Chapter 198: Your Purity Is Too Low, A Stomp Match
Island Beach.
Waves rolled and surged layer upon layer, and the sea breeze blew wildly, carrying the salty and humid scent unique to the ocean, randomly slapping against the beach and blowing up sand all over the sky.
Loya held a stick-like object wrapped in tape and a black plastic bag, standing silently on the beach, letting the sea breeze howl past, yet it could not blow a single strand of his hair.
He just stood quietly, his eyes as calm as water, his breathing completely stopped. If it were not for his rosy complexion, he would look no different from a dead person.
An invisible power spread from Loya, rapidly expanding in all directions.
The howling wind stopped abruptly, the waves calmed down, the swaying trees stood still, and the flying fine sand froze in the air————
With him as the origin, a huge special domain seemed to have appeared, everything completely came to a standstill, and the world seemed to have paused.
Hoo~
The next moment.
As Loya's breathing resumed, the stagnant world began to operate again.
The gale rose suddenly, and the waves reached the sky.
His black hair flew in the wind, and the howling gale swept past his sides, roaring into the clouds.
In an instant!
The celestial phenomena changed abruptly!
The originally clear sky instantly darkened, covered with dark clouds and howling winds, making people feel a wave of depression.
Rumble!
Several bolts of lightning tore through the clouds, followed closely by thunder, as if a torrential rain would pour down the next moment.
The sea surface was ravaged by the gale, stirring up layers of huge waves, with spray flying everywhere. This sea area became turbulent and exceptionally dangerous.
Between the meeting line of sea and sky, a black dot suddenly appeared.
Looking closely, it turned out to be a small white military speedboat, moving forward with difficulty amidst the wind and waves.
The hull undulated violently with the waves.
Any random wave nearby was larger than it, and it could be flipped over by the spray at any time.
But the driver of this speedboat showed extraordinary calmness and skill.
He skillfully manipulated the helm, always able to dodge the incoming giant waves in time to ensure the speedboat moved forward safely.
Although the speed was slow, it advanced toward Loya's direction with incomparable firmness.
Loya's vision no longer belonged to the category of humans. Concentrating slightly to look closely, he could even see the pores on the face of the distant speedboat driver, as well as the beads of sweat oozing from him.
He knew this person.
Grant Ward, a member of Coulson's team, an elite Agentof S.H.I.E.L.D.
This person excelled in a variety of skills and was extremely professional, which could be seen from how skillfully he was driving the speedboat now.
Of course, this guy was also one of the moles planted by Hydra in S.H.I.E.L.D.
To be precise, he was not completely loyal to Hydra.
If Loya remembered correctly, due to some factors, this Agent Ward was loyal to another Hydra named JohnGarrett.
His stance depended entirely on this Hydra's attitude, belonging to a buy-one-get-one-free bundled package.
Ward's purpose in coming here was obvious; he was Loya's partner for this mission.
Under Ward's unremitting efforts, he finally overcame the heavy wind and waves, docked the speedboat on the shore, and walked quickly toward Loya.
His expression was a bit stiff, and he said awkwardly: "Commander, I am Grant Ward. I am very sorry to keep you waiting. I didn't expect to suddenly encounter such abnormal weather. Perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D.'s weather forecast was wrong."
Ward was a little mentally broken inside.
He didn't expect to suddenly encounter this kind of weather, to the point that he contacted Loya in advance, yet he ended up being late because of the weather.
Clearly he had checked the weather forecast when he came, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s weather forecast harms people deeply!
You must know that Loya was a legendary Agent passed down in S.H.I.E.L.D. for a long time, with a mission success rate as high as one hundred percent, and they were all high-difficulty missions.
The orders Ward received were not only to cooperate with this operation, but also to build a good relationship with Loya.
As a result, he was late at the very beginning, leaving a bad impression upon first meeting.
However, the moment Ward finished speaking, the dark clouds densely covering the sky seemed to have been stimulated by something, dissipating completely in the blink of an eye.
Sunlight spilled down again, shining on his face.
No way? Are you playing with me!
Ward squinted his eyes from the sunlight, and countless question marks floated across his heart.
It didn't disperse early or late, but happened to disperse right after he finally crossed the wind and waves and was late. What did this weather mean? Was it targeting him?
"The weather is always unpredictable." Loya smiled and patted Ward's shoulder, "Am I right, Agent Ward?"
In fact, this abnormal weather was caused by him.
The message sent by Ward should have calculated the approximate time from when he left home to when he appeared on the beach.
Under normal circumstances, Ward should have arrived first.
But he couldn't guess that Loya could teleport.
So when Loya arrived at the beach, not a single figure was there.
Since he had nothing to do, he took the time to resonate with nature to cultivate the "Cosmo", trying to see if he could speed up the integration of the Phoenix Force with the cloth and the constellation.
It was also during this process that Loya thought of an idea.
Use the Cosmo to resonate with nature, then use the way of resonance to communicate with the wind element he was most adept at, and thereby trigger celestial phenomena, attempting to change the weather.
Simply put, it was leverage upon leverage, adding leverage on top of leverage, easily leveraging the power of nature, leveraging much more than before.
Put another way, his own small nature leveraged the macro nature.
The result had been verified by Ward, and the effect was very good.
Loya didn't have Storm's ability, but he could also change the weather, and spot-rain and the like were not a problem.
It was just that this weather change was not fine-tuned, appearing extremely crude, and changing it once consumed quite a bit of time, with limited help for combat, though it was quite good for farming or pretending to be a divine charlatan.
Once the Cosmo cultivation reached a deeper level, the effect would be better, more delicate, and more versatile usages could be developed, making it quite viable for combat.
"You are right, Commander!" Ward immediately straightened his body, his expression solemn, and responded loudly.
Loya's eye twitched. This Ward really had no sense of humor at all; he was too serious and boring. It would be better to let Coulson come.
He shook his head secretly and stopped talking nonsense, saying directly: "Now that we are ready, let's set off."
Ward nodded.
So after confirming their identities, the two got on the yacht and sailed toward the destination according to the plan.
According to the arrangements in the mission plan, the leakage of whereabouts would not happen at this time, probably shortly after boarding the plane, and that would be the time for battle.
But the yacht still had to be taken; this was a necessary workflow.
Although most of those Inhumans were arranged by Piercethrough some means.
But from Fury's perspective, the Inhumans seizing the Mind Scepter was a trap he deliberately set by leaking his whereabouts.
Before leaking his whereabouts, Loya had to behave like a normal Agent.
Thinking about it this way, Fury felt even more pitiful.
The plan seemed meticulous, but in fact, it was being led by the nose by the old fox Pierce.
Soon, the two arrived at the S.H.I.E.L.D. branch, and under meticulous arrangement and deployment, they boarded a Quinjet and flew in the direction of Sokovia.
Ward turned on the fighter's auto-cruise and then walked out of the cockpit.
His main task was to closely protect the mission item, but he didn't know what the mission item was. According to the plan, he would get it from Loya after boarding the fighter.
Ward came to the interior of the cabin, and as soon as he entered, he heard the magical music ringing in his ears.
He couldn't help frowning; hearing this kind of music while executing a mission was really too strange.
Following the sound, he saw Loya sitting casually in his seat, happily scrolling through shitposting videos, with a stick-like object wrapped in tape placed beside him.
Ward didn't know what to say for a moment.
This mission was very important, but this ace Agentbehaved far too casually, completely lacking the qualities an Agent should have, and looking like he was going on vacation.
Even an ace Agent shouldn't be like this; they should at least be a bit cautious and worry about possible dangers.
