Examining his surroundings, Marcus was surprised to discover that he hadn't returned to the site of his apparent death.
Not only were the submarine's metal wreckage and team members absent, but there were no coconut trees on this shore. In fact, this wasn't even a beach—it was clearly the edge of an enormous lake.
"Did I... end up in the wrong place?"
The environment was completely unfamiliar: mountains surrounded the area, dense forests covered the slopes, and a vast lake filled the basin between them.
He decided not to dwell too much on this confusion. The important thing was that he had successfully returned to the physical world. His priority now was to exit this mountain range and find Charles to collect his payment. Five hundred thousand dollars was a substantial sum—enough to purchase the farm he'd been planning to retire to.
Just as he prepared to leave, a thunderous roar echoed overhead.
WHOOSH~
Looking up, Marcus spotted a fighter jet trailing thick smoke as it plummeted from the sky.
"Interesting. The plane I was on before my 'death' crashed because of Riptide's storm, and now that I'm back, I immediately witness another aircraft going down!"
The fighter descended rapidly, its nose angled slightly upward as it skimmed across the lake's surface before finally crashing onto the shore not far from his position. Marcus immediately sprinted toward the wreckage.
A fighter jet would certainly have communication equipment. Regardless of the pilot's condition, he could use the radio to contact someone and arrange for rescue, saving himself the trouble of finding his own way out of this wilderness.
As he approached the crashed aircraft, he spotted two women inside—or more precisely, two female pilots amid the twisted metal.
From the aircraft's radio, an anxious voice repeatedly called out:
"Carol! Carol! Can you hear me? Please respond!"
"I hear you! We've landed!" Carol answered, removing her helmet as she climbed from the wreckage. She needed to rescue the doctor seated behind her!
"Need some help?" Marcus called from behind her.
His voice startled Carol momentarily. After a quick glance at him, she nodded urgently.
"Quickly—help me get the doctor out!"
Since she accepted his assistance, Marcus stepped forward willingly, considering it fair exchange for borrowing their communications equipment afterward.
The doctor's face was streaked with blood, but Marcus immediately noticed something unusual—her blood wasn't red, but dark blue.
"What kind of mutant is this?" he wondered, finding it extremely strange. He'd never encountered a mutant with blue blood before.
"Doctor, why is your blood blue?" Carol voiced the very question in Marcus's mind.
The doctor leaned back in her seat, breathing laboriously, and looked at Carol. "Really? Is my hair a mess?"
Marcus found this response bewildering. Had the crash affected the doctor's mental faculties?
"Can you help me out of here?" the doctor asked, prompting Marcus and Carol to carefully extract her from the wreckage.
As his hands touched the aircraft fragments, Marcus sensed potent energy emanating from the debris. If he could extract power from these components, he might obtain enough Aya Stars to create a second Warframe.
With Marcus's assistance, they quickly freed the doctor, who spoke between labored breaths:
"Carol, do you remember why we came here? What was our mission?"
"To stop the war!" Carol answered confidently.
"Yes, but this conflict is far more extensive than you realize," the doctor coughed. "My name isn't actually Lawson. I'm Mar-Vell, from a planet called Hala..."
This conversation immediately captured Marcus's full attention. He considered the exchange carefully, particularly the doctor's revelations.
"Carol, blue blood, aliens from another planet..." Memories from before his interdimensional journey surfaced. "Am I in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?"
In his mind, only one world connected these elements—the universe of Captain Marvel and the Avengers.
"Excuse me, do you know someone named Tony Stark?" he asked.
If this was indeed the Marvel universe, they should recognize the Stark family's genius who would become Iron Man.
Hearing Marcus's question, Dr. Mar-Vell smiled. "You mean Howard Stark's son?"
That confirmed it—he had somehow crossed into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This realization left Marcus momentarily confused. He had only intended to return to his previous Earth, but instead had traveled to an entirely different reality.
"Looks like I'll be returning to my old profession," he muttered.
Now that he understood his situation, Marcus would need to accept it and resume his work as a mercenary.
BANG!
A muffled sound interrupted his thoughts. Mar-Vell, who had been preparing to detonate the plane's engine, was suddenly pierced through the chest by a green energy beam.
This fatal attack killed Mar-Vell instantly and snapped Marcus back to alertness.
"Hostile incoming!"
Carol immediately grabbed the weapon from Mar-Vell's hand, aiming it toward billowing smoke in the distance. Marcus channeled energy through his palm, focusing on the approaching threat.
A figure in green combat armor emerged from the thick smoke. He regarded Marcus and Carol with dismissive contempt.
"I have no interest in either of you. Where is the energy core?"
The newcomer's arrogance was evident—he clearly didn't consider Marcus or Carol serious threats. His sole objective was the energy core Dr. Mar-Vell had designed.
"That's unfortunate, because I'm very interested in you," Marcus replied coolly.
Void energy flowed through his eyes, allowing him to perceive that this attacker possessed an item of considerable power.
To Carol's astonishment, Marcus vanished from beside her, transforming into a streak of light that rushed toward Mar-Vell's killer.
Seeing Marcus's approach, Yon-Rogg fired several consecutive shots. Green energy beams struck the light Marcus had become, yet they passed through without effect.
BOOM!
When the light reached its target, Marcus materialized, delivering a powerful kick.
Unlike previous opponents, this adversary generated a faint green energy shield from his forearms, blocking Marcus's attack.
"You're signing your death warrant!" Yon-Rogg roared, directing green energy from his arms toward Marcus.
Facing this assault, Marcus didn't hesitate. Void energy encircled his body, instantly transforming him into Xaku, the Warframe armor.
"DENY!"
At Marcus's command, fragmented armor pieces from his arm and shoulder detached, floating around him as a shield of void energy. Power surged through his energy-infused vessels, coalescing into a beam that penetrated Yon-Rogg's attack and struck him directly.
Swish~
The beam pierced Yon-Rogg's shoulder. Despite its apparent strength, his combat suit provided no protection against this void-powered assault.
After his initial attack, Marcus bent his legs and spun through the air like a bullet, hurtling toward his opponent.
THUD!
With a heavy impact, Marcus drove Yon-Rogg into the ground.
"Remove your equipment," Marcus demanded.
The Kree warrior's gear contained powerful energy that could be extracted as Aya Stars—a crucial component for shaping new Warframes. The temptation was irresistible.
As for the energy core behind them—it wasn't going anywhere. Securing this combatant's equipment took priority!
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