Chapter 3294 - Ch: 11-19

11Lottery and stat boosting

Lottery and Stat Points

Hell's Kitchen.

Loya walked down the street, feeling so cheerful that even the air seemed to turn sweet.

A single mission, just a side plot mission, and he had directly leveled up while gaining many items.

Especially the items obtained from the "Special Elite Battle."

Leaving the Unknown Biological Egg aside for now, it was hard to draw conclusions before it hatched.

The special item "Gift of the Undead" was a treasure whose value could be felt intuitively.

Its active use could take away all pain; simply put, as long as one wasn't dead, using it would result in a full-health revival.

Its passive effect was to block a single instance of fatal damage. Simply put, it was like the equipment Famous Blade: Fate from the game Honor of Kings he played in his previous life—extremely precious.

This also gave Loya a new theory about mission triggers.

Since there were Elite Battles, logically there should also be Boss Battles, or even Faction Wars and Dungeons. That would be more in line with a game system.

He just didn't know why this Elite Battle was labeled as a "Special Elite Battle" by the system. Could it be a hidden stage that required luck?

"Sigh, if I had known earlier, I would have found a way to join S.H.I.E.L.D. sooner. I really missed out."

As Loya thought this, he soon arrived in front of a roast chicken shop. He bought two roast chickens and headed toward Matt's house.

He had no choice; the housing arranged by S.H.I.E.L.D.hadn't been finalized yet, so he could only stay at Matt's for now. He planned to share a chicken with him to celebrate, build some favorability, and then use his lottery attempts.

As for why he wasn't eating chicken with Black Widow...

The reason was simple: it didn't trigger a system mission, so he couldn't be bothered to go and waste his lottery time.

Soon, Loya reached Matt's door. As he approached, his nose twitched slightly, and his brow furrowed involuntarily.

"The scent of blood!"

A scent of blood drifted out from the crack of the door. It was extremely faint, but it couldn't escape Loya's nose, which was more sensitive than a dog's.

He backed away silently, then vaulted through a window onto the roof.

From there, he could enter Matt's home directly.

Loya landed lightly without making a sound, the golden desert eagle already in his hand.

To be able to sneak into the home of Daredevil, who had radar sense, the intruder was clearly a master.

If they hadn't left yet, he would have to treat them to a few hundred rounds of ammunition.

Poor Matt, he wondered if he had been tortured.

As Loya advanced cautiously, he finally reached Matt's room.

There were no other enemies here, only a weirdo in a red, nut-hugging skin-tight suit, his back covered in shuriken, cosplaying as a hedgehog.

"Damn it! Matt!"

After confirming there was no ambush, Loya rushed forward. He checked Matt's breathing and breathed a sigh of relief.

He was still breathing and wasn't dead yet, though he was close. However, he could still be saved.

Loya immediately pulled a red potion from the system warehouse.

[Life Potion: Slowly repairs injuries and restores stamina.]

Loya poured the entire potion into Matt's mouth, and the man's breathing changed instantly.

Feeling the other's breathing gradually stabilize, Loyapulled out the shuriken one by one. Blood spilled onto the floor, and Matt's body couldn't stop twitching.

He did a rough count of the shuriken—twenty-seven in total. Fortunately, they weren't poisoned, or else he would have really suffered.

Clearly, this was another act by The Hand. He didn't know what Matt had done this time to be messed up like this by them.

But being able to make it back with so many shuriken in him, he truly lived up to being called the Marvel Batman. His willpower and perseverance were quite formidable.

After placing Matt on the bed, Loya returned to the roof. Although Matt's injuries were severe, a single Life Potionwas enough for him to recover.

He should deal with the system rewards first and wait for Matt to wake up before asking.

Loya looked at his one lottery attempt and silently chanted in his heart:

"Jade Emperor, Tathagata Buddha, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Jesus, God... please bless me with something good."

"System, draw!"

[Congratulations! You have obtained the ability: Grace of the Sun.]

[Grace of the Sun: Blessed by the Sun. During the day, all attributes are partially enhanced, reaching their peak at high noon. (Understanding different Sun Wills will grant different blessing effects.)]

[Evaluation: Mercy, Protection, Arrogance, Liberation, Hope, Destruction... there's always one that suits you, but the premise is being able to understand and practice it.]

"Grace of the Sun?"

Loya raised an eyebrow.

This was the first time he had drawn this type of ability.

Just looking at the description, it was undoubtedly a good ability. Directly increasing stats suited his taste perfectly. Who would want to bother with complex maneuvers when you could just crush them with stats? Just punch them and be done with it.

However, this "understanding the Sun's Will" was a bit too fantastical. Will was something that could only be felt, not explained. Still, the basic attribute blessing alone was powerful enough.

After thinking for a bit without any clues, Loya looked at his own attributes.

[STR: 9 (3+6)]

[CON: 9 (3+6)]

[INT: 10 (4+6)]

[Remaining Free Attribute Points: 3]

He added one point to each of the three attributes.

The moment the points were added, Loya's body underwent a visible change.

A series of muffled sounds, like a rushing river, came from inside his body. That was his blood flowing at high speed, becoming more vibrant.

At the same time, his bones and muscles trembled slightly, becoming more solid and powerful. His mind also became clearer and sharper.

In an extremely short amount of time, Loya's body completed a metamorphosis, which one could say was quite defiant of the law of conservation of energy.

But that was the amazing thing about attribute points.

Strength, Constitution, and Intelligence might seem simple, but they actually encompassed a wide range.

Strength wasn't just simple data like arm strength or grip strength; it was a direct enhancement of systems like muscles and bones. Overall, it represented attack power.

Constitution included physique, resistance, recovery, adaptability, endurance, metabolism, energy, and so on. Simply put, it was the health bar and stamina bar in a game. Adding more could even increase one's lifespan.

Intelligence wasn't just IQ; it included spiritual power, perception, mental resistance, and so on. In game terms, it was the mana pool, magic resistance, and such.

The three complemented each other and were all indispensable. They were enhancements to every part of the body. There could be gaps, but they shouldn't be too large; otherwise, it might cause the body to collapse. After all, this was reality, not a game—adding only one attribute wouldn't work.

For every level up, he gained three attribute points, and Loya had always distributed them evenly.

Don't be fooled by how low his current attribute values seemed; that wasn't actually the case.

At first, he also thought these attribute points were just better than nothing, but after his stats exceeded five points, a massive change occurred.

Five points was the limit a normal human could reach. Every point after five brought a terrifying boost.

This was why he could still produce six tons of data while holding back during the test.

Loya couldn't say for sure what the specific boost was, but to use a simple metaphor: the post-point-allocation him could easily beat the pre-point-allocation him to death. It was that simple.

Furthermore, the strength of some skills was also linked to attributes.

For example, "Wind Control Swordsmanship" was called swordsmanship, but it was actually natural magic, and its strength was linked to the "Intelligence" attribute.

Once "Intelligence" went up, it wouldn't be impossible to slash out a level-eight gale with one sword strike in the future.

Of course, Loya didn't have to pay any price to use magic because he used his own mana bar and drew upon natural energy. He was much better off than that group of Kamar-Taj debtors.

After finishing with the attributes, Loya took the Unknown Biological Egg out of the system warehouse.

The egg was about twenty centimeters in diameter and was a perfect sphere.

Its color was as deep as the starry sky, with seven-colored light flickering inside.

Setting aside what it would eventually hatch into, its appearance alone was top-tier.

Loya used the "heavenly halberd" to cut his finger and dripped a drop of blood onto it. The egg's shell trembled slightly and absorbed it completely, the seven-colored light receding into the egg.

Setting the egg aside, he took out the "Physique Enhancement Serum."

He originally wanted to see if it could enhance his own attributes, but when he saw the color of the serum, he suddenly didn't want to anymore.

"What are the raw materials for this serum? Why is the color so disgusting?"

The serum in the test tube was extremely turbid and yellowish-green. It looked remarkably like the pus produced after a wound infection. Just the sight of it caused intense physiological discomfort.

Loya recalled the system's hint about it tasting bad and had a very bad premonition.

He took a deep breath, held it, and slowly pulled out the stopper. A faint scent wafted out.

"Holy crap!"

"Blegh!"

"What... what kind of ghostly smell is this?"

Loya hurriedly closed the stopper. In that one instant, tears were already streaming down his face, his stomach was churning, and he couldn't help but dry heave.

Stinking. It was too stinking. He couldn't find the words to describe what that smell was like.

The smell was incredibly decayed, yet it carried a hint of the "essence of life." It was more disgusting than a pit latrine in the summer. With just one whiff, every cell in his body seemed to be screaming in rejection of the scent.

"Is this really not a biochemical weapon?"

If it weren't for the fact that the system's description couldn't be wrong, he would really suspect it was some kind of biochemical weapon.

