91 Sanjiang's Reflections
Sanjiang Acceptance Speech
Come to think of it, this should be my first time on Sanjiang.
I'm a bit excited.
Thank you to my editor for all the recommendations along the way.
I vaguely remember that back in 2010, it seemed like you could apply for Sanjiang yourself on Qidian.
That was my first time writing a book—a fantasy novel—and I foolishly applied for Sanjiang myself, only to be rejected, of course.
At that time, my heart was full of ambition, and just like that, it was extinguished.
Because I graduated in 2011 and didn't have time to write, I stopped working on that fantasy novel, and now I can't even remember what it was called.
I started writing again at the end of 2011, and once I started, I kept going until 2019; I've been writing for eight years now.
Sanjiang... it can be considered a form of recognition, right?
Even though my writing style is still not great—after all, I lack talent and am not the type who studied literature—I can only rely on accumulating experience by writing book after book, even if this process of accumulation is a bit slow.
091. The 'Hyoudou Issei' Version of Bucky? (Part 2)
Bucky was caught in a dilemma.
According to Duke, Steve would be in a state of suspended animation, frozen in ice for nearly seventy years before being rescued.
Seventy years?
That's not something you can just sleep through.
However, compared to Peggy Carter, he found it slightly more believable, because he had just experienced it himself. Falling from a hundred-meter cliff, crashing against numerous rocks, and finally landing heavily on the snow, breaking an arm. In the freezing cold, with massive blood loss and countless internal and external injuries, he had still pulled through.
And from the sound of it, the'serum' Zola injected him with was still incomplete, while Steve received the perfected version.
If he could survive, then... Steve should be fine too.
Suspended animation and frozen for seventy years, though it sounds a bit fantastical... upon careful thought, it wasn't impossible.
Yet, he couldn't fully trust Duke's words either. Even though, on the surface, there seemed to be no conflict of interest between them, and the other party had no reason to harm him. In other words, even if they really wanted to harm him, there was no need for such an elaborate scheme; he was simply no match for them.
But...
"I still want to go look for Steve," Bucky said, lifting his head.
"Decided?"
"Yes! No matter what, I want to personally search for him, not just... wait for seventy years without even trying!" Bucky said firmly.
One really wanted to applaud him. Truly worthy of being a great buddy.
"Alright, I respect your choice!" Duke nodded. "However, I might start practicing magic at any time, and meditation could last for years. Are you sure? Because if you choose this path and search for years without success, and then want to come back to me, I might be in the middle of my training and won't be able to freeze you."
That's right, Duke had received another promotion notification from the system. After obtaining the 'Tesseract,' he had gained a massive amount of talent points, surpassing even the points of Ares, the God of War.
System notification:'Sleep.'
However, Duke decided not to sleep for now. He needed to spend some good time with Diana, not just wake up and revolve around the world. Earth could keep spinning without him.
"This..."
Bucky was dumbfounded again.
Didn't that mean he would miss his buddy?
When he was old and decrepit, Steve would appear before him. He'd be all withered and aged, while that guy Stevewould still be a handsome hunk. Just thinking about that scene... sent a shiver down his spine.
"Boss, this isn't difficult. I can create a 'cryogenic device,'" Doctor Erskine said.
"Is that so? Then fine. When you're exhausted from searching, you can go to Hells Kitchen and find Samir," Duke said.
Even though he didn't want the trouble, he still respected Bucky's choice.
"So that place is yours..."
Bucky was momentarily stunned. Anyone living in New York naturally knew about the place called 'Hells Kitchen.' Even though Bucky was only four or five years old during the period when Hell's Kitchen changed and had little memory of it, he couldn't escape the older generation's fond reminiscing about it.
"How is his arm? Can it be reattached?" Duke turned to look at Doctor Erskine.
"No, his arm wasn't cleanly severed; it was broken in two. A small piece of bone and muscle is missing from the break..." Doctor Erskine shook his head.
Looking at the severed arm soaking in the special medicinal liquid beside them, Duke pursed his lips: "So... if we really tried to reattach it, it would be a few centimeters shorter?"
Doctor Erskine broke out in a sweat: "...You could put it that way."
Bucky also had a black line running down his face. Could this thing really be forced together? Don't joke around!
Was he going to have to get a mechanical arm installed again?
After some thought, Duke took out a 'mana ruby.'
"Did it hurt earlier?"
"Huh?" Bucky was stunned for a moment, then realized he was referring to the treatment earlier, and nodded, "Of course."
"This will hurt even more, but it will reattach your arm and grant you the power of the 'Red Dragon Arm.' Do you want it?"
"Huh?" Bucky continued to be dumbfounded.
What the heck was a Red Dragon Arm?
"This... I... I guess?!"
Even though he didn't know what the 'Red Dragon Arm' was, it should definitely, absolutely be a good thing.
"It will just be more painful. You have to endure it and not pass out, otherwise all efforts will be wasted," Duke said.
Bucky nodded foolishly.
Of course, this was a bit of a bluff.
"Put a cloth in his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue, and then secure him properly."
"Okay." Erskine looked around and stuffed the red cloth at hand into Bucky's mouth, then secured his limbs and torso.
It almost made Bucky gag. That wasn't red cloth; it was Bucky's own blood. The smell of blood mixed with medicine was extremely pungent.
"Alright, let's begin..."
Saying this, Duke reached into the special medicinal liquid, retrieved the severed arm, and then aligned it with the 'break,' finding the correct angle.
"Like this?" Duke turned his head to ask.
"It should be a bit more outward..." Doctor Erskine adjusted it, pulling the severed arm outward by about five millimeters.
"Hmm... two centimeters of bone are missing."
Doctor Erskine shrugged.
"Starting now, remember... don't faint!"
"Mmph!" Bucky bit down on the cloth strip and nodded with a muffled sob. However, in the next instant, his veins bulged.
This intense pain was indeed worse than before!
Duke directly inserted the 'mana ruby' into the two-centimeter gap in the missing part of the arm, at the connection point of the broken bones. Then, he inscribed the Spell Formula and Dark Script all over Bucky's arm, sealing the leaking life force.
A purple arcane light glowed on his hand.
Among the three schools of magic mastery, Arcane was the core and power source, connecting the two sides of Fire and Frost. Expanding the Arcane circuits would inevitably increase Fire spellcasting speed and Frost damage, among other things.
Under the guidance of Arcane, the power of the mana rubycompletely diffused.
You must understand, this contained not only 'life force' but also powerful red dragon magic.
The ruby dispersed like Water, connecting the two broken sections of arm bone while rapidly spreading outward—regenerating muscle, reshaping bone, reconnecting nerves.
Bucky felt as if he was being flattened, rolled into a ball, torn apart, and then pieced back together.
He really was about to pass out from the pain.
Red blood vessels appeared at the corners of his eyes, as if they were about to burst the next moment. The veins on his forehead and neck bulged high. Even though he was restrained by leather straps, he struggled so hard they seemed about to snap.
Fortunately, the mana ruby's transformation was swift.
Under the guidance of Duke's arcane light, and to DoctorErskine's astonished eyes, Bucky's left arm rapidly turned a deep red, covered in patches and pieces of hard, crocodile-like scales.
Bucky's hand also transformed into razor-sharp dragon claws.
Thus, the 'Red Dragon Arm' was born.
Looking at the newly transformed Bucky, Duke was suddenly stunned. This... wasn't this 'Hyoudou Issei'?
The protagonist from High School DxD?!
092. Why is that shell so tough?
Feels like the protagonist is about to change, huh?
Duke had black lines on his forehead.
Issei Hyoudou had the 'Red Dragon Emperor' Ddraig residing in his left hand, but when he activated his ability, it was an armored dragon hand.
And Bucky's was a completely 'carbon-based life form' Red Dragon Arm.
Although it was made of flesh, it was a completely dragon-fied arm, exceptionally hard.
Duke felt a little displeased. Issei Hyoudou had started his harem path after obtaining the dragon hand, and Buckyalso had the same Red Dragon left hand—could it be that he would also...
"I... this...?" At this moment, Bucky, who had not yet realized he already possessed the qualifications to start a 'harem', stared at his dragon claw with a bewildered expression.
This is the Red Dragon Arm?
Looking at the arm covered in scales, looking at the sharp dragon claws, Bucky swallowed hard... Had he become a monster?
