Chapter 18: Intelligence on the Deviants
S.H.I.E.L.D. was taking Du Wa very seriously. Starting the very next day, the number of personnel they assigned to monitor him surged tenfold—a total of ten Dum Dum Dugans with their faces concealed were taking turns keeping watch from the adjacent building.
People from various other factions also kept coming to his door. On the surface, at least, they were all courteous to Du Wa, attempting to extend an olive branch, but none received a direct response from him.
This was only natural. A fierce battle of that intensity, which had even resulted in a general being killed on the spot, was impossible to conceal. Everyone now knew of the creature known as the Alien and, more importantly, recognized the value of this bio-weapon. As a result, Du Wa's standing was elevated infinitely, giving him every right to say no to them.
Indeed, the very fact that Du Wa hadn't casually killed off the agents they sent was perhaps an incomprehensible act in itself, enough to astonish some of the more vicious characters out there.
"In the wake of the Broadway incident, the newly-appointed Deputy Commissioner George rushed to the scene to console the injured citizens. He promised the public of New York City that he would apply to the government for special funds to strengthen the police force and prevent such an event from ever happening again..."
Du Wa mumbled the passage aloud before tossing the newspaper aside.
The entire article was filled with clichés. The only thing that interested him was that George Stacy had actually gotten a promotion. This must have been the sugar-coated bullet that guy Dum Dum Dugan had used to shut George's mouth.
"Compared to boring news reports, watching the enthusiastic performances of certain people is far more interesting. Even Kingpin sent someone over. At least he's openly giving me money to build a good relationship, and no one turns their back on money. But I really didn't expect someone to sneak into my territory so furtively. Was my hospitality lacking?"
Du Wa let out a sigh without even blinking. Beside him, several aliens that had been as quiet as large puppies received a clear signal. They shot to their feet in an instant, their bodies tensed, and began darting swiftly through the building.
Hiding in the shadows, Elektra was startled, her heartbeat quickening for a moment. That alone was enough to expose her position.
The one she was facing was never an ordinary human, but a man who far surpassed ordinary people in every respect—and who had several aliens as his enforcers.
*Swish!*
Several aliens moved rapidly, remaining completely silent the entire time, their coordination perfectly natural and seamless.
Elektra completely abandoned any wishful thinking. Facing the merciless aliens, she was certain that the slightest mistake would mean her death. She immediately began to grumble inwardly, thinking she never should have taken this unnecessary step and come to a place like this on a mission.
A Messenger Xenomorph appeared behind Elektra, its agile tail stabbing forward. It was obvious that if it hit its target, Elektra would be skewered like a kebab.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
As if she had eyes in the back of her head, Elektra decisively drew her gun, spun around, and fired rapidly, precisely hitting the limbs of the two Messenger Xenomorphs charging at the front. At the same time, she carefully dodged a splatter of blood, her eyelids twitching as she stared at the pits its corrosive blood left on the floor.
"Don't misunderstand! I was just tracking Kingpin's men, and that's how I ended up here!" In less than a second, after a single exchange, Elektra had already confirmed that if she continued to be defiant, the outcome would be miserable.
Analyzing the situation from a video and facing it in actual combat were ultimately two different things. And these were only the weakest of the aliens. If she were to encounter that big one similar to the Hulk...
Then what kind of strength did the man who could control these aliens, Du Wa himself, possess?
"A clever reason. At least it's much more reliable than concocting a clumsy lie. So, do I have reason to believe you're representing The Hand to provoke me? Or will you deny this and claim your Hand knows nothing about me?" Du Wa said, clapping his hands.
"..."
Elektra's expression was grave. Standing before Du Wa, she had the strange illusion of being completely naked. "That is a matter for the Five Fingers to consider. A ninja like me is only responsible for carrying out assassin missions. But personally, I don't think they'll make an enemy of you, as long as they aren't fools."
"No, allowing you to appear before me has already shown the attitude of those five old immortals."
"As far as I know, the five of them are supposed to be discussing you, but they haven't reached a conclusion yet," Elektra finally revealed some information.
