"I told you a long time ago, you just didn't believe me."
Finney shrugged and said casually, "Alright, it's best if you keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone!"
Although he said that, Finney wasn't actually afraid that Billy would spread it around. Like he said, there were too many people impersonating him now; unless he could produce evidence, no one would believe him.
Besides, he now had people in S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, so even if his identity was discovered, they could help him in time, and it wouldn't have a significant impact on his life.
However, he only told him this because Billy was a friend. If Billy really spread it, their friendship would be over.
In addition, there was another very important reason why he chose to tell Billy: he planned to graduate. This was a gift he would give Billy before graduation.
The reason he chose to go to school was to fulfill his parents' wishes and also to prepare for studying Kamar-Taj magic. Now, when he was researching magic, he had almost no problems with translation.
As for his parents, as long as he completed his studies, graduating early was fine.
Compared to the enemies Earth might face next, the Chitauri are like minions in a game, so Finney must become stronger, which is why he wants to graduate from school early.
"I...I..."
Billy was unsure of Finney's thoughts. He was incredibly excited. Although he had almost believed Finney a week ago, seeing Finney in his 'Demon-Possessed' armor still felt like a dream.
If it weren't for the freezing temperature making him shiver, he would have pinched himself to see if he was dreaming.
"When did you put on the armor?"
Although his body was cold, Billy's spirit was burning. He asked, "And where is this? How did we get here? Is your dragon kept here?"
"This is the Himalayas, where I usually train. I used a portal magic. As for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it has a bad temper, so you'd better not see it."
Finney didn't like summoning the Blue-Eyes White Dragon for others' enjoyment; Tony had only summoned it that time because he wanted to obtain his miniature Arc Reactor.
"This is the Himalayas!?"
Billy looked around in shock, his body trembling even more.
Finney, seeing this, didn't tease him any further and quickly opened a portal back.
Passing through the portal, Billy looked at the familiar room and asked enviously, "Does this portal take you anywhere? It's so convenient to get to school like this!"
"I'll take the bus to school, okay?"
Finney rolled his eyes, then added, "Remember, don't reveal my identity. Otherwise, if my enemies can't find me and come after you, you're on your own."
"Really?!"
Billy looked nervous, then cautiously glanced around and asked, "Who are your enemies?"
"Well, how should I put it!"
Finney counted on his fingers for Billy: "These days, I'm planning to cause trouble for an old guy who likes dissection and dismemberment; he'll probably be an enemy."
"And a while ago, I wiped out an alien fleet in that spatial portal. They even had a purple-skinned monster leader, a cosmic overlord!"
"Then, I also messed with a leopard god, and I'm responsible for driving her off Earth, so she can barely be considered an enemy. There's also a dimensional demon god, a female madwoman sealed away for hundreds of years, and so on!"
Listening to Finney's description, Billy was dumbfounded. If he hadn't just returned from the Himalayas, he would have thought Finney was talking about a game.
Gods and cosmic overlords—this was too exaggerated! Even his game designers wouldn't dare to make things up like this.
"Is all of this true?"
Billy couldn't help but cautiously confirm. Hearing Finney's words, he suddenly felt like he was in constant danger of death.
"Of course!"
Finney looked at the pale-faced Billy, sighed, and comforted him, "But don't worry too much, the chances of them coming after you are basically zero."
"Unless you go around telling everyone you know me!"
"No, I won't!"
Billy shook his head vigorously, silently resolving never to mention knowing the Divine Punishment Knight again; this world was far too dangerous.
Seeing Billy's expression, Finney secretly smiled and told him about his potential graduation plans.
"You're planning to graduate!? Why?"
Billy was immediately surprised by Finney's words.
"There are so many enemies, of course I need to find a way to become stronger!"
Finney was telling the truth. Although he was hailed by various media outlets as the most powerful being on Earth, he knew in his heart that his strength was still far from sufficient.
Don't be fooled by how badly he beat Loki; that was due to Loki's carelessness, a sneak attack, and Loki's inherent weakness.
And the destruction of the Chitauri mothership with his 'Explosion Magic' was also because the Chitauri hadn't activated their protective shield.
Therefore, while he could be considered a strongman on Earth, in the universe, he still wouldn't make much of a splash.
Hearing Finney's words, Billy's words of persuasion to keep him stuck in his throat. He remained silent, realizing that they were from two different worlds after learning Finney's identity.
"Then be careful in the future!"
Billy gave Finney a deep look and sincerely advised him.
However, Finney wasn't moved. Looking at Billy's 'affectionate' gaze, he waved his hand dismissively and said, "Okay, okay, it's not that exaggerated."
"Besides, I still need credits. It'll take at least five or six months, so I'll have to stay at school for a while!"
"Isn't that still a long way off?!"
Billy was taken aback, realizing that Finney had just taken a six-month leave of absence. Even if his grades were usually good, graduating after such a long break wouldn't be easy.
Finney shrugged. Actually, if he really wanted to graduate directly, it wouldn't be difficult. Whether it was Tony, S.H.I.E.L.D., or Hydra, it was basically just a matter of a word.
Even on his own, he had plenty of ways to use money and control.
But Finney hoped for a normal graduation, just like when he came to school normally—a normal beginning and a normal end.
…
Sitwell was actually quite efficient. By the day after their meeting, he had essentially completed Finney's task and was anxiously waiting for contact.
However, a week passed before Finney finally reached him.
"All the information I could find is on here,"
Sitwell said nervously, handing over the USB drive. This was his first task since switching jobs, and he was worried that a poorly executed one would displease Finney.
Finney didn't seem to care much. He only needed Whitehall's address; while he couldn't cause much trouble in space, on Earth, as long as the Ancient One didn't intervene, he could do whatever he wanted.
"Okay, I understand. By the way, I remember Dr. Zola is still alive. Where is he?"
Finney inquired about Zola, the most intelligent scientist in Hydra. He remembered that Hydra's ability to create energy weapons using the Tesseract was mainly due to him.
Having discovered he had a terminal illness, he had transferred his consciousness into a computer—a ruthless individual.
Finney had recently been pondering the separation of Banner and Hulk, hoping to gain some insights from Zola's experience.
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(End of Chapter)