Ch; 61-70
Chapter 61: Captain HYDRA Awakens!
Perhaps... the ones he didn't truly understand and held prejudices against weren't just Karl, but also... Kingpin!
After taking one last deep look at Kingpin, Director Stacy put on his police cap and turned to leave.
He would still keep a consistent eye on Kingpin in the future, but he would no longer have any prejudice!
Stark Tower.
In the end, Peter still couldn't resist Tony's prodding and drank the first glass of alcohol in his life at Stark Tower.
And as everyone knows, in life there is only the first time and countless times; with alcohol, there is only not touching a single drop, and countless glasses.
Thus, the three of them discussed the modification plan for their temporary team Base while sipping on some drinks, glass after glass unconsciously going down.
Tony's original intention was to get the two youngsters, Karl and Peter, drunk, but he clearly forgot that although all three of them were called Superheroes.
Karl and Peter were genuine Superhumans, while he, Tony, was not; the only thing he had was his Super-brain.
And a Super-brain can't sober someone up~
Consequently, before Karl and Peter even got tipsy, Tony had already become as drunk as a dog.
In the end, it was Peter who helped Tony into Happy's car and sent him home.
And as for their renovation plan for the Base, they ultimately didn't reach a conclusion.
However, although the team wasn't officially established, before Tony got drunk, he and Karl had first settled on the team members' salaries.
That right, this Superhero team of theirs had salaries; it wasn't voluntary.
First of all, the team would have a Base salary of one hundred thousand dollars per month allocated by Stark Industries.
Although for Karl and Tony, this was like moving money from the left pocket to the right, and they didn't care about a mere hundred thousand a month.
But they had to look out for some of the poorer heroes in the team, didn't they?
For example, Peter, or Spider-Man, or Failure-man... Karl and Tony didn't want Peter to have to struggle every day fighting crime while worrying about tuition, living expenses, and dating costs after joining a team with two trillionaires... Even if Peter didn't care, for Karl and Tony, it would be a huge blow to their team's prestige, alright?
So high salaries were a must!
And not just Peter; if any other Superhero members joined their team in the future, they would also start with a Base salary of one hundred thousand!
Furthermore, joining their team didn't just come with a salary graciously provided by Stark Industries, but also crime-fighting bonuses provided by the New York City Government.
Their team was currently the only hero team cooperating with the government and the police department; for every troublesome criminal or supervillain they caught for the police, they would receive a substantial bonus provided by the government!
And of these bonuses, the team would take ten percent for the maintenance of shared equipment, while the other ninety percent would go entirely to the individual Superhero who caught the criminal.
And, it's tax-free!
As for the name of this Superhero team... it hadn't been decided yet... because all three had different ideas. Tony wanted to call it Iron Will, Peter wanted to call it Spider Legion, and Karl wanted to call it Shadow Alliance.
All three thought the names they came up with sounded good, so before a unified opinion could be reached, Tony passed out drunk.
This was also one of the most important reasons why the team hadn't been officially established yet, because there was no unified name... but Karl wasn't in a hurry, because right now he had something he was more interested in than forming a team.
Karl pulled out his phone; Hawkeye had just sent him an encrypted message via Dr. Zola.
[Tomorrow morning at 9:00, the Captain awakens. Nick Fury will personally go to meet him.]
When Karl saw this message, he immediately turned around from the direction of home and flew towards Washington, eager to see the Planter vs. cotton gin battle tomorrow!
The next day.
After staying at his godfather Pierce's house for a night, Karl followed Pierce in a car towards the Triskelion early in the morning.
Even Pierce, who knew what was going on, looked helpless. He asked the excited Karl in the seat next to him:
"You want to see Nick Fury get beaten up that badly? He doesn't seem to have offended you, right?"
Karl shrugged as if it were a matter of course:
"He hasn't offended me, but doesn't Godfather think that some people's status is currently too high, and they need a 'correct' Superhero to teach them a lesson?"
Pierce:...That person whose position you say is too high was promoted by my own hand... although he promoted Nick Fury just to find a scapegoat for HYDRA... Pierce didn't answer, but Crossbones, who was driving, rarely took the initiative to chime in:
"I think the Young Master is right. Some people are becoming more and more arrogant because of political correctness. We need a more politically correct Captain HYDRA to teach them how to behave!"
Pierce glanced at Crossbones and coughed lightly:
"Cough, watch your words, Rumlow. It's Captain America, not Captain HYDRA. Americans recognize Captain America, they won't recognize any Captain HYDRA..."
"However, after the Captain recovers, I will transfer him to your Strike Team. I believe that with the Captain's prestige and ability, the Strike Team will find it much more convenient to operate in the future."
A look of excitement appeared on Crossbones' face: "Exactly!"
While Pierce was arranging the Captain's future workplace, Karl, who was sensing S.H.I.E.L.D. with his shadow ability, suddenly widened his eyes:
"Holy shit! You two big villains can chat slowly. That son of a bitch Nick Fury isn't being punctual; he's started awakening the Captain early. I have to hurry and join the fun!"
Saying this, Karl disappeared directly from the car and headed towards the Triskelion through the shadows.
After the Shadow World expanded again, the range in which Karl could move or observe using shadows in reality also expanded; it had expanded by a full ten times at once!
From the original one thousand meters, it expanded to a distance of ten thousand meters centered on him!
So even though Karl hadn't entered the Triskelion yet, he could already sense the situation inside.
Triskelion, Medical Room.
Today was the most nerve-wracking day for S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. The Medical Room was surrounded layer upon layer by fully armed Agents, as if the person lying inside was the President.
Today was also the most exciting day for Nick Fury, because the first and most important step in forming the Avengers depended on today!
As long as he successfully fooled the Captain today and got the awakened Captain to agree to serve as the Avengers' leader, he would be able to control an invincible team of superpowered heroes!
Nick Fury took a deep breath, prepared the deceptive rhetoric and moral kidnapping he was going to say in his mind, nodded to the medical team, and ordered:
"Begin awakening the Captain!"
The medical team took the order and injected a micro-dose of adrenaline into the neck of the already thawed Captain.
Because Nick Fury couldn't wait, there was no time to prepare a World War II-era hospital room decoration for the Captain or let him wake up naturally; they directly forced the Captain to 'boot up'!
With a shot of adrenaline, even a dead man would jump up twice, so even a micro-dose quickly took effect... A pair of standard American big blue eyes suddenly snapped open!
Steve Rogers had officially returned from the icy hell to the 'warm' world of the living!
A smile immediately spread across Nick Fury's face. He was just about to use his deceptive tactics on the awakened Captain, but unexpectedly, before he could speak, he was suddenly slapped hard across the face. He spun several times before flying out and hitting the wall!
The Captain sat up abruptly from the bed. His handsome face was full of ferocity as he looked around at the stunned crowd in the Medical Room, shouting coldly and angrily: "You sons of bitches, who allowed a filthy cotton gin to get near me? Shouldn't he be picking cotton in the fields right now?!"
Chapter 62: Captain America Takes Up the Whip, Lashing While Sterilizing!
...Pick... pick cotton?
Oh, can we even say that out loud?
