$50 million!
Nick Fury immediately raised his brows. The price was ridiculously high.
Even with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vast resources, paying tens of millions was no small matter. Perfectly concealing such a transaction would require careful handling.
But considering Satan's (Zhou Cheng's) abilities… what else could Lu Dan do?
"As a mercenary, your quote is way beyond the industry norm," Lu Dan said with mild admiration.
"My abilities are also beyond the norm, aren't they?" Zhou Cheng shrugged confidently.
"So I'm here," he added.
Lu Dan nodded knowingly. Someone of Satan's caliber working as a mercenary was a severe waste—he alone had already elevated the entire profession.
"As usual, once the advance payment arrives, I can move anytime," Zhou Cheng said, directly pressing Lu Dan for payment.
Lu Dan pulled out his phone and called. Within minutes, Zhou Cheng confirmed the prepayment had cleared. Dealing with Lu Dan meant transactions were always clean and timely.
"OK, I'm ready anytime."
Zhou Cheng shrugged to Nick Fury.
"Wait for my signal."
After greeting Zhou Cheng, Lu Dan didn't linger; he left to make other preparations.
"Two o'clock, meet here," he instructed.
Seven days later, Zhou Cheng received Lu Dan's update, complete with the address. Don't worry—when someone paid in full, Zhou Cheng never dropped the ball.
He suited up, donned his mask, and set out toward the rendezvous.
Unbeknownst to him, a group had already gathered at the location:
Captain America, Red Guardian, Iron Destroyer Stark, Barton, and Black Widow—the original Avengers, except Bruce Banner.
Banner's current state was unstable after Hydra's attack and leaving the mission to assassinate Tony Stark. Under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s guidance, he retreated to a remote area to practice yoga and regain control. Fury reported that he seemed fine—at least he hadn't lost control.
This mission clearly wasn't suitable for the Hulk, so Banner wasn't called.
Nick Fury, despite hiring Satan at a high cost, still gathered the Avengers to ensure success and give them a rare training opportunity after New Mexico. Lu Dan did not want a repeat of the scattered Avengers from the New York incident.
"It's been so long… finally a mission again! Exciting!" Red Guardian, now a fit, imposing warrior after secret training, exclaimed.
"This isn't a simple mission—you shouldn't be saying 'exciting,'" Black Widow interjected.
"Natalia, we're the Avengers! Simple missions aren't worthy of us!" Red Guardian's eyes gleamed.
"Captain, is it confirmed that it's just us?" Hawkeye asked gravely. The mission details made it clear the stakes were enormous—too dangerous even for them.
"No, Fury said there's one more. He should be arriving soon," Captain America replied. "Satan—any of you heard of him?"
Satan? Red Guardian scoffed. "Who dares use such a codename?"
Even Red Guardian, familiar with Soviet legends, knew the fallen angel's fame.
"Legendary mercenary, just recently famous but extremely skilled. My former superior worked with him," Black Widow explained. "With him, our chances improve significantly."
Mercenary? That was enough to make them realize this wasn't an ordinary person.
Suddenly, a sound of rushing air drew everyone's attention. A figure in uniform and mask appeared.
It was Satan.
Tony and Black Widow knew him, but Captain America, Red Guardian, and Hawkeye observed him curiously.
Satan studied them as well. They were the team who fought Asgard's Destroyer before and now would face the Desperate Warriors. Fury had seemingly assembled the Avengers early.
"So you must be Satan," Black Widow stepped forward. "I'm Natasha."
Zhou Cheng nodded, acknowledging her.
"Captain Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and my colleagues Barton and Eric," she introduced.
"You can call me Satan," Zhou Cheng replied simply.
"Alright, team, let's move out!" Captain America commanded.
They traveled by Quinjet, then switched to cars, taking about three hours to reach Kilian's secret base.
Action begins!
The Avengers infiltrated the base. As expected, their skill made mincemeat of the outer guards. They reached the core area effortlessly.
"According to intelligence, past this building is the lab. Our task is to destroy it completely," Captain America said.
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out from the second-floor corridor:
"You can't do anything!"
A middle-aged man with a crew cut leaned on the railing, looking down at the Avengers. It was Eric Savin—aka Cold-Blood, one of the Desperate Warriors.
"Where's Kilian? Where are the others?" Captain America demanded.
"Captain wants to see you. How do you feel about that?" Cold-Blood called, while his allies appeared, eight in total—every one a Desperate Warrior.
"You're really lucky Captain America survived," Cold-Blood said casually.
His attitude was arrogant, ignoring the Avengers entirely.
"I'll crush you like ants—that's the fun part," he threatened.
Tony fired his repulsors, but Cold-Blood absorbed the blows, regenerating instantly. He grabbed Tony's iron arms, heating them red-hot, nearly frying him. Tony tried to counterattack, but Cold-Blood was too fast, too strong.
Black Widow's bullets were ineffective, Hawkeye's arrows useless. Only Captain America held some ground—the shield was impervious.
The Red Guardian struggled without such a weapon.
Meanwhile, Zhou Cheng faced a charging Desperate Warrior casually, waving his hand. A blade of repulsive energy formed and sliced the enemy's head clean off.
The Avengers watched in stunned disbelief. One effortless gesture, and a warrior was defeated.
This was Satan's power. Unbelievable.
The difference was staggering—the Avengers, after struggling, were nearly crushed, yet Satan eliminated enemies with ease. He had turned them all into mere debris.
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition
"Living in Marvel: Starting by Building 2B Missy (18+"
" Marvel: Glory of the Sun God (18+) "
" Marvel: This Position of Authority, I'm Taking It for Sure "
" Marvel: Zaun Captain America, Villains Call Me Ancestor-Man (18+) "
"Marvel Summoning Villains "
"Marvel: Weekly System Refresh, King of S.H.I.E.L.D. "
many more are available 47+
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)