Ch: 145-155
Chapter 145 Leaving
After explaining everything, Black Widow took a deep breath, then put on the bulletproof vest Yelenahanded her, and then lifted her leg, planning to go alone to face General Ross and the others, who were attracted by Black Widow's tracker.
But just at this moment, the sound of a helicopter engine suddenly came from the sky.
At this time, Black Widow also turned around in confusion and looked at her helicopter.
Not long after, the helicopter landed steadily under everyone's gaze.
Just as Melina and the others fell into a state of alert, a noisy sound came from inside the helicopter.
As the helicopter door opened, dozens of Widows emerged from inside the helicopter.
Looking at the Widows in front of them, everyone was filled with confusion.
Yelena also widened her eyes in disbelief, because just after rescuing these Widows from Dreykov's control, Yelena had already taken this group of Widows onto the plane, and had repeatedly warned them to get away from this troublesome place as soon as possible and find a new place to start a new life.
But for some reason, these Widows had now returned.
At this moment, Yelena also came to the front of these Widows, and then looked at everyone in front of her uncertainly and asked, "Are you back for me now?"
After hearing Yelena's words, the leading Widow's mouth curved slightly upward, and then she said, "You risked your life to save us from Dreykov. Now that you are in trouble, we will not stand by and do nothing."
Looking at the expressions of everyone in front of her, Yelena walked gratefully among the Widows, taking each of their hands.
Seeing this scene, Black Widow's mouth also showed a smile, because being able to see that there were others in this World besides them who were willing to disregard their own safety and help Yelenawhen she was in danger, for Black Widow as an older sister, her heart was filled with comfort.
This also made Black Widow and Yelena's long journey to rescue them not in vain.
Thinking of this, Black Widow also subtly glanced at Arthur , who was standing not far from her, and the figures of Captain America and his team came to her mind. If it weren't for the civil war back then, Black Widow would never have been in such a sorry state this time.
Then, the Widows came to Melina and Alexei and helped Melina onto the helicopter, and also took Antonia, who was slumped on the ground, with them.
Seeing that everyone was on the helicopter, Black Widow also looked at Arthur next to her and said, "Why aren't you going up? You know General Ross hates you more than he hates me. Aren't you afraid he'll use this opportunity to ruin your business?"
After hearing Black Widow's words, Arthur smiled freely and said, "What's there to be afraid of? The first time we met, I beat him so badly he didn't know which way was up. So much time has passed, and we have both been constantly growing, while he is still standing still, playing his power games. The gap between me and him will only get wider."
Saying that, Arthur casually picked up a metal staff of moderate length from the ground, and then walked towards the armored vehicle unit that was constantly approaching in the distance.
Seeing this scene, Black Widow was about to follow when she heard Yelena's voice from behind.
"You be careful, we'll wait for you to come back and celebrate Christmas together!"
Hearing this, Black Widow nodded, and then watched as the helicopter slowly flew into the sky, and at this moment, General Ross and his party had already arrived.
Looking at the long line of armored vehicles in front of him, Arthur also asked Black Widow, "Excuse me, did you just say that General Ross hates me the most, more than you?"
Black Widow also didn't expect General Ross to deploy so many armored vehicles at once to deal with her. Anyone who didn't know would think they were here to capture Hulk.
"Bang!"
Immediately, sounds of doors opening reached Black Widow and Arthur 's ears, and hundreds of fully armed Marines were constantly surrounding their position.
Black Widow also hurriedly put on the bulletproof vest Yelena gave her. Seeing this, Arthur anxiously said, "What, can't you give me one of these good things too?"
Hearing this, Black Widow said, "If you want one, you can make one yourself now."
Before Arthur could react, Black Widow crouched down and began to quietly approach the Marines in front.
Seeing this scene, Arthur couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for these young men in front of him. After all, having just fought against Dreykov's Widows, who had no self-awareness and only knew how to fight, dealing with these Marines who knew pain was simply too childish for Black Widow.
While Arthur was still pitying these people, shouts came from the front, followed by fierce gunfire.
Arthur immediately entered a high-speed state, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of Black Widow. Originally, these bullets, which could reach near the speed of sound, seemed to be standing still in Arthur 's eyes.
"So many years have passed, and you really haven't made any progress at all. What era is this, and you're still using guns?"
Saying that, Arthur collected all the bullets that were coming towards Black Widow, and then teleported in front of each Marine, giving each of them a punch to the face.
When he arrived in front of General Ross, Arthur found that compared to their first meeting, General Ross was no longer the general who could stand alone just by his aura.
General Ross now looked more like a Grandpa next door.
But Arthur knew that General Ross, this old man, looked harmless on the outside, but his heart was extremely wicked. However, General Ross was an elderly person after all, and Arthur still had to show respect for the elderly and love for the young.
So everyone in this open space received a solid punch from Arthur , with only General Ross remaining unharmed.
Looking at the Marines all around him, lying on the ground clutching their noses, General Ross also guessed that this must have been Arthur 's doing.
Chapter 146 Next Step
However, General Ross also knew that among the current Avengers, Arthur was the one least under official government control.
This was because Arthur 's personal abilities truly upset the balance of power. When the Avengers' civil war ended, General Ross had considered arresting Arthur , just like Black Widow, as a wanted fugitive and sending him to federal prison.
But after dispatching dozens of special forces members, General Ross discovered that his people couldn't even meet Arthur and were completely outmaneuvered.
Later, Tony even stated directly that even he and Captain America together would absolutely not be Arthur 's match, so General Ross had no choice but to give up reluctantly.
After all, facing a mysterious existence like Arthur , no matter how unwilling General Ross was, he had to swallow his pride.
Moreover, General Ross also knew that if Arthur were truly angered, even as the current Minister of Defense, he would likely be mercilessly eliminated by Arthur .
At that time, not only would no one come to his aid, but even those who usually flattered him would seize the opportunity to betray him at the critical moment to gain a share of the benefits.
Therefore, after multiple failures, General Ross decided to turn a blind eye to Arthur 's actions from then on.
However, what General Ross never expected was that after half a year, he finally tracked Black Widow's location signal again, and when he arrived with a large group of Marine Corps members, he was once again obstructed by Arthur .
But this time, General Ross did not react with the same impotent rage as before, because although Arthur interrupted General Ross's plan to capture Black Widow, he also left General Ross a great gift at the scene.
Looking at the wreckage strewn across the ground, General Ross immediately organized his subordinates to begin searching the site.
Soon, General Ross learned from his subordinates that the vast expanse of ruins before them was the Red Room, which they had been searching for so long.
It should be known that besides the HYDRA organization, the Red Room had also been a major headache for S.H.I.E.L.D. in the past, as the Red Room itself was established to counter S.H.I.E.L.D.
If Black Widow hadn't defected from the Red Room, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't even have known that such a massive underground organization existed in the shadows.