The other Agents stared in a daze, unsure whether they should arrest this red-necked Captain who'd just slapped their own Director.
Those Agents were stunned, but our newly 'high-class' Captain wasn't. He pointed at several white Agents and barked:
'What the hell are you staring at? Grab that damn *er on the floor and throw him back to the cotton field or the cannon-fodder battalion where he belongs!'
'And you masked *er, think a white mask and lab coat make you a Doctor? I saw through your low, filthy essence the moment I looked at you!'
With that, Captain America backhanded another Doctor, sending him flying!
The remaining Doctors and Agents in the infirmary recoiled in terror, stumbling backward.
Once might be an accident, but twice? This Captain was a full-blown swine knight!
They stammered, 'C-Captain, this is the new era of America, we have legal rights—Agents, Doctors, you can't do this...'
Captain America sneered: 'You damned HYDRA infiltrators still trying to fool me! Apart from battlefield cannon-fodder, America would never let muscle-brained fools like you into elite jobs like Agent or Doctor!'
'Now, all of you, stand still while I—'
Before he could finish, a furious roar cut him off.
'Motherf***er, how dare you!!'
Leave it to Nick Fury, king of spies; after that slap he actually swayed back onto his feet, the whole side of his face swollen like a pig's.
The blow hadn't cracked his skull, but it had shattered his dignity. He roared at Captain America:
'Steve Rogers, did your brain freeze? This is the 21st century, not the 19th! All men are equal—assaulting me is a crime!'
'Grab this bastard right now!'
At Fury's order, the uncertain Agents finally moved.
Several burly men lunged at Captain America.
But who was Captain America? A super-soldier!
'Damn HYDRA, daring to resist? I'll crush you bitches in the name of justice!!'
Seeing tools fight back, Captain grinned with savage glee, charging like a wolf among huskies, showing Fury's 'pet huskies' what a real World War II beast looked like.
The infirmary erupted: Agents' screams, bones snapping, and the Captain's foul-mouthed curses.
Reversed by Karl, Captain no longer held back—every strike was brutal.
No one died, but the lightest injury was third-degree disability; these men would never serve as Agents again.
And because Captain was vital to Fury, every Agent here was his personal protégé, wholly his.
Not like the Strike Team half-answerable to the Security Council.
Losing even one made Fury's heart bleed.
He tried to yell for mercy, but Captain produced a whip from nowhere and—crack!—lashed his other intact cheek, splitting skin and silencing him with agony.
More lashes followed, shredding Fury's ever-present leather coat into strips.
Finally, annoyed by Fury's howls, Captain snapped the whip across his mouth, knocking out two teeth and physically shutting him up.
Where did the whip come from?
Karl, watching from the shadows, slipped it from Captain's own shadow for extra drama.
Because whipping a cotton gin without a whip is like fries without ketchup—bland, right?
All-American classics; as America's greatest hero, Captain couldn't abandon that tradition.
Whip in hand, Captain seemed possessed, lashing with ancestral fury, sending Agents shrieking.
He even grabbed a bottle of medical alcohol, pouring it on the whip as he struck—sterilizing while beating!
Can't win? Then run—America's century-honed specialty.
Sorry, no escape.
Captain blocked the door, trapping the screaming Agents inside while outside guards couldn't enter.
Not that the outside Agents tried very hard.
One slouched against the wall, knocking lazily and reciting:
'Hey, guys okay in there?'
'Crap, under attack? We're coming...'
'Oh crap, door's jammed, can't open it—hang on, we're getting a ram...'
'Damn, the ram was borrowed by the cleaning lady for the toilet yesterday; we'll go find her...'
Random nonsense, while the rest outside stayed indifferent to the screams inside.
Because... they were the HYDRA Captain America was punishing. When the cries finally ceased, Piercearrived with Crossbones.
Crossbones glanced at the Agent still knocking drivel: 'Open it.'
The 'jammed' door opened at once when the Agent turned the handle.
Captain hadn't even locked it... Pierce stepped in, frowning at the carnage.
Blood spattered glass, walls, floor; Agents lay twisted and barely breathing.
Only blood-soaked Captain America stood in the crimson pool, arms spread, eyes closed, savoring his victory!
Chapter 63 – Nick Fury Publicly Humiliated, Hill Defects?
"Captain Rogers…"
Hearing someone call his name, Captain America—still drunk on his victory—opened his eyes. Those savage pupils locked on Pierce.
Behind Pierce, even the blood-soaked Crossbones felt a chill race down his spine, his hand instinctively dropping to the pistol on his thigh.
Yet Pierce himself showed no change in expression as he faced this nightmarish version of Captain America. Instead, he stepped forward, offered his hand: "Captain Rogers, I'm Alexander Pierce, former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., current Secretary of the Security Council."
Pierce's confidence came from one source only: trust in his godson.
Since Karl swore Captain America was fully under control—brainwashed into a HYDRA loyalist—Steve would obey Karl and him without question.
Pierce didn't know the specifics of the brainwashing; through Dr. Zola's feed on the quinjet he'd only seen Karl rest a hand briefly on Hawkeye and the Captain's heads—then it was done.
But he believed every word Karl said.
Captain America studied Pierce, the violence in his gaze ebbing. He nodded. "You look the part—white as a true leader, not that loud-mouthed black wannabe!"
"Hck—ptooey!"
With that, Captain America turned and spat a seventy-year-old glob of phlegm onto the face of Nick Fury—beaten to a pulp and lying in a pool of blood.
Even Pierce's stomach lurched; he wondered if his godson had overdone the brainwashing. Rubbing his brow, he told Crossbones behind him: "I need to speak with the Captain alone. Rumlow, take Director Fury and the other Agents to the infirmary."
Crossbones hesitated two beats. "Sir, this is the infirmary. Every S.H.I.E.L.D. Doctor is currently unconscious on the floor."
Pierce: "…Then take them to the nearest hospital."
"Understood." Crossbones nodded, signaled.
The Agents at the door filed in and began dragging the half-dead colleagues—including Nick Fury—out.
Yes, dragging, not carrying.
For Agents with broken bones and whip-shredded skin, being hauled along the floor was a second torture.
As they were dragged, the barely-breathing Agents spasmed back to life, shrieking.
Uninformed Agents along the corridor thought it was an attack—until they saw Level-9 Rumlowleading the way, hauling what looked like a black-faced boar-monster. They stepped aside, assuming Strike had bagged some feral mutant pig.
Seeing more bloodied Agents dragged behind, they cursed the boar-monster for wounding so many comrades.
Furious rookies kicked the trussed-up Fury as they passed.
"Damned boar-thing!" they spat.
Fury—whipped worst of all, mouth split and swollen—could only grunt, sounding even more like a wild hog.
Crossbones, leading the procession, pretended not to notice the kicks, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he kept dragging.
He bypassed the Director's private lift, choosing the spacious public elevator—yes, the glass-walled one from Winter Soldier—turning Fury's agony into public theatre.
Doors opened on every floor; Agents glimpsed the wreckage, recoiled, spread word of the boar-monster.
At the Command Level, one woman stepped inside instead of retreating.
Hill glanced at Fury, then lifted icy eyes to Crossbones. "Rumlow, that's Director Fury. Explain—and why aren't they in medical?"