Loya admitted he couldn't do it. He couldn't drink it. His willpower couldn't overcome this physiological revulsion; he couldn't handle this serum.

But just leaving it there wasn't an option either.

He pondered for a moment, and a flash of inspiration hit him. Since his own attributes could be greatly improved with attribute points, there was no need to rely on external items like serums.

Instead of drinking it, why not use this serum to boost some favorability? He had been looking forward to the system functions that would unlock at 90 favorability for a long time.

12Daredevil with incredible willpower

Daredevil's Incredible Will

Matt had a dream, a somewhat strange dream.

In the dream, he was a red hedgehog with healthy and sharp quills, a strong body, happily munching on fruit.

However, such good days did not last long; a giant suddenly appeared in the dream.

The giant's appearance was unseen, only his evil "Jie Jie Jie" laughter could be heard.

The giant was incredibly powerful and cruel, pinching his head with two fingers and then plucking out his survival-dependent quills one by one, making him scream in pain.

That wasn't all; the giant then extended a thick, rod-like object and thrust it toward his mouth.

Matt couldn't help but think of something; tears flowed down his face as he flailed his limbs and cried out loudly:

"No! No! You pervert!"

Unfortunately, with his small arms and legs, how could he resist the evil giant?

As expected, that rod-like object was inserted into his mouth.

He shed tears of despair... wait, saliva?

Hmm?

Saliva?

"This taste... it's that roast chicken from Hell's Kitchen. Hmm, it's a bit burnt and hasn't been seasoned properly. What a failure."

Matt smacked his lips and couldn't help but start critiquing it.

Then, he woke up, bidding farewell to his happy life as a hedgehog.

Upon waking, he sensed a familiar figure standing by the bed, desperately stuffing a roast chicken leg into his mouth.

"Loya? When did you get back?"

Matt sat up, smoothly taking the chicken leg with one hand while rubbing his head with the other, feeling his mind in chaos, a sense of dazed confusion.

Loya didn't answer, instead asking with a grin, "What were you dreaming about just now? Why were you crying and shouting 'pervert' like you were being violated?"

"Uh..."

Matt was speechless for a moment; he couldn't very well say he had dreamed of something so strange.

He shook his head, and a sudden flash of insight made him instantly sober.

Wait, I was attacked by The Hand, shouldn't I be critically injured and near death?

Matt's nose twitched as he caught the scent of blood in the air. At the same time, his arm reached for his back; the holes in his clothes were still there, but the wounds had healed.

He instantly realized the reason, and his sightless eyes seemed to light up as he said gratefully:

"Thank you, Loya. You've saved me once again."

[Matt's Favorability +2, Current Favorability: 83]

Loya waved it off. "Why mention it? We're bros!"

He pointed behind him. "Eat some chicken, and while you're at it, tell me why you were turned into a pincushion by shuriken."

Following the direction of Loya's finger, Matt sensed two fragrant roast chickens on the table, with a cold cup of cola beside them.

He couldn't help but swallow. Although eating high-calorie food like roast chicken and cola for a late-night snack was unhealthy, it... smelled so good.

Matt sat down, took a bite of the chicken leg, gulped down some cola, and asked in confusion:

"Loya, why aren't you eating?"

Loya's stomach churned at the thought of the serum's taste, but he didn't blush or pant, and even his heartbeat remained steady as he replied calmly:

"I suddenly lost my appetite. You can have it all, go ahead and eat."

Matt's ears twitched; hearing no change in the other's heartbeat, he put down his cup and began to recount his ordeal.

"While I was chasing a robber today, I encountered many ninjas from The Hand. They were rushing urgently toward the abandoned warehouse district. I originally wanted to follow them and see what was happening."

His face showed some fear. "I didn't expect to encounter a ninja shrouded in mist. I was defeated in a single exchange. Fortunately, they didn't pursue me when I fled; I just got hit by a few dozen shuriken."

Hearing Matt's story, Loya felt a bit guilty. The other man had almost been killed, perhaps—maybe, probably—because he had blown up the Japanese Gang and the lab, causing The Hand to send emergency reinforcements.

But that ninja shrouded in mist, could it be one of The Five Fingers of The Hand?

Loya coughed twice and changed the subject. "So, do you want to become stronger?"

"Of course."

Matt took a fierce bite of the chicken leg in his hand, as if it were all the evil in Hell's Kitchen.

"I will work harder to hone my physique and skills, and I will always practice my dream. One day, I will completely save Hell's Kitchen."

"Good!"

Clap, clap, clap!

Loya shouted and clapped his hands loudly.

As he spoke, he took out the "Physique Enhancement Serum" he had prepared from the system warehouse.

"I have a bottle of serum here, invented by a friend of mine. Drinking it can significantly improve human functions without any side effects. I'm giving it to you."

The chicken leg Matt was about to put to his mouth stopped. He smiled gratefully:

"Loya, thank you for your help, but I cannot accept this gift."

His face held a touch of reverence. "A superhuman physique might make me strong and keep me from pain.

But that's not what I want. I'm not sure if Attorney Matt Murdock, once powerful, could still empathize with ordinary people and understand their fragility.

Only power forged step by step through my own training can feel real to me."

Matt's expression was extremely sincere. "Thank you again for your help, Loya. By the way, I think your friend should optimize the serum. In my perception, it's very turbid, even a bit... disgusting."

Loya had already guessed Matt would say this; he had a plan ready.

"Matt, let me tell you a fact. The Hand's sudden gathering was because of me. I destroyed their laboratory. Do you know what was inside?"

"What?" Matt looked curious.

Loya, feeling a bit angry at the memory of that scene, said heavily:

"People. There were many kidnapped people inside. They were used by The Hand for human experimentation—the elderly, young people, even children! And this might not be the only one."

"What!"

Bang!

Matt stood up abruptly and slapped the table. His face turned red with anger, and his entire expression twisted.

"How dare they do such a thing!"

As Attorney Murdock, who helped the poor by day, and Daredevil, who punished villains by night, he had seen too much evil and sent many to prison, but he had never thought of solving problems through killing.

But now, he felt that the culprits of The Hand truly deserved to go to hell.

Loya smiled and pushed the serum toward Matt. "Drink it, and you'll gain the power to fight The Hand. As for whether you'll lose yourself, I think you know best. Oh, and the taste of this serum might be a bit strange."

After leaving the serum, Loya stood up and left quickly. He didn't want to smell that unspeakably disgusting odor again.

Matt was silent for a moment, clenching his fists. The Handwas too powerful; as a mere ordinary person, it would be hard to deal with them.

Finally, he picked up the serum.

Matt couldn't see, but his radar-like perception allowed him to feel that the serum was very turbid.

Logically, a serum should be clear and injectable, but this bottle was not only turbid but also oral. It was truly strange.

Although Matt found it strange, he didn't suspect anything.

Having known Loya for so long, the man had always been mysterious, with endless abilities and items; he wouldn't harm him.

Even if he wanted to harm him, he wouldn't need this method; a single punch would be enough to send his small frame to heaven.

With mixed emotions, Matt opened the stopper. The moment it opened, he felt as if he had truly gone to heaven.

"Urgh!!!"

His sense of smell was extremely keen, capable of even distinguishing chemical components.

But when he caught the scent of the serum, he felt an unprecedented shock.

It was an indescribable stench that instantly filled the entire room.

His keen sense of smell subconsciously began to analyze the composition of the serum.

The result was even more shocking. The substances making up the serum seemed to be some kind of grime and life essence, and he could even smell a sense of maternal love... He couldn't imagine what kind of outrageous person would create such a thing, or how they even thought of it.

But thinking of those who might be persecuted by The Hand in the future, he forced back the urge to vomit and with difficulty moved the serum to his lips.

Although his tongue was trembling and even his stomach was cramping, Matt used his incredible will to forcibly suppress these physiological aversions.

He pressed the serum to his lips and drank it all in one gulp!

At this moment, he had only one thought:

"Loya, this is what you meant by the taste being a bit strange? This is practically like eating some kind of body waste fermented for tens of thousands of years, mixed with life essence. It's too disgusting!!!"

The serum although was disgusting, its effect was exceptionally powerful.

A few seconds after swallowing the serum, Matt's body underwent an unprecedented transformation.

He felt his muscles swell violently, every cell cheering.

Bang.

His suit was directly burst open by his bulky muscles!

At the bottom of the apartment building, Loya also heard the system notification as he had hoped.

[Matt's Favorability +3, Current Favorability: 86]

"Giving the right thing really does increase favorability. Why does this feel like a move from a galgame to win over a difficult character?"

Loya pondered to himself while giving a thumbs-up toward the top floor.

"To be able to drink that serum, as expected of you, Matt. Awesome! You're even more awesome than Ma Niubi!"

13A new mission for Stark

New Mission Regarding Stark

Morning, eight o'clock, the Sun is just rising.

Loya didn't wake up naturally this time; instead, he was woken up by a series of dull thudding sounds.

