Chapter 166: Wake up! You can't die, Boss!
11:50 PM.
Long Island, the Stark beachfront Villa.
The waves crashed against the reefs, emitting a low roar.
In the living room, only a few dim wall lamps were turned on.
At this moment, Luca was slumped completely ungracefully on the sofa.
His face was pale, his forehead was covered in dense cold sweat, and every breath seemed exceptionally difficult, as if his lungs were filled with water.
"Water... Give me water..."
Luca pointed at the coffee table with a trembling finger, his voice so weak it was almost inaudible.
At this very moment, there was completely no trace of the domineering aura he had during the day.
"Alright, Boss, hold on!"
Jessica, standing to the side, was full of anxiety, her eye sockets red with worry.
She flurriedly poured a cup of warm water and carefully brought it to Luca's lips to feed him.
But the moment she lowered her head, a flash of irrepressible wild joy flickered in her eyes.
"This is real!"
Luca Stark really lost his Superpower!
Ten minutes ago, his body suddenly began to tremble violently, and then he collapsed onto the sofa as if all his strength had been drained.
Jessica could feel that the suffocating oppressive feeling that always hovered around Luca had disappeared.
Right now, he was even weaker than an ordinary person bedridden with a serious illness!
Recalling all the experiences during this period of time, Jessica inexplicably felt somewhat Happy.
Calculating the time, the organization's assassination squad should have already arrived.
"Happy!"
Luca took a sip of water, seemingly recovering a tiny bit of strength, and shouted towards outside the living room.
"I'm here, Boss!"
Happy immediately ran out from the hallway, holding a shotgun in his hands.
"Boss, rest assured. The security system has been fully activated. As long as a mosquito flies in, Jarvis will blast it to slag!"
Happy patted his chest to guarantee.
Luca weakly nodded and closed his eyes.
Jessica sneered in her heart.
Security system?
In front of Hydra's ace squad, the security system was completely useless.
"Click."
Just at this moment, the bell for exactly twelve o'clock had just chimed.
The Villa's lights instantly went out!
All electronic devices simultaneously emitted a faint buzz and then fell into dead silence.
Power outage!
"What's going on?! Jarvis? Jarvis!"
Happy shouted in the darkness, but there was no response.
Evidently, the opponent used a high-power electromagnetic pulse bomb, paralyzing the Villa's local area network.
"Enemy attack! Protect the Boss!"
Happy roared.
But strangely, he didn't block in front of Luca like he usually did.
Instead, very skillfully and flexibly, he rolled on the spot and directly drilled into a safe room behind the bar, locking the door shut by the way.
All of this happened too fast, leaving Jessica stunned.
How come this guy ran faster than a rabbit?!
Wasn't he usually utterly loyal to Stark?
How could he run the moment danger arrived?!
But Jessica had no time to think carefully, because outside the window, a slight yet fatal window-breaking sound had already arrived.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
Several black cylinders were thrown into the living room, instantly bursting forth with blinding intense light and thick smoke.
Immediately following, a dozen people wearing all-black tactical armor and night-vision goggles broke in from outside the window.
Leading them was a hulking man wearing a mask on his face.
This person was Brock Rumlow, commonly known as Crossbones.
And beside him followed a man with shoulder-length long hair and eyes as cold as a machine.
His left arm was a metallic mechanical arm.
This person was the Winter Soldier, who was also Captain America's friend, Bucky Barnes!
"Clear the obstacles, capture the target alive."
Crossbones coldly issued the order, and his subordinates immediately scattered, surrounding Luca on the sofa tightly.
Countless red dots landed on Luca's chest and head.
Seeing these familiar colleagues, Jessica felt a wave of excitement in her heart.
But the order she received was to continue lurking, so before figuring out the situation, she absolutely could not expose her identity.
"Ah!! What kind of people are you?!"
Afterwards, she pretended to be frightened out of her wits, but still bravely opened her arms, blocking in front of Luca.
"Don't hurt the Boss! Who are you?! I... I'm calling the police!"
While shouting, Jessica secretly exchanged a look with Crossbones.
Crossbones immediately understood tacitly.
He knew this was the organization's most important senior spy in Stark Industries, and must absolute not be exposed.
"Get away, woman!"
Crossbones very cooperatively roared, and then strode forward.
Seeing him casually throw a punch, yet the strength was just right.
"Bang!"
Jessica was hit on the shoulder by this punch, screaming as she flew out.
She heavily crashed into a distant wall, and then painfully slid to the ground, pretending to have passed out.
But in reality, she still slightly opened a crack of her eyelid, secretly gloating in her heart, preparing to appreciate the sight of Luca being captured alive.
In the living room, only Luca remained, pointed at by guns.
Crossbones walked to the sofa, gazing at the extremely weak Luca, a cruel sneer revealing itself at the corner of his mouth under the mask.
"The famous Superman, it seems your condition tonight is not very good."
Crossbones used his gun barrel to hook up Luca's chin, his tone mocking.
