Inside Linen's Apartment
[Host: Linen]
[Age: 19 years old]
[Identity: The Judge; sophomore at the State University of New York]
[Abilities: Magic Shield (Beginner), Teleportation Magic (Intermediate), Exorcism Magic (Advanced), Demon Eye (Beginner), Undead Summoning (Intermediate), Undead Chain (Intermediate), Magic Slash (Intermediate), Self-Healing (Beginner)]
[Current Side Quest: Ivan Vanko]
[Creation Points: 5 | Number of Videos Available: 0]
Looking at the system prompt displaying a new side quest, Linen raised his hand. A black death card slowly appeared in his palm.
Linen's other identity was the Judge, just like in the fabricated video.
Whenever he completed a side quest given by the system, one of his abilities would be randomly enhanced.
He lifted the black card and read its contents.
[Target: Ivan Vanko]
[Crimes: 172]
[Judgment: Deprivation of Life]
In the video Linen had previously created, Ivan Vanko's crimes numbered 187, resulting in execution by beheading.
But this time, the crime count was lower—and the punishment had changed.
"System, where is Ivan Vanko now?" he asked.
[Location: SHIELD's Special Prison]
Linen raised an eyebrow. Nick Fury and his team caught Ivan Vanko this fast?
Then again, it made sense. They had already seen the "future" through the Spoiler System.
Naturally, events wouldn't unfold the same way anymore.
Still, this was a good thing.
Since Fury and the others already knew that he, as the Judge, would one day execute Ivan Vanko, this quest would simply act as a way to tie up loose ends.
At SHIELD's Special Prison
Walking down the corridor toward the cell where Ivan Vanko was held, Natasha Romanoff glanced at Tony Stark.
"Has your palladium poisoning problem been solved?" she asked.
Tony grinned smugly. "Of course, Miss Spy. If you can catch Ivan Vanko using knowledge of the future, then surely I can create a new element."
Natasha shook her head slightly at his arrogance.
Nick Fury, walking beside them, spoke up:
"Do you know why Ivan Vanko wanted to kill you in that video we saw in the theater?"
Tony shrugged. "No idea. Maybe he's jealous. But come on, who wouldn't be jealous of me?"
Before Tony had carried a nuclear bomb into the wormhole to destroy the Chitauri fleet, he was still the same arrogant genius.
Even now, his pride hadn't faded a bit.
Nick Fury wasn't surprised.
"According to our investigation, Ivan Vanko's father and your father, Howard Stark, had a falling out due to differences in their cooperation.
In the end, Vanko was exiled to Siberia under unfair circumstances, which led him and his son to resent the Stark family."
"They believe everything the Starks have now should've belonged to them."
Nick paused before adding, "But from what I know, Howard Stark wasn't wrong."
Tony snorted, not bothering to argue.
After all, he had already made peace with his father after watching the message in his late father's recordings.
Still, his pride wouldn't allow him to admit it out loud.
They soon arrived at the glass-walled cell where Ivan Vanko was detained.
As Tony stepped forward to speak, Ivan Vanko looked up coldly.
"How did you find me? I never exposed my identity!"
Before Nick Fury could respond, a blinding golden light suddenly filled the cell.
A portal opened out of thin air.
The next moment, Linen appeared—dressed in the black robes of the Judge, his expression cold and merciless.
The instant he appeared, the death card in his hand flew straight toward Ivan Vanko.
Nick Fury, who already knew from the Spoiler System what was about to happen, opened his mouth to stop him.
After all, SHIELD had gone through great effort to capture Vanko alive.
It would be a waste to lose such a brilliant mind—someone capable of rivaling Tony Stark's genius.
But before Fury could say a word, Linen raised his hand and pulled the trigger of a pistol aimed directly at Vanko.
"Wait—!"
BANG!
BANG! BANG!
Two bullets pierced Vanko's chest; the third struck his forehead.
Even gods would have shaken their heads at such ruthless precision.
Within seconds, Ivan Vanko was dead.
As the system notification confirmed the quest's completion, Linen turned his head toward the stunned trio—Fury, Natasha, and Tony—then opened a glowing portal and stepped through, vanishing into thin air.
"Damn it!"
Nick Fury's face darkened instantly as he watched the Judge disappear.
He had hidden Ivan Vanko in this special facility precisely because he knew Linen would eventually come for him.
Yet even a classified SHIELD prison couldn't keep the Judge away.
Natasha's expression, in contrast, remained calm.
She stepped into the cell, knelt beside Vanko's body, and picked up the death card he had dropped.
"I remember in the theater, the card said 187 crimes and the punishment was beheading," she said, handing the card to Fury. "But this one says 172 crimes—which means by catching him early, we indirectly saved fifteen people."
Tony nodded. "And the method of execution changed from beheading to deprivation of life."
Nick Fury crossed his arms and frowned. "Don't forget, in the video we saw, Ivan Vanko was working with Hammer Industries."
As the three discussed the situation, a system notification echoed faintly in their ears:
[Notification: Viewing Level Increased.]
[Current Level: 2.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 20+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.