Crossbones met her chill stare without flinching, even smiled. "Seems you weren't told, CommanderHill. As deputy director, you're still an 'outsider' to our Director.""Our Director authorised a top-secret defrost op in medical—eyes-only for his inner circle. No memo to you?"
Hill froze, looked down at Fury in disbelief.
Fury tried to speak; his whip-smashed mouth managed only a wet mumble.
Crossbones added fuel: "Count yourself lucky you missed it. The defrost target woke… differently than expected. Wrecked the wing, every medic and Agent inside—Director included. So I'm taking them to the nearest hospital.""That's all I can say. If the Director didn't brief you, I can't."
Ding——————
The lift reached Sub-Level 1. Rumlow dragged Fury out.
Hill stayed aboard, eyes on Fury growing colder.
Just before the doors shut, Rumlow looked up. "By the way, Karl's here—Secretary's office. You might want to see him."
The doors closed, severing Hill and Fury as if into separate Worlds.
One more ally lost to Nick Fury.
After a moment Hill pressed the button for the Security Council floor.
As the car rose, her gaze hardened.
Once the Council's planted Deputy, she had served S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, not picked sides.
Yet after everything, Fury hadn't trusted her once—an off-the-books op, and a Level-9 Deputy hears nothing.
Was she an orphan?
No.
If Nick Fury didn't believe in her, someone else would.
Chapter 64: The Real Reason Karl Hates Nick Fury
She was going to throw her lot in with Pierce—the man who had once promoted her thanks to Karl.
With the Security Council!
As for Nick Fury—he could go eat shit.
Never underestimate a woman's grudge, especially a strong woman's… DING——————
Security Council, first floor.
Pierce and Captain America strolled out of the Director's private elevator, chatting and laughing on their way to his office.
Exactly why Crossbones hadn't let Nick Fury ride the private elevator.
Simple: Pierce, the real power at S.H.I.E.L.D., needed it, so the puppet Director Nick Fury could wait.
Inside the office, Karl was already sprawled in a chair, noisily crunching an apple.
He plucked another apple from the fruit bowl and tossed it to Captain America. "Decades without food—must've been rough. Have something sweet."
Captain America caught it one-handed, slapped his chest in salute toward Karl, then snapped a crisp forty-five-degree hand-up. "Boss!!"
Holy crap!!!
That sudden roar tickled the skin under Karl's nose, as if something might sprout there.
Had he really brainwashed the guy too hard and turned Captain America into Nazi America? Even Pierce—hard-core HYDRA chief—winced and rubbed his forehead; even he thought the wash job was over the top. Then Captain America spun to Pierce and snapped the same forty-five-degree salute. "Grand-boss, sorry for the slip!"
Pierce: … Now it wasn't just Karl's philtrum itching; Pierce's joined the party.
He'd only joined HYDRA; he didn't actually want to become the little-moustache guy. Pierce sighed. "Captain, we're in a new era. That old routine's done, so lose the gesture, okay?"
"Sure." Captain America dropped his hand, grinning. "Then, Officer, what's the mission? Urban sweep, or maybe off the President?"
Pierce and Karl exchanged looks. The Captain seemed… extra.
First day up and he's talking genocide and head-of-state hits?
Pierce shook his head. "Not yet. Wiping out that race means nothing, and killing the President changes nothing either."
"You'll start with the Strike Team. I'll give you high-profile assignments, bump your clearance inside S.H.I.E.L.D. first."
Captain America shrugged. "You're the big boss's boss—your call."
Karl rubbed his chin. "Godfather, you planning for the Captain to inherit Nick Fury's seat?"
Pierce smiled, pleased Karl had read his mind.
"Exactly. S.H.I.E.L.D. backs the Security Council and polices global super-natural incidents—perfect for sneaking HYDRA into every corner. But there are downsides…"
"The Director's chair is a lightning rod: constant contact with the super world, mostly hostile. One mis-step and you're dead and buried."
"Then there's the Council itself. They gave S.H.I.E.L.D. its power and can yank it anytime, shove the Director out as a scapegoat and slot in a new one like nothing happened."
"Once I saw that, I shoved Nick Fury—ruthless, twisted sense of justice—into the puppet seat. If the day comes they need a fall guy, we lose nothing."
"But…"
"Lately he's grown restless—building safe-houses worldwide, whispering with some shadow group. He's no longer a useful puppet."
"So I need a new Director: absolutely loyal, tough enough to handle super-human heat, and bullet-proof when it comes to blame."
"And Captain, who could be better?"
Karl nodded.
Captain America's identity gives him built-in political armor; decades of U.S. propaganda have carved his heroic image into every American heart. No politician—no country—will move against him lightly.
And as a super-soldier he won't drop from a random super attack like an ordinary suit.
Look at Nick Fury in Captain America 2—if his luck had been one ounce thinner he'd have died eight hundred times.
Captain America truly is the perfect S.H.I.E.L.D. Director.
As for the "shadow group" Pierce mentioned, Karl already knew who they were.
Not even a group—an alien race.
The Skrulls.
Notorious across the Universe, yet they came to Earth playing pitiful, conning the planet's "mightiest" heroine Captain Marvel and the so-called spy-king Nick Fury into giving them shelter.
That's one big reason Karl loathes Fury: the great spy king lets shape-shifting Skrulls stay on Earth—does the man have a brain?
Captain Marvel's no better—gallivanting through space saving Skrull refugees, letting them flood Earthuntil the planet nearly drowns.
In Karl's eyes, at least half of Earth's super-natural messes trace back to Nick Fury.
Before, lacking a way to spot Skrulls, Karl left Fury alone rather than force the aliens into a desperate last stand.
But now he owns the sheep talisman; no creature can hide its identity before it—not even Skrulls who copy DNA and chunks of memory.
After all, can those bastards copy a human soul as well?
Chapter 65: Captain America's Shocking Words—Aerial Combat?
Karl looked up, about to tell Pierce Nick Fury's secret, when a knock echoed through the office.
Pierce frowned. "Come in."
A slick-backed Strike Team member opened the door—Crossbones' deputy. "Sir, deputy director Hill is here. She wants to see you and the young master."
Pierce glanced at Karl. "Send her in."
The man nodded and left; moments later Hill stepped inside.
Hill greeted Pierce first: "Secretary."
Then she turned to Carl with an iceberg-melting smile. "Karl, I saw the news about you saving New York yesterday—well done!"
Praise from Hill was rare; Karl basked in it. "As deputy director of S.H.I.E.L.D., I did your job for you. Don't I deserve a reward?"
Hill rolled her eyes; she already knew what reward this man had in mind.
She ignored him and looked at the only stranger in the office.
Stranger wasn't quite right—he was eerily familiar, and even as an Englishwoman she recognized him instantly.
"Captain America?"
While Karl and Pierce talked, Captain America had munched an apple like an NPC; when clicked, he greeted the newcomer.
Cap gave Hill a thumbs-up. "Good—you look more like a real Director than that cotton gin!"
Hill:???
cotton gin?
Realization struck; she spun to Karl.
