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Chapter 176: The Mortal World Goes Mad
The Mortal World was on the verge of going mad.
Many politicians had thought the world was already chaotic enough, with Mutants, Metahumans, billionaires building their own gear to play vigilante, and an endless stream of fanatical organizations.
On top of that were the elusive recluses. Although there was no direct evidence, their existence could at least be inferred. The most famous of these was Paradise Island. Because a certain female warrior was active on the battlefields of World War I, many people were searching for this island, but to no avail.
A while ago, a nation with technology that completely outclassed the rest of the world had emerged from a supposedly backward and ignorant part of East Africa, effortlessly annihilating forty thousand modern troops from the world's foremost superpower.
And now? Fucking Sorcerers were popping up.
Just look at this bullshit video. The young man was easy to identify; his Mechanical Legion was his trademark. But that guy in the ridiculous robe, waving his arms like some charlatan and muttering incantations—where the hell did he come from?!
He did a couple of shaman-like hops, and a cluster of Rings of Light appeared, slicing the powerful Transformer into pieces. A couple more hops, and Tony and most of his Legion just vanished?!
Are you fucking sure this wasn't movie special effects? Or virtual reality technology?
The strangest part was that the civilian witnesses had no memory of the event at all. In their minds, they were in a daze, and then the area had suddenly turned into ruins.
At S.H.I.E.L.D., a weary Nick Fury presided over a top-level meeting. Not only had S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high-level agents been recalled, but the leaders of the Five Great Powers were also on a video conference, questioning Director Fury on the spot.
"Does our surveillance network have any records of this... Sorcerer?" one of the leaders asked. He really couldn't find the right words to describe that shaman-dancing guy.
"Unclear."
Nick Fury rubbed his forehead, a headache setting in. His single eye was fixed on the satellite footage, his heart pounding in his chest. Although the footage was short, every second was shocking. Each confrontation between the two individuals in the video resulted in the destruction of a vast area.
"Unclear?! S.H.I.E.L.D. receives the most funding every year, and you, the Director, have the gall to tell me it's 'unclear'?" the leader demanded, raising his voice.
"Never mind the superstitious eras of the distant past; even in modern times, many Mutants can produce effects similar to a Sorcerer," Nick Fury said. "As for Spatial Teleportation, I know for a fact that Azazel of the Brotherhood of Mutants has this ability. Storm of the X-Men can also control the weather, creating rain or storms. In both recent and ancient history, these Mutants were worshipped as deities or saints."
"But this guy in the video..." Nick Fury frowned, truly at a loss for how to describe him.
It was only in the last few decades, with the rapid development of technology, that the surveillance network had become more and more comprehensive. But what about the eras before that? Even if a group of Sorcerers truly existed, distinguishing between them and Mutants would have been an incredibly difficult task.
In this godforsaken world, the appearance of a group of Sorcerers didn't seem so hard to accept. With places like Paradise Island and K'un-Lun being so damn elusive, what was one more group of Sorcerers? Things were chaotic enough as it was; there was no harm in lumping these Sorcerers in with Mutants or other Metahumans.
"Then does our Super Soldier Program have the capability to counter this kind of Sorcerer?"
Everyone fell silent.
Ironically, the version of the Super Soldier Program that had made the most rapid progress was the one originally managed by Ross. The embarrassing part was that the technology was provided by Tony.
Although Tony had shared some of the relevant technology with them, there were parts they still couldn't fully comprehend. Moreover, Spider-Man's uncle, a man named Ben who was supposed to be long dead and buried, had somehow been resurrected by Tony through unknown means.
A secret examination revealed that Ben's body also contained unknown elements from the Super Soldier formula.
The Authorities were unable to replicate and mass-produce these elements.
"Using Super Soldiers against superhuman foes isn't impossible, but it requires them to be deployed in sizable units equipped with modern technology. One-on-one, they are still no match. I propose that General Sam Lane take over Ross's Super Soldier Program to conduct more in-depth research."
The request was naturally approved, and Sam Lane became Ross's successor.
"What's the status of the investigation into the Court of Owls? Our intelligence indicates that Tony's technology likely originates from this organization."
"Progress has been minimal," Nick Fury said nonchalantly. "We've secretly investigated all the prominent families and did find some leads, but we have no proof. We can't determine which family is our target and which isn't. Acting rashly would trigger a financial crisis across nearly half of the United States. And..."
Nick Fury paused. "Tony seems to be the only outsider who has had contact with the Court of Owls and survived. He holds many of the Court's secrets..."