"Hmm, not bad."
Duke clapped his hands. Fortunately, it wasn't like William Birkin's G-2 form in "Resident Evil", where a giant arm was as big as a person.
Although Bucky's left arm had turned into a Red Dragon Arm, like Natsu's half-dragon transformation, the increase in size was limited. When transformed, it was only about 20% larger than his right arm; the proportions were fine, and there wasn't too much of an imbalance or sense of incongruity.
"Test out the effects." Duke waved his hand, and the scene before everyone instantly changed, appearing on the Training Ground.
The sound of clanging came from ahead.
Doutzen Kroes was a regular at the Training Ground; she seemed to care a lot about refining her swordsmanship, rather than going out to experience life like Diana.
Of course, she would go out, but most of the time she stayed in Karazhan.
"Doutzen Kroes." Duke called out from afar.
"What is it?" Doutzen Kroes put down her training equipment and walked over slowly. "Who is this person? He's so strange. Is he a demon?"
"It's Bucky, but... absolutely do not read it backwards, okay?" Duke smiled playfully.
"K...8?"
"Uh..."
Duke frowned. He had used English just now, and Buckyspelled backwards in English really did read like that.
"Uh, in Chinese, Bucky."
"Bucky, ji..." At first, Doutzen Kroes didn't react, but then she immediately understood, so she glared at Duke. "When Diana comes back, I'm going to tell her that you were harassing me."
Duke shrugged indifferently: "Bucky, this is Doutzen Kroes."
He introduced the two sides.
"Doutzen Kroes, test him for me. Don't be afraid of causing trouble; hit him with all your might."
"Huh? She's a woman..."
Bucky was a bit stunned. Honestly, although his mindset wasn't like Sanji's—never hitting women—in this era, women were considered the weaker sex, and having a man fight a woman was a mockery of the man. Besides, he was indeed afraid of hurting Doutzen Kroes.
However, this sentence annoyed Doutzen Kroes.
She had left Paradise Island for twenty-five years; it wasn't that she didn't know how the outside world discriminated against women, which was one of the reasons she didn't like going out much.
Now, hearing herself being looked down upon again, she was instantly enraged.
'Swish—' She vanished into the Shadow and suddenly appeared in front of Bucky, two longswords cutting toward Bucky like scissors.
This scared the heck out of his good buddy. He never expected this woman to be so vicious. But then again, people who appeared in this place couldn't possibly be ordinary people. Hmm, that Doctor Abraham Erskine should be an ordinary person. But he didn't have time to think aimlessly; the twin swords were cutting toward him like a cross-shaped scissor, so he hurriedly flipped backward and rolled away.
Doutzen Kroes kept coming.
She spun a sword flower with the twin swords in her hands, then held them with a reverse grip and stabbed down hard at Bucky below. Looking at that posture, it was as if she wouldn't stop until she had poked two holes in him.
This woman is too fierce!
Bucky continued to roll away; he wasn't sure if his newly emerged Red Dragon Arm could withstand these two sharp longswords.
"Is that all you can do, hide?"
"I'm a good man who doesn't fight women, don't push me."
"I'm pushing you, what can you do about it?"
As she spoke, she leaped forward, her hands one in front and one behind—left hand forward, right hand back.
This posture...
Not good!
Just as Bucky thought, after Doutzen Kroes rushed up, she didn't slash at him but instead began to rotate at high speed. Thus, the two swords, front and back, acted like a high-speed cutting circular saw.
The speed was incredibly fast; there was absolutely no room to dodge.
Bucky gritted his teeth and could only raise his left dragon claw to block in front; he had to block it hard!
Clang, clang, clang, clang—the ear-piercing sound of metal clashing.
Bucky was surprised to discover that his Red Dragon Armhad actually blocked Doutzen Kroes's twin swords? And there wasn't even a hint of pain; the scales seemed indestructible.
This gave him great confidence!
"Hah—"
Bucky shouted, swung his left arm, and flung the high-speed spinning Doutzen Kroes away. Of course, he himself was kicked three times by the airborne Doutzen Kroes, 'thump, thump, thump', with each kick landing solidly on his chest.
After one exchange, both of them flew backward.
At this time, Bucky was not yet the vicious and experienced 'Winter Soldier' of later generations. Right now, apart from the physical reflexes enhanced by the serum and the Red Dragon Arm, his combat experience was limited to basic military combat techniques. In fact, Bucky at this moment was not good at close-quarters combat but rather long-range sniping; he was, even more so, an excellent sniper.
When he followed Captain America to take down Hydrastrongholds, he had served as a sniper.
And Doutzen Kroes, hailing from Paradise Island as an Amazon warrior, had years of combat experience that Bucky couldn't compare to. At the moment she was thrown away, she was still able to land three heavy kicks.
It was practically the Foshan Shadowless Kick.
Bucky hadn't fully recovered from his injuries, and after being kicked, he spat out blood twice more.
If not for the Red Dragon Arm, he wouldn't be able to get up now. The Red Dragon Arm didn't just unilaterally increase the combat power of his left arm; to a certain extent, it also enhanced the strength of his entire body, probably by about 30% to 40%, right?
"I'm not fighting! I'm not fighting! This isn't fair!" Doutzen Kroes angrily threw away the longswords in her hands; the blades had already chipped. "Why is that shell so tough?"
Duke smiled and didn't say anything: "I'll get you two pieces of purple gear in a while."
He had tons of talent points; he could afford to be extravagant.
"Thanks then. By the way, what exactly is that thing? It's too sturdy, isn't it? I estimate it would take Diana's Godkiller sword to cleave it."
Although she didn't really understand what 'purple gear' was.
Let's put it this way: 'red dragon essence' is condensed after an ancient dragon dies; that's at least the level of a dragon that lived for ten thousand years or even tens of thousands of years. And 'ruby crystal' is something that can only be created by an adult dragon that has lived for nearly ten thousand years, or at least five thousand years.
And the 'mana ruby' injected into Bucky's left arm is the condensed magic power of a young dragon that has lived for over a thousand years.
The lowest grade 'mana essence' is at the level of a dragon hatchling that has lived for several hundred years.
Just think about it, the power of a thousand-year-old red dragon.
Although it wasn't all of it, how could it be something that Doutzen Kroes's steel swords could cleave?
"Bucky, stay here for a month. Wait until your body has recovered and you've adapted to the Red Dragon Armbefore leaving."
"Ah... oh. Wait, wait a second, will it... will it always be like this?" Bucky raised his exaggerated Red Dragon claw, wearing a constipated expression.
If it couldn't change back, wouldn't he have to wrap it in bandages or something?
It's easy to scare little kids.
"It should be able to change freely; get familiar with it first, then we'll see."
"Oh."
That's good, that's good, Bucky finally breathed a sigh of relief.
093. The Debt Collector Arrives
Bucky didn't stay for the full month; after about 20 days, he felt mostly recovered and left.
Right on his heels, just as Bucky left, the "debt collector" arrived.
— It was his "big nephew," Howard Stark.
"Looking at your miserable expression, I can tell you didn't find anyone. Why come find me?" Duke brewed a cup of Lapsang Souchong. "Try this, how is it?"
"Uncle Duke, did you change your taste?"
"One must try everything."
He didn't just drink green tea; he drank black tea, white tea, dark tea, yellow tea, and oolong tea, oh... and flower tea as well.
Howard just took a simple sip and put down the cup. That melancholy expression on his face clearly showed he wasn't here for tea.
"What's wrong? Looking at you... got something on your mind? Speak!"
"Uncle Duke, I've always been curious why you chose Steve Rogers, but then let him stay frozen for seventy years?" Howard stated his purpose.
Normally, if you fancy someone, you should nurture them carefully, right? You nurtured him, sure, but when trouble struck, you, his half-master, just stopped caring?
"Hey, what do you mean I let him stay frozen for seventy years? I didn't, that's not a thing, don't talk nonsense!"
"..." Howard gave a wry smile. "Uncle Duke, stop trying to fool me."
"You stop trying to fool me, too. Tell me your real purpose." Duke glanced at him, a playful curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Ahem... You caught me."
Howard coughed softly in embarrassment; he really hadn't come for Steve.
After half a month of search and rescue, there was still no sign of him.
They chose the Labrador Peninsula, which was closest to New York, based on the information Duke left behind.
(Feels like a 'dog island'?)
