Chapter 245: The Rest is Left to Me
That voice, suppressing fury, seemed to pierce through the endless darkness and despair, ringing in the ears of every surviving Avengers.
"Tianshu, in position."
The next second, the gloomy canopy of the South American rainforest was forcibly torn open by a dazzling beam of light.
The fire dragged out a glowing trail several kilometers long, like a falling meteorite tearing through the haze.
Lu Chen dived down from high altitude.
His mental power was like an overwhelming radar network, sweeping across the entire messy rainforest battlefield in a breath.
The situation below was even worse than he expected.
Tony's armor was shattered and his life or death was unknown, Steve was covered in blood and collapsed in the mud, Pietro was pinned to the ground, Wanda knelt on one knee, and the blood at the corner of her mouth was shocking.
Hulk's body was covered in gashes cut by light blades, and he was still tightly suppressed by three Eternal.
A cold look flashed in Lu Chen's eyes, and he accelerated again.
The burning fireball in the sky fell straight down with an unstoppable momentum, and the air within a range of several kilometers was squeezed to emit a harsh scream.
The three people besieging Hulk on the ground immediately noticed something was wrong.
The sense of oppression brought by the rapidly falling fire meteor even caused unstable fluctuations in the Cosmic Energy on their bodies.
Kingo suddenly raised his head and shouted out, "What is that thing in the sky? Where is Ikaris?"
Gilgamesh slammed into the furious Hulk, bent his knees slightly, and roared loudly, "Stop him first!"
Tina reacted faster, the long sword in her palm rapidly transforming and condensing into a golden energy longbow.
She drew the bowstring.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Several arrows condensed from terrifying Cosmic Energy left the string, forming an arrow net shooting toward the sky.
Kingo was not to be outdone. He clasped his hands together, compressing the Cosmic Energy to the extreme. The high-density light bullets after gathering energy slammed into the falling trajectory one after another like they were free, trying to blow it up in mid-air.
However, whether it was the energy arrow net or the dense light bullets, the moment they contacted the fire, they strangely penetrated through it, as if they hit only a phantom.
Lu Chen's speed increased instead of decreasing. Utilizing gravity and propulsion with peerless might, his right fist wrapped in terrifying heavy pressure struck straight toward Gilgamesh's face.
Gilgamesh's expression changed drastically.
He didn't expect that his teammate's ranged attacks would be completely ineffective.
Seeing that fist carrying the force of ten thousand jun rapidly enlarging in his field of vision, he roared, his right fist instantly covered with a thick layer of energy exoskeleton, sweeping out without dodging or avoiding!
He was confident that his strength was enough to shatter mountains; with this punch, he would directly smash this uninvited guest into powder!
But a bizarre scene happened.
His fist actually directly penetrated Lu Chen's arm, heavily hitting empty space!
Virtual-Real Conversion!
The moment the fist completely penetrated, Lu Chen's arm turned from virtual to real, and that fist carrying the force of ten thousand jun landed solidly on Gilgamesh's astonished face.
Boom!
The ground violently trembled, and Gilgamesh was blasted by this punch directly from the surface into the deep underground, the entire ground instantly collapsing into a huge deep pit with a diameter of tens of meters.
The moment their skin made contact, the system panel flashed across Lu Chen's eyes:
[Detected Copyable Superpower]
[Super Physique LV7]
[Energy Armor LV6]
[Immortality LV6]
Feeling the energy reserves in his body that were almost exhausted due to long-distance Flight and deep-sea combat, Lu Chen didn't hesitate and directly locked onto the target: "Copy [Energy Armor LV6]!"
A pure and majestic golden Cosmic Energy instantly poured into his limbs and bones, quickly filling the deficit in his body.
What he wanted was not the ability itself, but the energy replenishment attached when copying the ability!
"Boss... You're here."
A weak voice sounded beside him.
Wanda looked at that familiar and reliable back, her spirit tightened to the limit finally relaxing, and a faint smile forcedly pulled at the corner of her mouth.
Lu Chen turned his head, looking at the little Witch covered in blood and dirt, withdrawing the killing intent on his body, and said in a gentle voice: "You've worked hard, go rest. You've done very well, leave the rest to me."
"Mm..."
Wanda gave a soft acknowledgment. The moment she received affirmation, Wanda could no longer support herself, her body turning soft as she fell backward.
Lu Chen reached out to embrace her waist, steadily catching her.
Immediately after, he raised his left hand, and majestic telekinesis spread out like an invisible giant net.
Steve in the mud pit, the unconscious Tony, the feeble Pietro, the critically injured Hawkeye and Black Widow, along with Wanda in his arms, were all gently lifted by telekinesis and quickly transferred to a safe area in the rear.
Lu Chen multitasked, using blood manipulation and the healing energy previously copied from Ajak simultaneously, rapidly repairing the near-collapsing injuries in their bodies, and even allocating a trace to the dying Druig, maintaining the operation of simulated organs inside Phastos' body.
But when telekinesis tried to take Hulk away, this green big guy seemed very resistant.
He had just been besieged by three people, and the pent-up anger in his stomach had not been fully vented.
He glanced at Gilgamesh, who was punched deep into the ground by Lu Chen, hammered his thick chest with a large hand, and roared loudly: "This! Hulk's!"
Lu Chen looked into Hulk's eyes and nodded: "Fine, leave it to you. Don't beat him to pieces, I still have use for him."
Hulk grinned with a ferocious smile, leaped forward, and directly jumped into the bottomless giant pit with his heavy body.
Having settled the wounded, Lu Chen slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Kingo and Tina, who were full of vigilance not far away.
"You had quite a fun time fighting, didn't you?" Lu Chen stretched his wrists, "Now it's my turn."
Swish!
Lu Chen's figure disappeared in place.
Tina had extremely rich combat experience. The moment Lu Chen disappeared, the hair all over her body stood on end, and the energy shield in her hand instinctively retreated to guard her chest.
However, it was too late!
Crackle!
The next instant, a fist entwined with blue electric arcs landed solidly on Tina's lower abdomen.
The terrifying Impact brought thunder energy and exploded violently.
Her entire body was beaten into the shape of a shrimp, and she coughed out a large mouthful of blood while in mid-air.
On the way flying backwards, Lu Chen turned the blood sprayed by Tina into a blood sword, waved it with a backhand, and flung it toward Kingo behind him who was just about to raise his hand to release energy bullets.
With a soft squelch!
That blood sword directly pierced through his chest, nailing him firmly in place.
Just as Lu Chen was about to press the advantage and completely eliminate these two, a fierce wind of fists whistled from his rear flank, so fast that it was even a few fractions faster than his previous charge!
Makkari!
However, this speed hadn't reached the point where Lu Chen couldn't see clearly.
"Get lost."
Without even looking, with himself as the center, Lu Chen's majestic telekinesis suddenly expanded and burst outward, sweeping fiercely around!
Boom!
An invisible Impact swept across the audience, and the mud, gravel, and broken wood on the ground were all blown into mid-air.
Makkari, who rushed over at high speed, was also hit head-on by this force, her figure stagnating as she had to roll backward in a flurry to retreat.
Taking advantage of this gap, Lu Chen pointed his right index finger into the air.
An extremely compressed, dazzling lightning bolt precisely pierced through Kingo, who was pierced by the blood sword and unable to move.
"Ah!" Kingo screamed, his chest blasted with a charred bloody hole, and his entire body collapsed heavily to the ground, completely losing combat effectiveness.
"One down," Lu Chen thought to himself, his figure once again entering the virtualization state, pursuing the flying backward Tina like a shadow following a form.
Seeing Kingo fall to the ground, Makkari's eyes were filled with anxiety.
