Chapter 161 Sorcerer Supreme Tony
A few minutes later.
In the tea room.
Lucas, Tony, and Steve were sitting on the cushions, with Ancient One sitting opposite them.
Without any further nonsense, Ancient One directly stated her purpose.
She talked about the threat of the multiverse, the defensive magic circle outside Earth, and those ancient demons lurking in the Dark Dimension, such as Dormammu, who were ready to devour Earth at any time.
"The reason why I am showing you all this is because the two of you are the most dazzling geniuses and the strongest warriors of this era."
The Ancient One looked at Lucas and Tony with sincere eyes.
"The technology and physical body of the material worldhave inherent shortcomings when facing magic attacks."
"In order to protect this world, and to fight against the coming darkness, I hope you can stay in Kamar-Taj to learn magic."
Hearing this proposal, Tony became interested.
Just when his soul left his body earlier, he had already developed a great research interest in these mysterious energies.
If magic and technology could be combined, that would definitely be an unprecedented and great pioneering feat!
"Learn magic?"
Tony raised his eyebrows and nodded without hesitation.
"No problem. I was just worried about not finding experimental data to study multi-dimensional space. If you are willing to open the database, I am very happy to stay here for a period of time."
Lucas also touched his chin.
Although he absorbed Wanda's Chaos Magic and gained magic resistance.
But he himself actually couldn't actively cast magic.
If he could learn cross-dimensional energy application, it would definitely be a qualitative leap for the enhancement of his strength.
"I can learn." Lucas said with a smile.
"However, to speak plainly first, if I think magic is useless, I will leave at any time."
The Ancient One smiled with relief.
"That's very good. magic is not superstition; in fact, it is also a kind of knowledge. As long as you are willing to learn, the gates of Kamar-Taj are always open to you."
As she spoke, she stood up and waved to Mordo and Wong outside the door.
"In that case, let's first conduct a simple aptitude test. Let me see how your talent in magic is."
...
In the courtyard.
Mordo and Wong brought two sling rings and handed them to Lucas and Tony respectively.
"The essence of magic is to borrow energy from the multiverse through powerful mental power, and then guide the energy out through specific gestures and incantations."
Sorcerer Wong began to explain dutifully, and condensed a golden magic shield in his hand.
"The sling ring is a magical artifact we use to concentrate our minds and open space portals."
"What you need to do now is to put on the sling ring, imagine a place you have been to, and then draw a circle with your hand."
Tony put on the sling ring, looked at this rough lump, and curled his lips.
"It's just that simple? This is much easier than writing code for Jarvis."
Wong was somewhat speechless, but didn't say anything.
Tony simply stopped talking nonsense, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
He didn't know how to meditate, and was too lazy to think about it.
He had his own way to focus.
Soon, he tried to deduce Wong's actions just now in his brain.
"Borrow energy? No, this is a cross-dimensional energy resonance algorithm..."
Tony muttered words in his mouth, and then raised his right hand to quickly draw a circle.
The next second.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
A circle of dazzling golden sparks instantly lit up in front of Tony!
The sparks quickly tore open a portal more than two meters high.
And on the other side of the portal was impressively the CEO's office of Stark Tower!
The whole process took less than five seconds!
At this time, silence spoke louder than words.
Mordo's eyeballs were about to pop out, and his chin was about to drop to the ground.
Back then, it took him several months of practicing portal magic to barely draw a circle of sparks.
Wong was also full of shock, looking at Tony like a monster.
"This... this is successful?!" Wong said stuttering.
"Opened a portal upon first contact with the sling ring?!"
Seeing the portal in front of him, Tony whistled proudly.
"Is this difficult? As long as you convert the frequency of space folding into code, even an idiot can draw it."
Unbelievable surprise burst out in the eyes of The Ancient One.
She had lived for hundreds of years and had seen countless geniuses, but a super genius like Tony Stark was simply unheard of!
"Incredible talent..."
"Tony Stark, your mental power and wisdom fit the essence of magic very well. If you are willing, you have the potential to become the next Sorcerer Supreme."
Hearing Ancient One's ultra-high evaluation, Tony proudly looked at Lucas.
"See that, Lucas, a genius is a genius wherever they go."
"It seems I have to add the title of Chief Magician to my resume. It's your turn, let me see your performance."
Lucas played with the sling ring in his hand and smiled faintly.
"What's so difficult about this. Since you can understand it, I have no reason not to."
Lucas put on the sling ring.
Regarding the degree of brain development, having been enhanced by the serum, he was not below Tony.
He instantly understood the essential principle of magicborrowing energy, and had constructed the coordinates in his mind.
Lucas raised his hand and drew a circle confidently.
"Open."
However.
If nothing unexpected happened, something unexpected was about to happen.
No golden sparks appeared, no portal appeared, and nothing happened.
Lucas was stunned for a moment.
"Strange, the coordinates weren't calculated wrong."
He raised his hand again, concentrated his mind, and drew a circle hard.
This time, a few weak sparks finally appeared.
But before the sparks could form a line, a strange fluctuation suddenly came from inside Lucas's body.
That was Wanda's Chaos Magic!!
The energy boiled inside Lucas's body, and it resisted the intervention of external energy.
Buzz!
The few sparks that had just appeared were ruthlessly crushed directly, and then extinguished in the air.
The battle suit on his body also surged accordingly, seeming to express disdain for this low-level energy.
"This..."
Lucas stopped his movements and sighed helplessly.
The Ancient One was also somewhat puzzled, the Eye of Agamotto on her chest opened slightly, and she observed Lucas's body from a magical perspective.
A few seconds later, she showed an expression of sudden realization.