On the roof, a muscular hunk nearly two meters tall, with muscles like a sculpture, was punching a sandbag.

Every time his fist hit the sandbag, the surface dented deeply, leaving fist prints as if it were about to burst at any moment.

This muscular hunk was none other than our Daredevil, Lawyer Matt.

Last night's bottle of serum had given his physique an unprecedented boost.

His height soared from 180cm to nearly two meters, and his muscles became as robust as a bodybuilder injected with the 'Power of Nine Dragons,' turning him into a muscular brute.

Attributes in all aspects also shot up suddenly.

It was roughly equivalent to an enhanced version of Captain America.

"Matt, how do you feel?" Loya yawned as he walked onto the roof.

When he went upstairs to check last night, he thought the whole room would smell like that serum, but he didn't expect that not a single trace of scent would be left behind.

According to Matt's guess, those scents might have been part of the physical enhancement, becoming nourishment for the body's growth.

It might have smelled unbearable, but it actually contained a flavor of compassion originating from the soul; it was strange, but that was how it felt.

This left Loya a bit confused; was this serum still a product of technology? It felt a bit like fantasy.

"I'm great!"

Bang!

Matt threw a punch with a roar, slamming it solidly into the sandbag. The bag burst open on impact, and sand gushed out, spilling all over the floor.

He touched his knotted muscular arms, a pure smile from the bottom of his heart appearing on his face.

"Now that I have power, I can better understand the fragility and helplessness of ordinary people. I will definitely save Hell's Kitchen with my fists!"

Matt clenched his hands, fingers interlaced, forehead lightly touching them in a prayerful pose.

On the side, Loya's mouth twitched. He hadn't accidentally created a violent lawyer, had he? With this physique and these muscles, the little criminals in Hell's Kitchen were in for some suffering.

It's just that favorability is too hard to raise; his favorability with Matt is still four points away from ninety. The system's new functions are really hard to unlock.

After finishing a round of prayer, Matt turned to face Loya. The serum had enhanced his physique but hadn't repaired his eyes. Those somewhat cloudy eyes were full of eager fighting spirit:

"Loya, come and test how strong I am now."

Loya: "..."

"Wait, buddy, you don't really think that drinking some serum and becoming a 'hormone boy' would let you beat me, do you? How could power gained through serum compare to the attribute points I've painstakingly ground for?"

Although he was complaining internally, he still smiled and readily accepted the challenge because a mission had been triggered.

[Matt Murdock has issued a mission to you]

[Mission: Strength Test]

[Objective: Help Matt recognize his own limits]

[Reward: Experience Points +300]

Mission rewards are linked to difficulty. This amount of experience was only slightly higher than a typical daily mission, so one could imagine the difficulty.

"Come on, Matt." Loya hooked a finger, looking provocative.

Boom!

Matt's expression was calm as he kicked off the ground, leaping up instantly. His massive body was like a city wall pressing down on Loya with an imposing aura.

Loya still had a smile on his face. At the moment Matt's sandbag-sized fist was about to hit his face, his palm seemed to teleport, grabbing Matt's wrist.

Matt's figure in mid-air froze instantly. Before his expression could even change, he was swung around by a massive force.

Bang!

With a clean and decisive one-armed giant swing, Loyaslammed Matt hard onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and making the ground shake.

Matt lay on the ground, closing his eyes in despair.

"So... the gap is this big..."

"I... lost..."

[Mission Accomplished]

...Inside Coulson's car.

Loya ate today's free breakfast with gusto while looking up directly at the Sun in the sky.

The sunlight, which used to be irritating, had become exceptionally gentle at this moment.

Loya could feel his power gradually strengthening as time passed. There would be a significant boost at noon, and this was just the most basic blessing of the "Grace of the Sun." This ability had a great future.

Swallowing the last bite of the bun, Loya asked:

"I say, Coulson, I just wiped out a gang. Is a psychological evaluation really necessary?"

Coulson's hand on the steering wheel paused slightly, his mouth twitching. He felt uneasy all over. Over a hundred people died in one night; shouldn't there be a psychological evaluation? Didn't he have any psychological burden after killing so many people?

He swallowed and said softly, "Agent Loya, this is a standard S.H.I.E.L.D. procedure. Even I have to undergo a psychological evaluation every once in a while."

"Fine." Loya curled his lips. S.H.I.E.L.D. regulations? More like Hydra S.H.I.E.L.D.

They soon arrived at the S.H.I.E.L.D. branch where the Strength Test had been conducted before.

Loya went to the psychological consultation room alone. Inside was an unknown passerby, likely the psychiatrist, and another was the bespectacled bald man he'd seen before—Sitwell.

Seeing Sitwell, that Hydra fence-sitter, here as well, Loya's eyes lit up. There was a high probability that he had entered Hydra's sight. He just didn't know when they would try to recruit him.

Without further ado, the psychiatrist began the evaluation.

"Agent Loya, in yesterday's mission, you eliminated an entire Japanese Gang, totaling 250 people. Have you had any special physiological reactions afterward, such as palpitations, insomnia, nightmares, etc.?"

Loya pondered for a moment and blurted out, "There are indeed some."

The two of them immediately became tense.

"My appetite got better after I went back. I bought two big roasted chickens, and this morning I even ate ten big meat buns."

The air went silent instantly.

"Ahem." The psychiatrist coughed twice. "You have quite an appetite. Is the reason related to eliminating the gang?"

"Exactly. Completing a mission puts me in a good mood, and a good mood gives me a good appetite."

"You mean completing missions makes you happy?" The psychiatrist was a bit surprised. What normal person likes working?

"Of course." Loya nodded with a righteous face. "There are bonuses for doing missions. I like money, but I've never liked money I didn't work for."

Hearing this, the psychiatrist's and Sitwell's eyes lit up. The psychiatrist asked again:

"Then do you think your actions are righteous?"

Loya feigned surprise. "Wasn't this a mission assigned by S.H.I.E.L.D.? Contributing to humanity and protecting innocent people is, of course, righteous."

The light in their eyes grew even brighter.

Then followed a series of related questions. Loya's answers weren't necessarily 'correct,' but they were definitely subjective, deliberately portraying himself as a semi-idealist who was in the abyss but had ideals and faith.

Because he was almost certain that these two guys had come with a mission—a Hydra mission—which was exactly what he wanted.

The facts were just as he thought. After Loya finished his psychological evaluation, the two in the consultation room smiled at each other, everything understood without words.

Sitwell pushed his glasses up. "There's a high probability he'll join us."

The psychiatrist nodded with a smile. "This kind of rule-following fool with hollow ideals is the easiest to manipulate. With his abilities, he will become our sharpest blade."

Sitwell smiled. "Don't say that. Perhaps before long, he will be one of us."

...Not long after leaving the S.H.I.E.L.D. branch, Loya also received a new mission.

"Agent Loya, you have a new mission."

Fury's voice rang out from the dedicated phone.

"We've investigated and found that Tony Stark has been looking for top professional Doctors everywhere recently, but his purpose is unclear."

We will forge a professional Doctor identity for you. Your mission is to investigate the reason he's looking for a Doctor and report back to me as soon as you have results."

[Nick Fury has issued a mission to you]

[Mission: An Unspeakable Secret]

[Objective: Investigate the reason Stark is looking for a Doctor]

[Reward: Experience Points +1500, Fury Favorability +10, Random Item *1]

"Oh, I get to meet the richest man, Tony."

Loya raised an eyebrow in surprise. He didn't expect to encounter Stark, Marvel's most famous superhero, so soon. The mission was simple, and the rewards were quite good.

"But this 'unspeakable secret'...", he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Could it be...?"

14Tony: He's slandering me!

Seaside Villa.

Tony Stark lay on a beach chair, his face terrifyingly pale, eyes sunken, looking utterly exhausted.

He picked up a glass, downed the specially mixed cocktail, his face etched with a despondency that shouldn't appear on a genius inventor.

"Pepper, Pepper... have you found the Doctor I asked for?"

Tony's voice was weak, carrying the weariness typically found in old men.

"Oh, Tony!"

Hearing the voice, Pepper hurried over, her expression helpless, with a hint of anger in her eyes.

"Tony, you can't drink anymore. The board's private Doctor said that with your long-term late nights and heavy drinking, your body won't be able to take it much longer."

Hearing the words 'board of directors,' Tony felt annoyed, grabbing his hair and sighing:

"Don't talk to me about those board Doctors. Not only can they not give me what I truly want, but they also exaggerate my illness. And those damn paparazzi bastards, they stake out private hospitals 24 hours a day. I can't even go. It's so annoying!"

Pepper shook her head and sighed, her tone softening: "Tony, don't worry. I've contacted another Dr. in the medical field. He has treated many high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen, and his confidentiality level is CIA-grade."

Tony twitched his lips, forcing a smile: "Can he treat that? You know what I'm talking about."

