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Chapter 177: The Wise Crane
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, who had arrived menacingly to demand answers, suffered a great loss at the hands of the enraged Electro.
Electro Max's Rage was palpable on his ferocious face. His eyes, typically a brilliant blue, flared with frequent bursts of fiery Electricity due to his unstable emotions. A single random bolt could knock out a normal Human.
The Power of Rage was on full display in Max at this moment.
Max was truly a dangerous individual who could kill with his Rage.
He didn't even know how he got home, much less how he could face his family members.
Seeing the astonished expressions on his loved ones' faces, especially Betty, who transformed directly into the Red Hulk and furiously punched Max, sending him flying from the house to the other side of the road.
"You went out with him, but when he ran into enemies, he completely disappeared, and you're the only one who came back?" Betty's gaze was extremely dangerous.
This merciless punch caused even Max to feel excruciating pain; he suspected Betty might have been trying to kill him. However, he didn't retaliate, argue, or even dodge, simply taking the full force of the tens of tons of force.
Half of his electrical body instantly dispersed.
Max said nothing, silently standing back up. He felt he had no right to face these people. It made sense; Max, who prided himself on his loyalty, had gone out with his boss, only for the boss to vanish while he returned unharmed. It looked suspicious no matter how you spun it.
And right at this moment, S.H.I.E.L.D. came knocking, demanding to investigate Max.
"Max, you acted openly on the street, causing an extremely negative impact and violating S.H.I.E.L.D. Security Regulation Article XX..."
As it turned out, even with Tony gone, the tactic of using authority to pressure people was useless, especially against an enraged Max and a Betty who couldn't contain her Wrath after transforming.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents' cars were dismantled on the spot. If not for Crane, who was well-versed in the ways of the world, stopping them, none of the Agents would have left alive.
"As far as I know, we've only ever been in contact with Melinda and Agent Coulson. We've never met any of you," Crane said gently, pushing up a pair of glasses he had put on temporarily.
The leading Agent had better composure and struggled to remain calm. "Of course, the two of them were assigned to investigate another matter on short notice. I regret Tony's disappearance, but you must compensate for the damages he caused."
Crane smiled gently, his smiling eyes staring straight at the Agent. After a few more inconsequential words, the Agent was unceremoniously thrown out of the house.
"Very interesting. Mr. Tony is missing. This should have been the perfect opportunity to recruit us, yet S.H.I.E.L.D. sent such an idiot to mess things up..." Crane pushed up his glasses, their lenses glinting slightly. "It's true that Metahumans fall under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jurisdiction, but the ones showing up at our door shouldn't be idiots using fines as a pretext. A lot of interesting things are happening here."
"Listen, I'm not interested in your convoluted theories. Next time, whoever dares to come here, I'll kill them! Do they really think we're all good-tempered?! If not for Tony, I would have killed that Agent just now!" Betty, standing at two meters tall, was a blood-red color that seemed to drip with fresh blood, both vivid and glaring.
Likewise, her temper was growing more and more volatile.
A young lady who had never even killed a chicken was now, under the sway of her explosive temper, shouting about killing people.
One could only hope this young lady wouldn't end up throwing up when the time came.
Amanda, holding her weapon, observed calmly. She took a moment to speak, "Then let's split up. I'll return to Gotham City and mobilize the Court of Owls directly. Max, you continue your large-area search with your Bioelectric Field. Betty, you stay here. Kill anyone who comes looking for trouble. As for you, Crane... you go contact the League of Shadows. The network they've built over the years should be very useful. I can believe you don't have a way to contact the League of Shadows directly, but no one would believe you don't have a way to contact the assassins who have emerged from its ranks. Tony knows this better than I do, he just never says it."
Amanda wiped her blade. The brutal training of the Court of Owls, combined with her super Regenerative Ability, was enough to transform her into an even sharper killing Machine.