"Weren't you able to crush mechas with your bare hands, able to treat aircraft carriers as toys? What? Now you can't even stand up?"
"Come on, kill me! Let me see just how powerful the so-called Superman is?!"
"Come on, move!! I gave you the chance, but you're useless!!"
Crossbones usually hated Luca to the core.
But back then, he could only rage incompetently, whereas now, he could mock to his heart's content.
Luca glanced at him twice more, but on the surface still leaned against the sofa and coughed violently twice.
Besides that, there was also despair and anger of being driven to a dead end in his eyes.
"Cough cough... Who on earth sent you? Hammer? Or those unwilling remnants of Osborn?"
Speaking of this, Luca stared fixedly at Crossbones.
"How much money did they give you? I'll offer ten times! No, a hundred times!"
"Save it, Stark."
Crossbones let out a disdainful cold snort.
"In this world, some things cannot be bought with money. For example, our faith."
"Faith?" Luca looked perplexed.
"What faith? Which cult are you from?"
"You don't need to know."
Crossbones was obviously a well-trained Agent, not falling for the trick at all.
He knew the principle that villains die from talking too much, and would never leak the organization's secrets in front of the mission target.
"Take him away. If he resists, break his limbs."
Crossbones waved his hand towards the Agent behind him.
However, just as the two Agents were about to step forward to grab Luca,
Luca suddenly smiled.
That was a bizarre and mocking smile.
"Unwilling to speak? Then forget it. Anyway, I just wanted to see if you guys would self-destruct like a truck."
Luca gently sighed, the despair and weakness on his face instantly swept away.
"Game over."
The moment this sentence was spoken, Crossbones' heart sank, and a strong intuition instantly made his hair stand on end!
"Fire!!!"
Crossbones didn't hesitate for even a second, directly pulling the trigger!
"Bang!"
The deafening gunshot exploded in the Villa.
A large-caliber armor-piercing round directly hit Luca's glabella!
Luca's head violently tilted backward, blood splashing in the darkness, and his body heavily collapsed onto the sofa, motionless.
"Dead?!"
Jessica, faking faint in the distance, saw this scene and almost exclaimed out loud.
Wait? Luca Stark just died like this?!
Although she knew Luca was very weak tonight, how could he be headshot with a single shot so easily?!
Moreover, where was Happy?
Why was there not the slightest sound when Crossbonesfired just now?
If Luca really died, how could Happy possibly remain indifferent?!
Jessica was a top-tier spy after all, and immediately sensed the bizarre nature of the matter.
Based on her understanding of Luca during this period of time, this guy was sly and treacherous, and absolutely could not die so easily.
"So, there is definitely something fishy going on here!!"
There must be a trap in this!
In order to act more convincingly, and also to test out the situation.
Jessica quickly crawled up from the ground and scrambled towards the sofa.
"Boss! Boss, how are you?!"
She threw herself onto Luca's corpse, crying heart-rendingly.
Anyone who didn't know would have thought she was Luca's girlfriend.
"Wake up quickly! You can't die, Boss!"
"What am I going to do without you?! My salary, my bonus!"
Seeing Jessica weeping bitterly, Crossbones inwardly marveled at this colleague's acting skills.
As expected of the person with the codename Spider-Woman, otherwise why would she be a senior Agent?
This professional competence truly lived up to its reputation!!
He turned his head and waved at the Agent behind him.
"Mission changed, the target has been killed. Prepare a body bag, and bring him back for research."
Chapter 167: You Guys Are Really Disappointing
Seeing the mission end, Crossbones also breathed a sigh of relief.
He then walked to the window and pressed the button on the communicator.
"Calling headquarters. Target confirmed dead, mission complete. It's a pity Tony Stark isn't here, otherwise the Stark Family could have been uprooted tonight."
A deep response came from the other end of the communicator.
"Good job. Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra," Crossbones replied in a deep voice.
However, the very moment he put down the communicator,
"So it's Hydra. I thought it was some kind of rat that couldn't see the light of day."
A lazy, mocking yet hair-raising voice suddenly sounded in the quiet living room.
Crossbones froze all over and turned his head blankly.
To his horror, the already dead Luca Stark actually slowly sat up from the sofa!
The bullet hole between his eyebrows, which should have gone straight through, also began to repair itself automatically.
The bullet was squeezed out and dropped onto the coffee table with a clatter.
"Impossible!!!"
Crossbones was terrified to the extreme, his eyeballs almost popping out.
The Hydra Agents present also all gasped, unable to believe what they were seeing.
He didn't die?! How is this possible?!
"Is this your weapon?"
Luca picked up the bullet and casually crushed it into powder.
"Truly disappointing."
As soon as those words fell,
a large amount of pitch-black, viscous substance suddenly surged out of Luca's body.
These black substances instantly covered his whole body, transforming into a battle suit!
"Open fire! Kill him!!"
Crossbones let out a hysterical roar.
Dozens of guns fired simultaneously, and the dense line of fire immediately enveloped Luca completely.