Seeing Tony like this, Pepper felt both pity and amusement:

"It's not very clear yet. You said he had to come in person, so I didn't tell him about your medical history."

A flicker of uncertainty crossed her eyes: "But the Doctor said on the phone that he's some kind of Old Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, with 18 generations of famous Doctors in his ancestry, claiming he only needs one glance to know what illness you have."

"Pfft." This made Tony laugh out loud. "Come on, Pepper, I'm a scientist. Do you think I'd believe such claims? I bet this medical Dr. is probably a journalism Dr. who specializes in the charm of news."

Pepper spread her hands helplessly: "We have to try, at least he won't leak your secrets."

Just then, Jarvis's voice came through the Villa's loudspeaker: "Mr. Stark, your scheduled Doctor has arrived."

"Alright." Tony closed his eyes, adopting a 'nothing to lose' attitude. "Let him come in."

Soon, Happy, the bodyguard, led a Doctor in casual clothes.

Tony forced himself to sit up straight. When he saw who it was, he couldn't help but swallow, his eyes wide with surprise.

Of course, it wasn't because the Doctor was a woman, but because this Doctor was simply... too unlike a Doctor.

He was about the same height as his bodyguard, Happy, but his physique was very strong and well-proportioned. Sculpted muscles were visible on his bare arms, and he exuded a very vibrant aura.

If he hadn't known beforehand that the other party was a Doctor, Tony would have thought he was a model or a fitness instructor.

To be honest, Tony had also wanted to build such a physique before, but wine and women were too alluring, making it impossible to extricate himself.

The newcomer was naturally Loya, no, it should be Noah, that was the name after the information was forged.

"Hello, Mr. Stark, I am Noah."

Loya gave a standardized smile, then handed Tony the forged resume.

Tony took the resume, his eyes wide, his eyelids twitching. This resume... was a bit intimidating.

"He has treated various diseases for Presidents of dozens of countries, without a single failure. Besides being a Dr. of Medicine, he is also proficient in genetics, heredity, pharmacology, and is also a master of combat, having instructed the Military in combat techniques, and is also very skilled with various weapons and firearms."

Tony was willing to call this guy Tony Stark on another level; he was indeed very outstanding.

If the information verified by the group wasn't indeed correct, he wouldn't believe that someone could be proficient in such a wide range of things. Having such a muscular physique was understandable.

Tony put down the resume, slowly stood up, and scanned him up and down, still somewhat suspicious, and began to unleash his venomous tongue: "Dr. Noah, I hope your medical skills are as splendid as your muscles."

Loya smiled, his eyes calm, and calmly retorted: "Of course, Mr. Stark, I also hope your illness is as toxic as your mouth, otherwise I won't be very entertained."

"Uh..."

Tony was momentarily speechless, trying to think of a comeback, but Pepper had already spoken first.

"Alright, Tony." Pepper pressed on Tony's shoulder. "Sit down, let Dr. Noah take a good look."

Tony hesitated, but finally sat down obediently under Pepper's gaze.

But he still wouldn't back down: "Didn't you say on the phone that you were an Old Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner who could tell what illness someone had? Tell me, what's wrong with me?"

Loya smiled knowingly. The moment he saw Tony, he had already confirmed his guess, and so he blurted out loudly:

"Your kidneys are deficient! And you ejaculate prematurely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tony jumped up as if stimulated, his face flushed red, and he stammered incoherently:

"You're spouting nonsense! I'm Tony Stark, the playboy, I've conquered countless cover girls! I've driven more luxury cars than you've eaten meals! You're talking rubbish! I'm going to sue you for defamation!"

Although he said that, a huge wave had already surged in Tony's heart. This Doctor actually saw it, could he really treat it?

But this was clearly not a good time to admit it, Happy was still here.

He could admit his inadequacy in front of Pepper, but not in front of another man, except a Doctor!

Pepper understood, frantically signaling Happy with her eyes.

Happy was still holding back his laughter, but seeing Pepper's gaze, he suddenly understood, his expression stiffening. To keep his job, he quickly scurried out.

Only after Happy left did Tony slump weakly into the chair, his hand unconsciously touching his kidney area, as if drained of all vitality.

The earlier arrogance and haughtiness had vanished from his face, replaced by a subtle sadness:

"Doctor, is there still hope for me?"

Loya suppressed a smile. Sure enough, as he expected, after the Afghanistan incident, this guy remained incorrigible, still indulging in wine and women. kidney deficiency and Premature Ejaculation were very reasonable.

However, he really did have a way to treat this.

Loya dropped his smile, his expression serious: "Mr. Stark, after my careful observation, I think you should prepare yourself mentally."

Hearing this, Tony's legs went weak. He couldn't even imagine himself being perpetually 'unable' in the future.

Those model actresses who complimented him on his prowess, but privately called him a'soft-legged shrimp' who looked good but was useless – the thought of that scenario made his scalp tingle.

However, Loya's next words gave Tony a glimmer of hope.

"You should prepare for several more illegitimate children in the future."

"Doctor, you can cure it?!" Tony's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said eagerly, "If only you can cure it, money is not an issue!"

At the same time, a system notification sounded in Loya's ear.

[Tony Stark has issued a quest to you]

[Quest: Regain Your Former Glory]

[Objective: Treat Tony Stark's Kidney Deficiency]

[Reward: Experience Points +2000, Tony's Favorability +40, Random Item *2]

"So generous?"

Loya was surprised. The quest issued by Tony was not only of low difficulty but also had great rewards. Was this the treatment for a true main character?

How delightful!

15Tony's ability to change his expression quickly

Tony's Speed of Changing Expressions

"Save me, Doctor."

Tony looked at Loya with a face full of hope; he really didn't want to endure this pain anymore.

The tragedy of a few days ago was still fresh in his memory; so it really was just one minute.

The faint look of disdain from that female star was still vivid in his mind; Tony could remember it as soon as he closed his eyes.

What man could endure such a thing? Especially someone like him who had spent years wandering among flowers; this kind of thing was too painful.

Tony had been seeking medical help everywhere these past few days, but those he found were either not specialized in this area or had poor confidentiality measures.

And this new Dr. Noah actually saw where his problem was at a glance; now all hope rested on this man.

Loya suppressed a smile; if he didn't have a camera at hand, he would have wanted to record Tony's appearance, as it would surely sell for a good price later.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat. "Actually, my specialty is andrology, it's just that... the price..."

Saying so, he held up five fingers and waved them in front of Tony.

"Fifty thousand U.S. dollars?" Tony guessed, his tone very casual, as if discussing what to eat for breakfast.

"No, no, no." Loya shook his head with a smile. "It's five hundred thousand U.S. dollars."

"That's it? No problem!" Tony responded without a second thought.

Never mind five hundred thousand U.S. dollars; even if it were five million U.S. dollars, he would pay to be cured.

What was this small amount of money? Just a drop in the bucket.

Loya shook his head again: "Mr. Stark, regarding the matter of restoring male masculinity, I have conducted very detailed research and finally, through my efforts, invented a miracle kidney tonic. This medicine is calculated by the drop."

Tony's eyes widened as if he had heard some kind of fairy tale: "You mean five hundred thousand U.S. dollars a drop?"

Loya nodded slowly.

Having received an affirmative answer, Tony's gaze instantly became somewhat unfriendly, and his expression was full of wariness.

True, some drugs take effect by the drop or even microgram, but for a kidney-supplementing thing to work by the drop, who would believe that?

Do you really think that just because I'm an expert at inventing weapons, I don't know anything about medicine?

He felt Pepper had messed up again; sure enough, she had found a PhD in Journalism, a damn high-IQ fraudster.

Seeing Tony's distrustful expression, Loya didn't explain. He unhurriedly reached into his pocket and took out that kidney-treating item from the system warehouse.

[kidney tonic: Strengthening the kidneys and body]

He had already tested the effects of the kidney tonic before coming; he could only say it was worthy of being a system product, simply the best of the best.

Just as its description stated, this thing had a miraculous effect on the kidneys and also provided certain benefits to the body.

Of course, it wasn't that he was targeting Tony, but because the "kidney tonic" was equivalent to a powerful tonic; with Tony's current state of being too weak to handle a strong supplement, a whole bottle would kill him.

One drop was a very appropriate dose; it wouldn't cure him all at once, but the effects would be significant.

And that was the key; as the saying goes, if you want to fish, you have to bait the spot first. If you don't prepare the spot well, where will the big fish come from?

Using the pretext of treating the kidneys to build a good relationship with Tony, Loya would then be able to receive more missions. After all, this was a main storyline protagonist, and every mission reward far exceeded ordinary ones.

However, when Tony saw the medicine bottle in Loya's hand, his body instinctively leaned back, and his tone was somewhat panicked:

"This is your miracle medicine?" He pointed at the skull on the bottle.

"Exactly!" Loya nodded.

