Chapter 13: Sokovia Raid? I'm just here to borrow something!
Night fell.
The lights of Manhattan spread out outside the window, like shattered diamonds scattered all over the ground.
But the atmosphere in the apartment was as heavy as the dead silence before a storm.
Li Heng stood in the center of the living room, making final preparations before departure.
The so-called "preparation" was to fully charge his mobile phone, stuff two packs of instant noodles into his pocket, and change into a pair of comfortable walking sneakers.
Pietro squatted beside him, looking at him in utter disbelief.
"Big Bro... You're going to raid a secret base of Hydra, and you're only bringing these?"
"Otherwise?" Li Heng tied his shoelaces. "Do you expect me to bring a suitcase as well?"
"At least bring some weapons?!"
"My fists are weapons."
Pietro: "..."
He turned his head to look at Wanda, hoping his older sister could say a few words.
But Wanda was currently standing at the doorway of the bedroom, twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, her face filled with complex emotions—worry, fear, unwillingness...
and a trace of deliberately suppressed stubbornness.
"I want to go with you."
Wanda spoke, her voice not loud, but her tone exceptionally firm.
"No." Li Heng didn't even turn his head.
"Why?!"
"Because you have the anchor point of the Mind Stoneinside your body."
Li Heng turned around, looking into Wanda's eyes. "Hydrahas lokis scepter.
When you get close to the scepter, it's equivalent to delivering yourself to them so they can activate the anchor point.
By then, not only won't you be able to help me, but you'll also become my weakness."
Wanda bit her lip tightly, her eye sockets turning slightly red.
She knew Li Heng was right.
But she just wasn't reconciled—why was it always him risking his life while she could only hide in the back and wait?
"I—"
"Wanda." Li Heng walked up to her, pressed her shoulders with both hands, and looked down at her. "Listen to me."
"If I go to Sokovia and get the scepter, I can completely clear the anchor point inside your body.
By that time, you will be free.
You will never have to worry about being controlled by anyone, nor will you ever have to fear your own power."
"So—wait for me at home this time."
"Wait for me to come back."
Wanda looked up at him, her green eyes reflecting Li Heng's dark golden slit pupils, like starlight reflected in a forest.
"Do you promise?" Her voice trembled slightly.
"I promise." Li Heng raised three fingers. "If I lie to you, may I only be able to eat burnt eggs forever in the future."
Wanda froze for a moment, then couldn't help letting out a chuckle of "Pfft" and punched him in the chest.
"You only know how to say such frivolous things..."
"Frivolous words are the only ones that can make people happy." Li Heng patted her head. "Alright, I'll go and be right back.
You stay home and meditate well with Senior Mordo, don't be lazy."
Wanda took a deep breath and finally nodded.
"You must come back."
"Of course. I still owe you a non-burnt breakfast."
Mordo stood at the doorway of the apartment, holding a sling ring flickering with golden sparks in his hand.
The portal spell of Kamar-Taj—as long as one turns the sling ring, one can draw a circle in the air and open a portal leading to anywhere in the world.
This was the most convenient mode of transportation Li Heng had ever seen, bar none.
It was cheaper than taking a taxi, faster than a plane, and you didn't have to worry about traffic jams.
The only problem was—this door looked a bit creepy, as if someone had cut a hole in space, revealing the scenery on the other side.
"Sokovia, two kilometers outside the perimeter of the Hydra base," Mordo said. "I've marked the coordinates, and the portal will send you directly there.
But I can only send you to the outer perimeter—the inside of the Hydra base has an anti-magic detection system, and portals cannot penetrate it."
"Enough." Li Heng nodded.
"Also—" Mordo hesitated for a moment. "Sorcerer Ancient One asked me to pass a message to you."
"What?"
"'Beware of the Mind Scepter.
The power of that thing far exceeds your imagination.
It can control human hearts and tear dimensions apart.
Do not try to use it for anything—after you get it, hand it over to Kamar-Taj for safekeeping.'"
After listening, Li Heng was silent for two seconds.
"I'm only taking the scepter to clear the anchor point inside Wanda's body," he said. "After clearing it, you can handle it however you want.
I'm not interested in that thing."
"That's good." Mordo nodded and began to turn the sling ring.
Golden sparks drew a complete circle in the air—
"Hum—!"
A portal shining with golden light appeared out of thin air at the apartment doorway!
On the other side of the door was a pitch-black East European plain.
The cold wind howled, and the outlines of some buildings were vaguely visible in the distance.
Sokovia.
"I'm leaving." Li Heng wrapped his hoodie tightly around himself, waved at Wanda, "Remember to miss me."
Wanda stood by the door, watching him step into the portal step by step, her hands unconsciously gripping the hem of her clothes tightly.
At the exact moment when Li Heng's figure was about to be swallowed by the portal—
"Li Heng!"
He turned back.
Wanda took a deep breath, gathered all her courage, and shouted out a sentence:
"I'll wait for you to come back!"
Li Heng was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
That smile flashed past in the golden light of the portal, yet it seemed engraved in Wanda's memory.
The portal closed.
Wanda stood in place, watching the residual golden light spots in the air slowly dissipate, suddenly feeling a huge empty space in her heart.
"Sis..." Pietro walked to her side, "Big Bro will be fine, right?"
"He will." Wanda held her younger brother's hand. "He will definitely be fine."
But her hand was trembling slightly.
Sokovia, East European plain.
The cold wind was like a knife.
The moment Li Heng walked out of the portal, he shivered from the minus-teens temperature.
"Damn, this is way too cold!"
He wrapped his hoodie tightly, and the white breath he exhaled condensed into a fog in front of him.
Around him was a desolate hilly terrain, beneath his feet was frozen-solid muddy ground, and in the distance were pitch-black mountain shadows.
And further away—
A massive complex of buildings sat at the foot of the mountain, brightly lit, like a steel behemoth dormant in the darkness.
The Hydra Sokovia base.
[Ding! The system has automatically scanned the target area!]
[Overview of the Hydra Sokovia base—]
[Floor area: approximately 3.7 square kilometers]
[Stationed troops: approximately 800 people (including 600 conventional armed personnel, 150 elite special forces, and about 50 superpower experimental subjects)]
[Defense system: infrared detection network, 12 electromagnetic pulse cannons, 36 automatic machine gun turrets, anti-magic field covering the entire base]
[Core threat: lokis scepter (Mind Stone)—personally kept by Baron Strucker, located in the core laboratory on the third underground floor of the base]
[System suggestion: With the host's current Grade A combat power, a frontal assault is feasible, but the noise is too loud and may attract unnecessary trouble (such as the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D., Avengers, and other factions).
It is recommended to adopt an infiltration strategy to capture the scepter at the minimum cost!]
[However—given the host's consistent "lying flat" style, the system has also prepared Plan B—]
[Plan B: Drop directly from the sky, smash open the baseroof with one punch, grab the scepter and leave. The whole process takes no more than 5 minutes.
Advantages: simple, crude, time-saving, and effort-saving.
Disadvantages: too much noise, might wake up everyone in the Hydra base.]
[Host, please choose a plan—]
Li Heng looked at the brightly lit base in the distance, then looked at the thin hoodie on his body, and made a decision.
"Plan A is too troublesome. Let's go with Plan B."
"Anyway, they'll find me sooner or later, might as well cut through the mess quickly."
[Ding! The host chose Plan B—Justice from the Sky! The system has planned the optimal intrusion route for you!]
[Target: Central main building of the base, core laboratory on the third underground floor!]
[Estimated intrusion time: 3 minutes 47 seconds!]
"Three minutes?" Li Heng exercised his wrists. "Too much. Give me one minute."
He took a deep breath, and the demon wings behind him suddenly spread open!
The dark red bat wings stretched out in the night wind, and the ancient runes on the wing membranes bloomed with a chilling dark golden light, illuminating the surrounding dozens of meters.
"Let's go."
Li Heng kicked the ground with both feet, soaring straight into the sky like a dark golden missile!
He flipped his body at high altitude, adjusted his angle, and then folded his wings, diving down at a nearly vertical angle—
Target: The central main building of the base!
A hyper-speed dive at Mach 7!
The air around him was compressed into a white conical shockwave, making a deafening roar!
"Boom————!!"
Like a meteorite, Li Heng crashed headfirst into the roof of the base's central main building!
Reinforced concrete shattered like paper in front of him, debris splattered everywhere, and the entire building shook violently!
He penetrated from the fifth floor to the fourth floor, from the fourth floor to the third floor, from the third floor to the second floor—
All the way down!
Every time he penetrated a floor slab, he left behind a hole exceeding three meters in diameter!
The alarm siren instantly echoed throughout the base!