Starting from New York, it took half a month to survey the coastline of the Labrador Peninsula, but... nothing was found. At this time, the mountains were still snowed in, and the search and rescue personnel couldn't see anything clearly.
Let's put it this way: with current technology, it's very difficult to search in this kind of icy world because it relies solely on manpower. With current aircraft technology, once the wind picks up, it's very hard to navigate through the snowstorm. And even if it isn't snowing, in cold regions, one can only rely on human eyes for search and identification.
Therefore, they could only rely on ships hovering near the coastline and then send people to search the island.
It was time-consuming and labor-intensive, with little to show for it.
He didn't come here for Captain America; others were searching for him. He came for—
"Hehe, Uncle Duke, is the Tesseract in your hands?"
That's right, this was his goal.
When confiscating Hydra's assets, they discovered records of the Tesseract.
Duke glanced at him: "That's right, it's in my hands."
Then he stopped talking, which made Howard very awkward.
Why the Tesseract ended up in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands, and who informed the Strategic Scientific Reserve about it—Duke had once been very curious about this. Supposedly, before this, they shouldn't have known what Hydra's secret weapon was.
The only one who had seen it was Captain America, so, did Captain America tell them?
But judging from The Avengers, this possibility was basically zero.
Then it must have been Howard.
After Captain America's plane crashed, Howard Starkmust have tracked the signal emitted by the Tesseract to find Captain America and the plane wreckage. However, he only found the Tesseract; the signal was cut off, and he couldn't find Captain America later.
Therefore, no one likely informed the Strategic Scientific Reserve about Hydra's secret weapon; Howard just picked it up based on the transmitted signal. And they, for the most part, still didn't know the secret of the Tesseract.
Sighing, Howard spoke up: "The Strategic Scientific Reserve will soon be reorganized, and I believe the Tesseract is the key to humanity developing and utilizing perpetual energy. This is also what the world needs; with it, science can take a three-stage leap."
"So, you want to take it from me?"
"Uh... it's borrowing." Howard smiled; he wouldn't say any bullshit about this thing belonging to the country.
"It was that old man Phillips who sent you over, wasn't it?"
"Ahem... Nothing really gets past Uncle Duke."
Duke didn't speak, slowly taking a sip of black tea. He was thinking about the chain reaction that might be triggered after the "Tesseract disappears."
First, let's sort out the "timeline" of the Tesseract.
A long, long time ago, Odin left it on Earth → After a long, long time and who knows how many hands it passed through, it was discovered by the "Red Skull" Schmidt → Subsequently, the Tesseract sank into the ocean → Howard discovered the Tesseract and salvaged it → Afterwards, the Tesseract was stored at S.H.I.E.L.D. → The Kree researched the Tesseract → Captain Marvel and others discovered the Tesseract, the orange cat swallowed it in one gulp → Subsequently, Captain Marvel went back to fight, the orange cat spat it out → S.H.I.E.L.D. continued to research the Tesseract → Loki invaded → The Battle of New York ended, it was taken back to Odin's vault → Handed over to Thanos → Destroyed after half of all life was wiped out.
This is the original main storyline.
The side storyline is—
The Battle of New York ends → Loki takes it and runs away.
After Avengers: Endgame, Captain America returned the Infinity Stones taken from various points in time, which means that in the main storyline... there are no more "Infinity Stones"?!
If Duke stores the Space Stone now, then S.H.I.E.L.D. won't be able to research it, the Kree won't discover it, and thus it won't attract Captain Marvel, or Loki who later detects the Space Stone on Earth.
Relying on Karazhan's powerful isolation capabilities, it's estimated that the Kree, Captain Marvel, Loki, and the like wouldn't be able to detect its trail.
Even Thanos wouldn't be able to detect the whereabouts of the Space Stone; at most, he could only find out that Odin left it on Earth back then... and that would be it.
Setting aside the Kree, Captain Marvel, Loki, and Thanosfor now, without the Space Stone, S.H.I.E.L.D. probably wouldn't have those advanced technologies later on. Admittedly, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s technology was built on the corpse of Red Skull's Hydra, but the Space Stone still played a huge role.
If it "disappears," the subsequent plot will all be changed.
Of course, none of this is important.
What's important is that Duke discovered he found it very difficult to use the Space Stone to further strengthen Karazhan.
It's not in the same system.
After a comprehensive evaluation, the system reached a conclusion: if the Space Stone were used, it might really blast Karazhan into a cosmic rift. At the very least, it would end up like the original Karazhan, connecting to countless cosmic plane nodes, and then there would be an endless invasion of planar creatures.
Duke has always preferred lying down to sitting; although the Space Stone could indeed strengthen Karazhan, he disliked the possibility of such trouble even more.
In his hands, it would at most be used like the eye of agamotto, as a "magical artifact."
Although it could enhance his power, it... was a bit of a chicken rib, and not as powerful as imagined.
After thinking for a moment, Duke nodded in agreement: "Come back to get it in a month."
"Really? Then thank you, Uncle Duke."
"Get lost, get lost. Looking at that face of yours—'getting an advantage and still acting innocent'—just annoys me."
Howard chuckled, picked up the cup, and drank it all in one gulp.
Ah, the black tea is delicious.
094. 13-year-old Professor X
Actually, using the Space Stone to strengthen Karazhanwas merely icing on the cake; it could not provide help in a time of need.
The'Space Power' already existed within Karazhan, and the 'Black Dragon Essence' controlled the power of the earth; the earth itself belonged to a type of space.
Although the 'Bronze Dragon Essence' controlled time, the true form of the Bronze Dragon was special sand, the'Sands of Time'.
Therefore, the Space Stone could only be used as icing on the cake.
A month later, Howard came to retrieve the Tesseract, and with that, the trajectory was restored.
The system notified him that he was about to advance!
But Duke intended to take a year off to accompany Diana; he could not always be a 'tool' lying around, could he?
During this year, whatever Diana wanted, he gave it to her.
Even when she asked him to accompany her to school, Duke gritted his teeth and agreed!
In this materialistic United States, as long as you have money, anything can be done. Just getting enrolled, is that hard?
Of course, a year later, he could just find an excuse to transfer schools.
World War II ended, and Duke accompanied Lian back to Stone City. He knew that Lian had always been thinking about that place and had always wanted to go back and see it, so he decided to fulfill her wish.
Due to Lian's desperate delaying tactics, the original plans of the Japanese Army were severely thwarted, leaving them unable to continue their southward advance. It was also because of Lian's sudden appearance that Japansurrendered early.
Of course, the 'nuclear egg' of the United States still taught them a lesson. However, it wasn't Little Boy, but had turned into an 'Old Man'; he didn't know the principle behind that.
When Duke heard about this sudden twist, he almost spat out his food!
After that was the civil war; people fighting their own kind, and Duke did not want to get involved.
Eight years passed, and at the moment the surrender document was signed, Stone City was deserted.
Everyone had gone to the Lotus Fairy Temple to offer incense and pray.
Duke performed a small miracle, fulfilling the wishes of a few who prayed, and thus the Lotus Fairy Temple became even more popular.
Lian was very happy and even cried.
It was just a bit awkward; the people of Stone City wanted to build a golden statue of her, and she felt like she was being taken advantage of?!
'Immortality' was no longer there!
Just after she died, because she had worn the ruby crystalfor many years, her body had been nourished by the Dragon Power of the Red Dragon. In reality, it just meant the rate of decay had become extremely slow, but it would still slowly rot unless another crystal was thrown in.
Lian did not want to be gilded or have a golden statue built; it felt very awkward!
So Duke carved a Spell Formula around the area, and the decay stopped. At the same time, he secretly sent down an 'Oracle', and the people gave up the idea of building a golden statue.
If she hadn't been worried about causing trouble, Lian would have wanted to take her corpse back long ago.
"How about I make a fake one?" Duke asked.
"Forget it, let's not. After all, I lived here for over a decade and have feelings for this place; let my body rest here forever." Lian wiped away her tears—spirit bodies could have tears, though they weren't tears in the conventional sense. "Let's go, Master."
"Hmm!"
Having settled one of Lian's concerns, Duke opened a portal and returned to Karazhan.
After playing with Diana for a year, one year later, Dukeentered'slumber' again, and his consciousness entered the Astral Plane. And Karazhan disappeared from everyone's sight once more.