"Are you kidding me! Who puts a black skull on a medicine bottle? Is this damn poison?"

Tony was completely speechless; the feeling of being played was getting stronger, and he even considered whether to call Happy in.

"Oh, you mean this skull." Loya's lips curled up as his burly body pressed forward, full of pressure. "This actually means clearing away all pain and illness. Please don't misunderstand, it's not to kill you."

Tony pressed against the lounge chair, his expression terrified: "Don't come over here!"

Resistance was futile. Loya held his shoulder with one hand, then opened the lid of the kidney tonic and waved it under Tony's nose.

Originally, Tony wanted to hold his breath, but unfortunately, his current body was too fragile; he couldn't hold it for more than a few seconds before inhaling the scent of the "kidney tonic."

His expression, which had been one of desperate resistance, instantly turned into one of intoxication.

The smell in the bottle was very pungent, but after taking a breath, Tony suddenly felt his body lighten significantly, and the other Tony also felt like he was about to wake up.

He was particularly shocked; could there really be such a miracle medicine?

He had only been kidnapped in Afghanistan for three months; had modern medicine developed to this extent?

Loya put away the kidney tonic and looked at Tony with a smile: "How about it, Mr. Stark? Do you still think I'm a fraud?"

"Uh..."

Tony's expression changed faster than flipping a page, and he immediately put on a smile. "It's all a misunderstanding, Dr. Noah. Your request is very reasonable, and the medicine's effectiveness is worth the price."

He gave a thumbs up, his tone sincere: "You really are an amazing Doctor. Shall we start the treatment now?"

Loya nodded: "Come on, open your mouth."

Tony didn't care about his image at all and immediately opened his mouth wide, like a fledgling bird waiting to be fed.

Under Loya's precise control, a drop of kidney tonic fell into his mouth.

Tony quickly swallowed it, feeling a bit of regret in his heart: As expected of a Doctor, his hand is really steady; not a single extra drop fell.

A few seconds after swallowing it, he immediately noticed the changes occurring in his body.

His body felt slightly warm, and a heat current seemed to be gathering in the kidney area!

And that place... Tony's gaze at Loya changed immediately, looking at him with such heat as if he were seeing his reborn parents; this was a true divine Doctor!

Loya glanced at the flushed Tony, then at the somewhat bashful Pepper, and spoke at the right moment:

"Then I won't disturb the two of you in your enjoyment. One drop of this medicine won't completely cure it; you'll need a few more courses. Remember to call me if needed."

"Additionally, if you have other areas that need treatment, you can also find me. My expertise goes beyond this."

...After leaving Tony's Villa, Loya had Tony's private business card in his hand and an extra one million U.S. dollars in his account.

As for why it was double the amount, perhaps it was because both people in the Villa were Happy.

[Task: Restoring Masculinity completed]

[Rewards: EXP +2000, Item 'taunting horn', Item 'hovering flying carpet', Tony Stark favorability +40]

[taunting horn: Words spoken through this horn can attract enemy aggro]

[hovering flying carpet: A flying carpet that can hover]

"Not bad, these rewards are decent."

Loya dialed Fury's number again.

"Director Fury, I've found the reason Tony Stark was looking for a Doctor; it's because of kidney deficiency and premature ejaculation."

The other end of the line fell into a strange silence. After a moment, Fury's voice came through faintly: "Is that the only reason?"

"Yes, but I have a folk remedy that has improved his kidney deficiency to some extent, and I've also obtained his private business card. I'll need to continue treating him later."

On the other side, Fury was very surprised. Initially, he just wanted to use this method to find out the reason Stark was seeking a Doctor and then have Loya discard this identity.

He didn't expect the other party to over-complete the mission and even gain an opportunity for long-term access to Tony. He really was a useful Agent.

In that case, the Black Widow wouldn't need to carry out the mission to get close to Tony; Loya could handle the follow-up.

After a brief moment of thought, Fury issued a new mission:

"Good job, Loya. Since you can already contact Tony without suspicion, you will continue to monitor his movements and physical condition under the guise of treatment. Report any abnormalities to me. Oh, besides that, you also have a new mission in Hell's Kitchen."

After discussing the mission details for a while, Fury's voice finally came through the receiver sounding a bit unnatural.

"Agent Loya, that... kidney-treating folk remedy of yours, get some for me too. Other Agents might need it when contacting certain high-risk targets in the future."

16Daredevil and the Punisher

Daredevil and The Punisher

"You black-boiled egg, you just want to research the ingredients of my kidney tonic, don't you? How wicked. Too bad, no way!"

Loya hung up the phone, laughing inwardly.

In fact, Fury couldn't research it at all.

The system had a hidden rule: weapon and tool-type items were bound to him; only Loya himself could use them.

As for consumable items, like kidney tonic and serums, they could be used by others, but any attempt to research their components would turn them into a simple drop of Water.

Wanting to exploit a system bug? No way!

[Task: Hidden Troubles Completed]

[Rewards: EXP +1500, Fury Favorability +10, Item 'Suicide Truck']

[Suicide Truck: A truck that can be driven and can also self-destruct]

[Fury has issued two new tasks to you]

[Task One: Surveillance]

[Objective: Monitor Tony Stark's movements and physical condition]

[Rewards: EXP +1000, Fury Favorability +10, Item *1]

[Task Two: Anomalous Situation]

[Objective: Investigate the anomalous situation at the target point in Hell's Kitchen and report back]

[Rewards: EXP +500, Fury Favorability +5, Item *1]

Listening to the system prompts ringing in his ears, Loya's heart blossomed with joy, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

So many tasks are popping up. I used to work so hard running around taking random jobs; I really missed out back then.

Who says this Hydra S.H.I.E.L.D. is bad? This Hydra S.H.I.E.L.D. is wonderful!

Taking S.H.I.E.L.D. tasks with one hand, Tony's tasks with the other, and Loya himself taking commissions in Hell's Kitchen—with this multi-pronged approach, the rewards are going to skyrocket.

In this exceptionally dangerous Universe, he has finally gotten on the right track.

But there is still a huge gap before he can live well through all kinds of disasters.

Still have to keep grinding tasks... At night, in Hell's Kitchen, a truck with the license plate 666 was parked at the end of an alley.

Inside the truck bed, the candlelight was dim. Two men, one tall and one short, confronted each other, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.

One person wore a red tight-fitting battle suit, his massive muscles bulging against the fabric as if they would burst through at any moment.

The other wore a black battle suit with a large White skull printed on the chest. His face was full of disdain, his eyes cold, and his tone icy.

"Daredevil, why have you also started following those bodybuilders by injecting Nine Dragons Power? These bloated muscles of yours are even more ridiculous than your pathetic ideals."

Daredevil countered calmly: "The Punisher, my muscles come from a friend's gift; they aren't comparable to those hormones."

"Furthermore, my ideals are not ridiculous. Only rules can save Hell's Kitchen. If you abandon the rules, you are no different from the killers."

The Punisher sneered, his face carrying undisguised mockery and anger:

"It's your so-called damn rules that let those bastards who killed my wife and children go free. Your rules, your laws have become their protective umbrella."

"Killing won't end evil; it will only create more hatred! I believe the law can..."

"Enough!"

The Punisher growled, interrupting him.

"Rules? Laws? Those who were killed will never see tomorrow's Sun again. Your laws and rules protect those damn murderers, while I protect living, breathing people!"

He said each word with emphasis: "Daredevil, you are a damn murderer too!"

Daredevil's expression shifted, the muscles in his arms tensing until his suit made a strained sound. "Do you want to fight me? This time, I'll send you to a jail cell."

The Punisher met him head-on without hesitation, one hand resting on the weapon at his waist. "Then come and try it?"

Just as the battle between the two was about to break out, a helpless voice drifted over.

"Can't you two stop arguing every time you meet? I'm here to ask for your help."

Loya held a map, looking at the two of them with a speechless expression.

Because of their conflicting ideologies, these two would argue or even start fighting whenever they met.

It's just that now that Daredevil has been strengthened, The Punisher definitely can't beat him anymore.

Loya couldn't let them fight either. Daredevil was his source of information when he did tasks before, and many of his commissioned tasks were picked up from The Punisher.

The two turned their heads, gave a cold snort, and sat down reluctantly.

The Punisher didn't forget to get a dig in: "Doesn't Loya kill people too? Why don't I see you stopping him?"

Daredevil spoke bluntly: "The gap is too big. I can't beat him, so I can't stop him."

"Heh, you really are straightforward," The Punishersneered.

"Alright, stop arguing. Come help me look at this place."

Loya said as he pointed to a location on the map. This was the map of Hell's Kitchen given by Fury, with several anomalous target points marked on it.

The location he was pointing to now wasn't too far from the house that Kingpin had blown up earlier.

The Punisher glanced at that direction, his expression changing slightly. He asked, "What's the issue?"

