## Chapter 283: Resolution of the Real Big Trouble
Tony Stark's Nanotech Armor separated into three circular shield-shaped laser emitters, hovering in front of him. The rows of energy storage units on the emitters lit up at a visible speed, aimed at the Angel and Black Flood Dragon entangled below!
"Mr. Stark, this Black Flood Dragon is our Boss's pet!"
A voice connected to Tony Stark's communication channel at this moment. Before the voice in the communication channel finished, a massive Helicarrier deactivated its stealth mode and appeared above Leon Base.
Frank took the lead, leaping down with over a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents on Dark Magic Skateboards, quickly arriving beside Tony Stark.
"Black Flood Dragon?! Seriously?"
Tony Stark repeated the awkward term, silently instructing J.A.R.V.I.S. to perform information retrieval.
"Jiao, a type of Dragon. Pond fish, when numbering 3,600, a Jiao comes to be their leader, capable of leading fish to fly and place them in bamboo traps in the water, then the Jiao leaves."
"Jiao resembles a snake with four feet, a type of Dragonkin."
"A female Dragon is called Jiao!"
J.A.R.V.I.S. quickly gathered the retrieved data and presented it to Tony Stark, providing a written translation into English that Tony Stark could understand.
"In Eastern Legend, a giant python with four feet and a single horn. Legend says its size can change at will, and it possesses the ability to control wind and rain. In Eastern Mythology, it is the ruler of the Underwater World!"
Tony Stark looked down through the panel of his Iron Suit, just in time to see Xiao Hei's increasingly swelling body. The python body wrapped around the White Light Entity, which was originally as thick as a water tank, expanded to the width of a car. The large mouth, resembling a Giant Snake's, opened wide, full of Fangs, like an abyssal black hole, swallowing the upper half of the White Light Entity in one gulp.
The pure white radiance emanating from the white Angelic phantom was continuously dyed mottled under the Black Flood Dragon's black breath.
The Giant Black Flood Dragon kept making swallowing motions. The pure white Angelic phantom struggled forcefully, but the Black Flood Dragon continuously spat out Black Venom from its mouth.
In the toxic mist, the Angelic phantom was corroded and riddled with holes, quickly being devoured by the Black Flood Dragon, with only a pair of legs left flailing outside. Tony Stark saw the entity constantly struggling, and the disgusting scene made him frown repeatedly. This scene reminded him of hunting on a rural Manor when he was a child and seeing a snake swallow a field mouse. The sight of the field mouse struggling in the snake's mouth gave him nightmares for several days. Regarding creatures like snakes, he believed not many people would like them. If he hadn't just learned that this Black Snake was an ally, just based on the appearance of the Black Snake and this Angelic phantom, and the current scene of the Giant Black Flood Dragon devouring the Angel, Tony Stark would have already blasted a volley of missiles at the Black Snake.
"This is Tang's pet?"
Tony Stark suppressed the discomfort in his heart, turned his head, and looked at Frank. "It seems your Boss is very fond of these strange creatures. It appears the rumors online about your Tang Group smuggling rare animals are not groundless!"
Frank heard Tony Stark's sarcasm and responded calmly, "If I remember correctly, there have also been widespread rumors online recently that Stark Industries intends to re-enter the Arms Market. I presume Mr. Stark doesn't have such an idea?!"
Tony Stark frowned slightly and didn't bother with Frank anymore.
Currently, Stark Industries has a strategic cooperation relationship with Tang Group in the energy sector. The two parties have jointly monopolized more than half of the Western world's clean energy.
Therefore, in this wave of public opinion attacks, not only was the Tang Group slandered, but Stark Industries and Oscorp were also not spared.
Oscorp's alleged human experimentation incident from years ago was brought up again, while Stark Industries was smeared with the claim that it intended to re-enter the military industry and return to the Arms Market.