"So Nick Fury's secret thawee was Captain America—and the Captain beat him and the other Agents like that?"
Karl shrugged. "Yep. You can understand—an old-timer wakes up to find his boss is a cotton gin; emotions run high."
Hill still balked. "But history says Captain America was humble, just, and kind."
"And his Howling Commandos included Black soldiers in World War II—why go so hard…?"
"People change, muah~" Karl winked, ready to gloss it over.
But Cap cut in, merciless. "Change? I never changed. That Black guy was just my human shield who licked my boots!"
Hill:???
Karl clapped a hand over Cap's mouth. "Ahem—shut it, bro, really, or the book's gone!"
He ushered Cap outside and told the slick-back guard, "Hey, Trevor, show the Captain his new workplace, yeah?"
Without waiting, he slammed the door.
Reversed Captain America's mouth was terrifying—even Karl was shocked.
He dared not let him continue; heavenly censorship was no joke. To soothe his rattled heart, Karlslipped an arm around Hill's waist and waved to Pierce:
"Godfather, we'll finish our talk tonight. Got official business now."
With that, he scooped Hill into a princess carry and flew straight out the window.
Pierce merely shook his head. "Just don't stand me up again tonight…"
Last time Karl had ditched him for a booty call. Pierce sat and opened a file.
On the cover: Avengers Initiative.
A sneer curved Pierce's lips. "No godlike power, yet you dream of controlling more than one god? Nick Fury, I underestimated your arrogance and stupidity."
"You don't understand—mortals can never truly control gods. They can only control themselves. Only gods control gods. To rule them, first raise a god of your own, then indirect control follows."
"Hah, but if you understood, I'd have let you live. I only ever needed your foolish cleverness."
"Now my godson is grown; I've found your successor. You're no longer indispensable…"
Pierce murmured, then drew a bold X across Nick Fury's photo in the file.
Once Captain America amasses enough prestige, Nick Fury dies.
And Pierce will make Cap deliver the killing blow—crush both body and soul.
Nick Fury, newly checked into a nearby ICU, had no idea the God of Death had just signed his death warrant.
High above Washington, two figures tangled among the clouds.
"Wait! Karl, wait! Satellites monitor the Triskelion 24/7—we can't here…"
Hill's face flushed scarlet, but she reined in raw desire and the high-altitude thrill, stopping Karl's hand on her blouse.
Karl caught her wrist, pinning her atop the cloud.
The cloud felt solid—soft yet buoyant—holding them safe.
He gestured at the warped space around them and grinned.
"Relax, Ice Queen. I've bent space with telekinesis—no one can see or hear us. Scream your lungs out if you want…"
Hill's eyes sparkled. "Telekinesis? That invisible mind-power?"
His grin turned wicked.
"Exactly—my unseen third hand, able to do… anything. Want a demonstration?"
"Wha—mmph?!"
Hill's words died as invisible ropes yanked her wrists overhead; her clothes began slipping away on their own—BEEP——————————
The following scene is disrupted by unknown forces; please retry later…
Chapter 65: Justice League, Good Mayor Kingpin!
One month later.
New York, Justice League Base.
That's right, after a month of discussion and renovation, the trio finally decided on their team name.
Instead of adopting the three chuunibyou names with strong personal characteristics they initially proposed, they chose a name based on the principle their team upheld!
And that was Justice!
They founded this Superhero team, and everything they did was for justice!
Therefore, they were the 'Justice League'!
Of course, this name did indeed clash with the Justice League in DC Comics, involving copyright disputes.
But once Tony directly acquired the DC Company in this World, there were no more voices of opposition.
On the contrary, this simple and unadorned Superhero team name, which already had a fan Base thanks to DC Comics, won the hearts of many!
However, Karl personally felt that as the World's first public Superhero team, even if they named themselves the'Shit League,' they would probably still be praised by those fanatical Superhero fans!
Moreover, during this month, the Justice League had already carried out several global operations in preparation for the team's founding!
Over the past month, they had contained or dealt with super-criminals all over the World that even official authorities found difficult to handle!
For example, the Banshees in coastal countries, artificial monsters created by mad scientists, and even an entire town of Vampires were all easily dealt with by God, Iron Man, and Spider-Man!
This immediately caused the trio's reputation to skyrocket, spreading from New York to the whole World and gaining them a massive following of fans!
And today was the day of the official announcement and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Justice League after all the hype!
Media from around the World, as well as countries where Karl's team had resolved supernatural troubles, sent representatives to the Justice League Base to show their support.
The Justice League Base didn't end up being the top few floors of Stark Tower as Tony had initially suggested for a temporary Base.
Instead, a new Base, specially approved by the New York City government, was built in the heart of New York City.
The building had a square, futuristic sci-fi style, covering tens of thousands of square meters. A huge plaza was built in front of the main entrance, where three magnificent statues stood tall.
They were the statues of the three founders of the Justice League: 'God' Karl Fisk, 'Iron Man' Tony Stark, and 'Spider-Man'.
These three statues had already become a popular social media check-in spot while the Justice LeagueBase was still under construction.
Of course, these three statues weren't built out of Karl and Tony's narcissism, but were specially commissioned by the New York City government to thank them for their great contributions to the city and the World!
And today's ribbon-cutters were none other than the Mayor of New York City, Kingpin, and the leader of the Justice League, God Karl, performing the ceremony together!
The father and son were now standing at the top of their respective pyramids—one in politics and the other in the Superhero World. For a time, their glory was boundless!
Furthermore, because Kingpin had been implementing various public welfare policies for New York as the new mayor over the past month, the public's support for him was growing higher and higher.
For instance, he announced a direct 50% reduction in residential electricity bills, and low-income households could apply for a three-month to one-year electricity exemption with proof of poverty!
If your income still hadn't reached the standard to escape poverty after the one-year limit, you could continue to apply, with no limit on the number of times!
Electricity bills are the second largest energy expenditure for Americans. Once Kingpin's policy was released, it received universal acclaim and zero negative reviews!
If anyone dared to give a negative review, Kingpin wouldn't even need to act; the citizens' spit alone could drown them!
Would this policy be too expensive? There was no need to worry about that, because New York City's power system now used the large arc reactor built by Tony. The cost of electricity had dropped significantly, so they weren't just breaking even—they were making a huge profit!
Additionally, Kingpin announced that for any new housing built with the help of New York Citygovernment projects, the housing price would be 30% lower than the market price, with quality guaranteed for life.
The reason why housing prices could be discounted so much was that Kingpin's newly established real estate project didn't need any expensive labor costs at all; they only needed to pay for materials, as all the labor was replaced by the Shadow Legion!
Detailed work was handled by Ghost Shadow Ninjas, heavy lifting by Pincer Shadows, and aerial work by flying shadows!
Wasn't this much more profitable than what people online said about using the Shadow Legion to deliver food and just lying around?
Using the Shadow Legion to build houses was simply pure profit!
Moreover, Kingpin's construction materials were imported from China, which was not only cheaper but also had more guaranteed quality!
Coupled with the 24-hour high efficiency of the Shadow Legion, which required no food or rest, new houses that would have taken lazy American workers a year or so to complete could be built and renovated by the Shadow Legion in a week. They even allowed owners to move in immediately, with zero formaldehyde!
