Chapter 2215 - Ch: 141-150

Chapter 141: Teaching the Wanda Siblings

After Mei finished cleaning the kitchen, she drove home.

Pietro was also a bit tired after a long day; light snoring could already be heard from him on the first-floor sofa.

On the second floor, klein had just finished showering and lied down when the door was silently pushed open a crack. Wanda slipped in like a lithe cat and quickly locked the door behind her.

She was only wearing one of klein's oversized T-shirts, the hem just reaching her thighs. Her long blonde hair was draped over her shoulders, and her large green eyes stared straight at klein, who was leaning against the headboard.

"klein, who is Aunt Mei? And what is your relationship with her?"

Looking at her tense face and clenched fists, klein sighed inwardly, knowing he couldn't avoid this hurdle.

He reached out, pulled her onto the bed to sit, and took her into his arms, feeling her body stiffen slightly.

"It's exactly the kind of relationship you're thinking of," he replied directly, without any evasion or excuses.

Wanda's body shuddered violently. She looked up at him, her eyes instantly filling with moisture and a mix of disappointment.

"You? How could you be like this? I thought you...? Can't you just lie to me once?"

She originally thought she had met a perfect hero who would save her, but she didn't expect the hero to be a scumbag as well.

The radiant image of klein in her heart developed an ugly crack.

klein didn't say a word; he just lowered his head and kissed Wanda's lips.

At first, Wanda tried to struggle, hitting his shoulders, but klein's arms were like iron bands.

However, his kisses and caresses carried a kind of magic, quickly igniting her young body.

That quote by Eileen Chang might be cliché, but at certain moments, it's close to the truth.

The shortcut to a woman's heart is...

Intense physical entanglement and collision temporarily masked those complex anxieties.

Wanda hardly closed her eyes that night. klein was exceptionally hardworking. From her initial resistance and grievance, the young girl gradually surrendered.

She had cried and cursed incoherently, but in the end, only moans and pleas for mercy remained.

Wanda finally slumped among the messy sheets, unable to even lift a finger.

She looked at klein beside her, who was still full of energy. "Enough, Klein, let me go... Do whatever you want. I can't control you anymore!"

After saying this, she could no longer hold on, her head tilted, and she fell into a deep sleep.

klein pulled over the quilt to cover her. Seeing the young girl's slightly furrowed brow and tear-stained eyelashes even in sleep, he reached out and gently smoothed them.

He knew this wasn't over; Wanda definitely still had a knot in her heart and needed more delicate comforting.

Over the next few days, klein continuously comforted Wanda.

He knew that the knot in a young girl's heart couldn't be completely smoothed over by just one night of tenderness.

He showed immense patience, accompanying her during the day to get familiar with New York, taking her to eat various novel snacks, visiting museums, and walking in Central Park.

At night, through deeper exchanges, he guided the girl to explore each other's mysteries, silently conveying possession and cherishment.

Under the sustained high intensity, Wanda's body and soul quickly adapted and indulged in this intimacy.

She might not be willing to fully admit it verbally, but her body and eyes had already betrayed her. Every time she looked at klein, the dependence and infatuation in those green eyes almost overflowed.

The initial grievances and hard feelings were gradually replaced under the impact of repeated physical and spiritual fusion.

She had long since been molded into klein's shape and could no longer leave.

After settling things with Wanda, klein began to turn his attention to training the siblings to master their special abilities.

These few days of close observation and perception allowed klein to confirm his judgment.

Wanda's Chaos Magic and Pietro's super-speed were not forcibly induced by later experiments but were talents rooted deep in their bloodlines.

What HYDRA did using the Mind Stone was more about activation and catalysis rather than direct bestowal.

This was also the reason why their abilities were not stable enough.

Knowing the reason, klein began special training for the siblings.

The training soon revealed a gap.

Although Pietro's ability progressed relatively slowly, his physical fitness began to get stronger and stronger, and his speed faster and faster, but he had not yet truly mastered the ability to make time slow down.

However, Wanda's progress was lightning fast. Chaos Magic is essentially about modifying probability and reality, deeply bound to emotions and will.

Under klein's day and night efforts, her mastery of this power progressed by leaps and bounds.

In a short time, she was already able to relatively stably condense dark red chaos energy balls for attack or defense and could slightly distort reality on a small scale.

