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Chapter 492 - Chapter 492: Treasury

[Quentin Beck rapidly scanned the area through his drone's advanced surveillance cameras and spotted his targets, "There they are! I found you!"]

[Two heavily armed combat drones immediately adjusted their flight paths and streaked toward MJ's group with lethal intent.]

[Happy led the terrified group in a desperate sprint across the bridge, "Run! Get to the Crown Jewels vault! Move it! Move it!"]

[Two members of the elite British Royal Guard opened fire on the incoming drones with their military-grade submachine guns, their disciplined training allowing them to successfully destroy one of the attacking units in a spectacular explosion.]

["GO! Get inside the vault immediately! The vault walls are reinforced with 8 feet of solid steel and concrete! Get inside! Now!"]

[Before Happy could finish his urgent instructions, the remaining drone began firing indiscriminately in all directions, causing everyone to scream in terror as they ducked low and sprinted toward the safety of the treasury.]

["Everyone find cover immediately!!!" Happy knew they couldn't outrun high-velocity drone ammunition, so he shouted desperately as the group quickly scattered and dove behind display cases and pillars for protection.]

[The damaged drone that had been riddled with bullets by the Royal Guards rotated slowly in the air, scanning for human targets, but detected no movement and momentarily hovered in place.]

[Quentin Beck monitored the tactical situation through the compact computer interface on his wrist as the drone began a methodical search pattern to locate their hiding positions.]

[MJ breathed heavily from their frantic escape, then noticed the collection of antique weapons displayed throughout the treasury, and a dangerously bold idea formed in her mind.]

["Watch this!" She slowly extended her hand toward a medieval mace. Happy spotted her movement and quickly whispered with alarm, "NO! Don't do anything reckless!"]

[But MJ had never been the type to wait passively for rescue or death. She firmly grasped the ornate mace and pulled it from the armored dummy's gauntleted hand. The unexpected weight of the ancient weapon caught her completely off guard since she had never handled any kind of weapon before, and she nearly dropped it onto the stone floor.]

[Both Ned and Happy were startled by her dangerous gambit, but fortunately the heavy metal head didn't strike the ground and create noise that would reveal their position.]

[However, Quentin Beck still noticed the missing medieval weapon from the display, "I can see you hiding there!"]

[He immediately directed his surveillance drone toward MJ's exact location. Flash still foolishly wanted to record video footage with his phone at this critical moment, but Happy grabbed his wrist firmly and hissed, "Put that thing away immediately!!!"]

[Just as the armed drone was about to reach MJ's hiding spot, Ned and Betty coordinated their efforts on the opposite side and used a long-handled medieval halberd to topple over a full suit of armor.]

[The loud crash of the metal armor striking the stone floor immediately attracted the drone's targeting system, and a devastating barrage of bullets struck the fallen dummy's steel breastplate in an explosive shower of sparks.]

[MJ seized this perfect opportunity to attack from behind, raising the heavy mace above her head and bringing it down with all her strength, smashing the drone's delicate electronics and sending it crashing to the floor.]

["Everyone up! GO! Stay low and run!!!" After her successful attack, she yelled to the others and immediately started sprinting toward the vault's entrance.]

[Happy grabbed a nearby ceremonial shield from a wall display and followed the group as they rushed to take shelter in the reinforced treasury vault.]

[The damaged drone that had crashed to the floor began firing wildly in all directions, and priceless historical artifacts throughout the treasury were destroyed beyond recognition in the chaotic gunfire.]

[Ned pulled desperately on the massive vault door while Happy hurled the shield in his hand, but it flew harmlessly past its intended target and clattered uselessly to the floor.]

[He complained with obvious frustration, "How the hell does the Captain make that look so easy?" Then he slammed the heavy vault door shut just as the drone's bullets began striking the reinforced steel barrier.]

[The massive door was far too thick and heavily reinforced for ordinary ammunition to penetrate in any reasonable timeframe. Quentin Beck scowled when he observed this defensive success and commanded his drone to deploy a high-powered laser cutting device to slice through the vault door with concentrated energy beams.]

Watching Happy's failed attempt at shield throwing, Captain America covered his face with embarrassment. He knew perfectly well that he had practiced for countless hours over many months to master the precise technique of throwing his shield effectively. If Happy thought he could just casually replicate that skill without training, that was seriously underestimating the complexity of the ability.

Pepper Potts covered her mouth and chuckled softly at the scene, then remembered 3rd Gen Spider-Man's pointed comment to Happy about him and Aunt May, which made her laugh even more audibly at Happy's obvious discomfort.