However,
these bullets all solidified half a meter away from Luca's body.
Immediately after, they were directly crushed into powder by a pale blue energy field!
"Damn it! This is a monster! He's a monster!"
An Agent couldn't help exclaiming.
"Too late."
Luca's red and blue eyes lit up in the dark.
Swish!!!
The battle suit suddenly burst apart, and four tentacles covered with sharp barbs shot out explosively!
Squish! Squish!
The sound of sharp blades piercing flesh sounded one after another in the living room.
More than a dozen Agents were instantly pierced through the chest by the tentacles, and then hoisted into mid-air one by one.
Fresh blood spilled like rain, staining the carpet red.
"Monster... You demon..."
Seeing the elite forces he brought wiped out in an instant, Crossbones immediately raised his pistol and aimed at Luca's head.
But before he could pull the trigger,
a black tentacle violently lashed over.
"Bang!"
Crossbones was sent flying directly, crashing through the wall.
This knocked him unconscious on the spot, his life or death unknown.
Five seconds.
In just five seconds, a special forces unit was unilaterally slaughtered by Luca alone!
At this moment, apart from Luca, the only one still standing in the living room was the perpetually silent Winter Soldier Bucky.
Of course, there was also Jessica, who was lying next to the sofa with a dumbfounded expression.
Jessica's cold sweat soaked her back.
Seeing Luca looking like a demon god descended to earth, she felt unprecedented relief.
Too terrifying!
Not only was this guy not weakened, but he was even more terrifying than before!
Fortunately, she had managed to hold back earlier and not expose herself, consistently playing the role of a loyal assistant.
Otherwise, she would definitely be one of the corpses hanging on the tentacles right now!
Luca retracted his tentacles, and the corpses of those Agents fell to the ground one after another.
After finishing all this,
he turned his head, his gaze crossing the blood-covered floor, locking firmly onto the Winter Soldier standing opposite him.
After seeing Bucky's long-haired, hollow-eyed face, as well as the mechanical arm on his left arm,
Luca's smile instantly turned cold.
His breathing became somewhat heavy, and his fists clenched tightly.
The year 1991.
A remote highway, a burning car.
This face was the murderer in the videotape who killed his parents!
The enmity of killing his father is irreconcilable!
No matter how rational and cunning Luca usually was,
when genuinely facing this enemy, he still felt an uncontrollable killing intent burning in his chest!
"I'm going to kill you..."
Luca let out a low roar.
But he quickly suppressed this impulse.
No, this guy cannot die right now.
Tony is still in Kamar-Taj learning magic.
This enemy must be left for the two brothers together to hold a grand execution!
Feeling Luca's terrifying killing intent, the Winter Soldierdidn't feel the slightest bit of fear.
The strict order he received was: eliminate the target.
"Hah!"
The Winter Soldier let out a low roar, his legs suddenly exerting force.
He then transformed into a black shadow, rushing over while swinging his mechanical arm.
This punch had a strength of at least several tons.
However, facing the Winter Soldier's full-strength blow, Luca was disdainful.
He merely slowly extended one hand.
"Bang!"
A loud crash followed.
The Winter Soldier's indestructible arm was steadily caught by Luca.
The huge recoil made the Winter Soldier's body shudder.
But he discovered in horror that his arm could no longer advance even a fraction.
"Is this all the strength you have?"
Luca's gaze was incomparably cold.
"Crack... Crack..."
In Jessica's incredulous gaze,
Luca's palm began to exert force, and the mechanical arm also began to twist.
"Ah!!"
The Winter Soldier let out a painful roar.
Luca didn't give him a chance to counterattack.
He lightly raised his right leg and kicked lightning-fast onto the Winter Soldier's knee.
Crack!
The Winter Soldier's knee caps instantly shattered, and he knelt in front of Luca with a miserable scream.
Luca looked down from above, contempt and hatred shrouding the opponent.
"Take him down and lock him in Cell Number Five."
"Yes, Boss."
Happy didn't know when he had already walked out.
First taking a look at the corpses all over the ground, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Then he took out a high-intensity electric shock collar, skillfully fastened it around the Winter Soldier's neck, and dragged the other party towards the basement.
This basement was built by Luca and Tony long ago.
Originally used to test the power of battle armor, it now happened to become a cage to imprison the Winter Soldier.
The living room fell into silence once again.
Luca cast his gaze towards Jessica.
He had seen all of Jessica's little movements.
Knowing that Jessica was acting, he didn't plan to expose it.
Because a frightened spy who thought she hadn't been exposed yet was much more useful than a corpse.
In the future, he would also rely on Jessica to pass more fake intelligence to Hydra.
"Good job, Jones."
Luca's battle suit quickly receded, making him look gentler.
He then walked over to Jessica, reached out to pull her up from the ground, and a grateful smile appeared on his face.
"You saved my life. If you hadn't bought time, I might have actually been beaten to death by them."
Luca patted Jessica on the shoulder.
