Ch: 71-80
Chapter 71: Modifying General Ross and the Winter Soldier's Memories!
Karl's lips curled into a smile; with a solution in hand, his mind instantly became clear.
Then, his entire being sank into the shadows, quickly traversing to the medical room where General Ross was located.
At this moment in the medical room, everyone, including General Ross, was focused on Bronski, who was undergoing a second injection of the super soldier serum.
Bronski was likely the first human to ever undergo a second injection of the super soldier serum.
The serum was injected into Bronski's spine and quickly began to take effect.
However, whether it was due to the second injection or the heavy injuries from the Hulk, Bronskiappeared to be in extreme pain as the serum took effect!
His agonizing roars were as terrifying as someone undergoing the tortures of hell!
And it wasn't just his roars that were terrifying, but the changes in his body as well!
Bronski's body fat percentage plummeted, and his skin became desiccated, allowing the muscle patterns beneath the thin layer of skin to be seen clearly!
Furthermore, the spine where the serum was injected began to deform, protruding hideously like the dorsal fins of Godzilla!
Seeing this, even Karl, hidden in the shadows, couldn't help but have his lips twitch violently!
It seemed he would have to remind Tony later that a second injection of the serum could cause mutations, and see if Tony could eliminate this serious side effect during his research.
Seeing that Bronski was about to wake up under the serum's influence, and to avoid being noticed by the 'evolved' Bronski, Karl stopped watching. He immediately moved to General Ross, reached out from the shadow at his feet, and touched his ankle.
After using the sheep talisman to add something to his mind, Karl immediately withdrew his hand and left the Military Base.
His goal for this trip had been more than accomplished; he had no interest in what happened next.
Seeing General Ross dazed, his adjutant asked with some confusion, "General, is something wrong?"
Hearing the adjutant, General Ross snapped back to reality. He looked at the agonizing Bronski on the experimental table with a complex expression and shook his head:
"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered something from the past..."
A painful memory... a top-secret past buried deep in his heart that he had almost forgotten himself... a past... regarding the super soldier serum!
That event was... that he had intercepted and killed their Military partner, Howard Stark, back then to seize the super soldier serum!
That's right, Karl hadn't brainwashed or controlled General Ross; he had altered his memory regarding the origin of the super soldier serum in his possession!
He changed General Ross's memory of obtaining the serum to having stolen it from Howard Stark.
As for where it actually came from, it was quite simple.
The Military had kept it themselves.
When the Military injected Steve Rogers with the serum back then, they hadn't just prepared a single dose; there were certainly backups.
After Dr. Erskine was assassinated by a HYDRA mole, the Military secretly sealed away all the remaining super soldier serum and had been conducting secret research within the Military ever since, trying to decipher its secrets.
Since it was a secret, naturally not many people knew, especially regarding the true origin of the serum!
General Ross had also received the information from the previous general in charge of the Super Soldier Serum Research Project.
And that general's grave was now overgrown with grass.
So now, the only one who truly knew where these serums came from was General Ross himself; even his adjutant wasn't sure of the source, only knowing such a thing existed.
As for Dr. Erskine's signature on it, a signature can't be used as evidence, can it?
So Karl could safely shift the blame onto General Ross, the only one who knew the truth.
After leaving the Military Base, Karl didn't return to the Justice League Base in New York immediately.
After all, General Ross had just given Bronski the second injection; Bronski still needed time to recover, so the operation to capture the Hulk again wouldn't happen so soon.
So Karl took advantage of this time before the final plot began to settle the matter regarding Tony once and for all.
Soon, Karl used shadow movement to arrive at a secret underground HYDRA Base in Washington, the place where the Winter Soldier was frozen.
Since the mission in the Middle East, the Winter Soldier had been put back into cold storage by Pierceupon his return.
On one hand, this was to extend the Winter Soldier's'shelf life'—after all, frozen meat always lasts longer than fresh meat, doesn't it?
Furthermore, having been injected with the HYDRA-brand super soldier serum, the Winter Soldiercould withstand low-temperature storage just like Captain America.
On the other hand, it was to prevent the Winter Soldier from having too much contact with the outside World, thereby risking the recovery of his past memories!
Although the probability was small, it wasn't zero.
And HYDRA was famous for its rigor; they naturally wouldn't let such a thing happen.
"Thaw the Winter Soldier for me."
But as soon as Karl arrived at the HYDRA Base, he directly ordered the guards to thaw the Winter Soldier.
In this branch of HYDRA under Pierce, Karl's word was undoubtedly law. Moreover, Pierce had already handed over ownership of the Winter Soldier to Karl, so the guards dared not object.
They quickly started the instrument's thawing procedure, and soon the Winter Soldier woke up from his dormant state.
The Winter Soldier looked at Karl with numb eyes, waiting for Karl's activation command.
Pierce had already told him the activation codes to control the Winter Soldier.
However, Karl didn't recite that long string of Russian commands. Instead, he reached out and pressed his hand on the Winter Soldier's head, the sheep talisman flashing in his eyes.
HYDRA's brainwashing wasn't secure enough, so Karl simply wiped away the Winter Soldier's HYDRAconditioning and performed his own modification at the soul level.
First, the basic object of loyalty remained himself and Pierce; essentially, Bucky was still HYDRA's Winter Soldier. Finally, he deleted Bucky's memory of assassinating Howard Stark!
This was a hidden bomb; better safe than sorry. What if the Winter Soldier let it slip one day and caused the bomb to explode?
And it wasn't just the Winter Soldier's memory of assassinating the Starks; Karl also had Dr. Zola, who had become an electronic intelligence, delete all footage of the day the Starks were assassinated—to a degree that even Jarvis couldn't recover!
Chapter 72: Super Soldiers +5, Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz.
After finishing these tasks, Karl gave an order before leaving: the Winter Soldier would no longer need to be frozen in the future.
During non-mission periods, the Winter Soldier would have two days of leave per week, free time to go out, and a monthly salary. His basic human rights were restored, rather than treating him purely as a HYDRA killing machine.
He didn't quite like treating people as heartless machines, forbidden from having any personal thoughts or feelings.
Because compared to physical control, he preferred ideological conquest.
After all, a person's thoughts are complex; even HYDRA's brainwashing cannot achieve 100% control, necessitating physical control through material means.
But thought is the key factor in controlling a person; the body is just a container, and there are always risks... Of course, the premise of all this was that Karl had the sheep talisman, giving him the confidence to do so. Otherwise, he would still have to use HYDRA's primitive physical control. Since he was already re-brainwashing Bucky the Winter Soldier's soul, Karl decided to do a thorough job once and for all.