With Black Widow's join in, S.H.I.E.L.D. swiftly eliminated all the Widows Dreykov had placed around the World.
Finally, Black Widow, at Nick Fury's instruction, along with Hawkeye, set a deadly trap for Dreykov.
It was thought that Dreykov had perished in that fire, but if Yelena hadn't miraculously escaped from Dreykov's control, Black Widow would never have known that the explosion that year had not eradicated the menace that was Dreykov.
Not only did Black Widow not know, but even Nick Fury at the time had not expected Dreykov to escape.
And General Ross, as the current Minister of Defense, also learned many things from Nick Fury that he had never heard of when he was just a general, including the Red Room, which had been silent for many years.
After confirming that all the debris in front of him belonged to the Red Room, General Rossimmediately went to an secluded corner, took out his satellite phone, and dialed the White Houseacross the ocean.
After reporting all his work, General Ross, accompanied by his subordinates, went together into the forest ahead.
The moment General Ross saw the massive Air Fortress left behind by the Red Room, his heart felt as if it had been heavily struck by Thor's Mjolnir.
Not only General Ross, but when General Ross transmitted the image in front of him to Nick Fury at S.W.O.R.D., Nick Fury was also so shocked that he was speechless for a moment.
Suddenly, Nick Fury understood why, after so many years, Dreykov had been able to make such a massive organization as the Red Room completely disappear from the World's view.
At the same time, Nick Fury also had new concerns.
First, the HYDRA organization, under the guise of S.H.I.E.L.D., perfectly executed the Insight Project; if Captain America, Arthur , and others had not stopped it at the critical moment, the current Worldorder would likely have fallen into HYDRA's hands.
Now, the long-missing Red Room had secretly built such a massive Air Fortress without anyone's knowledge.
Furthermore, the internal facilities of this Air Fortress were extremely complete, capable of supporting the normal operation of such a huge organization as the Red Room for so many years.
It is hard to imagine how many scientists, scholars, and architects around the World possess the ability to create weapons of mass destruction no less powerful than atomic bombs, all unknown to them.
Suddenly, Nick Fury once again felt the immense pressure he hadn't experienced since thwarting HYDRA's conspiracy.
Immediately, Nick Fury called Agent Hill, and after seeing the images General Ross sent back, Hill was also greatly surprised.
Afterward, Nick Fury informed Hill of his thoughts, and Hill immediately went back to begin collecting information on capable scholars worldwide.
For a long time afterward, General Ross and Nick Fury were extremely busy.
This also allowed Arthur and Black Widow to enjoy a long period of peaceful life.
However, Black Widow had cut her long hair at this time, opting for a more capable short hairstyle.
Watching Black Widow's actions, Arthur instinctively sensed that Black Widow was about to make a big move.
As expected, in the week that followed, Arthur also found that Black Widow was busy every night, though he didn't know what she was busy with.
Just as Arthur was about to give in to his curiosity, Black Widow led Arthur to a deserted area.
Looking at the surrounding scenery, although Arthur was full of doubts, he knew that he was about to see the purpose of Black Widow's trip.
After more than half an hour of trekking, Black Widow stepped on the brakes.
At this moment, Arthur saw that a middle-aged man with a full beard was lying in front of the car.
Black Widow walked unceremoniously to the side of the middle-aged man, and then used her foot to forcefully drag the sleeping man out of his slumber.
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Mason, who had been kicked awake by Black Widow, looked at her with a wronged expression.
Feeling Mason's resentful gaze, Black Widow said, "Don't you ever sleep? Every time I see you, you're always lying down somewhere, sleeping."
After hearing Black Widow's words, Mason excitedly stood up and said, "Do you know that for you, I crossed six time zones in one day?"
Black Widow smiled slightly at his words, then said, "Alright, alright, busy man, I'm really grateful that you could take time out of your busy schedule to bring me what I wanted, but I hope what you brought this time isn't like that generator that caused me to crash."
Hearing this, Mason looked puzzled, not knowing what Black Widow was referring to. After all, the destruction of the Red Room was still largely unknown, as General Ross had urgently sealed off the information.
Afterward, Mason led Arthur and Black Widow to the Quinjet.
Looking at the Quinjet in front of them, Black Widow asked worriedly, "You didn't just casually find some parts from a warehouse and assemble this jet, did you?"
Mason didn't say anything in response; he simply boarded the Quinjet first and then started the engine.
Seeing this, Black Widow and Arthur boarded the jet one after another.
Before leaving, Mason turned to Black Widow and asked, "What are your plans next? Are you going to continue this fugitive life, or find something to do somewhere?"
Hearing this, Black Widow replied with a smile, "You know, during this time, I've also discovered the importance of family, and now I suddenly have two families. But one of them is quite chaotic, and many people are still being held under house arrest by General Ross every day. So what I need to do now is bring them all home."
After speaking, Black Widow pressed the cabin door button, and with the roaring sound of the Quinjet's engine, Arthur and Black Widow instantly left the area.
Looking at the scenery constantly receding outside the window, Arthur sat down beside Black Widow and asked, "Are we going back now?"
"No, it's not time yet. I still have a lot of things to do. I need to find Rogers and the others first."
"Actually, not long after that incident, Captain America already rescued Sam and the others from General Ross's custody."
Hearing this, Black Widow frowned and turned to look at Arthur . Black Widow had originally planned to rescue Hawkeye, Sam, and the others who were imprisoned, but she hadn't expected that Rogers had already completed what she intended to do during this time.
After pondering for a long time, Black Widow decided to go find Captain America and the others.
However, Arthur still had something he needed to do, so he couldn't accompany Black Widow to meet Captain America. After all, Arthur had promised the Sorcerer Supreme something, and if he didn't keep his word, the Sorcerer Supreme might cause him trouble.
Upon learning that Arthur couldn't join her in finding Captain America, Black Widow wasn't too surprised. Arthur always gave Black Widow the impression of being extremely busy, as if he always had things to do in places no one could see.
But if Arthur didn't want to talk about these things, Black Widow couldn't force him to.
However, Black Widow was very grateful to Arthur for being able to endure General Ross's surveillance and come all the way from across the ocean to help her overthrow the Red Room.
So, after Arthur contacted Bill, Black Widow dropped Arthur off at a place very close to the airport, and then Arthur set off with Bill back to New York.
As soon as Arthur landed, he saw a line of black armored vehicles parked at the airport exit.
Just as Arthur was wondering who would have such a grand display, a voice Arthur disliked the most rang out from the side.
Looking in the direction of the voice, General Ross, with his white hair, arrived in front of Arthur , surrounded by a group of Agents.
Seeing this, Arthur immediately changed his expression, smiling as he went up to him and said, "I wonder what is important enough to warrant such a grand action from the General?"