Loya nodded. The intel from S.H.I.E.L.D. stated that many people had gone missing in this area, and the cause needed to be identified.

"There are many missing persons here. I've received a task to find out why. I came to ask if you two know anything to avoid wasting time."

Daredevil shook his head; he had no clue about this.

Loya turned to look at The Punisher.

The Punisher remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Do you know about Vampires?"

"Vampires?"

Loya was slightly stunned. He naturally knew about Vampires; there were Vampires in Marvel too. It's just that he had been in Hell's Kitchen for so long, roaming all the streets and alleys, and had never seen one. He had thought this Universe didn't have Vampires.

"You're saying there are Vampires in Hell's Kitchen? But I've never seen them."

The Punisher said: "Hell's Kitchen has always had Vampires. Their gathering point is an underground bar in that direction, but their largest concentration is in The Bronx."

"That doesn't make sense," Loya was very puzzled. "That's not far from me, and I've been to that bar. I didn't notice anything unusual at all."

The Punisher glanced at him and gave a very bizarre reason: "They're afraid of being beaten to death by you. They've been avoiding you all this time. When you went to the bar, they had already hidden themselves."

Loya was a bit dazed: "Avoiding me?"

Then he suddenly realized something was wrong: "You mean they can detect my presence in advance without me noticing them?"

The Punisher nodded and explained: "They have a certain strange ability to roughly determine a person's strength based on their blood. Perhaps one day they encountered you and felt you were too strong, so they listed you as a target not to be provoked."

"This is also why they've been hiding in the city's shadows without being discovered. This information comes from a good friend of mine; it's highly credible."

"Wait."

After The Punisher's explanation, Loya discovered another anomaly. These Vampires weren't far from his previous house, and they were always able to avoid him.

In other words, they had always known where he lived.

Recalling how Kingpin had set an ambush in his house before, Loya suddenly understood something.

"Is there a deal between Kingpin and the Vampires? I've always used a disguise when doing tasks, but he set an ambush in my house in advance to take me out."

The Punisher said with certainty: "It's not just possible, it's certain. The Vampires might have been interested in your body for a long time, but they were wary of your strength and found it hard to find an opportunity to strike."

"Damn! Those bastards!"

Loya cursed angrily. He had always wondered how Kingpinfound his house; turns out that fat pig is a traitor to humanity, cooperating with Vampires.

He took out his phone, walked outside the truck bed, and contacted Fury directly to inform him of all the reasons for the anomalous situation.

Fury was silent on the other end of the phone for a moment before suddenly exploding:

"Motherfucker!"

"Those gutter-dwelling bastards have popped up again!"

His voice was filled with suppressed rage:

"Loya, I have only one requirement for this task."

"That is to kill them all!"

"The reward money for the task..."

"Will be tripled!!!"

17All eyes are on me!

Everyone, look at me!

[Fury has issued a new mission to you]

[Mission: Extermination]

[Objective: Clear all Vampires at the target location]

[Rewards: EXP +3000, Random Item *2]

"Alright, mission guaranteed to be completed."

Loya hung up the phone and rubbed his chin.

He guessed that Fury was so angry because he must have had a fierce battle with the Vampires in the past, and it must have been very unpleasant.

Otherwise, with Fury's personality, how could he say something as ridiculous as tripling the mission's bonus?

However, he was too lazy to delve into the love-hate drama; as long as there was a mission, it was fine, especially one with high experience points and a high bonus.

[Mission 'Abnormal Situation' completed]

[Rewards: EXP +500, Fury Favorability +5, Item 'sun saw']

[sun saw: A chainsaw crafted from Sun Stone. It counters all creatures that fear the Sun. While holding the sun sawduring the day, Strength attribute +1.]

[Evaluation: Times are progressing; killing Vampires must also keep up with the times.]

Having just finished one mission and received another, Loya returned to the carriage happily.

Good grief, as soon as he entered the carriage, in just the short time he was on the phone, the two men with conflicting ideologies were already at each other's throats, looking like they were about to start a fight.

Loya reached out and easily separated the two, raising an eyebrow and saying, "You two should save your energy. Are you interested in killing Vampires with me?"

...In a hidden alleyway in Hell's Kitchen.

A thin, ragged beggar emitting a foul stench curled up in a corner of the alley, the air filled with the smell of decay.

Despite being so poor, this guy actually pulled a box of natto from his chest and started stirring it.

Just as he had stirred the natto until it was stringy, took a deep breath, and was about to take a delicious bite...

A gold-crafted pistol was already pressed against his head, and three figures blocked out all the moonlight.

"Yo, there are even ninjas from The Hand here. Could The Hand be collaborating with the Vampires too?"

Loya looked down with cold eyes and poked the beggar's head twice with the muzzle of his gun.

"Hey, what are you people from The Hand doing here?"

"Huh?"

The beggar's eyes were innocent and filled with confusion as he looked up at the three masked figures, his voice trembling.

"B-Big brother, what are you talking about? What ninja? I'm just a beggar..."

Crack!

Loya kicked and broke one of the beggar's legs.

"Talk. I'm too lazy to waste words with you."

The beggar cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground, his face full of terror:

"Call the police! I want to call the police! You devils! You're all going to hell!"

Loya sneered and leaned in close to the beggar, whispering, "Dragon... Bone."

The moment he heard the words 'Dragon Bone', the beggar's expression instantly turned to disbelief, and the way he looked at Loya was as if he had truly seen a devil. Dragon Bone was... The beggar's hand instinctively reached for his chest, seemingly trying to grab something.

Unfortunately... Bang!

A barely audible gunshot rang out, a large hole opened in the beggar's head, and he fell to the ground.

A small communicator also fell from his chest.

Loya crushed the communicator with his foot and said coldly, "It seems it's just as I thought. The Hand must be in league with the Vampires too. They're all scum."

The Punisher frowned slightly. "What are these guys up to? Kingpin, the Vampires, and The Hand—the three organizations seem to have some sort of connection."

"Who knows?" Loya shrugged. "Anyway, killing all the Vampires there can't be wrong."

"But they'll hide if they see you coming. It's night now, and it'll be hard to pursue them."

The Punisher had investigated information on Vampires before; their strongholds all had several secret tunnels. Once they slipped inside, it was almost impossible to chase them.

"Eh," Loya seemed to think of something, smiling with a bit of ill intent. "Don't worry, just watch me work."

"Fine." The Punisher nodded. Anyway, this guy was inhumanly strong, so taking down a Vampire stronghold shouldn't be difficult.

He turned his gaze back to Daredevil and said mockingly, "Daredevil, why are you willing to kill Vampires now? Why aren't you using those damn rules of yours?"

Daredevil's voice was calm. "Vampires aren't human; they don't have human rights. Punisher, read more books."

The Punisher choked for a moment and continued, "Then Loya killed someone right in front of you, and you're not going to react?"

Daredevil's tone was like he was talking to an idiot. "I've said it before: I can't beat him, and I can't out-argue him. Are you deaf?"

"Alright, stop arguing. Killing the Vampires is what's important."

Before The Punisher could explode, Loya quickly reached out and held him back.

The Punisher wanted to struggle, but under Loya's almost irresistible strength, he could only comply. The three of them headed toward their destination together.

The underground bar was at the end of this alley. Loya had once done an adultery-catching mission here; he didn't expect it to actually be the Vampires' headquarters in Hell's Kitchen.

Soon, the three arrived at the bar's entrance.

Outside the tightly closed doors stood two burly men wearing sunglasses, looking like they didn't want anyone near.

Loya didn't bother with any nonsense. He raised his hand and fired two shots. Two silver bullets accurately embedded themselves in the men's foreheads. They didn't make a sound, instantly turning to ash—talk about eco-friendly.

Back when he first got the golden desert eagle, he had already added silver to the types of bullets it used.

Loya asked, "Daredevil, do your Superhuman Senses feel any difference between these Vampires and normal humans?"

Daredevil shook his head. "They have heartbeats, pulses, and even their blood has temperature. The only difference is they have a stronger smell of blood than normal people."

"Are Vampires so advanced nowadays?"

Loya was a bit surprised. As far as he knew, Vampires were equivalent to the living dead; aside from being able to move, they were nothing like humans.

And yet they had these things now. It was clear they were either evolving or researching ways to overcome their own flaws.

In that case, they definitely had to be killed.

Loya stepped forward and grabbed the edge of the iron door. With a tearing sound, the iron door, which was a full five centimeters thick, was ripped open like a piece of paper.

Behind him, Daredevil and The Punisher's mouths twitched. Sometimes they really wondered if Loya was even human. This strength was more monstrous than a monster.

The three of them walked in without hesitation.

Inside the door was a long corridor without a single light. Occasionally, intense music could be heard from deep within.

At the end of the corridor was another iron door, this one with a combination lock.

Loya repeated the process and tore open this final iron door.