So he spent a little more time making a trip to a former HYDRA Base located in Siberia.
Frozen there were several Super Soldiers created by HYDRA using the serum they had stolen from Howard.
However, these Super Soldiers later lost control due to the serum's side effects, so they were frozen again by HYDRA.
Now that Karl had the sheep talisman, it was time to wake up these 'antiques' and put them to use.
Therefore, after brainwashing the souls of these Winter Soldiers, he woke them up and brought them back.
There were five of these Super Soldiers in total; he and Pierce split them, with Pierce taking three and Karl taking two.
Since Bucky was counted on his side, he actually had three as well.
To this, Pierce naturally had no objection; even if Karl took them all, he wouldn't have any complaints.
After all, Super Soldiers were just tools; only Karl was his true successor. In the future, what of his would not belong to Karl?
Even if Pierce wanted him to, Karl wouldn't take them all; he didn't want his godfather to die in an accident one day.
So a few had to be left by his side to provide Pierce with some security.
He quite enjoyed his current leisurely life as a crown prince under Pierce's wing. If Pierce died, he would be forced to take the throne and do everything himself.
Although he would have more power that way, he would have even less freedom.
He had the ability, but was too lazy to take over.
So Pierce's safety was vital to him!
One wonders what Pierce would think if he knew Karl's 'filial piety' was just because Karl was lazy... As for Karl's three Winter Soldiers, he didn't take Bucky away, but left him at the HYDRA Base to lead the other three Super Soldiers.
He brought back the other two Super Soldiers he had assigned to himself.
One was a bald Chinese Super Soldier who looked exactly like Yi Long; Karl named him Yi Long.
One was a blonde female Super Soldier who looked like Zarya from Overwatch; Karl named her Zarya.
Since the two had been frozen by HYDRA because they lost control before ever going on a mission, their identities weren't as easily exposed as Bucky's.
That's why Karl brought them back, arranged identity information for them, and sent them to work as security guards at the Justice League.
After all, a massive Justice League Base couldn't just have the four of them as Superheroes; all the other personnel had to be the best as well.
Even the security guards had to be Super Soldiers!
The technical department staff also had to be top-tier.
Pierce directly transferred two of the most outstanding geniuses, a man and a woman, from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Operations to do the behind-the-scenes work for the Justice League.
Both were geniuses who were simultaneously scientists and technical experts: Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz.
They were two members of the main cast from the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series.
At the same time, Pierce also transferred a Strike Team to the Justice League to handle chores and clean-up work.
The team leader was also Grant Ward, who appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
These characters, originally from the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series, were all now transferred to Karl by Pierce.
One has to say, it was truly fate... If he could also gather the female lead Quake, Skye, and The Cavalry, Melinda May, then the whole team would truly be assembled!
However, Melinda was a true member of S.H.I.E.L.D., belonging to Nick Fury's faction, and he heard she had already moved to the second line due to psychological trauma, so it was unlikely she would come to work for him.
As for the female lead Quake, Skye, if it was like the main Universe, at this point in time she should still be just a student, attending school somewhere.
Furthermore, she wasn't an Inhuman yet, so Karl wasn't in a hurry to find her.
But what Karl didn't know was that Skye was actually right under his nose, at his school, Midtown School.
However, because Skye was a new transfer student this semester, and Karl had spent very little time at school this term, he had no idea Skye was his schoolmate.
And what Karl knew even less was that in the near future, due to an accidental event, Skye and Gwenwould take the initiative to join the Justice League together as Superheroes... Of course, that's all for later... By the time Karl finished all this, it was already evening.
Karl first called Tony and Captain America to the Justice League.
As soon as the two arrived, Karl got straight to the point and placed a vial of super soldier serum in front of them.
As a Super Soldier himself, Captain America naturally recognized the serum that changed his life at a glance!
And although Tony hadn't seen the physical super soldier serum before, he had seen it in files, so he had some suspicions.
"Tony, what I'm about to say next, you must stay calm..."
Tony looked puzzled upon hearing this.
Isn't it just super soldier serum?
While he was indeed a tiny bit surprised that Karl had produced super soldier serum, he wasn't particularly interested in the biological field. Was he supposed to get excited over this?
Karl really underestimated him!
Biological mutation was a path only the poor would take; how could it compare to his mechanical ascension!
So Tony gave a confident smile: "Hahaha! Karl, it seems you still don't know me well enough. Forget about a mere super soldier serum; even if ten sexy supermodels stood naked in front of me, I could stay calm!"
"Fine, you're the man!" Karl gave Tony a thumbs up, then said concisely: "Then if I say I've investigated and found out who killed your parents, I assume you'll be able to stay just as calm, right?"
Chapter 73: The 'Avengers' Trio!
"What?!" Tony's eyes widened to their limit upon hearing this!
He instantly forgot what he had just said, unable to calm down for a moment. He rushed over and grabbed Karl's collar, shaking him repeatedly.
"What did you just say? Karl, make things clear to me! Fast!!"
Karl calmly slapped Tony's hand away and said placidly, "You know the news about the Hulkreappearing today, right?"
Although Tony didn't understand why Karl was bringing this up now or what it had to do with the real killer of his parents, he suppressed his impatience and nodded.
"I know. I was originally planning to head to Culver University to stop the Hulk, but Rhodes said it was General Ross's Military containment operation and told me not to interfere, so I ended up not going..."
Karl looked at Tony and said indifferently, "Then you really should have gone..."
"You didn't go, but I did. At that time, the Hulk had already escaped, but I discovered something else unusual: there were actually super soldiers among General Ross's men."
"Super soldiers?" Tony and Captain America frowned simultaneously, realizing the situation was not simple.
They also understood where the super soldier serum Karl had just taken out came from.
Karl nodded and continued, "I was originally just curious and followed them to take a look, but I didn't expect to discover a deeper secret..."
Karl snapped his fingers, and a container of Spider Serum slowly emerged from the shadow in front of Tony.
Tony subconsciously looked down, and his entire body instantly froze.
Because on that container, the signature 'Howard Stark' was clearly written!
It meant... this was the super soldier serum his father had created!
Tony's brilliant mind raced. Without Karl saying another word, he combined what he knew and 'pieced together' the general course of events, his voice suppressed with anger:
"My father used to cooperate with the Military on the Captain's super soldier program. After the Captain disappeared in the North Pole, my father and the Military were both secretly researching the super serum separately..."
"The Military failed, but my father's research succeeded first. So, General Ross, who was obsessed with the super soldier program, sent someone to learn my father's secret route from Obadiah and intercepted and killed him on the road, on the eve of Christmas!"
