Chapter 73: Come, Dracula, Drink Up This Bowl of Xenomorph Blood. It'll Make You Healthy and Long-Lived.
Moira was certainly amusing.
Du Wa was clearly extremely interested in this mutant with the ability to reincarnate. The fact that this woman, through reincarnation, had become one of the Xenomorphs under his command made things even more interesting.
Du Wa was well aware that all sorts of miracles existed in this world. At any moment, a powerful individual who had received a generous gift from some Deity with a twisted sense of humor could pop out of an obscure corner.
But even so, Moira being reborn as a Xenomorph was still unbelievable, far exceeding Du Wa's expectations. Even though Du Wa liked to plan ahead and meticulously create all sorts of contingency plans, he had never imagined such a possibility.
"Hmm, there's nothing wrong with the memories of her past two lives. Everything seems perfectly normal. But this time, after dying and being reborn, she became one of my Xenomorphs."
Du Wa carefully sifted through Moira's mind. Before him, this woman had no secrets.
Moira clearly felt Du Wa's unscrupulous and brutal intrusion, a distinct sensation on a mental level.
In her perception, she seemed to see a terrifying, omnipresent hand that grasped everything, casually toying with it from a condescending position, all while speaking various comforting words.
"Moira, your fate has changed. This is your greatest fortune. Since you cannot resist, you might as well enjoy this unconventional new beginning."
"Look at your past self, so weak and pitiful. As a mutant, you died tragically again and again, your brilliant life withering before it could even bloom. What meaning is there in such a brief existence?"
"Be quiet. Don't try to resist me. You know you can't refuse my commands. On the contrary, I can control you as I please."
Moira wanted to die.
Although she had already died twice, she had never encountered such terrifying treatment. Forget fierce resistance; even her most basic thoughts were laid bare without reservation.
Moira had originally planned to seek refuge with Professor X, continuously making various attempts to find a reliable future where mutants could continue to exist.
Deep down, Moira had even psychologically prepared herself to let Professor X read her mind, to show him the experiences and various outcomes of her several lives.
"No, go away, get away from me! I shouldn't be here! I'm a mutant, I still have very important things to do, they need me..." Moira spoke incoherently, letting out a sharp hiss, yet her instincts were bizarrely enjoying every one of Du Wa's actions.
Worst of all, Moira knew her reason was useless in the face of instincts at this level.
"Think about it from another perspective, Moira. Since you were inexplicably reborn as my Xenomorph, why would you think I have no use for you? Don't you believe in fate? You believe the meaning of your existence is to be the key that guides the future of the mutants. Well, this is your new fate: to serve me as a Xenomorph."
Du Wa finally stopped. He had figured out everything about this woman and immediately spoke in a nonchalant tone.
No Xenomorph could refuse Du Wa, absolutely none. This, of course, included Moira.
Moira had no choice but to lower her terrifying head, expressing her submission to Du Wa. The screams in her heart were completely insufficient to affect her control over this body.
"I don't understand. If one day my ability suddenly failed, I could understand. I would even accept that outcome and face death calmly. But why am I not even a mutant anymore? Why did I become a... you call this a Xenomorph... after being reborn again?" Moira asked with grief and indignation, unable to understand.
Du Wa pondered for a moment before saying, "If I must find a reason, then perhaps it is because of my actions. I saved this world. My intervention changed the predetermined trajectory you knew. I am an important Anchor Point in the current world, one that firmly pins down the variable that keeps jumping back and forth: you, Moira."
Of course, Moira wouldn't believe him so easily, but that damned feeling was back again. There was a voice demanding her unconditional belief. In her extreme fear, her mind grew dull, and her thoughts sank into a stagnant mire.
After a while, Moira found that Du Wa was no longer forcibly controlling her body. Moira remained silent for a long time before finally walking out of the Hive.
Along the way, she passed by many Xenomorphs, trying her best to observe these new compatriots with a calm mind.
Without a doubt, anyone who seriously observed a Xenomorph would praise it from the bottom of their heart. The creatures before her were like a species that should only exist in theory; every line on their bodies seemed to have been meticulously carved.
"Xenomorph... I've never heard of such a creature. The 93rd floor is the Xenomorph Hive? What about the other floors? And what is this Weyland Tower? I've never heard of it."
Moira tried hard to understand this world. Soon, she was stunned speechless by the changes in the world she faced after this rebirth, suspecting that this was all an illusion and that there was something wrong with her brain.
"I haven't even acted, and Professor X and Magneto have already joined forces? And they announced it to the whole world at a joint summit? Humanity didn't immediately turn on the mutants and launch a planned worldwide rejection and extermination of them?"
