52Stop making promises you can't keep.
Don't jinx it.
Tonight was moonless, the sky obscured by ink-black clouds, not a single star visible, revealing a suffocating atmosphere that precedes a storm.
As the saying goes: a dark and windy night is the perfect time for murder and arson.
Out of respect for the high-reward mission, Loya decided to kill Ross first before looking for Banner.
For one, he had long been displeased with that old dog Ross, so he might as well eliminate him first.
For two, Banner has the Hulk inside him, so his safety is definitely guaranteed, meaning there's no need to rush.
At this moment, Loya was soaring high in the sky, rapidly advancing toward the military Base where Ross was located.
You wouldn't know until you went, and once he went, he was startled.
He was currently holding the "tracking compass," and the direction the needle pointed was exactly toward the military Base where Ross was.
Loya suddenly realized:
"After all that, it turns out Ross was the one who made the move. How much does he love the Hulk? Such sincere feelings are truly touching."
It must be said that Ross had his ways; not only did he kill all of Fury's people, but he also managed to take Banner away without anyone noticing, leaving Fury with nothing but suspicion and no evidence.
He guessed that Ross was also responsible for ObadiahStane's body exploding, especially since Ross had provided Obadiah with the serum, and the two had dealings regarding armor.
He must have been silencing a witness; he's quite good at burning bridges.
The military Base where Ross was currently located wasn't too far from New York.
About half an hour later, Loya arrived one kilometer away from the military Base.
Places like this usually have high-altitude radar; flying directly over would be impolite.
Killing a general inside a military Base would probably make big news tomorrow.
Loya confirmed the direction of the needle; Banner was indeed inside the military Base.
He found a hidden spot, took out his "diamond pickaxe," and prepared to dig a tunnel, using the Great Rat Infiltration Technique.
Since Banner was also here, he should rescue Banner first.
Ross urgently captured Banner, likely to create a Hulk Serum.
Then there might be a Boss battle tonight. Bronski, whom he had intentionally left alive before, had likely transformed into Abomination.
He needed to find Banner first. When the fight started, he would need to ride the Hulk to exert his full strength.
"Start digging!"
Loya raised the pickaxe high, driving it down hard, his arms moving so fast they left afterimages.
Following the direction of the compass needle, he first dug down dozens of meters, then dug straight across until the needle pointed to the ceiling, indicating Banner's location above.
Loya slowed down, lest he use too much force and dig straight through, ruining his plan.
Soon, utilizing the x-ray ability of the Death's Eye, he carefully observed the situation above.
At this time, Banner was wearing a patient gown and was tied down on an operating table.
Many syringes were inserted into his body, and his green-tinged blood was being drawn out and channeled into a container.
His entire condition was absolutely terrible.
He was emaciated, his body had shrunk significantly, his cheeks were visibly sunken, and the bones clearly protruded from his exposed limbs.
Loya clicked his tongue and shook his head:
"Ross is ruthless, draining Banner until he looks like a mummy. You're Banner's father-in-law, after all. But why did you put your daughter right next to him?"
Next to Banner, his girlfriend Betty was tied to a chair, forced to watch helplessly as Banner's blood was slowly drawn away, weeping bitterly but unable to do anything, feeling only profound sorrow.
She looked very much like a helpless wife.
Loya didn't understand Ross's reasoning; wouldn't this make his daughter hate him forever?
Has he truly gone crazy?
Loya was also puzzled: given this situation, why hadn't the Hulk emerged? Was he still asleep?
Or had Banner's experiment to control the Hulksucceeded?
Bang!
Just as he was thinking this, the laboratory door was violently slammed open.
A muscular body over two meters tall walked in.
If it weren't for the face, Loya would barely recognize him as Bronski.
His muscles were even more swollen than before, piled up like rocks, his skin had a leather-like texture, and his entire body was dark red.
Most crucially, he had two grayish-white horns on his head, extending from his forehead like dead branches, and his pupils had become vertical slits.
Hmm... a Little Dragon Man?
As soon as Bronski entered, he walked straight up to Banner, grabbed Banner's collar with his fan-like hand, and roared:
"Where is the Hulk? Where is the Hulk? I'm asking you where the Hulk is, make him come out now!"
Banner struggled to lift his eyelids and managed a mocking smile: "The Hulk? The Hulk is dead! You'll get that answer no matter how many times you ask!"
"Damn it!" Bronski cursed, blood light flashing in his eyes, and raised his arm, ready to smash down.
"No!"
Just then, Betty's scream made Bronski suddenly halt his arm.
He glanced coldly at Betty, then turned back to Banner, spreading his huge mouth to reveal a mouthful of inhuman fangs:
"Then you can stay here and be a blood-making machine. You will witness me becoming the most powerful life form, and I will also kill that damned S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent from before, hahahahaha."
Having finished speaking, Bronski turned around and picked up the container holding Banner's blood, thinking inwardly:
"That damned Ross dared to keep putting me off. I'll inject Banner's blood myself; I can get strong all the same! And that damned S.H.I.E.L.D., I'll kill all of you eventually!"
After he left, Betty looked at Banner with a pained expression: "Banner, I'm sorry. My dad... I'm truly sorry for what he's done to you."
"It's alright, Betty."
Banner endured the pain of having his blood drawn and managed a gentle smile.
"We will definitely escape. When we do, I will hold a grand wedding for you, we'll have a few children, and live a stable life."
"Mhm... Banner... Waaah..." Betty cried even harder. The soldiers here were all monsters; how could they possibly escape?
Banner didn't know how to comfort her either. For a moment, a mournful atmosphere filled the entire room.
"Hey, can you stop jinxing yourselves? You're making me feel uneasy."
Just then, a voice laced with amusement suddenly appeared in the lab, shattering the mournful atmosphere.
Banner and Betty spun their heads around sharply, only to see Loya standing there with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. Beside him was a perfectly square hole.
"It... it's you?!" Banner's voice trembled—the familiar voice, the familiar mask, the familiar humorous tone. It was the Agent who had beaten the Hulk half to death before.
His heart was instantly overwhelmed by intense joy. What could be happier than seeing hope in the moment of utter despair?
Betty also remembered, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, "It... it's you. Please, please save Banner."
Loya nodded, instantly ripped apart the ropes binding Betty, and then tore off the specialized iron chains restraining Banner, whispering:
"Let's run first. Get Betty safely settled. Can the Hulk still come out? I need him to fight alongside me."
"Huh?" Banner looked confused.
"But the Hulk is refusing to come out precisely because you beat him up."
53Hulk got beaten up again.
He was beaten by the Hulk again.
After picking up Banner, Loya destroyed the tunnel he had dug on his way there, while using the wind to rush the two of them. It wasn't long before they reached the surface.
"Whoosh!"
Banner and Betty looked pale, both letting out a gasp.
They had just felt like they were on a roller coaster, flying out of the tunnel.
Literally flying out.
Banner patted his chest, still shaken: "You're too amazing. You can even fly with us. And this tunnel, it's incredible."
He had only known that Loya could fly on a magic carpet before, but he didn't expect that the other party could fly with them directly without any tools.
That tunnel was even more astonishing, estimated to be at least a kilometer long. It was hard to imagine that one person dug it out.
Loya waved his hand, saying indifferently: "None of that matters. Tell me specifically about the Hulk."
He really didn't expect the Hulk not to come out because of him. Last time, he just beat him up; it shouldn't be that serious.
Banner and Betty exchanged glances, and Betty uncomfortably turned her head away.
"Cough, cough."
Banner cleared his throat, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.
"Simply put, Betty and I were reunited after a long time and have been living together in the room arranged by S.H.I.E.L.D. Then, when our feelings ran deep, I couldn't control myself.
But the Hulk didn't appear because of my emotional excitement. Many times after that, he didn't appear. The only change in this was that you defeated him, and I suspect that's the reason."
He spread his hands helplessly: "So, it's probably very difficult for you to get the Hulk's help. He won't appear even more when he sees you."
"Good stamina."
Loya praised casually, rubbing his chin, lost in thought.
"But I think the reason might not be that simple. Let me go talk to the Hulk."
Tonight's BOSS fight, the Hulk is an indispensable part. It's not that he's afraid of not being able to defeat it, but rather afraid of the BOSS escaping.
The limitations of "Absolute Value" are too great, making it difficult to prevent the BOSS from escaping.
These powerful BOSSes always appear at night, making his strongest state at noon for one minute always useless. It's really annoying.
"Talk to the Hulk?" Hearing this, Banner squinted in confusion, "How do we talk?"
Loya smiled slightly: "You don't need to worry about that. Let's find a safe place first."
He brought the two to the rooftop of an apartment building.
Banner sat on the ground, still very puzzled.
In his understanding, he couldn't imagine how to talk to the Hulk other than the Hulk, as another personality, switching over.
Moreover, once the Hulk appears, he's in a berserk state and completely uncommunicative.