"I understand."
Ancient One put away the magic, and shock and relief appeared on her face at the same time.
"Mr. Lucas, you cannot use our kind of magic."
"But this is not because you don't understand, but because your body refuses to borrow energy from the multiverse."
"Why?" Tony asked curiously.
"Because his body is already an impregnable fortress." The Ancient One explained.
"Mr. Lucas has fused with Chaos Power inside his body."
"Our magic is to borrow energy from the outside world. But Mr. Lucas's body thinks that the outside energy is too low-level, and it disdains to borrow it."
"His body itself is a closed Universe that can continuously generate power."
"Therefore, as soon as ordinary space magic energy contacts him, it will be expelled or devoured."
Hearing this explanation, both Mordo and Wong gasped.
Even the magical energy of the multiverse is considered too low-level?
What kind of perverted monster is this?!
After listening, Lucas threw the sling ring back to Wong indifferently.
"Tell me earlier. I was wondering why I couldn't draw a circle."
"Since my body says this magic is junk food, then I might as well not learn it."
After speaking, Lucas looked at The Ancient One and shrugged.
"Master, it seems I am destined not to be your good student."
The Ancient One smiled and nodded.
"Everyone has their own path, Mr. Lucas. Your path is to pursue the ultimate deification of the physical body and inner strength. This is likewise a great path leading to truth."
The Ancient One turned her gaze back to Tony, and her eyes became very serious.
"But Mr. Tony, your talent in magic is unquestionable. I hope you can stay, and I will personally impart the magicknowledge of Kamar-Taj to you."
Tony touched his chin.
He is now very interested in the principles of magic.
If magic could be completely mastered, the nano armor would definitely achieve a qualitative leap.
Not only space storage, but even inscribing magic circles to increase defense!
"No problem. Anyway, Stark Industries has Lucas looking after it now, so I can just give myself a long vacation."
Tony decisively agreed.
Lucas also smiled and nodded.
Of course he knew Tony's thoughts; the combination of technology and magic is definitely a major killer weapon of the future.
"In that case, Tony is handed over to you, Master."
Lucas shook his head and prepared to leave.
Just at this moment, Steve, who had been sitting on the steps smoking silently, stood up.
"Then I might as well stay too."
Steve threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stepped it out.
"Although it's a bit cold here, at least there isn't the smell of a stinking ditch like in New York. Moreover, I also want to see what kind of trouble this so-called higher-dimensional world can pull off."
Steve patted Tony's shoulder, his tone low.
"Don't think I'm here to accompany you. I just feel that watching a fat man eat caviar every day in Manhattan is simply a waste of my life. Here, at least there is someone who can accompany me to practice boxing."
As Steve spoke, he glanced coldly at Wong not far away.
Wong felt a tightness all over his body from this look.
Lucas smiled with satisfaction.
"Very good. That's settled then. Tony, study hard and strive to become the Sorcerer Supreme sooner."
"Steve, don't beat the distinguished sorcerers too badly."
Lucas turned around, waved his hand with his back to them.
"I'm going back to New York. After all, there is still a hundred-billion-level company waiting for me to take over."
Accompanied by a golden portal lighting up.
Lucas's figure disappeared into the wind and snow of Kamar-Taj.
Chapter 162: The Rules of S.H.I.E.L.D. Need to Be Changed.
Washington, D.C., along the banks of the Potomac River.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters building.
Inside the Director's office at the Triskelion base, it was dead silent.
At four in the morning, Washington had fallen into a deep sleep, but Nick Fury felt no sleepiness at all.
At this moment, he sat alone behind his desk.
The office was pitch black.
The only light came from the dim blue glow emitted by the several computer screens in front of him.
"Even the Director can be killed, what makes you think that other heads haven't grown inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Grown other heads...
Luca's words were like an lingering nightmare.
As the spymaster, Fury's paranoia was heavier than anyone else's.
After returning from New York, he immediately locked himself in the office and cut off external monitoring.
He bypassed the audit of the World Security Council and began reviewing data with the Director's highest authority.
For example, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s financial statements, material transfer records, and personnel files of all Agents above level seven over the past twenty years.
As the data on the screen scrolled rapidly line by line, Fury's remaining eye widened more and more, and cold sweat broke out.
You wouldn't know without checking, but once checked, it was simply shocking!
The screen showed that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s quick-response special forces, which was the ace team led by Brock Rumlow, also had problems.
Over the past five years, there were unexpectedly more than fifty secret operation trajectories, which completely mismatched the orders issued by Fury!
Where did they go? What mission did they execute?
The action report wrote routine patrol.
But Fury retrieved the satellite positioning and found that the places they went to were all abandoned military bases and secret facilities of the former Soviet Union!
Even more frightening was the cash flow.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s annual budget was as high as hundreds of billions of dollars, and the accounts were as complex as a sea of stars.
But under Fury's nearly paranoid line-by-line comparison, he found that dozens of huge funds amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars had problems.
These funds, through the shell network of the Swiss Bank, finally flowed to several ghost accounts that did not exist at all.
These funds were nominally used to develop new aircraft carriers and weapons and equipment.
But in reality, the money did not enter S.H.I.E.L.D.'s equipment department at all.
Fury tremblingly reached out and typed a series of complex decoding instructions on the keyboard.
He had to find out who had such great authority to make such a seamless disguise in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s financial system.
No matter who it was, they would be brought to justice!
The progress bar slowly advanced on the screen.
Ninety percent... ninety-eight percent... one hundred percent.
Decryption complete.
A name popped up on the screen, along with a string of authorization codes representing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s highest authority.