She could even apply brief and strong mental suggestions to weak-willed individuals.

Although she was still a far cry from the Scarlet Witchwho could modify reality at will, she was already taking shape, and the potential she showed made even klein nod secretly.

During this period, the matter of arranging for the siblings to go to school was also put on the agenda. klein made a call to Murdoch.

"klein, this matter is a bit of a trouble," Murdoch's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"If it were before the semester started, donating a development fund to New York University and slotting in two students would be easy.

But now the semester is already halfway through, and the student registration system is relatively closed. Relying solely on money could easily leave room for criticism."

klein frowned. "Then what should we do? Is there no other way?"

"Of course there is. Find someone influential enough to write two recommendation letters," Murdoch suggested. "If you're not in a hurry, I'll contact the Mayor of New York, we'll have a meal together, and then... perhaps we can get two recommendation letters from him."

"Too much trouble! Fine, you don't need to worry about this. I'll handle the recommendation letters."

After hanging up on Murdoch, klein found Stark's number and dialed it.

The phone rang several times before it was picked up. The background noise was a bit loud, sounding like he was at some lively occasion.

"Hello! klein! What do you need?" Tony Stark's voice came through, as flamboyant as ever.

"I have something to talk to you about. Come over to my place when you have time," klein said directly.

Tony walked to a relatively quiet place. "I'm in Los Angeleshandling some legacy matters for Stark Industries and attending a boring charity gala while I'm at it.

I'll be back in New York the day after tomorrow. We'll talk in person then."

"Fine, see you the day after tomorrow."

Chapter 142: The Witch and Tony

Two days later in the afternoon, the shop door was pushed open forcefully from the outside, making the doorbell jingle.

Before Tony Stark had even fully entered, his voice arrived first.

"Where is everyone? Come out and welcome the great Tony! klein! I brought you a bottle of good wine, you..."

Before he could finish, Wanda, who was coming out of the inner room carrying tea, saw Tony's face, and her pupils suddenly contracted!

That face, she had seen it countless times in news reports, on magazine covers, and in her dreams!

In an instant, all reason was submerged by overwhelming hatred.

Wanda hardly hesitated; her eyes were instantly stained with a layer of dark red, and her right hand suddenly grabbed at the air!

"Ugh!"

Tony's boasting came to a sudden halt.

He felt an invisible yet ice-cold, iron-like hand tightly choking his throat, and a terrifying force lifted his entire body off the ground!

A sense of suffocation flooded in like a tide, his vision went black, and he struggled desperately, his expensive leather shoes kicking wildly in the air, but he had nowhere to find leverage.

"Wanda."

A calm, low call rang out in the shop.

klein was still sitting in the grandmaster chair, only casually raising his hand and giving a light wave.

That violent Chaos Magic choking Tony, like smoke dispersed by a gentle breeze, instantly vanished into nothingness.

With a "thud," Tony fell clumsily to the floor, clutching his throat and coughing violently, his face turning bright red.

klein moved, and in the next moment, he appeared beside Wanda, taking her trembling body into his arms and gently patting her back: "Don't get excited, take a deep breath."

"It's him! It's him!" Wanda stared fixedly at Tony on the floor, her voice sharp with extreme hatred, her nails almost digging into klein's arm.

"Klein! It's him who destroyed our home! That demon! Let me kill him!!"

Just then, hearing the commotion, Pietro rushed in from the backyard.

Seeing Tony, he was stunned for a moment, then his eyes turned blood-red, his superpower instantly activated, and his figure turned into a silver afterimage, lunging straight at Tony!

"Sigh..." klein sighed and pressed his other hand against the void in front of him.

The sprinting Pietro felt the surrounding space instantly freeze, and an irresistible force forcibly fixed him in place. No matter how much strength he exerted, he couldn't break free, and could only roar unwillingly.

"Alright, everyone calm down." klein first gave Wanda's hand a reassuring squeeze, then said to Tony, who had just caught his breath and was leaning against a shelf in shock: "Sit down first."

Then, he looked at the agitated Wanda in his arms and the trapped Pietro, explaining to them both.

"I called Tony over just to clear up this misunderstanding. Wanda, Pietro, I know your pain. But those things really weren't done by Tony himself. Let him explain, okay?"