Loya sat down opposite Banner, placing a hand on his shoulder: "I'm going to talk to the Hulk. Don't be afraid or resist if anything unusual happens."
'Mind Meditation'
As Loya activated this ability, he felt his spirit seem to break free from an unknown barrier and enter another realm. The World changed before his eyes.
He saw energy flowing, intertwined like rivers.
He saw a magnificent, unimaginable magic array standing above the sky, and outside the array, countless shimmering points of light like stars.
He saw layers of unknown space overlapping like phantoms, rising and falling like breathing, surging outside the magic array.
He could even hear some evil whispers, attempting to entice people into the embrace of darkness.
Looking at Banner again, there was fluctuating soul energy on his body, mixed with faint green light.
"This feeling is truly wonderful."
Loya sighed with emotion. In this state, he could even see the strength of others' life energy, or in plain terms, their health bars. From now on, he would no longer fear people faking death.
He looked at Banner, and with a thought, his consciousness plunged directly into Banner's mind, entering the Hulk's mental space.
After a brief perception, Loya found that in this state, it wouldn't affect the control of the body, so there was no need to worry about sudden attacks.
Consciousness entering the body was a bit like... a completely real holographic game?
He composed himself and focused his attention on the Hulk's mental space.
The Hulk's mental space was a ruined city, mostly gray and white, with a gloomy sky and light rain, seemingly representing his shattered inner World.
In the center of the ruins was a huge green figure, out of place with its surroundings, its head bowed, hugging its knees, looking pitiful.
Loya softly called out: "Hulk?"
The Hulk seemed to have never heard another person's voice in his mental space. He looked up, somewhat bewildered.
When he saw that the person speaking was Loya, his expression instantly turned ferocious, flames of anger burned in his eyes, and he let out a soul-shaking roar:
"Hulk! Hate you!"
Boom!
Before he finished speaking, the Hulk leaped up, crashing into Loya like a cannonball, determined to smash him to pieces.
Loya lightly leaped to the side, avoiding the impact, and quickly said: "Hulk, I'm here to talk about cooperation, don't be so impulsive."
"Get lost!"
His only reply was the Hulk's roar and an even more powerful strike.
The green figure seemed to have expanded even more, plummeting from high above, its massive fist smashing down like a meteor.
Rumble!
The ground trembled violently, instantly splitting apart. The entire ruin was shattered to pieces, and then began to burn with raging flames.
This was the manifestation of the mental consciousness; the Hulk's emotions were directly displayed here. He was very angry right now.
Loya still dodged lightly.
The Hulk's attacks seemed completely uncoordinated to him. Unless it was a full-map AOE, he would never be able to touch him in this lifetime.
But the urgent task now was to calm this guy down.
In the mental World, strength and weakness depend entirely on one's own mental power and imagination.
It's like dreaming; in a dream, you are the creator.
Although Loya was in the Hulk's home field, he couldn't do whatever he wanted, nor was he as powerful as a creator, making it difficult to truly influence the Hulk.
But he had cheats and external help.
How could the system be so inconvenient? Abilities could still be used in the mental World!
As for external help, Banner was the external help. This was the Hulk's mental World, but Banner also had authority!
The bewildered Banner outside suddenly felt a strange sensation.
Even though Loya hadn't opened his mouth, his voice appeared in his mind.
He wanted him to... imagine a furniture city deep within his heart, and also a Sun at high noon.
A very strange request.
In a flash, Banner suddenly understood. Loya was in the Hulk's inner World. So this was how they talked—directly entering the inner World to find the second personality.
"This is simply incredible. The World actually has such an ability. S.H.I.E.L.D. truly lives up to its name as a powerful global organization, to have such a Super Agent."
While marveling at Loya's power and mystery, Banner didn't forget his instructions and quickly imagined a furniture city and a noon Sun deep within his mind.
At the same time, the mental space suddenly underwent a drastic change.
Amidst the raging flames, countless pieces of furniture instantly appeared.
And in the gloomy sky, a scorching Sun rose majestically.
Loya looked at the suddenly changed environment, a satisfied smile on his face.
"That's more like it."
Grace of the Sun, Mental World version, activate!
His body in the mental World underwent earth-shattering changes accordingly.
His physique swelled to the same size as the Hulk, muscles piled up like cast iron, shimmering with the radiance of the Sun, and infinite power surged within his body.
A will that overlooked everything quickly spread through the mental space.
Loya's smile became wild, and he extended a finger: "I'll use just one move to make you submit!"
The Hulk's eyes cleared for a moment, shaken by the powerful aura, then were drowned in overwhelming rage. He roared and charged towards Loya, each step making the earth tremble, as if unable to bear such immense power.
Looking at the green figure charging like a tank, Loyasimply smiled faintly.
"Shun Goku Satsu!"
Buzz!
The World suddenly plunged into darkness, as if the only light source had been extinguished.
Loya was wreathed in dark red flames, his figure instantly vanished, and the next moment he reappeared in front of the Hulk.
The Hulk's eyes were angry and bewildered. He didn't understand how Loya had appeared in front of him.
But he no longer had a chance to think.
A powerful punch landed on the Hulk's face, abruptly stopping his charge.
His head hadn't even had time to turn before another punch landed on his stomach. The moment his stomach caved in, his back was heavily struck again.
Neck, arms, thighs, head, chest... every part of his body, every inch of his skin, suffered an unimaginable heavy blow.
If viewed from a third-person perspective, one would find that around the Hulk, there seemed to be countless Loyas, all simultaneously throwing punches at him.
Shun Goku Satsu: One Thousand Strikes in an Instant!
In just an instant, Loya delivered a thousand strikes to the Hulk.
As the move ended, the World returned to light. Loyastood with his back to the Hulk, a gigantic 'Heaven' character displayed on his back, and terrifying killing intent permeated the surroundings, seemingly to brand itself deep into the Hulk's soul.
The Hulk collapsed to the ground, and the surrounding flames suddenly extinguished.
He lay blankly on the ground, his eyes showing a calm detachment, as if he had been liberated.
There's no such thing as getting injured in the mental World. He just couldn't win, so he was too lazy to resist and just lay there.
Beaten up in the real World, and even more so in the mental World, his life was truly miserable.
Loya squatted in front of the Hulk and smiled lightly: "Now, can we talk?"
The Hulk looked at Loya with some fear, stubbornly turning his head away, remaining silent.
Loya sighed softly: "I know what you want. Help me with a favor, and I'll let you and Banner truly talk face-to-face, allowing you to express your true feelings."
The Hulk's eyes brightened slightly, and he slowly turned his head: "You... not... trick Hulk?"
Loya shook his head and said only one sentence: "Hulk, I need you."
The Hulk's eyes instantly lit up. This was what he had always longed for—to be needed, to be recognized.
"Good... Hulk... trust you."
Outside, Loya lowered his arm and nodded to Banner: "It's done. However, after this incident, the Hulk has something to say to you. I will put you in a state where you can communicate with each other."
Banner's face showed an expression of disbelief. He knew the difficulty of this matter; he had tried countless times over the years and had been unable to achieve it.
But Loya had already demonstrated his abilities. This time, perhaps, the Hulk's problem could truly be cured.
Loya smiled faintly: "Now, it's time for us to do our work."
...On the other side, the military Base had already erupted into chaos.
Ross was red-faced, angrily shouting: "Damn it! How did that Agent find them again! Where's Bronski? Tell him to organize the Super Soldiers to counterattack!"
He had already seen Loya take Banner and Betty through surveillance, and immediately panicked, feeling a dull ache in his calves.
That S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent had almost wiped out the Super Soldiers and defeated the Hulk in hand-to-hand combat; he was terrifyingly strong.
He was sure that the insidious Agent would quietly return, so precautions had to be taken.
"General, Bronski is also gone. Surveillance can't find any trace of him," a soldier immediately reported.
"Damn it! That guy must be scared, useless!" Ross cursed, bloodlust flickering in his eyes.
Realizing that ordinary methods wouldn't work, he looked to the other side and roared: "Bring me my battle armor!"
With a command.
The soldiers immediately took action. A specially modified truck arrived, carrying a battle armor over five meters tall.
Its appearance was like an upgraded version of ObadiahStane's iron monger, equipped with various high-tech weapons and two pairs of huge chainsaws, gleaming with cold light, clearly indicating its formidable lethality.
Ross looked at the battle armor, a satisfied expression on his face.
This was his most satisfying masterpiece. He was confident in dealing with that S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, though without the support of an arc reactor, the burden on his body was a bit much.
But being able to kill that Agent was worth it!
Ross took out a syringe, which contained a black-glowing liquid.
He unhesitatingly injected it into his neck. This was his research, a highly stable three-in-one Super Soldier Serum.
If not for the unsolved difficulty of Banner's blood, he could have developed a stable four-in-one Hulk Serum.
By then, he could kill that damned Agent even without the battle armor.
However, it was enough for now.