Alexander Pierce.
The former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the current minister of the World Security Council, and Nick Fury's most trusted old boss and old comrade-in-arms in this world!
Boom!
This name was something Fury could never have imagined.
He felt his breathing start to quicken, and the screen in front of him seemed to be spinning.
It's over.
It's all over.
S.H.I.E.L.D., this great organization founded single-handedly by Howard Stark, aimed to protect humanity from supernatural threats.
In fact, long after World War II ended, it had been parasitized by an organization that claimed to have been destroyed.
Hydra.
They did not die.
Cut off one head, yet countless new heads grew within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s body.
They used S.H.I.E.L.D.'s funds, equipment, and Agents to recruit soldiers and horses right under the eyes of the whole world.
Even the highest level of the World Security Council were their people!
Fury leaned back against the chair, feeling his hands and feet cold.
His intelligence network, his confidence in controlling everything, seemed to have become a joke.
Luca Stark was right, he was just a pathetic blind man.
If it weren't for the other party's enlightenment, he might have been working for Hydra until he died!
"Director."
A soft knock suddenly came from outside the office door.
Fury quickly straightened his body.
Then he calmly pressed a button, cleared the data on the screen, and restored it to the standby screen.
"Come in."
After a deep breath, Fury's tone was still as low and majestic as ever, with no abnormality heard.
The door was pushed open, and Coulson walked in holding two cups of hot coffee.
Seeing the pitch-black office, he frowned slightly.
"Director, you haven't rested for a whole night. Day is about to break, have a cup of coffee."
Fury took the coffee, but instead of drinking it, he put it on the desk.
What was he doing?
That's right, he was side-eyeing Coulson...
Ahem, to be precise, he was staring closely at Coulson.
His gaze was like lightning, as if he wanted to see through this old subordinate's soul.
Was Coulson Hydra?
Rumlow was, what about Natasha?
What about Barton?
Among the thousands of Agents coming and going in this base, how many were truly S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, and how many were Hydra assassins who could shoot from behind at any time?
Fury suddenly felt that no one could be trusted now.
Pondering for a moment, he looked at Coulson and said in a serious tone.
"Check everything in the office immediately!"
"In addition, send all paper archives regarding Mr. Stark's case into the underground vault and start the lockdown procedure."
Coulson was stunned for a moment, failing to react to what had happened.
"Director, if Minister Pierce asks over there..."
"From now on, do not report my orders to anyone! Including Pierce!"
Fury suddenly stood up, full of a sense of oppression.
"Listen, Coulson. We are in a very dangerous situation right now."
"The enemy is around us, maybe right in this building. We need to start cultivating a force that belongs entirely to ourselves and is absolutely trustworthy."
"The rules of S.H.I.E.L.D. need to be changed."
Coulson was frozen in place.
He knew what the Director was talking about.
It must be about Hydra!!
He also understood that starting from today, S.H.I.E.L.D.officially entered an era of terror and suspicion.
...
The next morning, New York, Manhattan.
Stark Tower.
Inside the office, the atmosphere was leisurely.
Luca leaned back on the sofa with his legs crossed.
On the coffee table in front of him, a sumptuous breakfast was placed.
Freshly baked croissants, fried eggs spread with butter.
Beside him, two hot beauties stood respectfully on both sides.
Natasha was wearing a wine-red deep V professional suit, holding a cup of freshly ground espresso in her hand.
Jessica was wearing a black lace hip-wrapping skirt, holding a pure white hot towel in her hand.
The two of them were like maids, waiting for the boss's dispatch at any time.
Luca took the coffee handed by Natasha, took a sip, and nodded with satisfaction.
"It seems your training courses also include making coffee. Assistant Natalie, I'll give you ninety points."
Natasha wore a professional fake smile on her face, but in her heart, she had already greeted all eighteen generations of Luca's ancestors.
As the dignified Black Widow, she actually ended up brewing coffee for someone here, which was simply an unprecedented humiliation in her espionage career.
But Director Fury gave a strict order asking her to lurk down no matter what, and she could only grit her teeth and endure it.
Luca couldn't be bothered to pay attention to Natasha's hypocritical smile.
Instead, he looked at the projection screen in front of him.
On the screen, major news channels across the United States were conducting crazy rolling broadcasts.
"Good morning, viewers! We are now broadcasting a blockbuster news that shocked the global financial community!"
The news anchor in the screen was so excited that his voice was trembling and spit was flying.
"Just in these past two days, Stark Industries group, with lightning speed, mobilized thousands of billions of dollars in capital and launched an acquisition of Oscorp Group!!"
"According to insiders, Norman Osborn, the chairman of Oscorp Group, has signed the equity transfer agreement!"
"This is a business annexation without suspense! Starting from today, there is no more Oscorp Group in New York, and Stark Industries will completely monopolize the two major fields of biomedicine and military-industrial technology globally!"
With the broadcasting of the news, the picture of the Wall Street Stock Exchange appeared on the screen.
As soon as the market opened, Stark Industries's stock was like riding a rocket, directly hitting the upper limit and closing the board, turning red across the board.
And the sign of the once glorious Oscorp Group had been dismantled overnight.
This represented the declaration of the end of an era.
After watching the news, Luca smiled slightly.
Winning without bloodshed, directly wiping out the biggest competitor.
This was the real dimension-reduction strike.
What was the point of fighting villains to the death?
Buying his company directly and making him work for himself was the operation that maximized profits.
Chapter 163: Jessica, Come to My House Tonight
"Alright, news time is over, let's get down to business."
Luka put down his coffee and casually wiped his mouth.