Tony, while rubbing his neck, stood up with lingering fear, feeling both bewildered and angry: "Holy shit! What the hell is going on? Who did I offend? Someone tries to kill me as soon as I walk in?"

"It's you! It's you!" Tears burst from Wanda's eyes as she pointed at Tony and accused him sharply.

"You sold weapons to Sokovia! Stark Industries' missiles fell on my house! My parents, they died under the bombs you manufactured!"

"My brother and I hid in the ruins, and right next to us was an unexploded bomb with your logo on it! Do you know how we survived those two days?! Every second we thought we'd be blown to pieces! It's all because of you! You executioner!"

The annoyance on Tony's face froze.

He looked at the crying girl in front of him, then at the youth who, though frozen, had eyes burning with the flames of revenge. His brow furrowed tightly, and his expression became complex.

He took a deep breath, his tone becoming serious and sincere.

"Listen, girl. I am very, very sorry for what happened to your parents. That was a tragedy."

Then, Tony changed the subject, looking directly into Wanda's eyes.

"But, Sokovia is a NATO member, not an enemy of the United States."

"Furthermore, Stark Industries' high-end missiles are only under exclusive supply agreements with the U.S. Military, and foreign sales are strictly prohibited."

"The weapons you saw were definitely not sold by me, nor by the legitimate Stark Industries."

"You're lying!" Wanda retorted excitedly, "The missiles clearly had the Stark Industries logo printed on them! I saw the exact same missiles at your Expo!"

"He's telling the truth." klein held Wanda tighter and explained for Tony.

"Wanda, you didn't see the logo wrong, but you've got the wrong person. Those were illegal arms deals carried out behind his back by Tony's uncle, Obadiah Stane."

"After Tony found out the truth, he personally sent him to prison. This was reported in the news at the time."

"I don't believe it! That was a scapegoat he found!" Wandashook her head, immersed in grief and doubt.

"Wanda, look at me." klein cupped her face, his thumb gently wiping away her tears, "When have I ever lied to you?"

He pointed to the circular outline on Tony's chest that could be vaguely seen even through his clothes: "See that reactor on his chest? That's what was left when Obadiah almost killed him to seize power."

"If I hadn't saved him, he would have been dead long ago. The real culprit has already been brought to justice."

Wanda raised her tear-filled eyes to meet klein's sincere gaze. Thinking about the logic in klein's words, her tensed nerves finally relaxed a bit.

"Really?" her voice trembled.

"Really." klein lowered his head and gave her a light kiss on the forehead, "It's all in the past. If there's a chance in the future, I'll let you handle the real criminal yourself, okay?"

Wanda could no longer hold back; she buried her face deep in klein's chest and burst into tears, as if venting all the fear and grievances accumulated over the years.

klein just gently patted her back, comforting her silently.

Pietro also stopped struggling; hearing these words, the ferocity in his eyes faded significantly.

Having calmed Wanda down, klein then turned to the helpless-looking Tony and smiled apologetically: "Sorry about that just now, Tony. Wanda's emotions were a bit high."

Tony waved his hand and straightened his messy collar. Although his face was still a bit pale, his tone had softened considerably.

"Forget it, I, Tony Stark, am broad-minded and won't hold it against a lady. However..."

He looked suspiciously up and down at klein, the girl in his arms, and the boy with incredible speed.

"You called me all the way here, it couldn't have been just to assassinate me, right? What is this all about?"

klein smiled and pointed to a chair nearby: "Sit down and let's talk. This time I called you, besides resolving the misunderstanding, there is indeed a serious matter I need your help with."

Chapter 143: Loki Prepares to Rule Earth

"Alright, the misunderstanding is cleared up. Now, let's talk business." klein let go of Wanda and sat on the armchair next to Tony. "Help me get two recommendation letters to send them to New York University."

When Tony heard that klein was asking for a favor, he immediately slumped onto the long sofa, propping both legs high on the coffee table.

"Oh~ so you're asking me for a favor?" Tony drawled, shaking his feet with a punchable expression on his face.

"Then that beating just now can't be forgotten so easily. Ouch, my leg, that fall earlier was a bit hard. Come here, give the great Tony a massage. If you serve me well, the recommendation letters will be easy."

klein looked at his smug face out of the corner of his eye and slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket, swiping across the screen a few times.

He turned the phone screen toward Tony, showing a photo of Tony on a yacht years ago, surrounded by women in an extremely debauched and chaotic scene.