The strong smell of alcohol mixed with foul body odor wafted toward them, accompanied by exceptionally unpleasant music.

Atmosphere lights flashed with blinding brilliance. People of all races in the middle of the dance floor were swaying their heads, sickly smiles on their faces. They were clearly high and hadn't even noticed the door had been torn open by hand.

Loya was happy to see this. He took a megaphone out of his system warehouse; it looked like the kind used for shouting advertisements in a wet market.

[taunting horn: Words spoken through this horn can attract enemy hatred.]

Turning the volume of the horn to the maximum, Loyacoughed twice to clear his throat, took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Everyone, look at me!"

"Fuck you!"

18That's so brutal!

How brutal!

The deafening sound even formed sound waves, overpowering the unpleasant music and instantly spreading to every corner of the underground bar.

The "taunting horn" immediately took effect, like a stone causing a thousand ripples.

"Roar!"

Several low growls, like those of Beasts, erupted from the crowd.

Among the drugged-up men and women, figures with blood-red eyes and protruding fangs suddenly lunged out, while dull thudding sounds echoed from deep within the bar.

Clearly, even the hidden Vampires were drawn into a state of aggression by the "taunting horn."

The Vampires looked at Loya with identical expressions, as if they were looking at the murderer of their fathers, and they rushed forward like madmen.

Their immense strength allowed them to ignore almost everything; the mere act of running sent the men and women in their path flying, with bones shattering and limbs scattering.

Some who were still immersed in marijuana-induced hallucinations died instantly on the spot.

Ordinary people had no power to resist these excessively strong Vampires; to be touched was to die.

For a time, screams and wails were incessant.

In a short period, the ordinary people on the dance floor were almost entirely killed or injured.

Bodies lay strewn everywhere, the entire dance floor was covered in viscous blood, and the lights reflected off the pools of blood with a terrifying crimson glow, filling the air with a sickening metallic stench.

However, beneath the filth of the blood, in a corner unnoticed by anyone, the ground seemed to take on a life of its own, slowly swallowing the blood above.

Strange, twisted symbols appeared on the surface, flickering with a faint black light, as a bizarre blood-colored mist seeped into the ground along with the black glow.

Sensing the approaching Vampires that ordinary people couldn't resist, Daredevil took a step forward, his thick arm reaching back to pull The Punisher behind him for protection.

At this moment, his silhouette was tall and sturdy, like a great mountain.

Daredevil spoke calmly, "Punisher, Vampires aren't something an ordinary person like you can handle. Leave these things to us; just protect yourself in the back."

"Fuck you," The Punisher expressed his purest emotions with these extremely brief words.

"Oh, come on."

Loya took a step forward and, with a push of his arm, easily moved Daredevil behind him.

"You two just stay back and cheer for me. I want to try out my new weapon."

Before his voice had even faded, an orange-yellow chainsaw had appeared in Loya's hand.

Vroom vroom vroom!!!

Pulling the starter cord, the roar of an internal combustion engine came from inside the chainsaw, sounding particularly piercing amidst the intense music.

By now, the Vampires were close at hand.

Loya could even see the hideous expressions on the Vampires' faces and smell the nauseating rot in their mouths.

But he merely raised the "sun saw" unhurriedly, its orange-yellow chain spinning frantically as if it could cut through anything.

The Vampires crashed into the chainsaw like moths to a flame; they didn't even have time to let out a wail before their entire bodies were ground to pieces by the chain.

The pulverized bodies didn't even hit the ground before turning into ashes and scattering with the wind, contributing quite a bit to environmental protection.

In an instant, over a dozen Vampires died under the chainsaw that harbored the power of the Sun.

This terrifying display of power forced the remaining Vampires to snap out of the "taunting horn's" influence, causing them to slam on the brakes and freeze in place.

Their faces were filled with fear and shock, their eyes instantly becoming clear as they dared not take another step forward.

The Vampires stared in terror at the masked man at the door holding the strange chainsaw; at that moment, that simple black mask looked no different from the Grim Reaper harvesting souls.

But soon, a Vampire reacted and hissed from the back, "Let's go together! It's just a chainsaw; he can't kill us all before the gasoline runs out!"

Despite the words, not a single Vampire was willing to be the first bird to fly out.

Furthermore, to their evolved sense of smell, this chainsaw man's blood was exceptionally powerful and incredibly hot. If they rushed forward blindly, they would surely die!

Rumble!

Just as the Vampires were hesitating, those who had originally been huddled in the tunnels finally arrived at the battlefield.

They hadn't seen the previous scene of their companions being easily slaughtered; each one had blood-red eyes filled with terrifying hatred as they lunged toward Loya.

The result was obvious: the Vampires in front were turned into ashes by the "sun saw" in a single encounter, without even touching a single hair on Loya's head.

Consequently, the newcomers also broke free from the influence in extreme fear, standing in place and hesitating to move forward.

Loya looked speechless and directly began a verbal assault:

"And you call yourselves Vampires? No wonder you're hunted like dogs by humans. A bunch of rats in the gutter, a trash race that can't handle the spotlight.

You might as well take a rope, hang it over a beam, and have a tug-of-war with your necks. I'd feel like I'm wasting money using silver bullets on you."

The Vampires' veins bulged from the insults, their faces turning pale and green with rage, yet still, none dared to step forward.

They stared fixedly at that uniquely colored chainsaw, their eyes full of incomprehension and fear.

Didn't Vampire hunters always use silver weapons in the past?

Why wasn't this guy's weapon silver, yet it had such a massive suppressive effect on Vampires, even giving them the feeling of facing the Sun directly?

Vampire hunters these days were simply too barbaric, too brutal.

Loya held the sun saw as he stared down dozens of Vampires, and the scene fell into a bizarre silence.

Daredevil and The Punisher were confused, wondering what Loya was waiting for.

The Vampires felt the same; they couldn't flee, yet they couldn't stay, fearing that the voice that had made them lose their minds would appear again.

There was a reason Loya didn't immediately go on a chainsaw massacre spree; he was waiting to see if any elite mobs or a boss would appear.

Just like when he dealt with The Hand's laboratory before.

Unfortunately, the system notification didn't sound.

However, before he could continue his slaughter, a Vampire suddenly shouted loudly.

"Now's the chance, run!"

The Vampires' bodies reacted faster than their brains, and they all sprinted toward the tunnels like a pack of street rats.

Loya gave a mocking smile, and the "taunting horn" appeared in his hand once more.

"Here, boy, here."

The sound spread again, and the Vampires who heard it had their minds affected once more, lunging at Loya with hideous expressions.

Vroom vroom vroom!

Loya thrust the sun saw forward, the chain spinning like a meat grinder, and all the lunging Vampires turned into flying ash.

Intimidated once more by the power of the sun saw, the Vampires regained their sanity and turned to flee again.

"Here, boy, here."

Loya repeated the trick, as if training dogs; the Vampires roared and rushed back, only to be ground into ash by the chainsaw stationed at the door.

The entire scene was a massive Vampire suicide feast, looking incredibly bizarre.

Daredevil and The Punisher were completely dumbfounded; this was simply not treating Vampires like people.

Well, they weren't people to begin with.

"Here, boy, here."

Vroom vroom vroom!

After a few rounds of this, only a few scattered Vampires remained on the field.

They were trembling all over, their expressions twisted with fear, and with a thud, they knelt down and began kowtowing repeatedly.

Their worldview was completely shattered; in their long years as Vampires, they had never encountered anything like this.

With strength and speed far exceeding that of ordinary people, they were actually being crushed like ants, just as they would crush ordinary humans.

"Oh, so you know how to read the room?"

Loya was amused; he realized these Vampires were cowardly to the core. If not for the "taunting horn," probably none would have dared to face him directly—no wonder they were so hard to find.

Yet, such cowardly Vampires insisted on running an underground bar and gathering in such large numbers. Clearly, there were many safer ways to get blood, so it was hard to say they didn't have some sort of objective.

Loya pointed casually at a middle-aged-looking Vampire: "What is your purpose here?"

The middle-aged Vampire was scared out of his wits and hurriedly pointed to the ground, not noticing that the floor seemed to be flickering with a strange bloody light: "There are Dragon Bones here, using the Bla..."

Squelch!

Before he could finish, countless bone spikes that looked as if they were cast in fresh blood suddenly grew from the ground.

The bone spikes pierced through the remaining Vampires from top to bottom, instantly sucking them dry into mummies that then crumbled into ash and scattered in the wind.

The bone spikes weren't targeting Vampires specifically; they were indiscriminately targeting everything on the ground.

Fortunately, Loya reacted extremely quickly, grabbing Daredevil and The Punisher to dodge the sneak attack before the spikes arrived.

At the same time, the system notification slowly sounded.

[You have triggered a field boss!]

