gwen paused for a moment before understanding the deeper meaning in Russell's words, and said seriously, "Sorcerer Supreme, please teach me magic."
"Alright, we'll talk about it when you're older."
After teasing little Gwen, Russell took the lead and walked towards the other side of the portal.
As for teaching little Gwen magic, that really had to wait until she was older.
magic energy can corrupt the mind, and little Gwencouldn't handle it.
On the other side of the portal was the Trinity Church in New York, a ruined bell tower.
A ghostly figure of a soul stood there blankly.
Golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, with blue eyes, and she was about 1.7 meters tall.
Her temperament, height, and appearance were different from the Ghost-Spider Gwen Russell knew.
If the two stood together, most people wouldn't even think they were sisters.
But Russell still recognized at a glance that this was also Gwen.
And, very likely, it was the Gwen from the Amazing Spider-Man World.
Russell led little Gwen forward and greeted her with a smile.
"Hello, Gwen."
"You can see me? Who are you?"
Stone Sister Gwen was puzzled. Her soul had been in this World for most of the day, and it was the first time anyone could see her.
"My name is Russell. I am the Spider-Man of this World, the Sorcerer Spider-Man."
Russell smiled, answering Stone Sister Gwen's confusion.
When traveling, Spider-Men should help each other.
In consideration of Amazing Spider-Man 3, he decided to help Stone Sister Gwen.
"But isn't the Sorcerer Spider-Man of this World a little girl?"
Stone Sister Gwen hesitated.
As she spoke, she pointed to a poster on the ground.
Russell recognized it at a glance; it was Erin.
Eileen Smith.
Chapter 125 The Dimension of Dreams
Chapter 126: Dream Dimension
Since the Battle of New York, after half of New York was destroyed, the entire city became much livelier.
Many idle people wandered around day and night.
Conflicts and vicious incidents occurred constantly.
Under these circumstances, Gwen, Matt, and Erinrecruited three more street heroes who stepped forward, forming a team and making their debut.
They are:
Ghost-Spider - Gwen Stacy;
Sorcerer Spider-Man - Eileen Smith;
Daredevil - Matt Murdock;
Jewel - Jessica Jones;
Power Man - Luke Cage;
Iron Fist - Danny Rand;
The one on the ground was the personal poster of Sorcerer Spider-Man.
Although her face was obscured, the figure outlined by the plain White tight-fitting battle suit was clearly female.
Russell was speechless, not knowing how to comment on Erin's act of stealing his title.
But, actions speak louder than words.
Russell moved his wrist, using his divine power to mimic, and a web shot out, landing at Stone Sister Gwen's feet.
"Look, I am the original Sorcerer Spider-Man."
At this moment, Little Gwen also followed, looking at Big Gwen, and asked seriously:
"Hi, Big Gwen, hello, I'm Little Gwen. May I ask why you appeared in my dream?"
"Big (older) Gwen? Little (younger) Gwen? What does that mean? Are you a younger version of me?"
Looking down, Stone Sister Gwen looked at Little Gwen, feeling puzzled.
She didn't remember that a major earthquake had occurred in New York when she was young.
"No, you are two Gwens from different Universes, independent individuals.
"Little Gwen is the Gwen of this Universe, younger, and is called Little Gwen for convenience of distinction."
Russell explained promptly from the side.
He was already getting a headache, wondering how to distinguish them by name if three Gwens were in the same frame.
"Different Universes? Is the parallel Universe theory correct? Do parallel Universes really exist?" Stone Sister Gwen asked.
"I don't know what the parallel Universe theory is. But this World indeed has countless Multiverses," Russellreplied.
Seeing the two talking and no one paying attention to her, Little Gwen said unhappily:
"Hey, Big Gwen, you still haven't answered my question."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Little Gwen.
"But I also don't know how I came to this Universe, nor do I know why I appeared in your dream.
"I only remember Peter crying while holding my corpse. I wanted to comfort him, but he couldn't see me.
"After that, I woke up again and appeared here."
As she spoke, Stone Sister Gwen's expression turned sorrowful.
She had long realized her death.
She also realized the grief her death brought to her lover and relatives.
"Big Gwen, after your death, did anyone try to make a deal with you?"
Russell suddenly asked.
Stone Sister Gwen's memory clearly had a gap.
Stone Sister Gwen was slightly stunned, and after careful thought, she shook her head: "Not in my memory, but I'm not sure."
Not in memory ≠ not happened.
Stone Sister Gwen also realized that she might have lost some memories.
"Big Gwen, I have a way to help you retrieve your lost memories, but this requires your cooperation; you need to let go of your soul's defenses."
Actually, it would work even without her cooperation, but Russell was a reasonable person, and he respected personal privacy.
"Will you see all my memories during this process?" Stone Sister Gwen asked.
"Yes. But I promise not to pry into your privacy; I will only check the memories related to the period between your death and your arrival in this Universe."
Russell promised with a sincere tone.
"I agree. One last question, why are you helping me?"
"Because you are Gwen. And, I want to know who brought you from another Universe to this Universe."
Russell smiled, answering Stone Sister Gwen's question.
"Also, let me reintroduce myself. I am Russell, Sorcerer Spider-Man and Sorcerer Supreme.
