Johnny Blaze's act of pointing at Mephisto's nose and his overly dramatic tone made Li Feng cover his face and roll his eyes. Kid, you've got some nerve. He's basically your direct boss—are you trying to forfeit your salary and year-end bonus? Or have you forgotten that your ultimate fate is to end up in Mephisto's embrace?
Aside from the tone and attitude, Li Feng actually agreed with Johnny Blaze's decision to refuse returning the Ghost Rider.
Because Johnny Blaze's soul had long been Mephisto's personal property.
As long as the Ghost Rider remained within Johnny Blaze, Mephisto would still face some difficulty in claiming his soul.
But without the Ghost Rider's protection? Well, let's just say Johnny Blaze might "accidentally" trip and die, get hit by a car, choke on his food, or even die from holding his pee—all before Mephisto even left the scene.
Trying to escape Mephisto's control? Give it up. How much life experience does Johnny Blaze even have compared to Mephisto?
The truth was, Mephisto simply couldn't be bothered. Even with the Ghost Rider extending his lifespan, how long could a human possibly live? A few decades? That's barely enough time for Mephisto to take a nap.
Perhaps Mephisto had already anticipated Johnny's refusal. His lips curled slightly before quickly smoothing back into a feigned expression of fury. Raising his cane high, he slammed it into the ground, his face twisting into a demonic snarl as he growled, "You'll pay for this."
Then, turning to Li Feng with a smile, Mephisto said, "Mr. Ward, my apologies for this unpleasant display. Had I known, I would've finalized the contract right after negotiating with Johnny—saved us all this trouble."
The use of "Ward" to address Li Feng threw him off for a second, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Recovering, Li Feng masked his hesitation with a sarcastic remark, rolling his eyes. "One second, you're all terrifying, the next, you're like a kindly old neighbor. Should I be impressed by how fast you switch faces? Truly befitting a top-tier demon."
"Thank you for the compliment," Mephisto replied, slightly annoyed. "Honestly, I think the Bible got me all wrong. What's the issue with my face-switching? It's the most genuine reflection of my emotions—lets everyone know exactly how I'm feeling. Unlike you humans, who smile while stabbing friends in the back. At least my enemies know when they're in danger."
Li Feng's lips twitched. Fair point. Can't argue with that. But now that this is over, shouldn't a busy demon like you scram?
Just as Li Feng was racking his brain for an excuse to leave, Coulson's pocket suddenly rang with the sound of a phone notification.Coulson was taken aback. He was currently on a mission, and normally his phone would automatically block all incoming calls—except those from Fury.
But Fury also knew his mission involved demons, specifically a Demon Prince. Under normal circumstances, Fury wouldn't call him unless absolutely necessary.
Unless Fury was facing a problem even more serious than demons...
At this thought, Coulson offered an apologetic smile to Mephisto and Li Feng, pulled out his phone, and said, "Sir?"
Fury's somewhat weary voice came through the phone: "Coulson, it's me."
Coulson: "Sir, you sound like you haven't been doing too well lately?"
A moment later, Coulson, with a constipated expression, lowered his phone and hesitantly approached Li Feng, speaking loud enough for Mephisto to hear: "Fury has a few questions he'd like to ask you."
Li Feng scratched his head in confusion: Dude, can't you see I'm busy trying to figure out how to talk my way out of this?
"Can't you ask Fury to wait? Don't you see I'm entertaining a distinguished guest from the outer dimensions?"
Coulson's lips twitched. If possible, he wouldn't want to disturb Li Feng either. This was a big shot from Hell—who knew what consequences chatting with a demon might bring? What if, after death, God checked his records and accused him of being a spy sent by demons to infiltrate Heaven, banning him from entering paradise? Coulson wasn't sure he could handle that kind of loss.
But just moments ago, Fury had informed him that a hammer had suddenly fallen from the sky in New Mexico—a seemingly lightweight hammer that no one could lift.
In the past, Coulson's first thought would have been that an alien had come to Earth for work, and that hammer was the alien's tool—maybe for smashing walls at construction sites.
After all, construction workers were in high demand these days. The old rates of "small hammer 40, big hammer 80" were outdated. Now, a small hammer would cost at least 200, and a big hammer started at 400.
As for why humans couldn't lift it, the explanation was simple: the hammer was vital to the alien, so it had a fingerprint lock or something similar to ensure no one else could use it—or even steal it.
After all, this was the alien's livelihood. Without it, they'd have no job, no money, and eventually starve—and starvation could be fatal, even for aliens.