It wasn't that she had lost the integrity of a top-tier assassin, but because she saw three more aliens emerge silently from the darkness, completely surrounding her.
No matter how subtly Elektra shifted her position or the direction she faced, preparing to lash out and fight for her life, an alien would always be there to block her path.
Elektra could only watch helplessly as terrifying saliva dripped from the mouths of the aliens. She powerlessly gripped the gun and blade in her hands.
According to the intelligence revealed in that video, one of the aliens' most powerful weapons seemed to be the small mouth inside its mouth—an organ similar to a tongue or a bone, with a ferocious little mouth at its tip, capable of attacking faster than a bullet.
If she truly had to face multiple aliens at once, especially with more appearing stealthily, she would die a miserable death.
"Elektra, you don't understand your five old bosses at all. You don't even know how they became so powerful, able to master various forms of magic and ninjutsu," Du Wa said, looking at the beautiful woman before him.
Elektra, Daredevil's old flame, an assassin for The Hand, proficient in all sorts of killing techniques, a world-class assassin.
However... if this was her only level, Du Wa couldn't be bothered to give her a second glance. In terms of assassination, ordinary humans who hadn't mastered transcendent power, no matter how much they trained their bodies, were ultimately still lacking.
In a pure contest of fighting skills, she might be an even match for an ordinary alien, but against a special alien, even one born from the parasitism of a vampire, she would have a tough time.
Du Wa really couldn't understand where The Hand got the confidence to allow someone like Elektra to appear before him.
That's right, Du Wa never believed in coincidences of any kind. He didn't believe that those old-timers known as the Five Fingers—who stole the power of the divine dragon from K'un-Lun to gain a lifespan of several hundred years, then united to worship a demon from Hell—would honestly play by the rules.
One of the important abilities The Hand obtained from the Beast demon was the power of resurrection, allowing them to bring the dead back to life and turn them into their own assassins—to some extent, similar to the Court of Owls from the neighboring DC Comics.
However, in terms of sheer clout, they were far too inferior to the Court of Owls, which could connect to the Dark Multiverse and indirectly allow the dark gods who formed the origin of Batman to enter the normal multiverse.
The Hand was interested in all forms of assassination, and with the Beast demon backing them, the moment Elektra appeared here, it already represented their stance.
"Let her go. This rookie from The Hand probably knows nothing yet. I can, however, provide a piece of intelligence: those five are secretly investigating the Deviants and the 'Flying Man'."
From the side, Coulson walked out, speaking with a somewhat serious expression. But he quickly blinked and emphasized, "This piece of intel is free."
"Give me a break, Coulson. I only needed money in the initial stages. Once I've accumulated enough starting capital, I won't need any extra dollars. But maybe I misheard... you said... 'Flying Man'?"
"That's right. The mysterious man in the blue and gold suit, who was defeated by you and then escaped, also single-handedly killed General Ross. Some people on the internet have respectfully dubbed him a T0-level supervillain, on the same level as Magneto," Coulson said with a matter-of-fact expression.
"I don't think Magneto would consider Ikaris qualified to be ranked alongside him. So, after displaying such great strength, the grand title he's been honored with is the 'Flying Man'? He's a very proud guy. He'll find out about this soon enough and then desperately kill everyone who calls him that." Du Wa's expression was mocking.
"Ikaris?"
Coulson perked up. He finally had an opening and wouldn't have to waste too much time on meaningless small talk. He fired off a series of questions: "Is that his name? You loudly accused him of being a Deviant. What are the Deviants? How many people like Ikaris are there among them?"
Elektra was relieved to be ignored. While backing away, she observed the newly appeared Coulson, occasionally glancing at Du Wa.
If it weren't for the several aliens precisely blocking the only few spots suitable for combat and trapping her tightly within their circle, Elektra would have run long ago.
These two men were loudly discussing unrelated matters, and neither of them paid her any mind. This made the young Elektra feel both relieved and a little frustrated.
(end of chapter)