"Invasion alarm! Invasion alarm! Main building of Zone A is under attack! All units immediately enter combat status!"
Hydra soldiers woke up from their sleep, grabbed their weapons one after another, and rushed toward the main building.
But Li Heng didn't give them any time to react at all.
He penetrated the last floor slab and landed steadily on the ground of the core laboratory on the third underground floor.
The concrete ground beneath his feet was shaken into a circle of spider-web-like cracks by the Impact of his landing.
The core laboratory was a huge circular space, with the dimensional experiment machine that Li Heng had seen in the system intelligence placed in the center—
at the core of the machine was embedded a scepter exuding a dim blue light.
lokis scepter.
Mind Stone.
"Found it."
Li Heng patted the dust off his body and walked toward the scepter.
However—
"Clap, clap, clap."
A burst of slow applause sounded from the shadows of the laboratory.
A figure walked out from the darkness.
Baron Strucker.
He wore a neat military uniform, pinned with the Hydraemblem on his chest, his graying hair combed meticulously, and a confident smile hung on his face.
"Welcome, My Lord."
Strucker said in standard English, "I've been waiting for you."
Li Heng's steps stopped.
"Waiting for me?" He narrowed his eyes. "You knew I would come?"
"Of course." Strucker's smile deepened. "When Mordo, the disciple of Sorcerer Ancient One, opened a portal in New York, our dimensional detection system captured the energy fluctuation.
We calculated the coordinates of the portal—Sokovia."
"So I guessed—you're here to take this scepter."
Strucker turned around and reached out to stroke the shaft of lokis scepter, the blue gem at the top of the scepter flickering slightly under his touch.
"And I also guessed—the reason you want to take the scepter is because of that girl."
"Wanda Maximoff."
Li Heng's pupils shrank abruptly.
"You tampered with her anchor point."
"Smart." Strucker nodded. "We implanted the energy anchor point of the Mind Stone in her body—an extremely concealed'switch'.
As long as we use the scepter to activate it, her Chaos Magic will be completely under our control."
"She will become Hydra's most powerful weapon—Scarlet Witch."
Li Heng's expression did not change, but the energy within his body was secretly surging.
"So, are you threatening me?" His voice was very calm.
"No, no, no." Strucker shook his head. "I am inviting you."
"Inviting?"
"My Lord, you possess power surpassing ordinary people, yet you are bound hand and foot by an ordinary girl."
Strucker took a step forward. "Join Hydra.
We can rule this world together—you take charge of the dark night, and I take charge of the light.
As for that girl—"
His smile turned cold and sinister.
"She can become the bond between you and me.
You possess the Progenitor Bloodline, and she possesses Chaos Magic, both originating from the darkhold of Chthon.
If you join forces—no, if we join forces—"
"We will possess power that transcends everything!"
Strucker grew more and more excited as he spoke, a fanatical gleam flashing in his eyes.
"Hydra's ideal has never been about ruling the world—that is merely a means! Our ultimate goal is to evolve humanity! To liberate humanity from the shackles of weakness, fear, and death!"
"And you—the inheritor of the Progenitor Bloodline—you are the ultimate answer to evolution!"
"Join us! Let us together—"
"Enough."
Li Heng interrupted him.
His voice remained calm, but the chill emanating from his very bones caused Strucker to instinctively take a step back.
"You people from Hydra, do you have some kind of flaw—a special fondness for giving speeches?"
"That Marcus last time was the same, talking to me the moment we met about bullshit like 'the glory of the vampire' and 'ruling the world'. Now you're pulling this act again."
"Aren't you tired?"
Strucker's expression changed slightly.
"My Lord, I am sincerely inviting you—"
"I'm not interested."
Li Heng raised his right hand, his five fingers spread open.
"I will only say this once—give me the scepter, and I'll turn around and leave."
"Otherwise—"
In his dark golden slit pupils, a bloody crescent moon slowly emerged.
"I will uproot your Hydra nest in Sokovia."
Strucker fell silent for three seconds.
Then, he smiled.
That smile carried a confident impunity that caused Li Heng's heart to tighten slightly.
"My Lord, did you think I hadn't prepared?"
Strucker snapped his fingers.
"Boom—!"
The walls surrounding the laboratory suddenly exploded open!
Twelve gigantic superhuman test subjects rushed out from the walls, surrounding Li Heng tightly!
Each one stood over two meters tall, with knotted muscles all over their bodies, and their skin covered in eerie blue patterns—the traces of being modified by the energy of the Mind Stone!
And behind the test subjects—
Over a hundred heavily armed Hydra elite soldiers filed in, their energy rifles aimed squarely at Li Heng!
Even more deadly was—
Strucker reached out and grasped lokis scepter!
The blue gemstone at the tip of the scepter suddenly erupted with dazzling light!
"My Lord—" Strucker raised the scepter high, its glow casting his face in an eerie blue hue, "You are indeed very strong. But the power of the Mind Stone—"
"Can control everything!"
He abruptly aimed the scepter at Li Heng—
"Kneel!!"
A blue psychic Impact shot out from the scepter, like a tangible beam of light, heading straight for Li Heng's glabella!
If it were an ordinary person, even a member of the Avengers, under this blow their consciousness would be instantly controlled, reducing them to a puppet of the scepter.
But Li Heng—
He stood in place, motionless.
The blue psychic Impact struck his glabella—
Then—
Dissipated.
Like a drop of water falling into the ocean, without a sound.
The entire scene fell into dead silence.
Strucker's smile froze on his face.
"No… Impossible…"
Li Heng slowly raised his head.
In his eyes, the dark golden slit pupils were brighter than ever before.
Deep within the slit pupils, a tiny, dark red mark was flickering—
That was the "Chthon's Curse".
The special reward obtained last night when fusing the blood moon eye—the mark Chthon placed on him before retreating.
This mark usually remained dormant, but when the energy of the Mind Stone touched Li Heng's consciousness—it awakened.
Because the power of the Mind Stone and Chthon are connected at their root.
Whether it was Chaos Magic, the darkhold, or the Mind Stone among the Infinity Stones—they all originated from the same starting point: the primordial energy born at the birth of the Universe.
And Dracula's bloodline within Li Heng, traced back to its origin, also came from Chthon's darkhold.
Therefore—when the Mind Stone attempted to control Li Heng's consciousness, Chthon's mark automatically activated, devouring that mental Impact completely!
[Ding! Key plot triggered!]
['Chthon's Curse' mark automatically activated! Mind Stone psychic Impact—completely immune!]
[Reason analysis: The Progenitor Bloodline within the host originates from the darkhold, the darkhold originates from Chthon, and the power of the Mind Stone resonates with Chthon's power at the cosmic root level! Therefore—the Mind Stone cannot control beings possessing Chthon's mark!]
[System evaluation: This wave belongs to—You use my ancestor's power to hit me? I turn my hand and swallow it up!]
Strucker's expression changed completely.
He crazily urged the scepter again—once, twice, thrice!
The blue psychic Impacts bombarded Li Heng one after another!
But every single one, like the first, dissipated without a trace the moment it touched Li Heng's glabella.
Li Heng stood in place, unmoving.
His expression was even somewhat bored.
"Finished?"
Strucker's hands began to tremble.
"You… What kind of monster are you…"
"I already said." Li Heng took steps forward, walking towards Strucker.
"I'm just passing by."
"Here to borrow something."
The twelve superhuman test subjects let out a simultaneous roar, pouncing towards Li Heng!
Li Heng didn't even look—
"Vampire Domain · Expand!"
The dark red barrier abruptly expanded with him at the center!
The eighty-meter-radius blood-colored domain shrouded the entire laboratory!
All hostile creatures within the domain—superhuman test subjects, Hydra soldiers—instantly felt their bodies weighed down by thousands of jin, their movements becoming incomparably sluggish, and their strength seeming to have been largely drained away!
[Ding! Vampire Domain takes effect! Enemy all attributes reduced by 35%!]
The next second—
Li Heng's figure disappeared.
No, not disappeared—it was just too fast.
He activated his teleportation ability within the domain, his figure flashing among the test subjects; every place he flashed past, a test subject fell!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The twelve superhuman test subjects were all knocked down within five seconds!
Every single one was killed with a single blow!
Hydra's soldiers completely collapsed.
Some began dropping their weapons and fleeing, some collapsed to the ground, some crazily pulled the trigger—but under the suppression of the Vampire Domain, the bullets couldn't even touch the corner of Li Heng's clothes.
Li Heng walked through the scattered soldiers, stepping toward Strucker step by step.
Strucker retreated step by step until his back pressed against the cold wall.
"Don't… Don't come over…"
He raised the scepter, attempting a final resistance—
Li Heng reached out his hand, gently grasping the shaft of the scepter.