A wave of deflation passed through many of them. When all was said and done, it always came back to Tony.
Especially when they watched the footage of the suspected Sorcerer, who drew a Portal with a mere wave of his hand, casually jumped in, and popped out from another direction.
A terrifying thought occurred to them: if they dropped a nuclear bomb on the spot to kill him, couldn't this Sorcerer just transfer it directly to Washington D.C.?
The final scene of the entire group vanishing was still fresh in their minds. It was undoubtedly another application of teleportation technology. Moreover, The Authorities had yet to find their destination; it was as if they had vanished into thin air.
The list of people who couldn't be dealt with by a nuclear bomb had just grown significantly.
The leader's eyelids twitched slightly, but he said nothing, remaining silent. If he recalled correctly, their own superhuman agency, S.P.E.A.R., had similar records of people who could conjure sparks like that. However, for various reasons, they had dropped the matter and not pursued it further.
The people at S.P.E.A.R. seemed to be extremely secretive about certain matters, warning The Authorities not to provoke these individuals.
Unlike the United States, S.P.E.A.R., as the Eastern Great Power's official superhuman agency, had functions similar to S.H.I.E.L.D. but held far greater authority within its country. It maintained an open and accepting attitude toward super-powered individuals, and extremely powerful superhumans like Cyclone were part of its ranks.
The meeting ended on a sour note, with many leaving full of anxiety. It was foreseeable that what would follow would be even more frantic research and investment into science and technology. This world was becoming increasingly bizarre and offered less and less of a sense of security; it was completely different from a few decades ago.
In particular, for some unknown reason, all sorts of previously rare superhumans had been emerging in droves these past few years. Every census showed an explosive growth in the superhuman population.
Some had the faint feeling that something terrible was about to happen—or perhaps, had already begun.
People's sense of urgency grew ever stronger.
"Director, it seems there's a new development in the Vampire Kingdom." Nick Fury's assistant handed him a file.
Nick Fury casually opened it and glanced through the contents, which only made his headache worse. He said, "Maintain close surveillance. At the same time, send a copy of this file to every nation and tell them to be on high alert... A strange type of creature is hunting both Vampires and Humans? A new threat has emerged..."
(end of chapter)
The Mortal World was on the verge of going mad.
Many politicians had thought the world was already chaotic enough, with Mutants, Metahumans, billionaires building their own gear to play vigilante, and an endless stream of fanatical organizations.
On top of that were the elusive recluses. Although there was no direct evidence, their existence could at least be inferred. The most famous of these was Paradise Island. Because a certain female warrior was active on the battlefields of World War I, many people were searching for this island, but to no avail.
A while ago, a nation with technology that completely outclassed the rest of the world had emerged from a supposedly backward and ignorant part of East Africa, effortlessly annihilating forty thousand modern troops from the world's foremost superpower.
And now? Fucking Sorcerers were popping up.
Just look at this bullshit video. The young man was easy to identify; his Mechanical Legion was his trademark. But that guy in the ridiculous robe, waving his arms like some charlatan and muttering incantations—where the hell did he come from?!
He did a couple of shaman-like hops, and a cluster of Rings of Light appeared, slicing the powerful Transformer into pieces. A couple more hops, and Tony and most of his Legion just vanished?!
Are you fucking sure this wasn't movie special effects? Or virtual reality technology?
The strangest part was that the civilian witnesses had no memory of the event at all. In their minds, they were in a daze, and then the area had suddenly turned into ruins.
At S.H.I.E.L.D., a weary Nick Fury presided over a top-level meeting. Not only had S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high-level agents been recalled, but the leaders of the Five Great Powers were also on a video conference, questioning Director Fury on the spot.
"Does our surveillance network have any records of this... Sorcerer?" one of the leaders asked. He really couldn't find the right words to describe that shaman-dancing guy.
"Unclear."
Nick Fury rubbed his forehead, a headache setting in. His single eye was fixed on the satellite footage, his heart pounding in his chest. Although the footage was short, every second was shocking. Each confrontation between the two individuals in the video resulted in the destruction of a vast area.
"Unclear?! S.H.I.E.L.D. receives the most funding every year, and you, the Director, have the gall to tell me it's 'unclear'?" the leader demanded, raising his voice.