She pushed her Super Speed to the limit, transforming herself into countless red and black afterimages, frantically launching fierce attacks on Lu Chen from all angles.
However, whether it was high-speed hand blades or consecutive heavy kicks, they all passed straight through Lu Chen's illusory body, unable to shake even a corner of Lu Chen's clothes by a fraction.
Lu Chen ignored her harassment, only calmly observing her movement trajectory while moving at high speed.
"Her speed is indeed fast, but her attacks cannot break virtualization, which is pure futility," Lu Chen calculated the distance silently in his heart, "As long as I catch your landing point, you're done."
Seeing that Lu Chen was about to catch up to the fallen Tina, Makkari finally panicked.
She no longer tried futile attacks on Lu Chen, instead making a sharp turn in the air, a harsh sonic boom erupting under her feet as she reached out with both hands, wanting to take the severely injured Tina away a step ahead.
"I've been waiting for you to save someone!"
A sneer appeared at the corner of Lu Chen's mouth.
If Makkari kept running around in the open area, it would indeed be very difficult to lock onto her with her super high speed.
But Tina was lying on the ground unable to move, and Tina's position was Makkari's only must-pass path!
Hum!
An invisible telekinesis net and a violent Electromagnetic Pulse burst out around Tina at the same time!
The air was filled with chaotic magnetic fields and heavy pressure. Makkari, who had just rushed to Tina's side, suddenly stagnated in her figure, her ultra-high-speed rhythm heavily interfered with by the Electromagnetic Pulse.
At this moment of pause, Lu Chen's telekinesis turned into two huge invisible giant hands, closing heavily from top to bottom, grabbing Makkari and Tina tightly in his palms!
"Got you!"
Lu Chen strode forward to meet them, his right hand shaped like a knife with fingers together, lightning and telekinesis condensing on his palm, ready to slash down at Makkari's legs.
Cripple her legs, and this speedster would be nothing more than a decoration!
However, at the critical moment when the hand blade was about to fall,
Sizzle!
A golden beam of light shot down from high altitude, heading straight for the back of Lu Chen's head!
It was Ikaris's Heat Vision!
Lu Chen's mind moved slightly, and his entire body instantly entered the virtualization state.
That violent golden Heat Vision penetrated Lu Chen's illusory head without any hindrance, carrying a destructive high temperature, and slammed solidly onto Makkari's leg trapped by telekinesis!
Squelch!
Accompanied by the stench of scorched flesh, Makkari's right leg from the knee down was directly pierced by the Heat Vision, leaving a charred break!
Makkari opened her mouth wide, the intense pain causing her whole body to twitch, but because she could not make a sound, she could only struggle painfully in the giant telekinesis hands.
Lu Chen slowly turned around, looking up at the figure hovering in mid-air.
Ikaris in mid-air had his battle suit tattered, blood still oozing from the corner of his mouth and chest, and his eyes were filled with anger and despair.
"I didn't expect you to dare to come back," Lu Chen's voice showed not a trace of emotion, "Just in time, wipe you all out."
Chapter 246: End of Battle
Ikaris looked at the leisurely figure below, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The aura of fury on Lu Chen had disappeared.
The mad state that had suppressed him in the deep sea, leaving only a pure desire for destruction, had faded. At this moment, Lu Chen was terrifyingly calm, like a dead-silent sea after a storm.
A trace of relief even flashed through Ikaris's heart.
Without that infinitely surging power, Lu Chen might not be so invincible. As long as he and Tina joined forces and seized the opportunity...
But the next second, the color completely drained from his face.
He sensed the energy fluctuations within Lu Chen's body.
Although that energy was far from as vast as it was at its peak, it was definitely not in the depleted state it should have been after fighting in the deep sea and undergoing a long Flight! That energy... had actually recovered a little!
How was this possible?
When he was at the bottom of the sea, he was clearly almost exhausted! He had been traveling the whole time; how could he replenish his energy so quickly?
"How... how is it possible for your energy to recover?" Ikaris's voice was filled with incomprehensible despair.
Hearing this, Lu Chen merely glanced at him, with no intention of answering his question.
However, Lu Chen was also clear about his own condition.
This newly acquired energy wasn't actually that much, at most amounting to one or two tenths of his reserve. But to deal with the disabled people in front of him, it was enough to drive them to desperate straits with no way up to heaven or down to earth.
Ikaris didn't get an answer, but as his gaze swept across the battlefield below, his heart completely sank to the bottom.
Druig fell to the ground, unable to get up, with a dagger still stuck in his chest.
Kingo collapsed on the ground, life and death unknown.
Makkari had one of her legs crippled by her own out-of-control Heat Vision, and was curling up in pain, having lost her proud speed.
Phastos in the distance could only struggle powerlessly on the ground.
Beneath the giant pit, the excited pounding sounds of the green-skinned monster were coming from inside.
It was all over.
For seven thousand years, as messengers of God walking on this Planet, when had they ever suffered such a devastating blow?
Only Tina was left.
"Ikaris..."
Tina supported herself with one hand on a broken tree trunk and staggered to her feet. The corners of her mouth were covered in blood, and her platinum armor was covered in cracks, but she still condensed a golden halberd in her hand.
Suffering from Mahd Wy'ry for many years, her mind was chaotic, but her fighting spirit deep in her bones was fiercer than anyone else's.
"Can you still move?"
"Kill him," Tina spat out a mouthful of blood foam, "or die here."
A trace of determination flashed in Ikaris's eyes.
Lu Chen stood ten meters away, his expression terrifyingly calm.
"Are you done discussing?"
"Don't be too arrogant, human!"
Ikaris shouted angrily, his eyes blazing with golden light as he forcibly squeezed his already crumbling body. Two scorching beams of light, like swords of God, tore through the air, carrying an aura that destroyed everything, and smashed straight at Lu Chen's head!
At the same time, Tina on the ground also moved.
Using all her strength, she slammed her legs hard against the ground and slashed fiercely towards Lu Chen's waist and abdomen from another direction!
One high, one low, one far, one near—a perfect fatal combination.
"Struggling on the brink of death."
This thought flashed through Lu Chen's mind, and his entire body instantly entered an ethereal state.
Those two devastating Heat Visions penetrated his illusory head without suspense, blasting into the distant mountain and triggering a violent explosion and landslide.
Tina's heavy attack also passed straight through his waist, hitting empty air.
"This trick again!" Tina's eyes sank, her wrist turned, changing the slash into a stab, trying to find a solid entity.
But the next moment, Lu Chen transitioned from ethereal to solid, reaching out with his left hand as fast as thunder to grab Tina's wrist directly!
The crisp sound of shattering bones rang out.
Tina furrowed her brows tightly without uttering a single sound. The weapon in her hand dissipated and turned into a short blade, fiercely stabbing towards Lu Chen's heart.
But the energy inside Lu Chen's body suddenly shifted.
Invisible psychokinesis burst out between the two of them with a boom!
Tina felt like she had crashed into a fast-moving iron wall. The short blade she stabbed deviated by three inches, and her whole body was lifted off the ground by the overwhelmingly powerful repulsive force.
"Go."
Lu Chen pushed with one hand, and violent blue-and-white lightning spewed from his palm.
The dazzling thunder poured directly into Tina's chest, and her platinum armor finally could not withstand it, peeling off and shattering piece by piece. Tina flew backward heavily, breaking five or six thick giant rainforest trees in succession, and collapsed into the mud, unable to get up again.
"Tina!" Ikaris in the sky split his eyes in fury.
He lunged down from low altitude like a madman, whipping up violent sonic boom air currents around his body, clenching his fists, wrapping all the remaining Cosmic Energy in his body, and using the momentum of his descent, vowing to smash Lu Chen's head into meat paste!