The whole of New York was shocked again.
Inside a grand mansion in Westchester, Brian Xavier, as a 'neighbor', had just driven home and stared wide-eyed at the gradually disappearing Karazhan...
"It disappeared again?"
He excitedly ran to the 'neighbor' 10 miles away, only to find that the original empty space was truly gone, once again covered by a dense green forest across the entire area.
Brian tried to rush inside, but without any suspense, he walked right back out of the woods.
But he continued to test it tirelessly.
Until the sun gradually set and it grew dark, he drove back home.
In fact, he was not the only one doing this; not only when Karazhan disappeared, but even at ordinary times, adventurers would come to try.
Some were just fooling around, while others set up betting pools to see who could walk up to that tall tower.
But clearly, no one had ever succeeded.
When Brian returned home and got out of the car, he saw a small figure that made him very proud: his son, Charles.
"Little guy, why did you run out? Is your 'headache' better?"
Then he picked up his son and walked into the house.
He worked at a government research institution in Nevada and was usually very busy; he was only able to return this time because of his vacation. Sometimes he couldn't even make it back for Christmas; he hadn't seen his son for over half a year.
"It won't anymore; it won't hurt in the future." The little boy Charles smiled and said.
He had gained special abilities when he was 9 years old. At that time, he felt like he was going crazy, with all sorts of messy voices swirling in his head, until he was 12—which was last year—when he gradually realized that those were other people's thoughts.
To be precise, it should have been six months ago when he understood.
That was less than a month after Brian had left.
"That's good. Tomorrow, come with Daddy to thank DoctorBrown."
"Hmm."
Doctor Brown was his attending physician and had been studying his case. Of course, he wasn't cured by DoctorBrown, but he had already learned to protect himself and would not reveal his special nature in front of outsiders.
Just let it be that stinky Brown's credit.
"Daddy, that tower... disappeared?"
"Hmm." Brian smiled and rubbed the little guy's head. "Your old man wasn't lying, was I? The story is true. When we eat in a bit, toast me with a glass of wine, alright?"
Charles smiled.'So I really am not the only... unique person in the world. It's just a pity that it doesn't accept me.' Like ordinary people, Charles would often run towards Karazhan, only to either get lost or walk right back out.
But he didn't give up!
'But fortunately, I still have a sister.'
Sharon Carter walked out, her face full of anger: "Is that how you act as a father? Actually enticing your son to drink?!"
"Cough, cough, my dear wife, don't be angry, I was just joking."
"Hmph—!"
After dinner, Charles secretly took an extra piece of cake and went back to his bedroom: "Raven, Raven!"
A small, deep blue figure darted out: "Why did you only come now? I'm about to starve to death."
"I haven't figured out how to introduce you yet. They came back suddenly; you nearly scared me to death just now."
Raven had already started devouring the food; she was starving.
———— Kamar-Taj.
Ancient One was brewing kung fu tea. Hearing the words of her subordinate, she paused: "Has Karazhandisappeared again? Could it be that he... is about to advance again? This is a bit too fast, isn't it?"
Last time I saw him, he was still in the mid-Legendarystage. It only appeared for a year and a half, and it's already disappeared again?
095. Diana's New Job
A taxi pulled up in front of the White House.
"Washington is in such chaos, it's really pushing the limit, but that won't stop us." the old man said irritably.
Immediately after, a young black man carrying a champagne-gold case with a special logo got out of the car.
MONARCH
"Hello! Miss Diana, I am Bill Landa, here to see Senator Willis."
"Hello, Mr. Landa! I left you a message this morning to inform you that today's meeting needs to be rescheduled. I'd like to arrange it for next week or the week after, if that works." the secretary maintained a polite smile.
Looking closely, isn't this our 'Wonder Woman' DianaPrince?
How did she end up working as a White House secretary?
Just then, the office door opened, and an old man with a constipated expression walked out. Upon seeing Bill Landa, his expression became even more constipated.
"Good heavens!"
"Al, how have you been lately?"
"So you didn't get the message, right? I said it needed to be rescheduled." Senator Willis shook his hand, looking unwilling.
"Oh, is that so? I must have missed it. It will only take a moment." Bill Landa said.
"Fine." Senator Willis reluctantly led them into the office. "No long speeches. You only have five minutes; I'm going to be late for a meeting. So, what kind of monster are you looking for this time?"
Outside, Diana pricked up her ears and listened carefully.
"This was captured by satellite—an unknown island in the South Pacific. Before this, it had never been detected. Many civilizations' legends mention it—'Skull Island.' There, God has not yet finished creation."
"The 1954 Castle Bravo test wasn't just a scientific experiment; it was meant to destroy this thing."
After the old man finished speaking, the young black man next to him immediately handed over a photocopy.
A U.S. Navy warship was mysteriously destroyed, covered in huge claw marks, having been torn into scrap metal.
Outside, Diana was instantly alert. They mentioned the 'Castle Bravo test'?
It seems she didn't come to the wrong place after all.
"This island is the intersection of myth and science."
"Landa, you're telling stories." Senator Willis shook his head, picked up his briefcase, and left. He couldn't possibly approve such a childish mission.
"When President Truman allocated funds to the Monarch Project back then, he didn't think it was just a story." Bill Landa hurried to catch up; this was their last chance.
The war in South Vietnam was about to end; to be precise, it was nearing its conclusion. They had no more chances.
"If we're talking about wasting money, the 'Monarch Project' searching for extraterrestrial life is a perfect example. You should have been disbanded years ago!"
Bill Landa said quickly, "Listen to me, the Landsat program is planning to send people to that island. They just need to take us along."
"What do you expect to find?"
"Some resources, medicine, a cure for cancer, geological discoveries..."
"To be honest, we don't know what's there either. But one thing we are certain of: tomorrow night, the 'Landsat' satellite will scan that sea area. Within three days, they will see these images we've seen. So, no matter what is on the island, you would want us to discover it first... right?" the young black man said quickly.
"Although this doesn't sound like my style, what you said makes some sense. I will try to get you permission to accompany them, but listen to me: just this once. The last time, no next time!" The Senator issued an ultimatum.
"OK."
"Mr. Senator, one last thing, we need protection from the the military!"
"..."
Watching the three of them leave one after another, Dianahesitated for a moment, then packed her things and prepared to leave as well. Just then, she received a call.
"Hello?"
"That guy Duke has woken up."
Tears welled up in Diana's beautiful eyes. Although she could basically talk to Duke while he was asleep, that feeling wasn't comfortable. It was like visiting a prison and talking through glass—unable to touch the other person.
She could see him and hear him, but could not touch him.
"Diana?"
"I understand, Doutzen Kroes." Diana wiped her moist eyes and said, "As soon as I handle things here, I will return."
"Hmm. Oh, right, our old neighbor has been thinking about contacting us, should we..."
The old neighbor refers to Professor X.
In '62, after the events of X-Men: First Class", the paralyzed Professor X returned and turned the Westchester mansion into the X-Men Academy. Oh right, he isn't Professor X yet.
(PS: The X-Men won't appear much. Additionally, for the sake of the plot, the timeline will be slightly altered. ￣ ω ￣ = Just a heads-up to tell you all that I, the author, will not accept questioning, challenges, or trolling regarding this.)
Diana thought for a moment: "Go ask Duke and see what he says?"
According to what Duke said before his 'hibernation,' it is okay to make contact, but it is best not to get involved in the conflicts of Mutants.
"Oh, right, he's awake. Hey, I almost forgot. Alright, come back soon."
"Mm."
———— At this moment, Duke in Karazhan felt a bit melancholic. He had slept for twenty-eight years.
It was already 1973.
He hadn't managed to reach the demigod level; in fact, this slumber only advanced him to the late Legendary stage, moving from the middle stage to the late stage. It seems the sleeping time is getting longer and longer. It took 21 years to advance to Legendary, and he woke up at the middle Legendary stage. Then, to advance to the late stage, he slept for 28 years.
He had already grasped the goal of his 'divine attribute,' although it was still a little blurry.
The reason he felt 'melancholic' upon waking was that he discovered his memories were in disarray, as if two parallel sets of memories were being generated. But very quickly, this sense of confusion disappeared and returned to normal.
Duke frowned. Could it be because of the issue of Wolverine about to change the timeline?
1973, this is an interesting timeline.
