Chapter 84: Join the Great Alien Cult!
For Tony, very few things were going his way.
"I am the irresistibly charming Tony Stark, the smartest man in the world. I can't be dragged down by some clueless hacks."
Tony was exceptionally proud, priding himself on his super-intellect and inexhaustible well of inspiration.
Look, in just over a year, he had already updated the Mark Battle Suit through twelve generations and had also secretly developed several specialized suits of armor, specifically prepared for people like Magneto.
Oh, and he had just used up one of those specialized suits to deal with the Hulk.
"You're awake. You nearly smashed my Hulkbuster Armor to pieces. How do you plan on compensating me?"
Tony looked impatiently at the destitute-looking middle-aged man before him.
"I originally thought that in this playhouse team of ours, you were the only one who could barely be my partner. As a human, you possess a super-high intellect and could assist me with scientific research. As a monster, you have immense strength and could step up at critical moments. But I never thought that after turning into a monster, you would come after me! The Avengers has barely started, and we're already having a civil war. This is just great! The whole world is laughing at us!"
Tony raised his voice, "Have you ever thought about it? We haven't even truly set foot on a battlefield yet, haven't faced those truly terrifying enemies, and haven't even encountered the most basic telepaths. Just think, if someone like Professor X invaded your brain, how long could you last? The moment you turn into the Hulk, you'd come after me again!"
Dr. Banner lifted his head, his eyes shot with blood. He tried his best to control the rhythm of his breathing, suppressing the rage that was constantly welling up in his chest.
His wristwatch was lost in the battle, so he couldn't confirm his own status, but he could already hear the Hulk's roar inside his head.
"Don't talk as if you're so noble, Iron Man. You make it sound like I can control the Hulk. He and I are not the same thing at all."
"Then find a way to make yourselves the same thing."
"That's impossible. I've tried countless times, even putting a gun to my own head to commit suicide. But when I woke up again, all I saw was a flattened bullet on the ground and an environment that had been utterly destroyed."
"Oh, what a tragedy. The countless times you mentioned you tried, was that the drug experiment with that so-called Mr. Blue at Weyland Tower? The one that created Abomination and a whole bunch of Hulk derivatives? Of course, they've all turned into Xenomorphs now. Cooperating with a third-rate scientist, you're really full of courage," Tony mocked mercilessly.
Ever since joining The Avengers, his temper had worsened, his defenses broken time and again by one major event after another.
How could the proud Iron Man allow himself to become a mere backdrop on this planet, reduced to a puppet who only provided creative ideas and funding?
Look at the world now—vampires, Magicians, Deities, Demon Gods, giant dragons... it had long since descended into chaos.
Dr. Banner let out a cold laugh. If he had a choice, he would want to kill the Hulk inside him more than anyone. He also had absolutely no desire to join some damn S.H.I.E.L.D. or The Avengers. He had been forced into it from the very beginning.
Now, Banner had to once again contemplate his future. Since even Deities or Demon Gods had appeared in this world, then statistically speaking, the appearance of a being that could permanently solve the Hulk problem was inevitable.
"Perhaps my previous methods were flawed. I shouldn't have always tried to solve the Hulk problem on a technological level. Maybe I can try to conduct some research in the field of mysticism," Banner thought. By that logic, joining S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't such a bad thing. Once he found a way to suppress or even permanently kill the Hulk, he would leave this godforsaken place.
Just then, Tony received a notification from Jarvis; Nick Fury was trying to contact him.
"Director, I don't think there's anything for us to talk about. I'm already in the process of quitting The Avengers. Your leadership talent is absolutely atrocious," Tony grumbled as he worked on developing a mechanical arm at his lab bench.
He had to work overtime to upgrade his technology just to keep up with this wildly advancing, crazy world.
Fury's eyes were also bloodshot. His desk was piled high with documents demanding accountability, and at every moment, someone was trying to call him, demanding to know what the hell was going on.
The Symbiote Giant Dragon had broken free, causing a massive uproar. Moreover, this wasn't some extraterrestrial Deity; it was an incident that erupted from within the Earth itself, completely unrelated to Du Wa and the Mutants. As a result, the situation was now difficult to clean up, and all the responsibility naturally fell on Fury to bear.
"But you can't guarantee that everything will be better than it is now after you leave S.H.I.E.L.D.'s support. If it can't get better, then what's the point of you leaving?" Fury maintained his expressionless face. "This isn't over. We've collected a lot of the Symbiotes that fell from the Giant Dragon."
"Those were all knocked off the Giant Dragon by that Female Thor. They were the ones Du Wa and his people didn't want," Dr. Banner interjected, his words filled with irritability, giving off the feeling that he could transform into the Hulk at any moment.
"Symbiotes are more special than you imagine. Otherwise, why do you think I was so insistent on rebooting this project? Back in the day, the Symbiote Super-Soldier Program was favored by countless people."
Nick Fury had no choice but to reveal the contents of that old project to these two core combatants.
This was a top-secret file.