"Starting tomorrow, your salary doubles. Your actions have proven your loyalty."
"Boss... You... You're not dead?"
Jessica asked stammering, her tone full of incredible shock.
"I clearly saw you get shot in the head! And just now... those black tentacles just now, what was that about?!"
The scene just now had too much of an impact on Jessica.
He could actually come back from the dead?!
Seeing Jessica's shocked expression, Luca was very satisfied.
This was precisely the effect he wanted.
"Oh, that."
Luca smiled indifferently and pointed at his own clothes.
"This is a piece of technology I recently developed. It can create a realistic illusion of feigned death and instantly burst out with super strong counterattack power."
"Unfortunately, this technology is not yet mature. That move just now consumed all the energy, and now it's completely scrapped and can never be used again."
Luca deliberately sighed.
"It seems that the weak period is indeed a big trouble. Fortunately, only one wave of assassins came."
Hearing these words, stormy waves rose in Jessica's heart once again!
So that's how it is!
It can only be used once and is now scrapped!
Jessica firmly memorized this key piece of information.
Although in awe of Luca's power,
a spy's instinct told her that this was important intelligence!
She decided to report tonight's tragic state word for word to Minister Pierce!
Letting Hydra know that although Luca Stark was powerful, he was not a true god.
He still had weaknesses and could still be killed!
"Alright, stop spacing out."
Luca interrupted Jessica's thoughts.
"Go help Happy clean up the carpet, and remember to call someone to replace the glass tomorrow."
After saying that, Luca yawned and walked up the stairs.
"I can finally get a good night's sleep."
Chapter 168: What Do You Want to Do?
Washington, D.C., along the Potomac River.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
Inside a windowless office.
Alexander Pierce, Secretary of the World Security Counciland current supreme leader of Hydra, stared fixedly at a communicator in his hand.
At this moment, his face was pale, cold sweat breaking out.
On the screen of the communicator was an encrypted short message of only a few lines.
This was intelligence sent back ten minutes ago at the risk of her life by Jessica Drew, a senior spy lurking inside Stark Industries.
[Mission failed. STRIKE team completely wiped out, no survivors.]
[The Winter Soldier was captured alive with comminuted fractures in both legs, currently imprisoned in the basement of Stark's New York Villa.]
[Target Lucas Stark used a suit of armor to instantly annihilate everyone present.]
[Note: Target personally admitted that the armor is a single-use disposable item and is currently scrapped. Target himself is still in a weakened state. Please advise on the next move.]
"Bang!"
Pierce's hands trembled, and the communicator dropped straight onto the desk.
For some reason, he felt that even breathing had become extremely difficult.
Moreover, completely wiped out?!
One must know, Crossbones was leading the STRIKE special unit!
This was a top-tier tactical team hidden by Hydra inside S.H.I.E.L.D.!
Not to mention, the team also had one of Hydra's top-tier assassination weapons—the Winter Soldier!
Such a lineup was more than enough to assassinate the President of a small country.
And the result?
In front of Lucas Stark, they were still nothing but useless chickens and dogs.
Not only did they have no chance to escape, but they were also wiped out completely.
"Monster... Damned monster..."
Pierce clutched his head with both hands, muttering painfully to himself.
The Winter Soldier was captured alive! That was the most fatal part!
The Winter Soldier was not only Hydra's super weapon, but also the direct executor who eliminated Howard Starkand his wife.
If Lucas Stark pried any information out of the Winter Soldier's mouth, or followed the leads back to Hydra...
Then Hydra's decades of lurking plans would be completely ruined!
"Mr. Secretary."
The secret door of the office was pushed open, and an Agent in a suit walked in quickly, his expression equally ghastly.
"Agent Jessica sent an inquiry. She said Lucas Stark's trump cards are exhausted. Do we need to send a second tier immediately to carry out a second decapitation strike while he is weak?"
"Decapitation strike? Decapitate my ass!"
Pierce jerked his head up, unable to hold back his roar.
"Damn it, is your brain filled with shit?! Do you really believe that cunning bastard has run out of trump cards?!"
Trembling with rage, Pierce pointed at the communicator on the desk and cursed loudly.
"This is definitely a trap! I'm starting to suspect if Jessicahas defected, just to lure us into sending more people to die! Maybe Luka doesn't have a weak period at all, and is just fishing!"
Although Pierce was an extremist, he was definitely not stupid.
While suspecting Jessica, he also doubted whether Luka had some scheme.
"Pass down my orders!"
Pierce took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
"Sever active contact with Jessica immediately! Have her stay undercover, she must never expose her identity!"
"From now on, halt all probing operations targeting Lucas Stark and the Justice League! No one is allowed to provoke that madman again!"
"But Secretary, the Winter Soldier is still in their hands..." The Agent hesitated.
"Then treat him as dead!"
Pierce gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.
"The Winter Soldier is thoroughly brainwashed. Even if he's captured, he can't spit out anything useful. We have a much more deadly trouble to deal with right now!"