19Triggering a wild boss

Triggering field boss

[You have triggered the field boss 'Undead Dragon Skeleton']

[Description: Dragon bones eroded by dark power and evil sacrificial magic, a dark product fused with the Undead]

[Objective: Eliminate 'Undead Dragon Bone']

[Rewards: EXP +10,000, Random Item *2, Random Ability *1, Lottery Draw +1]

"Field boss?"

Hearing the System Prompt in his ear, Loya's heart beat wildly.

He had already lost hope, but he didn't expect a field boss to actually spawn.

Moreover, the rewards were unprecedentedly rich—not only a Random Ability but even a Lottery Draw. Plus, with the EXP enough to level up, that's another Lottery Draw.

But... the boss was born from dragon bones; he wondered if it would be easy to fight.

Dragon bone was the Longevity Item The Hand had been searching for. It was the skeleton of a transcendental creature, with effects like strengthening physical fitness, extending lifespan, and healing injuries.

Now it was actually beneath the Vampire stronghold; there was definitely something fishy going on between the two.

No wonder there were ninjas from The Hand lurking; it turned out there were dragon bones.

According to the System Prompt, the dragon bone was eroded by dark power and evil sacrificial magic, which reminded Loya of the strange symbols in the laboratory earlier.

He didn't know if there was a connection between them.

There was no time for further thought as the bone spikes controlled by the dragon bone attacked again.

Loya held Daredevil and The Punisher in each hand. Just as he dodged the bone spikes and landed, a roar came from underground.

He tossed the two upwards. With a thought, the heavenly halberd transformed into a wide shield in his hand.

Taking advantage of the two being in the air, he leaped into mid-air and crouched on the shield.

Bang!

The bone spikes collided with the shield, making a dull thud followed by the clear sound of bones cracking.

Loya was delighted: "This dragon bone has osteoporosis; it's winnable!"

Using the recoil from the bone spike attack, he reached the top of the passage first, grabbing Daredevil's Combat Suitwith one hand and pressing down on The Punisher's shoulder with the other.

With a thought, the shield disappeared, replaced by a 3x3 red flying carpet appearing under the three of them.

hovering flying carpet!

From the appearance of the bone spikes to dodging two rounds of attacks, it seemed slow, but it happened in the blink of an eye.

Daredevil and The Punisher only felt a dizzying sensation as their bodies were moved at will. When they regained their balance, they were sitting on an exquisitely crafted carpet.

"This carpet can fly?"

The Punisher looked around, his eyes wide with disbelief. He felt his worldview being challenged once again; Loyawas always so surprising.

"Don't worry about the details. We can't move freely in the passage, so let's get out first. Sit tight!"

Loya didn't explain much. A gust of wind blew from nowhere, and the hovering flying carpet zoomed toward the exit.

The hovering flying carpet's flight speed was slow, but Loya had Wind Control Swordsmanship; blowing some wind was enough.

The bone spikes seemed to have an extension distance, and the attack range was also limited, making it impossible to stop the three from changing locations.

As they were about to fly out of the hole, Loya threw two high-explosive grenades behind him without looking back.

Boom!

A loud explosion.

The terrifying explosion caused the tunnels dug by the Vampires to completely collapse, triggering a series of chain reactions.

The entire underground bar shook violently as if experiencing a major earthquake.

Walls cracked, the ceiling pressed down, support pillars sank into the ground, and the bar completely collapsed, quickly becoming a pile of ruins.

A huge deep pit suddenly appeared on the ground.

Loya increased his speed to the limit and finally, before the underground bar collapsed, controlled the hovering flying carpet to fly out of the hole and land slowly.

Loya quietly watched the dust-filled pit; he didn't think two high-explosive grenades could take down a boss.

So... he chose to throw a few more!

Loya's hands threw so fast they were almost afterimages, and dozens of high-explosive grenades landed precisely in the pit.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of soul-stirring explosions occurred. Rubble flew, the ground cracked, and the pit was deepened by several more meters. The cracks even approached where the three were standing.

They quickly retreated dozens of meters.

Daredevil stood firm, listened carefully, and looked at the smoke-filled pit, saying, "That monster should be dead, right?"

Loya shook his head: "Not dead."

The System Prompt hadn't appeared yet.

Roar!

Before he finished speaking, a deep dragon roar erupted from the dust, making the air hum.

The dust slowly cleared, revealing the dragon... dragon leg bone?

Yes, it wasn't a complete dragon skeleton, just a dragon leg bone as tall as a floor. At first glance, it looked like a giant chicken leg that had been gnawed clean, just with more bone.

At the top of the dragon leg bone, there was a mist of black and blood-red colors churning, with wails coming from within. That should be the Undead controlling the dragon bone.

"What kind of monster is this? A giant chicken leg bone came to life?"

The Punisher was shocked beyond words. He never expected that the thing growing bone spikes from the ground was actually just a single bone. Was this still Earth? He was starting to lose track.

"What giant chicken leg? You guys move further away and protect yourselves. I'm going in!"

Loya instructed them and rushed forward with the sun saw.

Daredevil and The Punisher obediently retreated dozens of meters. They knew very well that now was not the time to show off but to avoid being a burden.

Loya admitted he was greedy; he wanted both the system rewards and the dragon bone.

The dragon bone wasn't very useful to him, but it was a perfect lure for The Hand.

Regardless of why The Hand let the Vampires gather here, they wouldn't give up this dragon bone easily.

With the boost from Wind Control Swordsmanship, Loya's speed was extremely fast. In a few leaps, he was close to the dragon bone.

The sun saw in his hand roared as he slashed toward the Undead at the top of the dragon bone.

The Undead seemed to sense that the sun saw was a great threat to it. It instantly dispersed, with most of the mist merging into the ground.

However, the dragon bone did not lose control. Several bones swung toward Loya.

Loya's eyes lit up; this was exactly what he was waiting for!

He flicked the sun saw upward, instantly cutting through several dragon bones. He raised his hand, intending to catch them, but then something unexpected happened!

Several blood-red threads grew from the break in the bone, connecting the severed pieces and pulling them back. With a flash of blood-red light, the marks of the break disappeared instantly, as if they had healed.

"Growing flesh?"

Loya frowned slightly. The dragon bone, buried for who knows how many years, was actually growing flesh. What were The Hand and the Vampires trying to do? Open a Jurassic Park together?

Before he could think more, the ground suddenly shook violently as if something was about to burst out.

Loya immediately took out the hovering flying carpet from his system space and quickly flew high into the air. Then he took out his phone to record. He felt this had to be recorded for Fury to get him a raise.

In the ruins, countless human bones still covered in flesh and blood rose from the ground, slowly combining with that leg bone to become a skeletal Tyrannosaurus Rexthree stories high!

At this moment, it was no longer an Undead Dragon Skeleton, but an Undead Bone Dragon!

The bone dragon roared at the figure high in the sky. Even though it was just a skeleton, it could produce a soul-shaking dragon roar.

Just as the bone dragon was roaring, a golden grenade engraved with a cross landed right near the bone dragon's eye socket.

The Undead mist controlling the bone dragon flickered slightly, as if a human was blinking in confusion.

"Hallelujah!"

A holy song pierced the quiet night, and a brilliant golden light illuminated the darkness.

The power of the holy grenade purified everything within its range!

Standing on the hovering flying carpet, Daredevil and The Punisher were already stunned to the point of numbness.

When Loya suddenly flew over to pick them up, they felt it was unnecessary. Now, looking at the power and range of this grenade, they realized how wrong they were.

If they had stayed where they were, not even a speck of dust would be left.

Tonight was more exciting than everything they had seen in the first half of their lives combined.

A bone dragon that could control bones, a flying carpet, and a super grenade that exploded to the sound of "Hallelujah"—turns out Earth was quite inclusive.

Daredevil couldn't help but make a sign of prayer. There was no choice; the sound of the grenade's explosion was too holy.

He even began to wonder if Loya was a Messenger of the Lord; otherwise, how could a grenade be so divine?

While the two were lost in thought, Loya's expression changed repeatedly. The System Prompt still hadn't appeared!

In other words, the "holy grenade" failed to kill the bone dragon, even though it was his strongest attack method.

Sure enough!

As the light dissipated, the bone dragon had indeed disappeared.

But on the smooth ground, there remained a very small, pitch-black dragon bone, trembling slightly and looking extremely weak.

Even from a distance of over a hundred meters, Loya could feel that chilling evil. A very faint wisp of black mist still clung to it, incredibly stubborn.

Loya had always valued his life. No matter how weak the opponent was, he wouldn't go down to check without absolute certainty.

His fighting style had always been conservative.

Long-range attacks plus fire coverage, and never giving them any Invincibility Frames.

If one wasn't enough, then use two.

So, he unhesitatingly threw another holy grenade.

As the sound of Hallelujah echoed through the night sky again, the pleasant System Prompt finally sounded in Loya's ear.

[Field boss 'Undead Dragon Skeleton' has been eliminated!]