This was the limit strike he could burst out.
Although only a small portion of the energy remained in his body, most of it was compressed onto his right fist.
Golden Cosmic Energy intertwined with blue-and-white electric arcs, and the originally invisible airflow spun wildly around the fist edge, forming an extremely dazzling energy vortex.
"Since you like clashing fists."
Lu Chen looked up, meeting the gaze of the swooping Ikaris, "Then I'll grant your wish."
Boom!
Two fists slammed heavily together in mid-air!
Mud and broken leaves within several kilometers around were all pushed away at this instant by the vacuum layer squeezed out by the air. Following that, a visible wave of air swept across all directions in a ring shape, scraping off half a foot of the topsoil raw!
The anger on Ikaris's face froze.
An irresistible recoil force spread all the way up along his phalanges.
Crack!
The crisp sound of breaking echoed all around.
Ikaris's right arm bent outward at a bizarre angle, and blood gushed out.
"Ah!"
Even an Eternal warrior who had been through hundreds of battles could not help but let out a shrill scream at this moment.
His entire body was carried backward and sent flying by the huge recoil.
Lu Chen stood in place, taking only half a step back and stepping out a deep footprint.
The energy in his body was mostly consumed, and his chest felt a bit stuffy, but this price was negligible.
"Come back."
Lu Chen pointed with his fingers and made a virtual grab.
Ikaris, flying backward in mid-air, seemed to have his neck caught by an invisible chain. His body jerked sharply, and then he was uncontrollably and forcibly pulled toward Lu Chen's direction by this psychokinesis.
Enduring the excruciating pain of his broken arm, Ikaris managed to gather a tiny Heat Vision in his left eye, attempting a final struggle.
Snap!
Lu Chen's figure flickered, so fast that only an afterimage remained.
He avoided that weak beam of light, his right hand locked tightly around Ikaris's neck, and slammed him heavily into the slippery mud!
The back of Ikaris's head slammed heavily against the ground, and he was beaten dizzy, the scene before his eyes completely blurred with double images.
Lu Chen stepped on his chest condescendingly, dangerous lightning dancing on the fingertips of his right hand, pressing against the center of Ikaris's brow.
"Your mission ends here."
Ikaris lay in the mud, panting heavily, blood foam constantly gushing from the corners of his mouth.
He looked at Lu Chen's young yet unwavering face, and the anger in his eyes was finally slowly replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness.
Lost.
Not only him, but the entire Eternal team that had descended on this Planet was completely wiped out.
In the distance, the roar in the deep pit gradually subsided.
Accompanied by a dull thud, the unconscious Gilgamesh was thrown out from the bottom of the pit like trash by the big green guy, smashed onto the muddy ground, rolled twice, and lost all movement.
Hulk panted heavily, jumping out of the pit covered in mud.
He glanced at Ikaris, who was stepped underfoot by Lu Chen, and then at Tina, who had fallen in the distance, blowing two puffs of white gas from his nostrils as if he felt he hadn't fought enough.
"Hulk won!" The Hulk thumped his chest, proclaiming the victory in a muffled voice.
Lu Chen ignored Hulk's showing off.
He looked down at Ikaris, who was unable to move under his feet, gathering the energy in his hands a bit, but not dispersing it.
"You... kill me." Ikaris closed his eyes, his voice extremely weak, "Arishem the Judge... will watch over this place... The Emergence is irreversible..."
"That's a matter for the future; you won't get to see it."
The lightning in Lu Chen's hand struck in, directly cutting off the energy circuit within his body.
Ikaris let out a muffled grunt, rolled his eyes, and completely passed out.
At this point, the entire rainforest battlefield finally quieted down completely.
(Words at the end: The plot of the Eternals is basically over. Battles, especially multi-person group battles like this, are hard for me to write because there's too much to think about. I know some people curse me for padding, but I really like the old Avengers and don't want them to become mere pendants, so I tried my best to leave highlights that I think are decent for most characters. Then there's the power scaling issue. I've re-watched some Marvel movies these past few days. Because the movies have to cater to lower-power members, I feel the power scaling is a bit chaotic—for example, Thanos's army that can roam the Universe can be killed by missiles or even bullets; Thanos's subordinates like the Black Order, whose combat power is basically second only to Thanos, actually go back and forth with Captain America and Black Widow; and Infinity Stone Thanos's combat power is also very confusing, losing beam struggles to Stormbreaker Thor, yet in Avengers: Endgame, a depressed Stormbreaker Thor + Mjolnir Captain America and Iron Man couldn't beat stoneless Thanos. Moving forward, I might moderately strengthen the power scaling according to my understanding, referencing comics and such. Everyone is welcome to give suggestions. Thank you for reading my book, thank you!)
Chapter 247: Total Annihilation
A faint scratching sound came from the distance.
Lu Chen turned his head and saw Makkari, with one of her legs broken, gritting her teeth and crawling forward.
Her willpower was indeed impressive; with half of her leg almost gone, she still wanted to run.
Unfortunately, a speedster without speed was no different from a venomous snake with its fangs pulled.
Lu Chen teleported forward, half-crouched, and cleanly brought his hand-chop down on the back of Makkari's neck.
Bang.
Makkari let out a muffled grunt, her whole body collapsing limply into the muddy water, completely motionless.
"How much better it would be to just behave, saving yourself the suffering."
Lu Chen shook the mud off his hands, his gaze settling into the void.
[Energy Armor LV6]
[Copy Progress: 50%]
It was identical to when he previously copied Energy Blast LV6 from Kingo.
According to the system's rules, as long as the target's ability level was two levels or more lower than his highest level, a physical touch would allow a full Copy. But if it was only one level lower, the first contact would only yield half the progress, and the resulting power would also have to be halved.
But it didn't matter; there would be plenty of time to deal with them next.
Lu Chen reached out, grabbed Gilgamesh by the back of his collar, and dragged him out of the mud pile like dragging a dead dog.
"Let's go, A-Hao."
Lu Chen whistled at the nearby Hulk.
The two returned to the patch of woods where the Avengers had been placed earlier.
The wounded lay scattered haphazardly.
The reactor aperture on Tony's chest was faint, but his heartbeat was steady. Steve's body had already repaired itself, and his breathing was even. Pietro had even managed to claw back a life, the fractured part of his calf having mostly healed.
Wanda lay on her side by a dry rock, her long eyelashes twitching; she had simply fallen asleep due to excessive mental energy consumption.
Lu Chen looked down and sized them up.
The energy inside his body wasn't much earlier, so he hadn't turned the healing ability to maximum power, but it was more than enough to pull these lives back from the gates of hell.
With a thought from Lu Chen, the Vibranium armor on his body quietly transformed into a black overcoat.
He raised his wrist and tapped twice on his watch.
"Yuheng, connect to Simone."
The watch vibrated, and Yuheng's response came through: "Connecting, please wait."
A few seconds later, Simone's slightly hurried voice came from the speaker: "My Lord? How is it over on your side?"
"It's done. Bring two transport planes to clear the ground, and by the way, pick up the Avengers."
"Understood. The nearest stealth transport is circling over the open sea two hundred kilometers away and will land in eight minutes."
The communication hung up.
Lu Chen leaned against a broken tree trunk, maintaining contact with Gilgamesh, and let out a long breath. Continuous fighting, especially with energy hitting rock bottom, left him feeling mentally tired even though his body was fine.
Hulk next to him, however, looked full of life and vigor.
This green big guy rubbed his chin, shaking his large head back and forth, as if still savoring the feel of beating up Gilgamesh at the bottom of the pit just now.