"No!" Crane refused outright, his eyes flashing with a wise light. "If we do that, it may seem like the most correct course of action, but it will give more people an opportunity... First, the exposure of the Court of Owls is a certainty. The Gotham families connected to Tony might not mobilize their networks to find him, but any family that does start searching must be the Court of Owls!"
"As for you, Max, a secret organization might have already developed a device to capture Electricity and is just waiting for you to fall into their trap. And Betty, General Ross must have had quite a few high-ranking friends in the Military, right? If you give them a chance to meet you alone, you could easily be deceived by them."
"And as for me," Crane continued eloquently, "I do know how to contact some assassins, and I will contact them. But without the rest of you, I'm just an Ordinary Human. The enemy could send a few special forces soldiers to take me down. We are a single unit. In Tony's words, we are a family. How can we voluntarily dissolve the family when we haven't even confirmed the situation?"
"Therefore, with all of us together, it wouldn't matter even if the enemy sent a modern army; Max and Betty could easily kill them all. As long as we don't move, letting outsiders do the searching is the safest approach. Us sticking together is the most dangerous, yet also the most stable, method. On the other hand, the Old Bartender, who went to help Blade and the others, is in more danger since he has to face the new, evolved version of Vampires. However, any ambitious person with half a brain would know that making a move on the Old Bartender, a Mortal, while Tony's fate is uncertain would be a foolish and meaningless act."
Crane looked at the people in the room. Although their gazes, filled with Rage and indignation, put him under considerable pressure, his timid nature, his instinct for self-preservation, and his complex yet growing sense of recognition and closeness to Tony compelled him to step up and temporarily assume the role of commander.
To be honest, the time he'd spent with Tony had been thrilling. That guy was always stirring up trouble, but it was also reassuring, and he had gained more and more reliable companions.
Crane pushed up his glasses with a knowing air, a wise expression on his face. "Besides, it's not like we don't have any cards up our sleeves. Has everyone forgotten about A.R.G.U.S.?"
(end of chapter)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, who had arrived menacingly to demand answers, suffered a great loss at the hands of the enraged Electro.
Electro Max's Rage was palpable on his ferocious face. His eyes, typically a brilliant blue, flared with frequent bursts of fiery Electricity due to his unstable emotions. A single random bolt could knock out a normal Human.
The Power of Rage was on full display in Max at this moment.
Max was truly a dangerous individual who could kill with his Rage.
He didn't even know how he got home, much less how he could face his family members.
Seeing the astonished expressions on his loved ones' faces, especially Betty, who transformed directly into the Red Hulk and furiously punched Max, sending him flying from the house to the other side of the road.
"You went out with him, but when he ran into enemies, he completely disappeared, and you're the only one who came back?" Betty's gaze was extremely dangerous.
This merciless punch caused even Max to feel excruciating pain; he suspected Betty might have been trying to kill him. However, he didn't retaliate, argue, or even dodge, simply taking the full force of the tens of tons of force.
Half of his electrical body instantly dispersed.
Max said nothing, silently standing back up. He felt he had no right to face these people. It made sense; Max, who prided himself on his loyalty, had gone out with his boss, only for the boss to vanish while he returned unharmed. It looked suspicious no matter how you spun it.
And right at this moment, S.H.I.E.L.D. came knocking, demanding to investigate Max.
"Max, you acted openly on the street, causing an extremely negative impact and violating S.H.I.E.L.D. Security Regulation Article XX..."
As it turned out, even with Tony gone, the tactic of using authority to pressure people was useless, especially against an enraged Max and a Betty who couldn't contain her Wrath after transforming.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents' cars were dismantled on the spot. If not for Crane, who was well-versed in the ways of the world, stopping them, none of the Agents would have left alive.
"As far as I know, we've only ever been in contact with Melinda and Agent Coulson. We've never met any of you," Crane said gently, pushing up a pair of glasses he had put on temporarily.
