"The Fantastic Three really don't have the strength to deal with the Deep Sea King."
By altering the magnetic field around him, Zod made himself impossible to detect, whether by technology or by the naked eye.
That monster down there was something Zod had created, a Demon-level monster from One Punch Man: the Deep Sea King. Even the person the Deep Sea King ate was an artificial human product.
The purpose was to test the Fantastic Three's combat power, and also to teach them a lesson so they would not get too arrogant.
At the same time, Zod also wanted to see the Deep Sea King's fighting strength.
He could not guarantee he had recreated the Deep Sea King perfectly, but it was not difficult to reverse-engineer the data based on its destructive performance and restore its various parameters.
And the Deep Sea King's performance was nothing short of dazzling. Whether it was battlefield reaction or sheer instinct, it was terrifyingly strong, completely crushing the Fantastic Three working together. Unfortunately, they were missing one member: Ben the Thing.
After all, without Doom stirring up trouble, Ben never chose to turn back into the Thing once he returned to being a normal human.
If Ben the Thing were here, the Fantastic Four probably would not be in such a sorry state.
Very quickly, the Serpent S.H.I.E.L.D. lurking in the shadows could tell from the fight that the Fantastic Three did not seem to be the monster's match, so they requested U.S. military support.
Even though the military already had good stuff like War Machine, a monster like the Deep Sea King also made them greedy. Maybe they could get results related to the super-soldier serum from this creature.
But Serpent S.H.I.E.L.D. did not rely entirely on the military. They also contacted Zodhis, only for Uld to inform them that Zodhis was researching something. If he did not come out, no one could go in and notify him.
So Nick Fury could only stare at the screen and pray the military could deal with this monster.
The military deployed quickly. Over the past year or so, Blade Tech Industries had delivered one hundred War Machine units to the military. That was because their production line had finally become complete, and because Uld successfully poached weapons-division personnel from Stark Industries, which boosted production speed.
So, the scene of one hundred War Machines flying in... did not happen. It was not like one branch had every War Machine. Still, more than a dozen War Machines flew in, all painted in Stars and Stripes colors.
All of them had undergone illegal military modifications. In truth, that meant the military had handed them to Stark Industries for upgrades.
They loaded themselves up with all kinds of high-lethality weapons, turning each War Machine into a moving arsenal.
"It's War Machine." Reed saw those War Machines and finally let out a breath.
The Deep Sea King also looked at the War Machines in confusion. In its memory, there was only one mission: kill all land-dwellers and let the Deep Sea race rule the surface. It had no concept of what War Machine was.
"No missiles or similar weapons. I want it alive!" an Air Force colonel ordered excitedly.
The War Machines retracted their missile pods and revealed shoulder-mounted machine guns.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The brutal firepower instantly created a metal storm. Caught off guard, the Deep Sea King could not dodge these supersonic attacks at all and was riddled with holes in seconds.
But its muscle density was extremely high. Zod had simulated the high-pressure environment of the deep sea, making the Deep Sea King far denser than a human. The bullets only sank into flesh. To the Deep Sea King, they were not fatal wounds.
The Deep Sea King had never seen this kind of attack, but its adaptation speed was frightening. It instantly identified the weakness.
Fast, yes.
But no turning ability. Only straight-line attacks.
And it seemed to rely entirely on those shoulder devices that spewed flames.
The Deep Sea King reacted at once, its body leaving afterimages. Before one War Machine could even respond, it was smashed by a single punch. The hardened steel alloy twisted and deformed, then the suit flew out and slammed into an office building, crushing it.
Then the Deep Sea King plunged into the middle of the War Machines and began a slaughter.
Steel alloy strength meant nothing to it. The War Machines quickly suffered heavy losses, and the Air Force colonel directing the operation glared with eyes wide.
"Use missiles. Blow it up!"
The losses were too great. Who knew if they could even repair them? Several War Machines were already basically scrapped, which meant losses in the tens of billions of dollars!
And Zodhis's side offered no after-sales service. They did not take responsibility for battle damage. If it was a usage issue, Blade Tech Industries would handle warranty repairs, but that was it.
Missiles were far more powerful, but the Deep Sea King was cold-blooded, and many missiles could not lock on.
Only then did they realize that the palm energy cannons in Zodhis's original loadout were actually more practical. The moment those palm cannons came out, the ones capable of piercing standard steel plate twenty millimeters thick, the Deep Sea King would not be able to withstand it, especially with the Fantastic Three assisting.
Just as the Deep Sea King was about to die under the threat of those palm energy cannons, a torrential downpour arrived without warning.
Even Zod was surprised. He had not intentionally created a rainstorm. After all, even if the Deep Sea King died, the situation could still be wrapped up.
Bathed in rainwater, the Deep Sea King's body immediately began to swell.
After absorbing water, it grew stronger and more muscular. Its face fully transformed into a fish face.
In the next moment, the Deep Sea King went on a rampage.
Every War Machine was instantly wiped out, so fast they could not even evade. The AIs Zod configured for those suits were advanced, but even if they captured the Deep Sea King's movements, the War Machines' speed still could not keep up.
It's over.
The Air Force colonel stood there, dumbstruck.
The Fantastic Three were dumbstruck too.
"I am the Deep Sea King of the Deep Sea race. And only in this form is my true strength!" the Deep Sea King said with a ferocious grin.
Deep Sea race!
Nick Fury caught that term. It meant the Deep Sea King was not just some mutated organism, but part of an entire race.
Who knew how many more monsters the Deep Sea race had, and how many were as strong as the Deep Sea King.
The Fantastic Three were quickly and brutally wounded. Then the Deep Sea King grabbed Susan, preparing to bite off her upper body in one gulp to strengthen itself...
And someone suddenly appeared.
He wore black armor, with deep blue energy light glowing at his chest.
The Dark Knight, Zod!
"That kid finally showed up." Nick Fury finally relaxed. He did not know how strong Zodhis's Dark Knight armor was, but with Zod's genius, dealing with the Deep Sea King should not be a problem.
Then everyone saw the Dark Knight Zod raise one hand in midair.
The Deep Sea King flung Susan aside, then lunged at him.
Where was his weapon?
The Dark Knight Zod's raised hand clenched into a fist.
And as the Deep Sea King was about to reach him, it exploded in midair!
What just happened?!
Nick Fury stood up and stared at the screen.
"It's fine. It's already been solved," the Dark Knight Zod told the Fantastic Three.
/-\
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