Looking at Arthur , who was clearly feigning ignorance, General Ross, despite his extreme displeasure, had to ask Arthur for a favor at the moment. So, for a while, he could only suppress the anger deep within him.
Then, General Ross extended his hand, motioning for Arthur to get into his car.
Watching the scene unfold, although Arthur knew that General Ross's visit was certainly not for good, Arthur always adhered to the principle of not hitting a smiling face.
After all, for someone as stubborn as General Ross to show such a humble attitude in front of him, this matter must have been serious enough that they couldn't solve it at all.
Therefore, Arthur didn't make any excuses and was the first to get into the car.
As soon as he entered the car, General Ross immediately followed. After the car started, General Rosstook a black briefcase from the seat in front.
Then, General Ross opened the briefcase and took out a thick stack of files.
Arthur curiously took the stack of files from General Ross's hand and casually flipped through them.
But Arthur quickly discovered that the stack of files in front of him contained information on top scientists from all over the World.
Seeing this, Arthur tilted his head and looked at General Ross, asking, "Why are you showing me these? You're not going to ask me to eliminate all these people, are you?"
Hearing this, General Ross shook his head and then took out something similar to a projector, placing it in front of Arthur .
After some tinkering, a series of images appeared before Arthur and General Ross.
The first thing that caught their eye was a World map. Looking at the World map in front of him, Arthur subconsciously thought of the one he had seen in the Air Fortress. Although all World maps look the same, the coloring and annotations on this map were exactly identical to Dreykov's.
So, at first glance, Arthur instinctively felt a bit disgusted.
However, Arthur didn't show any of this, but sat quietly in his seat, waiting for General Ross to continue.
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Immediately, General Ross marked out red dots one by one on the World map.
After doing all this, General Ross turned to Arthur and said, "Ever since you and Natasha destroyed the Red Room's Air Fortress, Nick Fury and I realized that in many corners of this World that we can't see, countless scientists capable of re-creating weapons like the Sky Carrier and Air Fortress, which can cause great harm to the World, are still hidden."
"So you're planning to find all these people now and nip them in the bud?"
Facing Arthur 's repeated taunts, General Ross endured it this time; there was nothing he could do as he was already deeply entangled in the whirlpool of power.
Since General Ross was merely a military officer who rose through the ranks, he had to achieve visible accomplishments in many areas to expand his military exploits, as he wasn't adept at the ways of politicians.
And what Arthur and Black Widow had done provided General Ross with a clear direction.
When he informed the White House of his idea, he received immense support, so General Ross, at Nick Fury's strong suggestion, chose to humble himself and actively seek cooperation with Arthur .
Therefore, no matter what, General Ross could only swallow his bitterness in front of Arthur .
General Ross quickly regained his composure and continued, "We don't intend to eliminate all these people; we just need to ensure that they won't create massive destructive weapons capable of endangering the entire human society."
"Then how do you plan to accomplish this now?"
"We hope to use your superpower to quickly gather all these people into S.W.O.R.D., and Nick Fury and I will find a way to persuade them."
After hearing General Ross's words, Arthur fell into a silence.
Seeing Arthur remain silent, General Ross anxiously said, "Isn't maintaining World peace the original purpose of the Avengers?"
But what General Ross didn't expect was that upon hearing General Ross's words, Arthur 's face immediately turned fierce.
As a general who had commanded battles on the battlefield for many years, General Ross was naturally all too familiar with the expression Arthur was now revealing, but General Ross couldn't immediately understand where he had offended Arthur .
Soon, Arthur himself resolved General Ross's confusion.
"You still have the nerve to tell me that our Avengers exists to maintain peace in human society? Then why did you lead the charge to force us to sign the Sokovia Accords, causing us to fight a civil war among ourselves and now we are scattered across the World? Now that something has happened, you remember what we're for?"
Looking at Arthur , who was glaring angrily at him, General Ross's aura was completely suppressed by Arthur , and he suddenly didn't know what to say.
Just as the negotiations inside the carriage reached a stalemate, Nick Fury's voice came from the pager on the side.
"Hey, kid, can't you stop being so sarcastic all the time?"
Upon hearing Nick Fury's voice, General Ross was like a drowning man grasping at a straw.
Soon, Arthur also completely calmed down after hearing Nick Fury's voice.
After all, Arthur didn't actually feel that much aversion towards Nick Fury.
The reason he got entangled with the Avengers in the first place was precisely because of Nick Fury's push; if it weren't for Nick Fury, he might still just be a daily nine-to-five worker.
However, it was also with Nick Fury's help that he was able to meet Tony and others.
But Arthur still held a grudge over the fact that Nick Fury had remained silent when the Avengerswere forced to confront the Sokovia Accords.
Arthur and Nick Fury's relationship had also changed because of this matter, no longer as close as before.
So, when Nick Fury came knocking again, Arthur was no longer as excited as he was at the very beginning.
"Cough, cough, cough~"
At this moment, Nick Fury probably knew what Arthur was thinking, and he immediately used a cough to break the stalemate.
Then Nick Fury began to slowly explain his and General Ross's plan: "Kid, we hope you can bring back all these scientists we've marked within the shortest possible time, and some of these scientists have already fallen into the hands of some anti-social organizations, so armed resistance is inevitable during this process."
After hearing Nick Fury's words, Arthur disdainfully said, "So you just want me to do your dirty work, right?"
Upon hearing this, Nick Fury, who was usually eloquent, fell into a moment of silence, but after a while, Nick Fury still shamelessly said, "Kid, I know you're still holding a grudge about that incident back then, but you have to understand that this isn't being done for me, but for all of humanity."
At this moment, Arthur knew that Nick Fury was about to use his brainwashing tactics again.
But this time, Arthur wouldn't be so easily fooled by Nick Fury, and he immediately made their current relationship clear.
"You're the ones who came to me asking for cooperation on this matter, aren't you?"
Hearing this, General Ross could only nod.
Seeing General Ross's agreement, Arthur continued, "Since you are now asking for my help, the choice is in my hands.
I have the right to choose whether or not to agree to help you. If you truly want to benefit the entire Earth, then you should be prepared to pay a certain price."
Upon hearing this, General Ross, whose body had been tense, let out a long sigh of relief.
As early as when Nick Fury proposed seeking Arthur 's help, General Ross had little confidence, as he and Arthur had a certain conflict.
So General Ross had always held little hope that Arthur would help, but now, as long as Arthur was willing to propose conditions, it proved that there was still room for negotiation.
However, on second thought, for an existence like Arthur , money and status had long lost their allure, so anything that Arthur cared about would certainly not be something that could be easily done.
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In fact, Arthur didn't intend to make things too difficult for Nick Fury and General Ross this time, as there wasn't much they could offer him at the moment.
Originally, Arthur had thought about using this to force General Ross to abolish the Sokovia Accordsand withdraw the bounties on Black Widow and Captain America, but then Arthur had a change of heart.
