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Arthur stood there in a daze for a long while. It wasn't until Brock called out to him that he snapped out of it.
"What's wrong with you?" Brock looked at Arthur, a bit confused. "I thought only we regular folks spaced out like that."
"You've got to understand, every so-called superhero, behind all the masks and powers, is just an ordinary person."
Arthur raised his brows, then let out a soft sigh. "It's nothing. Just… there's something that I know I can't avoid anymore. It needs a resolution."
Steve seeing Bucky, that in itself was always a possibility. But in their current situation, it might be the worst possible outcome.
If Steve actually talks to Bucky, he's bound to recognize him. And then… what happens next is almost too dangerous to even imagine.
So it couldn't be delayed any longer.
But still, they needed a damn turning point, something that would make the situation a little more palatable. Arthur could only hope that things wouldn't spiral out of his control.
With another helpless sigh, Arthur shook his head and led Brock down to Sublevel Two.
There, the Mandarin was leaning lazily against the wall, counting the days, likely reminiscing over how his life had taken such a nosedive to end up like this.
When he saw Arthur, he rolled his eyes, probably remembering the trauma of being "ruled" by Arthur's cooking. Instantly, he shut his eyes tight again.
"Long time no see," Arthur greeted him.
In response, the Mandarin began snoring.
"Am I seeing things?" Brock asked. "Didn't he have his eyes open just a second ago? What kind of person falls asleep in one second?"
"Someone pretending to sleep," Arthur replied promptly. Then he added, "Don't worry, I didn't come here to cook for you. I know you must miss it deeply, but today, I brought you a new neighbor instead."
The Mandarin's snoring only got louder.
Arthur remembered a saying, you can't wake someone who's pretending to sleep.
Honestly, he always thought that saying was flawed. If someone's pretending, just pour water on them, there's no such thing as someone you can't wake. The only people who truly can't be woken… are the dead!
Arthur unlocked the cell door next to the Mandarin and tossed Treis inside.
The moment Treis landed, he started rolling around on the floor, crawling everywhere in disarray.
He was super dizzy.
He wanted to puke but just couldn't. His eyes were bloodshot, tongue sticking out, veins bulging on his forehead. Eventually, he collapsed, limp and helpless, suffering through the torture of a spinning world.
"I know this guy!" Brock recognized him instantly, the same guy who had been chasing him all over, across the skies and under the earth.
Even Venom piped up in Brock's head: "This guy is a bad person. Can I eat him?"
"No," Arthur replied flatly. "Though honestly, I'd rather let you eat the guy next door."
The Mandarin opened one eye and instinctively shrank back. What's with all this talk about eating? So disturbing…
Arthur crouched down in front of Treis and gave him a faint smile.
"How are you feeling?"
"This…" Treis barely got a word out before his eyes rolled back in his head and he started thrashing on the floor again.
Even though he was already lying on the ground… Even though he shouldn't still be dizzy… Why did it still feel like the whole world was spinning?
What exactly had he just gone through?
"To put it simply, this is a private prison," Arthur said with a gentle, almost understanding tone."But I should tell you upfront, this place doesn't have a license, and it has zero connection to any official authority. So even if you die here, as long as this place remains undiscovered, your corpse won't be found by the outside world."
"You used to have more neighbors, actually. But unfortunately, after a certain incident, they were all transferred elsewhere. So now, you only have one neighbor, the guy in the next cell. He's a total maniac. If you want to ask him for help, I won't stop you."
Arthur smiled.
"Just be prepared to pay the price for that kind of help. As for why I brought you here, of course, I have my reasons. But for now, I think you can just rot for a day or two. Once you've adjusted to the environment, we'll have a nice long chat. How's that sound?"
Clearly, this wasn't a question meant to be answered. Arthur stood up, patted Brock on the shoulder, and added, mostly to Venom: "This big bald guy… if you eat him, you'll go bald too. Let's go."
Brock followed Arthur out of the cell, still dazed. As the heavy metal doors slammed shut behind them, Arthur glanced over at the Mandarin, then smiled lightly:
"To be honest, I should've sent you away a long time ago. The only reason I didn't, is that no matter where I send you, if you come into contact with people, you're bound to find a way to escape. And that's something I absolutely cannot allow."
Suddenly, the Mandarin opened both eyes.
"You can't lock me up forever. What, you think putting someone in the next cell will make me talk? If so, that's laughable."
Arthur tilted his head, amused.
"Seems like you don't realize your value has already expired."
Hearing this, Mandarin's expression shifted, suspicious and uneasy.
Arthur slowly lifted a hand. Flames, lightning, and all kinds of elemental energy burst forth in a brilliant display from his palm.
Brock stared, stunned. Mandarin was no different.
"Impossible…" Mandarin muttered.
"In this world, nothing is impossible," Arthur said calmly. "And as for you, remember this: if I wanted you dead, you'd already be gone. The only reason you're still breathing… is because I'm just too kindhearted."
With that, he turned and began walking away with Brock. As they ascended, Arthur said to Venom with a chuckle: "That guy's meat probably isn't even good. Too old. Too dry. Give it a couple of days, I'll take you out to space to eat ribs. Ever had red ribs before? I guarantee they'll be delicious."
As the heavy doors to Sublevel Two slowly closed, the Mandarin remained alone in his cell… For a moment, it felt like something vital had been ripped away from him.
Though Arthur had previously shown hints of power, this time it was complete, the full ability set of all ten rings… now completely in Arthur's grasp.
How?!
What method had he used?
Where were the rings now?
These questions echoed in the Mandarin's mind like a curse, refusing to go away. His eyes grew darker… and more dangerous.