Pierce walked over to the desk and opened another computer.
The screen displayed monitoring of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal network.
"Just in these past few days, Nick Fury used his Directorprivileges to bypass the Council and forcefully accessed financial reports and STRIKE team personnel files from the past twenty years."
Speaking of this, Pierce's eyes darkened, filled with murderous intent.
"He has already begun to suspect us. Those two Starkbastards must have said something to Fury."
Pierce knew that once Fury's paranoia was ignited, it would never be extinguished.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal purge was about to begin.
"We can no longer waste energy on Stark. If Fury finds out the truth, all of us are finished."
Glancing at the Agent, Pierce gave his final decision.
"Notify all Agents except those involved in Project Insightthat the plan is moved forward. We must concentrate our resources and power inside S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Since Fury wants to find the mole, let's chop off his head first!"
"Let him see just how many heads Hydra really has."
...
The next morning.
New York, Manhattan.
In a certain apartment.
Luka slowly pushed open the apartment door.
After all, there was still a cute Little Witch waiting for him here.
Luka walked inside and found the living room empty.
Then he walked to the bedroom door and gently pushed it open.
On the bed, Wanda was sleeping soundly.
Her long red hair was scattered over the pillow, and her delicate face carried a faint blush.
Even in her sleep, the corners of her mouth curved up slightly, as if she was having a sweet dream.
Hearing the movement of the door opening, Wanda's long eyelashes fluttered twice before she slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing Luka standing by the bed, Wanda's eyes were initially somewhat dazed, but then instantly became clear.
As if recalling something embarrassing, her cheeks flushed red all the way to her ears.
So she quickly pulled up the blanket, covering herself tightly, revealing only a pair of watery big eyes.
"You... when did you come back?"
Wanda's voice was soft and sweet, perhaps slightly lazy from just waking up.
"Just came back a short while ago."
Luka smiled as he walked to the bedside.
He then pulled back a corner of the blanket and sat down.
"What, aren't you happy to see me back?"
"Or would you prefer me to be like those heartless scumbags, vanishing without a trace after we're done?"
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Wanda gave him a shy, annoyed glare.
She even lightly punched Luka's chest.
"You were already a scumbag. Who knows how many women outside are lining up waiting to climb into your bed."
Although she said so, Wanda's body honestly shuffled closer to Luka, gently resting her head on his lap.
Luka took the opportunity to reach out, gently stroking her soft long hair.
"Those women are just casual flings. But you're different, Little Witch."
Luka lowered his head and printed a kiss on Wanda's forehead.
"You are my exclusive power bank, as well as the core combat power of the Justice League. How could I bear to leave you behind?"
Hearing this, Wanda smiled sweetly.
So good.
Days like this were really good.
She closed her eyes, feeling the sense of security Luka brought.
"By the way, where is Pietro?"
Luka looked around and asked casually.
At the mention of Pietro, Wanda rolled her eyes helplessly and sat up from the bed.
The blanket slid down, revealing a loose white dress shirt whose hem barely covered the base of her thighs.
Obviously, this shirt belonged to Luka.
While Luka was away, Wanda could only comfort herself in various ways like this.
It felt as if Luka would always be by her side this way.
"Don't even mention him. He's been like a changed person lately."
Wanda sighed with a touch of frustration.
"Ever since Captain Steve took him out that night, he's gone completely crazy."
"Not only did he learn how to pick up girls at bars, but he also learned how to hit on girls."
"He didn't even come back last night, saying he was going to discuss the 'origin of life' with a model."
Speaking of this, Wanda puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"Steve too! He looks so steady and reliable, yet he taught Pietro all those terrible things!"
"Now look at him, Pietro's mouth is full of vulgar words; street thugs are more cultured than him."
Hearing this, Luka couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hahaha! You're blaming the wrong person. Steve is an old-school soldier to his core. The apprentice he trains would naturally be a little hoodlum too."
However, Luka still pinched Wanda's puffed-up cheek.
"But this is good too. Now that Pietro has his own night life, he won't be following us around like a tail all day."
"This is called a man's growth; you should be happy for him."
"I'm not happy at all. He's just an idiot," Wanda pouted.
Luka's gaze drifted down along Wanda's cheek, landing on the white shirt.
The morning sunlight shone in, making the shirt somewhat translucent.
Luka's gaze instantly turned deep, his smile gradually becoming uninhibited.
"Since the third wheel isn't home..."
Luka suddenly wrapped his arms around Wanda and pulled her into his embrace.
"Ah!"
Wanda let out a soft exclamation.
"What... what do you want to do? It's morning!"
"Of course I want to! What's wrong with morning? A capitalist can collect interest in his own apartment whenever he wants."
Luka leaned down and whispered softly into Wanda's ear.
"Besides, wearing my shirt means I have to give you a severe punishment."
With that, Luka gave Wanda no chance to resist, kissing her soft red lips directly.
"Mmph..."