This ace Agent was completely different from what he imagined, and looked very unreliable.
Ward took a deep breath and stopped thinking more. He walked up to Loya, stood straight, and said with a serious expression: "Commander, according to the mission requirements, I need to get the mission item from you!"
Hearing the sound, Loya raised his head and casually handed the stick beside him over: "Here, this is the mission item, take it."
Ward: "???"
You're telling me that this stick wrapped in tape is the mission item?
The exceptionally important mission item in the plan?!
If you didn't say anything, I would have thought you picked it up casually!
To be honest, he had noticed this stick long ago, but he never expected that this was the precious mission item specially marked in the mission.
He had never encountered such a situation. Such an important thing didn't even have a box, and was directly wrapped in tape and a plastic bag like this.
This————is there really no problem?
If he hadn't confirmed his identity, he would even suspect that the person in front of him was a fake ace Agent; this was simply too unprofessional.
Ward took another deep breath, reached out to take the exceptionally crude mission item, and then sat opposite Loya.
Forget it, he just needed to do his own job well, and must not think too much. What an Agent wanted was to obey orders from superiors!
Right, exactly like that, the superiors' arrangements must make sense, don't let your imagination run wild, he silently admonished himself to abide by the principles of an Agent.
Just like that, a dozen minutes passed.
The Quinjet was flying steadily.
Ward tightly gripped the stick in his hand, listening to the magical music that hadn't stopped ringing in his ears.
His brows were tightly knitted, and he was racking his brains trying to figure out how to complete the mission of building a good relationship with Loya. He was truly not good at this aspect.
He didn't know why Agent John would issue such a task outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mission.
Just at this moment, the magical music stopped abruptly. Loya opposite him put away his phone and stood up with a smile.
He stretched, and then casually gave an order to Ward: "Ward, slow down the fighter, open the cabin door, and prepare for battle, the enemy is coming."
Ward: "???"
Hearing this order, he was instantly dumbfounded.
No, since we are faster, why slow down the fighter?
Shouldn't we just run away directly?
Isn't the mission an escort?
There was no item like combat, let alone actively meeting the enemy in battle.
And weren't you scrolling on your phone the whole time? How did you know there were enemies?
Obviously, Ward's mission did not include killing the enemies who came to seize the Mind Scepter.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mission was for him to prioritize escorting the mission item above all else, and everything else was secondary.
But Agent John's mission to him was not only to build a good relationship with Loya, but also included a rule that he must unconditionally obey Loya's orders, no matter what orders they were.
Obviously Agent John's orders were more important, and they had to be executed even if it meant death.
Ward's body just paused slightly, and then he immediately headed to the cockpit, slowed down the fighter and opened the cabin door.
The actions were crisp and neat, without the slightest hesitation.
Loya walked to the cabin door and looked up. Dozens of black dots had already appeared in the distance, rapidly approaching this side. They were precisely the planes carrying Inhumans.
He had always been observing the surrounding movements using the ability of "Voice of All Things", and had discovered these Inhumans long ago.
He couldn't wait to wipe out these gift-delivering Inhumans, so he simply told Ward to slow down and make a quick decision.
As for what gift was being delivered.
Don't forget that Inhumans had superpowers, and Loyapossessed "Separation Magic". Weren't these superpoweritems delivered right to his door?
Separate them one by one.
Fully armed, Ward came from the cockpit to Loya's side. His expression was solemn, his eyes full of disbelief, and he felt like his scalp was about to explode. He was dead for sure this time!
Just now on the cockpit radar, he saw dozens of flying vehicles rapidly approaching in a surrounding formation.
There is a mole!
This was his first thought; with so many enemies precisely ambushed along their route, a mole was the only possibility!
He didn't expect the interior of S.H.I.E.L.D. to have rotted to such an extent, which was terrifying.
With so many enemies, and in the sky at that, while also abandoning their speed advantage, it seemed certain death.
However, alongside this, Ward felt a trace of curiosity and vigilance toward Loya.
This ace Agent, who didn't look like an Agent at all and clearly had no instruments, how had he discovered the enemy a step ahead of the radar?
It couldn't possibly be relying on those foolish videos, could it?
Clutching this doubt, he handed the firearm in his hand over.
Loya glanced at the firearm handed over by Ward and smiled slightly: "I don't need this thing, and besides, you shouldn't shoot either; just watch from behind."
Ward:
His expression became exceptionally colorful, and for a moment he was at a loss; taking back the extended gun was wrong, and not taking it back was also wrong.
Giving up advantages to actively engage in battle, not wanting firearms, and even refusing his help—could it be that he intended to engage in hand-to-hand combat with others bare-handed? This was the sky!
Or was he going to surrender?
As soon as this thought appeared, it grew wildly and uncontrollably.
If it was a surrender, then all the previous abnormal actions could be explained.
Not caring about the mission items was because of surrendering, reducing speed was also for surrendering, and scrolling on the phone was actually reporting coordinates, which was why they were discovered and surrounded.
As for not letting him shoot, wasn't it to prevent harming the other party?
It made sense!
It all made sense!
Ward saw through the truth: this ace Agent was actually going to betray the organization and defect to unknown enemies!
The mole had actually been right by his side all along!
Terrifying, truly terrifying; so this was the terrifying nature of an ace Agent, and he only realized it at this moment.
At this time, Ward was extremely conflicted; on one hand, stemming from the anger of being betrayed, he wished he could shoot Loya dead.
On the other hand, it came from the order of Agent John; during the mission, he had to obey all of Loya's commands.
He didn't even know what to do now.
Loya's Minds Eye was also active, so he naturally sensed Ward's extremely conflicted emotions. He had no idea what strange things this fellow had imagined; these emotions were simply a tangled mess.
However, he had no mind to care about this; he'd better get ready to separate the superpowers.
In the Mutant Universe, he couldn't cleanly separate the Mutants' abilities, but it was different here; they were all Hydra Inhumans, so separating them brought zero psychological burden.
After the Quinjet deliberately reduced its speed, the Inhumans quickly surrounded the aircraft tightly.
Looking at the aircraft with its cabin door wide open, and Loya standing at the entrance without any weapons, they were similarly dazed and didn't attack in the first instance.
What kind of situation was this?
A noisy exchange was taking place on the Inhumans' communication channel.
"What's the situation? Why did they actively slow down and open the cabin door? Is it a trap?"
"I feel it's possible; S.H.I.E.L.D. people couldn't be this stupid."
"Is it possible they were scared by our numbers? Preparing to surrender?"
"Regardless of whether it's a trap or not, let's just go up; can those two Agents possibly fight against us? A single spit from each of us could drown them! They're dead for sure!"
"That's right, the higher-ups are too cautious, sending over a hundred elites of ours to deal with these two Agents—it's too wasteful."
"Let's go. According to the intelligence, only that rather handsome fellow has some ability, and it's not even strong. No need to worry."
"Don't beat that weaponless Agent to death; let me have fun with him once before killing him. Such a handsome man, my long spear is already starving and thirsty."
Seeing that the opposing side delayed making a move and hearing all sorts of foul language, Loya truly couldn't bear it anymore.
Gathering his breath to his dantian, he shouted loudly: "You bunch of trash, unpresentable rats, crossbred beasts, why don't you hurry up and get out here to meet your deaths! Are you building coffins for yourselves?"
As his voice fell, the air instantly froze into dead silence.
Ward at the side was directly dumbfounded, his mouth slightly agape with a blank expression.
No, what kind of operation was this again?
Weren't they going to surrender?