This was because Tony had invented a high-tech machine for removing formaldehyde that could completely clear it from a new house in just one day!
Next, Kingpin announced a crackdown on the gangs that kept New York citizens living in fear.
Kingpin opened an anonymous gang reporting hotline directly to the mayor. Any citizen threatened by a gang could call this number to report them, and their personal information would never be leaked.
At first, people didn't believe it, thinking that if so many previous mayors couldn't fix the gang problem, the new mayor might have a hero for a son, but he wouldn't necessarily be able to handle those local tyrants.
But they didn't know that these so-called 'local tyrants' were about to face the strictest father of the underworld, the true Underground Emperor!
After a few citizens who were pushed to their limits by gangs tried calling the reporting hotline, they were surprised to find that from the next day onward, they were truly never threatened by gangs again. They didn't even see those gang members anymore!
As they posted about this situation online, the mayor's reporting hotline was nearly overwhelmed with calls!
But without exception, as long as a report was accepted by the mayor's hotline, the citizens persecuted by gang members never faced threats again the next day, nor did they ever see the people who had threatened them!
This greatly increased the sense of security for New York citizens, to the point where they even dared to walk the streets alone at night to enjoy the scenery!
However, some citizens reported seeing many gunny sacks floating in New York's most famous mother river, the Hudson River, from time to time.
When citizens called the Police, the officers who arrived just smiled and told them that this was a new type of non-polluting 'feed' the mayor was giving to the fish in the mother river.
This made the citizens of New York marvel even more at the greatness of their new mayor. After taking office, he not only gave people so many benefits but even the fish got benefits. This was truly a good mayor!
Chapter 66: President Kingpin? Nick Fury Almost Dies of Anger!
Within a single month, under Kingpin's governance, even the Hell's Kitchen area—a place normal people usually avoided at all costs—saw its crime rate plummet by a staggering 80%!
Of course, it was only the victimization rate of innocent citizens being robbed or murdered that dropped by 80%; the death rate of gang members in turf wars still maintained its excellent record of being the highest in America year-round!
But then again, no normal citizen cared about whether those gang members lived or died... Finally, there were minor matters like medical discounts, police reforms, anti-corruption campaigns, and a series of small actions not worth mentioning... But it is worth noting that Kingpin's series of public welfare benefits as the new Mayor of New York City made Americans in other states incredibly envious. This month, people have already begun calling for Kingpin to run for the next presidency!
New York citizens were even more mindless in their support; some fanatics were already shouting for the current President to get out of office immediately and let Mayor Fisk take over!
Seeing that he hadn't even thought that far ahead yet, while citizens from various states were already trying to drape the 'Imperial Robe' over him, Kingpin could only sigh helplessly, 'You guys are really making things difficult for me'... But during this month, Karl saw Kingpin scrolling through netizens' comments under the news every day, grinning from ear to ear.
Clearly, while Kingpin said no with his mouth, he was likely already secretly preparing his inauguration speech for the presidency.
As for this, Karl naturally didn't care.
It was just the presidency; if his old man wanted to be President, then so be it. It wasn't as if their Fisk Family lacked the capability.
Power? The power behind him was top-tier!
Money? The money behind him was top-tier!
Influence? The influence behind him was top-tier!
Strength? His own strength was top-tier!
Even ignoring Karl, Kingpin's own durability and survivability were top-tier for a high-risk profession like the presidency!
Coupled with the will of the people, if Kingpin wanted to be President, it really wasn't impossible as long as Karl pulled a few strings!
However, this couldn't be rushed. Kingpin had only been the Mayor of New York for a month; 'rebelling' now would seem somewhat lacking in composure.
He had to stay in the seat for at least a year to settle in, right?
Coincidentally, the election for the next President was also about a year away.
During this period, if he orchestrated a few more major events, saved New York a few more times, and boosted Kingpin's prestige, Kingpin's ascension to the presidency would be even more natural!
At today's ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Justice League, besides his Mayor father taking the opportunity to report to the citizens and show off the progress of New York's reforms over the past month to the global media and national politicians...
The main focus, of course, was the Justice League trio who were the protagonists.
As the leader, after the ribbon-cutting, Karl officially announced the establishment of the World's first Superhero organization, which was also the first Superhero organization to cooperate with the city government!
At the same time, he introduced the fourth official member of the Justice League, Comrade Steve Rogers, Captain America!
This shocked the American public so much they nearly jumped out of their skins. After all, while one couldn't say America had no history at all, it only had two or three pages, and Captain America was a legendary figure who could occupy a whole page by himself!
And now, this legendary figure was not only alive but had joined God's Justice League. Didn't this indirectly prove that God was even more impressive than Captain America?!
Thus, the explosive news of the first Superhero in history joining the first Superhero team naturally spread across the entire World in an instant!
This included Nick Fury, who was still recovering in a hospital ward. He was so angry he smashed the ward's television screen with his remote control!
It was bad enough that he was beaten half to death by the maddened Captain America when he first woke up last month, but now the man had been poached while he was still recovering from his injuries!
The candidate he had designated to be the Captain of the Avengers was now actually a regular member of another Superhero organization!
In the future, even if he could poach Captain America back, the Captain's 'first time' had already been given to the Justice League!
Even if Captain America formed the Avengers later, the effect wouldn't be as exciting as the first time, and people might even criticize him as a'slut' who cheated on the Justice League!
Furthermore, the candidates on his Avengers list—God Karl, Iron Man Tony, and Spider-Man—had all struck out on their own!
This directly reduced his intended Avengers roster by half, and these were the primary core members. How was he supposed to play now?
Play with himself?!
In other words, his Avengers Initiative had disbanded before it was even officially founded?
Pfft—!
Nick Fury was suddenly overcome by a surge of anger, which aggravated the injuries he'd sustained from Captain America's harsh lesson that hadn't fully healed. He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood!
But he ignored his injuries entirely, his eyes still fixed on the cracked television screen!
More accurately, he was staring at the man standing in the center of the podium on TV: Karl Fisk!
It was this guy!
Ever since this guy appeared, nothing had gone right for him!
First, deputy director Maria Hill, whom he intended to groom as his confidante, was charmed away by Karl. This led him to harbor doubts about Hill, suspecting she had already chosen to side with the Security Council because of Karl!
As a result, his plan to win her over was shelved, ultimately leading to a misunderstanding that caused a complete break in their relationship, leaving no hope of reconciliation.
Then, a Nuclear Engineer he was preparing to bring back in cooperation with Israel was intercepted and killed by a mysterious assassin halfway through. His confidante, Black Widow Natasha Romanoff, almost died in that escort mission!
Although this matter appeared unrelated to Karl on the surface—as Karl didn't openly possess the space-warping ability of the attacker in Natasha's report, but rather telekinesis, and the assassin's build, hair color, and personality were vastly different from Karl's—
Nick Fury's sixth sense told him that Karl was definitely involved!
After all, the last person Natasha had contacted the day before she left for that mission was Karl!
And his other confidant, Phil Coulson, had also been infected and turned into a Lizardman during the Lizardman incident last month!