Then—
Pulled it back.
The scepter slipped from Strucker's hands, steadily landing in Li Heng's palm.
"Thank you."
Li Heng weighed the scepter in his hand, revealing a polite smile to Strucker, who had collapsed onto the ground.
"Borrowing it for a bit, I'll return it when I'm done."
"Oh, right—"
He remembered something, lowering his head to look at the trembling Strucker.
"You just said you wanted to activate the anchor inside Wanda within 48 hours?"
Strucker's complexion was as pale as paper, unable to utter a single word.
Li Heng squatted down and patted his shoulder.
"Tell the people above you—Wanda Maximoff is my person."
"Whoever dares to touch her—"
"I will exterminate their entire clan."
"No matter if they are Hydra or whatever other thing."
Finished speaking, Li Heng straightened his body, holding lokis scepter, and walked toward the large hole he had crashed through all the way up above the laboratory.
Behind him was utter chaos.
Strucker sat paralyzed on the ground, watching Li Heng's departing back, trembling all over uncontrollably.
He had lived for more than sixty years, seen countless powerhouses, and had never feared anyone.
But tonight—
For the first time, he felt true fear.
That kind of fear did not come from the gap in strength, but from a deeper, fundamental despair—
In that young man's eyes, he and his Hydra weren't even worthy of being called "enemies".
They were merely a group of… ants blocking the way.
Li Heng flew out of the base, circled in the night sky of Sokovia, and after confirming there were no pursuers, landed on an uninhabited hill.
He lowered his head to look at lokis scepter in his hand.
The blue gemstone exuded a chillingly cold light in the night, beautiful yet dangerous.
[Ding! Detected host contacting lokis scepter (Mind Stone)!]
[Mind Stone information loading—]
[Mind Stone: One of the six singularities existing before the Big Bang, condensed into one of the Infinity Stones, possessing supreme authority to control minds, modify consciousness, and project psychic power!]
[Current state: The scepter shell restricts a large amount of energy output, and its actual power is only one-ten-thousandth of the Mind Stone's true power! Even so, it is still sufficient to control the vast majority of Earth-level lifeforms!]
[System suggestion: Host can use the power of the Mind Stone to clear the anchor inside Wanda. Specific operation—bring the scepter close to Wanda's forehead, guide it with the Progenitor Bloodline, and command the Mind Stone to remove the anchor. Since the host possesses Chthon's mark, the Mind Stone cannot produce backlash against the host!]
[Removal time: About 10 minutes.]
"Ten minutes?" Li Heng nodded, "Then go back now."
He was just about to call Mordo to open a portal—
Suddenly.
The scepter in his hand suddenly vibrated!
The blue gemstone at the tip of the scepter erupted with a blinding light without warning!
"Hum————!!"
An extremely powerful psychic power gushed out from the gemstone, not attacking Li Heng—but outward!
Toward the entire base!
Toward the entire Sokovia!
Toward the entire world—
Broadcasting!
This was a psychic broadcast!
[Ding! Warning! lokis scepter triggered its self-start program! Hydra set a backup command on the scepter—when the scepter leaves the designated area, it automatically sends an encrypted psychic signal globally!]
[Signal content—]
["Long live Hydra. Scarlet Project initiated. Target: Manhattan, Wanda Maximoff. All units execute immediately."]
Li Heng's expression changed abruptly!
This was—
A summons!
Hydra had set a trap on the scepter! Once the scepter was taken away, it would automatically send a signal to all Hydra branches, ordering them to launch an attack on Wanda!
And at this moment—
Wanda was still in New York!
"Damn it!"
Li Heng abruptly urged his demon wings, charging up into the sky!
"Mordo!!" he roared toward the night sky, "Open a portal!! Now!!!"
He frantically called out in his heart to the sorcerer of Kamar-Taj.
Meanwhile—
New York, Manhattan.
In the apartment, Wanda was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, eyes closed, practicing meditation following Mordo.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes.
Because she felt it—
An extremely uncomfortable feeling of being peeped at from afar.
It felt like a pair of invisible eyes were staring intently at her through the void.
Wanda's heart shrank violently.
And the next second—
Outside the apartment building, at the end of the street.
Three black van vehicles stopped silently.
The car doors opened, and over a dozen figures wearing black tactical gear and holding suppressed weapons filed out, silently surrounding the apartment building.
On their armbands was printed a skull and octopus—
Hydra.
The leader raised his head, looking toward the window on the top floor of the apartment, the corner of his mouth curving into a cold arc.
He pressed his headset and said in a low voice:
"Target confirmed."
"Scarlet Project—execute."
Chapter 14: Who Dares Touch Her? The vampirePatriarch's Forbidden Scale!
New York, Manhattan.
Two seventeen in the morning.
Inside the apartment, Wanda suddenly opened her eyes!
That feeling of being watched from afar was no longer just a "feeling" — — it had turned into a tangible oppression, like someone pressing a cold blade against the back of her neck.
"Mr. Mordo!"
Wanda's voice carried a hint of trembling, but even more of alertness.
Mordo, who was meditating in the corner, instantly opened both eyes. As a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, he possessed a nearly intuitive perception of danger — —
"Someone is coming." Mordo sprang up from the ground, the sling ring in his hand already spinning, "Many people. No fewer than fifteen, fully armed, approaching from both the stairs and the elevator!"
"What?!" Pietro jumped up from the sofa, "Who? Hydra?"
"Highly likely." Mordo's expression was ashen, "They've set up jamming devices around the perimeter of the apartment, and my portals cannot be opened — — we are trapped!"
Wanda's heart plummeted abruptly.
Right at this moment — —
The apartment door was slammed open from the outside!
"Bang — —!"
The door panel flew out, smashed against the opposite wall, and shattered into two halves!
Three figures wearing black tactical gear rushed in first, their suppressed submachine guns raising in unison, their pitch-black muzzles aimed at the three people in the living room — —
"Don't move!"
The leading Hydra Agent shouted sternly, "By order of Baron Strucker — — take Wanda Maximoff away! Execute all others on sight!"
More Agents poured in from the broken door frame — — five, eight, twelve — — black uniforms, masks, suppressed weapons, dispersing in a well-trained manner to occupy every single shooting angle of the living room.
Pietro blocked in front of Wanda, his fists clenched tightly, his whole body trembling — — not out of fear, but out of anger.
"Don't you dare touch my sister!"
"Step back, kid." The leading Agent sneered, "We don't want to kill unrelated people — — but if you interfere with the Scarlet Project, we wouldn't mind one more corpse."
His gaze crossed over Pietro and fell onto Wanda.
"Miss Maximoff, come with us. My Lord Baron has very important 'work' to give you."
Wanda took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She knew why these people had come — — they wanted to activate the anchor point within her body, use the Mind Scepter to control her Chaos Magic, and turn her into a weapon for Hydra.
She would absolutely not let such a thing happen.
"I am not going with you." Wanda's voice was unexpectedly calm, "You'd better leave right now. Otherwise — —"
"Otherwise what?" The lead Agent scoffed, "You're just an ordinary girl. You don't have any abilities. Do you think that vampire can protect you for the rest of your life? He is far away in Sokovia right now — —"
"Hum — —"
A low hum interrupted the Agent's words.
At Wanda's fingertips — — a trace of crimson light lit up.
That light was extremely faint, like a candle flame about to go out. But in this pitch-black apartment, it appeared exceptionally glaring.
All the Agents' gazes instantly concentrated on that thread of red light.
The lead Agent's pupils abruptly constricted: "Chaos Magic— — she really has awakened! My Lord Baron's judgment was right! Do it immediately! Take her alive!"
"Fire — —"
"Bang!!!"
A deafening loud noise, not gunfire, but — —
The entire floor-to-ceiling window, along with half the wall, was blasted to pieces from the outside by a terrifying force!
Glass shards, concrete chunks, and twisted steel rebar debris poured into the room like a rainstorm!
A dozen-plus Hydra Agents were overturned to the ground by the rubble and shockwave, screaming continuously!
The night wind wrapped around the fragments and whistled in, whipping the remaining furniture in the apartment into scattered chaos!
And amidst that smoke, dust, and debris — —
A figure stepped into the room from the broken window opening.
Gray hoodie, tattered.
Sneakers covered entirely in dust.
In his left hand, he held a scepter emitting an eerie blue light.
On his right hand, the dark golden light had not yet completely dissipated — — that was the lingering aftermath of shattering the wall with a punch just now.
He raised his head, revealing those dark golden slit pupils.
In the center of the slit pupils, a bloody crescent moon was slowly rotating.
"Who — —"
Li Heng's voice lacked any emotional coloring, sounding like a sentence handed down from the depths of the netherworld.
"Who wants to take her away?"