However, not taking weapons and making such arrogant provocations—what did that mean?
Were they really going to engage in hand-to-hand combat in mid-air?
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
"Bastard! How dare you insult us like this! Kill him!"
"Kill!!!"
Loya's taunt, under the blessing of the bond taunt bonus, had extremely strong effects.
Even without using the taunting horn, it caused this group of Inhumans to lose their minds all the same.
Roaring, they leaped out of the flying vehicles and crazily unleashed their superpowers.
Flames raged, lightning intertwined, frost surged, acid flowed, and all sorts of abilities instantly poured out with dazzling special effects all over the sky, blasting toward Loya.
However, Loya only smiled faintly and leisurely shook his head: "Your purity is too low."
To deal with these so-called powerful Inhumans, he didn't even need to use too many abilities; a single telekinesis was enough. The gap between them was too large, completely not on the same order of magnitude.
The next moment!
These superpowers, which seemed capable of destroying everything, as they were about to approach and swallow the aircraft, seemed to crash into an invisible wall, stopping abruptly and unable to advance even a fraction further.
The invisible force continued to spread forward, instantly annihilating all superpowers and subsequently controlling all the Inhumans.
The Inhumans still wanted to struggle, only to find they couldn't move at all. Even if they wanted to use their superpowers, they would be annihilated in the first instant, unable to even break through the surface of their bodies.
The Inhumans, who had originally lost their minds and become angry and frantic, when faced with this situation, instantly felt fear occupy their hearts, and their sanity was stimulated to return.
They looked at Loya, who was calm and unconcerned opposite them, their faces filled with disbelief.
How could he be this strong?
Didn't the mission intelligence say that the opposing party only had a little bit of special ability?
Was this fucking called a little bit of special ability?
Subduing all Inhumans in an instant—was this called a little?
Was this fucking an ability of the same order of magnitude?
So opening the door wasn't to set a trap; it was purely because he didn't care about them at all and wanted to clean them up together.
In this instant, a red nose seemed to appear on the tip of every Inhuman's nose.
So from beginning to end, they were the clowns.
At the same time, they almost all had the exact same thought.
There is a mole!
The organization is harboring a ghost!
This intelligence was clearly sending them to their deaths!
Soon, someone else reacted and tried to make a final struggle, shouting hoarsely: "Activate self-destruct mode! Activate self-destruct mode!"
They wanted to activate the self-destruct mode of the flying vehicles to fight for a glimmer of survival.
It was a pity that no matter how much they shouted, they wouldn't receive any response.
An Inhuman turned his head to look, and when he saw the scene behind him, his pupils shrank violently, terrified out of his wits—he almost peed his pants!
Gone!
The flying vehicles were all gone!
How could such huge flying vehicles of theirs be gone?
It was haunted!
This was naturally done by Loya; these flying vehicles were rich in massive amounts of metal, naturally becoming materials in the furnace gourd.
While controlling these Inhumans, he had already swept all these flying vehicles into the gourd.
It was impossible to let these flying vehicles fall down, right? Even if they didn't hit people, hitting flowers and plants wouldn't be good.
Ward on the side was completely petrified, his body rigid and dumbfounded.
The scene before his eyes completely exceeded his cognitive range.
The flying vehicles were sucked completely clean by a weird little gourd, and these unbelievably powerful enemies were even more vulnerable before Loya.
Loya defeating them was just like breathing, and one couldn't even understand his method of attack.
What kind of terrifying power was this?
Ward only understood now what an ace Agent was called.
So this was an ace Agent!
He was dead wrong, actually suspecting that the other party was a mole wanting to surrender.
He didn't expect that it was because their strength was too strong and could ignore everything, which made it look casual and indifferent.
He was truly too stupid!
However, the scene that followed made Ward unforgettable for a lifetime, and his body couldn't help trembling.
Only to see under Loya's control, these Inhumans levitated in the air, neatly arranged in a long row, forming an extremely bizarre yet shocking picture.
Loya summoned Gulu and placed it on the ground.
Then he controlled the Inhumans to step forward one by one.
First, he had Gulu touch each of them to copy their superpowers.
Immediately after, Loya used the Separation Magic to separate their superpowers.
Green light enveloped the Inhuman, and a moment later, this green light merged into a container prepared aside long ago.
"Ah!"
"Don't!"
"I beg you!"
As soon as the Separation Magic was activated, the Inhuman before him issued wails that reached the depths of the soul.
This was not pain, but the ultimate sense of loss from permanently losing abilities, which was even more uncomfortable than pure torture.
Loya had a good heart and couldn't bear to see others suffering like this.
Thus, he casually flicked a ball of sun fire onto him, burning this Inhuman until not even ashes were left.
Now it became even more lively; the Inhumans lined up behind began to scream wildly, their bodies struggling desperately, shrieking as they tried to escape from here.
Yet based on their abilities, how could they possibly break free from Loya's telekinetic bindings?
They could only obediently submit.
Thus, an extremely bizarre and terrifying scene occurred high up in the sky.
The Inhumans wailed as they stepped forward to have their abilities separated, and then were burned until not even ashes remained.
Fear permeated in an instant.
"Devil! You're a devil! Don't come over!!!"
"Save me! Save me!"
"Fuck you!"
For a time, screams, curses, and pleas for mercy resounded across the sky.
Loya turned a blind eye to this, watching happily as more and more superpower props appeared in the System Space, the smile at the corners of his mouth unable to be suppressed.
"Fire control ability? Mediocre."
"Water control? Not bad."
"And the discharge ability; this one is pretty good."
"Oh ho, manipulating rocks and sand, not bad, not bad."
Amidst the screams resounding through the sky, the last Inhuman was burned by the sun fire until not a trace of residue remained.
From then on, all Inhumans trying to seize the Mind Scepter were completely dead.
In Loya's System Space, over a hundred superpower props were added, and the layers of the eternal wings also increased by over a hundred.
Clearly, these dead Inhumans were all judged as evil people by the eternal wings, and their deaths were well-deserved.
Loya smiled with satisfaction, clapped his hands, and then turned his head to look at Ward, who was completely dumbfounded: "Alright, the battle is over, continue advancing toward the target point."
"Ah————Good, good!" Ward first froze for a moment before snapping back to reality.
He didn't even dare to look straight at Loya, only able to steal a glance with the corner of his eye, his gaze filled with awe.
Then he swallowed a mouthful of saliva, nodded repeatedly in agreement, and walked toward the cockpit.
Only for some reason, his steps were somewhat unsteady, seemingly trembling.
The Quinjet advanced at full speed.
Soon it arrived above the outskirts of Novigrad in Sokovia.
Below was a temporarily established landing pad.
Loya's vision was extremely good; he had already seen the familiar figure below, who was none other than the target of this mission—Baron Strucker.
He felt a burst of joy in his heart: "My mission is completed, I can finally level up."
Chapter 199: Lucky Draw
The Quinjet slowly touched down on the temporary landing pad.
Strucker was dressed in a dark gray suit, his hair neatly combed back into a slick style. Standing tall and upright, he exuded an air of aloof aristocracy.
He adjusted his monocle and gazed intently toward the cabin door, undisguised desire burning in his eyes.
Boom!
The cabin door slowly opened.
Loya emerged first, holding the tape-wrapped Mind Scepter. His gaze was serene, carrying an aura of calm composure.
Ward followed closely behind.
Unlike Loya's calm and steady demeanor, he seemed somewhat distracted, his eyes darting about—completely unlike an outstanding Agent.
