"An abnormal energy fluctuation has appeared in the Tesseract inside Nick Fury's secret base?"
Inside the president's office of the Genm Game Company, Dan Kuroto was the first to sense the subtle anomaly coming from the Tesseract.
"In that case, it should be the Chitauri attempting to open a portal and transport Loki to Earth."
"So it's finally time for the Chitauri invasion of New York storyline. That means Loki will soon arrive on Earth with the scepter embedded with the Mind Stone."
Dan Kuroto's tone carried a faint trace of excitement. Once the Mind Stone was brought to Earth, it would essentially be impossible for it to escape his grasp.
"Should we directly seize the Mind Stone from Loki?" Azu suggested eagerly.
Dan Kuroto chuckled softly and shook his head.
"No rush. As long as Loki truly brings the Mind Stone to Earth, it's already mine.
It's rare to have such a grand stage. I've already planned several interconnected, thrilling storylines—of course I want this game to play out smoothly until the very end."
"Besides, it seems the Chitauri need some time to remotely manipulate the Tesseract's power to open the portal. Before the main script officially begins, there's still a bit of time."
"Now that Steve has already mastered the power of four forms, it's time to go a step further."
"Perfect timing to let Kuuga obtain the enhancement of the Rising Form before that happens…"
Dan Kuroto said meaningfully.
Meanwhile…
"According to the intelligence we've gathered, there have been multiple cases of civilians dying from spore poisoning on the streets of New York."
Coulson walked into the training room with a tablet in hand and spoke to Steve.
"The NYPD examined the bodies and discovered that the toxin inside them is unprecedentedly potent and bizarre."
Steve frowned.
"You suspect this was done by a new Gurongi?"
Coulson nodded.
"Very likely. So many civilians suddenly dying from poisoning, and the fungal spore toxin is extremely unusual—there's no source for it anywhere in nature."
Steve's gaze darkened. He gave a slight nod, acknowledging Coulson's assessment.
After learning the distribution of the victims, Steve immediately set out with Kent to search for the Gurongi that might be carrying out a killing game.
On a secluded street in Brooklyn.
The Mushroom Gurongi wrapped its arms around a target and sprayed lethal spore toxins directly into the victim's mouth and nose.
"Let that man go!"
Steve shouted angrily as he arrived on his motorcycle and saw a civilian being attacked.
Startled, the Mushroom Gurongi released the passerby it was holding.
The civilian collapsed limply to the ground, convulsed a few times, and then fell completely still.
"Damn it."
After transforming into Kuuga, Steve's perception—dozens of times sharper than a normal human's—clearly told him that the victim's chest was no longer rising. Heartbeat and breathing had completely stopped.
Furious, Steve charged straight toward the Gurongi, ready to fight.
The Mushroom Gurongi glanced at the enraged Steve rushing toward it and immediately turned around and ran without hesitation.
This caused Steve to momentarily freeze.
After eliminating so many Gurongi, he had never encountered one that didn't even dare to fight and chose to flee the instant they met.
But Steve quickly snapped back to his senses and kept moving.
No matter the circumstances, a Gurongi that kills humans must be destroyed.
"Kent, try using electric shocks to see if you can restore the victim's heartbeat. I'll chase this guy," Steve said quickly before pursuing the fleeing Mushroom Gurongi.
While moving, Steve switched into Dragon Form, and before long, he caught up to it.
"A trap?"
"Or does it know it can't escape and decided to gamble everything?"
Steve looked at the Mushroom Gurongi, which had stopped running and was waiting in place, and silently speculated.
But even if there was a scheme, Steve believed he could handle it.
Gurongi always acted alone, so setting up ambushes or traps was practically impossible.
And judging from the fact that this Gurongi ran at the first sight of him, its frontal combat ability was likely weak—relying more on poison.
Steve had already seen how this Mushroom Gurongi killed people. With proper precautions, he believed he wouldn't fall for it.
So Steve directly tested it with a straightforward strike.
The Mushroom Gurongi was struck head-on by the Dragon Rod, and burn-like wounds appeared on its body, as if scorched by fire.
Seeing the Gurongi's miserable state, Steve slightly lowered his guard. He began gathering strength with both hands, preparing to press the advantage and finish it in one go.
At that moment, the Mushroom Gurongi's eyes flashed with sharp light. It opened its mouth and spewed out a violent cloud of smoke.
Steve's heart skipped.
He instantly realized why the Mushroom Gurongi had fled into this narrow, enclosed alley—it was to prevent him from easily dispersing the smoke.
Although Steve swung the Dragon Rod with all his might the moment it happened, the cramped environment left him nowhere to dodge.
He was completely engulfed by the smoke.
His body immediately felt numb and weak, as if he couldn't exert strength.
The Mushroom Gurongi seized the opportunity, lunged forward, and sprayed lethal poison directly into Steve's mouth and nose.
Steve shoved the Gurongi away and staggered back several steps.
From his throat down to his internal organs and lungs, an intense and sudden pain exploded. He could barely stand, forcing himself to brace against the ground with the Azure Dragon Staff.
The smoke released by the Mushroom Gurongi had no real killing power—its sole function was short-term paralysis.
But its effect was extremely strong.
Steve couldn't move properly for a moment and was caught off guard, allowing the deadly poison to be injected through his mouth and nose.
"Hahaha! Kuuga, you've been poisoned by my deadly toxin. It must be incredibly painful right now!"
The Mushroom Gurongi laughed triumphantly as it watched Steve trembling uncontrollably.
"Kuuga, who defeated so many warriors, dying by my hands will definitely earn me a huge number of points!"
"If this continues, I'm really in serious trouble!"
Feeling the violent toxin surging inside his body, Steve immediately resolved to take the Gurongi down with him.
Gritting his teeth and forcibly suppressing the poison, he took advantage of the Mushroom Gurongi's smug moment and hurled the Azure Dragon Staff—fully infused with sealing energy—straight at it.
The strike landed squarely.
Clang.
After hitting the Gurongi, the Dragon Rod—having left Steve's hands—reverted back into the shield and fell to the ground.
However, all the sealing energy it contained surged completely into the Mushroom Gurongi's body.
"How could this happen?!"
The Mushroom Gurongi shouted unwillingly at Steve.
The sealing glyph formed.
A violent explosion erupted from the Mushroom Gurongi, devastating the surroundings and blasting Steve—who had nearly lost all ability to move—away as well.
At last, Steve could no longer suppress the poison.
He reverted to White Growing Form, clutching his throat as he collapsed onto the ground.
At that moment, Kent arrived after confirming that the civilian had completely died. Seeing Kuuga in his Growing form lying on the ground in agony, he immediately realized something was terribly wrong.
"Captain, what happened to you?!" Kent asked anxiously.
(End of Chapter)