Then he glanced at the two women, his eyes turning playful.
"Assistant Natalie, you go wait outside first. By the way, help me mop the hallway outside. Assistant Jones and I have some private work to discuss."
Natasha was slightly stunned.
Leave Jessica alone?
This was very unusual.
Natasha's intuition told her that there must be some untold secret between Luka and Jessica.
But she couldn't disobey orders and could only respectfully nod.
"Okay, Boss."
Natasha turned and walked out of the office, and the door slowly closed behind her.
But instead of mopping the floor, she stood outside the door, quietly activated a miniature wiretap on her uniform, and pressed her ear against the doorframe.
Inside the office, only Luka and Jessica were left.
Luka put away his cynical smile, his expression turning serious, with a hint of weakness.
Then he stood up and walked up to Jessica, less than half a meter away from her.
His tall figure brought a strong sense of oppression to Jessica.
"Jones."
Luka lowered his voice, speaking in a tone as if he were entrusting his life and wealth.
"Your work performance has been excellent during this period. I know you are not the same as Natalie; after all, as an assistant I personally chose, I only trust you."
Hearing the four words "I only trust you," Jessica's heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat.
She widened her eyes, outwardly showing an expression of flattered surprise.
"Boss... Thank you for your trust. This is what I should do." Jessica also replied in a lowered voice.
Luka took a deep breath, seemingly making a difficult decision.
"What I'm going to say next must never be known by a third person."
Luka turned his back to Jessica, looking at the sky outside the window, and his tone also became exhausted.
"At the expo, I absorbed the energy of that alien monster and fused with a very violent magic. This gave my strength a qualitative leap, but I also paid a price."
Saying this, Luka turned his head and stared fixedly at Jessica.
"The fusion has serious side effects."
"My cells need deep hibernation to carry out energy conversion."
"At midnight tonight, I will usher in a period of extreme weakness lasting up to an hour. During that hour, I will lose all my Superpowers and become even weaker than an ordinary person. Even lifting a cup of Water will be extremely difficult."
Boom!
What?!
What did he say?!
A period of weakness?! Lose all Superpowers?!
Jessica was terrified, her fingers trembling slightly with excitement.
Oh god! This was simply a god-given opportunity!
Hydra had always felt a deep fear of Luka Stark's abnormal strength, and even issued an order to stop all probing and go into hibernation.
But if tonight he turned into a cripple with no power to truss a chicken...
As long as they seized this one-hour window, Hydra could easily eliminate this biggest threat, or kidnap him back to the base for research!
Jessica suppressed her inner ecstasy, trying hard to make her expression look full of worry.
"Boss... This is too dangerous. If the enemies hidden in the dark find out..."
"That's why I only told you alone."
Luka reached out and heavily patted Jessica's shoulder, his gaze so sincere that no one could doubt it.
"Tonight, come to the apartment with Happy. You protect me closely, step by step. As long as we survive this hour, we will be safe. Do you understand?"
"Understood! I will definitely protect your safety with my life, Boss!"
Jessica immediately puffed out her chest and swore solemnly.
"Very good. Go out and prepare."
Luka waved his hand.
Jessica bowed and scraped, walking quickly towards the door.
The moment she turned around, murderous intent flashed in her eyes.
She decided to find an opportunity to report this intelligence to Minister Pierce.
Tonight would be Luka Stark's day of suffering.
Outside the door, Natasha heard the footsteps coming from inside, immediately put away the wiretap, and feigned picking up the mop nearby.
The office door opened, and Jessica walked out.
The two women glared at each other, and the flames of war ignited instantly.
"It seems the Boss has arranged an important private task for you." Natasha smiled and probed.
"Do your job as a cleaner, Natalie. Don't pry too much into the Boss's affairs."
Jessica replied coldly, stepping away proudly in her high heels.
Inside the office.
Seeing Jessica's departing back in the surveillance footage, Luka took a sip of coffee comfortably.
At this moment, where was there any trace of weakness on his face?
Lose Superpowers? A period of weakness?
What a cosmic joke.
With the blessing of the battle suit, his strength was soaring every minute and second, strong enough to dismantle Stark Tower for fun.
"The bait has been cast." Luka laughed to himself.
"Pierce, I hope you can send a few more valuable assassins tonight. If only a few small fry come, it would really do a disservice to my superb acting skills."
This was a complete and utter form of law enforcement via baiting.
Luka wanted to use this false intelligence to see if he could trick out Hydra's elite!
Half an hour later.
Stark Tower underground garage.
A stretched Rolls-Royce was parked in the parking space.
Jessica and Natasha sat on either side of the back seat of the car.
The two women looked at each other with mutual disdain.
Luka had arranged their second task for this morning.
Representing Stark Industries, they were to go to the newly acquired Oscorp Group building for an official asset and personnel handover.
Since the Oscorp Group now existed only in name, going there to take over assets was equivalent to acting as high-level receivers.
This was a position of great power and lucrative perks.
In order to vie for merit in front of Luka and thereby gain more trust and intelligence,
the two women could be said to be secretly fighting all the way.
"When we get to the Oscorp building, leave the financial audit to me. I don't want to see some clueless people mess up the accounts."
Natasha said coldly while straightening the collar of her uniform.
"Financial audit? Give me a break." Jessica retorted unceremoniously.
"I am the assistant personally appointed by the Boss. Personnel transfers and the takeover of the core laboratory must be led by me. You just need to follow behind and be responsible for moving waste paper into the car."
The Rolls-Royce soon set off.
Soon they arrived in front of the skyscraper that originally belonged to the Oscorp Group.
The Oscorp logo in front of the building had been removed and replaced with the Stark Industries logo.