"The world's vampires are nearly extinct, reduced to standard hosts and food for the Xenomorphs? Oh God, even in my previous two lives, the vampires were never completely wiped out."
"What? Magneto went on a rampage in Westchester and was then defeated by a Xenomorph host? That battle led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people?"
"Other Dimension demon god... Dormammu... Sorcerer Supreme... Who are these people? I know about Tony Stark and The Avengers—they are also enemies of us mutants—but why has this world become completely unrecognizable?"
Moira's mind was in a mess. She soon found the key that had triggered all these changes: Du Wa.
As she walked out of Weyland Tower, the crowd that had been waiting day and night immediately grew excited. They aimed their cameras and long lenses at Moira, filming her frantically. There were also constant streams of crazed fanatics trying to break through the police barricades, wanting to get closer and connect with this elegant Xenomorph.
Anyone with half a brain knew that, as long as they hadn't offended Du Wa and the Xenomorphs, the best course of action when passing a Xenomorph was to pretend they saw nothing and heard nothing.
But if they wishfully thought of Xenomorphs as harmless kittens and puppies and foolishly went forward to block or touch them, then they could just wait for death.
Unless they were also Moira and could be reborn as a Xenomorph.
Moira looked at the fanatical crowd before her and, with her superhuman hearing, precisely captured the content of their loud shouts. She was completely numb.
"These people are worshiping me, respecting me? And some lunatics actually want to become me? What kind of insane wishes are these? They don't even want to be human anymore, let alone a mutant!"
In this day and age, even the opportunity to be implanted by a Xenomorph had become so sought-after. This made Moira realize that the world she was reborn into this time would only be more insane and perilous, because too many unexpected events were happening, and too many powerful figures she should never have had contact with were appearing one after another.
"Du Wa claims to be the one who defined the Anchor Point of this life..." Moira's expression was complicated. The unconscious action of smacking her lips triggered another round of screams.
Moira began to seriously re-examine her world. She needed to mobilize the memories of her past two lives and merge them with this rebirth.
"I am no longer a mutant. I don't even know if I'll have the chance to be reborn if I die again. Magneto and Professor X have already come together to stand up against human persecution. It seems they really don't need me anymore."
Moira didn't know whether she should be happy or disappointed.
In terms of combat, Moira knew she was pathetically weak. But now things were different. She wasn't sure if she still had her reincarnation ability, but at least she possessed the abilities of an adult Xenomorph—superhuman strength, speed, hearing, and self-healing abilities, she had them all.
Moira silently accepted this reality. To be honest, it was useless even if she didn't accept it. Her body and mind now belonged to Du Wa. Although she had never even met him, she deeply felt his absolute control over her.
Du Wa, who had been observing Moira, now withdrew his gaze.
"A very smart woman. She's not blindly resisting. She's even subconsciously started to restrain her own thoughts, hiding the desire for freedom deep in her heart, looking for an opportunity to escape my control."
Du Wa silently assessed Moira, who had been reborn as a Xenomorph, his interest piqued. His attitude was exactly that of someone playing with a rare new toy.
If he weren't worried about accidentally breaking it, Du Wa would have already started all sorts of detailed manipulations.
As for Moira wanting to escape, yet desperately restraining herself from even having those thoughts... Du Wa could only shrug and wish the girl good luck.
Once you've been a Xenomorph for a long time, you'll be a Xenomorph forever. If you restrain your thoughts too harshly, you'll truly come to accept that outcome by default.
Du Wa's attention quickly shifted away from Moira. He had a preliminary plan on how to make good use of her, but that wasn't the most important thing right now. Dispatching Xenomorph forces to attack everywhere and capture as many vampires as possible was more important. He needed to mobilize more military power to send to the extraterrestrial battlefield.
"Six hundred Frost Giant captives is more or less acceptable. But it would be a better deal if I could capture a larger number through a final, decisive battle."
While Du Wa was absorbing the magical knowledge of Kamar-Taj like a sponge, he was also coveting the divine power of the World Tree.
"The magic side is on the right track, but the divine power side is lagging. I need to speed things up."
Du Wa felt that he needed to form another large army. This time, he planned to personally go to the alien battlefield and bring Lady Deathstrike with him.
So, where would the troops come from? Of course, it was time for the vampires to suffer a little more.
And so, the vampires who had just managed to flee New York in a panic, thinking they could rely on their generations of accumulated wealth to continue being elites in other cities and enjoying wonderful humans, were soon struck as if by lightning, suffering a new wave of Xenomorph attacks.