The entire scene fell silent.
The smoke and dust slowly settled.
Among the dozen-plus Hydra Agents, six had already lost combat capability in the Impact just now. The remaining dozen or so barely climbed up, raising their guns to aim at Li Heng — — but their hands holding the guns were trembling uncontrollably.
Because — —
An oppressive feeling so terrifying it was almost coagulating into substance was continuously emanating from this young man!
That was not pure murderous intent, but a more primitive, more instinctive fear — — like the powerlessness of prey facing a top predator, like the despair of ants facing a giant dragon!
This was the Vampire Domain — — passive effect!
In Li Heng's state of extreme anger, the Vampire Domainautomatically leaked outward, shrouding all "hostile creatures" within a radius of dozens of meters around him!
[Ding! Vampire Domain · Rampage Mode triggered!]
[Current host emotional state: Furious! Domain effects doubled! Enemy all attributes decreased by — — 70%!]
[Within the domain range, all hostile creatures below S-Rank combat power will automatically enter a 'fear' state, with their mobility drastically reduced!]
The lead Hydra Agent felt as if he were being pressed down by a massive mountain — — his legs weak, his breathing obstructed, his finger on the trigger as stiff as if it were frozen in a block of ice.
He desperately told himself to fire, to execute orders, to complete the mission — —
But his body completely refused to obey.
"You... you..." His voice sounded like it was squeezed out from between his teeth, "How are you — — shouldn't you be in Sokovia — —"
"I am indeed in Sokovia." Li Heng walked step by step into the living room, the broken glass under his feet automatically shattering into dust as he passed, "But you made two mistakes."
"First — — you thought distance was a problem for me."
"Second — —"
He stopped in front of Wanda, turning sideways to block all the muzzles.
"You thought I would care about any damn distance."
"Whoever dares to touch a single hair of hers — —"
"I will kill them."
This sentence had no embellishments, no exaggeration, and not even any fluctuation in tone.
But it was precisely this flat, nearly indifferent tone that was more chilling than any roar.
Because — — what he said was a fact.
The lead Agent clenched his teeth until they nearly cracked, and finally pulled the trigger!
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat — —!"
The other Agents woke up as if from a profound dream and successively opened fire!
Dense bullets poured down like a rainstorm — —
Li Heng didn't even look back.
He simply — —
Extended his right hand and gently pushed backward.
"Vampire Domain · Wall."
Dark red energy condensed behind him into a translucent blood-colored barrier, blocking all bullets entirely!
"Clang-clang-clang — —"
The sound of bullet casings hitting the floor was crisp and pleasant, like wind chimes.
The magazines of a dozen-plus submachine guns were completely emptied within five seconds.
Gunpowder smoke filled the air.
But — —
Not a single bullet penetrated the barrier.
Wanda, Pietro, Mordo — — completely unharmed.
"Done shooting?"
Li Heng's voice remained flat.
Then — —
He moved.
"Whoosh — —!"
His figure shuttled through the living room like a dark golden lightning bolt!
Wherever he went, an Agent fell!
No fancy moves, no redundant nonsense — — just a punch, a palm strike, a kick — — simple, direct, brutal, and efficient!
Three seconds.
Five fell.
Five seconds.
Eight fell.
Seven seconds — —
All Agents collapsed to the ground, without exception.
Every single person was still breathing — — Li Heng had controlled his strength and didn't kill anyone. But everyone had at least three or more bones fractured, and shouldn't expect to stand up for the next three months.
The lead Agent collapsed limply on the ground, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth, looking at Li Hengapproaching step by step with eyes full of terror.
"You... you can't... the scepter... you should be in Sokovia — —"
"I said it already." Li Heng squatted down, looking down at him condescendingly.
"Distance is not a problem for me."
He stood up, ignored these trash no longer, and turned to walk toward Wanda.
Wanda stood in place, watching Li Heng walk toward her — — his hoodie was covered in dust and blood, his face had a few tiny scratches, his hair was blown into a mess by the wind, and his entire person looked unacceptably disheveled.
But his eyes — — those dark golden slit pupils — — were brighter than ever before.
"You're back." Wanda's voice was very soft, so soft it was almost inaudible.
"I said I'd wait for you." Li Heng walked up to her, raised his hand to wipe away the tear stains at the corner of her eyes, "When have I ever lied to you?"
"You're like this every time..." Wanda's tears finally couldn't help falling, "You take the most dangerous things upon yourself every time... You clearly said you only wanted to slack off..."
"Slacking off and protecting my wife do not conflict." Li Heng said earnestly, "I slack off my way, and whoever provokes me, I beat them up. These two logics form a perfect closed loop without any contradiction."
Wanda: "... Can you not say things like that at a time like this?"
"Cannot. Because this is me."
Wanda broke into a smile through her tears, punching him on the chest — — gently.
"Idiot."
"Mm, I know."
Li Heng lowered his head, earnestly looking into Wanda's eyes.
"Wanda, I'm going to do something next. It might be a little uncomfortable, but you must trust me."
Wanda was slightly stunned: "What is it?"
Li Heng raised the Loki scepter in his hand.
The blue gem exuded an eerie, cold light in the night.
"Inside this scepter is an Infinity Stone — — the Mind Stone. The anchor point inside your body is the residual energy of the Mind Stone. I can use the scepter's power to completely clear away that anchor point."
"After clearing it — —" he said word by word, "you will be free. Hydra will no longer be able to control you."
Wanda looked at the scepter, then at Li Heng's eyes, remaining silent for three seconds.
Then she nodded.
"I trust you."
Mordo hurriedly spoke up from the side: "Wait! Sorcerer Ancient One said not to try using the power of the Mind Stone — —"
"I am not 'using' it." Li Heng interrupted him, "I am 'commanding' it."
He turned to Mordo, a flash of cold light crossing his dark golden slit pupils.
"You forgot — — the Mind Stone is ineffective against me. I have Chthon's Mark inside my body, which shares the same origin as the Mind Stone at the root level. It cannot hurt me, nor can it resist me."
"I am the Master of this scepter — — at least today, at this moment."
Mordo opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately closed it.
Because he saw the determination in Li Heng's eyes — — that determination did not come from rashness, but from an absolute, unquestionable conviction.
This was for Wanda.
For this reason alone, it was enough.
"Sit down." Li Heng said to Wanda.
Wanda sat cross-legged on the ground, with her back facing Li Heng.
Li Heng sat behind her, gently pressing the Loki scepter against the back of her neck — — that was the exact location where the anchor point was, which he had already located during meditation.
"It might hurt a little." He said in a low voice, "Logan, I will always be here."
Wanda nodded slightly.
Li Heng took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and poured the power of the Progenitor Bloodline into the scepter — —
"Hum — — — —!"
The Loki scepter suddenly burst out with dazzling blue light!
But that light wasn't released outward — — instead, under the guidance of Li Heng's Progenitor Bloodline, it turned into an extremely thin blue light needle, precisely piercing into the anchor point location at the back of Wanda's neck!
"Ugh — —!" Wanda's body suddenly stiffened, her hands gripping tightly onto the hem of her clothes on her thighs, her knuckles turning white.
She could feel it — — that light needle was traversing through the depths of her consciousness, searching for that hidden anchor point. That feeling was like someone using an extremely fine needle to rummage through things inside her brain — — not to the point of excruciating agony, but definitely far from comfortable.
"Hold on." Li Heng's voice sounded beside her ears, warm and firm, "It will be ready right away."
Deep within Wanda's consciousness — —
The blue light needle passed through layers of Chaos Magic mist, and finally, in a crimson river, found that dark purple speck of light — —
The anchor point!
That was an extremely tiny, dark purple crystal attached to the bottom layer of Wanda's mental world, like a malignant tumor parasitic on tree roots. Its surface was covered densely with Hydra encryption runes — — that was the activation program designed by Strucker.
As long as someone sent a mental signal of a specific frequency from the outside, this crystal would expand and activate, releasing the Mind Stone's control command to completely overwrite Wanda's consciousness!
But now — —
The blue light needle had found it.
Li Heng perceived the precise structure of the anchor point through the scepter, and then — —
"Release."
He softly uttered a single word.
This word was not English, not Chinese, not any human language — — but a direct dialogue with the Mind Stonethrough the Progenitor Bloodline, a "command" transcending language.
Because the power of the Mind Stone could not resist the existence possessing Chthon's Mark — — this command was absolute!
"Crack — —!"
Deep within Wanda's consciousness, that dark purple crystal — — shattered!
Like a glass ball smashed to pieces, it split into countless tiny fragments, and then, under the purification of the blue light needle, turned into nothingness!
Those Hydra encryption runes also disintegrated accordingly, like a spider web burned away by fire, leaving not a trace!