His footing was also unsteady. While walking down the steps, he stumbled and nearly fell, but the Agent instincts ingrained in his bones made him grab the handrail and steady himself in time, averting an accident.
Strucker noticed Ward's unusual behavior, but he didn't care about the reason behind it; his entire focus was locked onto Loya.
Having communicated and collaborated with Pierce, he naturally knew that Loya was the one leading this mission, and that he needed to get the scepter from him.
Strucker stepped forward with a faint smile. "Greetings, Agents. I am the head of this base, Wolfgang von Strucker. You may hand the item over to me."
With that, he stared eagerly at Loya.
Understanding the gesture, Loya handed over the tape-wrapped Mind Scepter.
Strucker froze for a moment. What did this mean?
A flash of disgust instinctively crossed his eyes, because even the trash in his house looked more refined than this.
Before the thought could fully settle, however, sudden realization struck him.
A stick... the scepter...
Could it be?
Casting his disdain aside, Strucker reached out to accept this item, something he would normally never touch in his entire life.
He impatiently tore open the wrapping. When that glimmer of blue light entered his view, his shoulders relaxed, and he let out a long breath.
That was it! This was definitely it!
Strucker held the Mind Scepter tightly and nodded smilingly at Loya, complimenting him, "As expected of our S.H.I.E.L.D. ace Agent—truly reliable. Disguising the scepter like this, even I didn't catch on right away."
He handed the Mind Scepter to a subordinate beside him, then looked back at Loya. "Let us return to the base then. You should get some rest first; there is still subsequent work that will require your assistance."
Loya gave a slight nod in agreement. Work meant quests, which was exactly what he wanted, so naturally he wouldn't refuse.
He planned to wring every last quest out of this refined scoundrel first, after which he could set about bringing the guy under control.
As for now, he still needed to act professional. After all, his current persona was an ace S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; he couldn't let his image slip.
Ward naturally accompanied Loya toward the base as well.
He urgently needed some rest to sort through his thoughts.
Everything that transpired today had shaken him to his core.
He never could have imagined that Loya, this ace Agent, would be powerful to such an absurd degree.
The disparity between an ordinary Agent and this ace Agent was practically that between a paramecium and a human being.
Such a despair-inducing gap in power was something he had only ever seen in that Avengers leader, the mysterious emissary of the Wolf God Cult.
He was actually quite curious as to which of the two was stronger.
Personally, he still favored the emissary. After all, the title bore the word 'god,' and if pushed into a corner, he could always summon his deity.
At the same time, Loya's methods terrified him. Wiping out over a hundred enemies with a casual laugh, without even blinking an eye, and not leaving even their ashes behind—it was simply too horrifying!
Ward shoved his chaotic thoughts aside, feeling deeply troubled.
If he were merely a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he would naturally be thrilled by Loya's immense power.
After all, having such a formidable superior by his side provided an overwhelming sense of security.
Yet reality was cruel; he was an undercover mole who could be exposed as Hydra at any moment.
S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra were locked in a mortal feud, and an all-out clash was bound to erupt sooner or later.
When that day came, what would Hydra use to stand against Loya?
Rely on their slogan: 'Cut off one head, two more shall take its place'?
In truth, Ward didn't give a damn about Hydra's survival; all he cared about was Agent John's safety.
He was terrified that Agent John would end up just like those enemies from before—casually crushed like an insect upon crossing paths with Loya.
Ward knitted his brows, determination gleaming in his eyes as he made a silent vow: he had to ensure Agent Johnremained safe and sound, living a good life!
The group rode in a customized S.H.I.E.L.D. off-road vehicle, driving along a dense forest road toward the base.
Every armed convoy seen along the way bore the insignia of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Soldiers maintaining security and patrolling were also dressed in standard S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms, making it look like an entirely typical secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base.
Yet in reality, all of them were Hydra.
It had to be said that when it came to deception and disguise, Hydra had always been exceptionally adept.
Sitting in the back seat with his eyes closed, Loya appeared to be resting, but he was actually checking his system rewards.
[Current quest "Escort and slaughter" completed]
[Next stage quest pending trigger—]
[Rewards: EXP +2000, Fury Favorability +5, PierceFavorability +10, Item "green hat", Item "salted fish sword"]
[green hat: When worn on the head, Rage steadily increases; the more people who see it, the faster Rage accumulates. Simultaneously gains the sympathy of others—so long as no extreme actions are taken, almost anything will be forgiven. Evaluation: Sigh, after everything he's been through, just let him vent.]
[salted fish sword: A sword crafted from an exceptionally salty, aged salted fish. It possesses zero attack power, but anyone struck by it will fall into a "Salted Fish State" for a certain period. While in this state, they will lose all ambition and only desire to slack off and lie flat, while their presence is drastically diminished.]
[Evaluation: Even if I'm just a salted fish, I will still—never mind, I'll just lie flat.]
[You have leveled up. Obtained: Lucky Draw Attempts +1, Free Attribute Points *3]
Looking at the newly acquired reward items, Loya's eyelids twitched.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Even a green hat made an appearance—wasn't that a bit too absurd?
Still, the item wasn't entirely useless.
At the very least, he could put it on Hulk; both its effect and color made it an absolute match made in heaven.
Alternatively, he could slap it onto any random villain and use them as an engine to generate rage.
It would serve nicely to replenish the stock of the anger gourd.
As for the "salted fish sword," it was rather underwhelming; Loya hadn't thought of a use for it yet.
In any case, it couldn't be used for cooking—it would probably be salty enough to choke someone to death.
The rewards this time were truly hard to describe. It seemed luck had its ups and downs; one couldn't always have good fortune.
None of that mattered much, however; the important thing was that he had finally reached Level 20.
Once he took care of the affairs and plans in Sokovia a bit, he could pay a visit to an instance dungeon.
Soon, the off-road vehicle cleared the dense forest path and arrived at an old castle situated on a small hill.
Guards stood watch every few paces around the castle, keeping up an exceptionally tight security perimeter.
This was ostensibly a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. experimental base, but in truth, it was a secret Hydra experimental base.
After undergoing multiple layers of verification, they were finally granted entry inside.
Ward excused himself early on the grounds of feeling unwell and went to rest.
Strucker, meanwhile, gave Loya a tour around the castle.
There was nothing extraordinary about it; at most, it was simply an architectural structure sporting an archaic design.
However, the equipment was entirely modern cutting-edge tech, evoking the bizarre sense of dissonance of modern people conducting advanced research in the Middle Ages.
It also gave off the impression that Strucker was a nobleman while everyone else was a servant.
That wasn't wrong either—the man was an aristocrat to begin with.
Loya spotted some Chitauri weaponry and equipment here, which differed little from the original storyline.
However, because the Mind Scepter had been brought here far earlier than anticipated,
the modern human experimentation laboratory beneath the castle was still being renovated and hadn't been completely finished. It was currently in the final stages and looked ready to be commissioned very soon.
After touring the base, Strucker invited Loya to dine with him.
It was purportedly a lavish feast meticulously prepared by top master chefs, featuring delicacies that flew in the sky, ran on land, and swam in the sea—everything one could imagine.
Yet eating it was absolute agony for Loya. Each serving was a tiny scrap, barely enough for a taste. What was the point? Did they all have the appetites of hummingbirds?
The previous course was completely digested before the next one was served; it was his first time ever eating a meal where he ended up hungrier the more he ate.
It tasted far worse than food prepared by his automatic cooking pot.
Not only were the portions pitiful, it tasted terrible too; it couldn't even compare to a simple, unpretentious plate of egg fried rice.