Captain America and his team might not want to return, and if Captain America said he hadn't agreed to it, then another conflict would be meaningless.
Therefore, Arthur decided to choose something that General Ross and Nick Fury could easily do without harming their interests.
After thinking it through, Arthur looked back at General Ross, who was sitting beside him.
When General Ross saw Arthur 's gaze, he instinctively felt like a naked rabbit being targeted by a wild wolf, Arthur .
Just as General Ross was preparing for a significant loss, the conditions Arthur proposed genuinely surprised him and Nick Fury.
After taking a small sip of black tea, Arthur said indifferently, "What I want is not much. I just hope that from now on, all foreign trade orders for S.W.O.R.D. and the Department of Defense will be handled by my subordinates."
Upon hearing this, Nick Fury, who was on the pager, exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh, Secretary Ross, you must have found a fake one, right?"
Listening to Nick Fury's unrestrained words, Arthur 's face darkened.
Not only Nick Fury, but General Ross at this moment was also doubting in his heart whether the person in front of him was the real Arthur , or if Arthur had known he would appear at the airport gate long before and arranged a substitute.
At this moment, Arthur looked at the uncertain expression on General Ross's face and couldn't help but inwardly chuckle.
Before he proposed his conditions, everyone was worried he would ask for too much, and now that he had lowered his demands, they were worried he wasn't real.
However, Arthur also had his own plans. Although the conditions Arthur proposed this time seemed to be simply for the foreign trade business on the surface, in reality, if General Ross and Nick Fury agreed today, then S.W.O.R.D. and the Department of Defense would have to go through Arthur for any future actions.
This would allow him to monitor the every move of S.W.O.R.D. and the Department of Defense to a certain extent.
Seeing that Arthur showed no reaction to Nick Fury's questioning, General Ross's heart was now weighing the pros and cons of this matter on a scale.
Because they hadn't mentally prepared themselves from the start, General Ross and Nick Fury didn't think of the deeper implications when Arthur proposed such conditions.
However, General Ross was in too much need of Arthur 's involvement at this time, so after some thought, he decisively agreed to Arthur 's request.
Arthur clearly stated that both parties needed to sign a further contract.
After getting out of the car, Arthur first returned to his home.
As soon as Arthur stepped through the door, he smelled a fragrant aroma wafting from the kitchen.
Since Arthur received Black Widow's message, he hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, and smelling this aroma immediately made Arthur 's appetite surge.
Following the scent, Arthur quickly walked into the kitchen. Inside the kitchen, Wanda was cooking something in front of the stove.
And next to her were plates of enticingly colored dishes.
"Wanda!"
Arthur called out with a smile.
"Ah?"
Upon hearing someone call her, Wanda turned her head and looked towards Arthur .
Wanda's face at this moment showed a look of surprise, as she had never expected Arthur to suddenly return.
When Wanda saw Arthur , a blush immediately appeared on her face, and she quickly used her hand to cover her chest in a panic.
However, it was clearly too late at this point. Although Wanda's movements were quick, they couldn't escape Arthur 's eyes.
"Ahem... are these things you made?"
Although he was asking, Arthur 's eyes were fixed on the dishes in the kitchen as he spoke.
"Mmm!"
Wanda nodded a little shyly.
After hearing Wanda's affirmative reply, a look of excited delight immediately appeared on Arthur 's face.
"Haha! This is great!"
Arthur pulled Wanda, who was standing beside him a little shyly, into his embrace.
"Eh~"
Wanda seemed not to have expected Arthur to suddenly hug her, and she was a little stunned for a moment.
However, Arthur quickly let go, and then he simply took a pair of bowls and chopsticks, sat down in front of the table of dishes, and began to eat heartily.
And looking at Arthur 's enjoying expression at this moment, Wanda was a little amused and helpless. She had been busy for a long time, but she didn't expect Arthur to get there first in the end.
At this moment, Wanda also shifted her gaze to Arthur .
Looking at Arthur 's appearance, Wanda's eyes lit up. At this moment, she also noticed Arthur 's unusual change.
In Wanda's impression, Arthur always had a lazy appearance, but at this moment, Arthur was different.
Arthur was wearing a casual outfit, and his whole person appeared exceptionally clean and tidy. Moreover, Arthur 's face was also full of smiles, as if he had encountered something worth celebrating.
"Where have you been these past few days?"
After a moment of contemplation, Wanda couldn't help but ask Arthur .
Upon hearing Wanda's question, Arthur also stopped what he was doing and looked at Wandabeside him.
"I saved the World again, but this time, it probably didn't make it into the newspapers."
Arthur smiled slightly as he said this.
Upon hearing Arthur 's words, Wanda frowned, looking at Arthur in front of her, not knowing what to say.
And Arthur also noticed Wanda's gaze, but he just smiled and didn't continue to explain.
After dinner, Arthur sat quietly in his home for a while, his mind contemplating his upcoming plans.
Since General Ross had agreed to his conditions this time, Arthur believed that his cooperation with General Ross and Nick Fury would definitely be successful.
After finishing his thoughts, Arthur focused his attention on the laptop in his hand.
On the main screen of the computer were the data and database about S.W.O.R.D.'s cleanup of the Air Fortress this time. All these materials were obtained by General Ross's men.
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After finishing with the computer in his hand, Arthur slowly leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
This experience truly opened Arthur 's eyes, and it was no wonder General Ross and Nick Furyreacted so strongly.
Arthur had never imagined that one day an ordinary human would possess such terrifying destructive power and ambition.
If it hadn't been for this timely discovery, the World might already have been ruled by Dreykov.
At the same time, Arthur also recalled HYDRA's Insight Project from before; all of this sent shivers down Arthur 's spine.
After all, these hidden threats are the most terrifying.
Night fell, and in this World, with the exception of a very small number of people, everyone else had fallen into slumber.
...
The next day, Arthur slowly opened his eyes; he had already changed into a set of clothes and was formally heading towards the company.
Upon arriving at the company, Arthur went straight to his office.
Once in his office, Arthur found his laptop and began to process his documents.
Just then, a familiar figure appeared at the office door.
"Hey! Good morning, boss."
After pushing the door open, Bill greeted Arthur softly, but at the same time, Bill's eyes glanced at the computer in Arthur 's hand.
"This is?"
Seeing Arthur engrossed in his computer, Bill asked curiously.
"From now on, all foreign trade orders for S.W.O.R.D. and the Department of Defense will be handled by us."
Arthur smiled and said after hearing Bill's words.
"Wow!"
Bill exclaimed in surprise upon hearing Arthur 's words.
"Then won't we be rolling in money from now on?"
Bill asked Arthur excitedly.
"Uh-huh! That's right."
Arthur nodded slightly after hearing Bill's words.
"Yeah, then I'll be going, boss."
At that moment, Bill directly left Arthur 's office, and a hint of joy was on Bill's face after leaving Arthur 's office.