"Karl, is my guess correct?!"
Tony looked up at Karl again, his eyes bloodshot!
Karl placed a hand on Tony's shoulder and said slowly, "I don't know. I can't give you a definitive answer. If anyone can give you that answer, it's probably only General Ross himself..."
"Then I'll go find him. I want him to tell me the truth. If it was him, I'll make him pay the price!!" Tony's voice was filled with frantic killing intent.
Hearing this, Karl's feet slowly left the ground. "Fine. I know the coordinates of General Ross's MilitaryBase. We can break in together right now, interrogate him, and then kill him!"
"Huh?"
Hearing that Karl didn't even try to dissuade him and was ready to set out immediately, Tony, who was just blinded by rage, was momentarily stunned.
Turning his head, he found that not only Karl, but even Captain America was already equipping grenades, machine guns, Rocket launchers, and his favorite Vibranium shield, looking like they were ready for a major battle!
This touched Tony, but also left him a bit speechless. He held his forehead. "Hey, you two, shouldn't I be the one who's the most irrational right now?"
"Normally, shouldn't you try to talk me out of it, then I refuse to listen, then you try to stop me, and finally we end up fighting?"
"How come you two look even more impatient than I am..."
Captain America grinned. "Tony, Howard was my friend. By seniority, you're like my nephew. Besides, without Howard, I wouldn't be who I am today. So of course I have to avenge him. I'm going to take down that bastard General who killed him!"
Karl shrugged. "We are a team. The biggest taboo is internal disagreement. No matter what happens, we should stand together and face it. And I choose to stand by you, Tony."
Hearing this, Tony, who always considered himself a rationalist, couldn't help but have his eyes redden for a moment.
Who said he didn't have family anymore? Weren't these two people who supported him unconditionally his non-blood-related relatives?
"Stop sniveling, Tony. Put on your armor, and let's go have a big fight!"
Karl and Captain America looked at Tony simultaneously and beckoned him over.
Tony also grinned and strode towards the 'runway' dedicated to him in the Base!
As he stepped onto the metal platform and spread his arms, the platform split open. Mechanical arms extended from within, assembling the pieces of the iron armor onto Tony's body... Karl and Captain America watched this sci-fi scene, but didn't find it cool at all. They even started playing rock-paper-scissors out of boredom.
It couldn't be helped. The first few times they saw Tony transform, they might have found it novel and cool.
But after seeing it several times, they now felt that this assembly method was nothing but inconvenient, aside from looking flashy.
Putting on the armor was a hassle, and taking it off was even more so. Karl and Captain America had both teased Tony, worrying that one day he wouldn't be able to hold it and would end up crapping his pants.
However, Tony said he was already researching a newer generation of portable armor and would soon be able to get rid of the awkward situation where his teammates had to wait for him every time they went on a mission... But clearly, it wasn't ready this time~
"Hey, guys, stop playing. Let's go. This time we aren't the Justice League; we are the Avengers!"
After waiting for about a minute, Tony finally put on the armor. He clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the two who were playing rock-paper-scissors.
With a 'clang', Tony's determined eyes were covered by the cold mask.
Justice League, move out!
But just as the three of them floated up and were about to depart, the emergency alarm in the Justice League Base rang out.
By the way, Tony had also modified Captain America's Vibranium shield, adding a flight module.
So now, with the shield on his back, Captain America could also fly using the shield.
And because of the thrusters, when Captain America used the shield, the added boost from the thrusters would greatly increase the power of his shield throws!
During the last global operation, Captain America had used the shield to slice a three-meter-tall werewolf in France clean in half!
Anyway, back to the point: the alarm.
The Base alarm sounded along with Jarvis's voice:
[Gentlemen, the New York Police Department just sent word. Two powerful monsters have appeared on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The police are completely unable to stop or capture them and are requesting assistance from the Justice League!]
Immediately, a virtual projection appeared before the three of them, showing the Hulk and the Abomination engaged in a fierce battle in the city.
Chapter 74 – Gwen's Group of Four in Crisis, Both of Them Awaken!
The destruction could only be described as astonishing; no wonder the police were powerless.
When Tony saw Hulk, his eyes sharpened. "Hulk? That means General Ross is on the scene too?"
[Yes, sir. General Ross and his troops are also present...]
Tony gave a cold laugh at the reply.
"Perfect. I'll settle both matters at once. Karl, Captain, leave those two monsters to you for now—I'm going to have a nice chat with General Ross!"
Without waiting for an answer, Tony shot skyward and streaked toward Fifth Avenue.
Karl and Captain America exchanged a glance, then flew out of the Justice League Base as well.
Fifth Avenue.
"Hulk, you're too weak now—utterly worthless!"
A creature that looked almost exactly like Hulk, only more grotesque and gray-green, was holding Hulk's head, eyes brimming with disdain.
He was Abomination—Emil Blonsky.
And his greatest desire was to defeat Hulk!
But not this weakened Hulk; he wanted the Hulk at his peak!
"I can't believe you'd give up such invincible power and turn back into a pathetic human!"
Disgusted, Abomination hurled Hulk away. Hulk crashed into a shopping mall, killing several unlucky shoppers.
The people hiding inside screamed; chaos erupted.
"So noisy, you ants!"
Abomination stepped through the hole Hulk had made. Already driven to extremes by the super soldier serum and Hulk's blood, his temper snapped.
He began an indiscriminate massacre inside the mall.
Unfortunately, Gwen and her three best friends—Skye, Kate, and Emma—were in the mall too.
Under Kingpin's rule, New York had become so safe that the four girls dared to shop at night.
They never expected to run into monsters far more terrifying than common criminals.
Thanks to Gwen's calm, the other three stayed relatively composed.
Instead of bolting for the exits in panic—and being crushed by Abomination—they followed Gwen and quietly slipped upstairs.
Gwen had noticed that Abomination targeted first those fleeing toward the main doors,
and second those who screamed the loudest.
Their best chance, then, was to find a hiding spot and wait for rescue in silence.
For ordinary people, Gwen's plan would have been the smartest way to survive.
But trouble came from the fact that two of the four girls were fated for rocky lives.
Just after Gwen led Skye and the others to a corner on the third floor and dialed Karl for help,
the call connected—but before she could speak, a huge green figure flew straight at their hiding place!
"Watch out!!!"
Facing forward, Gwen had no time to think; she shoved her three friends aside and dove the opposite way!
BOOM——
The massive shockwave from Hulk's Impact flung Gwen, Skye, and the others in different directions.