After struggling through dinner, Strucker gave no further instructions, simply telling Loya to get some good rest and that they would talk tomorrow.
He, meanwhile, couldn't wait to delve into researching the Mind Scepter.
Loya was more than happy to let him; it gave him the perfect opportunity to take a break and perform his lucky draw.
Returning to the lounge Strucker had arranged for him, Loya swept the room with his telekinesis and couldn't help shaking his head.
These people just loved pulling this kind of stunt.
Who could have imagined that inside such a small temporary lounge, there would actually be twenty-one miniature cameras and thirty-two listening bugs?
All day long, completely ignoring their real duties. Shouldn't Hydra stick to doing what Hydra was supposed to do? Wouldn't destroying the world be better? What was the point of messing with this nonsense?
One look and it was clear they had been led astray by that bastard Fury.
Loya swiftly dismantled all the cameras and wiretaps, tossing them casually into the trash can.
He didn't have to worry about drawing Strucker's displeasure.
Not only because this was practically a S.H.I.E.L.D.tradition,
but more importantly, a large portion of these cameras and listening bugs were brand new, evidently installed just recently.
The motive was glaringly obvious: nothing more than testing the capabilities of Loya, the so-called ace S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
How could hearing about it from others compare to seeing it with one's own eyes?
On paper, Strucker belonged to the scientific research division while Loya belonged to the combat division. Agents from different branches probing
one another was perfectly normal, and fit right in with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s style.
Having finished with that, Loya pulled out the hacker phone and located Fury's contact information.
With the quest completed, he naturally had to report in to see if he could trigger the next stage.
His fingers tapped swiftly across the screen as he sent a message.
"Commander, the mission is complete. All attackers have been wiped out."
Fury seemed to have been waiting all along; not long after the message was sent, a reply came back.
"Splendid work! Are you injured?"
"No. The enemy was far weaker than I anticipated. I burned them all clean in a single blaze—guaranteed not to pollute the environment."
On the other end, when Fury saw the reply, his eyes widened uncontrollably.
He had witnessed the combat prowess of those special Hydra Soldiers firsthand; he had nearly lost his life to them.
Furthermore, judging by the intelligence Pierce had obtained through counter-infiltration, their actual strength was far greater than what met the eye.
Yet in Loya's words, they had been handled so effortlessly, even written off as weak.
Throughout Loya's execution of the mission, Fury had been worried sick, communicator glued to his hand as he constantly prepared for the worst.
Although he had received word earlier that the Hydrasquad had been annihilated,
beneath his astonishment, he had still remained anxious about Loya's safety.
Receiving this confirmation brought immense relief, visibly restoring color to his face.
As expected, he was still the strongest Agent; even as Hydra rolled out their upgrades, he remained just as dominant.
Fury turned to Pierce beside him and conveyed the news.
Pierce's eyelids twitched. He wasn't surprised by this outcome—it had been completely within expectations—he just felt a slight twinge of regret.
Naturally, he wasn't mourning the other faction's HydraInhumans.
Rather, he was pained by the complete loss of those aircraft. Compared to those hard-to-control HydraInhumans, those controllable high-end aircraft were far more valuable.
Still, what was done was done; regret was futile. He could only blame himself for failing to issue an order to retrieve the aircraft at the time.
Pierce looked at Fury and smiled faintly. "Let us proceed with our plan. Have Loya stand by for now, and we shall summon him when the final annihilation arrives."
Fury nodded, a gleam of excitement flashing in his eye; he had awaited this opportunity for a very long time.
Tapping quickly on his keyboard, he sent a message to Loya.
"Remain on standby in Sokovia for now and await further orders. If the person in charge of Sokovia requires your assistance, cooperate as best you can."
Seeing the message, Loya replied: "Acknowledged!"
Right after, the system chime rang beside his ear.
[Next stage quest triggered]
[Current quest: Standby]
[Current objective: Remain in Sokovia and await further orders]
[Reward: EXP +500]
Fury's order to stand by was actually well within Loya's expectations.
According to Pierce's note, annihilating that Hydra faction in one fell swoop was naturally no simple matter; exhaustive preparations were required.
He was merely somewhat surprised that even standing by could count as a quest.
Though it was a mere 500 EXP, even a mosquito's leg was still meat. Besides, it was a freebie quest that required zero effort—why not?
Tucking away the hacker phone, Loya went to take a bath. This had become his routine before drawing prizes, solely to preserve a sense of ritual.
After bathing, he lay on the bed, evenly allocated his three free attribute points first, and then shifted his gaze toward the lucky draw attempts on the system panel, uttering his customary prayer: "Three Pure Ones, Jade Emperor, Tathagata Buddha, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Jesus, God, Old Man Stan Lee—bless me with something good."
"Draw!"
[Congratulations, you have obtained the ability: Kamehameha]
[Kamehameha: Max level Kamehameha. Condenses "Ki" into a single point to unleash exceptionally formidable destructive force. The max level Kamehameha is no longer limited to using the power of "Ki"; further application methods and effects depend on the user's personal development. You have comprehended the cultivation method of "Ki"—the fusion of life energy and spiritual power possessing immense might. (The power of Kamehameha depends on the user's own strength)]
[Evaluation: Remember to stand on the right when clashing energy beams.]
Chapter 200: Do you want to know the meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?
Seeing this reward, Loya abruptly straightened up, joy flashing in his eyes.
A good thing dropped!
The moment he drew this ability, all information regarding it surged into his mind, and he understood everything.
"Kamehameha" can be considered a jack-of-all-trades ability with extremely high inclusivity. The stronger the user, the greater the power it can unleash.
In "Dragon Ball", it has accompanied the protagonist Goku all along.
Furthermore, the training method for "Ki" that it brings also has an extremely high upper limit, which can significantly boost one's strength.
Although the name "Kamehameha" doesn't sound like much, once someone can actually fire it off, who wouldn't want to passionately shout out: "Ka-me-ha-me-ha!"
When he watched "Dragon Ball" in his past life, he often shouted along with it.
Loya took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Relying on the max-level "Kamehameha"'s understanding and precise control over "Ki", he perceived the surging power within his body.
With just a single thought, he could precisely control it.
This was "Ki", the combination of life energy and spiritual power, capable of erupting with power far exceeding the physical limits of the body.
Feeling the power of ki, Loya opened his eyes, happily extended his right hand, curled his The Five Fingers into a void grasp, and mobilized the "Ki" inside his body.
Hum~
The next moment, the void emitted a soft sound, and a fist-sized energy sphere rapidly condensed above Loya's palm, exuding an extremely terrifying aura.
The surrounding air was distorting, and the furniture in the room was also trembling slightly, making creaking sounds.
Loya forcefully resisted the urge to push it out, slowly withdrawing his mobilization of "Ki", and the energy sphere quickly dissipated.
Although this energy sphere was small and didn't mobilize much "Ki", if he pushed it out without restraint, not a single person in this base would survive; everyone except him would instantly evaporate on the spot.
Even the base wouldn't be saved.
This was because Loya's own stats were very high, his spiritual power was also strong, and the quality of his "Ki" was extremely high as well.
Loya was very satisfied with this ability he drew.
The lethality of the Kamehameha wave was immense, which happened to make up for his shortcomings.
He had always felt that he lacked something in this kind of pure, large-scale area-of-effect attack.
The previous method of aggregating multiple energies and attempting to erupt with powerful might always felt a bit lacking and failed to meet his expectations.
Now, having the "Kamehameha" made up for this shortcoming, allowing him to unleash the power within his body more perfectly and erupt with even greater might.
