"Buzzing—"
The sound of propellers came from afar, breaking the silence of the swamp. Two black armed helicopters flew over the cypress tops, their searchlights sweeping across the muddy swamp.
Hydra Soldiers quickly slid down ropes.
They fanned out, aiming their guns at the center of the swamp.
William Rodriguez and Man-Thing were there.
"Target locked! Repeat, target locked! But there's an unknown creature besides William Rodriguez!"
"Headquarters orders, kill them all!"
William Rodriguez's Tactical Vision activated immediately.
Dozens of red lines pointed at him from all directions.
Each line was a loaded gun.
He cursed the HYDRA fanatics in his mind.
They were going to open fire without even asking.
What was worse, the Man-Thing behind him, its eyes turned bright red.
A surge of anger and hatred erupted.
The fear and killing intent of the invaders completely enraged it.
William Rodriguez's brain quickly analyzed the risks.
Sitting and waiting to die meant a hundred percent mortality rate.
The only way to survive was to immediately prove his value to this potential big client.
"A perfect live demonstration."
William Rodriguez took a step forward, blocking the Man-Thing.
"Esteemed Guardian! Just as I said, the risk has arrived! Now, please allow me, your exclusive risk consultant, to demonstrate our company's threat elimination services!"
He raised his right hand, aiming at the nearest Hydra Soldiers.
"Sizzle!"
A blue-white arc of electricity spanned over ten meters, accurately hitting the soldier's helmet.
That was no ordinary electric shock.
The energy of the Palm Arc Pulse instantly burned out the communication and night vision systems on the helmet.
Sparks exploded, and black smoke billowed out.
The soldier screamed, unable to see anything.
His ears were filled with electrical noise.
He became blind and deaf.
The Hydra Soldiers were stunned for a moment.
But they reacted quickly, about to open fire.
It was too late. William Rodriguez's action was like a signal.
The enraged Man-Thing moved.
"Roar—!"
A roar, unlike anything a human could make, exploded.
The Hydra Soldiers present, no matter how resolute their will, felt an uncontrollable fear deep within their hearts.
Fear was the Man-Thing's fuel.
"All who fear, shall burn!"
The Man-Thing's massive body charged out.
Its speed was completely inconsistent with its bulky appearance.
A soldier pulled the trigger, bullets struck the Man-Thing, and mud and wood chips splattered everywhere.
But it was useless.
The bullet holes were immediately filled by writhing plant fibers.
The Man-Thing's thick arm grabbed the soldier.
"Ah ah ah—!"
The soldier screamed.
His special forces uniform quickly corroded and melted.
His skin turned charred black upon contact with the Man-Thing.
In two seconds, a fully armed elite soldier became a smoking charcoal.
Panic spread through the squad.
"Fire! Use incendiary grenades!"
Another soldier yelled in terror, wanting to switch ammunition.
But William Rodriguez's Tactical Vision had already locked onto him.
William Rodriguez did not use the Palm Arc Pulse again, but activated the maximum level of Superhuman Strength.
The muddy ground beneath his feet sank, and he charged out.
The soldier only saw a blur, and a man in a suit was already in front of him.
"Bang!"
William Rodriguez delivered a hand chop to his gun-wielding wrist.
The sound of bone breaking rang out.
The soldier's arm bent at an unnatural angle, and the incendiary grenade fell into the mud.
William Rodriguez delivered an elbow strike to the back of his neck, knocking him out cleanly.
In these few seconds, the Man-Thing had become the God of Death.
The swamp came alive under its will.
Countless dark green vines, like giant pythons, emerged from under the Water, wrapped around the soldiers' ankles, and dragged them screaming into the deep Water.
The murky Water bubbled, then quickly fell silent again.
The armed helicopters in the sky saw the horrific scene on the ground and immediately turned their noses.
The airborne Vulcan cannons began to rotate, preparing for indiscriminate Fire coverage.
"Air threat!" William Rodriguez retreated, shouting at the Man-Thing, "It will destroy your ecosystem!"
The Man-Thing's burning red eyes lifted, locking onto the hovering helicopter.
It did not jump, nor did it throw anything.
It simply plunged one hand deep into the swamp beneath its feet.
The next second, a change occurred.
In the Water directly beneath the helicopter, a giant cypress tree several meters thick grew wildly at a speed that defied physical common sense.
Like a green spear, it shot up into the sky.
"Boom—!"
The pilot, in the last moment, only saw a huge Shadow, and then the entire airframe was precisely pierced by this spear.
The explosion of Fire lit up the dim swamp sky, like a grand fireworks display.
The burning wreckage, trailing black smoke, crashed into the Water, making a loud "hissing" sound, and was quickly swallowed by the swamp.
Less than a minute had passed.
A well-equipped HYDRA rapid response team, along with air support, was completely wiped out.
The swamp was quiet again, as if nothing had happened.
Only the smell of gunpowder and char remained in the air.
William Rodriguez stood still, watching the soldiers dragged into the Water and the wreckage of the crashed helicopter.
In a few seconds, they were completely digested by the swamp, leaving not even a drop of oil.
His eyelids twitched, and his valuation of this new client once again soared several levels in his heart.
The Man-Thing slowly turned around.
The killing intent and brutality on it disappeared. The crimson glow in its eyes also softened, returning to a deep dark red.
It quietly looked at William Rodriguez.
This peculiar human who, instead of fearing, constantly offered tactical advice during the battle.
William Rodriguez straightened his slightly messy collar.
"You see, this is a typical example. A malicious risk event caused by information asymmetry and a lack of early warning mechanisms. With our service, you can completely avoid any unnecessary physical damage and environmental pollution to your home."
He walked back to the Man-Thing and pointed again at the paradox briefcase on the ground.
"And this, is the cornerstone of our cooperation."
He opened the briefcase and pulled out a contract.
"This Universal Balance Insurance Agreement will, with the Law as its witness, establish our cooperative relationship. We will provide you with a series of services such as threat warning, hostility filtering, and information support. In return, I only need..."
William Rodriguez stopped mid-sentence.
Because the Man-Thing didn't even look at the contract.
Its huge hand, made of vines, lifted.
A rough, moss-covered finger pointed directly to the source behind the tablet—the open paradox briefcase.
Then it raised its other hand, pointing to the depths of the swamp.
A darkest, most desolate corner, where even light seemed to be swallowed.
It made no sound.
But a clear intention was directly transmitted into William Rodriguez's mind.
A transaction.
A transaction unrelated to insurance.
But it was related to the core secret of this swamp, and the essence of the paradox briefcase in William Rodriguez's hand.
-------------------------------
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