As the serum began to take effect, Ross's graying hair gradually turned black, and his body rapidly expanded, only stopping when he reached about two and a half meters.
"Oh, what an incredible transformation. The special dinosaur gene provided by that old man really worked; it can actually delay aging and restore youth."
Feeling the surging vitality within him, he slowly stepped into the battle armor under the awestruck gazes of the soldiers.
A specialized tube connected to his chest.
Looking at the soldiers' eyes, he couldn't help but get excited. With such power, who would want to be a General? If he was going to be anything, he would be the President!
Bang!
Just as Ross was envisioning his future, before everyone's eyes, a bullet silently shot from afar, precisely hitting Rossbetween the eyebrows, shattering his ambition.
After a brief silence, there was an earth-shattering commotion.
"There's an assassin!"
"Protect the General quickly!"
The entire military Base plunged into complete chaos.
Not far away, Loya, hidden in the shadows with his invisibility cloak, blew away the white smoke from the gun barrel, a smile playing on his lips: "One shot!"
His gaze turned to the building on the other side. In his perception, there was an unusually powerful killing intent there.
"Time to fight the BOSS~"
[BOSS 'Hybrid Abomination' triggered]
[Introduction: A hybrid monster fused with various genes]
[Objective: Kill 'Hybrid Abomination']
[Reward: EXP +15000, Random Item *3, Special Item *1]
54No one can enter the second stage in front of me.
No one can enter their second phase in front of me.
As Loya put away his gun, Banner's incredulous voice, barely above a whisper, came from beside him: "No, you said 'come back' meant killing Ross?"
Frankly, he thought Loya wanted to gather evidence of Ross's crimes at the military Base, and needed the Hulk to create a diversion, making it easier to fish in troubled waters.
Who would have thought that as soon as they arrived at the Base, Loya would just shoot Ross in the head?
Although Banner hated Ross, Ross was still his father-in-law. Now that he was dead, what would Betty do?
Loya shrugged, saying indifferently, "Ross deserved to die. He treated you and Betty like that; didn't you want to get rid of him?"
"Uh... while I did have the thought, I couldn't actually do it," Banner said helplessly. "He's Betty's father, after all."
Loya smiled faintly: "If you let Betty stay with Ross, Betty will sooner or later be turned into a monster by Ross. Haven't you noticed that his sanity is already compromised?"
He patted Banner's shoulder: "You don't think a normal person would make their daughter watch her boyfriend have his blood drawn until he dies, do you?"
"…"
Banner was silent for a moment, then sighed.
"But Betty..."
"But nothing," Loya interrupted him, smiling. "Someone will take the blame later, so don't worry about it. If you don't say anything, who will know? You don't want Betty to get hurt, do you, Banner?"
Banner opened his mouth, feeling like that sentence sounded strange.
"So you only returned to the military Base to kill Ross?"
"That's just one of the missions," Loya nodded. "In fact, this guy betrayed humanity and had to be killed."
"My what?" Banner's eyes widened instantly, utterly shocked. "Betrayed humanity? Are there other intelligent races in this World?"
"This World is much more exciting than you imagine, and..."
"Holy crap!"
Loya suddenly cut off the conversation, staring intently in Ross's direction.
Black smoke suddenly billowed from Ross's headless corpse, twisting together as if to form a new head.
The soldiers nearby, witnessing this scene, froze in terror, as it clearly exceeded their comprehension.
"This is... the power of the Beast."
Loya, who could borrow the power of the Beast, immediately recognized it. This was indeed the power of the Beast.
It was then that he remembered there was no system prompt; he had been so busy talking to Banner that he hadn't noticed it.
Loya couldn't help but feel speechless. It seemed Alexander Pierce saying Ross betrayed humanity wasn't groundless after all. This old geezer colluding with The Hand was no different from betraying humanity.
Then Bronski turning into a 'little dragon man' was probably also due to the genes from the dragon bone given by The Hand.
It's just that this Beast is too troublesome. It's clearly a dimensional demon god with little sense of presence, yet it feels more capable of stirring up trouble than Dormammuand the others.
There's a sense of déjà vu, as if this guy is a minion or a henchman.
The real big shots are all strategizing behind the scenes, waiting for the right moment, while the minions create chaos upfront.
Loya shook his head, no longer overthinking, and refocused his gaze on Ross.
For now, let's just completely deal with this mutated old geezer.
No villain has ever been able to enter their second phase in front of him!
"Divine Illumination!"
A holy light burst from Loya's palm, accurately hitting Ross.
At the same time, a high-explosive grenade followed the holy light and fell inside the battle armor.
Bang!
The holy light purified the black smoke, the grenade shattered the flesh, the heavy battle armor shook violently, and smoke filled the air.
As the smoke cleared, only blood and shredded flesh remained inside the battle armor.
Ross, deceased!
"My goodness! What was that just now?"
"Is it holy light? Has God arrived?"
"Run! General Ross is a demon!"
"It's the end of the World!"
...The already chaotic military camp immediately exploded. Ordinary soldiers were scared out of their wits, scattering and fleeing in terror at the sudden black smoke and holy light.
And Loya had already taken Banner to another hidden spot.
"Now, do you know what kind of thing Ross was? Did he deserve to die?" Loya looked at Banner, smiling.
Banner swallowed, his expression extremely complex.
He always thought he was the monster, but it turned out his father-in-law was the real monster, no longer human.
If Betty had stayed with him... he couldn't imagine what it would have been like.
He gave a complex look, then gritted his teeth and said, "Good riddance! You're a hero!"
[Mission 'Eliminate the Human Traitor' completed]
[Reward: EXP +3000, Alexander Pierce's Favorability +10, Item 'A Box of Leibi', Item 'Hair Growth Tonic']
[A Box of thunder-sprite (24 bottles): After drinking, you will be shocked by an ultra-high current, causing a paralyzing effect, but you won't die (very sweet and tingling)]
[Hair Growth Tonic: Spray on any body part to grow soft, beautiful hair]
[You have leveled up, gaining Attribute Points ×3, Lottery Chances ×1]
""?
Are these rewards serious?
thunder-sprite is here, shocked by electricity after drinking, but won't die; it could also be used for crowd control.
But this Hair Growth Tonic is good; he could use it to drain Coulson's pension.
Just as he was examining the system rewards, a loud bang suddenly came from the underground laboratory in the distance.
Boom!
The ground shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck. The building above the laboratory collapsed with a crash, revealing a massive crater. Crushed rocks flew everywhere, killing dozens of soldiers who were fleeing in disarray.
Roar!
Immediately after, a roar utterly unlike a human's echoed through the sky, carrying a terrifying suppressive force that transcended life itself.
The soldiers who were previously fleeing in disarray instantly collapsed to the ground upon hearing the sound, many of them so scared they lost control of their bowels.
Those with stronger willpower also had their legs turn to jelly, able only to drag their limp legs with one hand, desperately trying to escape.
The only ones still able to move freely were the remaining Super Soldiers.
Under the command of Ross's adjutant, Joe, they gathered around the battle armor, vigilantly gazing in the direction of the loud bang.
Banner was also startled; his already pale face instantly turned ashen.
He turned to Loya, trembling, and asked, "What is that? A monster Ross was researching?"
Loya's face showed excitement: "That's Bronski, our target for coming here."
"What?" Banner was greatly surprised. With such a terrifying sound, he even felt a little uncertain about the Hulk. Could they win?
Loya placed a hand on his face, comforting him: "Relax, trust my driving skills, it'll be fine. I'll give your body a boost first."
"What do you mean by 'driving skills'?" Banner acutely caught the key point.
"Eh, that's not important." Loya didn't explain, he just tapped him with one hand, and a blue light flashed and disappeared.
Banner only felt his body recovering at an incredible speed. In just a blink of an eye, his emaciated body instantly became full, his pale face turned rosy, and his body returned to its peak condition.
"What... kind of ability is this?"
Banner looked at Loya in disbelief. Every one of Loya's abilities was refreshing his understanding. He was even more curious about S.H.I.E.L.D.; this organization was too outrageous, and its Agents were practically like Superman.
Loya didn't speak, but instead looked in the direction of the loud bang.
Amidst the rolling dust, a mountain-like figure leaped out of the deep pit, crashing down heavily and creating two craters in the ground.
It was an utterly hideous monster.
Over five meters tall, its skin was mostly dark red, pitted and covered with black patterns, its muscles bulging like tumors.
Long bone spurs protruded from all its joints, its nails were incredibly sharp, as if they could easily cut through steel. Its head had completely lost its human form, with a protruding face, dense fangs, and two curved horns winding upwards from its crown.
This didn't look like some kind of creature; it was more like a devil crawled out of hell.
The monster let out a bloodthirsty, excited roar.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Now!"
"I lack nothing!"
55Let's unleash our thrilling combo attacks!
"Prepare for our blood-boiling combo technique!"
Abomination's roar was deafening, carrying the savage aura of ancient times.