Wolverine returned to this year, stopped Mystique, and the sentinel program was canceled. Thus, history split into two paths: an old timeline and a new timeline.
The memory confusion was perhaps because of this. But it only lasted for a split second, less than a second, and the confusion disappeared. Duke understood that it must be because he had later stopped the "Future sentinel program, so the scene of Wolverine traveling back to change history no longer happened. Thus, the confused memories vanished into thin air at their inception.
But in reality, Duke wasn't sure if the time point Wolverinereturned to was '73 or '75.
When Wolverine left in a small car, there was a broadcast stating that the withdrawal of the last army marked the official end of the war.
(PS: —— X-Men: Days of Future Past": 22 minutes 33 seconds)
But the last unit withdrew in '75.
In March 1975, the United States officially withdrew its ground troops. On April 30th at 7:53, the helicopter carrying the last batch of Americans flew away, becoming the symbol of the end of the U.S. involvement in the war.
According to the broadcast, it should be '75, not '73.
However, when Mystique disguised herself as a colonel and entered the barracks where the Mutants were resting, she picked up a document, the "Trask Industries Blood Test Report", and the date recorded on it was January 21, 1973.
(PS: —— X-Men: Days of Future Past": 25 minutes 45 seconds)
So, perhaps the broadcast was wrong, or it was a translation issue, or maybe the end time as perceived in the United States differs from what Baidu records.
Wolverine changing the timeline should indeed be in '73.
Chapter 96: Changing the Future?
When Duke woke up, Doctor Abraham Erskine was drinking tea.
Thanks to Duke's good habits, everyone in Karazhan had grown fond of tea—perhaps for the health benefits?
Diana, however, still preferred coffee, though she didn't mind tea either.
Having slept for 28 years, Doctor Abraham Erskine still looked exactly as he did in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Before falling asleep, he had transformed the gem into a 'Life Potion.'
Unfortunately, perhaps because it was immature, it came with quite a few drawbacks; using himself as an experiment, his age had been frozen at middle-to-old age.
However, his physique remained incredibly robust; he should have no problem holding his own for a few rounds in a fight.
"Boss, you're awake!"
He had been startled by Duke's sudden appearance and nearly choked.
"You seem to be living quite comfortably, don't you?"
"Heh, you flatter me." Doctor Abraham Erskine scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Where is Bucky?"
"Oh, he returned in '50, and he's currently in cryostasis." As he spoke, Doctor Abraham Erskine led Duke over to take a look.
It was far more advanced than the devices those old Russians at the Hydra base used; it looked like high-end black technology.
"He searched for five years; he really is persistent."
Looking at the sleeping, pale-faced Bucky, Duke sighed, thinking he truly lived up to the name of a good buddy.
However, as expected, he hadn't found Captain America.
"Boss, you're back." Samir rushed in.
"Not bad, you've reached the mid-stage of Hero Levelstrength." Duke glanced at him and immediately gauged Samir's power level.
At his level, he could almost go off to guard one of the Sorcerer Supreme's sanctuaries.
"It took me 28 years to cross this threshold. Boss... please don't praise me; I feel ashamed." Samir coughed awkwardly.
"Right, where is the Madam?"
"She's at the late stage of Legendary."
"Ah?" Samir shuddered. "Then, in advance, congratulations to you, Boss, for being about to enter the Demigod realm."
"Demigod isn't that easy to reach. Forget it, let's not talk about that." Duke waved his hand and looked around.
"Where is Diana? And where did Doutzen Kroes go?"
"Doutzen Kroes went to call the Madam. As for the Madam, she's working as a secretary at the White House." Samir sweated; the Madam had actually infiltrated the center of power.
"Huh?" Duke was also a bit confused. "Diana went to the White House? What is she doing there?"
His wife's job changes were something else; during his first slumber, she was a Doctor; during his second, she probably became a sculptor, given that she studied art.
Who would have thought that upon waking up, she'd become a White House secretary?
Impressive!
Truly impressive.
Wonder Woman's life experiences had even extended to the center of political power!
"I'm not too sure either. The Madam mentioned something about an ancient giant beast, but I didn't quite understand.
It seemed to be about... a 'prehistoric monster,' and apparently a giant creature created by deities, so she wanted to investigate it.
Oh, she's been investigating it since five years ago, and only went to the White House within the last year," Samirsaid.
A giant monster?
Duke was stunned. Could it be... No, at this time... Could it be a crossover with King Kong?!
"Duke."
Just as he was thinking, Doutzen Kroes walked over: "Diana said she would rush back as soon as she finishes handling things.
Also, our old neighbor has been wanting to contact us. What do you think we should do?"
"Right! Right!" At Doutzen Kroes's mention, Samir also remembered.
"A guy named McCoy contacted the kitchen staff a while ago. However, per your instructions, Boss, I didn't meet him."
McCoy?
"Hank McCoy?"
"That seems to be the name. Boss, how do you know him?"
Hmm?
It was actually beast, the blue-furred furball.
What did beast want by coming here?
Duke thought for a moment and asked: "How long until Diana gets back?"
"It will take at least three to five days," Doutzen Kroes said.
"Is that so..." Duke pondered for a moment, then beckoned, "Samir, come with me to meet our old neighbor."
As he spoke, he walked outside.
"Ah? Oh!"
Although he didn't quite understand why the Boss had suddenly changed his mind, Samir still gave chase.
The date was January 5, 1973.
There were sixteen days left until Mystique sent the Mutant soldiers away on January 21.
Duke had been wondering whether or not to stop the 'sentinel program'?
This would cause the old timeline to disappear and lead to a new timeline.
But he only hesitated for a moment before deciding: stop it.
Because in his plan, he was already going to kill William Stryker.
Killing William Stryker would cause the X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men 2, and Wolverineseries to all change.
Basically, the subsequent X-Men would follow an entirely different path.
Therefore, even if Mystique killed the 'sentinel programfounder' Bolivar Trask, the old X-Men timeline would still be altered.
Furthermore, this world wasn't just a simple 'X-Menworld'; Mutants only accounted for less than 20% of the content here.
Changing it wouldn't have too much of an impact on the world; it would only change the future of the Mutants, and the impact on everything else could be said to be very, very minimal.
The last important point was that it wasn't 'Wolverine' who would change the future of the Mutants, but he, Duke.
Therefore, Wolverine wouldn't even travel back in time at all.
So, there wouldn't be two Mutant timelines at all, but rather one.
A brand new one—not the old timeline, nor the new timeline—a brand new Mutant future.
A future created by Duke.
Knock, knock, knock—knocking on the door of destiny.
It was quite pathetic—a shut-down, dilapidated Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
"What is it?"
As expected, the person opening the door was 'beast,' Hank McCoy.
Duke was quite familiar with this face, though he didn't know the name of the actor.
The only reason he knew him was because he had dated Mystique.
In 2011, while filming X-Men: First Class, he started dating Mystique, but they broke up in early 2013.
In August 2013, while filming X-Men: Days of Future Past, they successfully reconciled, but alas, they broke up again in 2014.
The first time might have been real, but the second time, it was heavily flavored with hype.
X-Men: Days of Future Past had already been released, so the hype surrounding this lovers' reconciliation could naturally end.
Then came X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and in X-Men: Dark Phoenix... it was super awkward!
"It's you?"
beast didn't recognize Duke; after all, Duke was mysterious and very few people had seen him.
He recognized Samir behind him.
They had been in contact before, but Samir hadn't met him, and who would have thought he would actually show up in person now?
"McCoy, right? This is my boss, Mr. Duke!"
Thus, beast understood; it was the head of Karazhan who had come calling.
He quickly stepped aside: "Please, come in!"
"Is the Professor in?"
Duke scanned the place briefly. Hmm, the style inside wasn't much different from what it was in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
"He is. I'll go ask him to come down."
beast ran upstairs eagerly; this was, after all, a Legendary figure in New York.
097. Lost magic: Manifestation Arc
Soon, a skinny, greasy man appeared.
It was a truly wretched sight.
His hair looked like it hadn't been washed for weeks, greasy and clumped in strands.
The'sheet' draped over him was a mess too, practically crawling with imagined lice.
He was already thin, but wore relatively loose pants that swished as he walked, giving the impression of atrophied lower limbs!
"What a thoroughly dreadful Professor," Duke said, curling his lip.
"Truly wretched," Samir echoed.
