Watching Fūma vanish into thin air before his eyes, Pierce glanced at the Hydra agents lying motionless on the ground. His emotions churned unpredictably as he subconsciously raised his right hand, flames and lightning coiling around it.
Seeing Pierce's movement, Tony immediately realized that the user of the Weather Memory might be planning to silence them permanently. After all, earlier, when those armed personnel realized they could not rescue their captured comrades upon seeing Tony appear, they had opened fire on their own people without hesitation.
That clearly showed they would never allow their members to fall into the hands of another faction, to avoid any possibility of organizational intelligence being leaked—even if it meant killing their own.
Tony secretly prepared himself, ready to act and stop Pierce if he launched an attack. At the same time, he spoke in a curious, probing tone:
"After being attacked by that guy sent by Foundation X, these people seem to have completely lost their self-awareness. Although they still retain the most basic signs of life, they're basically like vegetables.
"That's really strange. What that ninja-like guy said about 'taking their consciousness'—could it really be that the consciousness of anyone hit by his attacks can actually be extracted by some method?!"
Hearing this, countless thoughts flashed through Pierce's mind. After a moment, he finally dispersed the lightning and flames in his hand and cast a cool glance at Tony.
Then, carried by a gust of wind, he rose into the air. After putting some distance between them, he concealed his presence and disappeared from Tony's sight.
Pierce was indeed extremely curious about the current condition of these Hydra agents. More importantly, he was wary and apprehensive about the consequences of the mysterious rider's strange attacks.
Seeing the fate of these Hydra agents, it was impossible not to consider how he himself should respond if he were to face such an attack.
Thus, compared to killing them outright to destroy all evidence, Pierce was far more interested in understanding exactly what condition these Hydra agents were in now, and whether there was a way to find countermeasures against the rider's attacks.
Naturally, the prerequisite for realizing these thoughts was to conduct thorough and professional examinations on the agents.
With Tony present, it was clearly unrealistic for Pierce alone to take this entire group away smoothly. Moreover, the S.H.I.E.L.D. support team dispatched by Nick Fury was likely to arrive at any moment.
Pierce simply decided to leave these people to S.H.I.E.L.D. Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony truly found a way to awaken them, with Hydra's influence embedded within S.H.I.E.L.D., the organization would definitely receive the information immediately.
At that point, it would not be too late to respond.
Watching Pierce vanish before his eyes, Tony let out a slight sigh of relief. The power of this Weather Memory user was indeed terrifying—practically a humanoid, mobile natural disaster, and a fusion of several different types of calamities at that. Tony's current strength was still insufficient to confront him head-on.
"It looks like I'll need to manufacture more Iron Man armor modules and keep them on standby to further unleash the power of the Machine Memory. A mech improvised on the spot is hard to deal with truly formidable opponents.
"Maybe I could build mechanical components mounted on satellites and deploy them at any time. That way, no matter where I am, I can receive those components and fully utilize the Machine Memory's power."
Temporarily setting aside his ideas about designing satellites and mechanical deployment systems, Tony landed on the ground and carefully examined the unconscious Hydra agents.
So Foundation X had also mastered the methods for manufacturing and using Player Drivers with Game Cartridges?
"JARVIS," Tony frowned slightly. These people looked as if they were merely asleep.
"Sir, the situation is somewhat strange," JARVIS replied after scanning them, his voice carrying a human-like note of confusion.
"Based on brain activity, cellular responses, neural signals, and organ function, they are indistinguishable from medically defined vegetative states.
"However, weak traces of the Bugster Virus can be detected within their bodies."
JARVIS displayed bioelectrical scans of the human bodies before Tony.
Tony narrowed his eyes. "The Bugster Virus hasn't erupted inside their bodies at all? There's no sign of it eroding them?"
"Correct. This differs from all previously observed Bugster Virus cases."
A glint of interest appeared in Tony's eyes. "That really is fascinating—extremely valuable for research."
He casually picked up one Hydra agent, preparing to take him back to his lab for further study. As for the rest, he would leave them to Nick Fury to handle.
Not long after Tony left, the S.H.I.E.L.D. support agents arrived and transported all the unconscious Hydra agents back to a S.H.I.E.L.D. base.
New York Elders' Council Hospital
Victor Shaw hurried toward the intensive care unit.
"Mr. Shaw, don't worry. Your daughter's condition is relatively stable. There's been no deterioration," a nurse outside the ICU greeted him.
Victor Shaw nodded distractedly and hurried into the ward.
Looking at his daughter lying asleep on the hospital bed—completely unable to move due to ALS—his eyes filled with pain and heartache.
"Emily, don't worry. One day, Dad will definitely restore your body to full health so you can run freely again, no matter what the cost," Victor Shaw said firmly. "Until then, you can live freely in the virtual world, without having to endure the torment of ALS in reality."
With that, he took a Bugvisor out from his coat. His gaze flickered with hesitation.
"Relax. My game design will absolutely not have any problems. Your daughter won't suffer any harm," a cute cartoon avatar appeared within the Bugvisor and spoke.
Victor Shaw nodded and pressed the button on the Bugvisor. Points of light scattered over seven-year-old Xiao Xinyue's body.
"What's Emily's current condition? Can I take a look?" Victor Shaw asked anxiously.
The cartoon avatar smiled. "Of course."
As it spoke, the scene from the virtual world was projected onto a screen before Victor Shaw. Emily was participating in her long-dreamed-of school sports day, running freely and joyfully across the field.
Seeing the genuine smile on his daughter's face on the screen, Victor Shaw's nose twitched. He raised a hand and wiped the corner of his eye.
"What do I need to do for you to truly and completely cure Emily?" Xiao Feng asked with unwavering resolve, gripping the Kamen Rider Fūma Hurricane Ninja Game Gashat in his hand. Even if it meant making a deal with the devil—as long as it could…
"Why does that sound like we're some kind of irredeemable villains?" Dan Kuroto's voice came through the cartoon avatar. "Foundation X has never existed to create destruction. We merely seek to explore the true mysteries of the universe—and the Bugster Virus is one of them."
Victor Shaw shrugged indifferently. He didn't really care about that
"All right. More precisely, what you need to do is use the Game Cartridges and Player Drivers provided by the Foundation to ensure the smooth progress of the Bugster Virus–related plans.
"By developing the deeper layers of the Bugster Virus's power, you'll then be able to cure your daughter's terminal illness," Dan Kuroto clarified the logic for him.
Victor Shaw paused for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."
Whether this mysterious figure's words were true or not, Victor Shaw could only place his final hope in the unfathomable Foundation X.
After all, he had personally experienced the miraculous power of the Game Cartridges and Player Drivers. Such unbelievable power should be able to cure his daughter's ALS.
Victor Shaw thought so—and desperately hoped it would be so.
Because this was his last hope.
(End of Chapter)