Chapter 88: Human Torch/Flameman
May 2, 2023 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
Chapter 88: Human Torch/Flameman
Snap!
With a flick of her whip, it instantly coiled around his neck.
"Then, find him for me."
Madame Hydra stared directly into the eyes of the man behind the gas mask, stating coldly.
Thud—
With that, Madame Hydra loosened the whip in her hand, letting the Hydra member tumble to the ground. Her dark green eyes swept over the people inside the base, and she commanded.
"I don't believe the intruder vanished without a trace. He must still be hidden within the base. Get everyone moving and find our 'shy' guest."
…
[Contacted Twisted Time Node, collected a small amount of Time Shard ×2]
Ophelia Sarkissian wasn't wrong about one thing.
Colin was indeed still within the base. However, he wasn't hiding as she claimed; instead, he was openly standing among the crowd, merely using [Invisibility] to erase his tracks.
[Time Shard (Ophelia Sarkissian)]
His gaze swept over Madame Hydra's [Time Shard]. Within the fragments, like shattered glass, he saw a woman with a scar on her left cheek get shot and fall. Yet, the next scene showed Madame Hydra appearing unharmed in the image, even the scar on her face vanished, revealing a cold and beautiful countenance.
Observing the scene displayed within the [Time Shard], Colin thoughtfully withdrew his gaze.
Without lingering further in the Hydra base, he easily escaped under the cover of his [Invisibility] powers.
…
"It's me."
In mid-air, Colin revealed himself, speaking to the wary Resistance members outside the base.
Then, under their watchful eyes, he spread his hands, revealing Scott in his palm.
"Phew~"
He pressed the button in his hand, instantly returning from his Pym Particles-shrunken state to his original size. Scott opened the mask on his helmet, revealing a startled expression.
"I almost thought I was going to die in that damn base."
If Colin hadn't arrived in time to rescue him from the Reborn Laboratory, Scott likely would have been discovered due to the toxin released by Madame Hydra.
Even though the Ant-Man suit designed by Dr. Hank Pym could protect Scott from being killed by the toxic mist.
However, don't forget that the ants he controls don't have this kind of protection. Once Anthony and his ants are affected by the toxin, Scott alone wouldn't be able to escape the Hydra base.
"Howard, we should leave."
Although he had many questions for Colin, now was clearly not the time to ask them.
Hawkeye Clint glanced at the crowd gathered within the distant Hydra base, then reminded Howard.
Facing Hawkeye's reminder, Howard turned to look in the base's direction, quickly decided, and signaled Nick to start the car.
"Your glasses."
Taking off the glasses from his face, Nick Fury reluctantly returned them to Colin.
"Thank you."
Reaching out, Colin took the glasses and put them back on his face, smiling.
…
Deep within the sea, inside the Narwhal Submarine.
Recovering from the previous operation, Scott handed the data he obtained from the laboratory to Howard.
"Well done."
Reaching out, Howard took the data from Scott's hand and inserted it into his mechanical arm. After a quick scan of the experiment data, a subtle change appeared on his cold face.
"Wait, are you thanking me?"
Noticing the change in Howard's cold tone, Scott looked surprised and turned to ask Colin beside him, "Or is this just my wishful thinking?"
"It sounds like he is, indeed, thanking you."
Nodding, Colin affirmed Scott's thought.
"I thought you'd always act like a robot, without any emotions."
Hearing this, Scott nodded and continued to tease Howard in front of him.
"I only modified my body, not my consciousness."
Facing Scott's teasing, Howard continued in his hoarse voice, "If you have nothing else to do, you can go and rest. After all, today's operation has been quite stimulating for you."
"Speaking of operations."
He held up a finger, displaying a triumphant expression to Howard and the others.
Scott pulled out another miniature-looking metal pod from his pocket. He pressed the button in his hand, and the experiment pod instantly returned to its original size, pushing Nick and the others back several steps within the compartment.
"Besides Professor Phineas Horton's experiment data, I also found something interesting, so I took the liberty of stealing it."
Listening to Scott's explanation, Howard and the others looked at the metal pod before them.
Traces of impact were visible on the surface of the old metal pod, and its external design indicated it wasn't a modern product. Howard extended his left mechanical arm to wipe away the dust on the experiment pod's surface, then turned his mechanical eye to peer inside the experiment pod.
Inside the metal pod Scott had stolen, a red-skinned man lay motionless.
[Contacted a special Twisted Time Node, collected a medium amount of Time Shard ×30]
At the same time, a line of faint text flashed before Colin.
However, the content of the text differed slightly from the prompts he had encountered in the past.
[Special Twisted Time Node]? [Medium Time Shard]? Flameman!
His gaze lingered on the text. Colin looked at the thirty Time Shards before him, representing [Time Shard (Human Torch/Flameman)], and a flicker appeared in his eyes.
He had originally thought that the [Time Shards] he obtained from Howard earlier were the most abundant, but he hadn't expected the [Time Shards] obtained from Human Torch to be several times more than Howard's.
The [Special Twisted Time Node] and the "Flameman" designation appended to Human Torch's name on the [Time Shards] immediately brought to Colin's mind the comic "Flameman" serialized by the World Daily News in the Main World.
What connection did the corpse of this first-generation Superhero, who died in World War II, have with the comics in the Main World?
That's right, a corpse.
As soon as the experiment pod appeared, Colin had already used his [Super Hearing] to determine the condition of the Human Torch inside.
Without a doubt, this was merely the corpse of a Superhero.
Let me see what's different about the [Twisted Time Node] on you.
Filled with various doubts, Colin looked at the [Time Shard (Human Torch/Flameman)].
To Colin's surprise, within the fragments of the [Time Shard (Human Torch/Flameman)], Colin did not see battle scenes of this first-generation Superhero.
Instead, within these shattered [Time Shards], he saw the figure of Stephen Strange, also known as Doctor Strange.
(end of chapter)