He mimicked Gilgamesh's previous posture, clenched his large fist, gestured twice in mid-air, and made heavy huffing sounds from his mouth.
"Hulk... hit like this, bang!"
The big guy turned his head and blinked at Lu Chen as if asking for credit.
"All right, all right, I know you're awesome." Lu Chen waved his hand.
Seeing that Lu Chen ignored him, Hulk boredly sat down on the ground with a thud, pulling up nearby tree branches to play with as weapons by himself.
Lu Chen's gaze swept over the group of unconscious Avengers behind him.
To be honest, he had half-truthfully and half-falsely fooled them once.
The Emergence of the Celestials would indeed destroy Earth; on this point, Lu Chen hadn't lied. But what he didn't say was that not all Eternals agreed with this duty, and he was doing it more to plunder the abilities of these alien creations.
And what about this group of Avengers?
Relying merely on the not-fully-verified truth of "Earth is going to end," they had unhesitatingly charged into this primitive rainforest, fighting the ancient Eternals until their bones broke and nearly all of them perishing right here.
"This time is on me; I'll help you out more in the future."
After muttering that in his heart, Lu Chen closed his eyes to recover his energy slightly.
Not long after, a muffled sound of engines piercing the air came from above the rainforest canopy.
The strong downward airflow blew the surrounding bushes into wild swaying. Two black vertical takeoff and landing transport planes broke through the fog and landed steadily on the battlefield not far away that had long been flattened by berserk energy.
Simone, wearing a neat black combat uniform and stepping in high-top military boots, walked quickly down the boarding ladder.
She glanced at the bombed-flat woods and the bottomless huge pit on the ground, the corners of her eyes twitching involuntarily, and then walked quickly up to Lu Chen.
"Boss, how are you doing?"
Lu Chen opened his eyes and stood up from the broken wood. "No major issues. Carry these Avengers lying on the ground up; be gentle."
Simone glanced at the wounded all over the ground and immediately waved behind her: "Medical team, bring the stretchers down, hurry!"
More than a dozen fully armed Vought security personnel swiftly carried high-specification medical pods rushing off the plane, nimbly securing Tony and the others, and carefully carrying them back into the cabin.
"Are Ms. Wanda and Mr. Pietro alright?" Simone asked in a low voice.
"They won't die." Lu Chen patted the mud dust off his hands. "Back to Vought Tower."
"Understood."
The engines of the two transport planes spewed dark blue flames, rapidly elevating in altitude and skimming toward the north.
New York, Hells Kitchen.
This previously chaotic and dilapidated neighborhood now presented an extremely eerie sense of order.
The illegal buildings on both sides of the street had long been completely demolished, replaced by flat roads and fully armed patrol posts. In the core area of the neighborhood, a towering, massive building stood proudly.
Vought Tower.
Compared to when Lu Chen left, this building had tripled in scale. The dark silver facade reflected the afternoon sun of New York, carrying a massive sense of oppression.
The transport plane landed directly on the helipad at the top of Vought Tower.
The cabin door opened, and Simone walked in front, like a dutiful tour guide, leading the way while reporting work at a rapid pace.
"According to your request, the company is now externally a biotechnology company. Everything below the seventieth floor has been partitioned for the pharmaceutical research, biochemical synthesis, and genetic engineering departments currently under formation."
The elevator door opened, Simone pressed the button, and continued: "The security of Hells Kitchen is now completely taken over by our security forces, and the mayor's office has already defaulted on our privileges. To support the advancement of the biochemical project, the Human Resources Department is recruiting top scientists globally on a large scale, having already signed more than eighty senior experts with an annual salary of over one million dollars."
Lu Chen nodded, inwardly sighing that high technology was indeed great, making even building houses so convenient.
"Simone."
"Present."
"Arrange this batch of people from the Avengers in the intensive care ward. Keep them well-fed and provided for. When they wake up, don't restrict their personal freedom; let them leave if they want to. If they want to find me, just say I am recuperating from injuries and will contact them later," Lu Chen instructed. "In addition, arrange a separate large venue for Hulk, send two whole roasted cows over, and make sure all kinds of food are all-you-can-eat. Don't provoke him, let him play by himself after eating, and if he turns back, just handle it however you see fit."
Simone glanced at the green behemoth following at the very rear, curiously eyeing the elevator buttons, and swallowed a mouthful of saliva: "Alright, I'll arrange for the logistics department to handle it immediately."
"Go ahead."
Lu Chen waved his hand and turned around.
Invisible telekinesis instantly enveloped the several captives who had already been carried down.
Ikaris, Tina, Makkari, Kingo, Phastos, Druig, and Gilgamesh.
A full seven Eternals hanging on by their last breaths were lifted into the air by Lu Chen's telekinesis, suspended in mid-air.
Lu Chen brought several of them to the very top floor of the entire Vought Tower, a floor belonging exclusively to himself.
With a casual wave from Lu Chen, those Eternal warriors who had fallen into deep comas were thrown onto the marble floor like garbage, making a series of dull thuds.
"It's time to settle the spoils of war."
Chapter 248: Starting from Marvel and Practicing Qi Cultivation
Lu Chen stood in place, and Yuheng had already closed all passages leading to this floor according to his instructions.
This was now his private laboratory.
As for the experimental materials... they were the few people on the ground.
Gilgamesh's massive body was suspended in mid-air under the support of invisible telekinesis, with a thick arm resting on the back of Lu Chen's neck.
[Energy Armor LV6]
[Copy Progress: 58%]
To completely Copy this ability, it would take at least a few more hours.
However, this didn't prevent him from inspecting the goods first to see how bountiful this harvest really was.
The Eternal were artificial humans created by the Celestials, and each person was precisely assigned different ability modules, presumably meant to make them perform their respective duties and cooperate closely.
But now, all of this would become Lu Chen's personal collection.
He first stopped in front of Ikaris.
The strongest warrior of the Eternal, whose blue-and-gold battle suit was tattered, and whose arm was limply folded to the side.
A light screen popped up in Lu Chen's field of vision.
[Ikaris]
[Super Physique LV8 (Uni-Mind)]
[Heat Vision LV8 (Uni-Mind)]
[Super Speed LV7 (Uni-Mind)]
[Immortality LV6]
[Explanation: This unit is an energy-driven artificial life form, its internal organs are simulated and composed of Cosmic Energy, and the concept of aging does not exist.]
Lu Chen couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
"Cheater."
Super Physique LV8, Heat Vision LV8, and a Super Speed LV7—this adventure was worth it.
He walked over to Tina, who had fallen to the side.
The female warrior god's long hair was stained with mud, and most of her white-and-gold battle armor was shattered. Even in her coma, her brows were slightly furrowed, carrying a lingering arrogance.
[Tina]
[Super Physique LV6]
[Energy Weaponization LV7]
[Immortality LV6]
[Explanation: Can condense the Cosmic Energy in the body into melee weapons of any form according to the user's will.]
Energy Weaponization LV7...
Lu Chen's eyes lit up slightly; no wonder it could break through Hulk's defense.
Next was Druig, who still had a dagger stuck in him. His condition was the most miserable; if he hadn't kept his life hanging by using energy healing all along, he would have died long ago.
[Druig]
[Super Physique LV4]
[Mental Shock LV6]
[Immortality LV6]
[Explanation: Can highly condense spiritual power to form a substantive Impact, directly attacking the target's brain nerves.]
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow.
If he copied Mental Shock, in the future, whoever he found displeasing could just get a blunt blow to the brain from afar; only those who could take it would deserve to mess with him.
Lu Chen continued walking forward and stood in front of that black tech geek, Phastos.