Thanks to Gwen's push, none of them were flattened.
Yet the sight of Abomination leaping up from below plunged them into even deeper despair.
"Well, what do we have here? A few sneaky little ants still hiding?"
The lower floor was already littered with corpses. Finding more prey after tossing Hulk upward, he had no intention of letting anyone escape.
With three girls on Skye's side, Abomination naturally chose the larger group first. He extended his claws and walked toward them, smiling cruelly enough to make grown men weep.
Emma and Kate trembled so violently they couldn't even run; their legs turned to noodles!
Skye's heart pounded in her throat.
The three girls were helpless, watching death rise as Abomination lifted his claws.
CLANG!!!
A crisp metallic clang stopped the blow.
Abomination looked down: a soda can rolled at his feet.
He turned just in time to catch two more cans hurled at his face!
He spotted Gwen, crushed the can in his fist, and snarled, "Annoying little ant—I'll crush you like this can!"
He charged at Gwen faster than she could react.
"Karl..."
Time seemed to slow; memories flashed before her eyes, freezing on Karl's face.
Am I going to die? Unknown to her, space twisted—and a black-red-blue spider appeared above her head, landing in her hair.
"Gwen!!!"
A shout rang out as an invisible force blasted Abomination away, sending him tumbling downstairs.
Gwen stared in disbelief at her rescuer.
It wasn't Karl—it was Skye!
Skye was a super too?
Yes. Without any Terrigen Crystal, Skye had awakened Inhuman powers!
But the awakening seemed incomplete; after one seismic blast she collapsed, utterly spent.
"Skye, are you okay? Let me—ow!"
As Gwen reached to help, something stung her neck.
Instinctively she slapped it dead and found a black-red-blue spider in her hand.
No!
Her pupils shrank. Though she'd never seen such a spider, any biology student knows: the brighter the colors, the deadlier the venom.
She prayed the poison would take its time, giving her a chance to reach a hospital— but before the thought finished, the whole building seemed to warp and her mind grew sluggish.
Wait... it's not the building—it's the venom!
With that final realization, Gwen's eyes rolled back and she fainted.
Smack——
She didn't hit the floor; she fell into strong arms.
Cradling Gwen, Karl glanced at the dead tri-colored spider in her hand and raised an eyebrow. "Another super-spider... could this be Ghost-Spider?"
Chapter 75 – Two Spider-Men? An Excited Captain America!
But isn't a Universe supposed to have only one Spider-Man?
In the Marvel cinematic multiverse, the only place with more than one Spider-Man at the same time is the Miles Morales reality.
Even in Tom Holland's three-Spider team-up, each of the trio came from a different Universe.
And the reason Miles's Earth has two Spider-Men is that super-spiders from other dimensions slipped through Kingpin's collider.
Plus, Miles's very birth indirectly caused the death of that World's original Spider-Man.
Yet in his World, Kingpin hasn't lost his wife and son—both he and Vanessa are alive and well—so there's no reason for the man to build a particle collider.
But now a second super-spider has appeared and bitten Gwen, of all people.
Could some other mad scientist be running collider experiments in this Universe and cracked the multiverse wide open?
If so, would Peter end up dying here just because Ghost-Spider Gwen showed up?
Karl frowned, then tossed the worry out of his mind.
Even if someone died, it wouldn't be him—why fret over Peter?
As for whether Peter would be in danger, Karl could only wish him luck… His real fear was that this super-spider might attract something worse.
Like the inheritors who hunt Spider-Men… What a headache. Looks like he'd have to grow stronger. Once he gathered all twelve talismans and became Lord of the Shadow Dimension, even if the whole inheritor clan showed up, they'd be nothing more than prey.
And his next talisman was almost within reach.
Karl glanced down at Abomination—who'd been blasted into the mall's underground garage by Skye's shockwave but was already recovering—and clenched his hand.
Crack-crack-crack-crack—
Invisible force surged; countless chunks of rubble shot in from every direction and stuck fast to the monster.
No matter how wildly Abomination swung, he had only two arms and no eyes in the back of his head.
In moments his entire body was encased in reinforced concrete, forming a gigantic stone sphere.
With Abomination temporarily sealed, Karl flicked his wrist and hurled the sphere out of the mall.
It landed smack in the middle of General Ross's troops.
Without Karl's telekinesis holding the improvised
Chibaku Tensei
together, Abomination easily burst free and began slaughtering the surrounding soldiers.
Bullets and shells only enraged him further; they didn't slow the Carnage one bit.
Karl had no intention of helping. Instead he scooped up the unconscious Gwen and levitated Skye and the other two girls.
He looked past them:
Captain, I'll leave Hulk to you for now. I'm getting them somewhere safe.
Captain?
Skye and the others, startled by their sudden flight, turned to see a classic American-goods rear—rivaling Karl's—rising into the air behind them, a shield on his back and an anti-tank Rocket launcher on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, boss! I'll blast that green backside to bits with my trusty World-War-Two brogue!
Captain America grinned, swung the launcher, and fired his so-called
old boot
at Hulk, who had only just picked himself up after being tossed by Abomination.
BOOM—
The anti-tank missile—perfect for a human tank like Hulk—sent him flying, the impact rivaling one of Abomination's punches.
Cap stroked the still-warm launcher, eyes sparkling:
This beats chucking a shield or punching bags—now this is a toy for real men! I love it!
He licked his lips, pulled a six-barrel Gatling from his back, and chased the airborne Hulk while hosing him with bullets.
Watching the unrestrained barrage
Karl couldn
t help calling out: "Easy
Captain—watch for civilians and kids!
,
Relax—I'll let the old folks and kids fly—uh, I mean, leave first!" Cap shouted without looking back.
Fly… You definitely said fly, didn't you?
Karl's mouth twitched: what a shameless Captain.
But he couldn't be bothered. Whatever collateral damage Cap caused could be charged straight to General Ross's account.
The man who balances the books, after all.
Carrying Gwen and the others, Karl quickly reached the police perimeter the Military had sealed off.
That was why no officers had entered the mall while Abomination slaughtered inside: the army had ring-fenced the entire Hulk-versus-Abomination war-zone, planning to let the monsters wear each other down before mopping up.
As for civilians trapped inside?
Please. Famous generals build fame on ten thousand bones—Ross certainly wouldn't care about ordinary lives.
He not only refused to rescue but barred the police from trying, afraid it would foul his plan.
The move nearly gave Chief Stacy—now Director of the New York Police Department—an on-the-spot heart attack.