"Ah — —!"
Wanda let out a short exclamation, and then — —
An unprecedented sense of lightness welled up from the depths of her consciousness!
That feeling was just like — —
Walking with a stone on her back for a very, very long time, so long that she had already forgotten the existence of the stone, until suddenly one day, the stone was removed by someone.
Her steps became light, her field of Vision broadened, her soul — — was free.
"It's gone..." Wanda opened her eyes, tears gushing out, "That thing... is gone... I can't feel it anymore..."
She turned around, threw herself into Li Heng's arms, and wept bitterly.
Li Heng put down the scepter, gently patting her back, a look of relief curling the corners of his mouth.
"I said I'd handle it for you."
"From now on — — no one will ever be able to control you again."
"You belong only to yourself."
[Ding! Mind Stone anchor cleared successfully! Wanda Maximoff's internal Hydra control program — — permanently deleted!]
["Scarlet Project" — — completely bankrupt!]
[Wanda's favorability skyrocketed! Current favorability — — Gratitude +85, Trust +90, Reliance +75, Heartbeat +78!]
[The "Heartbeat" value is approaching the 80 Mark! System reminder — — When the "Heartbeat" value exceeds 80, the blood pact ring link will unlock a brand new form! Stay tuned!]
[In addition — — The host's operation was a complete success! Extra reward settlement — —]
[1. "Scarlet Project" Terminator (Achievement): Permanently increases the host's resistance to mental control-type attacks by 50%!]
[2. Mind Resonance (Passive): The mental link between the host and Wanda deepens further, allowing them to perceive each other's emotions and location within a certain range! Distance upper limit: 100 kilometers!]
[3. lokis scepter (Temporary Holding): The system suggests handing the scepter over to Kamar-Taj for safekeeping after clearing the anchor — — but before that, does the host want to... study it a little bit?]
Li Heng looked at the last prompt, his gaze lingering on the scepter for a fraction of a second.
Mind Stone.
One of the Infinity Stones.
One of the most powerful divine artifacts in the Universe.
According to the plot of the Marvel movies, this scepter would eventually be recovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. (actually Hydra undercover Agents), and then used to create Ultronand Vision — —
But now, the scepter was in his hands.
He could choose to hand it over to Kamar-Taj, or he could choose to...
"Forget it." Li Heng shook his head, shaking the thought out of his mind.
He was neither a hero nor an ambitious person. He took the scepter just to save Wanda — — now that Wanda was safe, the scepter was a hot potato to him.
The earlier he threw it away, the more peace of mind he would have.
"Mordo," he handed the scepter to the Sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, "take it. Ancient One asked you to keep it safe."
Mordo took the scepter as if he had obtained a precious treasure, carefully putting it into a leather case engraved with sealing runes.
"I will send it to Kamar-Taj immediately," Mordo said, "however — —"
He looked at the Hydra Agents all over the floor, and then at the apartment walls blown into ruins, his expression a bit subtle.
"Your apartment... I'm afraid you won't be able to live here anymore."
Li Heng glanced along his gaze — —
Good lord.
Three of the four walls had collapsed, a corner of the ceiling was missing, the floor was covered with broken bricks and bullet casings, and the cold wind whistled through the hole.
How was this an apartment? This was practically an open-air plaza.
"..." Li Heng was silent for three seconds, and then said four words expressionlessly:
"Moving again."
This was the fourth house he had destroyed since coming to the Marvel Universe.
He began to doubt whether he had some kind of passive skill of "demolishing houses".
[Ding! The system detects that the host's living environment is damaged! Automatically trigger the "Housing Security" mechanism!]
[The system has filtered out three alternative residences for the host — —]
[Option A: Manhattan Upper East Side luxury penthouse apartment (monthly rent $80,000, including full smart home and air-raid basement)]
[Option B: Brooklyn Heights single-family Villa (monthly rent $30,000, with private garden and underground garage)]
[Option C: Stark Tower top floor (Free — — but need to accept Tony Stark's neighbor invitation)]
After reading the three options, Li Heng directly ruled out C.
Be neighbors with Iron Man? What peace and quiet would life have then? People coming to blow up the building every day, supervillains coming every few days — — he had had enough.
"Let's go with B," he said neatly and decisively, "having a garden is good for sunbathing — — oh wait, I'm a vampire, I can't sunbathe. Then I'll just plant some shade trees in the garden."
"Wait," Wanda suddenly spoke up, "we are moving to Brooklyn?"
"Yeah, this place is unlivable," Li Heng pointed to the big hole overhead where the sky could be seen, "are you willing to live in an open-air house?"
"No..." Wanda hesitated for a moment, "then... are we living together?"
This question stunned Li Heng for a moment.
That's right.
From the beginning, Wanda and Pietro were temporarily living at his house. Now that the house was gone and they were moving — — were they still going to live with him?
He looked at Wanda's slightly red cheeks and slightly expectant eyes, and suddenly felt that this question didn't need any thought at all.
"Nonsense," he said, "where would you go? You don't have anywhere else to live, and I wouldn't feel at ease letting you live alone. Of course we're living together."
"And," he added, "you still need to continue practicing meditation. If we live separately, who is going to practice with me?"
Wanda's lips curved upward uncontrollably, but she still nodded nonchalantly.
"Oh... alright then."
Pietro rolled his eyes from the side.
"Can you two stop showing affection in front of me? I'm still here!"
"It would be even better if you weren't here," Li Hengmercilessly retorted, "it saves electricity."
"You — —!!"
Mordo watched this group's interaction and his mouth twitched slightly.
He felt that he might be the most confused person among everyone tonight — — clearly having just experienced a life-and-death crisis, clearly having a group of heavily armed assassins break in, clearly almost being kidnapped by Hydra — —
But now, these three people were discussing moving as if nothing had happened, laughing and joking.
"... Are you sure we should be talking about this now?" Mordo couldn't help speaking up.
"What else should we talk about?" Li Heng asked rhetorically, "The Hydra people have already been beaten down by me, the scepter is in hand, and the anchor has been cleared. Everything that should be done has been done, and I couldn't be bothered to care about things I shouldn't worry about."
"The most important thing right now — —"
He let out a huge yawn.
"Sleeping."
Mordo: "..."
He felt that in his cultivation career, he had never encountered such a... such a... such an otherworldly existence.
This person truly didn't care.
Or rather — —
He only cared about that small part of things he considered important.
For example, that red-haired girl.
...
Four in the morning.
Mordo used a portal to send the unconscious HydraAgents to the entrance of the New York police Department (with an anonymous tip letter attached), and then helped send Li Heng and the other two to their new home in Brooklyn Heights.
The new home was a three-story detached Villa with red brick exterior walls, white window frames, a modest lawn in front of the door, and an old oak tree in the backyard. The interior was simple and cozy, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open kitchen, and a living room with a fireplace.
Although it wasn't as high-end as the Manhattanapartment, it had a warmth of home.
From the very first step Wanda walked into the new home, she fell in love with this place.
"So pretty..." she said softly, her gaze lingering on the fireplace, curtains, and oak floor.
"It's alright," Li Heng threw his luggage (actually just a bag of instant noodles and a few changes of clothes) on the sofa, "better than the last one, at least the walls are intact. Temporarily intact."
He emphasized the word "temporarily", revealing his clear self-awareness of his house-demolishing ability.
Wanda couldn't help laughing.
"Go get some rest," she said to Li Heng, "you haven't slept well for two days."
"You too," Li Heng looked at the dark circles under her eyes, "go sleep. Tomorrow — — no wait, this afternoon, Mordo will come to teach meditation. Don't be late."
"Got it." Wanda nodded, hesitated for a moment, then tiptoed and quickly pressed a kiss on Li Heng's cheek.
"Thank you."
Then she blushed, turned around, and ran into her room, closing the door with a "bang".
Li Heng stood in place, touching the lingering warmth on his cheek, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.
"This girl..."
He shook his head, returned to his bedroom, and plunged headfirst into the soft big bed.
The moment he closed his eyes — —
[Ding! Comprehensive settlement of today's actions!]
[Host's battle record overview — —]
[1. Single-handedly raided the Hydra Sokovia base: Successful!]
[2. Captured lokis scepter (Mind Stone): Successful (Transferred to Kamar-Taj)!]
[3. Defeated Hydra's "Scarlet Project" assault team: Successful!]
[4. Cleared the Mind Stone anchor inside Wanda: Successful!]
[5. Protected Wanda's safety: Perfect!]
[Comprehensive rating: SSS-Rank!]
[Reward distribution — —]
[1. Experience value × 5 times! (But since the system has no level system, this reward is purely decorative, just be happy looking at it!)]