[Phastos]
[Super Physique LV5]
[Energy Creator LV6]
[Immortality LV6]
[Explanation: Can use internal energy, combined with one's own knowledge reserve, to create, assemble, and modify various mechanical creations.]
"Energy Creator..."
Lu Chen squatted down and poked Phastos's chubby face.
Why were all the guys with similar abilities black bros? He couldn't figure it out either. Lu Chen didn't dare to imagine what kind of tricks Tony would play if he had this skill.
Finally, there was Makkari, who had a broken leg.
[Makkari]
[Super Physique LV6]
[Super Speed LV6]
[Immortality LV6]
After reviewing everyone's panels one by one, Lu Chen slowly paced back to the center of the hall and fell into deep thought.
A series of abilities rearranged and combined in his mind, colliding with countless possibilities.
Interesting.
Gilgamesh was energy armor, Tina was energy weaponization, and Phastos was energy creation.
These three abilities sounded like a complete assembly line project.
If he got all of these into his hands, the energy in his body could not only be put on his body as armor, but also be molded into sabers, spears, swords, and halberds...
A thought suddenly popped into Lu Chen's mind.
Kingo's energy bullets were fired after compressing Cosmic Energy.
Then what if he used Tina's [Energy Weaponization] ability to instantly generate tens of thousands of extremely sharp energy weapons, and then used Kingo's energy bullet firing method to blast them all out at once...
"Return of the Myriad Swords?"
Lu Chen's eyelids twitched, and he couldn't help laughing out loud.
Not only did it carry the Impact power of energy bullets, but the illusionary weapons were also each extremely sharp.
The more Lu Chen thought about it, the more he felt this idea was feasible. Although these abilities of the Eternal were strong individually, their true value lay in combination. The Celestials designed them to require teamwork, but they never expected that one day they would encounter a "BUG" like himself who could gather all abilities in one body.
However, the most urgent matter right now was still Ikaris.
This combat power ceiling of the Eternal had two big juicy pieces of meat on him.
Heat Vision LV8, Super Physique LV8.
Lu Chen rubbed his chin, feeling a bit undecided in his heart.
He wanted both of these abilities.
Heat Vision could greatly enhance his energy attacks, but Super Physique LV8 was equally tempting.
Once his physique was raised, the upper limit of close-quarters melee combat would be directly maxed out, and his strike-resistance ability could also rise to the next level.
Which one should he Copy?
Lu Chen rarely fell into a dilemma of choice.
Vought Tower, sixty-eighth floor, special care ward.
The instruments emitted a gentle ticking sound, Tony's eyelids twitched, and he suddenly opened his eyes.
What came into view was an unfamiliar ceiling, as well as the soft green light flashing on the medical equipment next to him.
His first reaction was to raise his hand and touch his chest.
The reactor was still there, glowing with a faint and steady blue light.
He touched his stomach again.
It didn't hurt.
"Jarvis? Report the situation." His very first sentence was to call his artificial intelligence butler.
However, the only response he received was silence.
A humming and groaning sound came from the other end of the ward.
Pietro suddenly bounced up from the bed, holding his right leg with both hands: "My leg! My leg is broken!"
"Shut up, Pietro, your leg is completely fine."
Wanda leaned against the head of the bed, rubbing her throbbing temples.
She was wearing a hospital gown, her long hair scattered over her shoulders, and her face was still a bit pale.
Pietro was stunned for a moment, lowering his head to pinch his leg.
It was intact, without even a single scar left behind.
He lifted the quilt and jumped out of bed, bouncing back and forth on the ground twice, full of disbelief: "It's really healed? I remember that crazy woman crushed my bones!"
"Boss saved us." Pietro turned his head, his eyes shining, "It must be the boss!"
Wanda looked at the Vought Company logo printed on the bedside table, the corners of her mouth twitching, and she said softly: "The boss brought us back."
"Lu Chen?"
Tony frowned and pulled out the infusion tube on his arm.
"How is South America? Where are those aliens? Why is Jarvis not moving?"
"Jarvis's network permissions were cut off by Yuheng, Mr. Stark."
The automatic sensor door slid open.
Simone walked in, holding an electronic recording board.
She glanced at the awoken Avengers and spoke in a formulaic tone: "Everyone has recovered faster than expected."
Tony stared at the uniform on her body: "You are Tianshu's CEO, right? Where is he?"
"The boss is recuperating on the top floor."
Simone answered very simply.
"Recuperating?" Steve's expression turned solemn, and he took a step forward, "Is he badly injured? What on earth is the battle situation in South America? Where are those Eternal?"
In Steve's memory, before they fell, the battle situation had collapsed to the extreme.
Even Hulk was beaten while being suppressed, and the few of them had one foot half into the coffin.
With that level of enemy, how could Lu Chen hold on alone?
"The Eternal were completely wiped out."
Simone calmly spat out a sentence.
The ward suddenly fell silent.
Chapter 249: Returning to Their Respective Homes
The ward quieted down.
Tony was originally preparing to reach for the clothes at the head of the bed, his hand stopping in mid-air, his brows knitted into a knot.
Wiped out?
The sense of oppression that group of guys displayed in the South American rainforest still made Tony's back molars ache just thinking about it now; this was the strongest enemy he had ever faced.
"What does wiped out mean?"
Tony stared at Simone, asking extremely fast: "All dead? The kind without a corpse left? Vaporized directly?"
In his mind, Lu Chen's previous simple and crude methods of handling things instantly flashed by. If Lu Chen had rushed back and gone all out, it was indeed completely possible for him to blast that bunch of aliens into slag.
But this was not good news. Tony took a breath, his tone raising: "What about that thing deep in the Earth's core? That so-called God, is it completely resolved? Will it wake up again? If we haven't even figured out the intelligence, Earth could explode like popcorn at any time!"
Simone's expression was as usual, the electronic tablet in her hand tapping lightly against her fingertips.
"I cannot guarantee life or death to you for the time being, Mr. Stark. But what I can be sure of is that all the intruders were brought back by the boss. Not a single one is missing."
Tony was stunned: "Brought back? Alive?"
"Because the individual combat power of this batch of targets is too dangerous, and their destructive power is extremely high, conventional detention facilities simply cannot withstand them."
Simone looked up at the crowd: "Therefore, during the period when the boss is recuperating from his injuries, all captives are personally detained and guarded by him. As for the intelligence underground, the boss has instructed that after he handles the hidden dangers at hand, a complete set of information will be compiled later to share with you."
"Hoo..."
Tony let out a long breath, his whole body drooping his shoulders, the faint blue light on his chest shaking.
It's good they didn't turn to ash.
As long as they were alive, or as long as their brains were still there, even if it was a half-dead living captive, useful things could be pried out of their mouths. As long as there was intelligence, humanity wasn't waiting for death with closed eyes. Facing this kind of cross-galaxy or even cross-dimension God-level civilization, what Tony feared most was being completely in the dark.
"Personally guarding, huh..."
Tony rubbed his temples, muttering in a low voice: "Fine, anyway, if it were changed to that unreliable bunch at S.H.I.E.L.D., they would probably let someone break out of prison the next day."
He lifted the quilt and got straight out of bed. Although his limbs were still a little sore, the pain caused by the extremely strong propulsion force on his internal organs had faded. Lu Chen's healing methods were indeed extremely weird; having suffered such heavy injuries, he could actually bounce around after a sleep.
"Tell your boss, I won't sponge off a ward here anymore, I'll take my leave first."
While putting on a loose jacket, Tony walked towards the door, a restless light shining in his eyes: "This fight gave me some new inspiration. Technology suppressed? Ha, that's because the previous models weren't good enough. Phastos, right? Once I re-modify the nanostructure and energy circuits, next time we meet, I'll have to dismantle that fat guy's mechanical spheres into scrap iron."