The soldiers who were already fleeing suffered another violent impact; some were even scared to death on the spot.
Looking at the routed soldiers, Abomination revealed a disdainful smile, like a demon returning from hell.
His gaze turned toward that familiar battle armor, and seeing the blood within it, he couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.
"Where is Ross?"
A Super Soldier answered tremblingly, "General Ross was assassinated."
"Are you... Bronski?" another soldier recognized the familiarity in his voice.
"What Bronski?" Abomination grinned, his mouth full of sharp teeth. "I am now the perfect being! I am Abomination!"
Before his voice had even faded, he lunged forward, his body like a red meteor smashing into the ground.
Boom!
A large crater instantly appeared in the ground. Dust flew everywhere, and a shockwave rippled out like a wave, sending the surrounding Super Soldiers flying.
Abomination walked to the battle armor, reached out his powerful arm, grabbed the armor's head, and with a sudden surge of strength, ripped it off.
He laughed loudly. "Ross, this trashy armor—how could it ever compare to my tempered body? You really have gone senile. It's a pity you died so early and couldn't witness my perfection."
"Bronski! How dare you do this? Do you intend to betray the government?"
Seeing Bronski destroy the armor that the government valued so highly, Adjutant Joe pointed an accusing finger, pinning a heavy label on him.
"Damned insect, you think you're worthy of speaking to me like that?" Abomination snorted coldly and tossed the massive armor head casually. It flew like a shooting star, emitting a piercing shriek before directly smashing the Adjutant's head to pieces.
The Adjutant did not have the ability to regenerate a severed head like Ross; he died instantly and completely.
Seeing that Abomination had actually killed the Adjutant, the remaining Super Soldiers roared and charged forward.
Abomination looked down on them with contempt. "You inferior creatures are only fit to be my rations."
The gap between the Super Soldiers and Abominationwas larger than one could imagine.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't leave even a single scratch on Abomination.
Abomination unhurriedly reached out his large hand and casually grabbed a Super Soldier.
With a squeeze of his palm—crack!—the tooth-aching sound of bones shattering rang out.
Blood splattered everywhere like tomato sauce.
"Weak, far too weak. Truly inferior creatures."
While lamenting, Abomination opened his mouth and bit into the Super Soldier.
As his maw opened and closed, his tongue curled, and a fine head fell into his mouth.
After a few hair-raising sounds of chewing, the Super Soldier was swallowed into his stomach.
Abomination had clearly lost all humanity, becoming a monster through and through.
Seeing this, the remaining Super Soldiers lost their minds with fear and stumbled as they tried to flee.
But how could Abomination give them the chance? He picked up the heavy armor nearby and swung it wildly like he was playing Whac-A-Mole, completely disregarding that these people were once his comrades-in-arms.
Squelch!
Crash!
Bang!
Every strike was accompanied by the dull thud of bursting flesh as one Super Soldier after another was smashed into a bloody pulp.
Before long, the ground was pockmarked with craters, stained with a layer of crimson. The air was thick with the pungent, metallic smell of blood; the entire scene was like purgatory on earth.
The Super Soldiers, each capable of taking on a hundred men, were all slaughtered by Abomination in just a few minutes.
Abomination took a deep breath, a look of pleasure appearing on his face. Killing made him feel incredibly gratified.
But he was still not satisfied. He roared at the sky, "Hulk! And that damned Agent, you all shall..."
Clang!!!
Before he could finish, a massive black spiked mace fell from the sky, smashing hard onto Abomination's head and interrupting his speech.
This strike was no small matter. Abomination's head buzzed, he saw stars, and the clear sound of bone cracking came from his skull.
"Who!?"
Before he had even fully recovered, he instinctively lunged forward, trying to grab the damned bastard and strangle them to death.
Unfortunately, the culprit had already dodged to the side.
Abomination's recovery speed was incredibly fast; in just a few seconds, the dizziness faded, and he angrily scanned his surroundings.
He quickly locked onto his targets—two all-too-familiar figures.
One was Hulk, who had indirectly caused his current perfect body, and the other was Loya, whom he hated to the bone and dreamed of killing.
However, the posture of these two was very strange. How had Hulk become that damned Agent's mount?
This made Abomination feel very displeased, as if his own genes were being insulted.
Hulk should only be ridden by him! An insect wasn't worthy!
A thick killing intent emanated from Abomination's eyes as he mocked in a raspy voice, "Hulk, you are actually willing to be someone's mount? How pathetic. I'm going to eat you both, bite by bite!"
Abomination roared and charged, looking like a heavy tank.
"Hulk, go!" Loya shouted excitedly.
"Hulk Smash!"
Hulk followed with a roar, kicking off the ground and charging head-on.
Boom!
The two behemoths collided with an earth-shattering roar. A visible shockwave rippled out from the point of impact, blowing the blood and filth on the ground in all directions.
Hulk was only about three meters tall, while Abominationwas nearly five. When they collided, it looked like a child challenging an adult.
Yet, Hulk actually withstood Abomination's impact and even faintly began to overpower him.
An incredible look appeared in Abomination's eyes. His brain, slowed by the side effects of the serum, couldn't understand why this was happening.
Hulk was clearly so much smaller than him—a mere pipsqueak—so how?
This caused Abomination to have serious doubts about his own genes. Was the knock-off always destined to be the 'little brother' in front of the original?
This was, of course, thanks to Loya's 'King of Riding.'
This ability allowed him to perfectly utilize every ounce of Hulk's muscle power, even if Hulk's raw power stats were currently inferior to Abomination's.
Under Loya's perfect control, Hulk could exert power beyond his own limits, not fearing the opponent at all.
The dim-witted Abomination was still frantically increasing his strength, trying to overpower Hulk, completely forgetting there was someone on Hulk's head.
Vroom!
The roar of an internal combustion engine echoed through the night sky.
Abomination was startled and jerked his head up, only to see an orange-red chainsaw already inches away.
Screech—
"Ah!!!"
"My horn!"
Abomination screamed in pain as one of the horns on his head was sliced off by the chainsaw.
He tried to break free from Hulk to grab Loya, but he couldn't budge. Hulk clamped down on his arms, remaining motionless.
Screech—
Loya repeated the trick and sliced off the other horn.
"Got it!"
Loya smiled excitedly. He suspected these things could be considered dragon bones; he'd cut them off first and see. If they really were dragon bones, then The Hand's schemes weren't so simple after all.
"Damned insect!" Abomination was furious. He surged with strength, trying to break Hulk's restraint.
To his surprise, Hulk suddenly let go. This sudden exertion caused Abomination to stumble back.
Hulk's actions were now entirely controlled by Loya.
And Loya's combat skills, bolstered by various abilities, had long since reached the pinnacle. Seeing through Abomination's intentions was as easy as turning over a hand.
Taking advantage of the moment Abomination was off-balance, he maneuvered Hulk forward. Hulk's hand grabbed Abomination's head, pulling it down into a heavy, powerful knee strike.
Thud!
Abomination's protruding mouth was instantly smashed flat. Teeth shattered, blood splattered, and a mixture of blood and saliva sprayed out. The intense, stinging pain made him unable to stop tears from streaming down his face.
"Aaaargh, damn you!"
He trembled with rage. Enduring the sharp pain, he flailed his hands forward wildly, trying to grab Hulk's leg.
But Hulk was as slippery as a loach. His knee pushed up again, using the counter-force to retreat easily while simultaneously knocking Abomination upright into a stiff standing position.
"How is this possible?"
Abomination couldn't believe Hulk was this good at fighting. Last time, he had been able to run circles around him using just the Super Soldiers.
This time, he had injected so much serum and fused with Hulk's blood, becoming larger, stronger, and more perfect.
Yet in the end, he was being beaten like a dog, unable to even touch the opponent. Hulk was even fighting while carrying someone; it was a blatant humiliation.
This was something the proud Abomination simply could not tolerate. A tyrannical will instantly filled his already none-too-bright brain, and he controlled his body to charge again.
But before he could act, a sharp pain shot up from his crotch.
It turned out Hulk had closed the distance and delivered a plain, unadorned 'line-ending' kick to Abomination's groin.
Although he no longer had those parts, Hulk's strength still caused him unbearable pain. He instinctively opened his mouth wide and screamed.
"Ah!!!"
The moment Abomination opened his mouth, a green bottle appeared in Loya's hand and was tossed inside.
His sharp teeth instantly punctured the bottle, and the liquid within poured straight down his throat, followed by the bottle itself.
A flash of confusion crossed Abomination's eyes. What was that thing just now? It was sweet and actually tasted quite good.
Thinking of something, he mocked with a smile, "You actually think you can poison me? A perfect lifeform cannot be... Ergh... Argh..."
Before he could finish, a high-intensity current erupted within his body. Fine bolts of electricity instantly spread through him, and Abomination began to do a 'breakdance' on the spot.