But a city police chief has no authority over the Military; the NYPD could only watch.
Fortunately, the NYPD cooperated with the Justice League, so the moment things spiraled, Director Stacy called the League.
Otherwise the police would have had to stand idle while the monsters butchered civilians.
When Director Stacy saw Karl flying out of the cordon carrying the unconscious Gwen, his vision blackened and he nearly fainted.
Why was his precious daughter inside that Military kill-box?
Only after Karl set the four girls down and checks showed they were fine did the Director breathe again.
At the same time his approval of Karl shot through the roof.
If Karl had asked to marry Gwen on the spot, Stacy would have agreed on the spot—and thrown the wedding himself.
Once sure Gwen was safe
Stacy hesitated and turned to Karl:
Karl, those two monsters—and the civilians still trapped…
Karl replied calmly:
Relax, Director. Captain's pinning one down. Let the other play with Ross's troops for now; I'll go pull the civilians out of the cordon…
Chapter 76 – God Karl, 2v1!
Director Stacy, already furious, had no objections to the Military's current self-inflicted plight.
But he voiced his doubts: "The Military has sealed off dozens of surrounding blocks. There are countless civilians inside—can you handle this alone?"
"Director Stacy, have you forgotten my title?" Karl smiled faintly as his body slowly rose.
No one's ever been wrong about a name; only eyes can be mistaken.
A God, of course, can do anything!
As Karl ascended through the night sky, a soft white light began to radiate from him until he became a miniature Sun blazing in mid-air.
This was telekinesis made solid!
The talismans themselves have no upper limit; the limit lies only in their user.
When ordinary people like Jade or Jackie use the rooster talisman, they can only control objects of a certain weight within a certain range.
But in the hands of Karl—who is already half a Lord of the Dimension—the talisman can display far greater power.
As Karl channeled the endless might of the Shadow Dimension into the rooster talisman, he felt an almost omniscient, omnipotent illusion.
His mind-force spread outward like tentacles, letting him sense and control everything within their reach.
For instance—at a single thought, the civilians cowering inside the Military cordon suddenly felt themselves lifted into the air!
One, ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand!
Live from helicopters, a stunned global audience watched the sky fill with rising people like a galaxy of stars.
Only after every last civilian within those dozens of blocks—tens of thousands in all—had risen to circle the small-Sun Karl did he lower them gently to safety.
Even after landing, those he'd saved kept their eyes fixed on him in mid-air, gazes brimming with piety and fervor.
Before today, God had been only a vague belief; now He had a face and a name.
That name was God Karl.
Karl's lips curved in satisfaction.
OK—daily fan-acquisition target achieved!
And this time the number of devoted followers he'd gained probably exceeded the total of all previous times combined.
He had General Ross's utter contempt for civilian lives to thank for that.
To Karl, General Ross was a downright saint—handing over super soldier serum, fame, and even a scapegoat. Truly touching.
But Tony was already "thanking" the General in his own way, so Karl went to help the seventy-year-old Captain America.
Captain America may be Marvel's "fifty-fifty" fighter, but he can't actually hold his own against everyone.
He simply trades a few blows with whoever's in front of him.
Right now, for example, he'd caught Hulk off guard, blasted him away, and chased him with a Gatling gun.
For a moment he seemed to have the upper hand, but once Hulk realized the attacks weren't hurting him the tables turned.
Soon it was Hulk angrily chasing Captain America.
Luckily Tony had upgraded the Captain for flight, letting him lob grenades while keeping his distance.
Otherwise Hulk would already have caught him and flashed that chilling Black Widow smile.
Just imagining it gave Karl the creeps.
Flying up to Bomb-Captain, Karl tapped his shoulder and told him to stop the barrage.
The devastation from his shells already rivaled the combined wreckage of Hulk and Abomination.
What exactly are you protecting?
What's worse, New York now had his dad Kingpin as mayor; the Fisk Family would have to pay for repairs.
Sure, the money had been "gently" sheared from the citizens in the first place.
But it was hard-earned wool; how could they waste it?
Karl waved the Captain aside and took over, hurling dozens of cars at Hulk.
Hulk stared at the oncoming convoy, dumbfounded, as car after car slammed onto his head.
Even someone as hard-headed as Hulk couldn't shrug off vehicles accelerated by telekinesis to dozens of tons of force; he ran clutching his skull.
Karl grinned at Captain America: "See, Comrade Steve? Use the people's strength—the people are the mightiest force!"
Even the re-cultivated Captain couldn't help twitching: "You sure that's the people's strength, not the people's property?"
Folks would come home shouting, "Yikes! My new car's a pancake courtesy of superheroes!"
That was worse than his own record—he mostly wrecked public amenities.
Karl couldn't care less about ethics; he used whatever cost him least.
He even commandeered two Optimus-Prime-style trucks as exoskeleton gauntlets, suspending them beside his arms and pounding Hulk with them.
Two flame-colored trucks for fists—pure spectacle—had viewers shadow-boxing in front of their TVs.
Who needed Hollywood?
And it worked: Karl actually overpowered Hulk with truck-fists.
At this rate he'd soon bash Hulk unconscious, just as Tony had done in the Hulkbuster armor.
But the arena held more than one monster.
Just as Karl was enjoying himself, a gray-green colossus slammed into him.
"Hulk is mine!!!"
With telekinetic senses spread wide, Karl couldn't be snuck up on; he batted Abomination aside with a truck cab.
Yet the interruption roused the half-stunned Hulk.
In silent accord the two beasts set their sights on the greater threat—Karl—and charged together.
That made Karl mad.
And when he got mad, merely knocking Hulk out was off the table.
He lost interest in close-quarters fun. As they lunged, he wedged the trucks between them, pinning their fists, then flung both monsters away.
He crooked a finger at Captain America, hovering nearby.
The Captain instantly flipped down, tossing his Vibranium shield to Karl in classic Superhero style.
The shield flew to Karl and hovered before him.
He raised two fingers, eyes on the direction Hulk and Abomination had flown, a cold smile on his lips.
You want an unsporting 2v1? Fine—time to cheat!
Let's see how you like shield-control kung fu!
Chapter 77 – Easy Victory, the Trash-Talking Captain!
Karl's two raised fingers pointed at the two monsters leaping out of the truck, and the shield instantly whirled away at high speed!
DANGER!
The first to face Karl's shield strike, Abomination felt his former-soldier sixth sense shriek in panic.
He instinctively jerked his head aside.
That single reflex saved his life.
The next instant Abomination felt a chill across his cheek; a split opened and red-green blood spurted out.