Duke wasn't a neat freak; he could be sloppy himself sometimes. But no matter what, he at least maintained a relatively presentable appearance in front of outsiders.
The sloppiest one in Karazhan was Samir, with his Witcher-like attire. Though clean, it always looked 'dirty'—like Wolverine's appearance in *Van Helsing*.
Duke raised his hand, a blue light flashing. A stream of clear water suddenly shot out, swirling rapidly around the Professor a few times. Then the water vanished, replaced by a burst of flame that engulfed the Professor.
Before Hank could even react, the water and fire both disappeared. In their place stood a clean, refreshed Professor, practically sparkling.
"Uh..."
The two men were dumbfounded.
Professor X was also stunned, having nearly thought he was about to die just moments before.
"What was that?"
Looking at his clothes, now spotless and fresh, the Professor was bewildered. In less than two seconds? That was incredibly fast—he could open a laundry shop with that speed.
"This is the power of 'magic' you've always wanted to contact," Duke said.
"magic?"
"Well? Aren't you going to serve tea? This isn't the proper way to treat a guest."
"I'll go get it." Hank McCoy, being a fan of Duke, started to run out but turned back after a few steps. "Uh... I don't think we have any tea here. Is coffee okay?"
"Fine, no sugar. Let's formally introduce ourselves. I'm Duke, the Master of Karazhan."
"Charles Xavier, the owner of this old mansion, your longtime neighbor."
The two shook hands, with Charles cracking a dry joke.
"I know you. You used to come exploring my place often when you were little, right?" Duke smiled and found a sofa to sit on.
"Saying 'exploring' might be a bit much, but I wasn't the only one." Charles chuckled before getting down to business. "So, what brings you...?"
"What about that little blue girl?" Duke pretended not to know, looking around. "I remember you used to bring her to my place all the time when you were kids."
Charles' expression instantly changed. "Raven?"
Just then, beast returned with the coffee and quickly changed the subject. "She left the school. Anyway, let's not talk about her. Mr. Duke, what brings you here today...?"
"Thanks." Duke took the coffee and took a sip. "Not bad."
The Professor's coffee was, of course, top quality.
"About today's matter, it's actually impossible not to mention her. Have you heard of Trask Industries?" Dukesaid, slowly setting down his cup.
"Trask Industries?" Charles paused, then nodded. "Bolivar Trask... a very talented scientist and the number one enemy of Mutants."
"Want to see your future?" Duke suddenly smiled mysteriously.
"Future?"
Both the Professor and beast were baffled. How do you'see' the future?
"The future for Mutants is grim. It all starts after she kills Bolivar Trask—"
As he spoke, Duke waved his hands, and an 80-inch 'holographic screen' suddenly appeared in mid-air.
It showed a scene of Mutants battling future Sentinels—specifically, the opening sequence from *X-Men: Days of Future Past*.
Seeing the Mutants being killed one by one, the Professorand Hank shuddered.
"This is..."
In the image, the Professor had aged, looking at least fifty years older.
Beside them, Samir was also stunned. The boss's magicwas so cool.
Duke's new magic—'Lost magic: Manifestation Arc'—
was from Rustyrose, one of the'Seven Kin of Purgatory' from the 'Grimoire Heart' guild in *Fairy Tail*. It was obtained from the card draw reward after acquiring the Tesseract.
'Lost magic: Manifestation Arc' is an imagination-based magic that can turn anything imagined into reality, though it has certain limitations, conditions, and requires concentration.
It can manifest imagined dragons into reality. Of course, such manifestations are limited in strength, at most matching the caster's own power level.
In other words, Duke could manifest a dragon at the 'Legendary late-stage' level.
The holographic display was based on this magic.
Medivh's 'Future Illusion' magic could achieve a similar effect, though it was slightly more complex to handle.
To make the Professor believe, Duke naturally didn't use the older version of the bald Professor but aged the newer version instead. Though the appearance changed significantly, it was still recognizable at a glance.
The Professor's breath nearly stopped. "These are..."
"All your future companions."
These were individuals who hadn't yet joined the school.
A massive black'scaled' robot smashed Colossus's head flat with a single punch.
Similarly, it crushed Iceman's skull and stomped it to pieces.
Human Torch was squeezed to death, suffocated!
Blink and Storm were both impaled and killed.
Bishop was blown to dust by three shockwave blasts.
Magneto died from severe injuries.
"This... this can't be." The Professor stood up abruptly. "This is fake! It's all fake!"
"If you still had your powers, you'd know this is real." Dukesmiled and waved his hand, dismissing the holographic display.
If he had his powers, he might discover it was indeed 'fake.' Well, that is, if he could invade Duke's consciousness?
Hank was trembling. "What about... me?"
He hadn't seen himself in the vision. Did that mean...?
"You were somewhat lucky. You didn't die at the hands of the future Sentinels, but... your fate wasn't much better either. Take my advice, it's better not to ask." Duke smiled meaningfully.
Gulp. Hank swallowed hard, thoroughly frightened.
"What are those things? They can... assimilate Mutantabilities and even... transform them to counter their opponents. What kind of monsters are they?" The Professor was still reeling.
"These are Sentinels, 'future Sentinels.' It all starts after Raven kills Bolivar Trask. Future Sentinels have evolved beyond Mutants. Because Raven's genes were obtained by scientists, the new Sentinel robots can mimic Mutantabilities to fight Mutants."
The two were horrified. "This..."
"They can not only replicate Mutant abilities but also store them. Unlike the first-generation Sentinels, which were dull and clumsy, these possess advanced intelligence. They know how to cooperate, find Mutant weaknesses, and attack. They can swap abilities to counter Mutants with different powers."
"!"
"The Sentinels also have self-repair capabilities, and their bodies contain no metal, so don't count on your old friend 'Magneto.' They aren't human either, so your abilities are useless against them. In short, 'future Sentinels' can perfectly replicate Mutant abilities and use them flexibly."
The Professor let out a long sigh and slumped heavily into his chair, his back drenched in sweat.
098. Stopping Raven
It turned out that Professor X still had his wits about him.
He quickly realized there was a problem.
"Wait a second... what are you doing?"
beast also looked over.
"You mean, why we do not care whether you Mutants live or die? To put it bluntly, that is the fate of you Mutants, not our future."
Duke paused as he spoke.
"Do you know how many groups of powered individuals there are in this world? Does it mean that whenever one side is in trouble, all others... must come to their aid from all directions? We have an old proverb in the East, 'if it does not concern you, do not get involved,' which is probably what this means."
Duke naturally would not mention what he could not say.
He certainly would not say that the 'future Sentinel' would eventually be able to identify Mutant genes hidden within humans.
In the end, the world would descend into complete chaos.
It is just that I do not know if the children and relatives of those scientists who pushed the 'sentinel program' also had hidden Mutant genes.
In the end, their own products killed them.
Ridiculous.
Professor broke into a cold sweat again and sat weakly in his chair. He began to have some doubts: was it possible that in the future, Mutants had done something that the world could not tolerate, and that was why they were ruthlessly abandoned?
This kind of 'Sentinel' was clearly extremely dangerous.
No one cared about the Mutants; it was like they were an abandoned 'child'.
No, Mutants could not continue like this.
It had to change!
"Mr. Duke, you are also here for this matter, right?" Professor asked.
"I am a kind person, and I cannot bear to watch you Mutants continue down this path of doom, so I came to notify you," Duke said.
Hank clenched his fists firmly: "We must stop Raven. You said that they only obtained her Mutant genes after capturing her, which then led to the future Sentinel. So, if we just stop Raven and do not let her get caught, we can change the future."
"That is indeed a feasible method, but it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause," Duke shook his head.
Professor also understood: "The point is Bolivar Traskhimself, and his 'sentinel program'."
"Exactly! As long as Bolivar Trask is permanently locked up, and the President calls a halt to the 'sentinel program', that is the only way to solve the Mutant problem once and for all," Duke said.
Of course, the Mutant problem could never be completely solved.
As long as there were Mutants who harmed humans, their problem could never be completely solved, but at least the 'Sentinels' would not appear again.
As for the various troublesome issues that followed, Professor X and the others were fully capable of solving them on their own.
"How do we do it?" Professor asked.
"We need a 'big villain'. When this big villain tries to kill the President, you step in to stop them. Mutants saving the President will likely make the President grateful, right? Of course, the premise is that Bolivar Trask cannot die in this battle," Duke said.