Although Tony Stark had developed an antidote during this month and turned all the infected citizens back into normal humans,
Phil, the Agent, hadn't returned. According to Tony's explanation, because Coulson had undergone a secondary evolutionary infection, his mutation level was much higher than that of ordinary people, and the standard recovery serum was ineffective on him.
He sent Hawkeye to bring Coulson back so S.H.I.E.L.D. could take over the follow-up treatment, but Hawkeye told him that the Justice League flatly refused to let him take Coulson back to S.H.I.E.L.D.!
The reason given was that the Justice League had been authorized by the city government to detain all supernatural criminals they captured, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had no right to take people away!
This meant he couldn't even get Coulson back. Confidants: -1 again!
And finally, there was Captain America, who had been poached this time!
It could be said that as long as Karl was involved, nothing went smoothly for him!
And the most, most, most important thing was that he had absolutely no way to deal with Karl!
Karl's godfather was his own superior, his father was now the Mayor of New York City, and he himself was the publicly acclaimed 'God' and the strongest Superhero!
With the meager resources he had now, how could he possibly go head-to-head with Karl?
A direct confrontation was definitely out of the question, unless he used that trump card of his—the one that must not be used unless it was a matter of absolute desperation!
Chapter 67
Fury's Scheme Against the Justice League
But trump cards aren't meant to be used casually.
Carol was his last resort; unless absolutely cornered, he didn't want her back.
The more you reveal, the easier you are to target… so now he could only fight dirty.
Nick Fury stared at Karl on the TV, face dark as he pressed the Nurse-call button on his bed.
A moment later a stunning blonde Nurse stepped into the ward.
The blonde Nurse pulled a silver cube from her pocket and set it on the table.
The cube activated, bathing the room in 360-degree blue light that jammed every signal.
Only after she finished did Fury look the Nurse up and down, finally showing his first smile of the day: "Talos, new skin again?"
The blonde Nurse smiled; her white skin rippled like waves and in an instant shifted into the mottled, nauseating green of her true form, gender switching from female to male.
Back in his original shape, Talos shrugged at Fury. "Can't be helped—Nurses work in shifts. If I kept posing as the same person at the station, people would get suspicious, right?"
Without ceremony Talos sat on the edge of Fury's bed, eyeing the injuries that still hadn't fully healed after a month, and rapped a knuckle on the plaster-casted limbs.
"Tsk, I told you—when you thawed Captain last month you should've let me go in your place. No mere human would've beaten me into this state."
Fury's face fell. He gave a cold laugh.
"Huh. You Skrulls are built tougher than us regular humans, but Steve Rogers is humanity's masterpiece—the first and still the most perfect super-soldier. Even you wouldn't have fared much better."
Talos merely folded his arms, non-committal. "Fine, have it your way. Let's get to business—what do you want this time?"
At that, Fury turned serious. "You've heard about the new Superhero team, the Justice League, that's sprung up this month?"
"Of course. The whole World won't stop reporting their launch…" Talos hesitated, frowning. "You're not thinking of going after the Justice League, are you?"
Fury said nothing, only stared in silence.
To Talos, who knew him better than anyone, that silence was answer enough.
Talos rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "You never change—always asking for the impossible. That's a titanium-hard bone made of superheroes."
Fury smiled faintly. "But you've chewed through tougher bones for me before. I trust you won't disappoint me now."
Now it was Talos's turn to fall silent.
True, as leader of the Skrulls he had done plenty of dirty work so his people could have a safe place to live.
Thanks to their shape-shifting, they'd never failed; their mission success rate was one hundred percent.
Yet no failures didn't mean no casualties. Even Skrulls could run into accidents while impersonating others.
But despite everything they'd done, the new home Fury had once promised them had yet to materialize.
Dissatisfaction toward Fury was already brewing among Skrulls on Earth.
And this target was far thornier: an ultra-human hero team. If something went wrong, it wouldn't be a simple political assassination or silent infiltration where they just wiped witnesses.
It would be a genuine super-powered war—
A scenario he wanted to avoid.
Yes, Skrulls were stronger than ordinary humans—he believed a Skrull warrior could match Captain America—but he wasn't deluded.
Their greatest strength was infiltration, not open combat against real super-humans.
Take the so-called God Karl everyone was talking about: with a wave of his hand he'd suspended hundreds of Lizardmen—each no weaker than a Skrull soldier—while steel rebars slithered from the ground like serpents. Talos still saw that scene when he closed his eyes.
Skrulls could copy human DNA, not super-powers.
If God Karl caught a Skrull mid-mission, that operative was dead.
And because they couldn't silence someone that powerful, the entire Skrull race risked exposure.
Once humanity knew about them, Earthlings would treat them no better than the Kree.
Who would tolerate a species that could replace you at any moment?
Even a Skrull understood that. Reading Talos's hesitation, Fury narrowed his eyes and played his ace:
"Talos, think of your people's future—of the home you crave. Help me with this and I swear I'll find a World where Skrulls can live in peace."
"Besides… you don't want Carol—out there in space saving stray Skrulls—to learn that her efforts mean so little to you that you won't even repay her this small favor, do you?"
"If she finds that out, she'll lose heart… maybe even give up."
At the mention of Carol, Talos's expression twisted again and again.
Fury's veiled threat hit its mark.
The reason Skrulls hadn't gone extinct—why so many had reached Earth—was ninety-nine percent thanks to the God-like Captain Marvel, Carol.
She had single-handedly forced the Kree Empire to abandon their extermination campaign.
Without her, the Skrull species might already be gone.
If Carol ever stopped helping them, their current "guest" status on Earth would become a luxury.
They would return to being hunted Kree prey, cosmic refugees, until extinction claimed them all.
Chapter 68: Dr. Banner Returns to New York—Karl's Plan!
So he had no right to refuse.
Talos clenched his fists, lifting his gaze to Nick Fury with eyes sharp as blades. "What do you want me to do?"
Nick Fury's lips curled in an almost invisible smile; the threat that never failed was working again. He spoke slowly:
I want you to infiltrate the Justice League Base, to get beside every single member—and beside every person they care about. Gather every secret, every weakness. I need their soft spots.
Talos's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He shot to his feet, incredulous. "All of them? Are you insane? If this blows up, not only will my Skrull people be exposed—you'll be declaring war on the Justice League!"
Nick Fury's voice turned cold. "I know the risks, but I have no choice. I can't let the most powerful metahuman team on Earth remain in the hands of a crime-lord's son. Do you understand?"
So do as I say. I trust your people to keep it quiet—just like always.
Unless you'd rather I call Carol off the search for Skrull refugees and have her come back to handle this herself…
Talos's eyes bulged; his pointing finger shook. "You—fine! Agent Supreme indeed. I've copied you and stood in for you all this time, and I still can't learn how you twist hearts.
I accept.
But remember your promise. When this is over, if you haven't delivered, I can't vouch for the militant Skrulls anymore.
After that, the consequences are on you. Hmph!
Without waiting for an answer, Talos snorted, shifted back into the Nurse, and walked out.
Once the door shut, Nick Fury's mask of control cracked; he sank against the pillow, exhausted.