Inside the building, employees stood tremblingly on both sides of the lobby.
The glorious Oscorp Group changed hands overnight.
The huge upheaval made everyone fear unemployment.
When the Rolls-Royce stopped at the front door,
the door opened automatically, and a somewhat hunchbacked middle-aged man hurried up to greet them.
He walked to the car door, bent down personally, and pulled open the door for the two assistants in the car.
This man was precisely the once high-and-mighty hundred-billion-dollar tycoon, the former chairman of the Oscorp Group,
Norman Osborn!
At this time, Norman had been cured.
But in his eyes, there was no longer the sharpness and arrogance of a business tycoon, only the ingratiating flattery of someone living under another's roof.
Facing Luka's overwhelming force and capital suppression, Norman knew his current positioning very well.
A senior wage earner who managed to save his life.
"Welcome, the two assistants for your inspection. I am the temporary head of the biology department, Norman."
Norman wore a full smile and bowed slightly.
Seeing this scene, the surrounding old Oscorp employees all lowered their heads, feeling an indescribable sorrow and shock.
This was the strength of Stark Industries!
Even their chairman now had to serve tea and water to the other party's assistants!
Jessica stepped out of the car in her high heels and glanced at the subservient Norman.
Awesome!!
This was the taste of power!
"Director Norman, lead the way. First hand over all the access passwords of your laboratory. The Boss said that from now on, this place is no longer called the Oscorp Group, but the Stark Industries Third Biological Research Institute."
Jessica said in an arrogant tone, completely acting like a queen.
"Yes, yes, yes, Miss Jones, Miss Natalie, this way please. I've already had people prepare the ledger and the roster."
Norman silently led the way in front.
The huge gap in status made this handover work exceptionally smooth.
Of course, it also fully demonstrated the ruthless capital harvesting methods of the Stark Brothers.
...
And on the other side of New York,
Empire State University, physics research laboratory.
Peter Parker had just finished his morning classes and came to the laboratory with his backpack.
His mood today was very good; his date with Mary Janelast night was perfect, and the relationship between the two heated up rapidly.
Thinking this,
he casually pushed open the laboratory door, preparing to continue assisting his mentor with nuclear fusion research.
However, when he walked into the depths of the laboratory, the scene before him made him stop in his tracks, and his smile froze on his face.
The display cabinet in the laboratory had been opened.
His mentor, Doctor Otto Octavius, was shirtless and standing in front of an operating table.
At this moment, Otto's eyes were bloodshot, flashing with a madness bordering on paranoia.
He was holding welding equipment, welding four stout mechanical tentacles one by one onto the armor of his spine!
"Doctor! What are you doing?!"
Peter was horrified, hurriedly dropping his backpack and running over.
"I told you, direct connection to the spinal cord nervous system is too dangerous! The AI feedback will overwhelm your brain!"
"Dangerous? Scientific progress is always accompanied by danger, Peter!"
Doctor Otto turned his head to look at Peter, his frantic smile growing larger.
The four mechanical tentacles squirmed slowly behind his back as if they had life.
"I can't wait! The final ignition test of the nuclear fusion reactor is this afternoon!"
Otto pointed to a thumb-sized suppression chip at the back of his spine.
"See that, Peter. The suppression chip is running normally. I am their Master, and I can control them perfectly!"
Seeing that fragile chip, a strong sense of unease surged in Peter's heart.
The chip was too small; under the high temperature and strong magnetic field generated by nuclear fusion, it could short-circuit or burn out at any time!
Once the chip failed, the tentacles would reverse-control Otto's brain, turning him into a thorough monster!
"Doctor, I beg you, stop! We need more tests!" Peterpleaded loudly.
"I've already decided, Peter. Do not stop me from witnessing the birth of the artificial sun!"
At this moment, Otto simply could not listen to Peter's discouragement.
He turned his head and manipulated the mechanical tentacles toward the glowing reactor core not far away.
A new disaster was brewing.
Peter clenched his fists.
He knew that the true test as Spider-Man was about to arrive.
Chapter 164: The Birth of Doctor Octopus
At this moment, Otto was already bare-chested.
On his spine, the mechanical tentacles had completely connected with his body.
The four tentacles, like huge pythons, slowly slithered behind his back.
This scene excited the surrounding investors who came to watch the experiment.
Otto wore a pair of specially made goggles on his face, and fanaticism was no longer enough to describe him.
Beside himself with excitement, he loudly announced to several investors and assistants outside the isolation glass.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
"Today, we are about to witness history! With our own hands, we will ignite a sun of our own on Earth!"
With that, the two lower tentacles on Otto's back propped against the ground, steadily lifting him into mid-air.
The other two upper tentacles flexibly reached toward the control panel, ready to press the ignition switch.
"Doctor! Wait!"
Peter couldn't help pressing the communication button on the console, shouting anxiously into the loudspeaker.
"I just recalculated the data! If the decay rate exceeds the critical point, the magnetic field confinement system might not be able to withstand this level of energy overflow!"
"This is too dangerous, we must conduct another simulation test!"
Otto paused for a moment.
He turned his head and looked at Peter behind the glass, a trace of displeasure and stubbornness showing on his face.
"Peter, my good boy, scientific breakthroughs require a bit of adventurous spirit. Simulations are always just simulations, and some data can only be verified in practice."
Otto pointed to the thumb-sized suppression chip on the back of his neck.
"Do you see this chip? It is working perfectly."
"I have absolute control over the mechanical tentacles. Even if there is the slightest fluctuation in the magnetic field, I can manually cut off the power. Trust me, it is absolutely safe."