[2. Host lineage promotion: Count → Marquess! All attributes increased by 50%! New ability unlocked — — "Progenitor Coercion" (Active): Can release progenitor-level mental coercion against a single target, causing them to fall into a state of fear and paralysis, lasting 3-10 seconds! Cooldown time 1 hour!]
[3. Special item — — "blood pact ring"!]
[blood pact ring: Can be activated when the heroine favorability "Heartbeat" value reaches 80! At that time, the host can materialize it into a ring and present it to the heroine. After wearing this ring, the heroine will gain the following effects — —]
[① The mental link with the host is permanently solidified, immune to any external interference!]
[② In critical moments, the host can instantly teleport to the heroine's side (ignoring distance and space blockade)!]
[③ The heroine's all attributes increased by 30%!]
[Wanda's current "Heartbeat" value: 78/100. Only 2 points away from 80! Come on host! You are just one kick away from officially establishing the relationship!]
Li Heng lay on the bed, looking at the description of the "blood pact ring", silent for a long time.
A ring.
Presented to Wanda.
This meaning... was it too obvious?
He turned over and buried his face in the pillow.
"We'll talk about it later..."
But the tips of his ears were slightly red.
...
The next morning.
In the Villa in Brooklyn Heights, sunlight poured in through the gaps in the curtains.
Li Heng had a rare good night's sleep — — no attacks, no system alarms, no Hydra coming to the door, sleeping peacefully for a full eight hours.
He stretched and walked out of the bedroom, smelling a fragrance — —
It was the fragrance of real food.
Not instant noodles, not burnt eggs.
He walked into the kitchen and saw a scene that surprised him — —
Wanda was standing in front of the stove wearing an apron, and was... cooking?
And — — it wasn't burnt?
There were golden-yellow fried eggs in the frying pan, fragrant bacon in the oven, and just-right toasted toast on the plate next to it.
"You... when did you learn to cook?" Li Heng asked in surprise.
Wanda turned around, a little bit of flour on the tip of her nose, smiling like a child.
"I got up early in the morning to practice! It took several tries before I succeeded! Look — —" she pointed to the finished product on the stove, her eyes sparkling, "it's not burnt this time!"
Li Heng looked at the decent-looking breakfast items, and then at Wanda's expectant eyes, a certain corner of his heart suddenly turning soft beyond measure.
"Not bad." He walked to the stove, picked up a piece of bacon, and took a bite, "much better than burnt eggs."
"Really?!" Wanda jumped up in excitement.
"Yeah. From now on, you will make breakfast. I'm responsible for washing the dishes."
"Okay!"
Wanda happily carried the plate toward the dining table, her steps as light as if she were dancing.
Pietro came down from upstairs, saw this scene, and his mouth twitched slightly.
"Do you know my sister got up and tossed around at five o'clock? The kitchen almost caught fire twice."
"Shut up." Wanda picked up a piece of bread and threw it at him.
"Wow! Domestic violence!"
Li Heng watched the interaction between this pair of siblings, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curling up.
This kind of daily life — —
Is so good.
It would be great if it could always be like this.
[Ding! Detected heroine's current emotional state: extremely happy! "Heartbeat" value +1! Current: 79/100!]
[Only 1 point away from 80! Host, keep up the good work!]
Li Heng looked at this prompt, a subtle anticipation welling up in his heart.
It's 79.
Just a little bit more.
But what he didn't know was — —
Right on this cozy morning, on the other side of the Earth, a storm targeting him was quietly forming.
Sokovia, Hydra base ruins.
When Baron Strucker was dug out from the rubble, he was covered in blood, his left arm was shattered with comminuted fractures, but his consciousness was still quite clear.
His first sentence was — —
"Where is the scepter?"
The second-in-command lowered his head: "Taken away by that vampire. We have already lost the Mind Stone."
Strucker closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling violently.
And then — —
He laughed.
That laughter went from low to crazy, echoing in the ruins, making the surrounding Hydra members' hair stand on end.
"It doesn't matter... it doesn't matter..." Strucker said in a low voice, "The scepter is just a tool. What's truly important — — is the data."
"All the data about Chaos Magic we collected in the 'Scarlet Project' — — are all backed up on the server. The server was not destroyed."
"With these data — — we don't need the Mind Stone to create a new weapon."
He opened his eyes, a morbid light flashing in those turbid eyes.
"Initiate 'Dark Night Project'."
"Target — — Dracula's inheritor."
"His bloodline, his power, his Immortal Factor — —"
"I want to tear them all... apart piece by piece."
"I want to let him know — — the price of offending Hydra."
And behind him — —
In a sealed laboratory deep in the ruins, a forgotten machine was running automatically.
At the core of the machine, a trace of energy leaked when lokis scepter retreated remained — — that trace of energy was resonating with a sleeping "thing" in the laboratory.
That "thing" — —
Was an arm.
An arm soaked in nutrient solution, presenting a creepy purple color, exuding faint consciousness fluctuations — —
A mechanical arm.
Its fingertips — —
Moved slightly.
Chapter 15: Heart Value Maxed Out! blood pact ring
Brooklyn Heights, detached Villa.
The third day of moving into the new home.
Li Heng finally experienced what it meant to have "peace and quiet".
No Hydra coming to smash the place, no dimensional rifts tearing open from the sky, no Old Gods harassing his girlfriend with their gazes — oh wait, Wanda wasn't his girlfriend yet.
Anyway, three days had passed, safe and sound.
For an unlucky guy who had been constantly dragged into all sorts of messes ever since transmigrating, this was practically a miracle.
At this moment, he was lying on a lounge chair under the old oak tree in the backyard, wearing sunglasses, crossing his legs, holding a copy of the New York Times bought from the convenience store downstairs, flipping to the entertainment section, and reading it with great relish.
Sunlight spilled down through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on his body.
For a vampire, sunbathing like this was somewhat risky. But ever since his Progenitor Bloodline awakening level had increased to 0.1%, his resistance to sunlight had correspondingly increased as well — as long as it wasn't exposed to the scorching noon sun, he basically wouldn't get hurt, and at most he would just feel a little sleepy.
Mhm, sleepy.
He already loved sleeping, and sunbathing made him want to sleep even more.
Perfect.
"Li Heng—! Lunch is ready—!"
Wanda's voice drifted out from the kitchen window, carrying a pleasant briskness.
"Coming, coming."
Li Heng put down the newspaper, stretched lazily, and walked leisurely into the house.
On the dining table were three dishes and one soup — scrambled eggs with tomatoes, minced garlic broccoli, pan-fried chicken breast, and seaweed egg drop soup.
To be honest, the appearance could only be considered mediocre, but compared to the charred fried egg from a few days ago, this was simply a qualitative leap.
"Have a taste!" Wanda stood by the table, her apron not yet unfastened, her hands twisting the corner of her clothes, her face full of anticipation and nervousness, "I learned this by following online videos, and practiced it many times before—"
"Delicious."
Li Heng sat down, picked up a chopstick of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shoved it into his mouth, and gave his evaluation before she finished speaking.
Wanda was stunned for a moment: "You didn't even chew—"
"No need to chew, my tongue told me." Li Heng picked up another piece of chicken breast, "Better than yesterday. Keep up the good work."
The corners of Wanda's mouth were pulled up as if by an invisible thread, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't press them down.
She sat opposite Li Heng, resting her chin on her hand, watching him eliminate the dishes on the table bit by bit at an unhurried pace, a nameless sense of fulfillment welling up in her heart.
This feeling—
It felt like having a home.
A real home.
Not the war-torn ruins of Sokovia, not the cold and dark laboratory of Hydra, not the bridge tunnel where she curled up when wandering the streets—
But a place where someone waited for you to eat, someone sheltered you from the wind and rain, and someone said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here," when you were scared.
"Why are you staring at me?" Li Heng looked up and found that Wanda had been watching him.
"Nothing!" Wanda's face turned red, and she hurriedly lowered her head to eat.
Pietro rushed down from the stairs, bolted down a bowl of rice in two or three bites, and said incoherently, "Sis, Big Bro, I'm going out for a stroll! There are so many delicious food shops here in Brooklyn!"
"Eat slowly, don't choke—" Before Wanda could finish speaking, Pietro had already rushed out the door like a gust of wind.
"... This kid really has boundless energy." Li Heng shook his head.
"He's still young." Wanda said with a smile.
"He's only a few years younger than me."
"How old are you anyway? You don't look much older than him."
"I look young because I take good care of myself. No wait, it's because I'm immortal." Li Heng spouted nonsense with a straight face.
Wanda couldn't help laughing out loud.
[Ding! Daily interaction detected — Host and heroine having lunch together, atmosphere index: extremely high!]