"The Guardian of this Universe's reality, protecting this Universe from magic erosion."
Stone Sister Gwen remained silent.
She understood every word Russell said, and she understood the sentences formed by combining them.
But she didn't understand the underlying context.
"How do I need to cooperate with you, Russell."
"Just stay quiet."
As his voice fell, a wisp of glowing White energy entered Stone Sister Gwen's soul and quickly found where the memories were located.
Countless balloons symbolizing memories floated chaotically above, some high, some low.
Among them, some balloons had one or several lines of varying thickness.
Some were connected to the ground, others to other balloons.
Most balloons, however, floated alone.
After a brief observation, Russell discovered:
The height of the balloons symbolized the recency or distance of the memories in time.
The thickness of the lines symbolized the depth of the memory's impression.
And balloons without connecting lines represented forgotten memories.
Typically, these memories floated at a relatively high position.
Only a few floated at a very low position.
Clearly, these were Stone Sister Gwen's lost memories.
It must be said that the fact these memories were not completely destroyed was good news.
Russell looked at these balloons and quickly sorted out their order.
He figured out what kind of story these memories told.
After Stone Sister Gwen's death, she did indeed encounter a Dimensional Demon God—the ruler of the Dream Dimension, Nightmare.
But the entity Nightmare wanted to deal with was not Stone Sister Gwen, but Amazing Spider-Man.
After staying in the real Universe for a period, Stone Sister Gwen's soul could no longer bear it and fell into a state of stupor.
On the way, as Stone Sister Gwen's soul spontaneously left the real Universe and entered the Hell Dimension,
Nightmare intercepted her, brought her to the Dream Dimension, as a bargaining chip to tempt Amazing Spider-Man into a deal.
Afterward, Nightmare injected Stone Sister Gwen's soul into Little Gwen's body through a dream.
Throughout the entire process, Stone Sister Gwen's soul was in a daze, only passively receiving information.
It was only after entering Little Gwen's body that she slowly recovered.
This also explained why she had no memory.
After confirming that these memories had no major issues, Russell thoughtfully helped Stone Sister Gwenclear and connect them.
This way, he wouldn't have to explain.
"Alright, Big Gwen. I have already helped you retrieve your memories; you can sort them out yourself."
Withdrawing the glowing White energy, Russell stood aside, quietly waiting for Stone Sister Gwen to sort out her memories.
As for Little Gwen's curious gaze, Russell ignored it.
"Russell~"
"Sorcerer Supreme Russell~"
Alright, Russell still had to explain again.
"Russell, do you know what the terms of Peter and Nightmare's deal were?"
Stone Sister Gwen asked worriedly.
Little Gwen also perked up her ears.
"It's nothing more than Peter serving Him, or giving Him something, in exchange for your resurrection."
"Then why did I...?"
Stone Sister Gwen looked at herself, her meaning very clear.
Why hadn't she been resurrected?
"Devils are not to be trusted.
"It's very likely that Nightmare found a loophole and, to save trouble, threw you into Little Gwen's body in this Universe."
Chapter 126 Three Gwens in One Frame
Chapter 127: Three Gwens in the Same Frame
The person behind the scenes is a Dimensional Demon God. This is good news.
For Russell, Dimensional Demon Gods are synonymous with rich benefactors.
To better protect the Real Universe from being eroded by magic, Russell can only rob their wealth to alleviate his own poverty.
However, the Dream Dimension is a relatively special type among the different dimensions.
Finding its location and how to enter and exit it is not easy.
Russell first brought the two Gwens back to the reading room and settled them.
They were both human and material evidence, two in one.
They were the perfect excuse for Russell to confront Nightmare.
Although, even without an excuse, Russell would decisively take action if given the chance.
Afterward, he would go find his encyclopedia—Sorcerer Ancient One.
Kamar-Taj, Ancient One's residence.
Russell was drinking the new tea developed by Ancient One while explaining the whole story to her.
The new tea was sweeter than before.
After understanding Russell's intention, Ancient Oneexcitedly said:
"So, Russell, you plan to trouble the Dimensional Lord of the Dream Dimension and extract some energy from her?"
Russell looked at Ancient One strangely:
"Sorcerer, why do I feel like you're even more excited than I am?"
Ancient One slightly composed herself but still smiled brightly:
"That's not important. What's important is how we enter the Dream Dimension."
"That's why I came to you, Sorcerer," Russell said with some helplessness.
With his current strength, dealing with a Dimensional Lord could be said to be a piece of cake.
But the premise was finding the other party.
"The Dream Dimension can connect with the dreams of living beings in reality. When they connect, the coordinates of the Dream Dimension will also be exposed.
"But under normal circumstances, they don't connect.
"After all, the 'Dream Dimension' is just an alternate dimension, and not all dreams occur there.
"But if the magic arrays of the three sanctums are closed, the probability of the Dream Dimension connecting with the dreams of living beings on Earth will greatly increase."
Ancient One looked at Russell and added.
"But doing so also carries a risk. Other Dimensional Demon Gods might take the opportunity to enter Earth.
"If Russell, you can monitor the dreams of everyone on the entire Earth while preventing Demon Gods from entering Earth, you can try this method."