"I have a full HD backup of the nude party you had at sea with those Victoria's Secret models behind Potts' back. Say, if my hand slips and I send it to Potts..."

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop! Stop it!"

Tony instantly bounced off the sofa and scrambled to cover klein's phone screen. All his smugness vanished, replaced by a fawning smile.

"I'll do it! It's done! What's the big deal? Just two recommendation letters? Leave it to me! With our relationship, talking about leg massages hurts our feelings!"

He rubbed his hands, trying to change the subject: "But the semester is already halfway through. They'll be transfer students and won't be able to keep up with the classes. How about they go next semester? They can enjoy staying at home for a while longer, it'll be much more comfortable."

klein took his phone back and added casually, "There was one wearing black silk stockings and a patent leather miniskirt, the Nordic one, about half a head taller than you, what was her name again..."

"I'll write them now! I'll contact the principal right now!" Tony immediately raised his hands in surrender, speaking rapidly. "I'll pay all the sponsorship fees! The full amount! Is that okay? Good?"

"Deal." klein nodded with satisfaction.

Tony felt as if he had been granted amnesty and stood up to flee. He had originally planned to stay for a meal with klein, but now he didn't dare stay for a single second longer.

He walked to the door, slammed the bottle of fine wine he had brought onto the counter, and shouted as he walked away.

"I'll handle it as soon as I get back! I'll get it sorted for you! The school will call you in a couple of days, just take them to report in! I'm off!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already climbed into his car. The R8 let out a roar and vanished in a flash, for fear that klein would dig up more of his dark history.

Wanda watched Tony's fleeing figure, then looked at the calm klein, curled her lip, and snorted, "You men, none of you are any good!"

Beside her, Pietro was munching on an apple. He paused at her words and pointed at himself innocently, "Sister, I haven't even done anything yet?"

"You're no good either. You'll probably be more of a playboy than him in the future," Wanda said, venting her anger on him.

klein laughed and pulled Wanda close, saying to Pietro, "Ignore your sister. Spend the next couple of days looking around the school area. Tell me which apartment you like, and I'll rent it for you. I'll also get you a car; it's inconvenient to be in college without one."

"Really, Brother-in-law?! You're the best!" Pietro's eyes instantly lit up, his previous grievance swept away.

"Why are you buying him a car!" Wanda glared at her brother. "He's not earning a cent right now, just spending money. Let him walk or take the subway!"

Pietro shrank back, not daring to make a sound.

klein patted Wanda's hand. "Alright, it really is inconvenient in the U.S. without a car, especially after classes at night. I'll just buy a used one for getting around; it won't cost much."

Tony's efficiency was indeed astonishing. The next day, klein received a call from New York University, and they were personally received by the Director of Admissions.

He took the siblings to finish the enrollment procedures, rented a nice one-bedroom apartment for Pietro near the school, and picked up a used Dodge Challenger for him from Mike, a used car dealer.

Wanda continued to live in klein's two-story house. klein threw her the keys to his Ford pickup to make her daily travel easier.

After a few peaceful days, one evening, klein was lounging on the sofa watching TV when an emergency news broadcast caught everyone's attention.

The background was outside an opera house in Stuttgart, Germany, where the scene was in total chaos.

A black-haired man in dark green robes and a golden horned helmet stood on a high point, holding a golden scepter embedded with a blue gem, delivering a bridge-burning speech to the terrified crowd below. It was Loki!

"You were made to be ruled! Kneel! Submit to me!"

klein narrowed his eyes. This punk finally showed up.

Wanda walked over with a fruit platter and saw the news, her brow furrowed. "Klein, this person looks very dangerous. Will something big happen?"

"It's fine. For the next few days, you and Pietro should take some time off from school and stay home. Don't wander around," klein said calmly. "Things might get a bit messy outside for a while."

"Okay." Wanda didn't ask further and obediently nodded in agreement.

At that moment, klein's phone rang. The caller ID showed Maria Hill.

klein took a glance, pressed mute, and tossed the phone into the corner of the sofa, having no intention of answering.

He had no interest in joining those people to form the Avengers. That name sounded unlucky, and Fury was terrible at naming things. No culture at all.

Anyway, according to the plot, Loki would steal the Space Stone, control Hawkeye and Dr. Selvig, get captured by Tony, and destroy the Helicarrier's command system.