"Like drinking my 'thunder-sprite'? A knock-off serum warrior drinks a knock-off beverage. Fry, you grandson of a bitch!"
Loya laughed and maneuvered Hulk forward. The 'heavenly halberd' in his hand turned into a long staff, which he swung down hard, smashing Abomination to the ground.
His massive body shivered and writhed on the ground like a fat worm.
"Hulk, it's time! Let him witness our blood-boiling combo technique!"
Loya shouted, and the long staff in his hand transformed again, becoming a terrifying giant axe with a blade over two meters long.
"Hulk... likes... fighting together!" Hulk flashed a wicked smile and pushed off with his legs, leaping dozens of meters into the air.
Loya held the giant axe high in the air, Hulk's smile was sinister; in that moment, the two seemed to have become one entity.
"Take my Flying Guillotine!"
The axe blade was wrapped in Haki and killing intent, and the gale accelerated their descent, pushing the power of this strike to its limit.
Boom!
The giant axe fell, the ground shattered, and as expected, it severed Abomination's head.
Even more expectedly, the guy still wasn't dead!
His powerful vitality caused granulation to grow at the severance point, attempting to reconnect.
Loya had anticipated this. This guy's genes clearly also contained the power of the Beast; he just needed to give him a dose of Holy Light.
Once Abomination's head was separated from his body, the electricity stopped. Loya picked it up.
"Heh! Tui!"
After being picked up, Abomination didn't beg for mercy or show fear; instead, he spat out a mouthful of bloody water.
Loya's expression didn't change at all; a light breeze blew the blood away.
"You damned insect, I am a perfect lifeform, you can't kill me!" Abomination remained stubborn even with his head cut off.
"Dumbass, can you shut up? You have terrible bad breath." Loya looked disgusted.
Abomination was choked by the retort, his muscle-bound brain unable to process it.
"Divine Illumination!"
With a thought from Loya, brilliant Holy Light erupted from his hand, exploding at close range against Abomination's head.
Visible black smoke rose from the head, carrying a foul stench.
"You... what did you do..."
Only now did Abomination feel fear. He felt his genes being purged and purified by some incredible power.
"No, please, please let me go. I can be your slave, I beg you."
His eyes gradually regained clarity, becoming extremely humble. His head also rapidly shrank, eventually turning back into Bronski's face.
Loya ignored him entirely and casually tossed him to the ground. Hulk stepped on him lightly, crushing him.
Under the radiance of the Holy Light, that body also lost the power of the Beast, losing any chance of revival. After the head was crushed, it also reverted to the size of a normal human.
Loya raised his hand, and a mini camera fell from the air into his palm. He had been using the power of the wind to keep it hovering and filming.
It recorded how Abomination had killed so many soldiers.
That's right—the one who killed Ross and destroyed the military Base was entirely Abomination. After doing the evil deeds, he vanished—that was the truth.
Let those bird-brained high-ranking officials who supported this Super Soldier project eat the crap they created themselves.
Loya placed ten blocks of TNT and tapped Hulk's shoulder. "Hulk, mission accomplished. You can go back now."
Hulk nodded, his eyes showing some reluctance. "Hulk... next time... fight with you again."
Hulk found that when Loya rode on his shoulder, his violent rage would be guided by a clear combat will. He wouldn't lose control, and he liked that feeling very much.
Hulk's body gradually shrank, turning back into Banner.
While Banner was still confused, Loya took out the hovering flying carpet, took him up, and quickly disappeared.
A violent explosion sounded behind them, and a dazzling fire soared into the sky.
Real men never look back at explosions!
[You have killed the BOSS 'Hybrid Abomination']
[Rewards: EXP +15,000, Item 'buff dice', Item 'deathmatch contract', Item 'accessory rose tree', Special Item 'card maker']
['buff dice': Can be rolled once every 24 hours to obtain a random buff effect lasting 24 hours.]
['deathmatch contract': Issue a deathmatch challenge to another, forming an inescapable deathmatch space. Third parties cannot interfere. It can only be dissolved when one party dies.]
['accessory rose tree': A rose tree that, when mature, grows exquisite accessories with weak effects instead of flowers. Accessories are highly favored by women.]
['card maker': Inject energy, ability moves, item effects, etc., to freely combine and create storable cards. Using a card releases the custom combined skill. (Current storage capacity: 12 cards, limit increases with level.)]
[You have leveled up. Gained 3 Free Attribute Points and 1 Gacha attempt.]
[Current Level: 12 (1500/20000)]
[Remaining Gacha attempts: 2]
56Item effects and lottery
Item Effects and the Lucky Draw
The mournful night wind howled, carrying the sound of low sobbing.
On the hovering flying carpet, Betty held Banner, tears streaming down her face. "Sob... Banner, you're all I have left."
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Banner patted her back gently, his movements soft as he said tenderly, "It's okay, I'm here. We didn't expect things to turn out like this, that monster went berserk..."
"I knew this day would come." Betty's voice held a hint of relief. "Father has nearly gone mad for the serum; this day was bound to come sooner or later."
She looked up at Banner through tear-filled eyes. "At least I still have you."
Banner pulled Betty into his embrace and winked at Loya, feeling relieved. Fortunately, he hadn't aroused suspicion; it seemed Betty wasn't entirely ignorant of Ross's actions.
Before long, the exhausted Betty fell into a deep sleep. Banner chatted idly with Loya:
"Agent Loya, why don't we feel any strong winds when we're flying so fast?"
He had been curious about this for a while. According to scientific theory, the airflow hitting them at this speed should be extremely intense.
But not only was there no wind, there wasn't even the sound of it. Sitting on the hovering flying carpet felt the same as sitting on the ground, which defied common sense.
Well, Banner admitted that the hovering flying carpet itself was already nonsensical, but he was just curious.
Loya didn't turn around, chuckling softly. "Feel the flow of the wind, listen to its whispers; the wind will heed your call."
"..."
Banner fell silent. He didn't understand, so he could only offer a compliment: "It really is as fantastical as magic."
"Eh." Loya raised an eyebrow. "As expected of a genius scientist with multiple doctorates. You guessed right—this is magic."
Banner was shocked. "magic actually exists in this World?"
Loya shrugged. "I can even enter your inner World, so is magic really that strange? You'll learn about even more incredible things in the future."
Banner fell into thought; it seemed to make sense.
The World was far more exciting than he had imagined. Having a few doctoral titles meant nothing at all.
Loya alone was far more capable than him, not to mention S.H.I.E.L.D. There must be even more wonders there.
The two briefly discussed a time for Banner and Hulk to meet later.
Soon, Loya arrived at the latest secret location Fury had prepared.
As soon as they landed, Fury exchanged a few pleasantries with Banner and sent him to a secret safe house before turning a lingering gaze toward Loya:
"Agent Loya, you're far too fast."
He had been so worried about the mess involving Banner that he couldn't sleep.
Who would have thought that after coming back from a late-night snack, he'd receive news that Banner had been found? He was stunned—was the efficiency really this high?
Fury's greatest relief now was having recruited Loya into S.H.I.E.L.D. If such a talent fell into a terrorist organization like Hydra, the World would be doomed.
"Hey, hey, hey." Loya waved his hands hurriedly. "Director, what do you mean I'm fast? I have great stamina, okay?"
Fury shook his head helplessly, ignoring the off-color joke, and asked seriously, "Where did you find Banner?"
"Ross's military Base, obviously." Loya shrugged. "Who else would be so obsessed with Banner?"
Fury rubbed his chin thoughtfully; it seemed only Ross had the motive.
"But how did that guy do it?"
Loya explained, "Ross's Super Soldier can smell the differences in targets through their blood. Banner's blood is full of radiation, so it's normal for him to be discovered."
He pulled a camera out of his bag and winked. "Ross is dead, killed by the monster he researched himself."
"Motherf—?"
Fury took the camera, his expression shocked. That disgusting guy just died like that? Thinking about it, he was actually a bit... happy.
He looked at Loya with a knowing smile. "You weren't caught on camera, were you?"
Loya raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You can rest easy when I'm on the job."
The two shared a smile, everything understood without words.
Fury continued, "Then go back and rest. Come to headquarters tomorrow morning. As for Ross's matter, I'll handle the logistics. S.H.I.E.L.D. will have a much easier time now."
[Mission 'The Missing Banner' Completed]
[Rewards: EXP +1500, Banner Favorability +20, Item 'Slumber Gun']
[Slumber Gun: After hitting a target, increases their sleepiness, causing them to fall into a deep sleep.]
[Evaluation: Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy.]
On the way back, Loya contacted Pierce again.
"Officer, the mission is complete. Not a speck of Rossremains."
On the other end, Pierce went silent. He remembered that the mission had been issued less than two hours ago; this efficiency was simply too fast.
So fast he could hardly believe it.
He was now very glad he had recruited Loya. If S.H.I.E.L.D.had complete control over such a super combat force, Hydra might be in danger.