After Bill left, Arthur began to review the list General Ross had given him.
"Hmm? I didn't expect them to have so many test subjects; this time, I'm definitely going to extort them severely."
Arthur sneered after looking through the list.
.....
After Bill left, Arthur quietly waited for the time in the office.
Three days passed in a flash; during these three days, Arthur basically didn't go anywhere else, just staying peacefully in his Villa.
And within these three days, Arthur also collected a large amount of materials.
Within three days, Arthur 's research finally came to an end.
Although Arthur encountered some trouble during this period, overall, there was no need to worry, after all, his current strength was strong enough.
However, on the fourth day, a knock sounded at Arthur 's room door.
The moment Arthur heard the knock, he got up from the sofa and then opened his door.
Arthur was startled when he saw Wanda at the door.
"What's wrong, Wanda?"
Arthur looked at Wanda, whose complexion was slightly flushed, and asked in confusion.
"Arthur , that Doctor you asked me to keep an eye on, he got into a car accident!"
Wanda immediately told Arthur when she saw him.
Arthur nodded at the news and then followed Wanda outside.
Soon, Arthur arrived by car in front of the New York Sanctum.
Just as Arthur pushed open the car door and stepped out, the Sanctum's main door seemed to be pulled by some force and opened by itself.
Seeing this, Arthur was not overly surprised and walked straight in.
Looking at the empty Sanctum before him, just as Arthur was about to find a random spot to sit down, an orange portal appeared out of thin air in front of Arthur .
On the other side of the portal, the Ancient One, at this moment, arrived in a few steps in front of Arthur .
"Dr. Stephen Strange has reached a turning point in his destiny; you must now, according to your previous promise, help him repel the enemies from the darkness."
The Ancient One looked at Arthur and spoke seriously to him.
"That is natural, but I also hope you can help Wanda master Chaos Magic as soon as possible."
Arthur said without hesitation at this moment.
Although Arthur didn't know what his previous mission was, since he was here, he had to fulfill this mission well.
"I will do your bidding."
The Ancient One said faintly, and then disappeared from where she stood.
Arthur then began to rush towards Manhattan Hospital, which was only a few blocks away.
Soon after, Arthur arrived below Manhattan Hospital.
"Is this Strange's hospital?"
Arthur looked at the main entrance of Manhattan Hospital and murmured to himself.
Just as Arthur was about to walk towards the main entrance of Manhattan Hospital, the alarm of Manhattan Hospital suddenly rang out.
And upon hearing the alarm, all the medical staff in the entire hospital began to get busy.
In a short while, many medical staff dressed in White robes gathered in the hospital lobby.
On one side of the wall in the lobby, photos of Dr. Stephen Strange were hung, and at this moment, Strange was still lying soundly asleep in bed, completely unaware of how severe his condition currently was.
"Is Dr. Stephen Strange still not awake?"
Arthur frowned and said after seeing this situation.
"Yes!"
A chief surgeon standing nearby nodded heavily after hearing Arthur 's words.
"I understand."
Arthur took a deep breath and said faintly, and after saying this, Arthur directly rushed upstairs.
When Arthur arrived in front of the operating room, he saw a group of Doctors in White coats surrounding Dr. Stephen Strange on the hospital bed.
"Who among you is the medical representative this time?"
Upon seeing this situation, Arthur directly asked the group of Doctors.
"It's me!"
After Arthur 's words fell, the group of Doctors all turned their gaze to Arthur .
"Then you may begin!"
Arthur said directly after hearing the Doctors' replies, and after Arthur finished speaking, the group of Doctors also nodded.
Chapter 151 Recovery
After several hours of emergency surgery, Dr. Stephen Strange was finally pulled back from the brink of death.
A long while later, Strange woke up, accompanied by Christine Palmer.
As soon as Strange opened his eyes, he saw his hands covered in rivets, and immediately tried to lift his fingers, but after several attempts, Strange realized that his once incredibly nimble fingers had now lost all sensation.
At this moment, Christine Palmer, who had fallen asleep beside him, also noticed Strange's movements and quickly woke up from her sleep.
Soon, Christine Palmer also realized Strange's current condition, and immediately said, "It's okay, Strange, everything will be alright."
Hearing Christine Palmer's voice, Strange snapped out of his despair.
Strange looked at Christine Palmer in front of him and asked confusedly, "What did they do to me?"
Upon hearing this, Christine Palmer's eyes flickered.
Strange, who was already psychologically sensitive, keenly caught this change on Christine Palmer's face, and immediately fell into a state of utter despondency.
Christine Palmer, seeing this scene, couldn't bear to see the once incredibly proud Strange now reduced to this state, and quickly said, "They brought you here by helicopter, and everyone was dispatched immediately, spending a long time to find you, but this also caused them to miss the golden hour for treating your nerve damage."
At this moment, Strange couldn't hear a word Christine Palmer was saying, and continued to press, "What exactly did they do to me?"
Upon hearing this, Christine Palmer choked up and said, "They inserted a total of eleven stainless steel pins into your bones, with multiple ligament tears. Your hands suffered the most severe nerve damage, and the surgery lasted a total of eleven hours."
After hearing all of this, Strange said with a tearful voice, "Look at these fixators."
Christine Palmer said from the side, "No one in this hospital could have done better."
Hearing this, Strange turned his head with difficulty to look at Christine Palmer and said, "I can do better!"
For a long time afterward, Strange, accompanied by Christine Palmer, spent day and night examining the X-ray films of his hands.
However, as the research deepened, Strange felt no joy at all, simply because in Strange's eyes, the Doctor who devised his recovery treatment plan was like a three-year-old child who couldn't even manage his own bodily functions. Continuing like this would only completely ruin him.
Strange saw all of this and was anxious, because at the moment, he couldn't even do the simplest task of picking up an object, let alone treating himself.
As time continued to pass, the injuries to Strange's hands were recovering at a visible rate.
Finally, on a cloudy afternoon, Strange's hands were ready to have their bandages removed.
At this moment, Christine Palmer, the attending Doctor, and Strange himself were all extremely nervous.
As Christine Palmer's hands continued to work, Strange's hands gradually became visible to the three of them.
However, when Strange saw that there were no other problems with his hands except for some surgical scars, he not only felt no joy but instead looked at the attending Doctor in front of him with a resentful expression and said, "You ruined my life."
Looking at his constantly trembling hands, Strange knew his bad news.
But Strange was not going to give up; since others couldn't help him, everything would have to be done by himself.
After learning of Strange's intentions, the executives of Manhattan Hospital all expressed strong opposition.
"Dr. Stephen Strange, we fully understand your current feelings, but you must know that the soft tissues in your hands are still in a state of repair. If surgery is performed at this time, we cannot guarantee that your hands will not be completely crippled as a result."