The next step would definitely be coming to New York to open a portal on top of Stark Tower and summon the Chitauri army.

He just needed to wait comfortably in New York for those alien scum to show up so he could farm some experience.

Loki hadn't originally intended to come to Earth; the pressure klein put on him was so great it had nearly become his nightmare.

But after Thor returned and exposed Loki's scheme, Lokihad no choice but to wander the Universe.

Whether Loki's luck was good or bad was hard to say, but during his wandering, he encountered Thanos. His chance to survive was to retrieve the Space Stone from Earth, and in exchange, Thanos promised him the Chitauri army and a scepter embedded with the Mind Stone.

With an Infinity Stone in hand and an alien fleet at his back, Loki felt confident again. He returned to Earth full of assurance, ready to wipe away his past humiliation and complete his grand conquest.

Now that he had also obtained the Space Stone, klein was nothing more than a joke in his eyes. The entire Earthwas already as good as his.

Chapter 144: The Chitauri Army Attacks

Meanwhile, above the Atlantic Ocean, inside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier.

Tony, Dr. Banner, Thor, Black Widow, and Captain America, who had recently been thawed from the ice.

This Avengers team, forcibly cobbled together by Nick Fury, was currently standing scattered around the room.

The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder as they glared at each other.

No one noticed that the scepter set aside, with the yellow gem at its tip, flickered slightly.

"Listen, I don't care how you Asgardians handle family disputes,"

Tony, his face full of impatience, pointed at Thor,

"But your psychotic brother is currently invading Earth. If you can't handle him, we'll do it for you."

Hearing this, Thor's eyebrows shot up, and he stepped in front of Tony.

"Watch your words, Midgardian! Loki is my brother, and more importantly, a prince of Asgard! His crimes will be judged by the laws of the Realm Eternal.

As for the Tesseract, it was originally an ancient relic of Asgard. It was you Midgardians who hid it away, bringing about today's calamity!"

"An ancient relic?" Tony scoffed, spreading his hands. "Wow, quite the attitude. Something that fell to Earththousands of years ago suddenly belongs to Asgard?

Are you going to reclaim dinosaur fossils next? Prince Thor, this isn't your Heavenly Palace; this is New York, and we have our own rules!"

"Your rules put the World in danger!" Thor roared, sparks of electricity faintly flickering around him.

"Enough!" Captain America frowned and stepped between the two, trying to settle the dispute. However, his tone always carried a preachy quality, which only added fuel to the fire.

"Now is not the time to argue over property rights. We can talk about cooperation first; let's not bicker like children."

"Children?" Tony turned his head, looking Captain Americaup and down with eyes full of disdain.

"Oh, our Captain Capsicle has spoken. Listen, fossil, times have changed. War depends on this,"

He pointed at his head, "Not on that shield of yours that doubles as a frisbee, or a bunch of outdated passion."

Steve's face darkened. "Stark, you're too arrogant. Teamwork and sacrifice will never go out of style."

"Sacrifice? Ha!" Tony gave an exaggerated laugh. "I have no intention of dying for some Black Braised Egg's ridiculous plan. I have my own life, a company, I have..."

The fuselage suddenly jolted, and the sound of a violent explosion came from outside! Alarms blared instantly, and red warning lights flashed frantically.

Outside the window, several fighter jets belonging to S.H.I.E.L.D. were frantically unleashing their firepower.

Loki laughed loudly in his cage as the energy field that had been restraining him dissipated instantly—it had been a lure all along!

"The game has begun, ants!"

Chaos erupted in the cabin as the fragile balance they had barely maintained instantly collapsed.

The long-suppressed Hulk could no longer restrain himself; with a roar, he tore through his clothes and transformed into a violent green beast, rampaging through the cabin. The metal walls buckled and deformed under his fists like paper.

Tony didn't have time to argue with Thor anymore; he immediately activated his armor, evacuating personnel while trying his best to block Hulk's destruction in an attempt to stabilize the situation.

Black Widow rushed toward the control room amidst the chaos, breaking through the guards controlled by Loki and successfully waking Hawkeye, who had been manipulated by the Mind Stone. Together, they fought their way out.

Thor rushed toward the cage holding Loki in a panic, only to fall right into Loki's trap.