This was a form of control and exquisite application of mighty power, achieving an effect greater than one part of force with just one part of effort.
Furthermore, the "Kamehameha" drawn from the system wasn't restricted to being driven solely by "Ki"; other powers could be used as well.
Viewed this way, this "Kamehameha" was more like an advanced technique for utilizing power, simultaneously coming with a method to cultivate "Ki", truly killing two birds with one stone.
Just as Goku developed different Kamehamehas in "Dragon Ball", Loya could also develop different Kamehamehas using the various powers inside his body.
For instance, driving it with the "Power of the Sun", or driving it with magic, or driving it with the "power of killing intent", and so on.
One could completely treat the "Kamehameha" as an "amplifier" capable of boosting different powers.
Imagine this: at high noon, Loya puts on multiple precious garments, burns his Cosmo, then uses "Shirt-Busting God of War" to burst his clothes to amplify his stats, and at this time uses "Absolute Value"----
In short, it's like clowning around, frantically stacking various buff effects.
After stacking the buffs, he then activates the "Kamehameha"; just how strong would its power be at that moment?
He dared not think about it, simply dared not think about it.
The more Loya thought about it, the more excited he became. He simply crossed his legs on the bed, closed his eyes, and directly began cultivating the power of "Ki", essentially becoming a Qi practitioner.
He only understood how to cultivate "Ki" and had just refined some of it, but he hadn't raised "Ki" to a level comparable to the other powers in his body yet, so he still needed to cultivate it himself.
Fortunately, Loya's base stats were high enough, he possessed multiple abilities that enhanced perception, and coupled with the max-level Kamehameha's super-strong comprehension of "Ki", he possessed a trinity of body, mind, and technique, making his cultivation exceptionally rapid.
Unwittingly, the entire night passed in the state of cultivation, except for occasionally hearing some explosive commotions—it seemed some experiments had failed.
The next day.
The sun was high in the sky.
Knock, knock, knock!
The knocking on the door outside awakened Loya from his cultivation.
He opened his eyes, sharp lights flickering within them. His clothes, which had been billowing without wind, instantly dropped, ending his cultivation of ki.
Staying up all night was nothing at all to the current Loya; there wasn't a shred of fatigue.
Loya gently leaped down to the ground, then stretched lazily, making cracking and popping sounds.
A single night of cultivation naturally couldn't elevate the power of ki to a level matching his other powers.
But the progress was still huge, and he believed it wouldn't take long to catch up.
This kind of power that could trigger a power-up due to emotional fluctuations was still very worth cultivating.
Loya walked to the door and casually pulled it open to reveal a generic-looking Agent.
He said, "Commander, Commander Strucker is looking for you."
"Alright, I'll head over immediately." Loya nodded.
After delivering the message, the Agent turned and left.
Loya originally planned to wash up before heading over, but seeing the Agent's back, he suddenly had an idea.
He tried using the method of "Ki" to perceive the ki inside the other party's body and judge their strength.
As expected, the other party's ki was exceptionally weak, and their strength naturally wasn't much to speak of.
To use the phrasing from "Dragon Ball", this Agent's current battle power was less than five; he couldn't even be considered a five-scum warrior.
Hmm----perhaps this Agent was administrative personnel.
After a brief wash-up, Loya arrived at Strucker's office.
The moment he stepped through the door, he was startled, a trace of surprise flashing in the depths of his eyes.
This office was outrageously luxurious.
Right as you entered, the carpet underfoot was the pelt of an entire Arctic bear, its borders inlaid with gold, fully displaying extravagance.
Hanging on the walls were some paintings Loya couldn't understand. From his aesthetic perspective, these paintings were really not that great.
But this just happened to prove Strucker's wealth and ostentatiousness.
What he wanted wasn't good-looking, but expensive—this kind of art incomprehensible to worldly folks.
Even the desk was made of some rare wood, even more extravagant than that dead man Kingpin's.
However, Loya wasn't surprised because of the luxury, but because of Strucker.
Under the perception of "Mind's Eye", this fellow's emotions were very wrong.
Murderous intent, curiosity, possessiveness, fear, obsession—these emotions were particularly strong, acting just like a pervert.
Loya was initially somewhat puzzled, but linking it to the other party's identity and philosophy, as well as their enthusiasm for human experiments, he seemed to understand something.
Strucker, this pervert, wanted to study him!
There was only this one possibility.
But why didn't he have this thought yesterday?
Loya quickly thought of the answer.
Barring any surprises, the matter of him slaughtering that group of Inhumans yesterday had already reached Strucker's ears.
That was why the other party's attitude suddenly shifted, developing such immense interest in him, yet wary of his strength and not daring to act rashly, only being able to fantasize about it in his head.
After all, researching out the secrets on his body held a massive temptation for Strucker.
Loya only felt a wave of nausea; being targeted like this by a man really didn't feel very good.
If it weren't for the fact that Strucker's value hadn't been squeezed dry yet, and that the other party was still tied to subsequent plans, he would have long since fed this pervert a Kamehameha. Loya endured the nausea, sat opposite Strucker, and calmly asked, "Commander, is there something you need me for?"
Strucker pushed up his monocle and smiled, "I heard that your mission completion rate in S.H.I.E.L.D. is one hundred percent, and you've never failed once?"
Loya still calmly responded, "Yes, as long as it's not some task of ruling the world or destroying the universe, I can probably go and give it a try. It seems the Commanderneeds my help?"
Strucker's eyelids twitched slightly, and he chuckled, "That's right, I do indeed need you to complete a mission."
He continued, "According to our experimental plan, we need a batch of people to conduct energy-enhancement experiments with the Mind Scepter, but we don't have any death row inmates available here, so I need you to secretly recruit a batch of volunteers for the experiment."
[Strucker issues a mission to you]
[Mission: Recruit Volunteers]
[Objective: Recruit volunteers to conduct experiments with the Mind Scepter]
[Rewards: Experience +2000, Random Item * 2]
No death row inmates available? What a load of bullcrap! Clearly, they were all blown to pieces last night, and even quite a few Hydra members were blown to their deaths.
Loya sneered inwardly. His "Voice of All Things" could easily grasp the entire situation of the base, so he naturally knew what had happened.
Ever since getting his hands on the Mind Scepter, Struckerhad started crazy experiments.
First injecting energy into those Chitauri weapons for research, and then conducting energy modification on death row inmates and a portion of Hydra members.
They weren't protagonists, so naturally they couldn't withstand it and became human fireworks, which was why subjects were now in urgent demand.
Well, this mission was very simple: just bring the Wandasiblings over, which would achieve it in one go and avoid more innocent people dying.
Then he'd see if Strucker had any other utility value left; if not, he could start his plan.
Thinking of this, Loya immediately nodded. "No problem, leave it to me, I'll get it sorted out soon."
Just as he was about to stand up and leave, Strucker spoke up again.
With a concerned expression on his face and his tone deliberately intensified, he said, "Sokovia is in the midst of war, and those government personnel do nothing at all, most nobles even less so. As for the militaries of other countries, well, invaders—you know how it is. You must be careful; cannon shells have no eyes."
How could Loya fail to understand Strucker's hint?
Wasn't every word essentially telling him to go kidnap people from Sokovia's incompetent government and those invaders to act as "volunteers"?
Clearly, this pervert had studied his profile and knew how to guide him according to the persona he had put on display.
What the purpose was was also very easy to see.
Kidnapping those invaders and government personnel would cause Sokovia to become even more chaotic.
And the more chaotic Sokovia was, the safer the secret base would be, and he could also take this opportunity to procure more experimental subjects.