He walked extremely fast with wind at his feet, obviously his mind was already stuffed with blueprints and formulas, eager to drill into the underground laboratory the next second.
Steve watched Tony's retreating back, turning his head to look at Simone.
This veteran was still wrapped in a few fixing bandages, but his complexion had returned to ruddy. He reached out and pressed his chest, where the bloody hole originally beaten by Kingo had completely healed.
"Lu Chen's injuries... are they really okay?" Steve's tone was somewhat heavy. Before he lost consciousness, the battlefield was almost a one-sided desperate situation. No matter how strong Lu Chen was, cleaning up so many monsters alone, the price paid definitely wouldn't be small.
"The boss needs quiet recuperation, Captain Rogers." Simone's given answer was watertight.
Steve nodded and did not continue to ask: "If Lu Chen recovers from his injuries, please be sure to notify us as soon as possible. Regarding that God incubating inside Earth, our side will also use all means to continuously monitor the underground energy anomalies globally. Once there is any wrong reaction, we will share intelligence at the first instance."
"I will truthfully relay this to the boss." Simone slightly bowed.
Natasha and Clint, standing in the rear, also stood up.
Natasha tidied her scattered red hair, her gaze resting on Simone's face for two seconds, trying to find a flaw on this capable female housekeeper's face. But besides professional politeness, nothing could be seen.
"Thank him on our behalf."
Natasha said softly, pulling Clint beside her: "Let's go, Barton, the bureau is probably already in an uproar because of the commotion in South America, we have to go back and clean up the mess."
Clint moved his wrists, shaking his head with a bit of self-deprecation: "Seriously, next time there is a scene of immortals fighting like this, I have to consider bringing some more powerful guys. Ordinary arrows aren't even worthy of scratching their itches."
The two did not ask when Nick Fury would wake up, following Steve out of the ward. Simone watched them walk into the elevator the whole time, the smile on her face unchanged by a fraction.
After this group of Avengers left completely cleanly, only two people were left in the empty ward.
Pietro sat on the edge of the bed, his two feet swinging back and forth. He looked at the empty doorway, then turned his head to look at the younger sister keeping her head down beside him, and finally stretched out a finger, pointing at his own nose somewhat comically.
"Um... Miss Simone?"
Pietro blinked, his tone carrying a bit of trepidation: "Do my sister and I have to leave too?"
When Simone heard this, the official business expression on her face instantly dissipated.
She looked at Wanda and Pietro, her gaze becoming much softer. Simone was very clear on who her own people were. The Avengers were allies and could diverge in concepts at any time, but the two young people in front of her were brought back personally from Sokovia by Lu Chen, and were also direct descendants personally cultivated by Lu Chen.
"What are you talking about."
Simone smiled, her tone as affectionate as a neighborhood older sister: "And Miss Wanda. This place has always been your home."
"Home?" Pietro was stunned for a moment, scratched the back of his head, and smiled embarrassedly: "Actually, just casually arranging a small room is fine, having a bed to sleep on is fine, I'm not picky..."
"Room?"
Simone raised an eyebrow, softly interrupting him: "I think you might have misunderstood. The boss's instruction is for you to go select a floor that belongs to yourselves."
The smile on Pietro's face suddenly froze.
"A... a floor?"
His eyes widened: "Not a single room? An entire floor? Are you kidding me, a floor like this has at least several thousand square meters, right? Used as a bedroom? If I get up at night to go to the bathroom, I'll have to use my Superpower to run for a while!"
"Of course it's an entire floor."
Chapter 250
Simone handed over an electronic tablet, which clearly marked the various vacant areas in the middle and upper floors of the building: "After all, we are all the boss's subordinates and our own people. Vought Company has never been stingy to its own people."
As she spoke, she took two cards out of her pocket and handed them to Pietro and Wanda respectively.
"Please keep these two cards safe. Each of them has a pre-stored limit of 100 million. The boss instructed that this is considered your living expenses and salary, with no restrictions on use. You can spend it however you want."
Pietro stared at the thin card, his hand shook slightly, and he almost failed to catch it securely.
100 million?
The brother and sister had been scraping by in the ruins of Sokovia since they were children. At their poorest, they couldn't even afford a decent pair of new shoes, and even a moldy piece of bread had to be split in half to eat. Now someone suddenly shoved 100 million into his hand, and it was just living expenses that he could'spend however he wanted'?
"Boss... isn't this a bit too exaggerated..." Pietro swallowed a mouthful of saliva, feeling as though his whole body was floating.
Simone did not laugh at his unseemly behavior. She looked at Wanda, who had been sitting on the bed in a daze, and said softly: "In addition, the post-war reconstruction work in Sokovia has been progressing steadily. The special funds and engineering teams arranged by the boss entered the site long ago, and schools, hospitals, and residential areas are all being rebuilt. If you miss home, you can take the company's private plane back to check at any time."
Simone took half a step back and pointed outside the door: "Now, the two of you can come with me to see your new home."
Home.
Wanda sat on the edge of the bed, her fingertips gently rubbing the card, her lips slightly pursed.
This word was already too distant and unfamiliar to her. She originally thought that she would never have this thing again in her life.
But that man pulled her out of hell, not only giving her a place to settle down, but also helping her rebuild her homeland in Sokovia.
An unspeakable warmth welled up from the deepest part of her heart. Wanda lowered her head, a slight blush appearing on her face. Then, she couldn't help but curve the corners of her mouth and chuckled softly.
"I want to choose the side facing the sun."
Wanda lifted the blanket and stood up, her eyes sparkling: "And I want to pick the furniture myself. All the carpets, sofas, and curtains... I want to choose the prettiest ones myself."
"Of course, as you wish, Miss Wanda." Simone smiled and turned sideways to lead the way.
Pietro shoved the card into his pants pocket and quickly followed, shouting, "I want to choose too! I want to install an indoor running track in the living room! And game consoles, I want to buy a hundred of them!"
The sixty-seventh floor of the building, isolation care area.
Behind the heavy, high-strength tempered glass door, the air was filled with the rich aroma of meat and the smell of high-calorie food.
The table was piled high with oversized empty dinner plates, and the steak bones and roast chicken remnants were stacked like a small mountain. Bruce Banner was wearing an oversized, ill-fitting gray hoodie, curled up in a soft chair, holding a steaming cup of black coffee in his hands.
Hulk was full.
This was Banner's first thought upon waking up. That green behemoth lurking within his body was currently fast asleep tucked deep inside his consciousness like an overfed baby, without transmitting even a trace of irritable emotion.
The door slid open, and a Vought medical director in a white lab coat walked in, holding a tablet computer, and gently debriefed Banner on the entire battle situation in South America.
"...The tactical interception was very successful, the Eternal's offensive was completely dismantled, and there were no civilian casualties around the rainforest."
The director pushed up his glasses and added: "In addition, Mr. Hulk performed exceptionally well in the battle. He frontally defeated the enemy's most powerful heavy armored unit, laying a key foundation for the ultimate victory."
Banner's hand holding the coffee cup loosened slightly, and he let out a long breath.
No civilians were injured.
That behemoth did not lose control; instead, it saved the situation.
Banner lowered his head, looking at his slightly trembling hands, a trace of gratified, bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Sure enough, communication was effective. He had always regarded Hulk as a terrifying disease, a curse that could destroy everything at any time, but Lu Chen's method was right—treating it as an individual that could communicate, giving it a channel for vent, and giving it the recognition it deserved. Hulk was not born just for destruction.
The footsteps stopped at the door.
After dropping off the Maximoff siblings, Simone came to this ward.