[Wanda's favorability slightly increased! Current favorability — Gratitude +85, Trust +92, Reliance +78, Heart-Flutter +79!]
['Heart-Flutter' value has reached 79! Only 1 point away from 80! The blood pact ring is about to activate! Host, please seize the opportunity!]
Seeing this prompt, Li Heng's hand paused slightly.
79 already.
Just 1 point short.
According to the system, when the Heart-Flutter value reached 80, the blood pact ring would activate — the ring that could permanently solidify the mental link between him and Wanda and grant him instantaneous teleportation ability.
To be honest, he was a little nervous.
Not because of the ring's function — although it was indeed very powerful.
But because—
The meaning of a ring.
Giving a ring to a girl...
No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like...
"Why is your face red?" Wanda looked at him curiously.
"Nothing. It's spicy."
"How can chicken breast be spicy?"
"My taste buds are special."
Wanda looked at him suspiciously, but didn't pursue the question.
Three o'clock in the afternoon, sharp.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Mordo's knocking was always so rhythmic, as precise as an atomic clock.
Li Heng went to open the door and let this Kamar-Tajsorcerer in.
Mordo was still wearing that dark red trench coat, and his expression was still as serious as if he were attending a funeral. But Li Heng noticed that when he entered, his gaze swept over the lounge chair in the backyard and the leftovers on the table, and the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch slightly.
Probably thinking that this kind of leisurely lifestyle had nothing to do with cultivation at all.
"Good afternoon." Mordo nodded, "Are you ready for today's meditation?"
"Anytime." Li Heng walked to the center of the living room, sat cross-legged, as proficient as an old monk entering meditative trance.
Wanda also sat down in front of him, the distance between their knees less than an arm's length.
Mordo sat cross-legged beside them, closed his eyes, and began to guide.
"Breathe deeply. Relax your bodies. Feel the flow of energy — do not control it, just observe."
His voice was low and steady, like a quiet river, slowly leading their consciousnesses into a meditative state.
Li Heng closed his eyes.
Consciousness sank.
He saw that river again.
The dark golden river — that was the materialization of his Progenitor Bloodline. Ancient and powerful energy flowed within the river water, every single drop containing the essence of Dracula's heritage.
And on the opposite bank of the river—
Wanda was already sitting there.
Behind her was that crimson river of Chaos Magic. But unlike the previous few times — today's crimson river water was much calmer, no longer as violent and turbulent as before.
Because the anchor point had been cleared.
Wanda's mental world was no longer disturbed by the residual power of the Mind Stone, and the Chaos Magichad also returned to its original appearance—
Not a rampaging beast, but a gentle yet powerful force.
"You're here." Seeing Li Heng, Wanda smiled.
In the consciousness space, her smile was brighter and more unreserved than in reality — because this was a pure spiritual world, where all disguises and defenses were meaningless.
"Mhm." Li Heng sat down on the opposite bank, "Today's river water is quite calm."
"Yeah." Wanda reached out and gently touched the crimson river water behind her — the river water coiled around her fingertips once like an obedient little snake, and then obediently retreated.
"Look! I can touch it!" Wanda said with pleasant surprise, "I didn't dare touch it before — the moment I touched it, I would get sucked in. But now... it doesn't seem to fear me anymore."
"It's not that it doesn't fear you." Li Heng corrected, "It's that you no longer fear it."
Wanda was stunned for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.
"You're right... It was me who kept being afraid. Afraid of my own power, afraid of losing control, afraid of turning into a monster..."
"But what you said that day, I've been thinking about it—"
She raised her head and looked into Li Heng's eyes.
"You said, 'Power is power, and you are you'."
"I suddenly understood — I don't need to fight against my own power, nor do I need to be controlled by it. I just need to... get along with it."
"Like friends."
Looking at the light in Wanda's eyes, a wave of warmth welled up in Li Heng's heart.
This girl...
Was much stronger than he had imagined.
And much wiser than he had imagined.
"That's right." He nodded, "Think of it that way. Your power is not a shackle, it's wings."
"Wings..." Wanda repeated the word, the corners of her mouth curving into a pretty arc.
Then she did something Li Heng hadn't expected—
She stood up and stepped into the crimson river.
"Wanda!" Li Heng abruptly stood up.
But Wanda turned back and smiled at him — that smile was warm and resolute, like the first ray of sunshine in winter.
"It's okay. I believe you."
The river water washed over her ankles, calves, knees — but did not swallow her.
Those crimson energies obediently bypassed her body, like countless little fish swimming around her, gently brushing against her skin.
Wanda walked across the riverbed step by step—
Reaching the opposite bank.
Reaching in front of Li Heng.
The distance between the two of them was less than half a meter.
The dark golden river of bloodline and the crimson river of chaos intersected and fused at their feet, transforming into an unprecedentedly magnificent color—
That was the intertwining of gold and red, like the first ray of dawn burning on the skyline at daybreak.
"I've crossed over." Wanda said softly.
Li Heng looked at the girl standing before him — her red hair fluttered gently in the consciousness space, her green eyes reflected the two intermingling rivers, and her whole person exuded a soft yet firm radiance.
"Mhm," he said, "I see it."
"Very brave."
The corners of Wanda's mouth curved deeper.
Then — she reached out her hand.
That hand was slender, fair, trembling slightly — but in the consciousness space, there was no hesitation at all.
"Li Heng," she said softly, "from now on — let's walk together, okay?"
"Not you protecting me, not me relying on you—"
"It's us walking side by side."
Li Heng looked at the hand extended toward him, remaining silent for a full three seconds.
Then—
He reached out and grasped it.
The moment their hands clasped together—
"Boom——!!"
The entire consciousness space exploded!
The light of dark gold and crimson collided like two stars, erupting into a dazzling brilliance bright enough to illuminate the entire mental world!
The two rivers completely merged into one beneath their feet, transforming into a brand-new, grand river woven of gold and red, surging endlessly!
At the same time—
In the real world.
Mordo abruptly opened his eyes, an unprecedented look of shock appearing on his face!
Because he clearly saw—
A pillar of gold and red light surged into the sky from the clasped hands of Li Heng and Wanda, piercing straight through the Villa's ceiling and shooting into the sky of New York!
That beam of light was so intense and dazzling that all of Brooklyn could see it!
"This is — deep blood pact resonance!!" Mordo blurted out, "Impossible! This level of resonance only appears when the soul frequencies of both parties are completely synchronized! How long have they known each other — half a month?!"
And in the system interface that Mordo couldn't see—
The panel was refreshing crazily!
[Ding!!!!! Blood pact resonance index breaks critical value!!!!!]
[Wanda Maximoff 'Heart-Flutter' value — +2!! Current: 81 / 100!! Breaking the 80 milestone!!!!!]
[blood pact ring — officially activated!!!!!]
[Materializing — materialization complete!]
[New item added to host inventory — 'blood pact ring' × 1!]
[blood pact ring details —]
[Quality: Unique (Cannot be dropped, cannot be damaged, cannot be transferred)]
[Appearance: Dark golden ring, engraved with ancient vampire runes and miniature crimson crescent moon motifs on the surface, exuding a faint warmth when worn]
[Effect ① — Soul Symbiosis: The mental link between the wearer and the host is permanently solidified, immune to any external interference! All external mental influences such as Mind Stone, telepathy, and mind control are completely ineffective!]
[Effect 2 — Instant Guardian: When the wearer encounters danger, the host can ignore distance and spatial barriers, instantly teleporting to the wearer's side! No cooldown! No usage limit!]
[Effect 3 — Power Endowment: All attributes of the wearer are increased by 30%, and within the range of the host's Vampire Domain, the enhancement is doubled!]
[Special Note — Once this ring is worn, barring the wearer taking it off voluntarily, no force can make it detach!]
[System Prompt — Host, the blood pact ring has been materialized. Please present the ring to the female lead as soon as possible! As for how to present it, what to say, and what posture to use — the system won't interfere, the host must improvise! Come on!]
Li Heng withdrew from meditation and abruptly opened his eyes!
He looked down at the palm of his right hand —
A dark golden ring lay quietly there.
It was small and very light, but in Li Heng's hand, it felt immensely heavy.
Because this was not just a piece of functional equipment.
This was —
A ring.
A ring for Wanda.
"Li Heng?" Wanda also withdrew from meditation, and seeing the thing in Li Heng's hand, she curiously leaned closer. "What is this? It's so pretty..."
She reached out to touch the ring —
But Li Heng subconsciously pulled his hand back.
"Wait."
Wanda froze, looking at Li Heng's slightly flustered expression, her heart tightening a little.
"What's wrong?"
Li Heng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Looking at the dark golden ring in his hand, countless thoughts flashed through his mind —
How to give it?
Directly say "This is a magic ring, putting it on will bind our souls together"? That would be way too stiff, right?