Loki had already set a trap using illusions and mechanisms, trapping Thor in a sealed pod instead, and then initiated the emergency ejection sequence.

Accompanied by Thor's unwilling roar, the pod plummeted from the sky like a meteorite, disappearing beneath the clouds.

Loki gave a cold laugh and retrieved the Mind Stone, only to run into Coulson, who was waiting at a corridor corner with a gun.

"Put down the scepter, Loki!" Coulson warned sharply, his finger tight on the trigger.

A hint of mockery flashed in Loki's eyes as he lunged forward like a ghost, the tip of the scepter piercing straight toward Coulson's chest!

With a squelch, the blade entered flesh.

Coulson stumbled back, blood instantly staining his shirt.

But he did not fall; the Vajra Talisman hidden inside his uniform activated at the critical moment, its faint golden light neutralizing the fatal puncture wound.

Loki let out a soft exclamation of surprise but didn't linger; he laughed and crashed through a porthole, turning into a streak of light as he sped toward New York.

Coulson gritted his teeth and tore open his blood-stained jacket, slapping a Rejuvenation Talisman onto the wound.

A warm current instantly flooded his body, and the gruesome wound healed at a visible rate, though the dizziness from blood loss still left his face pale.

However, this chaos forced the once-fragmented Avengersto unite in the face of crisis.

Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, New York, klein put down his teacup and looked up at the Manhattan skyline.

From the top of Stark Tower, a beam of eerie blue light shot into the sky like a sword piercing the heavens, tearing open a massive wormhole vortex in the clouds.

The Chitauri army, which had been waiting for its moment, swarmed out like locusts. Individual flying vehicles whistled through the air, and energy cannons bombarded the skyscrapers indiscriminately.

Fire broke out in the streets as panicked crowds fled screaming. Only a few scattered Police officers fought back with pistols, but like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, they were shot down by Chitauri soldiers.

klein stood up and lightly raised his finger. The Phoenix Force spread silently, transforming into a faint golden barrier that enveloped all of Chinatown.

The Chitauri's fire melted like snow upon hitting the barrier. The Chinese residents within the neighborhood were still in shock, but they saw that the World outside had become a living hell.

"Watch closely," klein raised an eyebrow at Wanda and Pietro beside him. "Wanda, your Chaos Magic isn't just about blowing things up randomly; you need to tame it, not be controlled by it;

And you, Pietro, speed isn't just about running fast; you also need to anticipate and learn to change direction."

Wanda concentrated and raised her hand. Dark red energy wrapped around three Chitauri soldiers like silk, precisely snapping their necks;

Pietro also turned into a silver blur, weaving through the rain of bullets and kicking away incoming fire aimed at civilians.

Under klein's guidance, the two gradually found their rhythm, and the awkwardness of their first real combat quickly faded.

Until an ear-splitting roar echoed from the wormhole, and a hundred-meter-long Leviathan beast wound its way out. Its back armor was as thick as a fortress, and energy gathered in its mouth, aiming at the dense crowd of refugees below!

"That's enough. It's time for Master klein to make his entrance!" klein took a step forward, teleporting directly in front of the beast. His right fist ignited with crimson-gold flames as he threw a casual punch.

Before the wind from the punch even reached it, space twisted and collapsed. The beast exploded with a bang before it could even let out a whimper. Fragments vaporized and dissipated in the Phoenix Fire, leaving not even wreckage behind.

klein shook his wrist and glanced at the more shadows surging from deep within the wormhole.

A gold and red figure flew onto the platform on the top floor of Stark Industries. Using mechanical arms, the armor was removed, revealing Tony inside.

However, before long, klein saw Tony being thrown off the roof by Loki.

Fortunately, the Mark 7 Armor caught Tony, otherwise he would have been a pancake.

klein instructed Wanda and Pietro, "Stay here, don't go out. I'll be right back."

"Be safe!" Wanda urged klein.

klein nodded, and his figure vanished as he teleported away.

Chapter 145: Closing the Space Portal

At this moment, the streets of New York had turned into a slaughterhouse. Chitauri soldiers swarmed everywhere like locusts, their energy beams tearing the streets into fragmented ruins.

The Police defensive lines were on the verge of collapse. Just as despair began to spread, a steady shout rang out, "Hold your ground! Provide alternating cover!"