"Dr. Banner, do you feel better?"
Simone walked up to the table, her attitude polite and respectful: "If you want to leave, you can leave at any time. The boss specifically instructed that Vought Tower will never restrict your freedom, and this is not a shelter for S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Military."
Banner was stunned for a moment. He had long been accustomed to being hunted by the Military and closely monitored by S.H.I.E.L.D., acting like a walking time bomb wherever he went. Such treatment of 'leaving at any time' was truly too rare for him.
"Also," Simone continued to convey Lu Chen's meaning, "the boss said that you no longer need to worry about the Military or other forces coveting the power within your body. If the Military makes any small moves, Vought Company will handle it entirely. We will escort you and protect you."
Hearing these words, Banner's expression was somewhat dazed.
Escorting and protecting.
In this World, everyone who saw Hulk felt either fear or greed, trying every possible means to make that power their own. Only Lu Chen could not only suppress Hulk head-on, but was even willing to provide asylum for Hulk.
Banner lowered his head and took a sip of the bitter coffee. After a moment, he raised his head and revealed a somewhat exhausted yet relaxed smile.
"Thank him for me."
Banner stood up and patted his trouser legs: "I now... just want to go out for a stroll by myself. Although the air in New York is not very good, it has been a long time since I walked without Agents tailing me. Is that okay?"
"Of course."
Simone took out an exquisite business card and gently placed it on the table: "The door is always open for you. If you encounter danger outside, or run into trouble you don't want to transform to deal with, contact us at any time."
Chapter 251: System, I Have Figured It Out
The door to the top-floor secret room was tightly sealed, and not a single rustle from outside could penetrate it.
Holographic screens were projected in the air, and the report compiled by Simone was scrolling upwards line by line.
Tony Stark had returned to his seaside Villa, muttering about wanting to completely reconstruct his armor from head to toe, clearly severely stimulated by Phastos's technological suppression.
Steve had taken Natasha and Clint back to S.H.I.E.L.D., intending to keep an eye on global geological monitoring data.
Dr. Banner had strolled out the front door holding a hot cup of coffee, walking around the streets of New York.
As for the Wanda siblings, each of them had chosen an entire floor, clutching black cards preloaded with one hundred million US dollars in their hands, and Wanda had even excitedly started picking out curtain colors.
Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, looking at the text on the screen.
He had originally just given a few casual instructions, but he hadn't expected Simone to handle things so flawlessly, even managing the minute details he hadn't specifically emphasized with crystal clarity.
This feeling of not having to worry about everything himself was indeed quite comfortable.
Being a hands-off boss to this extent could truly be considered worry-free.
Lu Chen turned off the holographic report in front of him, stood up, and stretched his shoulders.
With a thought, a layer of golden light emerged from his left wrist, and dense energy patterns quickly arranged themselves against his skin, condensing into a golden heavy bracer in the blink of an eye.
Lu Chen raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and struck the armor on his left arm hard with a punch.
"Clang!"
A dull impact echoed within the secret room, and the golden light flickered uncertainly, barely withstanding this blow.
Lu Chen shook his wrist and dissipated the golden armor on his arm.
"It's just average for me right now."
He muttered to himself in evaluation.
But the situation was urgent at the time, and he couldn't care about that much.
Lu Chen walked across the floor and stopped in front of Tina.
He issued an order in his heart, locking onto the most valuable ability on Tina.
[Energy Materialization LV7]
The panel immediately popped up with feedback:
[Since the target is in a state of being unable to resist, the copying speed is doubled]
[Copying started: 50%]
[Estimated time: 18 hours]
Eighteen hours?
Lu Chen stood up, folded his arms, and the abacus in his mind began to click rapidly.
After this system upgrade, many rules had changed. He had been exploring them all along, and now looking at this specific countdown, the entire underlying logic had finally become completely clear.
His current highest ability level was LV8 Infinite Rage.
Below this baseline, all abilities were categorized into clear tiers.
Abilities two levels lower than his own, which meant LV6 and lower levels, didn't require any time at all; as long as there was physical contact, the copying could be completed instantly.
Lu Chen couldn't help asking: "System, according to the old algorithm before the upgrade, how long would LV7, LV8, and LV9 have originally taken?"
He hadn't seen an LV7 ability in The Boys World yet; the LV7 he possessed was stacked up through quantity.
In the past, for questions exploring underlying rules like this, the system would mostly brush him off with perfunctory answers like "Please explore on your own, Host."
But this time, the voice in his mind came extremely quickly.
[LV7 one month, LV8 three months, LV9 one year]
"Not bad, your attitude has improved quite a lot this time," Lu Chen teased inwardly. "Whenever I asked you something before, you either played dead or told me to explore on my own. How come you were willing to give me a direct answer today?"
The prompt in his mind paused for a moment, and the text that popped up afterward unexpectedly carried an inexplicable sense of arrogance:
[The me before the upgrade is the me before the upgrade, and the me after the upgrade is the me after the upgrade]
[As for the rules possessed by the me before the upgrade, ask whatever you want]
[Host, you must distinguish the gap between the two of us!]
Looking at this line of text, Lu Chen almost couldn't help laughing out loud.
Good grief.
So the current you is looking down on your previous version, right?
However, since the system had confirmed the baseline time before the upgrade, the last piece of the puzzle in his hands was finally completely put together.
His current highest level had been upgraded to LV8, which was only one level apart from [Energy Materialization LV7]. According to the previous rules, it would take at least a month.
Thirty days was seven hundred and twenty hours.
Contact allowed copying fifty percent, halving the time to three hundred and sixty hours.
The target was unable to resist, halving it further.
That should have been one hundred and eighty hours.
Yet the time given by the system was only eighteen hours.
Lu Chen rubbed his chin.
"Ten times."
The upgraded system had increased the copying speed by at least ten times.
Then following this logic, LV9 would have originally required three hundred and sixty-five days.
Hanging in the background didn't require Lu Chen to constantly hold down the target with his hands, but because there was no resistance from self-consciousness at all, it naturally met the rule of "unable to resist" in the judgment, directly halving the base time.
365 days divided by 2 equaled 182.5 days.
And the estimated time Lu Chen had seen in the background before was 36.5 days.
182.5 days became 36.5 days.
A sharp light flashed in Lu Chen's eyes.
36.5 divided by 182.5 equaled 0.2.
Where did this 0.2 come from?
When copying this ability, his highest ability was LV7, while the target being copied was LV9.
A difference of two levels!
365 ÷ 2 × 0.2 = 36.5 days!
It seemed that the stronger he was, the faster he could Copy. If it were copying an LV10 ability back when he was LV7, it would end up multiplied by 0.3.
"So that's how it is."
He straightened his body, let out a long breath, and his eyes were shockingly bright.
"System! I have figured it out!"
Chapter 252: Shameless Scoundrel
Eighteen hours later, Lu Chen raised his right hand, and a golden longsword condensed and formed in his hand.
[Energy Weaponization LV7, Copy completed]
The blade elongated and narrowed with his thoughts, then split into several short blades, hovering between his fingertips.
This was much more convenient than swinging fists and chasing people.
Lu Chen tried out the shapes one by one, and even the patterns on the hilt could be adjusted.
Tina used this ability to condense swords and sabers, but he didn't need to Copy her blindly.
Once he gathered the other few abilities, there would be even more tricks he could play.
However, right now, he had to arrange the next item first.
Dispersing the short blades, Lu Chen walked to Ikaris's side and placed his hand on his shoulder.
Several entries lay before his eyes.
[Super Physique LV8]
[Heat Vision LV8]
[Super Speed LV7]
They were all good things.