Disbelief flooded the face that had been nothing but savage a second earlier.
His transformed hide could shrug off heavy-caliber rounds—even missiles—without a scratch.
Yet an ordinary shield had just cut him open.
Impossible!
But believe it or not, the proof was carved right across his face.
And if the shield could slice his iron skin, it could truly wound—maybe kill—him.
Terror seized Abomination; he instinctively stepped back, ready to execute the supreme tactic from the Thirty-Six Stratagems… "Trying to run?"
Karl never let prey escape; he crooked his fingers and the far-flung shield came screaming back even faster.
Abomination threw his arms up to shield his head—the one place that had to survive.
But Karl's target wasn't his skull at all; it was his legs.
Two quick whirs and the spinning shield severed both Achilles tendons; Abomination's legs folded and he dropped to his knees.
Beside him, Hulk gaped, wondering why the guy had suddenly knelt.
The next second he knew: the shield sliced his tendons too, and Hulk knelt beside Abomination.
They locked eyes, mutual bewilderment and shame blazing between them.
Earth's mightiest beings, beaten senseless by a single human.
They tried to force themselves up, but their healing was nowhere near Deadpool's or Wolverine's level; regeneration would take time.
Time Karl would never give.
He twirled his finger, accelerating the shield until white air-blades formed along its rim, then snapped it at Hulk and Abomination.
The hypersonic shield moved too fast for either to track; white flashes surrounded them as tearing pain erupted across their bodies.
By the time the shield arced back into Captain America's grip, both monsters stared blankly.
The next moment wet rips echoed as wounds split open and blood sprayed the ground.
With every tendon severed, Hulk and Abomination were instant Hawking cosplayers.
To keep their formidable—even if not top-tier—regeneration from mending them, Karl politely urged steel rebars up through the ground and into their wounds, gifting them Wolverine-style piercings.
The bars inside their bodies blocked healing; unless Karl removed them, even these two couldn't break free.
The pair that had nearly razed New York and shrugged off the army now lay as helpless as lambs in Karl's hands.
An effortless one-shot.
Partly because Karl himself was strong, but mainly because his power countered brutes like Hulk and Abomination perfectly.
Keep distance, strike with telekinesis, and the two oafs could do nothing.
Only their hide had ever posed a problem—ordinary materials couldn't scratch it.
Conveniently, the Captain carried the hardest shield on Earth.
While Vibranium's fame is absorbing kinetic energy, it fears nothing but Adamantium when it comes to cutting power.
Piercing current-level Hulk hide? Child's play.
Yet Karl knew he'd won through finesse; the surrounding soldiers saw only a miracle.
General Ross's grunts gaped at the skewered monsters, rifles slipping from their hands.
Their orders: wait until the beasts exhausted each other, then move in.
But now, with the titans helpless, would they dare steal the victory from a living God?
If they let the God—no, the Superhero God—walk away with both prizes, General Ross would crucify them.
So they stood torn, dread and duty warring inside.
Captain America, never one for tact, saw their hesitant stares and opened with pure poetry: "What the hell are you staring at? You didn't land a single punch—eyes open, jaws dropped! Keep gawking and I'll shove your heads so far up your asses you'll eat your own shit! Fuck the lot of you!"
The soldiers blinked, stunned.
They hadn't even spoken yet—why the verbal barrage? But when they spotted the blood of Hulk and Abomination still dripping from the star-spangled shield, they wisely dropped their gaze.
Not that they were cowed, mind you.
They simply respected the chain of command: Captain America had never technically retired; by U.S. cumulative rank he was at least a five-star general—outranking their boss, Lieutenant General Ross.
Following the higher-ranking officer made perfect sense, right?
Seeing them buckle, Captain snorted. "Humph! Bullies who fold the moment someone stands up to them. In World War II, trash like you would've been left to lick Nazi boots!"
"Hey hey, Captain—less chatter, rein it in!"
Afraid the Captain would start another tirade, Karl yanked him over with a universal pull and flew off with him, Abomination, and Hulk toward Tony.
Tony had been first on scene.
Karl arrived second, Captain third.
Before jumping into the fray, Karl had detoured to Dr. Lan's lab, collecting the doctor—whose head, splashed with Hulk blood, was swelling toward "big-head-son" proportions—into the Shadow World.
Chapter 78 – Justice League of Villains!
If Gwen hadn't called him out of the blue, he'd have brainwashed Dr. Lan before even thinking of rescuing anyone.
When Tony arrived first, he didn't rush to save people or take on Hulk and Abomination—he zeroed straight in on General Ross.
Without a word, a palm-repulsor blast blew the tail off Ross's helicopter, sending it crashing down.
Then, in his armored suit, he shrugged off the guards' gunfire, dragged Ross from the wreck, and demanded to know if the General had murdered his parents.
General Ross had many flaws, but lying wasn't one of them; he stayed silent, face ashen.
Seeing Ross's tacit admission, Tony lost it and pummeled the man in a blind rage.
Old, frail, and no super-soldier, Ross couldn't withstand fists encased in steel.
One punch stunned him, two left him dazed; by the third he'd soiled himself.
If Ross's guards hadn't finally dog-piled Tony, the General would already be greeting his ancestors.
Things weren't much better now: ordinary troops stood no chance, and fear of hitting their own or their general kept them from using heavy weapons.
So they could only be tossed around like rag dolls—one boot per soldier—until dozens lay groaning on the ground.
When Karl and Captain America arrived, they found Tony stepping over the bodies, advancing on Ross, who cowered behind his daughter Betty.
Spotting Karl and the Captain, Ross's terror flipped to arrogance as he barked: "Captain, Fisk, your Justice Leaguer Stark's gone mad! He's attacked the Military—attacked a serving general! Arrest him now!"
Captain America:?
"The hell? You old bastard, who do you think you're ordering around? Want me to shut that foul mouth permanently?"
The Captain's temper flared; he ripped off his shield and hurled it. The disk sliced through the air, curved past Betty, and smashed Ross's barking mouth, shattering every yellowed tooth.
Ross clutched his ruined face, blood and broken teeth dripping as he whimpered in agony.
Betty gasped, spun to check her father, then jabbed a finger at the Captain: "How could you do this to a defenseless old man? You're Captain America! The whole world is watching on live TV!"
Clever Betty tried to bind the Captain with lofty ideals, using the news choppers overhead as her shield of public opinion.
But Betty forgot: New York now belonged to the Fisk Family.
And behind Captain America stood none other than the Fisks.
"Live? What live?" the Captain sneered, striding toward her without a care.