Professor understood instantly: "Oh, NO... you do not mean you want to let Erik... oh, no no no no... this will not do. Erikabsolutely cannot be released."
"Of course, we just need a 'big villain'. As for who plays this big villain, anyone will do; Raven could do it too. It is just that the abilities of Raven are a bit too weak and would not provide the eye-catching visual effects for the President and his cabinet." As he spoke, Duke smiled, "Do not look at me, I am not playing the villain, I am a positive character."
Professor felt depressed.
Indeed, if they wanted to achieve the [Save the President] achievement, the destructive power caused by Erik would undoubtedly be the most effective.
Magnetic field control could collapse an entire stadium.
There is no doubt that the visual effect on people would be very, very strong, and if they then stopped Erik, the feeling of 'rebirth after disaster' would be even stronger.
If it were Raven... she could not create such a sensational effect.
Did he really have to release that monster, that murderer?
Professor felt melancholy.
"Wait, you just said 'you guys'?" He suddenly realized, a bit stunned, "Then... what about you?"
"I have more important things to do. It is not just you 'Mutants' facing a doomsday disaster in this world; he will help you," Duke said, pointing to Samir.
Originally, there were three people in "Days of Future Past": Professor, beast, and Wolverine. Now Wolverine is gone and replaced by Samir.
The 1973 Wolverine had not reached 'Hero Level' strength yet; he was still an Elite. Replacing him with Samir, who is at the mid-Hero Level, makes the strength level much stronger than before.
If they still could not handle it, they might as well go home and go to sleep!
"Boss, do you mean... the 'prehistoric giant beasts'?" Samirsuddenly understood something.
"Yes."
Duke gave him an appreciative look; as expected of a subordinate, he was sensible.
To shock Professor X a bit.
Sure enough, Professor was stunned for a moment: "What prehistoric giant beasts?"
"You do not need to worry about that. In short, just know one thing: if you let them be and do nothing, it really will trigger the end of the world." As he spoke, Duke waved his hand, "With your current strength, you are not involved at this level yet, so just take care of yourselves as Mutants first!"
Professor took a deep breath and sighed: "Alright, if we want to create a big disaster, we need to get Erik... but how do we rescue him? He is locked on the 100th floor underground in the most heavily guarded building on Earth, and we have no way to get in... or out."
Pentagon.
￣ ω ￣ =
"I can rescue him once you have worked out a detailed plan. Within a week at most, contact Samir, and I will bring him back to you."
After saying this, Duke stood up and walked outside.
"Let us go, Samir, we need to upgrade your 'equipment' first; you cannot have any metal on your body."
Since there is Magneto, right?
Later, we also need to upgrade Diana and Doutzen Kroes.
"Let us see how the situation goes. If things over there progress slowly, I will assist you from the sidelines, but I will only act at critical moments. If things start there first, you will have to rely on yourselves."
As he spoke, Duke turned and left Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
Professor and beast looked at each other.
Let us see which plot triggers first, the Skull Island plot or the Days of Future Past plot; whichever triggers first, Dukewill go there! If they happen at the same time, he will have to arrange for Samir to go. Actually, that is not necessarily true; he could resolve the trouble of the Big Cousin first, and then use a portal to go to Skull Island, which would not be too late.
But still, it comes down to the trigger time.
He suddenly remembered one thing: where is 'Wolverine' right now?
In 1973, is he in the bed of Gwen, or...
——At this time, in South Vietnam.
"Victor——"
"NO!!!"
...
"Ready, aim!"
Executing the firing squad.
"After you are done playing, remember to wake me up."
099. Looks like Kong will take the stage first.
At this time in South Vietnam, in a cell at a U.S. military camp that had not yet been evacuated.
Two 'beasts' were locked up here.
"Hello there. I am Major William Stryker. You are charged with the murder of a high-ranking officer. Is the charge correct?!"
William Stryker?
It was actually the younger version of William Stryker, not the older version from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the young man from X-Men: Days of Future Past.
But come to think of it, it should indeed be the younger version at this moment. If it were the older version, he would be quite impressive, having barely aged in nearly 40 years!
"We like challenging authority..." Victor grabbed the ground rat running around on his shoulder and started teasing it.
"Don't talk nonsense." Logan frowned.
"Are you tired of running? Afraid to face your true nature?"
"None of your business!"
'Sabretooth' Victor was still as blunt as ever, while Logandealt with everything with his usual calm mind.
"I know how special and valuable you are. Listen, you can be locked up like monsters, or you can join me. I am about to assemble a special team! Tell me, do you want to serve your country?"
Thus, the two readily agreed.
Although they were somewhat tired of this long, drawn-out life, no one likes being locked in a prison cell.
One day later, the two boarded a plane and headed to Lagos.
And so, Wraith, Bolt, Blob, Agent Zero, Deadpool, and the rest of the crew... came online.
Oh, it's the future Deadpool.
No, wait, 'Deadpool' probably won't be born now. What a pity.
William Stryker will inevitably die, so there won't be the'synthetic monster' later on.
Speaking of Lagos?
This city is really unlucky. In X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it was blown up by a group of Mutants, and in Captain America: Civil War, it was blown up again by Scarlet Witch.
Oh, NO!
Truly an unlucky city.
Two days later, Diana returned.
After the customary hour of 'friendly communication', the two began to discuss serious business. If not for urgent matters, they could have continued communicating for a few more hours.
"Honey, are you sure? These so-called prehistoric giant monsters... were created by gods?" Looking at the monster guide Diana brought back, Duke was a bit dumbfounded. This...?
Although not certain, he still recognized some monsters from it, such as — the 'cockroach monster' MUTO, the 'three-headed dragon' Ghidorah, the 'butterfly' Mothra, the 'pterosaur' Rodan... and the 'Tyrannosaurus Rex' Godzilla, who had quite a unique look.
Seeing these giant monsters, Duke could basically conclude that he had entered the plot of the [Monarch Project].
Here was a scan, in the shape of 'Skull Island'.
Hey, it seems like Da Tiantian is in there too!
Her name is'San' or something.
If he entered Godzilla: King of the Monsters, he would also be able to meet Ziyi, hmm...
Forget it, let's look at the present first; that's a matter for several decades later.
As for Godzilla, this guy has dozens of movies, various comics, and the settings change again and again. The version he remembers most clearly is the one caused by radiation.
But looking at it now, if it touches upon the Godzilla (2014) version, the setting should be the last descendants of the apex predator race of the Permian ecosystem, and the same goes for the 'cockroach monster' MUTO.
As for the 'three-headed dragon' Ghidorah, Duke only remembers it being an extraterrestrial creature. As for the others, he wasn't very clear.
But Godzilla, a creature from the Permian, 250 million years ago.
Was this also created by gods?
The other giant beasts, it's hard to say, but this... the time is too long, right? 250 million years ago, were there gods appearing on Earth?
But thinking about it carefully, it doesn't seem strange. This is Marvel Earth, and if the ancestors of these giant beasts originated from gods doing scientific research, it's not that hard to accept.
After all, Earth has the Norse Asgard, as well as the Olympian pantheon, the Pyramid pantheon, the Chinese pantheon, and so on.
In addition, there were the Elder Gods from even earlier, much earlier.
For example, the dark god Chthon.
Billions of years ago, the natural life force of the biosphere on Earth gave birth to a group of 'Elder Gods', which were also among the earliest life forms on Earth.
Therefore, if Godzilla's earliest ancestors, who lived in the Permian period 250 million years ago, were created by gods doing science, it wouldn't be very strange.
A group of ancient gods were born billions of years ago.
Heaven knows where these giant beasts came from?
(PS: In order to cater to the plot, the setting has been slightly changed.)
"Hmm. The documents on Themyscira recorded a part of it, but it is not complete, and it was not created by the modern gods. If we want to trace it, we might have to trace it back to a more ancient era." Diana nodded and said.
"Oh, I see."
Duke raised his eyebrows unnaturally; tracing their origins was already meaningless. The Elder Gods either perished in the long river of history, were banished to other dimensions, or fled Earth themselves.
The surviving pantheons now are all relatively recent ones.
And didn't the Olympian pantheon among them perish too?
"I have already obtained the travel permit, and we can fly to South Vietnam tonight."
"So urgent?" Duke was a bit stunned.