Tony's feelings towards Tang Song were subtle. He vaguely sensed that many things that had happened in recent years, including the State Guest House Terrorist Attack Incident, the death of Nick Fury, and even the recent Giant Snake Attack on Tokyo Incident, had the shadow of the Tang Group behind them.
The reason he had been working hard to develop an anti-Tang Song suit was that he felt Tang Song was the mastermind behind many incidents.
After the Tokyo Snake Disaster, he used J.A.R.V.I.S. to secretly investigate the Tang Group.
Tony discovered that in recent years, the Tang Group under Tang Song's control had been using charity to launder its image.
In two years, the funds Tang Song had donated amounted to ten digits, dedicated to education-based poverty alleviation and medical services in poor countries, and addressing food issues in some poor countries in East Africa.
The United Nations even nominated him as a World Peace Ambassador last year.
If this could still be considered putting on a show, Tony Stark's investigation found that since Tang Song took control of the Federal Underworld, the murder rate within the Federation territory had dropped by eighty percent.
Industries like human trafficking and organ smuggling were subjected to violent crackdowns.
Between black market pillar industries such as smuggling, money laundering, counterfeit money, drugs, theft, robbery, hitmen, etc., the vicious competition and violent incidents caused by vying for business in previous years had decreased by seventy percent.
Yes, in some places, even some Thugs collecting protection money had become much gentler. After robbing your wallet, they wouldn't casually shoot you anymore.
Conversely, the crime clearance rate announced by the Police Station had been rising year after year.
This was naturally not due to an improvement in the quality of the Federal Police and State Police who only knew how to shrink in their police cars eating hamburgers and french fries.
Tony Stark had once hacked into a Police Station in a Los Angeles Street Block and retrieved the surveillance footage from that station.
He found that when the Police Station received a troublesome complaint or was pressured by the City Government for a higher crime clearance rate, they didn't need to waste a large amount of police force; a single phone call would bring a Street Block manager to resolve the issue.
Clearly, the Underworld, driven by certain forces, had formed a certain unspoken order. This order was like a giant spiderweb, gradually enveloping the entire Federal Underworld.
Compared to the chaotic and disorderly Underworld of the past, Tony Stark couldn't say whether this change was good or bad, but it was clear that this change was inseparable from the former Emperor of the Underworld, Tang Song, and his Tang Group.
During this period of investigation, Tony Stark had acquired a lot of criminal evidence against the Tang Group.
Smuggling, government-business collusion, malicious stock manipulation, and even the secret accounts the Tang Group opened for those High-Level Political Figures in the Swiss Bank.
However, this evidence was clearly not what Tony wanted. In any country, when a large interest group rises, as a certain Wang-surnamed real estate developer said, some tea money must be given.
Any large corporate group in the world, including his Stark Industries, if thoroughly investigated, would not have a clean record.
Based on what Tony Stark himself knew, when contracting Federal arms orders in the past, Stark Industries' Public Relations Department spent as much as eight digits in money annually, not including some small gifts.
What he had found was simply not enough to bring down the Tang Group. Tony Stark was looking for evidence linking the Tang Group to the several major terrorist attack incidents of recent years.
Although he was only guessing, by carefully studying the beneficiaries after these incidents erupted, he could see Tang Song's figure among them.
After the State Guest House Terrorist Attack Incident, former President Francis Underwood successfully rose to power.
Tang Song's Bodyguard named Kane, under military control by the President, leaped to become the Director of the Secret Service, although it was only for a short three months.
But it was during Francis Underwood's term that the Tang Group not only received large orders from the Federal Military but also took advantage of the chaos caused by the deaths of the Heads of several consortiums during the State Guest House attack to expand aggressively.
Tang Song himself even became a Federal Congressman.
He had originally planned to thoroughly investigate this former President, taking advantage of Francis Underwood's failure to be re-elected in this presidential election.
However, an inexplicable plane crash incident caused this former President and forty-seven passengers on a Boeing Aircraft to disappear without a trace.
His investigation had reached a stalemate.