Betty's heart lurched; she looked up—every chopper that had circled moments ago had vanished.
That was Karl's doing. Every news outlet still operating in New York had ties to the Fisk Family; what aired, what didn't, was Karl's call.
After dealing with Hulk and Abomination, he'd sent the reporters to interview survivors, praising the Justice League's heroics.
What happened next was labeled "classified Military business," so the cameras obediently left.
Stripped of her media shield, Betty's face turned chalk-white.
Then the sky darkened; the towering Captain loomed over her, his once-heroic features now shadowed and terrifying.
"I don't hit old people or women," he said flatly, eyes cold. "But you're no old man, and your daddy's no woman—so, bitch, ready for take-off?"
"Take-off?"
Betty had no time to wonder; she was airborne, launched ten meters by the Captain's boot, slamming into a wall and lying still.
The Captain snorted. Try to guilt-trip me? Joke's on you—I've got no morals to bind.
"Y-you…!" Ross quivered, pointing a blood-soaked hand at the Captain, mouth too wrecked to form words.
For the first time he doubted his beloved super-soldier program—if every result were as savage as this Captain, perhaps the project had been doomed from the start.
Too late for regrets; Ross's clock was ticking.
Crack——
"Seems the mutt never learns. Lost the mouth, now you want to lose the paw too?"
The Captain ground his boot on Ross's outstretched hand, pulverizing every bone until palm and pavement merged into a single mess of flesh.
Ross's howl dwarfed the chorus of fallen soldiers.
The scream didn't last; the Captain clamped a hand over Ross's upper jaw, hoisted him like a sack, and dumped the limp general at Tony's feet.
Ross stared up at the trio silhouetted like end-boss villains, despair in his eyes—what kind of Justice League had zero justice? A whole crew of villains!
The Captain grinned at Tony: "Nephew, how d'you want him—fish food or dog chow?"
Tony studied the man who looked less Superhero than super-butcher and stayed silent.
He worried the Captain might get carried away and add him to the menu.
No worries—Big Daddy Karl was right there; if the Captain snapped, Karl could stop him.
Then Karl floated down the two brutes he'd been holding, cheerfully kicked Ross for good measure.
Tony reflexively leaned back—had the family bloodlust finally awakened in Karl too?
No wonder Peter hadn't been invited; this operation was way too gangster—Peter might lose faith in humanity… Tony sighed, stepped between the two stompers, and said, "Enough, you'll kill him. So… let me."
With that, Tony raised a boot and brought it down—General Ross's head burst like a watermelon.
Chapter 79 – Trust, New talisman!
The sight left Karl and Captain America staring in shock; they clearly hadn't expected Tony to kill General Ross with a single stomp.
Tony flipped up his iron mask, grinned at the stunned pair and said:
'What, surprised I can be this ruthless?'
'Come on, guys, stop looking like country bumpkins. I used to be an arms dealer—never as soft-hearted as you thought!'
'Besides, Karl said we stick together no matter what. Sounds good to me—even if that means "murder and arson" side by side.'
As he spoke, Tony winked smugly at Karl and Captain America.
Before he could savor his own lack of mercy, two fists rained down on his helmet.
Karl and Captain America withdrew their fists from Tony's head.
Arms folded, Karl sneered: 'Proud of yourself? Killing him outright isn't ruthless, it's letting him off easy!'
'We should've left him half-dead, ruined his reputation, made him die inside—then finished him physically. That's the full revenge protocol, got it?'
'But no, you skipped the best part and gave him a quick death—how merciful.'
Captain America nodded in agreement: 'Exactly! If we were jumping straight to the finale, we should've loaded up on adrenaline, flayed him to the bone, then jabbed him awake until he snapped—then let him die.'
'Now you just stepped on him and poof—no satisfaction left.'
He looked at Tony with utter disappointment.
Now it was Tony's turn to gape. 'Holy crap, with you two Edison-level revenge nerds around, Satan would wake up ranked third!'
Karl patted Tony's shoulder. 'If you're not ruthless, you won't stand firm. Mercy to your enemy is endless trouble. Still a lot to learn, nephew.'
'F**k off!' Tony slapped the hand away. 'You call me nephew? Steve the century-old popsicle can get away with it, but you're barely older than me!'
'By age, I should be calling you nephew!'
Karl shrugged. 'A gentleman's judged by mindset, not years. You may look old, but mentally you're the dull nephew from a rich farm.'
Tony's linguistic skills rivalled Karl's eight languages; he understood not just Mandarin but every nuance.
So he answered in perfect Mandarin: 'You a gentleman? Don't insult the word—you're more like the grandson.'
'I'm your old man,' Karl replied, flipping him the bird.
Apparently international sign language was the only reliable way to insult Tony.
Captain America, lost in their 'encrypted' chat, frowned: 'What foreign crap are you two speaking? Try human language!'
The super-serum gave him a super-brain, but he never used it—he just smashed things. Probably rusted by now. Karl and Tony both flipped him off: 'Dumb frozen fossil, we are speaking human—Mandarin's the oldest human tongue!'
Steve threw up his hands: 'Great, now I'm the illiterate one.'
He probably was the least knowledgeable here… 'Enough, save the BS for home. Let the Police clean up; we'll show our faces and bail.'
Karl waved, levitating Hulk and Abomination like trophies.
Glancing at unconscious Betty, Captain America asked cautiously: 'That witch is still alive. Off her to keep her quiet?'
Karl caught Tony's hesitation and shook his head: 'Captain, remember—we're Superheroes, not villains. No loose talk about silencing people. We use brains.'
He floated Betty over, pressed a hand to her head.
One second later he let go.
'Done. When she wakes, she'll blame Abomination and clear our names.'
With that, Karl flew off with his two prizes.
Tony and Captain America followed without question—trust was all they needed.
The clean-up was simple.
The trio posed for cameras and rescued civilians, gave a brief account of the disaster, and expressed 'sincere' condolences.
They condemned General Ross's disregard for civilian lives, painting him as the sole villain now that he was dead.
All glory to the Justice League; all evil to Ross—perfect.
Tony, Captain America and the absent Peter got only hollow honors and a cash reward from the New York Police Department.
Karl, however, gained far more.
Back at the Justice League Base he dropped Abomination and Hulk into Tony's special prison without ceremony.
In front of Tony and Captain America he sank into his Shadow World.
His Shadow World was no secret to them.
Brainwashed, Captain America was absolutely loyal and would never reveal it.
Tony, un-brainwashed but smart, had long understood Carl wished to keep the ability hidden and never spoke of it.
He didn't even question the mind-control trick used on Betty—trust completed the team.