After a moment of silence, Pierce praised, "Well done, Agent. The bonus for this mission will be doubled, and I'll personally reward you with an extra bonus as a treat for a late-night snack. Wait for your next mission with peace of mind."
"Loyalty!"
Hanging up the phone, Loya smiled slightly. Look at how well Hydra wins people over. Learn from them, Nick Fury, it's all knowledge.
Back at the Villa, the house was silent. Neither Felicia nor the Cat Goddess were there. A note was left on the coffee table in the living room.
"Baby, we're going to pick up some of our old treasures. We'll be back later~ (Lipstick mark)"
Loya was happy to see this; it was the perfect time to study the system rewards.
He first went outside the Villa, dug a small hole in the yard, and planted the 'accessory rose tree'.
A rose tree that could grow accessories was quite magical, and the accessories even had some minor effects.
But that wasn't important. What Loya valued was the 'Deeply Loved by Women' trait. Could this thing increase favorability? He'd have to give it a good try.
Then, he took out the 'buff dice'.
The dice was about the size of a walnut, its six faces flashing with colorful light, and the patterns on it were constantly changing.
Sometimes it was the shape of the Sun, sometimes the moon, and sometimes a blur of mist—all sorts of things, seemingly representing various buffs.
Loya tossed it into the air.
When it fell back into his hand, all six sides of the dice had turned into a muscular man sitting cross-legged, with an upward-pointing symbol next to him.
[Obtained Buff: Recovery Boost]
[For the next 24 hours, your recovery ability is significantly increased.]
"Yo, not bad."
Loya closed his eyes and felt it for a moment. The recovery buff was quite significant; he could feel the stamina he'd exhausted while fighting Abomination rapidly returning.
After testing that, he returned to his room and took out the card maker.
It was a disc-shaped item with a card slot on it.
When he received the item, the instructions for use automatically appeared in his mind.
Simply put, it was a skill customization tool; the combinations depended on one's imagination.
He tried inputting the power of the Beast into it. A minute later, a card emerged from the slot, depicting a cloud of black smoke that looked lifelike.
"Since it's the power of the Beast and it's black, let's call this card: Black Beast Strike!"
Next, Loya tried another combination. He input the move 'Hadouken' into the card maker.
Then he took out the 'taunting horn' and said "Idiot" into it.
A brand-new card appeared.
The card face showed a dark red energy ball surrounded by a ring of sound waves.
"Taunting Hadouken!"
The corners of Loya's mouth couldn't help but curl up. He imagined using this skill—the Hadouken flying while shouting insults, making enemies rush headlong into it. He really wanted to laugh.
After a brief test, he put away the card maker.
Better save it for noon.
The maximum energy the card could store and the skill's power were tied to his own attributes. Using it at noon would maximize the benefits.
Although making a card took a minute, and he had to wait for the previous one to finish before making the next, it was just right.
At the very least, he could preserve a strike from his strongest form at noon to use when needed. This was a great item—a trump card.
As for the 'deathmatch contract,' Loya felt its greatest use for him wasn't for a deathmatch, but for control.
Because he had 'Inequality,' he could violate the contract and enter or leave at will. In other words, enemies trapped in the deathmatch space by him would either have to commit suicide or remain trapped forever.
He already had ideas on how to mess with people.
Next was the part he looked forward to the most: the lucky draw.
[Remaining Lucky Draw Attempts: 2]
Loya still maintained his ritual, first bathing and changing his clothes.
Then he silently prayed with devotion: "Three Pure Ones, Jade Emperor, Tathagata Buddha, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Jesus, God... please bless me with something good."
[Congratulations! You have obtained the ability: Never Leave Empty-Handed]
[Congratulations! You have obtained the ability: Photosynthesis]
[Never Leave Empty-Handed: You can randomly steal an item from a target.]
[Photosynthesis: Bathing in visible light can replenish your energy. When energy is full, excess energy will be stored.]
[Evaluation: You can survive as long as there's light.]
Tap, tap, tap!
Just as Loya was immersed in the joy of the lucky draw, footsteps suddenly came from outside the window.
Felicia gracefully climbed in through the window with enchanting steps. She took a deep breath, her seductive eyes staring straight at Loya, her red tongue licking her lips as she gave a charming smile:
"Darling, so you've already washed up and are waiting for us. Then let's play a game of cat and mouse~"
Loya suddenly looked up, his gaze sharpening.
It looks like there's going to be a fierce battle tonight!
57Is this considered a BOSS?
Does this even count as a BOSS?
The next day.
A piece of earth-shattering news quickly climbed to the headlines of major media outlets.
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The famous General Thaddeus Ross of America died suddenly, and it was within a heavily guarded Military Base equipped with advanced gear; even the Base itself was destroyed.
The death of a general was no small matter, instantly twitching the nerves and curiosity of countless people.
Some speculated that the Military was creating some kind of destructive weapon and ended up killing themselves.
Others said it was a premeditated operation aimed at probing the strength of the American Military to provoke a war.
Still others proposed conspiracy theories, accusing it of being an internal political factional struggle, a simple case of silencing someone.
As for the soldiers who were lucky enough to escape, under the influence of a certain power, they were unable to speak the truth of the matter.
For a time, discussions on the internet were endless, and its popularity even momentarily surpassed that of Tony Stark, who had announced himself as Iron Man.
Naturally, the Military high command behind Ross would not let go of the final value of a dead man.
Using this as a pretext, they actually pressured S.H.I.E.L.D.directly and demanded that the finance department reduce funding for S.H.I.E.L.D. and allocate it to them instead.
The reason given was that S.H.I.E.L.D. had previously had friction with Ross, and a certain Agent had even broken Ross's leg; they suspected someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. had killed Ross, so monetary compensation was required, along with the handover of that Agent.
Very unreasonable, yet also logical.
Obviously, some in the Military had long been dissatisfied with S.H.I.E.L.D., and were even more displeased that S.H.I.E.L.D. received so much financial funding; it was truly corrupt beyond measure.
Fury initially intended to slowly deal with the Military, using the evidence in his hands to squeeze some funds out of them.
When he learned those bastards in the Military actually wanted to touch S.H.I.E.L.D.'s funding and even had designs on Loya, he was instantly enraged.
Cutting off someone's financial path is like killing their parents; how could this be tolerated?
Not to mention, Loya was the perfect Agent for S.H.I.E.L.D.—the one with the highest mission success rate, the highest efficiency, the most proactive attitude, and the highest combat power. This was even more intolerable.
Thus, the black-hearted Nick Fury directly exposed a portion of the video from inside the Military Base to the media and submitted a more detailed version to the government.
Now, things really exploded.
Under Fury's manipulation, protests began to appear on the streets, mainly protesting against human experimentation and opposing the Military's dark actions.
The Military had no ground to stand on anywhere; in their helplessness, they could only admit defeat and eat the mess they had made.
Not only did they not get the funding, but their reputation also plummeted; in the end, they even had to pay extra to buy back the video evidence from Fury. It was truly a case of losing the bait along with the fish.
However, these clashes between the high-level officials had nothing to do with our culprit, Loya.
By the time the two major powers had already gone through several rounds of a battle of wits and courage, he had just climbed out of bed, with an ambiguous atmosphere still lingering in the air.
Beside him, the Cat Goddess and Felicia lay on the messy bed, already fast asleep with satisfied looks on their faces.
Obviously, last night's battle ended in their crushing defeat.
"Refreshing!"
Loya stretched his limbs, feeling refreshed.
He had drawn a "Resilience Buff" last night, so why would he fear them? He had launched a fierce assault that left them utterly defeated and in disarray.
[Cat Totem (Cat Goddess Bastet) Favorability +5, Current Favorability: 80]
After tucking the two women in, he walked outside the Villa and took a look at the progress of the roses; they were doing quite well.
Then he glanced at the Sun; it was already approaching noon.
"It's about time."
Loya took out the "card maker" and returned to the Villa to wait patiently.
When noon arrived and the "Grace of the Sun" bonus reached its peak, he activated "Absolute Value" at that moment.
He then immediately began customizing the card skill.
A minute later, his peak state faded, and a card emerged from the card slot.
It was a multicolored card, where only a humanoid phantom could be seen jumping wildly within, accompanied by all sorts of flashy light pollution.
This was a hybrid skill that fused "Instant Hell Murder," "Wind Control Swordsmanship," "Haki," "Surge of Killing Intent," and other abilities.
With the support of powerful attributes, this should be the strongest strike he could unleash currently without taking any medicine.
With this, Loya's sense of security greatly increased. Although the card had to be replenished after a single use and the attack method was relatively simple...
...it was still better than being unable to use "Grace of the Sun" at all at night. Many powerful villains liked to cause trouble at night, and this card would definitely give them a surprise.
After finishing this, Loya used the "automatic cooking pot" to make lunch for the two women and then drove out.
Last night, Fury had asked him to visit the headquarters during the day; he didn't know if there was a new mission.