Russell shook his head: "Are there any other ways, Sorcerer? Although I can do it, it's too tiring."
"Other ways?" Ancient One pondered for a moment and suggested, "Perhaps there might be clues on the Amazing Spider-Man you mentioned."
"Go find the Amazing Spider-Man?"
Russell was a little moved.
As fellow Spider-Man, he couldn't stand by and watch Amazing Spider-Man be tricked by Nightmare.
When out and about, Spider-Man should help each other.
It's not about coveting the energy of the Dream Dimension.
"Russell, after you enter the Dream Dimension, remember to open a portal for me," Ancient One said, interrupting Russell's reverie.
"You don't need to help this time, Sorcerer. I can handle Nightmare by myself."
"It has nothing to do with that," Ancient One said with a smile, shaking her head. "Curiosity is a Sorcerer's nature. I just want to witness the Dream Dimension."
"Alright," Russell nodded indifferently, stood up, and prepared to leave. "I'll go back and prepare first. I'll contact you, Sorcerer, once I find the Dream Dimension."
Golden magic sparks flickered, and a portal opened.
On the other side was a scene that gave Russell a headache.
Three Gwens from different Universes stared wide-eyed at each other.
Russell stepped out of the portal and first pointed to Little Gwen from Earth-404.
"This is Little Gwen."
Then, he pointed to Gwen from Earth-65.
"This is Ghost Gwen."
Finally, he pointed to Gwen from Amazing Spider-Man's Universe.
"This is Amazing Gwen."
"Can I call you all this?"
The three Gwens nodded, indicating they had no objections.
"Russell, why have I never seen your counterpart in so many Universes?" Ghost Gwen suddenly asked.
This point indeed puzzled her.
Sorcerer Supreme Gu Yi, Spider-Man Peter, Iron Man Tony, Scarlet Witch Wanda. So many people had counterparts, so why didn't Russell?
"Because I am me, a different kind of spark."
"Speak plainly, Russell." Ghost Gwen's forehead was covered in black lines; she didn't believe such nonsense.
Even powerful figures like Sorcerer Ancient One, and weaker ones like George and Helen, were not exceptions. Russell must have some special reason.
"Because I come from a more distant Universe.
"Perhaps, probably, possibly, not within this large Multiverse."
Russell didn't speak with absolute certainty.
But he had a strong hunch that he came from outside the Marvel Universe.
As for concepts like the Omniverse and OAA (One-Above-All), just listen to them.
Can an OAA that can be set be the OAA?
"A more distant Universe?" Ghost Gwen pondered.
After Ghost Gwen's interruption, Russell remembered the important matter.
"Amazing Gwen, do you want to return to your World?"
"Can I still return to my World? But I'm already dead, aren't I?"
Amazing Gwen's voice was a mix of surprise and worry.
After this period, she had also figured out her situation.
She was inserted into Little Gwen's body by Nightmare. When Little Gwen slept, she would return to Little Gwen's body to nourish her soul.
She could only act when Little Gwen woke up.
But besides Little Gwen, ordinary people couldn't see her at all.
Russell and Ghost Gwen could see her because they were Sorcerers and could see soul bodies.
"Amazing Gwen, the death of the body is just a stage of life, not the end.
"I am a Sorcerer Spider-Man and Sorcerer Supreme.
"Rebuilding your body and completing your resurrection is effortless."
Ghost Gwen nodded in agreement: "Amazing Gwen, Russell is right. We do possess the technology to clone bodies and complete resurrections. However..."
Ghost Gwen looked at Russell and asked, puzzled: "Russell, do you have a way to find Amazing Gwen's Universe coordinates?"
Russell nodded.
Body and soul are strongly linked. Through Amazing Gwen's soul, Russell could find her body.
Even if it was burned to ashes, there would still be a way to find it.
Unless a Dimensional Demon God specifically took Amazing Gwen's body out of the Universe.
But the only one likely to do so would be Nightmare.
In that case, Russell could find her directly, saving a lot of trouble.
"Thank you, Ghost Gwen, Russell."
Amazing Gwen, after understanding the relationship between Ghost Gwen and Russell,
understood what Russell meant when she asked him why he helped her, and he replied, 'Because you are Gwen.'
But apparently, the value of that statement was higher than she had imagined.
"The resurrection equipment still needs Iron Man Tony to set the parameters. Shall we depart in a few days?" Russell asked.
"Okay." Gwen x3.
"Little Gwen, why are you joining in the fun?" Russellasked.
"Russell~"
"Sorcerer Supreme Russell~"
Chapter 127 Earning 30,000 Attribute Points a Day
Chapter 128: Gaining 30,000 Attribute Points Daily
After agreeing on a departure date a few days later, Russell sent Little Gwen and Amazing Gwen back to Little Gwen's house.
As for the exact number of days, it depended on when Tony finished debugging the parameters.
Unfortunately, Tony was busy recently, so it would have to be delayed for a few more days.
The next morning, Russell woke up in the bookstore and opened his attribute panel to check his attribute points.
[Attribute Points: 29,1557]
His attribute points had increased by nearly 30,000.
On Earth-404, approximately 150,000 people died every day.
Normally, this could provide Russell with over 30,000 attribute points.