It seemed this was Strucker's hidden objective; he wanted both volunteers and chaos.
Loya became even more displeased. It was one thing for this damn pervert to want to study him, but now he was treating him like a fool, using him as a gun, making himself look so smart.
However, he'd let this bastard jump around for a couple of days first and squeeze dry all the missions that could be triggered before doing anything else.
Thus, Loya decided to play along with the ruse, his expression sinking as he pretended to look somewhat angry, and said coldly, "I understand!"
After finishing, he turned and left in a huff.
Seeing Loya leave, Strucker smiled smugly; his guidance had succeeded, just as expected.
Under this guidance, even if Loya didn't capture people from the government and invaders, he would definitely strike at one of the factions, and the result would naturally be that Sokovia became even more chaotic.
This was precisely the situation he needed.
The information given by Pierce was indeed reliable. This so-called ace agent was indeed formidable, but he was also truly easy to guide, or rather, simply somewhat foolish. If not for his sufficient strength, he probably would have died long ago.
Giving such strength to a person with this kind of brain was truly a waste.
Speaking of formidable strength, Strucker couldn't help pushing up his glasses, the curiosity and obsession in his eyes becoming even more intense.
Last night he received news from Pierce that over a hundred Inhumans who attempted to seize the Mind Scepter had all died, leaving not even corpses to be found, and their aircraft had mysteriously vanished.
He had specially calculated the time it took for a Quinjet to fly at full speed to reach the base, and compared it with the actual takeoff and arrival time of Loya and the others.
He found that there was a difference of only about ten minutes.
That is to say, within a mere ten minutes, Loya had single-handedly slaughtered over a hundred Inhumans with supernatural abilities, and emerged completely unscathed.
What kind of concept was this?
Those were Inhumans, not just any ordinary people.
Even if killing ordinary people, ten minutes in the sky was completely not enough.
This could only indicate that Loya's strength far, far exceeded those Inhumans, entirely not on the same plane, which was why he could accomplish it so effortlessly.
Truly incredible, this world was indeed marvelous.
A certain divine emissary popped up in the Avengers, terrifyingly strong, and within S.H.I.E.L.D., there actually existed someone who could easily crush Inhumans. To think the world still had so many unsolved mysteries—it was truly fascinating.
Strucker was filled with emotion.
He didn't feel any heartache for those Inhumans; he wished even more of them had died.
Previously, when he asked their leader for a bit of Terrigen Mist to research, they wouldn't give it; now dying like this was truly serving them right.
They still wanted to snatch the Mind Scepter to enhance Inhuman abilities?
Go dream on!
It was precisely because of Loya's extraordinary strength that Strucker was so interested in the abilities on Loya's body.
If he could dissect and study them, there would definitely be massive gains.
For such an ability to be possessed by just a single person was simply too wasteful; if it could be mass-produced, that would be true evolution!
Strucker's lips curled up into a sinister smile, his gaze growing increasingly profound.
Such days would arrive very soon; it wouldn't be much longer.
Since they couldn't win in a head-on confrontation, couldn't they play dirty?
He was Hydra!
Leaving the castle base, Loya casually found a secluded spot in the outskirts and stopped.
Confirming that there was no one around, he snapped his fingers, and a ball of flames materialized out of thin air on the open ground in front of him.
Immediately afterward, he took the "automatic cooking pot" out of the System Space and placed it over the fire.
What he was going to do went without saying; of course, it was cooking.
Of course, it wasn't just because Loya was hungry and couldn't get used to the food at the base; there was also what he needed to do next.
He couldn't possibly go to find Wanda and her brother empty-handed and ask them to cooperate with him on experiments and subsequent actions, right?
Shouldn't he prepare some gifts?
By the way, he needed to find an entry point for winning them over.
The welcome gift Loya prepared was fried chicken drumsticks.
He poured cooking oil into the pot, and after the oil temperature rose, he added the prepared, high-quality large chicken drumsticks. He just needed to wait for the "automatic cooking pot" to finish cooking on its own, which was very convenient.
Sokovia was in a period of war, with extreme shortages of supplies. It was difficult even to get enough to eat, let alone have something like fried chicken drumsticks.
In other places, this might be very ordinary.
But in Sokovia, fried chicken drumsticks were an absolute luxury, and many people hadn't eaten them in years.
Let alone fried chicken drumsticks made by the "automatic cooking pot." This was a delicacy that made the Ancient One give a thumbs-up, guaranteed to be unforgettable after just one bite.
The world was so polarized; some people needed to lose weight because they ate too much, while others worried every day about whether they would have something to eat for their next meal, and eating their fill was a luxury.
This was even more true for Wanda and her brother. Being war orphans made it even harder for them, and nothing was more comfortable than having a full meal.
A calorie bomb that brought happiness like fried chicken was just right for people of this age, and it couldn't be more suitable for closing the distance between them.
This wouldn't seem too abrupt either, and sending food was the most practical way.
Of course, how could eating fried chicken be complete without cola?
As the saying goes, fried chicken paired with cola brings more and more joy the more you eat.
Inside Loya's System Space, there was iced cola; he could just take it out when the time came.
There was no help for it; who asked the System Space to be so big? Besides, except for the automatically derived pet space, time in the System Space was paused—whatever the items looked like when put in, they looked the same when taken out.
Loya liked to stuff things inside whenever he had nothing to do, and the things inside were no different from a giant supermarket.
As a rich aroma of grease mixed with spices drifted from the pot, the fried chicken drumsticks were complete!
Loya kept one chicken drumstick for himself and packed the rest into the System Space.
After finishing the fragrant fried chicken drumsticks, Loyasucked his fingers and couldn't help feeling a bit emotional.
What was the goal of life?
Wasn't it just going to the dock to get some fries?
Of course, the dock could be anywhere, and the fries could be anything.
Loya tidied up a bit and changed into another outfit—an exquisite black suit.
After putting it on, he was simply breathtakingly handsome!
[Charm Suit: A suit that can change colors at will and adapt to the user's physique. Wearing it increases the user's charm and boosts opposite-sex affinity]
This suit prop, which increased charm and opposite-sex affinity, could be used precisely to close the distance with Wanda.
Everything was ready, set out!
Loya's figure vanished instantly.
Novigrad was the capital of Sokovia and also the area most severely affected by the war.
Internally, the regime was split and turbulent, with nobles carving out territories and fighting frequent civil wars until their brains were beaten out, occasionally pressing able-bodied men into military service.
Externally, neighboring countries invaded, attempting to annex Sokovia, often starting wars in Novigrad or carrying out terrorist attacks.
There was also certain countries or organizations that wanted to profit, secretly stirring up trouble and fueling the flames.
As for the government, it was extremely incompetent and inactive, letting the situation develop while corruption reached its peak.
Of course, among these, what the Sokovians hated the most had to be that famous global troublemaker, America.
Novigrad had been bombed by the U.S. military, and countless Sokovians had died as a result; this was an unshakable shadow lingering in the hearts of the survivors.
Coupled with these bastards parading around under the banner of so-called justice, arbitrarily amassing wealth, and running amok, it bred even more hatred in people's hearts.
Because of this, local anti-American sentiment was at its highest, anti-American slogans could be seen everywhere amidst the ruins, and many Sokovians who had lost loved ones spontaneously formed protest and resistance organizations.
There was always a few days each month when various countries would rest and briefly halt combat, which was also the best opportunity for the resistance organizations to hold protest marches.
Today was just such a day.
The resistance organization walked down the streets, waving the flags in their hands, marching imposingly toward the Sokovian government building.