Along the way, Loya felt the effects of "Photosynthesis" and couldn't help but marvel.
This ability seemed unremarkable according to the description, but in reality, it was quite good.
As long as there was light, energy could be replenished, whether it was sunlight or lamplight; it didn't care about the law of conservation of energy at all.
The replenishment speed wasn't fast, but it wasn't slow either; it was very steady.
As for the excess energy, it wasn't stored in his body but in the system space in a very metaphysical way.
When he lacked energy, he could call upon it and inject it into his body.
This gave Loya a strong sense of déjà vu. If he could also lend power to others, he would be like an ultimate, stripped-down version of Dimensional Demon God.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Just as he was thinking this, his communicator suddenly rang.
He picked it up and saw it was a message from Fury.
It meant not to go to the headquarters but to meet at the coordinates he just sent.
"What the hell?"
Loya was somewhat puzzled, but he still headed toward the coordinates at full speed.
He pushed the speed to the limit again, reaching over 200 miles per hour.
It was just a hardship for the New York traffic police again; they couldn't even see his taillights, let alone his license plate.
Even if they did see the license plate, there was indeed nothing they could do.
S.H.I.E.L.D. would handle these minor matters. Sometimes, power really is a good thing.
Arriving at the target point, it was a remote and unremarkable apartment.
Fury was standing at the entrance like a security guard, waving at Loya.
Entering the apartment, passing through several corridors, then entering a tunnel and traveling through it for a while, they finally reached the destination.
It was a spacious room with a simple yet elegant interior, fully equipped with various high-tech devices.
It was clearly one of Fury's safe houses.
He had many such safe houses; he was truly greedy enough.
Loya was very puzzled and went straight to the point: "Director, what did you call me here for?"
Fury didn't answer immediately but handed over an ID: "You've been promoted to Level 6 Agent now. This is your ID."
Loya took the ID and waited for what was next.
Fury explained, "Because of that video of yours, I've suppressed the Military, and they also have to pay to buy it. I'll transfer a portion of that money to you."
Oh? Loya's eyes lit up. This Nick Fury had actually changed his nature and become so generous.
No!
Something was extremely wrong; this guy definitely had another motive.
Loya reacted instantly, crossing his hands under his chin with a slight smile: "Director, I see you have something else on your mind, right?"
"Haha." Fury subconsciously touched his eye patch and laughed awkwardly. "Well, I remember you have some kind of mysterious ability to regenerate organs and heal injuries, right?"
Loya suddenly understood; so he wanted to heal his eye.
"That's right, it's not difficult." He smiled, his tone meaningful. "However..."
He paused deliberately with a deep expression, but in reality, he was waiting for the system to trigger a mission.
The air fell into silence for a moment.
The two stared at each other—two eyes against one.
Loya was bewildered. Why hadn't a mission been triggered?
Was it because Fury didn't actually want to be treated?
Then why was he asking?
Just as Loya was pondering Fury's true intentions and preparing to ask for details, a completely unrelated system notification sounded in his mind.
[Main Story BOSS 'Whiplash Ivan Vanko' triggered]
[Mission Objective: Defeat Ivan Vanko]
[Rewards: Experience +10,000, Random Item *2, Random Ability *1, Dungeon Entrance Ticket *1]
Looking at this unremarkable ordinary BOSS without a description, Loya was suddenly a bit dazed.
Does this even count as a BOSS?
Give me more; I like this kind of simple one!
58If it's Loya, then it's fine.
If it's Loya, then it's fine.
Seeing that a simple boss had been triggered, Loyacouldn't help but feel a bit excited. Whiplash might be the easiest boss he had ever encountered.
His mind raced, and he was about to find an excuse to go defeat the boss first before discussing Fury's issue.
Unexpectedly, after glancing at the computer screen, Furyspoke up first:
"Loya, I just received breaking news. Tony is fighting another suit of armor. That suit is a Military imitation of the Obadiah model; I suspect the Military is involved in this."
He narrowed his one eye and said in a low voice, "Furthermore, that Military suit has an arc reactor, yet Tony never handed over the arc reactor technology to the Military. Go bring that guy back. Perhaps we can squeeze some more money out of the Military."
Fury was highly suspicious that because of Ross's death, the Military had accelerated some plan and was up to some unspeakable secret in private.
But sending someone to pilot a suit and attack Tony directly was simply too stupid—it had a kind of beauty that suggested their brains had been eaten by dogs.
[Fury has issued you a mission: 'Capture Ivan Vanko']
[Objective: Capture Ivan Vanko]
[Reward: EXP +1000, Random Item x1]
Loya raised an eyebrow.
Not only did he get to farm a simple boss, but he also got a free mission. Could this be the result of that one point of Luck?
He immediately stood up and shouted, "Mission guaranteed!"
...The top floor of Stark Tower.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Two suits of armor, each about five meters tall, were fighting passionately. The floor shook violently as if it might collapse at any moment.
Downstairs, countless passersby raised their phones to watch, filming the scene of the armors clashing above, their screams continuous.
One suit was gold and red, the classic Tony-style armor.
The other was pitch black with rugged lines, appearing more wild and overbearing.
From the external speakers of the black armor came broken English laced with a Russian accent:
"Hey, Tony Stark, you use such a massive suit too? I thought you were always so small."
Tony looked at the arc reactor in the center of the opposing suit and its Iron Monger-like design, then snorted coldly:
"Damned thief, despicable Military trash. Since I wouldn't hand over the arc reactor technology, they resorted to stealing. Truly shameless. And now they actually come to cause me trouble."
Bang!
The two traded punches, the massive counterforce sending both staggering back a few steps. They steadied themselves and faced off again.
A voice came from the black armor again: "Tony Stark, you are the thief. No, your whole family are thieves.
Your father stole my father's arc reactor technology. You, the child of a thief, enjoy wealth and glory, while I have had to endure poverty and humiliation."
Tony was a bit dazed by what he heard.
Hearing the other party sound so righteous, he instinctively asked:
"And you are?"
A man's hoarse and angry growl came from the black armor:
"My name is Ivan Vanko. My father's name was Anton Vanko. He once researched arc reactor technology alongside your father, but your father not only exiled mine but also stole our technology.
You must remember my father. People like you always fabricate facts and turn black into white, making victims into the trophies you brag about."
Tony frowned, carefully searching his memories. After a moment, he blurted out, "Who? Don't know him. I've never heard that name before."
Then his tone turned slightly mocking: "Is there something wrong with your head? You can go to the Stark Relief Foundation and claim some aid money."
He really hadn't heard his father mention that name.
Does this guy have some kind of delusional disorder?
"Damned Stark! Still making excuses!" Ivan flew into a rage instantly, roaring as he charged at Tony, his heavy footsteps making the floor thud and tremble.
"Is he an idiot?" Tony was speechless and gave a low command, "Jarvis, initiate combat mode."
As he spoke, strings of data flashed across the screen inside his helmet, and combat mode was instantly activated.
Ever since he was beaten by Obadiah's giant suit, Tony had been determined to create various armors that could adapt to different situations. This giant suit was one of them.
And because he had seen Loya beat up Obadiah, he specifically programmed various known fighting styles and combat experiences into the suit to handle all kinds of close-quarters combat.
The gold and red armor charged forward without dodging.
Meanwhile, Tony's amplified voice came through the speakers.
"Take a punch!"
Immediately after, the armor delivered a powerful right side kick!
Ivan clearly didn't react in time.
The moment he heard the voice, he was still mocking his opponent in his mind for calling out moves during a fight. He instinctively raised his arms to block and counter, neglecting his lower body.
Bang!
The direct kick landed squarely on the black armor's shin, instantly causing it to lose balance and stumble forward.
Taking the opportunity, Tony stepped forward quickly, his suit carrying tons of force as he slammed his elbow into the opponent's head.
Bang!
A dull thud echoed as the black armor crashed to the ground.
Ivan's head was ringing, and he instinctively protected his head.
Tony took the chance to pin him down, his fists falling like rain while he barked out a stern rebuke:
"I don't care who you or the people behind you are. You shouldn't be here, and you certainly shouldn't have stolen my arc reactor technology."
The suit's resemblance to Iron Monger made him suspect that when the arc reactor was being installed in Iron Monger last time, the data had been leaked to the Military.
"Steal? Hahaha." Ivan laughed out of anger. "This is an arc reactor I built myself, made with my own two hands, step by step."
He struggled desperately, trying to break free from the pin, while roaring, "You damned billionaire, without your money, what are you?"
Tony laughed, his tone relaxed as he listed his titles: "Without money, I'm still a genius inventor, philanthropist, entrepreneur... but I am definitely not a thief."
This sentence completely broke Ivan's composure. Clearly, the other guy was the thief, yet he spoke with such moral conviction.
It just so happened that Tony thought the same thing.
Due to some misunderstanding, both sides felt the other was the thief.
"Damned bastard!" Ivan roared, finally catching an opening.