Karl rushed into the Shadow World to open a 'blind box' with the book of ages.
He couldn't wait to see which talisman the third recorded event would grant.
He pressed his hand to the book of ages; it flipped itself and inscribed every detail of his role in the Hulk incident.
The text turned to golden light, which condensed into a familiar octagonal talisman.
Chapter 80: The Noble Horse!
Bodhisattva bless me, it better be the tiger talisman or the Horse Talisman!
Karl's offensive methods were no longer that lacking.
The power of Yin-Yang balance from the tiger talisman, which could balance all forces, and the rule-level healing power of the Horse Talisman, which could instantly heal anything as long as it wasn't an instant kill, were actually more important to Karl!
Moreover, he remembered that without the tiger talisman, if there were too many talisman powers in the body, they would conflict with each other!
Although he didn't know how many talismans would cause a conflict, the sooner he got the tiger talisman, the better... Looking at the unknown talisman still in the golden light, Karl stopped overthinking, reached out, and grabbed the floating golden talisman, crushing the golden light on its surface!
Opening his palm, a light blue horse head appeared on the talisman!
Karl's eyes lit up, pleasantly surprised!
It was actually the noble horse!
The noble horse could expel all external forces from the body!
Although it wasn't the tiger talisman he wanted more, the Horse Talisman was also excellent!
After all, this was equivalent to directly giving him healing abilities that were not inferior to Deadpool or Wolverine, and even surpassed them!
Yes, it was healing, not self-healing!
Although those two could self-heal from their injuries at a perverse level, they could still be dealt fatal or worse-than-death damage by special means, such as poison, cancer, or nanites.
But Karl, who possessed the Horse Talisman, was different. Even if someone gave him the most toxic poison in the World or secretly put nanites into his body, it would have no effect on Karl.
Because the Horse Talisman would automatically expel all factors unfavorable to his body!
As for cancer, with cancer cells in his body, there wasn't even a possibility of them appearing!
With a thought, Karl couldn't wait to test the effects of the Horse Talisman.
A white light flashed on the Horse Talisman, and Karl instantly felt his already healthy body become even more flawless!
It was as flawless and pure as a newborn baby!
All hidden injuries in his body disappeared in an instant, and even his kidneys returned to their peak state!
It had to be said, this felt great!
Furthermore, now that he had the Horse Talisman, he dared to inject the super soldier serum he had been concerned about before.
But not now. He remembered that using the super soldier serum required a special machine and a large amount of electricity to achieve a perfect effect like Captain America's.
He didn't lack electricity; however much electricity the large arc reactor built by Tony could produce, that's how much he could have!
But even with electricity, he had to wait for Tony to build the machine; otherwise, electricity alone was useless.
And with Tony's intelligence, he believed it would be built soon and wouldn't keep him waiting long.
"Since there's nothing else to do, I'll go brainwash Dr. Lan first."
Karl had some free time, so he planned to brainwash Dr. Lan, whom he had previously put into the Shadow World.
But just as he casually merged the Horse Talisman in his hand into the Shadow World like the previous two times, Karl stumbled and almost fell!
Karl's brow furrowed, and in his pupils, the Horse, rooster, and sheep talismans flickered back and forth in both eyes!
It was as if they were competing for the position in Karl's pupils!
And that was indeed the case!
The powers of the three talismans were currently running wild inside Karl's body!
Karl endured the pain that felt like someone was hitting his head with the hammer, raised his hand, and drew the three talismans out from the ground of the Shadow World.
After the three talismans were pulled out, the 'talisman boxing match' in Karl's head finally stopped.
Karl looked at the three talismans floating in front of him, took a long breath, and cursed:
"Damn it, I thought too many talismans would cause a conflict, but I didn't expect just three talismans could cause one, and it's so painful..."
After relaxing for a while, Karl tried to merge the talismans into the Shadow World again, intending to study whether the conflict was because the three talismans were together.
First was the Horse Talisman.
No problem, and as soon as the Horse Talisman merged into the ground, his head, which was still a bit painful, immediately stopped hurting.
Then he took out the Horse Talisman and merged the other two into the Shadow World separately; there were no problems individually either.
He tried merging and using a combination of two, and that was also fine.
But finally, when he tried to use three talismans together, sure enough, a problem occurred again!
His head was having a boxing match again!
Now Karl was certain that the upper limit for using talismans simultaneously was two; using more than two at once would cause a power conflict between them!
What a mess; he had the talismans but couldn't use them together... Karl was a bit speechless.
But after being speechless for a while, he let it go.
Forget it, he rarely used multiple talismans at the same time anyway. Even when he only had the rooster talisman and the sheep talisman, he used the power of one talisman most of the time.
Now it was just a bit more troublesome; when he needed to use them, he would just switch the positions of the three talismans.
Anyway, it was just a matter of a thought and wouldn't affect normal use.
Leaving the rooster talisman in the palace outside and merging the other two talismans into the ground, Karl walked toward the Shadow Prison in the palace where Dr. Lan was being held.
The sheep talisman protected his soul, and the Horse Talisman protected his physical body; in terms of importance, both of these talismans were more important than the rooster talisman.
So Karl planned to keep the sheep and Horse Talismans as his permanent talismans until the tiger talisman appeared.
He would only swap one of them for the rooster talisman when needed.
He arrived at the place where Dr. Lan—no, he should be called The Leader now—was being held.
Karl looked at Dr. Lan, who had completely mutated into a terrifying big-headed kid, and waved his hand; a Shadow Ninja opened the prison.
Dr. Lan watched Karl walk in. Although he was now a mutant and Karl was an ordinary person, he couldn't help but retreat into the corner, shivering, and asked Karl the classic three questions in fear:
"Who are you? Where am I? What are you going to do?"
And the answer to Dr. Lan was a large hand reaching over.
Karl pressed one hand on Dr. Lan's big head and refined him in an instant!
When he let go, Dr. Lan's eyes had become clear, and he bowed respectfully to Karl: "Master!"
With a minor villain like Dr. Lan, who didn't even have his own plot line, Karl was too lazy to waste words and just finished it with brainwashing.
To him, Dr. Lan was just a tool.
Karl said indifferently:
"I will temporarily keep you in the Shadow World to do research. Continue researching the Hulk's bloodyou were studying before, and strive to produce the Hulk serum after removing the side effects as soon as possible."
"Write down whatever you need for the Shadow Ninjas; they are also your assistants. They will assist you in your work, and they will get you everything you need, even human test subjects."
"After all, for research, how could using white mice be better than using white people or black people?"