Happy shifted his weight and stared down at his shoes with visible embarrassment.

The genuine Mysterio glanced thoughtfully at Captain America. They were currently gathered in a secure S.H.I.E.L.D. conference room. Due to the elaborate criminal deceptions perpetrated by the fraudulent Quentin Beck shown on the sky curtain broadcasts, Tony and the entire team maintained a healthy skepticism about trusting this dimensional newcomer.

But the real Mysterio could completely understand their cautious approach to his presence. He had already repeated his extraordinary origin story that he had initially told Tony, presenting it now to Director Nick Fury and the assembled team, and had demonstrated his genuine supernatural abilities to provide concrete proof that he was not another charlatan.

Director Fury squinted his eyes and carefully considered the authenticity of Mysterio's claims. They didn't doubt whether the sky curtain possessed the power to transport people between dimensions – what concerned them was whether this mysterious visitor harbored hidden ulterior motives.

The genuine Mysterio's immediate agenda was refreshingly simple: locate the identity-stealing impostor and deliver a thorough beating. He honestly hadn't yet formulated any long-term plans for his situation, considering that he had only arrived in this dimension a few hours earlier.

Director Nick Fury couldn't bring himself to completely trust this dimensional Mysterio, but he certainly didn't object to the man causing serious problems for the fraudulent liar. Therefore, with Nick Fury's official authorization and assistance, the genuine Quentin Beck was transported to the advanced S.W.O.R.D. facility for further evaluation and potential cooperation.

[Meanwhile, on Tower Bridge, Spider-Man continued his desperate struggle for survival against the relentless drone pursuit. He took cover behind an abandoned vehicle and urgently called out, "Happy! Happy! Please respond immediately!"]

["I'm here! I'm here!" After successfully reaching the safety of the reinforced vault, Happy finally had a secure moment to respond to Spider-Man's frantic communication.]

["Happy! Thank God you're still alive!" Hearing his mentor's reassuring voice, 3rd Gen Spider-Man felt overwhelming relief wash over him.]

[Happy observed the high-powered laser beam that was steadily cutting through the thick metal door, his expression growing increasingly grave, "We can hold out here for a while longer! But not indefinitely!"]

["I can't get anywhere near Beck's position! There are way too many drones surrounding him!" 3rd Gen Spider-Man explained as he attached web-lines to the vehicle's undercarriage and fired silk upward, using his enhanced strength to lift the entire car above his head.]

[Seven or eight pursuit drones immediately converged on the airborne vehicle and opened fire with continuous streams of ammunition from their elevated positions.]

[When the car reached optimal height, the agile Spider-Man released his web-lines and used both feet to kick the vehicle with tremendous force, sending it plummeting downward to crush and destroy all the drones positioned below in a spectacular collision.]

[However, dozens more drones immediately swarmed to replace the destroyed units. Observing his inability to eliminate Spider-Man, Quentin Beck grew increasingly desperate and furious. "Deploy additional sonic attack drones! I want him dead!!!"]

[Spider-Man swung on his web-lines to reach the rooftop on the opposite side of the bridge. Quentin Beck tracked his location through E.D.I.T.H.'s surveillance network, "Target acquired and locked!"]

[Beck realized that conventional bullets alone would be insufficient to defeat Spider-Man's enhanced reflexes and spider-sense, so he switched to incendiary attack mode. Dozens of flame-throwing drones positioned themselves directly in front of Spider-Man and began spraying torrents of fire at his position.]

["Ahhh!" Although the agile Spider-Man reacted with lightning speed and immediately began evasive maneuvers, he was still caught by the edge of the flame attack. Fire spread across his back, but fortunately it didn't affect his ability to shoot web-lines and maintain mobility.]

[He swung desperately through the air on his web-lines while guided missiles continuously exploded around his position, the powerful shock waves making it nearly impossible for him to maintain stable flight control.]

[Although he managed to fire web-lines and swing away from immediate danger, the pursuing drones stayed dangerously close to his position, preventing him from properly adjusting his body alignment, which resulted in a painful collision with a bridge railing.]

[Fortunately, 3rd Gen Spider-Man maintained his composure even in this life-threatening situation. Despite his body spinning wildly out of control, he still managed to accurately fire web-lines while airborne, creating a web barrier that intercepted several pursuing drones and caused them to collide with following units that couldn't maneuver around the obstacles, triggering a chain reaction of explosions.]

[In a final desperate maneuver, Spider-Man fired web-lines at the last possible moment, allowing him to glide across the Thames River's surface for a considerable distance, which successfully extinguished the flames burning on his suit.]

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