The reason it was less than 30,000 yesterday was that this was an average, not a fixed value.
At this moment, Russell understood the joy of the Celestials.
But then, when he remembered that a single upgrade to his Sacred Body required three million attribute points, Russell suddenly felt it was all rather dull.
Indeed, one cannot get rich without a windfall, just as a horse cannot grow fat without night fodder.
He still needed to contact his little brothers, the Dimensional Demon Gods, more often to strengthen their relationship.
For example, the Blood God.
During the Inheritors family incident, Russell still had a score to settle with him.
More importantly, Russell had the coordinates of the Dimension of Blood.
When Morlun went to the Dimension of Blood to receive the Blood God's baptism and strengthen himself, he unknowingly carried some of Russell's divine power with him.
Therefore, Russell was able to successfully pinpoint the Dimension of Blood.
"Gwen, time to get up for breakfast."
Acting on his thoughts, Russell planned to have breakfast with Gwen first.
Once Gwen left to pursue her street hero career, Russellwould go find the Blood God.
He believed that the citizens of New York City and the Blood God both had a bright future.
After a perfunctory wash, Russell joined Gwen for breakfast.
As Gwen ate, she asked, "Russell, I feel like something has been added to my body. What's going on?"
Russell was silent.
He suddenly remembered.
After he transformed into a Sacred Body, the material composition of his body came from the Pure White Space, not the real Universe.
Focusing his mind, Russell looked at Gwen.
He found that Pure White matter was integrating into her body, transforming into a special energy.
It was a unique energy similar to Russell's divine power, possessing extremely strong defensive and offensive capabilities.
"It's somewhat similar to Pure White energy, yet different.
"Pure White energy mainly enhances your physique, spirit, and lifespan, Gwen.
"This substance will be absorbed and digested by your body, Gwen, transforming into a special energy that can be used in combat."
"Oh."
After listening to Russell's explanation, Gwen responded and no longer paid it any mind.
She trusted that Russell would not harm her.
"By the way, Russell. Matt recently discovered alien warship wreckage being sold in New York's underground black market."
"Hmm, I know. That's not strange."
Russell nodded calmly; he was not surprised by this outcome.
Marx had long pointed out in Das Kapital:
For 100% profit, capital dares to trample all human laws;
With 300% profit, capital dares to commit any crime, even risking the gallows.
And alien warship wreckage, due to the law of diminishing returns, could at times yield profits exceeding 1000%.
It was only normal for someone to take such risks.
He had already entrusted S.H.I.E.L.D. with the task of handling the alien warship wreckage.
Therefore, until the dust settled, he would not interfere.
What if S.H.I.E.L.D. was fishing?
His rash intervention would only disrupt S.H.I.E.L.D.'s arrangements.
After breakfast, once Gwen left again,
magic Fire sparks flickered in front of Russell, and a teleportation portal opened directly to the Dimension of Blood.
Dimension of Blood.
When the portal opened and Russell stepped out,
two cracks suddenly appeared in the blood moon in the sky.
Those were a pair of eyes.
"Sorcerer Spider-Man! How dare you enter my Dimension of Blood?!"
A rumbling sound like thunder emanated from the blood moon,
instantly traversing infinite distance and echoing throughout the entire world.
"Blood God, I'm here to settle a score with you!"
Russell's righteous voice also instantly traversed infinite distance, echoing in the Blood God's ears.
"Settle a score? Hahaha! We do indeed have a score to settle, Sorcerer Spider-Man."
Along with the voice, a massive crimson energy beam descended.
To the Blood God's astonishment, the crimson energy beam struck Russell.
This was the Blood God's way of greeting and demonstrating his power.
He did not expect such an obvious energy attack to actually hit.
In his opinion, Russell had several ways to block or dodge it.
But opportunity knocks only once.
Seeing the attack hit, the Blood God decisively increased its intensity.
However, the Blood God quickly realized something was wrong.
Why was there no energy leakage at all?
It was as if this was not a battle.
The Blood God stared intently and discovered the truth.
His energy was being devoured by Russell.
"You dare to devour my energy in my Dimension? Aren't you afraid of bursting?"
A hint of mockery flashed across the Blood God's face, yet he maintained the energy output.
"My energy is endless!"
Hmm, you had better be.
Seeing the Blood God so sensible, Russell was no longer in a hurry to act.
His purpose in bothering the Blood God was for energy, and the Blood God was currently supplying him with energy.
Since his goal had been achieved, there was naturally no need to change the current situation.
And facts quickly proved that the Blood God's energy was not endless.
A moment later, the Blood God stopped his energy attack.
Attribute Points +4398, 2200.
"My energy is endless~"
Hearing Russell's mocking voice, the Blood God's body couldn't help but tremble with anger.
Spreading his wings, the blood moon transformed into a gigantic bat, swooping down towards Russell on the ground.
The Blood God did not believe that Russell would still be his opponent once he left the Sun and lost his geographical advantage.
Russell clenched his fist, divine power condensing.
Behind him, Pure White matter continuously surged out, also forming a gigantic Pure White fist.
As the Blood God approached, Russell threw a punch.
The Pure White fist moved with him.
Splat.