"Never mind the superstitious eras of the distant past; even in modern times, many Mutants can produce effects similar to a Sorcerer," Nick Fury said. "As for Spatial Teleportation, I know for a fact that Azazel of the Brotherhood of Mutants has this ability. Storm of the X-Men can also control the weather, creating rain or storms. In both recent and ancient history, these Mutants were worshipped as deities or saints."
"But this guy in the video..." Nick Fury frowned, truly at a loss for how to describe him.
It was only in the last few decades, with the rapid development of technology, that the surveillance network had become more and more comprehensive. But what about the eras before that? Even if a group of Sorcerers truly existed, distinguishing between them and Mutants would have been an incredibly difficult task.
In this godforsaken world, the appearance of a group of Sorcerers didn't seem so hard to accept. With places like Paradise Island and K'un-Lun being so damn elusive, what was one more group of Sorcerers? Things were chaotic enough as it was; there was no harm in lumping these Sorcerers in with Mutants or other Metahumans.
"Then does our Super Soldier Program have the capability to counter this kind of Sorcerer?"
Everyone fell silent.
Ironically, the version of the Super Soldier Program that had made the most rapid progress was the one originally managed by Ross. The embarrassing part was that the technology was provided by Tony.
Although Tony had shared some of the relevant technology with them, there were parts they still couldn't fully comprehend. Moreover, Spider-Man's uncle, a man named Ben who was supposed to be long dead and buried, had somehow been resurrected by Tony through unknown means.
A secret examination revealed that Ben's body also contained unknown elements from the Super Soldier formula.
The Authorities were unable to replicate and mass-produce these elements.
"Using Super Soldiers against superhuman foes isn't impossible, but it requires them to be deployed in sizable units equipped with modern technology. One-on-one, they are still no match. I propose that General Sam Lane take over Ross's Super Soldier Program to conduct more in-depth research."
The request was naturally approved, and Sam Lane became Ross's successor.
"What's the status of the investigation into the Court of Owls? Our intelligence indicates that Tony's technology likely originates from this organization."
"Progress has been minimal," Nick Fury said nonchalantly. "We've secretly investigated all the prominent families and did find some leads, but we have no proof. We can't determine which family is our target and which isn't. Acting rashly would trigger a financial crisis across nearly half of the United States. And..."
Nick Fury paused. "Tony seems to be the only outsider who has had contact with the Court of Owls and survived. He holds many of the Court's secrets..."
A wave of deflation passed through many of them. When all was said and done, it always came back to Tony.
Especially when they watched the footage of the suspected Sorcerer, who drew a Portal with a mere wave of his hand, casually jumped in, and popped out from another direction.
A terrifying thought occurred to them: if they dropped a nuclear bomb on the spot to kill him, couldn't this Sorcerer just transfer it directly to Washington D.C.?
The final scene of the entire group vanishing was still fresh in their minds. It was undoubtedly another application of teleportation technology. Moreover, The Authorities had yet to find their destination; it was as if they had vanished into thin air.
The list of people who couldn't be dealt with by a nuclear bomb had just grown significantly.
The leader's eyelids twitched slightly, but he said nothing, remaining silent. If he recalled correctly, their own superhuman agency, S.P.E.A.R., had similar records of people who could conjure sparks like that. However, for various reasons, they had dropped the matter and not pursued it further.
The people at S.P.E.A.R. seemed to be extremely secretive about certain matters, warning The Authorities not to provoke these individuals.
Unlike the United States, S.P.E.A.R., as the Eastern Great Power's official superhuman agency, had functions similar to S.H.I.E.L.D. but held far greater authority within its country. It maintained an open and accepting attitude toward super-powered individuals, and extremely powerful superhumans like Cyclone were part of its ranks.
The meeting ended on a sour note, with many leaving full of anxiety. It was foreseeable that what would follow would be even more frantic research and investment into science and technology. This world was becoming increasingly bizarre and offered less and less of a sense of security; it was completely different from a few decades ago.
In particular, for some unknown reason, all sorts of previously rare superhumans had been emerging in droves these past few years. Every census showed an explosive growth in the superhuman population.
Some had the faint feeling that something terrible was about to happen—or perhaps, had already begun.
People's sense of urgency grew ever stronger.
"Director, it seems there's a new development in the Vampire Kingdom." Nick Fury's assistant handed him a file.
Nick Fury casually opened it and glanced through the contents, which only made his headache worse. He said, "Maintain close surveillance. At the same time, send a copy of this file to every nation and tell them to be on high alert... A strange type of creature is hunting both Vampires and Humans? A new threat has emerged..."
(end of chapter)