One damn mess after another. The Avengers alone give me ulcers, and now I'm supposed to find your people a wide, empty new homeland—the African savanna, maybe?
He hadn't found the Skrulls a new World at all.
He planned to keep stringing them along, the way he had for fifteen years—free labor, virtual slaves.
But this time it wouldn't go so smoothly. Karl wasn't some helpless politician; he was publicly the strongest Superhero on Earth.
For now, though, Karl knew nothing of Fury's scheme. He was busy with something bigger.
A moment ago, his godfather Pierce had messaged: Dr. Bruce Banner, under S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance, had returned to New York today.
According to S.H.I.E.L.D., Banner's online contact Dr. Lan had used a blood sample Banner mailed him to devise a way to suppress the Hulk.
Two days earlier, while Banner worked at a Brazilian soda plant, a cut let a drop of his blood slip into a bottle before it was sealed.
That bottle shipped to America; an old man drank it, his gamma radiation spiked, and General Rosspicked up the trail.
He dispatched a Special Forces team to Brazil to grab Banner.
Ross, like Fury, was an unrepentant egomaniac.
Once Banner turned into the Hulk, the soldiers didn't last a second; the green giant escaped.
When he reverted, Banner knew he couldn't stay.
Dr. Lan claimed he could cage the beast, so Banner decided to risk coming back to New York.
If he could rid himself of the Hulk, he could stop hiding and be with Betty openly.
But S.H.I.E.L.D.—and behind it, HYDRA—had no wish to lose the Hulk.
Banner's mind was valuable, yet they lusted after the Hulk's unstoppable power.
So the moment Banner landed, Pierce called Karl: see if he could brainwash the doctor as he had Captain America, or at least recruit him into Karl's Justice League.
Karl, already interested in Banner and the Hulk, agreed at once.
Brainwashing, though, was out.
The sheep talisman made things far too… unpredictable.
It rewrote a person's core beliefs, yet left them a complex, independent mind.
Aside from absolute loyalty, not even Karl could guess what they might say or do beyond orders.
Captain America's shocking one-liners and daytime bar-cruising proved that. Besides, trust could be earned—Tony and Peter followed him without any mental tampering.
Winning Banner was even simpler: give him what he craved most—freedom, safety, autonomy.
Freedom and safety were trivial; one call could lift the Military's warrant.
Under the Justice League's shield, no one would dare touch him. The Base might be sparsely staffed, but it was the safest place on Earth—Shadow Legion lurked in every patch of darkness, and no intruder could slip through.
The last—and hardest—was personal autonomy.
That was trickier, yet Karl had a rough idea.
Canon said Banner and the Hulk weren't split personalities but two souls sharing one body, each loathing the other.
With the sheep talisman, Karl could try to separate them, netting the League the World's greatest mind and its mightiest muscle in one stroke.
Chapter 69: General Ross's super soldier serum!
However, Karl did not act immediately to bring Dr. Banner back; instead, he waited leisurely.
He was a person who prioritized interests, so he naturally wanted to maximize the benefits of this situation.
If he brought Dr. Banner back now, not to mention whether it would be recorded in the book of ages, it would be a thankless task for the Justice League.
At that time, not only would he not receive the gratitude of those rowdy people in the Marvel Universefor subduing the terrifying monster Hulk for the city ahead of time,
But General Ross might even take the opportunity to cause trouble, claiming the Justice League was harboring a federal criminal like Dr. Banner.
He couldn't be bothered to engage in such a thankless endeavor.
Therefore, he planned to wait until General Ross himself caused a massive mess and the situation spiraled completely out of control before appearing with the Justice League in the guise of a hero.
As for whether innocent citizens would be caught in the crossfire and suffer casualties during this period, that was none of his business.
After all, compared to the lives of strangers, his reputation and that of the Justice League were more important.
Oh, damn, why does this feel a bit like the behavior of Vought International?
In any case, Karl believed that with General Ross's 'ability' to cause trouble—which was not inferior to Nick Fury's—it wouldn't be long before the situation spiraled out of control, allowing him to lead the Justice League onto the stage.
When that time came, he would have the person, and he would have the reputation as well!
And just as Karl expected, in the time it took him to sit down and have a cup of coffee, progress was made.
Pierce called again to say that at Culver University, General Ross had launched the first round of capture for Dr. Banner!
Unsurprisingly, General Ross still failed, and the Hulk escaped once again.
However, the HYDRA Agents Pierce had arranged to monitor the situation discovered something that interested him immensely.
That was the Captain of the special forces squad sent by General Ross, Emil Blonsky; the abilities he displayed during this capture operation for the Hulk were Worlds apart from the last time!
Not only was his combat style more aggressive, but his physical attributes had also improved drastically across the board, even allowing him to trade a few blows with the Hulk!
So Pierce suspected that Emil had been injected with the super soldier serum by General Ross!
For HYDRA, which had been researching the super soldier serum but had yet to successfully replicate a perfect version like Captain America's, the attraction of such a good thing was incredibly high!
So Pierce asked Karl to infiltrate General Ross's Military Base to take a look. If General Ross really had the super soldier serum, he was to bring back both the serum and the formula!
Because only his shadow abilities could silently enter a Military Base.
To this, Karl, who was bored waiting for General Ross to blow things out of proportion, naturally did not refuse and accepted the mission.
However, not as a Superhero, but as a Shadow Assassin!
A Shadow Mask appeared on Karl's face, and Pincer Shadow armor appeared on his body as he sank into the shadows and vanished.
Now, the range he could move through shadows had increased to ten thousand meters in a straight line.
Furthermore, his shadow movement ability had no cooldown. After reaching the ten-thousand-meter limit, as long as he emerged once, he could continue lurking!
So honestly, Karl's method of traveling via shadow movement was much faster than his flying!
Even if he could only move once per second, that would be a movement speed of nearly Mach 30 per second!
And there were very few places in the World where not a single speck of shadow existed within ten thousand meters.
Thus, in less than a minute, he had arrived inside a Military Base belonging to General Ross located on the outskirts of New York.
Coincidentally, when he arrived, General Ross also happened to be returning to the Base with Emil Blonsky, who had been heavily injured by a kick from the Hulk.
If Karl wasn't mistaken, General Ross would soon give Emil Blonsky a second injection of the super soldier serum.
So Karl simply lurked in General Ross's shadow, intending to let this 'enemy' leader personally lead the way and take him, the 'thief,' to the location of the super soldier serum.
It also saved him the trouble of searching for it.
As Karl expected, after General Ross brought Emil Blonsky to the infirmary, he ordered his adjutant to go to the storage area for the super soldier serum to retrieve it.
Karl immediately switched to the adjutant's shadow and followed him into a secret room, where he found his target for this mission: an entire row of blue super soldier serums!
In the shadows, Karl's eyes widened slightly. He knew that in the plot of The Incredible Hulk, General Ross had indeed taken out the super soldier serum to inject Blonsky, but he hadn't expected this old guy to have hidden so much!
After the adjutant took one vial, Karl couldn't wait and emerged from the shadows.
The reason he didn't intercept the vial the adjutant took was that the person being injected with this serum, Emil Blonsky, would still be useful to him later.