Wanda struggled symbolically a couple of times before quickly melting into the passionate kiss.
Her hands involuntarily climbed up around Luka's neck, responding passionately.
The temperature in the room rose sharply.
The oversized white shirt was mercilessly stripped off and thrown onto the carpet.
For Luka, morning exercise was merely a warmup.
But for Wanda, who had just tasted the sweetness of love, Luka's domineering desire for control was a fatal poison.
It made her sink into the climax time and again, unable to extricate herself.
Who knows how much time passed.
The heavy panting finally quieted down gradually.
Wanda lay limply on Luka's chest, completely out of strength.
"Get a good rest, Little Witch."
Luka kissed Wanda on the forehead, then got out of bed and began to put on his clothes.
With a thought, the suit of armor hidden beneath his skin surged forth instantly.
"Once the new base is built in a while, we'll move over. It has the best training facilities where you can properly develop your Chaos Magic."
Luka said while tidying his cuffs.
"I still have to go to the company to handle some matters today. Those messes at Oscorp Group still need my supervision."
Wanda poked half her head out from under the blanket and nodded obediently.
"Mm, go do your work. I... I'll sleep a little longer."
Luka smiled, turned around, and walked out of the bedroom.
Chapter 169: You Actually Call This Kind of Trash Your Mentor?
An hour later.
Stark Industries Tower.
CEO's Office.
Luca flipped through a report on the asset restructuring of the Oscorp Group.
The office door was pushed open, and Jessica walked in carrying a cup of hot tea.
Today, Jessica's attitude was more respectful than ever.
A strict order had come down from above, telling her to wholeheartedly play her role as an assistant.
But she knew that those above must be terrified of Luca's power.
"Boss, your tea."
Jessica carefully placed the teacup on the desk, not even daring to raise her head.
Luca glanced at her and smiled gently.
"What's wrong, Assistant Jones? Didn't sleep well last night? You look terrible."
"N-No, Boss. I'm fine," Jessica quickly replied.
"That's good. I still need you to continue to shine and contribute to Stark Industries."
Luca picked up the teacup, took a sip, and was about to continue reading the documents.
"Sir."
Jarvis's gentle voice suddenly rang out in the office.
"Mr. Peter Parker is outside. He seems to be in very low spirits and is requesting to see you."
Luca raised an eyebrow.
"Peter? Didn't this kid go to pick up girls? Why does he look like his dad just died today? Let him in."
The office door slid open.
Peter Parker walked in with his backpack on, his head lowered like a child who had done something wrong.
His eyes were slightly red, his hair was messy, and he looked completely lifeless, lacking any of the excitement he had when he first received his new gear.
"Mr. Luca..."
Peter walked up to the desk and spoke in a raspy voice.
"Take a seat," Luca said, pointing to the sofa opposite him.
"What's wrong, Spidey? Did my flirting techniques fail? Did Mary Jane kick you out again?"
"N-No, it's not because of Mary Jane. We made up."
Peter shook his head, burying his face in his hands in agony.
"It's because of... Doctor Otto."
Peter took a deep breath and told Luca everything that had happened last night, down to the last detail.
From Doctor Otto's insistence on conducting the nuclear fusion experiment, to the shattering of the inhibitor chip, to Otto being controlled by the mechanical tentacles and becoming Doctor Octopus.
Finally, Peter spoke of his battle with Doctor Octopus on the streets.
"I could have subdued him..."
Peter was filled with self-blame and pain, tears welling up in his eyes.
"My suit completely countered him. As long as I pressed the high-voltage taser button, I could have paralyzed those tentacles. But... but when I saw his face, I hesitated."
"He is my mentor, a good man. The only reason he became like that was because of an experimental accident. I couldn't bring myself to do it."
Peter looked up at Luca blankly.
"Because of my soft-heartedness, he escaped. He even collapsed a building. Although I saved the civilians, many people were still injured."
"Mr. Luca, what on earth should I do?"
"I have this power, but I don't know how to use it. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I've only made things worse."
After listening to Peter's story, the office fell silent.
Jessica stood to the side, looking at this naive and kind Spider-Man, and sighed inwardly.
This kid has absolutely no idea how cruel this world is.
Luca leaned back in his chair, staring at the pain-ridden Peter.
He didn't walk over, pat Peter on the shoulder, and brew a pot of 'with great power comes great responsibility' chicken soup to comfort him like a traditional elder would.
He knew this kid needed a little shock to shift his mindset.
So, Luca gave a contemptuous laugh.
Then, he slapped the desk, startling Peter.
*Bang!*
"You're asking me what you should do?"
Luca stood up, looking down at Peter from above.
"Peter Parker, do you think you're so great?"
"Do you think that letting a mentor who turned into a monster go showed off your noble morality?!"
"I... I didn't..." Peter stammered, trying to defend himself.
"Shut up!"
Luca interrupted him mercilessly.
"If your kindness isn't used where it matters most, it is a crime against the innocent!"