Tony and Banner were both intelligent people with superb intellects. They could clearly remember all the information after just one read-through. They finished quickly and were silent for a moment.
"Surprising, isn't it? Every piece of data you're seeing was built on the countless human lives of the last century," Fury said indifferently. "Don't try to use morality to hold me hostage. You two should be well aware that people like me can have anything, but the one thing we can't have is something called empathy."
"So what do you want to do? Don't tell me you want me to turn these Symbiotes into a Symbiote battle suit? That sounds like a great idea, but this thing can corrupt the brain. I refuse." Tony had a look of disgust on his face. He specialized in mechanics and had never considered creating a living biological armor.
Most importantly, abruptly shifting to a completely new direction would consume a great deal of his time. The one thing he lacked most right now was time. No matter how high his intellect was, allowing him to easily develop all sorts of high technology, the time it took to manufacture that high-tech from a blueprint into a physical object was absolutely non-negotiable.
"It is to be made into a battle suit, but not the kind you're imagining." Fury was clearly hesitant, something extremely rare for a decisive spy chief like him.
Evidently, Fury was also hesitating and weighing whether he should disclose even more top-secret intelligence to the two smartest men on Earth.
But in the end, he didn't. If he released that other thing, the impact on this world would be the most direct and immense.
To some extent, it would be even more trouble than Dormammu, a Demon God who had never actually entered Earth's domain.
"With the wisdom of you two, if you could join forces, solving the problem of the symbiotes' brain corrosion shouldn't be difficult. I need your help."
Fury said in a deep voice, "Symbiotes can indiscriminately enhance the power of any organic life, but conversely, if used properly, it can also become a force to restrict organic beings. For example, to suppress the Hulk. It's difficult for you to deal with the Hulk alone, but if you had the help of a symbiote, it might become simpler."
"And what if we screw it up? What if the result is even worse, and the Hulk uses the symbiote's power to become even stronger?" Dr. Banner retorted.
"Do you have another choice? According to our observations, the Hulk is also growing. Right now, he's equivalent to an eight-year-old child. If you can't even control the Hulk now, it will be even more impossible in the future. Sooner or later, you will disappear and become a part of the Hulk."
Tony and Banner chose to trust Fury one last time.
"I will arrange for a group of elite agents to use the Symbiotes. We also need to assemble a batch of the most top-tier scientists and doctors to be prepared for the side effects that arise after symbiote bonding, and ideally, to resolve them immediately," Fury said.
"I don't trust the doctors you'd find. I'd rather find them myself. To be blunt, we mainly need neurosurgeons and neurologists, right? Or maybe a few psychologists to go with them? I do know someone, Stephen Strange from Philadelphia Hospital."
Dr. Banner suddenly added, "In my past efforts to solve the Hulk problem from a biological level, I secretly reviewed the résumés of many people—that's when I made contact with Mr. Blue. From what I know, this neurologist named Strange has superb medical skills and is very accomplished in neurology."
"Never heard of him. Believe me, S.H.I.E.L.D. has the best doctors in the world. There's no need for you to hire some unremarkable fellow," Fury said.
Tony suppressed his impatience, or rather, his anxiety. He would much rather spend his time on research and development; this conversation was already long enough for him to have cracked a new technology. "Let me be clear, this is the last time. If you can't produce something that satisfies me again, I will quit this team without hesitation. This is an utter waste of my precious time, because you haven't delivered on your initial promise of building a super-team capable of saving the world."
"It won't fail. This time, it absolutely will not fail," Fury's voice was low.
He knew that with Du Wa now in control of that Symbiote Giant Dragon, it wouldn't be long before massive numbers of Symbiotes became Du Wa's armed forces.
When it came to efficiently utilizing resources, Du Wa possessed an extraordinary talent.
Du Wa was just that terrifying. He could always draw nourishment from one crisis after another to supply himself, and then strengthen himself at a speed that left everyone dumbfounded.
No one like Du Wa had ever appeared on Earth before. There was no precedent to refer to. Sometimes, Fury was tormented by this fact—why did he have to encounter a guy like this after taking over S.H.I.E.L.D.?
"For the next period of time, we will be putting all our strength into defense. We must keep a close eye on Du Wa and prevent him from doing something crazy with the Symbiotes. He dealt with the vampires before; it's hard to say who he'll target next. I don't believe for a second he will stop expanding his species' ranks. He will definitely continue to search for new, high-quality hosts."
Fury's expressionless face finally cracked, unable to hide the exhaustion and mental fatigue.
To be honest, as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury still had a few cards left to play. But the problem was that every single card was tied to enormous consequences or had huge drawbacks, and it was uncertain which one could ultimately solve the troubles that people like Du Wa brought him.
After Fury hung up, Steve was already waiting for him.
"Captain America, for you to come see me at this time, I assume it isn't for a chat," Fury asked.
"My strength is still too weak. Having ideals without the power to realize them is completely worthless. No wonder Stark is loath to cooperate with us." Steve gripped the shield in his hands tightly, a hint of dejection on his face.