After hearing the advice of several of the most skilled Professors in all of New York City, Strangequickly put forward his solution.
"Then speed it up, use a stent to go from the brachial artery to the radial artery."
After hearing Strange's plan, the experts sitting opposite him all showed shock. They hadn't expected Strange to have such confidence to take such a big risk on himself.
At the same time, they also said to Strange, "This plan is indeed feasible, but Dr. Stephen Strange, you must know that this technology is currently still in clinical testing, and we are not entirely confident, and you should know that the cost of this method is also extremely high."
Upon hearing this, Strange firmly stated, "Don't talk to me about exorbitant prices. What I need now is a feasible solution!"
Immediately, at Strange's strong insistence, Manhattan Hospital, under immense pressure, began preparing for Strange's surgery.
Watching Strange being pushed into the operating room, Christine Palmer also showed a worried expression.
After all, this was a surgical method that no one was confident in, and even Strange himself had not attempted it before the accident.
Inside the operating room at this moment, the two chief Doctors had already begun carefully removing the steel pins from Strange's hands.
Even with the support of the most advanced equipment in all of New York City today, the surgery was not going smoothly.
After all, not everyone could achieve Strange's level.
But thankfully, the surgery eventually ended successfully, but now no one knew if Strange's hands could ever return to their original state.
The rest could only be left to time to decide.
Strange was very dissatisfied with this result; he could not tolerate his life coming to an abrupt end because of a car accident.
Chapter 152 Quarrel
However, some things had long been destined to happen.
For a long time afterward, Strange constantly tried to regain control of his hands with the Rehabilitation therapist by his side day and night.
Although Strange's hands quickly recovered their most basic functions after the surgery, this level was still a far cry from Strange returning to his operating table.
After several months of rehabilitation training, Strange found that no matter how hard he tried, his hands would still tremble uncontrollably.
Facing this almost desperate scene, Strange simply gave up on treatment, locking himself alone in the ward all day, not allowing any outsiders to approach.
All these tragic experiences that befell Strange were seen clearly by Arthur , who was hiding in the shadows.
Seeing Strange in a state of melancholy all day, Arthur felt a deep sense of empathy.
When he first arrived in this World with his memories, Arthur also worried about gains and losses every day.
Coming to this completely unfamiliar World alone, anyone would fall into confusion, right?
One day, when the Rehabilitation therapist came to the ward to change Strange's dressing, he looked at Strange, who was slumped on the hospital bed, and said, "Hey, buddy, I noticed you haven't been coming to rehabilitation training for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Strange asked him, "Can you tell me, a top undergraduate student, if you've ever seen a case as severe as mine, where someone recovered completely through your rehabilitation training?"
Hearing this, the Rehabilitation therapist showed a row of his white teeth and said, "Actually, there was one. He was a construction worker, a work-related accident, a back injury, paralysis, which caused his entire leg to lose sensation. Even when he sat in a wheelchair, he would feel intense pain in his shoulders, but he insisted on coming to rehabilitation training three times a week. But then one day, he, like you, stopped coming to rehabilitation training. I even thought he had passed away."
At this point, the Rehabilitation therapist also finished changing Strange's dressing.
At this moment, Strange anxiously pressed, "And then?"
"Then one day on my way home from work, I saw him walk past me with my own eyes!"
"Walked past? Nonsense! If you have the guts, pull out his medical records and show them to me, then I'll believe you."
"You used to be a Doctor yourself, don't you know that it's a very simple matter to retrieve a patient's medical records?"
But then the Rehabilitation therapist changed his tone and said, "But to make a self-important jerk like you shut up, it's worth doing."
Looking at himself in the mirror, unable even to shave, Strange defiantly threw the razor aside.
The next day, Strange once again called in a group of neurosurgery experts.
"Dr. Stephen Strange, we have studied all the materials and literature you provided, but none of it is feasible. It seems you still don't know how severe your injury is. You should know that even the most top-notch Doctors in this World cannot help you complete the surgery."
After being rejected again, Strange was furious, extending his hands and smashing everything he could reach in front of him onto the floor.
Seeing this, all the experts quickly packed their belongings and left.
At this time, Christine Palmer also came into the room with a large bag of things, and seeing the many experts who had just left in a hurry, even without asking Strange, Christine Palmer could guess the outcome of the matter.
"Quacks, a bunch of quacks!"
Upon hearing Strange's complaints, Christine Palmer asked, "So, what's your plan now?"
"Tokyo has a new technology; they're culturing upgraded donor stem cells and then 3D printing chromosomal scaffolds."
"Stephen!"
"But I need to raise some money now, not too much, just two hundred thousand!"
"Stephen, you always spend as much as you earn. After so much treatment, you're already living beyond your means. Isn't it time to consider giving up?"
"No, it's not time yet. I can't give up yet. Don't you see? I'm not fully recovered yet. You see, this can't even be called getting better."
Seeing Strange hysterically waving his trembling hands in front of her, Christine Palmer said, "Stephen, you're no longer treating your injuries; it's time for you to wake up."
"If I do that, I'll live a life without a career."
"Even so, that's still a life! It's not the end of the World. In your long life, there will always be other things to fill your life with vitality and sunshine again."
"What things? Like what? Me?"
Hearing this, Christine Palmer said, "I think you should apologize to me now."
"I think you should turn around and leave."
"Alright, as you say. Anyway, I can't stand to see you like this anymore."
"You can't stand it, huh?"
"Yes, I can't stand it. Seeing you now, I feel like my heart is about to break."
"I don't need your pity right now!"
"No, I'm not pitying you."
"Then why are you here, with a big bag of cheese and red wine, as if we're old friends about to go camping? Christine, listen, our relationship isn't that of good friends, nor lovers. You like to watch tragedies, don't you? Well, I'm the tragedy now, come and see the miserable, pathetic Strange. He finally needs me again. A social outcast saved by you."
"You just need to guide him with your heart, and then he can face life again full of sunshine. You're so happy you could dance, aren't you!"
Looking at Strange, who had fallen into a frenzy in front of her, Christine did not offer any rebuttal, merely saying faintly, "Goodbye, Stephen."
Then she threw the keys on the table, put on her bag, and turned to leave.
Chapter 153 Pilgrimage
After Christine left, Strange calmed down and looked through the shopping bag Christine had brought.
Soon, Strange saw a medical record lying inside the shopping bag.
Strange immediately opened the medical record and saw the films and diagnostic records about the patient's injuries.
As Strange read deeper, the shock in his heart grew stronger, because the injuries suffered by this construction worker named Jonathan were completely no less than his own.
After going through all the medical records, Strange also found a note left by the Rehabilitation therapist at the end.
"You see, just like I said, all of this is possible."
Strange looked at the medical record in his hand and, for a moment, was filled with new hope for his hands again.
The next day, after packing everything, Strange arrived at a wilderness field under a highway, following the address left on the medical record.