Luca walked around the desk to Peter, pointed at his nose, and said words that pierced his heart.
"You think showing mercy is saving him? No, you are planting a time bomb in New York!"
"What bullshit Doctor Otto? My dad engineered an artificial sun decades ago—though it was cold fusion. But that doesn't matter."
"What matters is that this mentor of yours is an absolute piece of trash! He couldn't even handle a simple reactor?!"
"Tony hand-built something of that low caliber in some crappy cave in Afghanistan. Lately, he's even about to finish making nano-armor."
"And what about him? He's in New York, with the best laboratory and funding, yet he still failed?!"
"To be honest, I'm very disappointed in you, Peter."
"The Justice League has two of the smartest geniuses in the world, yet you call a piece of trash your mentor."
At this point, Luca seemed to laugh out of sheer exasperation.
But in the end, he adjusted his breathing and looked at Peter with frustration, wishing he would live up to his potential.
"Wake up, Little Spider! Otto is no longer your mentor! He is a madman whose head is filled with nothing but igniting nuclear fusion!"
"You let him go today because of your soft heart, and tomorrow he will rob banks for experimental materials, murder innocent civilians, and even blow New York sky-high!"
"You think you are saving him, but in reality, you are indirectly causing the deaths of even more people."
Luca's words were like sharp daggers, stabbing deeply into Peter's heart.
"When that time comes, the deaths of those who died because of him will all be on your head! Because it was you who personally let a murderer go!"
Peter sat blankly on the sofa, his face pale.
He had never thought about the issue from this perspective before.
He had always believed that superheroes shouldn't kill, and that they should save everyone.
After all, with great power comes great responsibility.
But Luca's words were like a bucket of ice water, waking him up.
Indeed, mercy to the enemy is cruelty to the innocent.
"Listen, kid."
Seeing the wavering look in Peter's eyes, Luca's tone softened slightly.
"At Stark Industries, and in our Justice League, the only way to deal with a madman is to scatter his ashes!"
"We are not priests in a church; we are scavengers who clean up trash. When a dog gets rabies, you don't go and hug it; you must put a bullet through its head without hesitation!"
"If you don't even have this level of resolve, then you don't deserve to wear the suit I gave you. You might as well run back home and be a good little boy!"
Peter lowered his head, his hands tightly clenched into fists.
Although Luca's words were harsh, every single word made sense.
He finally understood that his ridiculous morality would only bring about greater disasters in this cruel world.
"I understand, Mr. Luca."
Peter looked up, with a little less naivety and a little more determination in his eyes.
"If I encounter him again, I will definitely not show mercy."
Seeing Peter's transformation, Luca nodded in satisfaction.
He was indeed teachable.
He didn't want the lackey he trained to be a useless trash who was constantly held hostage by morality.
Just then...
"Warning! Warning!"
Jarvis's urgent voice suddenly rang out in the office.
The holographic screen opened automatically, showing a scene of a large industrial park in the suburbs of New York.
"Sir, Stark Industries' No. 5 Energy Depot in Queens is currently under armed attack by unidentified individuals!"
On the screen, a monster with four mechanical tentacles on his back tore open the depot's gates and threw several security personnel aside in the process.
It was indeed Doctor Octopus!
"He is attempting to steal the tritium core from the depot! If he succeeds, he will be able to reignite the out-of-control artificial sun!" Jarvis reported quickly.
Seeing Doctor Octopus on the screen, Peter stood up abruptly, a flash of anger in his eyes.
"He's out hurting people again!"
Peter turned to look at Luca, his tone firm.
"Mr. Luca, let me go! This time, I will definitely subdue him myself!"
But Luca shook his head and sneered.
Then he picked up his coat and casually threw it on.
"No, kid. This time, I'm taking you there myself."
Luca patted Peter on the shoulder.
"Today, Professor Stark will personally give you a field teaching lesson."
"I'm going to teach you what Stark-style deliverance is."
Chapter 170: I Understand, Mr. Luca
New York, Flushing.
The sky outside Energy Warehouse No. 5 was dyed red by glaring firelight and thick black smoke.
Deafening explosions and tearing sounds echoed one after another.
All of this turned this peaceful industrial zone into a veritable living hell.
The warehouse doors had already collapsed into the ruins.
And in the center of the ruins, Doctor Octopus stood there.
He was shirtless, with four thick tentacles extending from his back.
These tentacles thrashed wildly in the air, smashing deep craters into the ground with every strike.
"Get lost! You ignorant fools!"
Doctor Otto's eyes were bloodshot, gleaming with paranoia and madness.
During the battle, he controlled a tentacle to easily fling an armored vehicle blocking his way into midair.
Then, he slammed it violently toward the distant blockade.
"Boom!"
The armored vehicle exploded in midair, sending fire splashing everywhere.
"I want tritium! I want to complete my sun! This is my great moment, and no one can stop me!"
Otto roared, stepping closer and closer to the energy core storage area deep inside the warehouse.
Meanwhile, at the outer blockade...