The last time he woke up from a slumber, he was in a hurry to train Captain America; this time when he woke up, his wife was in a hurry to study giant monsters.
Emmmm...
"Alright, we can teleport there directly, but I need to say goodbye to my neighbor." Duke sighed.
Looks like Kong is going to take the stage first.
"Neighbor?" Diana was puzzled.
Duke explained it to her.
Then, Diana's expression became grave: "Is this another thing you glimpsed while traveling through the astral plane?"
"Yes."
One lie had been told, so he had to keep telling it.
"If that's the case, then Mutants are indeed quite pitiful."
"The most critical point is that in the future, the Sentinelcan detect the x-gene hidden inside the human body. This is terrifying! You have to know, out of 100 people carrying the Mutant gene, it's good if even 1 can awaken. If this continues... humanity will be self-extinct." Duke shook his head and sighed.
If this keeps up, you are basically committing suicide!
In the future, intermarriage between different races, different ethnicities, and different nations will be common. As a result, x-gene carriers will likely spread all over the world.
They will be everywhere.
Although not 100% will carry it, 10%, or even 1%, is already bad enough.
Over 70 million people will die for this for no reason. What did they do wrong?
This is equivalent to 'the father's debt being paid by the son'.
What does the father's mistake have to do with the son? Why should the son pay with his life?
I know you will kill in the future, so I want to kill you now. Is there something wrong with that?!
Well, Duke is also about to do something 'wrong'.
"The sentinel program must be stopped." Diana gritted her teeth and said.
If the future Sentinel really appears, that would be no different from fighting another World War II.
Duke nodded: "Agreed."
100. Long Time No See, Brother Wolf
(PS: It's already Chapter 100)
A remote small village three days' journey from Lagos.
The squad had a dispute.
Wolverine's aversion to Sabretooth's slaughter finally reached its limit. He gripped Sabretooth's wrist tightly and said through gritted teeth, "We didn't come here for this. I've had enough. Are you coming with me?"
Without waiting for him to answer, he turned and walked away into the darkness.
At that moment, a violent wind rose.
The strange, sudden wind swirled in circles, surrounding them in the center.
Wolverine, who was leaving, also paused, his claws immediately unsheathing.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" William Stryker shouted.
The squad immediately assumed defensive positions, staring around, everyone drenched in sweat. The newcomer's strength was very formidable—extremely formidable.
Then, a pair of hands tore open the wall of wind.
At the same time, the ground froze. In the blink of an eye, the entire field was encased in ice, and the legs of everyone in the squad were frozen solid.
"What is this?"
"Damn it, I can't break free!"
"Oh no, my abilities have failed."
"Shit!"
The entire squad was trapped, including the black man 'John Wraith'; he could no longer teleport out.
The wind wall was torn open, and accompanied by a light voice, a figure walked in.
"Ha, Brother Wolf, long time no see."
"You are... this voice..." Logan snapped his head around, his eyes gradually widening. "You're Duke! You... you're not dead?"
Fifty-three years had passed, yet Duke looked exactly the same as he did during World War I.
"I say, Brother Wolf, cursing me to death the moment we meet—isn't that a bit unbrotherly?" Duke curled his lip.
Logan didn't have the title 'Wolverine' yet; it would only be engraved on his newly made dog tags when he was injected with Adamantium. As for the title 'Brother Wolf', it was what Duke used to call him. It was from that time on that Logan began to think of himself as a 'Wolf', though still not 'Wolverine'.
If he really had to choose a species, Logan was thinking of a 'Dire Wolf' at the time.
Interestingly, Dire Wolves have fought Sabretooth Tigers.
Just like Logan vs. Victor.
Except both the Dire Wolf and the Sabretooth Tiger were eventually buried in the La Brea Tar Pits.
"Sorry, I meant, you... don't seem to have changed at all." Logan shrugged, then pointed at the 'ice' on his legs. "As for you, freezing me the moment we meet—isn't that also a bit unbrotherly?"
He had tried; his bone claws could not shatter these strange blocks of ice.
"Hahaha, freezing you is mainly because I'm afraid your anger will get the better of you in a moment!" Dukelaughed loudly, then looked at Victor. "Brother Tiger... your bloodlust... it's really getting stronger and stronger."
Victor's face twitched: "Duke..."
His expression was somewhat unnatural. Back in World War I, Duke had said that he would become increasingly murderous. He had long since forgotten those words, never expecting to see his old acquaintance again after fifty-three years.
That's right.
The one who came was Duke!
He was going on an adventure to Skull Island, and Dukethought about bringing Wolverine along for the ride.
Calculating the time, Wolverine and Sabretooth should be in South Vietnam. He just wasn't sure if they had been recruited by William Stryker to form the special operations group yet.
It was currently the period of the South Vietnam War, so logically, Wolverine Logan and Sabretooth Victor should be there. At this time, the United States had already announced its withdrawal, but of course, there were certainly troops that hadn't left yet.
However, according to Duke's deduction, Wolverineshouldn't have gone to Lagos in Nigeria, because forming the squad should have happened later.
But what Duke didn't expect was that after checking through Wonder Woman's channels, this guy actually went to Lagos to look for the meteorite (Adamantium).
The timelines of this world are really clashing together!
Actually, in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine', Logan participated in the South Vietnam War, but Duke didn't know if that was 1973.
Because in 'days of future past', the time Logan returned to was 1973, specifically January 21st, and at that time he was in New York... and he climbed out of the bed of his boss's daughter, Gwen.
Well, he remembered that woman was quite good-looking, with a nice figure—
The key was her long legs.
And now it was January 8th.
There were still 13 days until he would climb out of the boss's daughter Gwen's bed.
Tsk tsk.
It must be that after Wolverine left the squad, he went back to find a new job protecting the boss's daughter, and then Wolverine... did the deed with her.
(￣.￣)
(PS: To force the plot together, I'm forcibly dragging the timelines together.)
Although he could teleport directly to Lagos, he didn't know where that small village was. So he found the leader of the base that had been robbed to ask, scaring the leader half to death. Strangely, that leader hadn't been killed?
Anyway, he made it in time.
"Who are you?" William Stryker asked. "Do you know what you're doing?"
Just then, Agent Zero quietly pulled out his gun. Click—a round was chambered.
Duke raised his hand pretentiously (￣O￣)ノ: "Wait, if I were you..."
Bang, bang—!
The gunshots rang out, and Agent Zero fell to the ground, two side-by-side blood-red holes appearing in the center of his forehead.
"...I wouldn't do that. You'll die. See, you're really dead, aren't you? Sigh—you should listen when others are talking. If you don't listen to your elders, you'll suffer for it. Understand? Forget it, you won't have the chance anymore."
'Rejection': Reflects the target's attack.
The squad members were instantly dumbfounded. What just happened? They saw Agent Zero sneakily fire his gun, and then... as soon as the shot rang out, the mysterious Duke was fine, while he himself kicked the bucket.
"Next, if anyone wants to attack me, think carefully before you act, because I can reflect enemy attacks."
Everyone: What the hell.
Zero didn't die unfairly; that's what happens when you don't listen to people.
William Stryker's lips twitched: "Who on earth are you?!"
"Looking at this face of yours, there's really a sense of dissonance." Seeing the young version of William Stryker, Duke found it a bit hard to accept.
After all, in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' it was the old version, and only in 'days of future past' was he young.
Speaking of which, on January 8th in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine', William Stryker came looking for the meteorite 'Adamantium'. That very night, Wolverine fell out with them and left. They should have obtained the meteorite shortly after and then taken the team back. The squad... should have disbanded immediately after.
Then on January 21st (the time in 'days of future past'), he went to the military camp to receive that group of Mutantsoldiers, only to be stopped by Mystique.
(PS: Forcibly connecting the timelines of the two movies might seem a bit confusing, right? Actually, it's not that hard to clear up the thoughts. Those who have seen them should understand easily.)
"What do you mean?" William Stryker was a bit confused. What did he mean by saying his face had a sense of dissonance?
"It's nothing... forget it, Mystique won't be running into you again anyway." Duke curled his lip.
The young version of William Stryker would die tonight. Naturally, he wouldn't go to the military camp on January 21st to receive the Mutant squad, and thus he wouldn't run into Mystique.
William Stryker was confused again. He had no idea that his time of death was imminent!
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