As always, Lady Deathstrike served as Du Wa's personal bodyguard, perpetually maintaining a deadpan face and deathly silence.
Others, such as Druig, Reynolds, and the mutants Du Wa had captured from Stryker—who had lost their self-awareness and could only be directed by the Xenomorph larvae in their chests post-implantation—each led a team and moved out swiftly.
"Why? Why in the world? How did we ever offend Du Wa? We're being targeted again and again for no reason! Are we that important to the Xenomorphs? Does it have to be us? There are so many races in this world, and even more human Villains, so why are we vampires the ones with the most miserable fate?"
The vampires asked this question time and again, but obviously, no one would pay them any mind. The Xenomorphs were completely incapable of negotiation; they only searched and captured their targets alive, doing their best to deny the vampires even the chance to commit suicide.
In an instant, the entire American continent was thrown into chaos, but most people cheered for this action. Who could blame them? The vampires were truly universally despised.
"The number of vampires isn't that high anymore. Oh well, I'll just use some ordinary creatures to fill the ranks."
Du Wa kept track of the progress of each Xenomorph team at all times and could only shake his head helplessly in the end.
It was only when he needed vampires that he realized how rare they were. What a pity. It would be great if there was a vampire planet in the universe.
Due to Du Wa's current status, the immense power he had shown in repelling Dormammu, and his connection with the Sorcerer Supreme, his actions once again drew the world's attention.
There were even some civilian vampire hunters who took the initiative to lead the Xenomorphs straight to the vampires' various strongholds.
"He's expanding his military again. It seems the war on the front lines is very intense... I almost forgot, Du Wa just finished a battle on Earth, and at the same time, he's pushing another war externally."
"It's also possible that Du Wa's patience is running out. He has decided to personally go to Asgard for a decisive battle with the aliens."
"I don't know who Asgard's enemies are, but they are truly pitiful. Perhaps from the very beginning of the war, they never expected that the most difficult enemy they would have to face would be Du Wa."
As the operation to cleanse the vampires proceeded in an orderly manner, Du Wa also began to capture some animals for implantation to rapidly expand the size of his army.
With each passing day, the number of Xenomorphs in his hands increased rapidly.
At this critical juncture, Mordo arrived.
*Sizzle!*
With a shower of sparks, a golden portal opened at the entrance of Weyland Tower. Mordo stepped through the circle with a serious expression. Facing the stunned gazes around him, he spoke no unnecessary words and walked directly into Weyland Tower.
"I know you can hear me. I chose to walk in slowly from the outside instead of appearing directly in front of you. This is my courtesy," Mordo said.
The next second, a passing Xenomorph nodded at him. Mordo, without hesitation, opened another portal and appeared before Du Wa.
"What a rare guest. Why didn't the Ancient One come? Why send you? Or perhaps, you came to see me without the Ancient One's permission?" Du Wa asked.
Mordo had a serious expression. "The Sorcerer Supreme is constantly vigilant against all movements from other dimensions and has no time to waste. Therefore, I still have a great deal of autonomy in daily matters. We at Kamar-Taj do not use a rigid structure like yours."
"Rigid? It seems our understanding of the phrase 'obeying orders without question' is very different. Besides, I never interfere with my subordinates' private actions... but no matter. I'm not a scholar; I'm not here to debate management theory with you."
Du Wa looked at the mage before him with great interest.
"You've launched an all-out assault against vampires worldwide. I'm not wrong about that, am I?"
"You're not wrong. But this is a matter of the Mortal Realm. You're not even the Sorcerer Supreme. Do you intend to interfere as well?"
"I won't. If it only involves vampires, I certainly won't bother. Even if you kill all the vampires, it won't affect the stability of Earth."
Mordo hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure of how to describe it. "But not all vampires are the same. Some are extremely troublesome..."
For a moment, Du Wa thought Baron Mordo had come to plead for Stick.
Du Wa had already handed over the matter of Stick entirely to Elektra. He would not interfere with how Elektra and Daredevil decided to deal with their former mentor who had turned into a vampire.
He wasn't some guy with an obsessive need for control, manipulating characters like in a Lego game, demanding that they execute every command represented by his button presses at all times.
Du Wa thought for a moment and said, "Are you talking about Dracula? To be frank, the vampires are looking for him, and I want to find him too. I hear that guy is nearly immortal. Perhaps he'd be a perfect fit for me."
"It's not Dracula, either. I don't know where he's slumbering. The vampires I'm talking about are not from our universe," Mordo said in a low voice. "If you hadn't helped the Sorcerer Supreme fight off Dormammu, I would have taken this secret to my grave."
Vampires from another universe?