"Jonathan Pangborn, complete spinal cord injury at C7 and C8, complete paralysis of the chest, and the same for both hands."
Jonathan, who had come to the field to drink Water, looked at the Strange stranger in front of him with a puzzled expression and then asked, "Who are you? I'm sorry, I don't know you."
"My name is Stephen Strange, and I am a neurosurgeon, or at least I used to be a neurosurgeon."
Unexpectedly, as soon as Strange finished his self-introduction, Jonathan immediately changed his expression and said, "Hey, don't tell me, I remember now, I know who you are. I wanted to see you back then, but not only were you unwilling to meet me, I couldn't even get past your assistant."
Hearing this, Strange said faintly, "I really couldn't save you at that time."
"You call that backing down from a challenge, don't you?"
After speaking, Jonathan intended to ignore Strange and turned to walk back towards the field.
Seeing this, Strange hurriedly shouted, "You were able to find hope from despair and create your own miracle back then. Now I am also working hard to find that miracle that belongs to me everywhere."
Saying that, Strange extended his already weathered hands from his hoodie pocket.
At this moment, Jonathan also looked at Strange's hands with a shocked expression.
After a moment's thought, Jonathan found a trace of his own despairing appearance in Strange's current state. For a moment, the resentment in his heart towards Strange also slightly lessened, so he walked forward and began to tell Strange about his past experience.
"You know, at that time, I was already at a dead end. My family and I had almost tried every possible method, but it was all in vain. I even thought that only my brain was functioning normally in my entire body, so I thought about letting it do some moderate exercise."
At this point, Jonathan's tone paused slightly.
"I later followed a group of Holy Maidens and learned with them. A large group of strangers carried me up the mountain to meet the Saints. Finally, I met the mentor who changed and saved the rest of my life. My being also entered a new realm, and my Shadow was completely sublimated."
Saying that, Jonathan extended his finger and pointed to his Sun temple.
"And then, I don't know how..."
"Your body recovered."
"Yes, you are absolutely right. Besides these, there are many mysteries there. But at that time, I found that I no longer had enough energy to learn more, and since a miracle had already happened, I decided to leave there."
At this moment, Jonathan also noticed that Strange opposite him was completely dazed, so he smiled knowingly and then said to Strange, "The place you are looking for is called Kamar-Taj, but the cost of going there is very expensive."
"How much?"
"It has nothing to do with money. Good luck to you."
After saying this, Jonathan turned and left, leaving Strange standing alone in a daze.
However, when Strange returned home, although he still believed in his heart that everything Jonathantold him was just an illusory and utterly mythical story, Strange's body instinctively packed all his clothes and contacted the airline to book the earliest flight to Kathmandu, Nepal.
Upon arriving in Kathmandu, Strange looked at the dilapidated streets and gloomy sky in front of him and for a moment doubted whether his trip was worth it.
But at this point, Strange had tried every method, and finding the holy mountain Kamar-Taj was his only chance.
So for the next few days, Strange wandered aimlessly alone through the streets of Kathmandu, asking everyone he met about the whereabouts of Kamar-Taj.
But, as expected, after asking for several days, Strange still found no trace of Kamar-Taj.
Just as Strange was falling into despair, he coincidentally saw a notice board on the side of the street.
"Pilgrimage Journey, Himalayan Healing Method, Find Inner Peace, Discover Your True Self."
Seeing this, Strange recalled the pilgrimage Jonathan had spoken of.
A smile also appeared on Strange's lips at this moment. He knew he had finally found the right place. Then, Strange, who had always advocated science, put on his backpack and began his pilgrimage, following the large group of pilgrims ahead.
But in a place Strange didn't notice, a Shadow hidden beneath a black cloak quietly fixed its gaze on Strange.
This Shadow followed closely behind Strange, observing his every move.
However, Strange was focused solely on his pilgrimage at this moment. Looking at the rows of chimes along the road, Strange couldn't help but reach out his hands to touch them.
The chimes then emitted a series of clear and melodious sounds in the gentle breeze.
Chapter 154 Sanctuary
However, even after Strange walked the entire pilgrimage route, he found no trace of Kamar-Taj.
At this moment, Strange, who was solely focused on the map in his hand, did not notice that he had walked into a secluded, unfrequented corner.
Just then, Strange realized that two thugs with weapons were standing in front of him. Seeing this, Strange immediately wanted to turn around and leave, but two equally fierce thugs were also blocking his escape route from behind.
"Oh, come on, buddy, I don't have a single penny on me right now, only this watch left."
Hearing Strange's words, the leading thug showed no intention of letting Strange go and immediately said, "Then hand over your watch quickly."
With that, the four thugs began to walk towards Strange, surrounding him.
Seeing this, Strange knew that he couldn't escape this calamity today, and resignedly said, "Alright, alright, here you go."
However, despite what Strange said, his body was very honest. Taking advantage of the thugs' inattention, Strange suddenly threw a punch at the leader.
But the next second, Strange felt a tearing pain from his right hand.
Moreover, the thugs disregarded Strange's hand injuries and immediately swarmed him, knocking him to the ground.
Just as Strange was being brutally beaten by the four thugs on the ground, the You-Know-Who who had been trailing Strange to this spot now appeared in this deserted corner.
One of the thugs saw the You-Know-Who and swung the baton in his hand towards the person's face.
But the next instant, the thug was pressed to the ground by the You-Know-Who with a single palm.
Seeing this, the remaining three thugs quickly surrounded the You-Know-Who, but the You-Know-Whowas surprisingly calm at this moment. The You-Know-Who first restrained the hands of the thug who was swinging a weapon, and then lifted a leg and kicked another charging thug to the ground.
At this point, the thug restrained by the You-Know-Who had fallen into a coma due to prolonged suffocation.
In the blink of an eye, only the leader of the thugs remained. After seeing his subordinates being easily dealt with by the You-Know-Who in front of him, he immediately turned and fled.
Seeing this, the You-Know-Who showed no intention of continuing to pursue the thug leader, but gradually approached Strange under his terrified gaze.
At this moment, Strange lay weakly on the ground, looking at the You-Know-Who in front of him, and asked, "Who are you? Are you here to steal my watch too?"
However, the You-Know-Who did not answer Strange's question. The You-Know-Who walked directly past Strange and then went to a thug he had knocked down, picking up Strange's watch.
Then, the You-Know-Who came to Strange, extended a hand, and pulled Strange up from the ground, also returning the watch to Strange.
Looking at the You-Know-Who in front of him, Strange showed a puzzled expression.
Just then, the You-Know-Who took off his hat, revealing his true face, and then asked Strange, "Are you looking for Kamar-Taj?"
Hearing this, Strange showed an excited expression and quickly asked, "Do you know where Kamar-Tajis?"
However, the You-Know-Who did not directly answer Strange's question. He put his hat back on, walked around Strange, and left this corner.