Before he investigated Tang Song, Former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury had his Most Capable Subordinate investigate an energy smuggling incident involving the Tang Group.
As a result, this man, known as Humanity's Strongest Agent, died from assassination by his most trusted subordinate. Hawkeye, while investigating Natasha Romanoff's whereabouts, triggered the Mount Fuji volcanic eruption in Japan, awakening the Yamata no Orochi, ultimately causing the Tokyo Snake Disaster that shocked the entire world. Even the Captain died in the snake's mouth.
And both the Captain and Agent Coulson were investigating Tang Song and his Tang Group before their deaths. According to Agent Coulson, they had found a Counterfeit Manufacturing Den belonging to the Tang Group in Detroit.
The scale of counterfeit money flowing from this den to the entire world annually could reach hundreds of billions of US dollars.
After their deaths, these investigations also came to an abrupt end.
Even Tang Song's former subordinate brazenly transformed and became the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D..
The implications of all this were self-evident.
Tony Stark looked at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents around him, stepping on Hoverboards and wearing the Black Hundred Eagle Emblem on their chests, and for a moment, he couldn't distinguish whether these people were Security Personnel of the Tang Group or employees of the Federal Government.
"I hope the Winter Soldier gets some information soon!"
A hint of gloom flashed in Tony Stark's eyes.
Inside Leon Base, seeing the Guardian Giant Snake about to devour the invading Angel, the alert personnel in the base couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
One must know that in Low Earth Orbit in Outer Space, there were over twenty orbital satellites aimed at this location. How many space-based weapons these satellites carried was unknown to anyone except the High-Level Government Officials of the countries they belonged to.
The security and defense personnel in the base truly didn't dare to gamble whether, if the Cosmic Cube and Space Gate were in danger, those High-Level Government Officials would think about leaving them evacuation time before pressing the launch button for the space-based weapons.
Just as everyone's tense hearts finally relaxed, an Angelic hymn suddenly resounded throughout the base. A Passage opened out of thin air in the Void Space. Inside the Passage, countless Angelic phantoms could be vaguely seen flickering, like petals. Angels surrounded a handsome Angel holding a longsword. This Angel looked through the Passage and saw the entity of light and shadow in the Giant Snake's mouth. Infinite rage erupted from its eyes, and the hundreds of wings behind it spread open.
A thick Holy Light Pillar projected from within the Passage, shining directly into Xiao Hei's half-open mouth.
Michael's Sacred Soul, which had been completely still under the erosion of Xiao Hei's Snake Venom, immediately condensed into a giant light cocoon under the illumination of its main body's Holy Light Pillar. Then, in the eyes of outsiders, a blinding white light shot out from the Giant Black Flood Dragon's snake mouth.
Within the white light, a handsome Angelic phantom pushed open the Black Flood Dragon's throat with both arms, stepping out step by step on Holy Light.
It was like the scene of an Angel subduing an ancient snake recorded in the myths and legends of the Bible, leaving everyone in the base dumbfounded. Some followers of Catholicism and Christianity even muttered prayers and made the sign of the cross on their chests.
Xiao Hei's snake mouth was violently forced open by the "person" from inside. Transparent venom dripped from its poison fangs onto the Ground, immediately corroding the metal ground of the base into pits.
Seeing the fat meat about to escape from its mouth, a hint of cruelty flashed in Xiao Hei's golden vertical pupils.
It forcefully shook its head, biting down hard with its sharp fangs, which were comparable to normal magic tools. At the same time, the black profound light on its scales continuously drew in the surrounding water vapor. Soon, all the water vapor within a thirty-mile radius of the base was drawn in, condensing into a black cloud mist around its entire body.
The huge Black Flood Dragon body shuttled through the cloud mist, like a True Dragon from Eastern Mythology.
Dragon from clouds, tiger generates wind. With the enhancement of water vapor, Xiao Hei, using its powerful physical body and the ability to control water flow and cloud qi, mobilized all the energy in its entire body to chew on the tough nut to crack emitting white light in its mouth.