A large number of the military soldiers and armored vehicles had already surrounded the area.
But in the face of Doctor Octopus's devastating power, conventional firearms firepower seemed utterly useless.
Inside the command vehicle.
General Ross bit down on an unlit cigar, his face grim as he stared at a screen.
"General, the material of the enemy's tentacles is highly unusual; armor-piercing rounds aren't working. If we continue to force our way in, casualties will skyrocket," the adjutant reported anxiously from the side.
"A bunch of useless trash!" General Ross slammed his fist onto the console.
But in his eyes, besides anger, there was mostly greed.
General Ross, of course, knew what was stored in the warehouse.
tritium!
One of the core materials used by Stark Industries for its cold nuclear fusion reactors!
Ever since the Stark Brothers announced the clean energy plan for the Ark Reactor at their press conference, The Pentagon had been thrown into a panic.
And, of course, envy.
The the military had been trying to replicate Stark's technology.
But no matter how much manpower and resources they poured into it, they could not overcome the core energy confinement problem.
And now, a failed scientist had actually fought his way into a Stark Industries warehouse all by himself, just for this energy source!
Wasn't this just giving them an opportunity?!
"Order the troops to keep their distance and not destroy the warehouse!" General Ross lowered his voice and issued the command.
"I want this octopus monster captured alive! And we must secure the energy core inside!"
General Ross muttered to himself, his mind busy calculating his gains.
As long as they could capture Doctor Otto alive, they could force him to reveal the connection technology for those tentacles.
If they could also seize some of Stark Industries' tritiumcores amidst the chaos, The Pentagon could secretly crack the secrets of the Ark Reactor!
When that time came, the the military would be able to break free from its dependence on Stark Industries and even surpass them technologically!
"The Stark Brothers are too arrogant. Do they really think they can monopolize the future forever?" General Rosssneered.
"Today is the the military's chance to turn the tables!"
...
At the same time.
High in the sky, dozens of kilometers away from Flushing.
Luca was flying in the air.
His body was covered in a faint Biokinetic Field.
This force field not only insulated him from the high-altitude gales and freezing cold, but also supported his flight.
And in his right hand, he was carrying Peter Parker, who had already put on his suit.
Peter was swung back and forth by the wild wind, though he wasn't afraid.
But the feeling of weightlessness suspended thousands of meters in the air still terrified him enough to keep his eyes tightly shut, muttering constantly under his breath.
"Oh god, oh god, oh god... Mr. Luca, couldn't we have just taken a cab? Or at least let me swing over there with my webs!"
"Take a cab? Do you think we're going to Brooklyn to eat pizza, kid?"
Luca let out a soft chuckle, looking down at the brightly lit city below.
"How much of what I just told you did you actually take to heart?"
"I took it to heart, Mr. Luca. When dealing with madmen, you can't be soft-hearted; you must pull the trigger without hesitation," Peter answered loudly.
"Reciting lines is useless, Peter. You have to understand this truth deep in your heart."
"Do you think if you had just used an electric web to paralyze the enemy, this would still be happening now?"
Peter fell silent.
This was indeed his mistake, and there was no way to deny it.
"Because of your ridiculous mercy, dozens of soldiers are now bleeding in Flushing."
"Otto is no longer your mentor. He is a monster whose mind is solely focused on igniting nuclear fusion, even if it means blowing New York to high heaven."
Luca's gaze turned cold.
"I brought you out here precisely to let you see my methods with your own eyes."
"You need to know that in this world, only absolute violence and decisiveness can protect the people you want to protect."
Peter shuddered as he listened.
He knew Mr. Luca wasn't joking.
"But... but he is a genius scientist after all, what if..." Peterstill wanted to make one last struggle.
"There are no 'what ifs'," Luca interrupted him.
"My dad hammered out the first-generation cold nuclear fusion reactor in an basement with a hammer and a wrench back then, and Tony forged a miniature Ark Reactor in a cave out of a pile of scrap metal."
"And what about your mentor? Not only did he receive the best funding in all of New York and use the top laboratory, but he ended up causing an experimental accident that almost blew up the city."
"A useless piece of trash like that is better off dead. Stark Industries doesn't need such garbage."
Luca's words cut deep, shattering the last bit of filter Peterhad for Otto.
Indeed, in front of a true genius like Mr. Stark, DoctorOtto's research really amounted to nothing.
But was talent really what Peter cared about?
No, what he cared about was Otto's life.
What he truly hesitated over was not wanting to see a living, breathing life slip away through his own hands.
But... just as Luca said, because of his soft-heartedness, even more people were killed.
Those people also had families and friends; they were living people too.
His previous hesitation and soft-heartedness were truly too foolish.
Doctor Otto... I'm sorry...
"I understand, Mr. Luca."
Peter looked up, the naivety fading from his eyes, replaced by a trace of determination.
"Tonight, I will watch you resolve this trouble with my own eyes."
Luca nodded in satisfaction.
"Very well. Then keep your eyes wide open."