Captain America realized that this world had become completely unrecognizable, nothing like what he understood. It seemed this old-timer was really a bit outdated. Fighting ordinary supervillains was no problem, but when faced with enemies who could destroy cities and traverse planets at a whim, he was completely out of his league.
"So you want to increase your power. That's very difficult. Your body has already been enhanced with the super serum. How else do you plan on improving? By giving you a Mark Armor like Tony Stark's?"
As he said this, something seemed to click in Fury's mind. His expression flickered for a moment before he quickly concealed it, looking at Captain America with profound meaning.
"If anyone else said there was no way, I might believe them. But I won't believe it coming from you. Tell me, what do I have to do to get stronger?" Steve clutched his shield for dear life.
Fury was silent for a moment. "Since you've made up your mind, then I hope you can bear the consequences of failure. You might very well be smashed to pieces."
Steve let out a heavy sigh of relief. Far from being worried, he seemed to have re-established his conviction. "The method you mentioned, is it the same as the thing you promised Tony and the others?"
"No, these are two different approaches. They are also the last two unused trump cards I have. If both of them fail, then without a doubt, this planet will lose the protection of S.H.I.E.L.D., and S.H.I.E.L.D. will have no reason to exist."
At that point, whether it was an invasion by Du Wa, Mutants, or some extraterrestrials, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be powerless.
"The Cosmic Cube?"
"That's right. Nothing is more suitable for you. But I can't guarantee success. You might be completely torn apart by the Cosmic Cube, but there is also a chance of success."
"I have made ample preparations. We can start right now," Steve said in a deep voice.
"No, not now. You may be ready, but I'm not. There's still some preliminary work to be done."
Fury stood up and typed a password into a virtual screen. Soon, someone delivered a secret file.
"There's a mission here that I need you to complete. Go make contact with this person and bring him back," Fury said.
Steve quickly skimmed through the file.
"Eugene 'Flash' Thompson? One of the executors of the Symbiote Super-Soldier Program, a retired veteran agent? Are you sure he didn't develop an antisocial personality after being a host to something like a symbiote?" Steve frowned.
He already knew how dangerous a symbiote was.
"After years of observation, his condition is relatively stable. Aside from being older and his personality becoming more irascible, there have been no other changes. He is a suitable person to be in charge of the new symbiote project. We are currently in short supply of all kinds of skilled hands."
Steve nodded and immediately took his leave. He would find this Flash Thompson as soon as possible and bring him back.
...
All the media outlets across the world were talking about Grendel and Female Thor.
On the internet, all sorts of experts and scholars appeared on various programs, pontificating, putting on a ridiculous display, and solemnly analyzing the impact of this major event, along with so-called insider information that was utter nonsense.
Just walking down the street, one could see that the front-page headline of every newspaper from every publisher was dedicated to discussing this matter.
"Mysterious Female Thor's True Identity Revealed, It's Actually Her!"
"A Modern-Day Beauty and The Beast!"
"Disaster Warning: The Matter Falling from the Giant Dragon Appears to be Alive Too."
Flash Thompson walked out of his home. As far as his eyes could see, everyone was talking about the same thing. There was even a group of bored idiots who started a fistfight over whose opinion was right and whose was wrong.
Slightly turning to dodge a fool who was staggering after being punched, Thompson's rock-hard, grim face showed no change. He was suppressing his negative emotions.
He knew all too well what that Giant Dragon was. He had joined the Symbiote Super-Soldier Program back in the day, earning a symbiote with his outstanding performance.
It was a nightmare of an experience. The symbiote had forever changed his way of thought, making him impulsive and easily angered. Flash Thompson was deeply aware of how he had changed.
"I never would have thought that a project confirmed as a failure and sealed away years ago would be brought out again by Fury. And he even lost control of the symbiote's source, the Giant Dragon! A madman. Letting a madman activate a madman's project in an attempt to create a whole new group of madmen..."
Flash Thompson suppressed the vexation in his heart. In any case, none of this had anything to do with him now. He wasn't like the Punisher, who had a near-paranoid sense of so-called justice.
He planned to go home and continue living the life of an ordinary person.
Thompson returned to Hell's Kitchen.
It was a god-awful place. In a place where crime and murder were commonplace, the blood-soaked Thompson felt that his low-profile self was practically a lovable angel.
Just then, a commotion came from the deep alleyway ahead. A crowd had gathered, blocking the road and forcing him to stop.
"Which gang is holding a collective drug party now?"
Thompson frowned. He had originally intended to go around them. If it weren't for the fact that housing in Hell's Kitchen was cheap enough and the situation chaotic enough to better hide his identity in this den of thieves, he really couldn't be bothered to deal with these small fry.
But what he heard next made him change his mind.
"The Alien Cult is the future of the world! The fall of the Dark Dragon is the best warning to the world! Join the cult, worship the Xenomorphs, and escape the pain and despair of this mortal realm!"
(end of chapter)