Just as the two were in a stalemate,
Frank, stepping on his Dark Magic Skateboard, arrived beside Xiao Hei. Several streaks of cyan streaking light flew out from his hands, transforming into several coffin nails covered in mottled bronze rust.
These coffin nails were driven into the Sole of the Foot of the struggling Angel at extremely tricky angles.
Michael's Sacred Soul was desperately holding back the Giant Black Flood Dragon's lower jaw. He suddenly felt a numbness in his Sole of the Foot, and a sinister aura spread from his Sole of the Foot throughout his entire body. The little energy he had just recovered from the Snake Venom, aided by his main body's reinforcements, instantly drained away through the Hole in his Sole of the Foot, like a punctured balloon.
"Gulp!"
Xiao Hei seized the opportunity, opened its snake mouth, and swallowed this wisp of the Heavenly Kingdom Vice-Regent's Sacred Soul into its belly!
"Great satisfaction!"
Xiao Hei, with its bulging snake belly, rubbed its big head against Frank's body. Its sinister golden vertical pupils glanced at Tony Stark, then transformed into a streak of black light and coiled around Frank's wrist.
"Tony, where's the Intruder?"
Doctor Reed Richards, who had rushed here after receiving the message that the Forward Base had been invaded, had just arrived at Leon Base with his team. As soon as he got off the aircraft, he was led by a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent to a Hospital within the base.
The spacious consulting room was currently crowded with people.
Doctor Reed Richards grabbed an acquaintance and asked, patting his shoulder.
Dr. Banner, who had changed his clothes and skin, turned back and squeezed out an awkward smile at Doctor Reed Richards.
"The Intruder in the base has been eliminated, Doctor Reed Richards. You've come just in time. We've encountered a major issue concerning world safety!"
Saying this, he pulled Doctor Reed Richards's hand without explanation and squeezed into the crowd, politely saying, "Excuse me, please!"
Some Mutants with bad tempers couldn't help but turn back and glare angrily at the two after being squeezed, but when they met Dr. Banner's harmless face, they all politely moved aside, creating a Passage for the two.
"Professor Charles, what happened to him?"
Doctor Reed Richards was squeezed into the center of the crowd by Banner. In the center of the consulting room, five or six people were gathered around a wheelchair.
An Elder wearing a high-tech helmet and an oxygen tube sat in the wheelchair.
Doctor Reed Richards recognized the Elder in the wheelchair as Professor Charles, the Leader of the Mutants. Among the surrounding crowd, there were also acquaintances he knew or had heard of.
Tony Stark, Magneto... It seemed Professor Charles had suffered some incident, but what did this have to do with a world crisis?
Doctor Reed Richards cast a doubtful look at Dr. Banner.
"Reed, what would be the consequences if a nuclear bomb suddenly changed orbit during launch and disappeared from radar?"
Dr. Banner glanced at the crowd, leaned close to Doctor Reed Richards, and whispered softly.
"Nuclear bomb? What does this have to do with the scene before us?" Reed didn't quite understand what Dr. Banner was trying to express, but from between the lines of Dr. Banner's words, he heard the seriousness of the matters.
An out of control nuclear bomb, no matter where it landed, would be a calamity, potentially even triggering a Third World War.
"With Charles's psionic energy combined with Cerebro, the radiated brainwave consciousness is enough to envelop the entire world. If he is truly controlled by someone with malicious intent, the entire Earth will be in danger. Jean Grey, here, only you can enter the Doctor's mind consciousness and bring him back!"
In the crowd, Magneto, wearing a dark red helmet, was trying to persuade the woman beside him. When his words reached Doctor Reed Richards's ears, a chill shot directly up his tailbone to his Heavenly Spirit.
He stiffly turned his head and looked at Dr. Banner, meeting Dr. Banner's bitter smile.
(end of chapter)