Wanda and Pietro were members among them.
They raised their flags and shouted; sallow and emaciated from long-term malnutrition, they shouted the hardest.
One had to say that the leader of this protest procession was very talented.
Arriving at the square outside the government building, he organized the crowd to protest. His speech was so stirring and passionate that it made everyone's blood boil; in another era, he might have been an extraordinary guy.
Under his leadership, the crowd protested in an orderly manner and made demands of the government.
The leader naturally understood that it was impossible for the government to be anti-American, lacking the strength to do so, so most of the demands were reasonable survival needs based on the status quo.
Without solving current survival needs, there was no speaking of any future; he hoped these young people under him could make the Sokovian government take notice.
Dragging America out to talk about it had somewhat of the flavor of aim for the top and hit the middle.
It was just a pity that the Sokovian government personnel only coldly glanced at the resistance organization, then drew the curtains, looking as if they wouldn't be annoyed if they didn't have to see them.
Seeing this, the leader's eyes turned cold, his fists clenched tightly, and his anger and disgust toward this incompetent government reached its peak.
He clearly saw the government's supply convoy drive into the warehouse.
Those supplies, even if just a tiny bit leaked out, would be enough for these people to safely eat a meal a day.
They wouldn't have to search for food amidst the gunfire and artillery fire; even just a piece of bread would be enough to survive.
But why?
Why would they rather let it rot in the warehouse than share it with their compatriots?
The leader's eyes were bloodshot, his body trembled slightly, but there was nothing he could do. What could a group of unarmed people like them do?
He sighed helplessly: "Disperse, everyone go back."
Hearing this, the crowd lowered their heads.
Although they had failed many times, facing failure yet again still made people feel distressed inside.
But what could they do? They hadn't eaten today yet, and they still had to spend time searching for food. They simply couldn't afford to waste time, so they could only disperse.
The crowd slowly dispersed. Wanda and Pietro put away their flags and left helplessly; this had already become the norm.
The two walked down the street, their stomachs growling.
They weren't getting enough to eat to begin with, and after shouting so loudly just now, they were even hungrier now, feeling as if their intestines were fighting each other.
They didn't know if they could get anything to eat today, and could only tighten their belts to temporarily relieve the hunger.
Right at this moment, they heard a faint broadcast sound—it was—a peace organization was distributing food!
The two looked at each other, instinctively swallowing a mouthful of saliva, their eyes flashing with excitement.
Every month in Sokovia, world peace organizations, such as the Red Cross, would appear to distribute food to refugees, and this month they had been coming relatively frequently.
Wanda and the others had received food here quite a few times.
But they had to be fast!
In war-torn Sokovia, food was an extremely precious resource; even just a little bit could keep someone alive for another day.
Because of this, every time food was distributed, a large crowd of refugees would gather.
The peace organization didn't have much food either; once they went late, they wouldn't even be able to get any scraps.
For the sake of food, the two had no choice but to squeeze out the last remaining strength in their bodies and run quickly toward the source of the sound.
Because the food distribution point was quite far from their home, by the time they arrived, the scene was already surrounded by refugees.
Wanda panted heavily, her face covered in sweat. Looking at the scene before her, she couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed; there was definitely no hope now, it was all a wasted effort.
Seeing this, Pietro couldn't bear to see Wandadisappointed, so he patted his chest and guaranteed: "Don't worry, Wanda, leave it to me!"
With that, he rushed forward in one bound. Relying on years of experience searching for food and stealing in the ruins, he squeezed into the crowd with all his might.
After a long while, the food was gone, and the crowd finally dispersed. Pietro trotted back covered in sweat.
He clutched half a piece of hard bread in his hand and handed it to Wanda with a smug look: "How is it? Am I awesome? I was too hungry just now and already ate half, the rest is for you."
Wanda rolled her eyes at Pietro, then took the bread without saying anything. She just forcefully snapped half of it off and handed it to Pietro.
Pietro was stunned for a moment, scratched his head awkwardly, and took the other half of the bread.
The two chewed on the bread in their hands in small bites, trying to squeeze out every drop of nourishment, while slowly walking toward their lodgings.
On the way, Pietro said with some emotion: "I saw the video of the Avengers at that peace organization just now again. Those people are really amazing; it would be great if I were that powerful."
He looked full of yearning: "That way we wouldn't go hungry."
These days in Sokovia, whether it was Doctors Without Borders or the peace organizations distributing food, anywhere that could connect to the internet to watch videos could see videos of the Avengers.
It was as if someone was deliberately propagating them.
Pietro didn't think that much; he just envied those people's abilities. If he also had that kind of ability, he would definitely be able to bring Wanda full meals.
Of course, except for Iron Man; in his opinion, this person who caused them to lose their home must be putting on a show!
A person whose hands were stained with blood was actually acting hypocritically as a hero—how ridiculous!
Pietro thought for a moment and couldn't help asking Wanda: "Wanda, among the Avengers members, who do you like the most?"
Wanda tilted her head, thought carefully, and said: "The Wolf God Cult emissary, I suppose."
She had also watched the videos many times, and the most impressive one was that Wolf God Cult emissary.
It wasn't just the powerful strength and mysterious background he displayed, but also because the purpose of this emissary's appearance was very clear—to save people.
Coupled with the recent peace organizations, those people who came to the rescue had once mentioned that part of the donations in the organization came from the Wolf God Cult's charitable foundation, otherwise the distribution of supplies wouldn't have become much more frequent.
This was a genuinely down-to-earth good deed, and coupled with the Wolf God Cult emissary's performance, it was hard not to develop a favorable impression.
However, Wanda felt it wasn't worth it for the others in the Avengers; they must have been deceived by Stark!
An arms dealer, a guy who didn't know how many casualties he had caused, actually joined the Avengers and was hypocritically playing the hero?
Sure enough, bastards like this were so good at acting; damn it!
He simply didn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Wolf God Cult emissary!
"Me too!" Pietro's eyes showed adoration; everything Wanda knew, he knew as well.
During these years as a war orphan struggling to survive, he understood a principle: regardless of whether gods existed or not, any religion or god that could not provide substantive help to people was garbage and a liar.
He had already seen too many people chanting things like the Bible and God bless starving to death alive.
What did gods give them?
Did they give them suffering before death?
Only accepting faith and offerings without providing help—wasn't that a liar? Pure bastards!
Only the newly risen Wolf God Cult could be considered a truly good religion, and the Wolf God Cult emissary was a proper, decent good person.
Extraordinary power, solid help—in comparison, all other religions were bullshit!
Pietro continued talking about some unrealistic yearnings, and Wanda listened quietly, unconsciously arriving near their residence.
This was an extremely covert room hidden among the ruins, capable of shielding them from wind and rain.
Hiding here made it hard to be discovered, which was also one of the reasons they could survive.
They planned to sleep first to recover the physical strength consumed during the protest, and go look for food later.
However, when Wanda and Pietro stepped into their dwelling, they suddenly stopped in their tracks, their faces full of astonishment.
Fragrant!
An indescribably rich aroma echoed within the room, stirring up their past memories.
Such a fragrant food scent had only been smelled when their parents were still around.
Their mouths secreted saliva frantically, their stomachs growled uncooperatively, and their intestines and stomachs churned violently, urging them to quickly eat the source of the fragrance.
Before the two could react as to why the aroma of food appeared here, a low voice suddenly sounded behind them, carrying an ethereal echo.
Pietro and Wanda were struck as if by lightning; their bodies completely stiffened, their faces full of terror.
"Do you want to know the meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?"