Peter looked at that chip, and the unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger.
This was nuclear fusion! This was a reaction inside the sun!
Under high temperature and strong magnetic fields, any electronic component could short-circuit at any time, let alone an exposed chip!
But Otto obviously couldn't listen to any dissuasion anymore.
Without hesitation, he used the mechanical tentacles to press the start button.
Boom!
The central reactor let out a loud roar.
Immediately following, a beam of dazzling, intense light erupted from the core of the reactor.
An energy ball only the size of a fist, yet exuding terrifying heat and light, slowly rose.
This artificial sun began to swallow the surrounding energy, and its volume expanded more than a dozen times in just a few seconds.
The temperature in the laboratory rose sharply, and the air twisted because of the high temperature.
"It's a success! Did you see it? It's stable!"
Otto shouted excitedly, the four mechanical tentacles waving excitedly in the air.
The investors outside the glass also showed pleasantly surprised smiles one after another and began to applaud.
However, Peter's Spider-Sense sounded an alarm at this very moment!
This made every hair on Peter's body stand on end.
"No... something's wrong!"
Peter stared dead at the screen next to the reactor, his face instantly turning pale.
"Energy output is increasing! Cracks have appeared in the confining magnetic field!"
Peter grabbed the microphone and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Doctor! Turn it off! Turn it off immediately! It's going to go out of control!"
Just as Peter's voice fell, the energy ball at the reactor's core suddenly flashed violently.
Hum!!
A powerful magnetic field storm instantly erupted from the energy ball!
The metal objects in the laboratory lost gravity in an instant.
They were sucked toward the reactor core by the magnetic force, and then vaporized by the high temperature after contacting the energy ball!
"Ah!"
The investors screamed in fright and fled backward one after another.
Under the pull of the strong magnetic field, fine cracks also began to appear on the glass.
"Don't panic! It's just a small fluctuation! It will stabilize soon!"
Otto, who was in the center of the magnetic field, was still holding on stubbornly.
Then he manipulated the mechanical tentacles, trying to adjust the reactor's parameters.
However, the power of nuclear fusion had completely exceeded his control range.
A dazzling burst of energy shot out from the reactor, fiercely whipping against the wall behind Otto.
Bang!
Debris from the wall splashed everywhere, and a sharp piece of debris flew toward Otto under the traction of the strong magnetic field.
Crack!
Accompanied by the shattering sound,
that fragment accurately and unerringly smashed the suppression chip on the back of Otto's neck!
Faint sparks flashed across Otto's spine.
"Ugh aaaah!!!"
Otto let out a shrill scream.
After the suppression chip shattered, the mechanical tentacles no longer had any restraints.
Their data streams surged back into Otto's neural center!
The machine's consciousness fused with the human's soul.
Clutching his head in agony, Otto fell from mid-air and crashed heavily onto the floor.
The four tentacles lost control and began to wreak frantic havoc in the laboratory.
They were like four driven-mad vipers, smashing instruments and tearing walls everywhere.
"Doctor!"
Peter's eyes nearly split from rage.
He knew that if the reactor wasn't turned off, half of New York would be blown into the sky by the artificial sun!
There was no time to hesitate.
Taking advantage of the chaos as everyone fled the observation room, Peter dove straight into the storage room.
He opened his schoolbag and took out the briefcase.
He pressed the fingerprint lock.
The case sprang open, and the brand-new red and blue suit lay quietly inside.
Peter put on the suit with the fastest speed and finally put on the mask.
"Suit system starting. Good evening, Mr. Parker. I am your auxiliary AI, Anna."
A gentle female voice sounded inside Peter's mask.
At the same time, a piece of light blue data full of technological sense lit up on the lenses of the mask.
The projection displayed the suit's various functions, temperature, heart rate, and external magnetic field strength.
"Whoa, this feels simply amazing."
Peter took a deep breath, feeling the sense of power brought by the suit.
But he immediately pulled his thoughts back.
"Help me analyze the shutdown route of the reactor, avoiding the strong magnetic field area!"
"Route planning displayed." Anna replied quickly.
Peter flipped his wrist.
Swish!
A web shot out and stuck to the ceiling.
Then he pulled hard and rushed out of the storage room quickly.
On the move, he kicked and shattered the already crack-filled glass, directly swinging into the interior of the laboratory.
"Hey! Everyone! The party is over! It's time to turn off the lights and go to sleep!"
In mid-air, Peter shouted loudly, trying to attract Otto's attention.
Hearing the voice, Otto, who was lying on the ground, slowly raised his head.
At this time, Otto had been affected by the AI tentacles.
His mind was full of cruelty and the madness of destroying everything to achieve his goal!
Behind him, the four tentacles slowly rose, their front mechanical claws aimed at Peter in mid-air, making a threatening clicking sound.
Doctor Octopus was officially born!
"Don't... don't destroy my hard work!"
Doctor Octopus's voice became hoarse, as if it were a hybrid of machine and human.
"No one can stop my experiment! I want to succeed! I want to succeed!"
As soon as the words fell.
Swish!
A tentacle whizzed past, fiercely whipping toward Peter.
The tentacle, already weighing more than a dozen tons, also carried the additive force brought by the inertia of speed.
Its power was so great that it could easily kill several Captain Americas.
Peter was already in mid-air and simply couldn't dodge.
He had no choice but to raise his arms in a cross to protect his chest, preparing to be blown away.
Bang!!!
The mechanical tentacle slammed heavily onto Peter's arms.
However,
the excruciating pain expected did not come!
The moment the tentacle touched the suit, a faint glow immediately flickered on the fabric of Peter's arms and chest.