But now, standing before a sorcerer and a legendary Demon Prince, Coulson had a new theory.
What if the hammer was some kind of staff crafted by a bored sorcerer or demon?
His reasoning was simple.
Li Feng was a sorcerer, yet he carried a scythe around like a warrior.
And Mephisto? He was a Demon Prince, but the cane in his hand didn't look like a traditional staff—more like a concealed rapier, ready to be drawn and skewer an opponent at any moment. Since both the mage and Mephisto were present, Coulson decided to ask if they knew anything about the situation.
After organizing his thoughts, Coulson smiled and said, "A hammer suddenly fell from the sky in New Mexico. I wanted to ask if you know anything about it? Or perhaps if any mage has recently lost a hammer?"
"A hammer?" Li Feng, unsure if it was the Hammer Guy who had come to Earth, glanced at Mephisto and asked, "Big shot, do you know anything about this?"
Mephisto narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance, as if his gaze could pierce through space to see the hammer far away.
After a long pause, Mephisto turned to Li Feng with a smirk and said, "I know who it is, but why should I tell you? I'm a devil—I don't do things for free." He paused, then narrowed his eyes further. "How about this: you tell me who your mentor is, and I'll tell you who's arrived?"
"Who's arrived?" Li Feng wondered if it meant an outsider had entered Earth.
Already fairly certain that it was Thor coming to Earth to chase girls, Li Feng ignored Mephisto, who was waiting for his answer, and turned to Coulson instead. "Do you have any photos or something? Maybe I can figure something out."
Coulson glanced at Mephisto, but the latter's constant smile made it impossible to discern what he was thinking.
If possible, Coulson would have loved to ask Mephisto directly who had arrived.
But the problem was, he couldn't fight the guy, and trying to annoy or pester him into revealing useful intel wouldn't work either. After all, Mephisto's lair was in Hell—how could anyone follow him there? Even if someone resorted to hanging or wrist-cutting to get to Hell, how would they relay the information back to the living world?
As he pulled up the satellite images of the hammer on his phone and handed it to Li Feng, Coulson internally grumbled, Earlier, you said your emotions were all over your face—so why can't I read you now?
Once Li Feng confirmed that the hammer in the photo was indeed Thor's Meow Meow Hammer, he clicked his tongue and said, "Honestly, I don't want to get involved in this kind of mess—too much trouble. But sometimes, you just can't help it. I know their responsibilities all too well, and since I'm the only mage they know, if I back out now, they'll probably follow me around day and night—even into the bathroom—until they get the answers they want."
Mephisto narrowed his eyes at Li Feng and said, half-doubtful, half-certain, "From the way you're talking, it sounds like you already know who it is?"
Li Feng nodded slightly and sighed. "Mjolnir and its inseparable owner are probably on Earth now." Rubbing his temples, he grimaced and said, "Coulson, do me a favor and check if anyone in New Mexico has been sending out invitations for a 'Prince Ball' or something. Why is it always either a devil prince or a prince from the God Realm showing up?"Coulson looked at Li Feng in confusion, indicating he didn't understand. Just as he was about to ask for details, Mephisto chuckled in a shrill voice, "Since you already know who it is, why do you still want to get involved?"
Li Feng spread his hands helplessly and said, "I have no choice. Even though your son is also a prince, I know you don't care about his life or death. Besides, your son wants to rule Earth, but with Gu Yi around, he's destined to cause no major trouble."
"But this prince is different. First, he probably has no interest in playing any ruling games on Earth. After all, his old man is about to kick the bucket, and the territory he can inherit is far larger than Earth, with a civilization level higher than ours. Only a ghost would bother ruling here."
"Second, although his father seems kind and gentle now, he was notorious for his fiery temper in his youth. If anything goes wrong with his heir on Earth, or if he suffers some grave injustice, I bet the old man would get so angry he'd immediately turn the Rainbow Bridge into a planet-destroying weapon and blast Earth to smithereens just to vent his rage."
Feeling he might have exaggerated a bit, Li Feng tilted his head and added, "Well, maybe out of respect for Gu Yi, reducing Earth to rubble is a bit much. But knocking human civilization back to the Stone Age is still highly possible."
Finally, Li Feng concluded, "I'm quite satisfied with my current life and don't want to inexplicably return to living in caves. So, I'd better meet this prince and see what his purpose is on Earth. Who knows? I might even help out and earn his friendship in the process."
But was Li Feng's inner motivation really as he claimed? Like Mephisto, he never did anything without something to gain.