Two plasma whips suddenly shot out from the suit's arms, coiling like venomous snakes toward the neck of Tony's armor.
He actually intended to strangle Tony this way!
Tony was profoundly shocked.
There really is something wrong with this guy's head. He wants to strangle the armor to kill the person inside?
He maneuvered his suit into a quick retreat, dodging the whips.
This gave Ivan the chance to stand back up. As the two plasma whips lashed out, the air crackled from the intense heat.
If the armor's faceplate were open, one would see Tony looking at him like he was a complete moron.
He didn't understand. They were using suits of armor, so why not use long-range weapons? Why insist on using highly energy-consuming whips? Wasn't that just being a pure idiot?
Ivan, of course, didn't know Tony thought he was a fool. He brandished his whips and taunted, "Come on, you moron!"
Just as Tony was about to step forward again to take him down in one go, Jarvis suddenly issued a warning: "Sir, an unidentified flying object is approaching at high speed!"
"What?"
Tony was startled. Looking in the direction indicated by the radar, the unidentified flying object was already overhead.
It was a very familiar figure. The figure flew straight toward Ivan and smoothly mounted Ivan's armor, looking very experienced.
Then, the armor abruptly retracted its whips, flames erupted from its feet, and it soared into the sky, disappearing into the distance.
The entire process was seamless, taking only a few short seconds.
"What the f—? What happened?"
Tony stood there in a daze.
What kind of development is this? Someone mounts the suit, and it just flies away automatically? No more fighting? Is his brain really broken?
The scene was so absurd it was like a comedy sketch.
At that moment, Jarvis's voice spoke up slowly: "Sir, according to my image comparison, there is a ninety-nine percent probability that the figure was Mr. Loya."
Tony paused, recalling Loya's previous miraculous actions, and gave a relieved smile. "Then it's fine. Remember to send him a message and ask him to tell me what's going on with that idiot. And invite him to the banquet while you're at it."
59Old Popsicle Rescue Plan
The Old Popsicle Rescue Plan
High up in the sky.
Ivan was scared out of his wits.
He didn't understand what had happened. He only saw a blurry figure mount his battle armor, and then the armor went out of control.
It automatically retracted its weapons, activated flight mode, and flew in an unfamiliar direction.
Yet, there was clearly no sign of the internal systems being hacked; they even showed as operating normally.
But no matter how he operated it, the armor didn't respond at all. This was simply supernatural!
He even used physical buttons to shut down the internal systems, but the armor continued to fly at high speed.
In common terms, it was like pulling the plug on a computer and the damn thing was still running—a pure paranormal event!
Ivan swallowed hard, sweating profusely, his tone terrified. "Who... are you? What did you do? Why is my armor out of control?"
Loya sat steadily atop the armor, not bothering to address Ivan's confusion.
He discovered that using 'King of Riding' to master the armor was a whole new novel experience.
He could directly use the armor's various functions without needing to go through complex systems.
It was as if a higher-level system had directly overwritten the original one; the metaphysics of it was ridiculous.
The armor became a part of his body, and controlling those functions was as simple as moving a finger.
If the armor had a Machine Spirit, it would probably be ecstatic.
The Machine Spirit is pleased!
Amidst Ivan's constant state of fear, the armor arrived at a S.H.I.E.L.D. branch and slowly descended onto the helipad.
Fury and the others were already waiting there.
Even though he had prepared himself, seeing Loya actually return riding the armor caused an undisguisable shock to flash through his single eye.
In his imagination, shouldn't Loya have easily defeated the armor and then brought the person inside back?
How was he riding it back now? This situation was even more unexpected than a direct defeat.
Could it be that Loya actually had some kind of linguistic talent? Able to subdue the enemy without a fight?
Bang!
The cockpit visor popped open with a boom, revealing Ivan's terrified and disheveled face.
This whole thing was too terrifying. What power was controlling the armor?
This situation, which transcended his understanding, made him break out in a cold sweat, his mind becoming a bit dazed.
Loya nimbly flipped down from the armor, pulled Ivan out, and very skillfully pinned him to the ground.
He then looked at the approaching Fury and reported in a loud voice, "Mission complete!"
Fury: "..."
Since it's already like this, there's no need to go through the formalities.
However, Fury obviously knew how to provide emotional value. He gave a thumbs up and nodded repeatedly. "Good Agent, well done!"
After Ivan was taken to the interrogation room, the routine interrogation work began.
Loya naturally didn't participate in this part. Instead, he stood outside the interrogation room happily checking his system rewards.
This BOSS battle could be called perfect—easy and joyful, a pure formality.
Although the armor was quite large, Ivan hadn't mutated, nor did he have any Dimensional Demon God hacks. He was truly easy to beat.
[Mission 'Capture Ivan' complete]
[Reward: EXP +1,000, Item 'Free Palette Spray Paint']
[Main Story BOSS 'Whiplash Ivan Vanko' defeated]
[Reward: EXP +10,000, Item 'Good Person Card', Item 'Bro Card', Ability 'Lightning Five-Chain Whip', Dungeon Entrance Ticket (Faction Confrontation Category)]
['Free Color Spray Paint': You can freely choose a color to spray on any substance, and it will not fade.]
['good person card': By showing this card, you appear as an unremarkable good person in the eyes of others. They won't pay extra attention to you. Actions that are too out of line will expose you, and your requests will always be refused.]
[Evaluation: We're not a good match.]
['bro card': By showing this card, you will receive extra attention, and your out-of-line actions will always be forgiven. However, accumulating too much may trigger a strong backlash.]
[Evaluation: We're all bros, so what's there to say?]
['Lightning Five-Chain Whip': Max-level whip technique. When carrying a whip, you can release thunder and lightning. Includes the move 'Five-Chain Whip,' which can strike five powerful blows in an instant with staggering power (The intensity of the lightning released is related to attributes).]
[Evaluation: I was careless; I didn't dodge!]
['Dungeon Entrance Ticket (Faction Confrontation Category)': Using this ticket will enter a very dangerous World. You will automatically join the Human Faction or the Order Faction. Completing mission objectives will yield rich rewards (Note: This World is extremely dangerous; a minimum level of 20 is required to challenge).]
"These rewards are surprisingly good." Loya's eyebrows twitched as he secretly rejoiced.
He thought the mission was too simple and the rewards would be mediocre, but they were unexpectedly decent.
Whether it was the 'good person card' or the 'bro card,' if used properly, the effects would be amazing.
Especially the 'bro card,' it made him unconsciously think of NTR... well, his thoughts were getting a bit dangerous.
What surprised Loya the most was the 'Lightning Five-Chain Whip'; its effect was unexpectedly powerful.
Just carrying a whip allowed him to release lightning, and it came with whip techniques and moves.
It's just that... Thor is jokingly called the God of Hammers; could he be called the God of Whips?
Moreover, 'farmers whip' + 'Free Color Spray Paint' + 'Lightning Five-Chain Whip' actually had a synergy.
Just thinking about that image was beautiful.
Creak.
While Loya was checking the system rewards, the interrogation room door opened.
Under Fury's methods, Ivan had confessed everything.
Fury told Loya the results of the interrogation.
The process was simple.
Previously, Obadiah Stane had been unable to manufacture the arc reactor, so he thought of Ivan's father.
So, a long time ago, they were secretly taken to the Military to conduct research on the arc reactor, with the promise that they would be given everything they deserved.
The arc reactor was only successfully developed recently, and it wasn't yet perfect.
Unfortunately, Ivan's father was old and sickly; he died suddenly before the arc reactor was completed.
Ivan had always held a grudge. If it weren't for Stark, his father wouldn't have lived in poverty, which led to the alcoholism that ruined his health.
Coincidentally, the Military pressured S.H.I.E.L.D. today, only to be outmaneuvered by S.H.I.E.L.D., leaving them with grievances they couldn't voice.
This made Ivan feel that the Military was useless. Relying on them, he didn't know when he would ever get his revenge.
So, under the guise of testing the arc reactor, he took the armor to seek revenge, and the result was what happened now.
He gained nothing and even benefited S.H.I.E.L.D.
As for why he confessed so quickly, it was purely because he was terrified by Loya.
That fear beyond comprehension was truly soul-shaking.
Loya nodded. It seemed everything had a logical trail; no wonder Ivan appeared so early.
After sending a summary of Fury's account to Tony, Loyafollowed Fury back to the safe house under the apartment.
This time, Fury had a serious expression and got straight to the point. "Agent Loya, that ability of yours... can it be used again?"
Loya sat up straight. It seemed a real mission was coming. He nodded seriously. "Of course."
"Good." Fury blinked in relief. "I need you to help me save someone."
"His name is Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America."
[Fury has issued a mission to you]
[Special mission node triggered]
[Mission: The Old Popsicle Rescue Plan]
[Objective: Save Steve Rogers]
[Mission Reward: EXP +2,000, Steve Favorability +60, Random Item *2]