The Pure White fist collided with the bat's claw; there was no stalemate. The fist first crushed the claw, then transformed from a fist into a claw, grabbing the bat's neck and smashing it hard into the ground!
Time seemed to freeze, and the entire Dimension of Blood was still for a moment.
The next instant, a roar erupted, and a massive mushroom cloud rose from the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The earth trembled, and an Impact swept out, engulfing the heavens and earth.
When the smoke cleared, the sight of the Blood God's slightly dimmed body being held in Russell's Pure White hand, like a chick being pinched, was witnessed by all living beings within the entire Dimension of Blood.
For a time, in the Dimension of Blood, people's hearts were stirred.
The emperor changes, next year it will be my turn.
"Blood God, can you listen to me settle the score now?"
Russell's calm voice rang out.
Compared to killing the goose that lays the golden egg, Russell preferred sustainable fishing.
"You are not Sorcerer Spider-Man."
The Blood God's slightly trembling voice sounded, answering beside the point.
"You are not Spider-Man; it's impossible for Spider-Manto be this strong!
"You are an Ancient God! Which Ancient God are you, after all?!"
Sorry, the chapter I owe from yesterday will have to be delayed a little longer...
Chapter 128 Let's do installments, Blood God
Chapter 129: Installments, Blood God
Ancient God?
According to the life-level given by the panel, Russell is indeed an Ancient God now.
Though he's not 'ancient' at all.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Russell held the Blood God down and slammed him into the ground three more times.
"I'm giving you one more chance to rephrase that."
Whether he was awakened by being slammed three more times or stimulated by Russell's murderous voice, it was unclear.
In any case, the Blood God reacted, recognized his predicament of being the fish on the chopping block, and said in a muffled voice:
"How do you want to settle the score?"
"Last time, old friends reunited after a long separation; we should have composed poems, brewed wine, drunk heartily, and exchanged gifts.
"But Blood God, you attacked me fiercely and severely injured me.
"Shouldn't there be compensation for mental distress and medical expenses?
"And shouldn't the gifts owed also be made up?"
The Blood God remained silent, his heart burning with rage.
He had seen clearly before his avatar dissolved that Russell was completely unharmed.
On the contrary, in his last encounter with Russell,
He lost an important avatar, and his Inheritors family was annihilated.
As a result, his dominion over the Dimension of Bloodhad significantly decreased.
And he was still demanding compensation from him!
Facing Russell's preemptive accusation, the Blood Goddecisively chose to swallow his anger.
"Yes."
"Very good." Russell nodded with satisfaction, dispersing the glowing white hand that held the Blood God, "All in all, that'll be 2 billion units of energy."
The Blood God fell silent again.
Seeing this, Russell asked, "What's wrong, Blood God? Such a vast Dimension of Blood, and you can't even produce 2 billion units of energy?"
"Sorcerer Spider-Man, you don't know the full story."
Scarlet mist permeated the air, and a miniaturized Blood God avatar emerged.
The Blood God, with a dejected face, complained to Russell:
"Although I am the Dimensional Lord of the Dimension of Blood, the Dimension of Blood is not entirely mine.
"Most of the energy within the Dimension of Blood, I only have the right to use, but not ownership.
"Once—"
Russell interrupted the Blood God's complaints and threatened coldly, "So, Blood God, you don't want to compensate, forcing me to directly break into the Dimension of Blood and loot it clean?"
"No, no, no, Sorcerer Spider-Man, you've misunderstood. Please let me explain slowly."
The Blood God quickly shook his head.
"My point is, my authority in the Dimension of Blood is not enough to pay 2 billion units of energy all at once.
"But if my authority increases, then I can."
The Blood God revealed his true intentions; he wanted to drag the other Demon Gods of the Dimension of Blooddown with him!
In a short period, he was first tricked by the Sorcerer Ancient One.
Then, he had an important avatar destroyed by Russell, which needed repair.
His personal treasury was now almost empty, and he could only use the public energy of the Dimension of Blood to cover the costs.
But such a huge loss would incur the Dimension of Blood's displeasure, and his authority would also decline.
If the Blood God didn't do this, after Russell left, he, being severely weakened, would surely be overthrown by the combined efforts of the other Demon Gods.
Russell understood the Blood God's implied meaning and said with a half-smile:
"Blood God, you have a good plan. But in that case, shouldn't my labor fee be added as well?"
"Sorcerer Spider-Man, the Dimension of Blood really can't squeeze out any more energy," the Blood Godcomplained again.
"Why? Over endless years, the Dimension of Bloodshould have accumulated a lot of energy, right?" Russellwondered.
"Sorcerer Spider-Man, energy is conserved. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It only transfers from one object to another."
"I know that, be more specific."
"The Dimension of Blood has ways to acquire magicenergy and also expenses that consume energy.
"Simply put, we earn a lot, and we spend a lot.
"Energy only maintains a certain level and isn't specifically accumulated."
Russell was speechless.
This is not very magic-like!
Adjusting his expression, Russell smiled:
"Blood God, if you can't pay it all at once, that's fine. You can pay in installments."
Hmm, pay in installments, and pay interest first.
The Blood God looked at Russell's smiling face and suddenly understood.
He seemed to have invited a wolf into his house.
But, who could blame him for being unwilling to give up his position as the Dimensional Lord of the Dimension of Blood?