The leading Agent had better composure and struggled to remain calm. "Of course, the two of them were assigned to investigate another matter on short notice. I regret Tony's disappearance, but you must compensate for the damages he caused."
Crane smiled gently, his smiling eyes staring straight at the Agent. After a few more inconsequential words, the Agent was unceremoniously thrown out of the house.
"Very interesting. Mr. Tony is missing. This should have been the perfect opportunity to recruit us, yet S.H.I.E.L.D. sent such an idiot to mess things up..." Crane pushed up his glasses, their lenses glinting slightly. "It's true that Metahumans fall under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jurisdiction, but the ones showing up at our door shouldn't be idiots using fines as a pretext. A lot of interesting things are happening here."
"Listen, I'm not interested in your convoluted theories. Next time, whoever dares to come here, I'll kill them! Do they really think we're all good-tempered?! If not for Tony, I would have killed that Agent just now!" Betty, standing at two meters tall, was a blood-red color that seemed to drip with fresh blood, both vivid and glaring.
Likewise, her temper was growing more and more volatile.
A young lady who had never even killed a chicken was now, under the sway of her explosive temper, shouting about killing people.
One could only hope this young lady wouldn't end up throwing up when the time came.
Amanda, holding her weapon, observed calmly. She took a moment to speak, "Then let's split up. I'll return to Gotham City and mobilize the Court of Owls directly. Max, you continue your large-area search with your Bioelectric Field. Betty, you stay here. Kill anyone who comes looking for trouble. As for you, Crane... you go contact the League of Shadows. The network they've built over the years should be very useful. I can believe you don't have a way to contact the League of Shadows directly, but no one would believe you don't have a way to contact the assassins who have emerged from its ranks. Tony knows this better than I do, he just never says it."
Amanda wiped her blade. The brutal training of the Court of Owls, combined with her super Regenerative Ability, was enough to transform her into an even sharper killing Machine.
"No!" Crane refused outright, his eyes flashing with a wise light. "If we do that, it may seem like the most correct course of action, but it will give more people an opportunity... First, the exposure of the Court of Owls is a certainty. The Gotham families connected to Tony might not mobilize their networks to find him, but any family that does start searching must be the Court of Owls!"
"As for you, Max, a secret organization might have already developed a device to capture Electricity and is just waiting for you to fall into their trap. And Betty, General Ross must have had quite a few high-ranking friends in the Military, right? If you give them a chance to meet you alone, you could easily be deceived by them."
"And as for me," Crane continued eloquently, "I do know how to contact some assassins, and I will contact them. But without the rest of you, I'm just an Ordinary Human. The enemy could send a few special forces soldiers to take me down. We are a single unit. In Tony's words, we are a family. How can we voluntarily dissolve the family when we haven't even confirmed the situation?"
"Therefore, with all of us together, it wouldn't matter even if the enemy sent a modern army; Max and Betty could easily kill them all. As long as we don't move, letting outsiders do the searching is the safest approach. Us sticking together is the most dangerous, yet also the most stable, method. On the other hand, the Old Bartender, who went to help Blade and the others, is in more danger since he has to face the new, evolved version of Vampires. However, any ambitious person with half a brain would know that making a move on the Old Bartender, a Mortal, while Tony's fate is uncertain would be a foolish and meaningless act."
Crane looked at the people in the room. Although their gazes, filled with Rage and indignation, put him under considerable pressure, his timid nature, his instinct for self-preservation, and his complex yet growing sense of recognition and closeness to Tony compelled him to step up and temporarily assume the role of commander.
To be honest, the time he'd spent with Tony had been thrilling. That guy was always stirring up trouble, but it was also reassuring, and he had gained more and more reliable companions.
Crane pushed up his glasses with a knowing air, a wise expression on his face. "Besides, it's not like we don't have any cards up our sleeves. Has everyone forgotten about A.R.G.U.S.?"
(end of chapter)