Dressed in his Stars and Stripes suit, Captain Americaleaped into the battlefield. His Vibranium shield spun through the air, accurately knocking down three Chitaurisoldiers.

Standing at the very front of the defense line, he loudly commanded the panicked Police to regroup. "Groups of three! Fire coverage on the left passage!"

With the return of their former spiritual icon to the battlefield, the once-shattering defense line was forcibly stabilized.

High above, Black Widow piloted the quinjet, weaving through the air at tricky angles as the aircraft's cannons tore through the enemy formations.

Hawkeye occupied the high ground, providing aerial reconnaissance and timely support.

A bolt of thunder tore through the smoke and dust as Thorcrashed down, wreathed in lightning. Wherever Mjolnirswept, currents of electricity surged, turning swathes of enemy troops into charred cinders.

Pressure on the ground plummeted, and the morale of the Police soared as they began their counterattack against the Chitauri army.

However, the crisis was far from over. Three Leviathanbeasts swam out from the wormhole, their massive bodies crushing buildings. Ordinary bullets only produced stray sparks against their armor.

Just as the behemoths were about to break through the lines, Dr. Banner arrived, wobbling to a halt on a shabby little scooter.

He took off his glasses, his muscles rapidly bulging as if inflated, and began his transformation.

After turning into the Hulk, he roared at the sky, cracked the ground with a single punch, and leaped onto the back of the leading beast. With his muscular arms bulging, he actually snapped the beast's head off by force!

But the wormhole continued to pour out troops. Though the Avengers were brave, their battle lines were being compressed once again.

Seeing block after block being lost, a fiery red light suddenly swept across the sky. Without any world-shaking explosion, any Chitauri soldier touched by the red light saw their body vanish silently like a weathered sand sculpture, turning entirely into dust.

klein's figure appeared at the source of the red light. With one hand held toward the sky, a massive golden magic shield blocked all the pouring fire in mid-air.

klein looked up and shouted into the air, "Tony! This thing drains too much mana, I can't hold out for long! We must close the portal!"

Tony, who was currently entangled with a Leviathan beast, heard this and quickly finished it off. Then, with his armor's thrusters at full power, he charged toward the rooftop.

Thor swung his hammer to clear the enemy crowd and was stunned when he saw klein. "mr. klein?!"

"No time for pleasantries!" klein pointed to the top of the tower. "Loki's scepter is the key to the closing device! You go seize the scepter, and Hulk will support you!"

Thor immediately turned into a bolt of lightning and soared into the sky, while Hulk roared and climbed up the outer wall.

klein turned and shouted to the dazed Captain America, "Captain! Stop daydreaming and lead the men to consolidate the eastern defense! I'm going to block the space portal."

Below the wormhole, klein stood suspended in mid-air, using his magic shield to seal the space portal, reducing the number of Chitauri soldiers emerging from it.

With his left hand, the Phoenix Force instantly vaporized any stragglers that slipped through the net.

However, after some time had passed and the space portal still hadn't closed, klein looked down toward the top of Stark Tower.

He couldn't help but frown. He had thought that with Thor, Hulk, and Tony working together, taking down Loki would be a matter of moments.

But the battle was turning out to be completely unexpected!

Loki, holding the scepter embedded with the Mind Stone, moved like a phantom through the trio's encirclement.

Every swing of the scepter brought a ripple of mind-warping energy. Not only did it easily deflect Thor's thunderous hammer, but it also repeatedly caused Tony's armor systems to briefly malfunction, and even guided Hulk's berserk lunges to weirdly strike his own teammates.

"That old geezer Thanos probably really did reveal a few secrets of the Mind Stone to this traitor."

klein understood that with the empowerment of the Infinity Stone, Loki truly possessed the capital to fight three against one at this moment.

"I can't wait any longer!"

klein decisively withdrew the Phoenix Force blocking the space and instead channeled the Vishanti Magic with all his might.

In an instant, a brilliant magic shield several times larger than before appeared out of thin air, completely sealing the entire space portal like a dome covering the sky!

Seeing this, the Chitauri army on the other side of the wormhole frantically concentrated all their fire on the giant shield, with energy beams pouring down like a rainstorm.

Ripples surged across the shield's surface; it was clearly difficult to sustain for long.

Taking advantage of this gap, klein performed a space jump, teleporting to the battlefield on the roof of Stark Tower.