He could only hope that Russell would encounter disaster and perish in the future.
Bethesda, a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. Base.
Director Fury had completely finished his resurrection surgery.
The painful memories of the surgery had also been overwritten by transplanted memories.
At this moment, he was leaning back on the hospital bed, listening to Coulson report on the events that had transpired during this time.
"It's truly unbelievable.
"In the Universe, there actually exists such a brutal force, whose operating principle is to slaughter half the living beings of other civilizations.
"Even more incredible is that Russell actually took the initiative to target the leader of this force, and succeeded."
Director Fury was filled with emotion at this moment.
He still couldn't get over the fact that he hadn't been more proactive in recruiting Russell at the time.
"Coulson, if we had just tried a little harder back then, would we have had a chance to recruit Russell?
"If Russell had joined the Avengers Initiative, then Earth's safety would no longer be a concern.
"It's such a pity."
"Yes, Director Fury."
Coulson softly echoed Director Fury.
He knew that his old superior had just undergone resurrection surgery and was at a vulnerable time, both physically and psychologically.
Being sentimental was perfectly normal.
"Coulson, don't call me Director anymore."
Director Fury suddenly corrected Coulson's address.
"After some time, I will recommend you to the World Security Council to serve as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Why, Director Fury?" Coulson asked, puzzled, "S.H.I.E.L.D. is currently facing both internal and external troubles; it can't do without you."
"For the internal troubles, which are the HYDRA matters, I will help you.
"Coincidentally, by going underground, I can better track down HYDRA's whereabouts."
Well, besides HYDRA, Director Fury also needed to carefully observe the movements of the Skrull.
Although he and the Skrull were allies, he hadn't forgotten to be wary of the Skrulls.
"As for external threats."
Director Fury looked at Coulson meaningfully.
"Coulson, as the superhuman World gradually comes to light, various countries are establishing their own agencies to handle superhuman affairs.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s authority has been diluted.
"Coupled with the theft of the Tesseract this time, S.H.I.E.L.D. will no longer gain the Council's trust.
"If it weren't for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s relationship with Russell, S.H.I.E.L.D. might have already been disbanded.
"In the future, S.H.I.E.L.D. will continue to be marginalized until it becomes merely a tool for communicating with Russell."
Coulson fell silent.
This was precisely S.H.I.E.L.D.'s biggest problem at present.
On one hand, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s authority was constantly being eroded;
On the other hand, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s relationship with Russellwas not stable.
Russell simply didn't like dealing with official agencies, but it wasn't that he couldn't.
In fact, Russell could even move to another Planet, another Universe to live.
Coulson shook his head and smiled bitterly:
"Director Fury, if that's the case, after we deal with HYDRA, why don't we just disband S.H.I.E.L.D.ourselves?"
Chapter 129 Tony Bucky Steve
Chapter 130: Tony, Bucky, Steve
A northern landscape, thousands of miles of ice, ten thousand miles of snow.
This is Siberia, a remote and extremely cold place where few people tread.
Hidden here is a HYDRA secret Base, an Iron Man SuitBase.
"Jarvis, scan this secret Base ahead and find the laboratory entrance."
"Received, sir."
Tony, wearing his Iron Man Suit, was rapidly approaching the Base from a distance.
On the ground, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents were also coordinating and advancing quickly.
"Unidentified flying object detected! Unidentified flying object detected! Request instructions!"
"Attack!"
The guards inside the Base soon discovered Tony, who made no attempt to conceal himself. After receiving orders from their superiors, beams of energy shot out.
However, none of them hit.
All attacks were dodged by Jarvis, who controlled the Iron Man Suit to fly at high speed.
At the same time, small missiles were launched from the Iron Man Suit, accurately hitting the resistance forces in the secret Base.
"Jarvis, am I close?"
"Just ahead, sir, at the window."
Following Jarvis's guidance, Tony broke through the window.
Inside the laboratory, guards and scientific researchers were mixed together, frantically transferring experimental data.
The moment they saw the Iron Man Suit break through the window, the guards immediately drew their guns and fired;
The scientific researchers, on the other hand, decisively ducked and covered their heads.
Many of them had been deceived by HYDRA and did not know the truth beforehand.
"Everyone, please stop. Let's talk this through."
Facing the guards' gunfire, Tony was unhurried.
These small-caliber firearms could not break through his Iron Man Suit's defense.
However, the guards in the laboratory clearly had no intention of talking to Tony nicely.
Or rather, they only wanted to talk to Tony with bullets.
Seeing this, Tony's shoulder armor rose, and several small but powerful missiles struck down the guards one by one.
Landing, Tony surveyed the surroundings.
The scientific researchers obediently squatted on the ground with their heads covered.
The guards had all lost their ability to resist.
Stepping out of the Iron Man Suit, Tony issued an instruction to Jarvis: "Alert mode."
Inside the laboratory, several nutrient pods were starting up urgently.
It seemed they wanted to awaken the weapons dormant within.
The Winter Soldier!
A Super Soldier secretly researched by HYDRA.
And Tony's target for this trip was one of them—James Buchanan Barnes, nicknamed Bucky.
One night in 1991, Bucky (who had been captured, brainwashed, and modified) killed Tony's parents.
