HISD Chapter 75: Who Is the True Villain
Inside the pitch-black elevator shaft, Sandman—Flint Marko—hovered halfway up the air, his body of swirling sand frozen as he stared at the white mechanical figure phasing through the wall above.
The towering machine's body gleamed with flawless curves, as if sculpted from some unknown alloy, shaped into the perfect form of human muscle.
A cracked chip embedded in its forehead pulsed with a faint yellow glow, contrasted against its cold crimson electronic eyes. Without engines or thrusters, it simply hovered, suspended like a god.
A high-grade robot from this world?
Flint's heart clenched. In his understanding, robots, no matter how advanced, were limited by their programming. AI could be powerful, but control always lay in someone else's hands.
Robots were just robots.
He raised his sand-formed hands and gestured toward the stalled elevator below. "Let me go. I won't attack again."
He knew this machine had the power to counter his sand form.
For his own survival, he surrendered quickly, promising not to harm Morgan inside the elevator.
But the white figure gave no response. It only stared down at him.
Flint's face grew grim. He tried again, this time more earnestly: "I only did what I did for my daughter. Let me leave, and I won't attack. But if you force me, I can't promise what might happen to this elevator shaft."
Sand swirled faster around his hands, ready to unleash a storm at any moment.
The white figure above remained motionless, like a god in the darkness.
This time, though, a flicker of mockery shone in its crimson eyes—mockery so human it froze Flint's heart.
A terrible premonition seized him.
And then—
Boom!
From the seventh floor, the elevator doors burst open as a massive green lizard crashed through. Its feral eyes glowed with predatory light as it clawed rapidly up the shaft, racing toward the stalled car.
"An opportunity!"
Flint's heart leapt. Without hesitation, he dissolved into a storm of sand and rushed toward a gap in the shaft, ignoring even the thought of joining forces with the Lizard.
Escape was the only option.
And he was right to think so—caution was his only hope.
Unfortunately, he had run into Yi Meng.
Yi Meng, who stood not as a programmed AI, but as a human mind inhabiting a machine. A villain among villains.
Just as Flint's storm was about to slip through the gap, a roar of fire erupted from above. Scarlet flames engulfed the shaft, wrapping around the sandstorm. The temperature soared past 1,600 degrees—hot enough to turn sand into molten glass.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Flint's scream echoed through the shaft as his sand-body melted.
Staring up in horror, he saw the white machine's left hand still spewing fire.
He couldn't believe it. Did this robot not care that Morgan and May were in the elevator car below? Did it not care that the Lizard was closing in on them?
Had he been wrong all along? Was this machine never meant to protect Morgan Stark?
There was no time left to wonder. His body collapsed into molten glass. His last thoughts were of regret—and of his daughter's face.
Ssshhht!
Yi Meng ceased the flames, then lifted his right hand. Frost burst forth, flash-freezing the molten glass into brittle shards that fell, shattering into the shaft below.
At the same time, the elevator car plummeted downward, narrowly avoiding the flames above. With a thunderous crash, it slammed into the Lizard climbing the wall.
Bang!
The Lizard was knocked back down, roaring in pain.
Inside the car, Baymax's round, inflated body wrapped protectively around Morgan. The white robot's balloon-like softness absorbed the shock, keeping her safe.
May clung tightly to Baymax's arm, bruised but alive.
"Morgan…" May gasped, trying to comfort the girl.
But the little girl showed no fear. Nestled in Baymax's arms, she whispered softly, "Teacher is here. We'll be fine."
"Teacher? What teacher?" May asked, bewildered.
As if answering her question, the elevator's speed slowed. Smoothly, it came to a stop on the second floor, and the doors slid open.
Baymax rolled out, carrying Morgan. May stumbled out after them.
The moment they left, the car was torn open from below. The massive green Lizard leapt inside, its hulking body radiating savage fury.
But before it could bare its claws, a tall white figure phased through the ceiling.
Yi Meng's vibranium fist solidified mid-swing, crashing down with a shockwave that smashed the Lizard to the bottom of the shaft.
"Raaaghh!"
The Lizard howled, blood dripping from its healing wounds. Its monstrous body began to regenerate.
But Yi Meng didn't give it the chance.
A searing white laser beam shot from above, piercing through the Lizard's open jaws, down its throat, and out its torso.
The roar died in an instant. The beast collapsed, lifeless.
Sandman. The Lizard.
Two supervillains from across the Spider-Man multiverse, slain.
And from the moment Yi Meng appeared to the end of the battle—less than a single minute had passed.
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