Things weren't going very smoothly; this reporter seemed uninterested in alcohol, and his name wasn't on the client records of the distillery.
Su Ming dispatched Gin to investigate the news on the street and sent Leader Joe to contact some high-level clients to see if he could obtain some intelligence through official channels.
He and the doctor were waiting at the Peace Restaurant.
Dr. Holloway was evidently very interested in this legendary bar from the Prohibition Era; he touched the yellowed walls and fiddled with the piano that Su Ming often played.
But he was very self-controlled; besides having a small drink in the car, he now turned a blind eye to the alcohol around him.
He was also waiting for intelligence; before avenging his great hatred, he needed to stay sober.
Su Ming leaned on the bar, contemplating the current situation.
Dr. Holloway was now acting alongside him as a temporary teammate; he was an excellent detective who could uncover many clues, possibly helping Su Ming fill any gaps.
He was also a top-notch surgeon, and medical skills and anatomy were sure to be useful.
His shooting skills were decent, and his body was strong, but it fell far short of Batman's human limits, at most an athlete's level.
And as for what kind of enemy Su Ming would face, it was hard to say. Besides Red Skull and Zola tangling with Captain America, other hidden forces could be adversaries.
The team now had an assaulter and a scout but was still lacking someone skilled in strong energy projection skills, or else the small team could be easily countered.
Although Su Ming himself was not weak, there was always something stronger. He wasn't sure what this unfamiliar world hid.
If the opponent suddenly pulled out something like the Infinity Stones, he might be left gaping.
There was currently a powerhouse skilled in energy projection in New York, and that was the Torchbearer.
But his mind had issues; his understanding of the external environment was too limited. He wasn't as realistic and practical as Holloway but acted on a simple sense of right and wrong.
In the original work, he went head-to-head with Namor, the tsunami causing around 300,000 casualties in New York, and afterward, Namor realized he had killed the wrong people and apologized.
The Torchbearer said it was fine, recognizing mistakes and correcting them made one a good comrade; let's be good friends.
So they became good friends, and afterward, Namor seemed to flood the world a few more times, destroying several parallel worlds, killing a few hundred billion people, but none of this influenced their friendship.
To Jim, Namor's mistakes were naturally to be forgiven!
This was against humanity, right? Even Captain America did not want to deal with Namor...
Such a Holy Mother White Lotus, bringing him in would only aggravate Su Ming. If in the middle of a battle he suddenly forgave the enemy and stopped Su Ming from killing, that would be highly frustrating.
"Stop fighting, you all stop fighting!"
Nightmare...
So the plan to abduct the Torchbearer quickly vanished from Su Ming's mind.
Of course, besides the Torchbearer, there was another person skilled in energy projection in New York—Master Ancient.
If Master Ancient took action, Su Ming would only need to lie still and wait to win.
But Su Ming wasn't confident he could persuade her; she never meddled in the mortal struggles of this world.
He had shown many unusual abilities over the years, which Master Ancient must have noticed, but she just smiled it off. Sometimes Su Ming vaguely felt being watched, but Master Ancient made no extra moves.
However, Su Ming was somewhat confident about persuading her disciple.
Mordo was the most typical stubborn person; as long as Su Ming fooled him a bit and exaggerated the situation, he might take the bait.
Being straightforward, that was Mordo's biggest trait.
He believed Master Ancient's words too much, treating Dormammu as a sworn enemy, so when he discovered Master Ancient secretly using Dormammu's dark power for longevity, his mentality exploded.
In the comics, he first acted as a villain, then turned into an anti-hero, being one of the few mages to interact with the mercenary realm.
Of course, choosing a mage as a teammate had many advantages—providing food, water, and opening doors. With the teleportation gate of the Suspended Ring, Su Ming could quickly travel the world without enduring the slow transportation of this era.
Su Ming still missed Barry a lot; despite Divine Speed being a bit dangerous, the riding experience was great, and he was top-notch in supporting roles.
A mage opening a gate still required spellcasting and chanting; it needed divided attention and protection in battle to exert its power, and how much Mordo had learned from Master Ancient was always a question.
However, Su Ming felt uneasy not utilizing the time, even with the distillery subordinates out looking for clues.
It was wise to strengthen his team first. Sitting idle in the bar felt like a sword was about to drop on his head, the world's atmosphere had changed; this was a top warrior's sixth sense.
This was not a good premonition.
So he decided to try his luck at the New York Temple first, just in case Master Ancient had overeaten at breakfast today and wanted some exercise to digest?
He knocked on the bar, resolute, and gulped down the drink in front of him, wiping his beard.
"Dr. Holloway, let's go."
"Hmm? There's no news back yet, is there?"
Holloway sat by the pool table, fiddling with the balls on it. He was indeed somewhat impatient, but blind action wouldn't bring benefits.
"Waiting is such a waste of time; let's visit an old friend of mine; she might provide some help."
"She?" Dr. Holloway raised an eyebrow, throwing a suggestive glance.
"Uh, yes, she, but she should be about 800 years older than me." Su Ming shrugged.
An image of an old witch in a forest instantly appeared in Holloway's mind, accompanied by a black cat in a dark basement, stirring a huge black pot with a magic staff, containing small animal corpses like toads or lizards.
"Witchcraft?" Holloway pinched his eyebrows; as a doctor, many people of this era still did not believe in science, preferring to buy Holy Water when sick. These mystical things gave him headaches.
"Not witchcraft, but magic. Witchcraft is often related to Hell; if you encounter a witchcraft user in the future, be cautious."
Su Ming donned his coat and led the doctor out of the underground bar, which had changed little over the past decade; the streets were still flowing with sewage, and passersby still looked rushed.
Indeed, the economy might have improved somewhat, but the shadow of war still loomed over everyone. Su Ming liked battlefields and blood, but that did not mean everyone felt the same way, as if everyone on the street was fleeing for their lives.
When the two drove to Brick Street, the atmosphere was a hundred times stranger than the street in front of the bar.
Just as the car's front wheels turned the corner, he felt his hair stand on end, as if the temperature had suddenly dropped by dozens of degrees.
"Arm yourself!"
Without Su Ming's reminder, the doctor felt it too, as if a sudden fear emerged in his heart, as if the world had changed, and an unfriendly beast appeared behind them.
Perhaps the rats in the alley felt the same when stared at by a wildcat.
Su Ming flipped back into the car from the driver's seat, quickly equipping himself; the situation was unclear, and Master Ancient seemed a bit busy.
However, opportunities to sell a favor to the Supreme Mage were rare; he decided to seize the chance, no matter what was happening inside, he had to step in.
Providing service first and collecting the bill afterward wasn't impossible.