Ever since he received this news from Mephisto, Tony had been searching for his whereabouts.
Tony checked the nutrient pods one by one and fortunately discovered that Bucky was also here.
Walking to the control panel, Tony performed some operations, interrupting the Winter Soldier's awakening program.
He also copied the experimental data.
"Jarvis, contact Commander Hill, inform her of the situation here, and send her a copy of the data."
"Yes, sir."
After dealing with official business, it was time for personal grievances.
Tony looked at the sleeping Bucky, his eyes alternating between anger and reason.
"Jarvis, retrieve James Buchanan Barnes's life file, including the latest collected data."
"Yes, sir."
Jarvis's voice sounded, his tone and pitch as always.
"Military file: James Buchanan Barnes, born in Shelbyville, Indiana, U.S. in 1917.
"During World War II, he joined the Military. Afterwards, he became Captain America Steve Rogers's assistant, accompanying Captain America on multiple attacks against fascist strongholds.
"Towards the end of World War II, he fell off a cliff and went missing during a raid mission against Dr. Zola.
"HYDRA file: After falling off the cliff, James Buchanan Barnes was found by HYDRA.
"Dr. Arnim Zola brainwashed and controlled him, and installed a new metal arm for his broken arm, making him a crucial weapon of the HYDRA organization, the 'Winter Soldier.'
"Afterwards, he continuously cycled through freezing, unfreezing, and executing missions."
Tony listened quietly as Jarvis finished reading Bucky's life file, his face changing between expressions of gloom and brightness.
Crack~
Just then, the sound of glass shattering rang out.
Bucky's metal left arm pierced through the nutrient pod, and he stepped out.
His gaze fixed on Tony.
Seeing this, Tony was not surprised but rather pleased.
"You've really chosen the perfect time to come out."
Bucky's expression was vacant, and he ignored Tony's words, stepping forward and throwing a punch directly.
Tony was not in a hurry to retreat into his armor, moving his feet and sidestepping to avoid Bucky's metal left arm.
Then, he circled to Bucky's right side and threw a punch.
Bucky raised his right arm to block.
At this moment, the genetically modified Winter SoldierBucky vs. the White Energy evolved Tony.
Bang!
With a muffled thud, Bucky staggered, losing his balance.
Tony seized the opportunity, stepped closer, and landed a solid punch on Bucky's face.
Bucky, injured, found it even harder to regain his balance and could only sweep his left arm horizontally, attempting to force Tony back.
Tony quickly crouched and delivered a sweeping kick, avoiding Bucky's metal left arm while also counterattacking.
Bang!
Bucky fell again but quickly rolled away to create distance and stood back up.
Taking advantage of the distance between them, Tonycast a spell with both hands, summoning a small energy shield—the Ring of the Crimson Hell.
It wasn't that there weren't more powerful spells, but Tony just wanted to beat Bucky up and vent his anger; the Ring of the Crimson Hell was sufficient.
The next moment, the two were locked in a brawl again.
With the energy shield's defense, Tony's concerns about Bucky's metal left arm greatly diminished.
And after several months of White Energy enhancement, Tony's physical attributes now comprehensively surpassed Bucky, who was an outdated version of a modified human.
Bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!
After an intense exchange, Bucky was bruised and swollen.
Tony, on the other hand, had worked up a sweat and vented his frustrations.
And just then, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents had also captured this secret Base and arrived at the laboratory.
Leading them was Bucky's childhood friend and best friend, Steve Rogers.
"Bucky!"
Steve's excited voice was met with a direct punch from Bucky's metal left arm.
Steve barely reacted in time, raising his shield to block.
"Bucky, it's me, Steve."
Bucky ignored him, using his right hand to push aside Steve's Vibranium shield and delivering a direct kick.
Bang.
Caught off guard, Steve was immediately kicked away.
Tony watched from the side.
He was observing how much sanity Bucky retained after being brainwashed and controlled.
"Tony, what's going on? Why doesn't Bucky recognize me?"
Rolling twice on the ground to dissipate the force, Stevequickly got up and asked Tony, who had arrived first.
"He's been brainwashed and controlled, losing his past memories. He might be like a Robot now," Tonyexplained.
"Help me, Tony. Let's subdue Bucky together first. Be careful, don't hurt him."
"Alright."
Tony agreed.
After venting his anger, he felt much better.
Bucky was merely the weapon that killed his parents; the mastermind behind it was the real culprit.
Chapter 130 Bertrand Russell in Poverty
Chapter 131: Poor Russell
With Tony and Steve working together, the little Buckywas naturally easy to handle.
"Tony, how did you become so powerful?"
On the car escorting Bucky and the other Winter Soldiers back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Base, Steve asked curiously.
In the battle just now, Tony wasn't wearing his suit.
He fought bare-handed the whole time, helping him capture Bucky.
This greatly exceeded Steve's expectations.
Tony said with a straight face:
"Do 100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 squats, plus a 10-kilometer run every day.
"Trust me, Steve, as long as you stick with it, you'll undergo a qualitative change."
Steve's face darkened; he naturally didn't believe Tony's nonsense.
Ever since he used the gene serum and transformed from a frail boy with congenital deficiencies into a super soldier, he had become a fitness fanatic.