"Kinetic energy absorption module activated. Eighty percent of the impact force has been offset." Anna's voice sounded in his ear.
Peter felt as if he had been gently pushed by a sandbag.
His body retreated a few meters in mid-air, then steadily landed on a collapsed machine.
Unharmed!
"God! Mr. Tony and Mr. Luca are truly geniuses! This suit is simply a cheating artifact!"
Peter got excited.
If it were his previous handmade uniform, that blow just now would have hurt for quite a while even if he was whipped away.
Thank goodness, he was most afraid of pain!!
Chapter 165: What on earth should I do?
Seeing that Spider-Man actually took his attack head-on and came out unscathed, the madness in Doctor Octopus's eyes intensified even more.
"Pesky bug! Go to hell!"
All four tentacles exerted force at the same time.
Doctor Octopus stepped on the walls and ceiling like a spider, pouncing fiercely toward Peter.
Four sharp mechanical claws blocked Peter's retreat from different angles.
"Warning, target attack trajectory locked. It is recommended to use the electric split net." Anna quickly provided tactical guidance.
"Received!"
Peter kicked off the machine fiercely, his body leaping high into the air.
In mid-air, both hands simultaneously pressed the side buttons of the external web shooters.
Although he could shoot webs on his own, this was a divine artifact additionally installed for him by Stark!
"Taste the upgraded spider web, many-legged freak!"
Swish, swish, swish!
Two balls of web flickering with electric light shot out, then split into two electric nets in mid-air, accurately covering two tentacles of Doctor Octopus.
"Bzz, bzz, bzz!!!"
High-voltage current instantly surged across the tentacles.
Doctor Octopus let out a painful muffled groan, and the two tentacles immediately lost control, hanging down stiffly.
"Well done!"
Peter seized this gap of opportunity.
First, he shot a web, sticking it to the chandelier above the reactor.
Then his body flashed an afterimage in the air, directly clearing the top of Doctor Octopus's head and landing in front of the reactor's control console.
At this time, the artificial sun had expanded to its limit, and the surrounding consoles were baked red-hot.
In this situation, a massive explosion could be triggered at any moment.
"The main power line must be cut!"
Having made his decision, Peter reached out with both hands, grabbed two thumb-thick superconducting cables tightly, and pulled outward with all his might.
"No! What are you doing? Stop!"
Seeing this scene, Doctor Octopus let out a despairing roar.
In his haste, he manipulated the remaining mechanical tentacles to smash recklessly toward Peter's back.
Bang!
The tentacles slammed onto Peter's back.
The kinetic energy absorption module activated once again.
But because the distance was too close and the force was too great, Peter still felt a wave of dull pain.
"Oh! My back!!"
Although it hurt a lot, he did not let go.
"Break... for me!"
Peter roared angrily, his whole body muscles bulging, and the suit's auxiliary power turned on to the maximum.
Crack!
The two superconducting cables were forcibly torn apart by Peter, and dazzling sparks burst out in the laboratory.
The reactor core, having lost its energy supply, let out an unwilling wail.
The violent artificial sun flickered a few times, finally slowly extinguishing, turning into a clump of dim scrap metal.
The strong magnetic field in the laboratory vanished instantly.
And those objects sucked into mid-air dropped to the ground one after another.
The crisis was averted.
Half of New York was saved.
Peter knelt on the ground out of strength, panting heavily.
However, the extinction of the reactor completely enraged Doctor Octopus.
His life's blood, his lifetime's pride, had been destroyed just like that by this guy.
"You destroyed my dream! You destroyed the world!"
Doctor Octopus broke free from the electric net, his four tentacles waving wildly on the ground.
His bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Peter, filled with deep-seated hatred inside.
"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to tear you into pieces!"
Boom!
Doctor Octopus did not continue attacking Peter because it was too cramped here to maneuver.
Thus, he manipulated his tentacles and directly smashed the laboratory's wall.
Accompanied by flying masonry and dust, Doctor Octopusrushed out of the building and arrived at the bustling New York streets!
"Not good! Outside are all civilians!"
Peter couldn't bother to rest; he immediately shot a web and chased out through the large hole in the wall.
At this moment, the New York streets had already descended into total chaos.
A monster with four huge mechanical tentacles growing on its back suddenly descended from the sky, scaring pedestrians on the road into fleeing in all directions.
Several cars that failed to brake in time crashed into each other, triggering a chain reaction of car accidents.
police sirens blared loudly.
Several nearby patrol cars quickly arrived at the scene.
The police pushed open their car doors and raised their pistols, aiming at Doctor Octopus in the middle of the road.
"Freeze! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately! Otherwise we'll open fire!" the leading sergeant shouted hoarsely.
"A bunch of annoying flies."
Doctor Octopus glanced at them coldly.
"Open fire!"
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Dense bullets poured like raindrops onto Doctor Octopus's tentacles.
But pistol bullets were practically like tickling to the high-strength titanium alloy tentacles.
Doctor Octopus simply waved his tentacles casually twice and blocked all the bullets completely.
Sparks flickered constantly on the tentacles, without leaving even a trace.
"Th-this... what kind of monster is this?!"
Seeing the unscathed Doctor Octopus, the policeswallowed a mouthful of saliva in despair.
"Now, it's my turn."
Doctor Octopus sneered.
One tentacle suddenly elongated and plunged directly beneath the chassis of a police car nearby.
Then, under the horrified gazes of the police.
The police car was actually lifted into mid-air by that tentacle!
"Go to hell!"
Doctor Octopus fiercely smashed the police car toward the police!
"Run!"