Looking at them yesterday made it hard to choose, and looking at them today, he still couldn't bear to let any go.
Lu Chen stared at Heat Vision for a while, and finally shifted his gaze to another entry.
"Copy Super Physique."
His offensive means were temporarily enough.
Tina's Energy Weaponization was already in hand, and there were still a few people waiting in line behind.
Once these abilities were collected, the energy attack aspect could be greatly reinforced, and there was no need to cram everything in the same direction.
Physique was different.
No matter how strong Infinite Rage was, it still needed a solid enough foundation to support it.
If the foundation was raised by a notch, with the same degree of amplification, the force landing on his fist would not be just that little bit from before.
Next time he ran into a troublesome guy, he could use mental ability to suppress his emotions.
He wouldn't have to force himself to the point where his mind was so full of anger that only beating people was left.
His strength had to rise, but his brain had to be kept as well.
If he really got carried away in a fight, who knew what he might accidentally smash.
"It's you."
Lu Chen patted Ikaris's shoulder, which served as an end to this hesitation.
[Super Physique LV8 Copy started]
[Target is in an unable-to-resist state, Copy speed doubled]
[Estimated time: 4.5 days]
Lu Chen looked at that last line of text, and his heart felt much more comfortable.
Four and a half days.
Placed in the past, waiting for a high-level ability would casually be counted in months.
Now, as long as the order was arranged, this batch of prisoners in his hands could successively make up for his shortcomings.
This fight was not fought in vain.
He dismissed the panel, and just as he was about to withdraw his hand, he remembered another question.
This doubt had been suppressed in the bottom of his heart for quite a long time.
Asking the system before, eight or nine times out of ten he wouldn't get any useful answers, but today this guy was quite willing to talk to people.
Taking advantage of its good mood, he would ask.
"System, if I am copying an ability and the progress hasn't finished yet, what happens if the person providing the ability dies first?"
Once the words were asked, Lu Chen added another sentence.
"I am asking about the one where copying has already started. Not going to loot the corpse after the person dies."
These two situations were vastly different.
The former was related to the time already spent, while the latter was whether he could take advantage of a bargain.
What he wanted to figure out most right now was whether an ability copied halfway would disappear along with the target.
Especially the few in his hands, each injured heavier than the last.
He could save his life, which didn't mean he would have this condition every time in the future.
He couldn't possibly have to specially stare at the opposite side while fighting, for fear that someone else would preemptively beat the person to Death.
The panel quickly gave a reply.
[First, you can choose to transfer the Copy progress to background copying, no contact required]
[Second, you can delete this ability entry]
Lu Chen read the first line again.
Transfer to the background.
That made things easy to handle.
As long as copying had started, the target's Death did not mean the previous progress was wasted in vain.
He didn't have to act as a babysitter for the enemy on the battlefield for an unfinished Copy ability.
As for the second option...
It was quite good for cleaning up those tasteless, chicken-rib abilities.
"Alright, understood."
Lu Chen withdrew his hand and couldn't help glancing again at where the panel had disappeared.
With one upgrade, what was saved was not just the copying time.
Those troubles that needed to be considered in the past now also had ways to be handled.
What if it could be upgraded in the future?
He originally felt that the abilities in his hands were already enough to use.
Now he was somewhat looking forward to the system giving him another big one.
Of course, he was also very satisfied with the current version.
"System, awesome."
[Thanks]
Lu Chen opened his mouth and closed it again.
Still this familiar reply.
Fine, he had praised and asked questions.
Continuing to chat would probably turn into him talking endlessly alone while the other side replied with two words.
Just as he was thinking, Yuheng's voice sounded from the side.
"Sir, Shuri is calling."
Shuri?
Lu Chen paused for two seconds before remembering that Wakanda princess who hadn't gone home yet.
Busy fighting, saving people, and tallying abilities these past few days, he had truly forgotten about her.
The battle suit had already been worn onto the battlefield, and the person who made the battle suit was still waiting for his definite word.
"Connect me."
As soon as the call was established, Shuri's voice came from the other end.
"Lu, your battle seems to be over, right?"
Hearing this tone, Lu Chen knew that the young girl had been holding back a lot of anger.
That's right, the work was done, and no one told her when she could leave for a long time; if it were him, he would have dismantled the door long ago.
"It's over, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong? I've even made the battle suit for you!"
Shuri's speaking speed suddenly accelerated.
"You said time was tight, so I followed along to catch up with the progress. To let them keep up, I even shared Wakanda's knowledge!"
"And the result? You walked away wearing the battle suit, when am I leaving!"
This statement didn't wrong him.
However, even the technology was shared out?
That bunch doing research was probably going to reap a lot this time.
Inviting a princess over to work, along with letting her give them remedial lessons, this account was definitely not a loss no matter how it was calculated.
The other end of the phone didn't wait for an explanation and became even more anxious.
"When on Earth can I go back? Father must be worried to Death!"
"You promised me before, you won't break your word now, right?"
Lu Chen didn't plan to keep her any longer either.
"Sure, you can leave."
The other end paused for a moment.
"Really?"
"Really."
Lu Chen leaned back into his chair back, "Remember to send some Vibranium over every month when you go back."
After saying this, he mentally tallied it over again.
The existing Vibranium was certainly a lot, but who would complain about having too many good things?
Battle suits needed it, scientific research needed it, and once it truly rolled out later, the consumption would only rise.
The mine wasn't in his hands anyway.
Making them send some regularly would save him from having to keep thinking about it every time.
"On what grounds!"
Shuri's tone, which had just slowed down, shot right back up.
"It was one thing that you snatched so much before, but now you actually want more? And send it every month? Lu, what do you take Wakanda for!"
Lu Chen had guessed long ago that she would blow up.
However, blowing up aside, she still had to go back, and the words had to be conveyed for him.
As for how she planned to curse on the road, that wouldn't affect the usefulness of Vibranium.
"What you said is not right."
He changed into a comfortable sitting posture and slowly continued.
"The Avengers and I just saved Earth. Your family is also a part of Earth, right?"
"So what!"
"Shouldn't you take some benefits to reward us?"
As Lu Chen said this, even he felt this reason was quite smooth.
The fight was fought by them, the injuries were suffered by them, and Wakanda hid at home without putting in an ounce of effort.
Now asking them to take out some Vibranium made it seem like they suffered a huge loss.
"Of course, the people in the Avengers have thin skin and are embarrassed to ask for it."
He paused for a moment, completing the second half of the sentence.
"So you can just give it to me, saving them from embarrassment."
The phone was quiet for two seconds.
Lu Chen didn't rush either.
The little girl was probably looking for words.
Let her look, anyway he wasn't in a hurry right now.
"Lu, you are too shameless!"
"Thanks for the compliment."
Lu Chen answered extremely smoothly.
Those two words the system replied to him earlier were really quite useful.
The more seriously the other side cursed, the more effortless this 'thanks' sounded, sparing him even explanations.
"Who is complimenting you! I mean you..."
"Remember to bring the original words back."
Lu Chen interrupted her, his tone still unchanged.
"Don't make me pay a personal visit."
This sentence wasn't just casually teasing her.
Regarding the Vibranium, it was enough for Shuri to relay it back.
He had no interest in arguing over who made sense with a young girl across the phone; the ones who really needed to consider how to send it were the decision-makers in her family.
Only rapid breathing remained in the earpiece.
Just as Lu Chen was about to hang up, he remembered there was still someone who needed to be called over, so he raised his finger and tapped on the chair armrest.
"By the way, have Helen Cho come to Vought Company for a trip."
"You're even ordering..."
Lu Chen pressed hang up.
More available on WTR-Lab and mtl-novel.com up to chapter 325 and still updating