His daily training volume was many times higher than that, and he hadn't seen any qualitative change in himself.
After a while, Tony added:
"Of course, a little other help is also needed." Such as magic energy.
Steve shook his head helplessly, no longer listening to Tony's rambling, but instead looked at Bucky with concern.
After the battle, Tony had explained in detail what Bucky's current situation was.
"Tony, do you think Bucky can still recover?"
"Of course he can."
Tony replied to Steve without hesitation, and explained.
"Even souls that have entered Hell and become muddled can recover if properly nurtured. Let alone mere brainwashing."
Steve nodded, relieved.
The topic of Hell was a bit too advanced for him.
But he still understood Tony's meaning — Bucky could recover.
"Also, I need him to recover his memories and tell me who ordered him to kill my parents."
Tony's voice suddenly rang out again, making Steve's heart clench.
"Bucky killed your parents, Tony?!"
Steve's voice was filled with disbelief.
He looked at Tony, who was sitting calmly beside him, and hesitated to speak.
"I know you want to ask what happened.
"In 1991, Bucky attacked my parents and faked a car accident.
"I also know you want to say that Bucky was controlled at the time, powerless, and it wasn't his intention."
Tony asked and answered his own questions.
Steve nodded:
"Tony, your father Howard, I, and Bucky, we were all friends and comrades during World War II.
"If Bucky had been conscious then, he definitely wouldn't have harmed your parents."
Tony shook his head.
For Steve, World War II was just over a year ago, so their camaraderie was naturally deep.
But for Bucky and Howard, the war had ended forty or fifty years before the incident occurred.
After such a long time without contact, how much of their former camaraderie remained was questionable.
"Steve, I promise you. I won't harm Sergeant Barnesbefore he recovers.
"But once he awakens, if he was conscious when he killed my parents, don't blame me."
Tony's voice was very calm.
He was very calm now.
Facing the calm Tony, Steve couldn't find any reason to refute him.
California, one of Tony's seaside Villas.
"Tony, you want my help to quickly restore Sergeant Barnes?"
The speaker was Russell.
At this time, two hours had passed since Steve and Tonycaptured Bucky.
The impatient duo directly took Bucky and left, returning to Tony's residence.
Originally, Tony planned to use his mental power to nourish Bucky's soul.
But coincidentally, Russell, who had just returned from the Dimension of Blood, heard that Tony was temporarily done with his work and immediately rushed over.
So...
"No, Russell. If you help Barnes recover, I can save time and get to work on debugging the cloning device sooner.
"Ultimately, you'll be the beneficiary."
Tony corrected Russell's statement.
Theoretically, this was a division of labor and not Russellhelping him.
"Alright, no big deal."
Russell didn't pay attention to such small details.
Russell flicked his finger, and a pure White energy shot out, entering Bucky's body, quickly sorting and purifying his soul.
Although Russell was now an energy pauper again.
He could still spare a few units of attribute point energy.
On this trip to the Dimension of Blood, he extracted 2 billion units of energy and forced the Blood God to sign a series of unilaterally equal treaties.
One of them was to annually donate tens of millions of units of energy as a gift to maintain friendly relations with Russell.
This number was a bit less than Russell expected.
But after the Blood God's explanation, Russell roughly understood.
The main energy source of the Hell Dimension was also the incidental energy within souls.
That is, the energy Russell absorbed during the first stage of his panel.
And most of all deceased souls would wander within the Universe, heading to the underworlds constructed by the deities they believed in.
Souls without faith would only, under natural attraction, pass through a mysterious transfer station and head to Hell.
And the number of Hell Dimensions was far greater than the real Universe.
Typically, a single Hell Dimension could only receive the souls from a few, or a dozen, Planets.
This is why countless Hell Lords thought of invading the real Dimension through dimensional nodes.
Then they would make a fortune, killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Like a certain handsome guy from the Dark Dimension.
While waiting for Bucky to regain consciousness, Russellhad a thought and opened his attribute panel.
[Attribute Points: 66,4399]
[Sacred Body: 1803]
Hmm, the Sacred Body is still a long way from 10,000, and more effort is needed to earn energy.
And speaking of earning energy, Russell happened to have a business tycoon by his side.
"Tony, if I want to earn energy, how should I do it?"
"Hmm, what do you mean?"
Tony was puzzled.
"Energy isn't just something mages extract from the Multiverse day after day, year after year, and then accumulate, is it?
"Or borrow from extra-dimensional magic entities."
"Tony, is your huge Stark Industries empire something you earned by working for others?" Russell gave an example.
"Russell, the business model of ordinary people and the business model between mages and magic entities have different logic.
"First, tell me how you currently collect energy.
"Specific problems require specific analysis."
Hearing Russell's analogy, Tony also became interested.
Of course, he wasn't interested in earning money, but in earning energy.
"Well, there are several ways.
"The main one is to find a Dimensional Demon God, then try to 'accidentally' bump into them and extort them.
"Usually, you can earn hundreds of millions of units of energy at once.
"The secondary method is to convert physical energy in the Universe into magic energy.
"Or absorb the incidental energy from deceased souls.
"This method typically collects tens of thousands of units of energy per day."