The police were scared out of their wits.
Just at the critical moment when the police car was about to smash into the crowd.
Swish, swish, swish!
Several thick webs descended from the sky and stuck firmly onto the body of the police car.
Peter grabbed the web in mid-air, used the building's cushion to change the police car's flight trajectory, and steadily placed the car on an open space.
"Phew, that was close."
Peter landed on the roof of the police car and waved at the police.
"Officers, leave this place to me to handle, you guys quickly evacuate the crowd!"
Seeing Spider-Man appear, the police felt a great sense of relief and hurriedly organized the pedestrians to evacuate.
Seeing that it was this guy again who ruined his experiment, the anger in Doctor Octopus's eyes was instantly ignited.
"You still dare to come and court death!"
"Damn Spider-Man! You and I have no feud at all, why must you stop me?!"
Out of anger.
Doctor Octopus manipulated his tentacles, stepping on roadside cars and street lamps as he rushed over.
Peter took a deep breath and charged forward to meet Doctor Octopus.
Man and monster engaged in a fierce brawl on the streets of New York.
This time, with the blessing of the suit, Peter fought with ease and mastery.
AI Anna continuously analyzed the attack trajectory of the tentacles and provided the optimal evasion route.
Peter was like an acrobat dancing on the tip of a knife, nimbly shuttling through the encirclement of the four tentacles.
The mechanical claws smashed into the ground, gouging out huge craters in the road.
Peter seized the opportunity, leaped onto a tentacle, ran rapidly, and quickly closed in on Doctor Octopus's main body.
"Got you!"
Peter raised his fist, preparing to knock Doctor Octopus out with one punch.
But Doctor Octopus's reaction was also extremely fast.
He manipulated another tentacle and slammed it fiercely into Peter's abdomen.
Bang!
The kinetic energy absorption module contributed again.
Peter took the blow head-on, used the reaction force to do a flip in the air, and landed on a nearby traffic light pole.
"Warning, there are uninsulated energy transmission lines at the joint of the target's tentacles. It is recommended to use high-voltage electric shock webs to directly hit this part, which can cause a short-circuit paralysis." Anna gave the suggestion for a fatal blow.
"Received."
Peter raised his wrist and locked onto the connection point of the tentacles behind Doctor Octopus.
That was the fatal weakness.
As long as this shot of electric web hit.
The high-voltage current would directly destroy the motherboard of the mechanical tentacles, and would also severely damage Doctor Otto's brain along the neural connection, making him completely lose his ability to resist.
Peter's finger rested on the firing button.
As long as he pressed it, the battle would be over.
However, at the very instant he was about to pull the trigger.
Doctor Octopus turned his head.
Taking advantage of the street lights, Peter saw DoctorOtto's face.
That face was no longer crazy and cruel.
After the anger and fierce battle, Otto's true consciousness seemed to have a momentary awakening.
His face was covered in sweat and dust, his brows tightly knitted together in pain.
In his eyes, there was deep confusion and struggle, as well as fear of losing control.
"Peter... good boy..."
It was as if a faint voice rang out in Peter's mind.
That was the amiable appearance when Doctor Ottopatted him on the shoulder this morning, praising him as a genius.
He was his mentor, a great scientist willing to dedicate his entire life to solving humanity's energy crisis.
And now, the reason it became like this was simply because of an experimental accident, simply because those damned tentacles controlled him!
Peter's finger stopped on the button.
He hesitated.
His heart softened.
He could not launch a fatal attack against such a respectable elder.
If high-voltage electricity destroyed Otto's brain, the other party might become an idiot, or even die.
This was the moral bottom line that Peter, as Spider-Man, could not cross.
"No... I can't do this."
Peter bit his teeth in pain, his wrist shifting slightly.
Just during this short period of time while Peter hesitated.
The mechanical tentacles acutely captured Spider-Man's flaw.
"Go to hell!"
Madness replaced Doctor Octopus's eyes once again.
But he did not attack Peter; instead, he manipulated two tentacles to smash toward a building!
Rumble!
The pillars of the building were smashed and broken, and fragments rained down toward the civilians below who hadn't fully evacuated!
"No!"
Peter was horrified.
Unable to care about attacking Doctor Octopus anymore, he immediately turned his direction and shot countless webs.
These webs wove into a huge net in mid-air, tightly catching those falling rubble and glass.
"Run! Leave this place!"
Peter pulled the web with all his strength, his arm muscles trembling violently due to excessive force.
No joke, the combined weight of these fragments already exceeded the limit of Peter's own strength.
If not for the blessing of the suit, the old him definitely wouldn't have been able to hold it.
Taking advantage of the opportunity while Peter went to save people.
Doctor Octopus glanced at him coldly and manipulated his four tentacles to quickly climb up the nearby building.
Within a few bounds, he vanished into the dark night.
Until all the civilians safely evacuated, Peter released the web.
The sky-filling gravel smashed onto the ground, stirring up a dust storm.
Peter stood in the messy ruins, looking at the direction where Doctor Octopus disappeared.
The evening breeze blew past, dispersing people's panic.
Peter lowered his head, looking at his hands that were shaking slightly from overexertion, his heart sinking into deep self-reproach and confusion.
"If I had been more decisive just now... If I were as decisive and ruthless as Mr. Luca..."
Peter muttered to himself.
He possessed the Stark tech suit, possessed the strength sufficient to crush opponents.
However, he lacked a heart sufficient to match this power.
He let a dangerous monster go.
And this monster could bring even greater disaster to New York at any moment.
"What on earth... should I do to be right?"
The lonely Spider-Man stood on the streets of New York, falling into a long silence.