Du Wa's expression flickered. From that sentence alone, he connected many dots.
Mordo continued, "However, these vampires from another universe are a bit strange. They appeared quickly, attacked a human, and then retreated just as quickly before we could detect them and react."
With that, Du Wa was completely certain who Mordo was talking about.
"The dead human was named Peter Parker? The friend of the Osborn Corporation's heir?"
"You actually know?" Mordo was very surprised.
Du Wa's expression was a little strange. No wonder, no wonder Spider-Man had been unceremoniously snuffed out before he could even make his official debut. It turned out he had been targeted and precisely eliminated by the Inheritors, who roamed the entire Multiverse.
The Inheritors were a family of vampires from the Multiverse, infamous for preying specifically on Spider-Men.
Every time they hunted a Spider-Man, they could absorb the Spider-Totem Power from within their body to strengthen their own power.
The more Spider-Men they killed, the stronger the family members became. It could be said that the Inheritors were the number one mortal enemy of all Spider-Men across the entire universe, far more difficult to deal with than the Sinister Six.
Du Wa wanted to remind Mordo that the members of the Inheritors weren't vampires in the conventional sense. If he had to be specific, they were vampires who specialized in drinking Spider-Man's blood. But after thinking about it, he decided it was unnecessary.
"Isn't it your duty to monitor all movements from other worlds? Why couldn't you intervene and stop those vampires in the first place?" Du Wa asked.
Mordo shook his head, his face a little displeased. He hated any words or actions that questioned the Sorcerer Supreme. He immediately said, "What do you think the Sorcerer Supreme is, Omniscient and Omnipotent? Or able to instantly detect any subtle change and possess the ability of infinite clones, dispatching countless Sorcerer Supreme doppelgangers to investigate every change at any time?"
That was impossible. The Sorcerer Supreme was just a powerful person. She couldn't attend to every single detail, nor was she all-powerful.
"Moreover, those vampires are well-trained. Each individual is extremely powerful. They struck a normal person quickly and then decisively retreated as if they sensed something. If it were you, what could you do? Would you recklessly break through the boundaries of our universe to chase them down and kill them one by one?"
"If I were strong enough, I would."
Du Wa's serious reply made Mordo so frustrated he almost coughed up blood. He felt that perhaps he shouldn't have come, nor did he need to warn Du Wa about this special group of vampires.
"I came to warn you because I'm not sure if there's a connection between our universe's vampires and those from the other world. I still haven't figured out why they attacked that high school student named Peter Parker. All I can do is prevent you from being attacked by them without any knowledge."
After saying this, Mordo pulled his hood back on, intending to leave.
"Thank you anyway, Baron Mordo. You've helped me solve a big mystery. Perhaps one day in the future, your actions today will have helped me out," Du Wa said earnestly.
Mordo's expression softened. He stepped through the portal and vanished.
"So this universe was visited by the Inheritors, and they succeeded..."
Since the local Spider-Man had been snuffed out so early, it was no wonder this universe wasn't present when the many Spider-Men of the Multiverse later formed an alliance to fight the Inheritors. With no Spider-Man, how could outsiders provide a universe designation for it?
"The patriarch of the Inheritors can defeat the strongest Captain Universe Spider-Man in a head-on fight. His combat power is quite formidable, but not yet at a level that can't be dealt with."
Du Wa stroked his chin. After some thought, he quickly issued a command to several Xenomorphs. They swiftly moved through Queens, searching for Peter Parker's corpse.
Originally, Du Wa hadn't paid much attention to Spider-Man's life or death. There were too many accidents in the Multiverse, and the death of one Spider-Man was hardly a world-shaking event. But since the Inheritors were involved, Du Wa changed his mind.
He could be indifferent to an ordinary Spider-Man, but he had to be concerned about the Inheritors.
"I wonder if it will be successful..." The thought flashed through Du Wa's mind. It all depended on whether they could find Peter Parker's corpse. He guessed that this universe's Spider-Man had probably awakened his superpowers after being bitten by a spider, only to be immediately eaten by the long-waiting Inheritors.
The time was too short, so he likely hadn't mastered the "molting" technique and was probably dead for good.
Time passed.
After Du Wa had assembled an army of over ten thousand, he began to call for Heimdall.
The magnificent Rainbow Bridge descended from the sky. It began to appear frequently, like neon lights in the night sky, with points of light jumping frantically between different locations.
Each flash would inevitably cause a region of Xenomorphs to vanish into thin air, teleported to Asgard.
But Du Wa still felt that the number of these Xenomorphs was not enough. Perhaps he should implant more mammals and cultivate a large number of Messenger Xenomorphs to support the battle on the front lines.