Seeing this, Strange quickly chased after him. A gut feeling told Strange that this person would definitely be able to lead him to Kamar-Taj.
And indeed, that was the case; the You-Know-Who was from Kamar-Taj.
Afterward, Strange silently followed behind the You-Know-Who, and after passing through countless crowds, they re-entered a deserted corner.
Then, the You-Know-Who in front suddenly stopped with Strange in front of a dilapidated wooden door.
Looking at the narrow wooden door, which only allowed one person through at a time, Strange asked the You-Know-Who with suspicion, "Are you sure this is Kamar-Taj? Don't you think that place behind there looks more like it?"
With that, Strange pointed his finger towards a temple on the other side.
After hearing Strange's words, the You-Know-Who, who had been silent the entire way, spoke for the first time.
"Hey, you know, what you just asked, I also asked when I first came here. At that time, I was as impolite as you, but soon you will find that everything you knew in your previous life is not trustworthy here. I'm giving you a suggestion now: after entering this wooden door, you'd best forget everything you once knew."
After saying all this, Strange, at the You-Know-Who's signal, entered through the wooden door together.
Upon entering, Strange understood why the You-Know-Who had said those words, simply because behind that small wooden door was a completely different world.
Looking at the magnificent and grand religious architecture before him, Strange marveled.
After all, as a neurosurgeon who had always lived in a bustling modern city like New York, Strange had never paid attention to such religiously imbued things in his daily life.
At this moment, the You-Know-Who, walking in front, introduced to Strange, "This is Kamar-Taj, the Sanctum of Sorcerer Ancient One, my master."
"Ancient One? Is that her real name?"
At this moment, the You-Know-Who turned around and said to Strange, "Remember what I just said? After entering here, you'd best forget everything you thought you knew."
Hearing this, Strange quickly said, "Alright, sorry."
Just then, Strange saw a person dressed as a Taoist with a full beard sitting in the main hall, flipping through a small booklet at a wooden table.
At this moment, many people ran out from various corners of the hall to help Strange take off his coat and serve him tea and Water.
Chapter 155 Soul Healing
Just then, Strange turned his head and thanked the person sitting in the chair, "Thank you very much, Ancient One..."
But before Strange could finish the latter half of his sentence, the person closed the book in her hand in front of Strange, then stood up and walked directly out of the main hall.
As Strange looked on in surprise, the bald female Sorcerer who had been pouring Water for Strange in front of him took over Strange's words and said, "No need to thank me. You don't need to be so polite here."
Just then, Mihachi, who had been standing behind Strange, also nodded to Ancient One to show his respect, and then said to Strange, "This is Sorcerer Ancient One."
After speaking, Mihachi, having received Ancient One's permission, left the main hall.
After everyone had left the main hall, Ancient One was the first to speak to Strange, "Welcome here, Mr. Strange."
But upon hearing Ancient One's address to him, Strange immediately corrected her, "Excuse me, I am a Doctor. You should call me Dr. Stephen Strange."
Facing Strange's correction, Ancient One calmly said, "But you are no longer a Doctor now, which is why you are here, isn't it? And I also know that you have undergone many surgeries during this time, about seven times, right?"
After saying this, Ancient One walked to the tea table and began to brew tea for herself.
Compared to Ancient One's calmness when stating these things, Strange, on the other hand, seeing Ancient One recount all of his recent experiences in detail, began to believe more and more that this group of people, with their extremely peculiar behaviors and actions, might indeed have a way to help his hands return to their original state.
Looking at Sorcerer Ancient One sitting cross-legged in front of him, Strange immediately got straight to the point and asked, "Did you once help a person named Jonathan to walk again? He was a patient with complete lower body paralysis."
After hearing Strange's words, Ancient One pondered for a moment and then said, "I only provided him with a little help at that time."
After receiving Ancient One's affirmative answer, Strange immediately asked anxiously, "How exactly did you repair his completely damaged C7 and C8 spinal cord segments?"
Upon hearing this, Ancient One calmly dropped a spoonful of tea leaves into the Water, then softly said, "No, you are wrong. It was not I who healed his body at that time. I merely convinced him that he could walk on his own."
At this moment, Strange, after hearing Ancient One's reply, showed a look of disbelief, and then quickly asked, "What do you mean? Do you mean you just gave him a psychological treatment?"
Ancient One had long anticipated Strange's reaction, so she showed no surprise. She then patiently asked Strange, "This is like when you perform a nerve surgery on your patient, is it because you are treating them, or is it because the limbs' autonomous healing is helping the patient?"
"It's the cells."
"But cells will only continue to recover in their own unique and specific ways."
Ancient One's words quickly gained Strange's approval. Seeing this, Ancient One decided to strike while the iron was hot and instill in Strange some things that were beyond ordinary human cognition.
"So, if I can now persuade the cells within your body, then the cells can recover in various forms according to your will."
Upon hearing this, Strange suddenly changed his previous attitude, quickly put down the teacup he was holding onto the coffee table, then came to Ancient One's front and asked in a very excited tone, "Do you mean cell regeneration? You know this is a cutting-edge medical technology in the current World, and this is why you are researching here, because there is no medical association's supervision, is that right?"
"I just want to ask now, how far along are you in your research of this technology?"
"It's going well."
"So, you have found a way to make nerve cells regenerate themselves, right?"
But this time, Ancient One did not give Strange an affirmative answer.
"No, Strange, that's not what I mean. I am currently only thinking about how to better use your soul to help your nerve cells self-repair."
"Soul healing the body?"
"Yes, that's right."
After speaking, Ancient One turned around and began searching for something on a bookshelf nearby.
If it were before his injury, Strange would have scoffed at Ancient One's words, but now this was the last straw Strange could grasp.
After all, Jonathan's body was truly repaired.
No matter how absurd the treatment, Strange was now willing to try.
Immediately, Strange quickly said to Ancient One, "Alright then, where do we start now?"
As she spoke, Ancient One took out a thick ancient book from a nearby bookshelf, then opened a page and placed it in front of Strange. At this moment, Ancient One asked Strange with a half-smile, "Have you seen this drawing in the book?"
To this, Strange simply said, "I often see these kinds of drawings in gift shops."
Ancient One showed no anger at Strange's reply; she had clearly already anticipated Strange's reaction in her mind.
Then Ancient One turned the page again and asked Strange, "What about this one?"
Strange just glanced at the drawing in the book casually and said, "Acupuncture, that's very good!"
Looking at the hand-drawn MRI images in front of him, Strange suddenly felt that Ancient One in front of him was nothing but a charlatan.
At this moment, Ancient One also said, "These hand-drawn images I'm showing you are like a blind man feeling an elephant; you only see the trees, not the forest."
But now, Strange had completely regarded Ancient One as a complete charlatan in his heart, and at this moment, he had long lost his original gentlemanly demeanor.