After news of the Torchman spread in New York, Xiaohuzi immediately sought out the U Demon, subtly suggesting the idea of conducting a fusion experiment with Atlanteans and Aryan People.
The U Demon naturally wouldn't hand over his subordinates, but he didn't care about those still residing in Bermuda following Namor.
Without hesitation, he informed Xiaohuzi of this intelligence, advising him to "help himself" in Bermuda, as he would not involve himself.
After all, his subordinates were also Atlanteans, and not everyone could stomach betraying their compatriots. Providing Xiaohuzi with information to let him send people to do it secretly was enough.
If the attack was successful, it would weaken Namor's power and prestige.
If they encountered resistance from Namor, the ordinary fleet would definitely not be a match, making Xiaohuzi even more dependent on the U Demon.
It was simply a win-win situation.
Thus, the previous events occurred, but unlike in the comics, this battleship also carried a few hitchhiking Hydra officers who easily subdued Namor with a Cosmic Rubik's Cube Energy Gun.
Now, the Germans had a strong hand, while on the British and American side, only the Union Jack and Captain America were present, with other heroes playing house in New York City.
.............
When the Torchbearer left Paradise and returned to work at the police station, the long-expected tsunami still hadn't come, leaving Su Ming feeling a bit helpless.
He could never just follow the plot and relax.
If he could be like in the movie world, following Steve to play games with Red Skull, how easy would that be?
But now, he had to find this bastard Namor himself.
Though a scoundrel, he was still Atlantis's rightful ruler. If the U Demon became the new king, both Su Ming and other land creatures would be in trouble.
At the top floor of the Wilson Enterprise Building, Su Ming calculated while looking at the world map, the sunlight outside already carrying some warmth.
The key issue now was that he didn't even know what had happened to Namor.
Maybe Namor went on vacation to Hawaii? Or perhaps went to some ocean trench to dig mud for beauty treatment?
Even if he had been captured, there were too many forces capable of capturing him.
The United States now had Captain America and the Torchbearer, both capable of defeating Namor.
As for the Germans, there was no need to mention, as Hydra's batch of leaders had such capabilities.
On the Fur Bear side, Leviathan continuously produced beautiful special agents from the Red House, surely rendering Namor's intelligence ineffective.
Even the Little Devil's side, where Baron Strick had rebuilt the new Hydra, had electromagnetic weapons capable of defeating Namor.
Su Ming, with a cigar in mouth, fell into deep thought.
First to be excluded were the Americans. If SSR wanted to capture Namor, they would need to pair Captain America with a large army, but Steve was currently helping Su Ming market instant noodles, leaving no time for this.
If it were the Torchbearer, there would be too much commotion. If he were facing Namor, it would not be so peaceful in any place.
The Germans had the highest probability of taking Namor, since Namor usually operated in the Atlantic Ocean, where neither the Ten Rings nor Leviathan could reach.
But Su Ming did not know much about Hydra's intelligence, mostly about the Red Skull.
In reality, the Red Skull was currently playing with the Cosmic Rubik's Cube along with Dr. Zola, his focus in recent years had not been on the Serum, and Xiaohuzi did not trust him much either, so his suspicion could largely be ruled out.
However, there were several other leaders, with branches all over the world, without a single clue.
Just like Su Ming knew Strick was in Japan, but had no precise location. Flipping through all of Japan would take so long that the United Kingdom might collapse.
Currently in London, they said even a biscuit had to be saved to support the front line, with people starting to starve.
When people began dying in droves from hunger, no matter how capable Fatty Qiu might be, he couldn't keep up the fight.
Time was limited, and how much reserve food the British still had was unknown. Despite the United States airlifting supplies, it was still a drop in the bucket for a country.
Su Ming sat down on the sofa, poured himself a glass of wine, his brain spinning rapidly.
But soon, he recalled a possible clue.
When in the basement laboratory of the antique shop, Su Ming killed a German spy impersonating a federal official. That person did not shout 'cut off one head, grow two' like in the movies before dying.
From his lip-reading, it seemed he wanted to shout 'Germany'.....
This indicated the spy had a different origin.
That was the only known German agent now, and if he could find clues from him, he would know what to do.
His apparent identity was false, and so was his address, but that German must have at least one safe house in the city for storing weapons and communications equipment.
Su Ming needed to find it.
Having communication equipment suggested the possibility of obtaining communication records, which might lead to eavesdropping or finding some intelligence.
Today's newspaper reported a murder case where a masked hero was killed, with other heroes in the city investigating recently.
In the original work, this murder case was related to German spies; now, Su Ming couldn't be sure but understanding the details could aid in judgment.
............
It was a morning when the New York Police Department received a report; a body was found in an alley near the docks.
His body lay spread-eagled as if embracing the sky, but beneath the mask, half of his face showed pain and disbelief.
Judging by the clothes, it belonged to a recent masked hero known as the 'Phantom Bullet.'
The Phantom Bullet was known for his strong physique and excellent spear technique. He was someone who didn't hesitate to use force for justice, never sparing any bullets for real villains.
Since his debut, the number of villains he injured had reached double digits.
Yet, this hero, active for only less than five days, fell on the cold ground in the dark night.
He took three shots to the chest, even their handgun had no chance to retaliate.
The person who reported it had disappeared, leaving no name behind, not even a discernable voice on the phone as male or female.
Then came a batch of reporters, with paparazzi from the Horn Daily racing to get the news the night before, appearing in print by morning.
The police were the third group to arrive, gossiping as they saw the dead hero, for they were not keen on these heroes due to the presence of the press.
"Dying while dressed like a Joker, how laughable."
The police examining the scene crossed their arms and talked with colleagues, having seen such scenes before.
Professional assassin, silenced pistol, clean and efficient, even the bullet head post-murder was removed, making it impossible to investigate, surrounded by footprints, all clearly left by reporters.
They couldn't even be sure if the body was touched by the paparazzi.
"Come on, buddy, no one deserves to meet such an end."
The accompanying officer shook his head. Despite his disdain for masked hero games, the man before them was shot, and that was police business.
The initial speaking officer shrugged, indeed, turned toward the back, waved to the hearse at the street corner, and soon they transported the body back to the forensic office at the city center.
Meanwhile, upstairs in the alley, someone was determined to get to the bottom of it.
He was Dr. Holloway, now the Avenging Angel.