In any case, even ordinary Xenomorphs had extremely amazing physical adaptability. Fighting on a planet with a harsh environment was not a problem.
At times like these, Du Wa couldn't help but sigh. The number of vampires was still too small. The overall strength of the Inheritors was not weak, and their whereabouts were unknown. Who knew which universe they were happily hunting Spider-Men in? They were not suitable as hosts.
The frequently descending Rainbow Bridge had become a beautiful sight, drawing the attention of countless people.
"Hello. I didn't realize Weyland Corporation had started a sightseeing project. If you keep this up, tourists from all over the world will come here to pay admission fees. You could make a fortune. What a brilliant business idea."
Tony Stark called Du Wa, speaking in his characteristic tone.
"I'm busy, Tony. If you're calling to show off your newly developed armor, I think it's quite unnecessary," Du Wa said.
"Ha, you guessed it. That was indeed part of my motive. My Mark 10 is complete. It's made from a special material I meticulously developed, and I even added Adamantium to some of its components. It's the bane of Xenomorphs." The sound of gulping came from Tony's end; he was obviously drinking while talking.
"I already have over ten thousand Xenomorphs, and it won't be long before that becomes twenty thousand. So, Tony Stark, how many suits of armor do you have? I'm guessing thirty thousand? Thirty thousand suits of armor that can withstand Xenomorph blood?"
Tony was silent for a moment, imagining the overwhelming, frenzied scene, and then recalled the spectacular sight of Du Wa and the Ancient One joining forces.
He really didn't know how many generations it would take for him to create armor with that kind of combat power.
"Let's get down to business. I'm inviting you to a party, just for our inner circle. Remember? I promised I'd throw one after Sentry went to deal with Magneto," Tony said.
A party.
This was a very common social activity in daily life, but for Du Wa, it was extremely rare. He glanced at the Xenomorph Legion that was still being teleported, then immediately agreed and went to attend.
An entire floor of Stark Tower had been converted into a large banquet hall. Du Wa walked in with his Xenomorphs.
Of course, there were some other people Tony had invited, such as a nervous-looking War Machine.
"Tony, I keep feeling like these things could attack us at any moment. This is too dangerous. I have to wear my armor at all times and prepare for the worst."
"Well, you're certainly cautious. I imagine you'll fall asleep the moment you get home after this party ends."
Tony glanced around. He hadn't even invited the other members of The Avengers. The proud Tony really lacked confidence in, and interest in, his other teammates.
Given the time, he would rather observe the Xenomorphs more, perhaps gaining more inspiration for his anti-Xenomorph armor.
As time went on and more alcohol was consumed, people's minds became less clear.
Even the alarm that blared through the hall failed to get an immediate reaction from Tony.
But the deafening explosion was undeniably real, causing the entire banquet floor to shake slightly.
No one would have thought that some crazy, death-defying fool would dare to come here, unafraid of being fed to the Xenomorphs instantly. Therefore, even Tony himself wouldn't bother to meticulously devise a special plan for an attack on an occasion like this. No matter what happened, he should immediately don his armor and then deploy countless high-tech weapons to blast any provocative enemy to smithereens.
Du Wa sat calmly at the bar, looking down at the dozen or so glasses in front of him. He was in a leisurely mood, filling each glass with a different expensive liquor.
"In my era, not even the richest nouveau riche would drink like this. Even for a tasting, you wouldn't fill every glass to the brim. It's too wasteful."
A thin man in a large cape walked up to Du Wa and commented.
Du Wa glanced at him and said casually, "I'm not interested in wine. With the time I'd spend drinking, I'd rather have a few more pots of boiled water. And you, I don't think you're very interested in wine either."
"Correct, absolutely correct. My hobby is blood, especially the blood of powerful creatures. Drinking such blood makes me stronger and also brings me spiritual satisfaction."
The gaunt middle-aged man revealed a cruel smile. He pointed at the glasses on the table with great seriousness. "If these glasses were filled with the blood of different creatures, I would be delighted by this sense of abundance."
"For instance, the powerful creatures you mentioned? My Xenomorphs? That's quite a formal request. This one's on me."
Without a change in expression, Du Wa immediately tore a bloody chunk of flesh from his own chest to serve as a container, sprinkled some of his highly corrosive blood onto it, and handed it to the man before him.
"Let me guess, Dracula, right? Those struggling survivors found the Black Magicians were completely unreliable and finally dug you up? Come on, drink up this bowl of Xenomorph blood. If you don't, I'll grab your head and force you to drink it all. It will make you stronger."
(end of chapter)