First, he needed Emil Blonsky to turn into Abomination later and blow General Ross's mess wide open, so he could then take the opportunity to strike, oust General Ross, and replace him with a HYDRA plant in the Military.
Second, Abomination himself was a powerful force. He planned to capture Abomination later, brainwash him, and use him for his own purposes!
Since ancient times, Yin and Yang must be balanced. Since he was going to take an Incredible Hulk for his light side, he naturally had to take an Abomination who could rival the Hulk for his dark side!
As the one in charge of both the Yin and Yang sides, he couldn't be biased toward either one!
And not just the Hulk's opponent; he had already found one for HYDRA. He had even found a scientist position for HYDRA that could rival Dr. Banner's intelligence.
That was Dr. Stern, the 'Big Boss' who accidentally let the Hulk's blood turn him into a supervillain during Abomination's transformation!
This man was also a peerless mad genius in the Marvel Universe!
The thoughts flashed by in an instant.
Because the place where the serum was kept was a closed secret room with no surveillance cameras inside, it was convenient for Karl to no longer hide in the shadows.
The reason there was no surveillance was likely that General Ross was afraid someone would discover the secret of his hidden super soldier serum through the monitors.
After all, General Ross had always placed great importance on the Super Soldier program; these serums were likely his most important secret.
But unfortunately, General Ross's caution was of no use against Karl.
Even without the adjutant leading the way, if he expanded his Shadow Domain, it wouldn't have taken much longer to find the serum himself.
Karl looked down at the container holding the super soldier serum vials and suddenly discovered a signature on it.
Abraham Erskine.
Isn't that the name of the doctor who developed the original super soldier serum and turned Captain America from a scrawny dog into a muscular guy?
So these are the same model of super soldier serum as Captain America's?
Chapter 70: Obtaining the Serum, the Scapegoat has been Found!
This was the most perfect generation of the super soldier serum, unsurpassed even to this day!
Captain America, whose physical body was originally weak, could go toe-to-toe with anyone after injecting this serum. If Karl, who already had maxed-out physical talent, injected the super serum, how much of a boost would he receive?
Karl's eyes couldn't help but turn somewhat fanatical!
Would he surpass Spider-Man? Be comparable to Thor? Or even stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Hulk?
"General Ross, you've really given me a massive surprise!"
Karl grinned, incredibly satisfied with these serums.
He originally thought it was just a bootleg super soldier serum forged by General Ross, but he never expected it to be Dr. Erskine's authentic serum—something even HYDRA hadn't successfully replicated!
However, it seemed General Ross was just like HYDRA; he hadn't analyzed all the components in the super soldier serum. Otherwise, with General Ross's ambition, he probably would have mass-produced it long ago.
Since the death of the super soldier serum's founder, Dr. Erskine, the only one who had truly successfully replicated it was likely Tony's genius father, Howard Stark!
It was just a pity that back then, right after Howard had replicated a few doses of the super soldier serum, the traitor Obadiah sold out his secure route, leading to his assassination by the Winter Soldier... Later, HYDRA obtained those few replicas from Howard but failed to replicate new super soldier serum from them. They only used them to create a few more super soldiers... Moreover, while the super soldier serum replicated by Howard was similar to Dr. Erskine's version in terms of enhancement, it shared the same side effect: it would amplify the user's true inner self.
Meaning, the good become better, and the bad become worse!
As for whether Karl himself would become better or worse after injecting it, even he wasn't sure... If you called him good, he committed murder, arson, and robbery, and even brainwashed America's greatest Superhero into a HYDRA bastard—he was a pure HYDRA villain!
But if you called him bad, he had saved countless people, treated those around him extremely well, and founded the World's first Superhero team. Everyone liked and respected him—he was a pure philanthropist!
So, which one was the true inner Karl?
One could only say he was both, or perhaps neither. After wearing different masks for so long, sometimes Karl himself couldn't distinguish which was his true self... Thinking about the serum's side effects, Karl couldn't help but shake his head: "Tsk, what a hassle. If only I had the Horse Talisman or the tiger talisman right now..."
The Horse Talisman could expel all harmful external forces from the user's body, allowing the serum to only exert its positive effects without negative consequences.
The tiger talisman was even more direct; by balancing Yin and Yang, it could directly place Karl in a state immune to negative debuffs!
Unfortunately, he didn't have them; he only had the rooster talisman and the sheep talisman... Or... after this incident is over, should he see if the book of ages will do him a favor and directly drop one of those two talismans?
Hmm, that's feasible!
Karl felt he had always been quite lucky, so with a two-out-of-ten probability, he'd take the gamble!
He suppressed the urge to inject the super soldier serum immediately, placed his hand on the serum container, and stored the entire thing into the Shadow World.
There appeared to be a row of serum in the container, which looked like quite a lot, but in reality, there were only eight vials left.
If he couldn't analyze and replicate more serum, then these eight vials would at most allow him to create a total of eight super soldiers, including himself... But Karl wasn't satisfied with just that. He didn't want a mere few vials of serum; he wanted to master the manufacturing technology of the serum directly!
However, regarding the biological field, although he had some understanding, he was not proficient.
So after returning, he planned to find an opportunity to let Tony study the super soldier serum to see if he could replicate it like his old man did.
After all, while Tony mainly focused on high-tech fields, he was actually a top-tier existence in the biological field as well!
For example, the Extremis virus in Iron Man 3 was a bottleneck difficult to break through for other genius scientists—even for its inventor, Dr. Maya—but for Tony, he wrote down the key formula after just one look!
So it wasn't that Tony wasn't good at biology; he was just more interested in pure technology!
Therefore, if he let Tony study the super soldier serum, he might really be able to mass-produce it in the future!
Thinking of this, however, Karl rubbed his brow with a headache.
Because now that he had decided to pull Tony into the super soldier serum research project, he had to be fully prepared.
For instance, the mess of the Winter Soldier killing Tony's father was something he'd better resolve in advance... Although it was unlikely to be discovered, if Tony really discovered on his own—based on the super soldier serum—that Howard was assassinated while transporting the serum back to S.H.I.E.L.D., and then linked the assassination to HYDRA, it would be truly difficult to handle... And handing over the Winter Soldier to take the fall was also out of the question.
Because the Winter Soldier was very handy to use, and as a HYDRA assassin, he was quite effective; Karl was a bit reluctant to give him up.
Furthermore, even if he handed over the Winter Soldier, wouldn't the culprit still be HYDRA?
As the next head of HYDRA, Karl would likely end up in opposition to Tony.
So he had to think of another way.
A perfect way to completely distance HYDRA from the incident and frame someone else... But who should take this fall to make it seem reasonable? That was the question... While there were many people with the motive, there weren't many who were plausible... Karl lowered his head in thought, and suddenly saw the serum in front of him... Wait!
super soldier serum!
Karl's eyes lit up!
He suddenly had a 'good' idea!
Since no one knew where General Ross's super soldier serum came from, why couldn't it have been stolen from Howard by General Ross?
A general obsessed with the Super Soldier Program, who stole the serum from Howard's hands for the sake of the project and killed Howard to silence him—this reason is very reasonable, right?
Doesn't this provide a perfect scapegoat?