Say "This is an amulet"? Too perfunctory!
Say "Marry me"? Aren't they not at that stage yet?!
No — this isn't a proposal! This is just... just... a piece of functional equipment!
Right! Functional! Just like issuing a work badge!
Right, just like issuing a work badge —
The more he thought, the more flustered he became.
Li Heng took three deep breaths and finally made a decision.
He raised his head and looked at Wanda.
"Wanda, this ring —"
"Was condensed from my bloodline power."
"Its purpose is — to protect you. As long as you wear it, no one can control or harm you through mental means anymore. And — if I sense that you are in danger, I can instantly appear by your side."
"No matter where I am."
"No matter how far."
Listening to his words, Wanda's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and her breathing quickened.
"So — you made this specifically for me?"
"Sort of." Li Heng scratched his head, trying his best to make his tone sound nonchalant, "You were controlled by Hydra's anchor point before, and I don't want that to happen again. This ring is — a guarantee."
"A guarantee of your eternal freedom."
Wanda fell silent for a few seconds.
Then, she extended her left hand —
Her slender fingers slightly spread apart, her ring finger unconsciously curling upward.
"Help me put it on."
Li Heng's heartbeat skipped a beat.
His hand holding the ring trembled slightly —
'Calm down! This is just issuing a work badge! Just issuing a work badge!'
He took a deep breath and gently slipped the dark golden ring onto the ring finger of Wanda's left hand.
The moment the ring touched Wanda's skin, it emitted a faint glow — those ancient vampire runes and crimson crescent moon patterns lit up one by one, then slowly sank into the surface of the ring, restoring its understated dark golden luster.
Yet a warm power spread out from the ring, flowing through Wanda's entire body.
Wanda looked down at the ring on her ring finger and gently clenched her hand —
At that moment, she sensed Li Heng.
It was not a visual or auditory perception, but a soul-deep connection —
She could feel his heartbeat, his breath, and his slightly nervous thoughts at this moment.
She could even feel his heart pounding like a drum beneath the exterior he was desperately pretending to keep calm.
Wanda raised her head and looked into Li Heng's eyes.
Her eye sockets turned red, but the corners of her mouth curved into a brilliant smile.
"Thank you, Li Heng."
"This is the best gift I've ever received."
Li Heng averted his gaze, the tips of his ears slightly red.
"Alright, alright, stop being so sentimental —"
"Mhm." Wanda broke into laughter through her tears, lowering her head to stroke the ring on her ring finger, unable to put it down like a child who had received a beloved toy.
Mordo stood to the side, watching this scene with a very subtle expression.
As a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, he had witnessed countless magical contracts, soul links, and mental resonances — but he had never seen anything like the blood pact ring.
This was not a simple magical prop, but rather a portion of a person's soul being split off, integrated into another ring, and permanently bound to another person's soul.
The essence of this act —
Was equivalent to declaring on the soul level —
"You are mine."
"And I — am yours."
Mordo silently turned his head away, feeling that he shouldn't have appeared here.
He began to contemplate life.
...
That night.
After taking a bath, Wanda returned to her bedroom, sat on the edge of the bed, raised her left hand to her eyes, and examined the dark golden ring on her ring finger in the moonlight.
The ring emitted a warm luster in the moonlight, and the runes carved on its surface seemed alive, flickering slightly with her breath.
She tried clenching her fist — the ring tightened a little, but it wasn't constricting, feeling instead like a warm embrace.
She released her hand — the ring returned to its original state.
Wanda couldn't help smiling.
Then she pressed her fingers against her lips and gently kissed the ring.
"Good night," she whispered softly, not knowing whether she was speaking to the ring or to the ring's Master.
Meanwhile, in the next bedroom —
Li Heng lay in bed, suddenly feeling a warmth in his left chest.
That was the soul link of the blood pact ring — he could faintly perceive Wanda's emotions.
What came across the link at this moment was a warm and peaceful sense of happiness, like hot cocoa in front of a winter fireplace, like the fragrance of flowers in a summer night's breeze.
Along with a vague, dream-like word —
"Good night."
Li Heng closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curling upward.
"Good night."
[Ding! blood pact ring soul link operating normally! Host and female lead mental state synchronization rate: 87%! Far exceeding expectations!]
[System Prompt — The successful activation of the blood pact ring marks the entry of the host and female lead's relationship into a brand new stage! From now on, no matter how far apart you are, you can perceive each other's existence and emotions. Any low-level tricks like separation, kidnapping, or mental control — will completely fail!]
[Host, your path of protecting your wife — has completed the most important step!]
Li Heng lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He suddenly recalled the days before his transmigration — working overtime every night until late, returning to an empty rented apartment, falling asleep immediately, and repeating the cycle the next day. No one waited for him to eat, no one said good night to him, no one made him feel — that being alive was a worthwhile thing.
But now —
He had someone he needed to protect.
And that person was also guarding him in her own way.
"This must be — what it feels like to be alive."
He whispered to himself, then turned over and fell soundly asleep.
...
However —
This night was destined not to be peaceful.
Three in the morning.
Li Heng was awakened by the alarm of the blood pact ring!
"Hum hum hum hum —!"
The soul link in his left chest suddenly transmitted an extremely sharp piercing pain — that was not physical pain, but a violent fluctuation in Wanda's emotions!
Fear!
Extreme fear!
"Wanda!"
Li Heng sprang up from the bed and rushed out of the bedroom —
Wanda's bedroom door was wide open. She was sitting on the bed, holding her head with both hands, trembling all over! On her ring finger, the dark golden ring was flashing red frantically!
"Wanda! What's wrong?!"
Li Heng rushed to her bedside and grabbed her shoulders.
Wanda raised her head — her face was as pale as paper, and her eyes were filled with terror.
"I had a dream — no, not a dream —"
"It's a hallucination! Someone — someone is in my head —"
Before she could finish speaking —
The entire Villa violently trembled!
In the sky outside the window, a huge purple pillar of light appeared out of thin air —
The pillar of light soared straight into the clouds, illuminating half of Brooklyn's night sky like day!
And at the center of the pillar of light —
A voice sounded.
Old, cold, carrying an eternal mockery.
"blood pact ring... interesting..."
"You think a tiny ring can block my will?"
"The inheritor of the Progenitor Bloodline —"
"We — meet again."
Chthon!!
That Old God —
He had returned!
But this time, he wasn't projecting his will through a dimensional rift —
Instead, he came through Wanda's dream!
The blood pact ring could block mental control, but it couldn't block a dream invasion of the Old God level! Because dreams did not fall under the category of "mental control" — it was a much older, much more primitive power —
Dimensional infiltration!
[Ding! Highest-level early warning!!!!]
[Detected that the Old God Chthon is infiltrating the female lead's body through the dream dimension! Although the blood pact ring has been activated, the dream dimension belongs to a special attack channel and is not within the ring's protection range!]
[Chthon's target — is not to control Wanda, but to —]
[Mark her!]
[He wants to mark Wanda as a 'dimensional channel'! Once the marking is complete, Chthon will be able to bypass Earth's dimensional barrier and descend directly onto Earth using Wanda's body as an anchor!!]
[Marking progress — 17%... 23%... 31%...]
[Estimated completion time — 15 minutes!!]
[Host — must stop the marking within 15 minutes!! Otherwise — the consequences would be unimaginable!!]
Li Heng's pupils contracted to the extreme!
15 minutes!
He only had 15 minutes!
But Chthon was deep within the dimension, and he couldn't reach that Old God at all —
How to stop him?!
Just as he was flustered and frantic —
The system popped up a new prompt.
[Ding! Emergency plan generated —]
[The host can enter Wanda's dream dimension through the soul link of the blood pact ring and directly confront Chthon's will projection in the spiritual world!]
[But warning — the dream dimension is Chthon's home turf! In the dream, the Old God's power will be greatly enhanced! The host's current combat power will be suppressed by at least 50% in the dream!]
[Win rate evaluation —]
[12%.]
12%.
Looking at this number, Li Heng did not hesitate at all.
"I'm going in."
He said to Mordo, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and then grasped Wanda's hands —
Closed his eyes.
Following the soul link of the blood pact ring —
He plunged into Wanda's dream.
Behind him —
In the night sky of Brooklyn, the purple pillar of light grew brighter and more intense.
In the distance, at the top of Stark Tower in Manhattan, a red and gold figure was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at that pillar of light, his eyes slightly narrowing beneath the mask.
"FRIDAY, what is that?"
"Sir, unknown dimensional energy fluctuations detected, intensity — off the charts. Source: Brooklyn Heights."
"... New York again."
Tony Stark sighed, and his mask closed.
"Let's go. Let's take a look."