**Chapter 17: Building a Legion Has to Have a Good Start**
"I know. I was prepared to face this reality long before I chose to make a move." Du Wa looked at Iron Man, who stood in the distance, still on guard.
He could fully imagine that Iron Man had already mobilized all the various high-tech weapons in his armor, ready to attack him at any moment.
"So calm. Who do you think you are, a Superhero? Or maybe some brilliant biologist, the kind of genius entrepreneur supported by Government funds?" Tony's voice came through his armor.
Du Wa pondered for a moment. "Actually, when it comes to entrepreneurship, I do have some experience. Look at these excellent little guys—beautiful and captivating. Aren't they my best business card?"
Little guys?
Tony subconsciously glanced at the few Xenomorphs behind Du Wa, his gaze fixed silently on the four-meter-tall Abomination Xenomorph.
He had Du Wa pegged: a conceited, annoying guy who used every public opportunity to relentlessly show off his talent.
Proud people often have the strongest dislike for their own kind.
For a moment, Tony recalled a guy he had once run into. He seemed to have a problem with his legs... what was his name, Guderian? He claimed to have extraordinary research findings, desperately fanning his tail feathers at him like a peacock performing a mating ritual. In Tony's eyes, it was an utterly laughable and childish display.
Who didn't know that Tony Stark was a super genius? The number of people trying to curry favor with him every day could fill every hamburger joint in all of New York.
"Only those who lack self-confidence try to find a stage to perform on, telling everyone else just how powerful they are," Tony said. "You and that big guy behind you caused the second round of chaos tonight. Someone will come looking for trouble with you."
"Hold me accountable? I was clearly acting heroically for a just cause, taking down the evil Deviants lurking among the human population. The cheers of the people are the best reward I could ask for."
Tony thought that this guy's composure was truly impressive—terrifyingly calm. And when it came to being shameless, he could even give him a run for his money.
What concerned Tony more was the term "Deviants."
"Jarvis."
"Sir, after a Level Two information screening, I have retrieved seven suspicious information documents. However, all of them are locked, and I cannot access them. Based on a technical analysis, the organizations suspected of possessing information on the Deviants are S.H.I.E.L.D., S.P.E.A.R., the Ten Rings, the Brotherhood, Atlantis..." Jarvis reported faithfully.
Tony's heart skipped a beat. This was only what Jarvis had found by scouring global information. What about what he *hadn't* found?
What on earth were these so-called Deviants... a branch of humanity, similar to Mutants or Inhumans?
"Alright, I have to admit, you've successfully diverted my attention."
He had received quite a shock tonight. Any one of the guys who had fought could have easily crushed him, armor and all.
"Your armor is too weak. It has too many limitations and needs to be strengthened. Perhaps you could create different models to deal with different enemies—this is a paid tip, one hundred thousand dollars. Remember to deposit it into my account. You're welcome."
After dropping that line, Du Wa turned and left with his Xenomorphs. He was heading back to his lair, located on the outskirts of New York.
"I have to develop the Mark 4 as soon as possible, maybe even the 5 and 6. No, or maybe, just as he said, I could create specialized armors..."
Tony had Jarvis record and analyze all intelligence on the Xenomorphs, especially the Abomination Xenomorph.
To deal with a monster like that, creating a specialized, targeted suit of armor didn't seem like a bad idea.
"Jarvis, send him the money. The amount is... one hundred thousand and one dollars! The extra dollar is a tip from the infinitely charming Mr. Tony Stark. Still, this price isn't cheap. I obviously could have thought of this myself, and now I have to pay for it!" Tony grumbled.
And so, the curtain fell on this night of conflict.
For the vast majority of people, it was a dangerous and inexplicable night. They saw a few monsters jump out and fight, and then it all ended in a muddle.
The public, apart from witnessing the incompetence of the Military, could seemingly do nothing. But global public opinion had already exploded, pushing everyone with a special ability into the eye of the storm.
As always, the internet began to rail against Mutants, wildly promoting the "Mutant threat" theory. All sorts of experts appeared on television screens one after another, discussing Mutants with great solemnity, as if Mutants had truly done something on Broadway to provoke the wrath of gods and men.
The entire world was like a massive, spinning vortex. Plunging into the abyss of the seabed was only a matter of time, but Du Wa's appearance was tantamount to giving the entire world—and all the people who could influence it—a hard kick, accelerating the process.
Du Wa sat on the Abomination Xenomorph's shoulder, returning to his residence with complete composure, all under the surveillance of numerous satellites in the sky.
The words "Weyland Private Research Institute" still hung high. In the past, some people had treated this place as a joke, but not anymore. From now on, no matter how unofficial the name sounded, that would no longer be the case.
The death of Abomination, the birth of the Abomination Xenomorph, and a level of strength that far surpassed the original—it was impossible not to take notice.
The creature known as the "Xenomorph" was also being secretly studied and coveted by countless people at every level.
This creature was too extraordinary. Looking back through all of human history, across the entire Earth, no such being had ever appeared. It was suspected of being able to seize the power of a mature individual for its own use and, on that basis, grow even stronger?
Du Wa led his Xenomorph team back to the dilapidated building unimpeded, even giving a nod to Dum Dum Dugan in the building next door.
"You won't have the opportunity to be this idle for much longer. All sorts of people will be coming for you." Dum Dum Dugan hesitated, wanting to say more. Under normal circumstances, he would need to bring Du Wa back to S.H.I.E.L.D. for brainwashing and training, or at the very least, long-term imprisonment to prevent him from running out and causing social chaos.
But as things stood now, that would be very, very difficult.
When Du Wa wasn't so difficult to deal with, S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't paid him much mind. Now that they had noticed his talent and the terror of the Xenomorphs, it seemed a bit too late to either recruit him or make a move against him.
Du Wa paid Dum Dum Dugan no more mind.
Getting to this point was inevitable. Du Wa knew clearly that the only ones he could absolutely trust were his Xenomorphs. Naturally, he had to seize every opportunity to develop and strengthen the power he could command.
But organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. would definitely try to limit Du Wa's growth, keeping the scale of the Xenomorphs within a relatively safe and controllable range. They might even try to control or eliminate all the Xenomorphs in one fell swoop—and get rid of Du Wa himself in the process.
This was the most fundamental conflict, with absolutely no possibility of reconciliation.
"The Warrior Xenomorph born from parasitizing Abomination is just the beginning. In the future, many more powerful Xenomorphs like it will be under my command... I will not stop my pace of getting stronger. Likewise, others won't stop just because I do. Since that's the case, I might as well just forge ahead until the very end."
(end of chapter)