Without a word, he thrust his right palm toward Loki, sending a blast of Phoenix Force like an arrow from a bow. This attack wasn't aimed at Loki himself, but at the gem on the Mind Stone scepter!

The Mind Stone atop the scepter vibrated violently. Lokifelt a searing heat in his palm, and the scepter nearly slipped from his hand.

That infinite energy, which had previously been as easy to use as his own limbs, now felt as though it had been shackled by an invisible force, forcibly severing his connection with the stone!

"What?!"

The sneer on Loki's face instantly froze.

Without the continuous empowerment of the Mind Stone, he was just a Squishy Mage with decent moves. How could he possibly withstand the combined assault of the three powerhouses?

Thor's Mjolnir came crashing down, Tony's palm cannons sealed his retreat, and Hulk roared as he delivered a heavy punch straight for the vitals!

Loki hastily raised the scepter to block, but the three massive forces shattered the webbing of his thumb. He was sent flying like a broken kite, slamming hard against the rooftop railing.

Before he could catch his breath, klein had closed in like a phantom. Giving him no chance for any nonsense, klein grabbed Loki's well-groomed black hair with his left hand and balled his right hand into a fist. He delivered a heavy punch infused with the Speed Force and Armament Hakisquarely onto Loki's shocked face!

"Keep acting tough! New York doesn't allow anyone to be this arrogant!"

Loki immediately saw stars, and blood sprayed from his nose.

Next, klein grabbed the ankle of the slumped Loki and lifted him like a sack of grain, swinging him side to side and smashing him frantically against the hard floor!

"Damn, this feels so good! I watched Hulk smash Loki like this before, but doing it personally... this feeling is just too satisfying!"

The stone slabs cracked inch by inch. Loki was smashed senseless, with countless bones broken. He no longer had a shred of the God of Mischief's elegance, slumped on the ground like a dead dog, without even the strength to groan.

Thor's eyes twitched at the sight. Although he felt for his brother, he knew the guy deserved it.

Tony took the opportunity to step forward, kicking the scepter away from Loki's hand. He was just about to lean over to pick it up.

"Stark! Emergency communication!" The communication channel inside Tony's helmet was suddenly forced open, and Nick Fury's anxious roar came through.

"Those lunatics at the Council! They've ignored my objections and authorized a nuclear strike on Manhattan!

The goal is to completely sanitize the battlefield! The missile is already airborne and will arrive in three minutes at most! You must stop it!"

"What the FUCK?!" Tony turned pale with shock inside his armor.

"Are those bureaucrats' brains stuck in a door?! There are millions of civilians here!"

He suddenly looked up at everyone. "Don't close the portal yet! There's a nuke heading for New York! I have to lead it away!"

"Lead it where?" Captain America's voice came from the public channel below; he had clearly heard the news too.

"The only place is into the wormhole!" Tony made a split-second decision. His thrusters erupted in flames, and he soared into the sky. "I'll intercept the missile and push it into the space portal! You guys be ready!"

Before his voice faded, he had already turned into a gold and red streak of light, racing against the sky.

By this time, klein had kicked the limp Loki to Thor's feet and picked up the Mind Stone scepter from the ground.

[Ding!]

[High-dimensional energy aggregate detected—Mind Stone. Absorption or temporary storage is available...]

"Do not absorb for now," klein thought to himself. He tossed the scepter to Thor. "Thor, listen. I'm going up to switch places with Tony in a moment. Once you see Tonyland, use this thing to close the space portal immediately!"

Thor caught the scepter. Looking at the white smoke trail getting closer in the distant sky, he asked worriedly, "Then what about you? If the space portal closes..."

"Don't worry about me, I have my own ways of getting back," klein said confidently.

The next second, his figure blurred and he vanished from the spot.

High in the sky, Tony was pushing the nuclear missile with all his might. His armor was at full power as he struggled to change its trajectory, heading toward the space portal atop Stark Tower.

"Jarvis, divert all power to the thrusters." Tony gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down beneath his faceplate.

Suddenly, a palm pressed gently against the back of his armor.

"Let go, Stark. I'll take it from here. Go back and rest."

klein's voice rang out abruptly behind Tony.

Before Tony could react, a surge of spatial energy wrapped around him, and the scenery before his eyes instantly blurred and distorted.

The next second, Tony felt his feet hit solid ground. Thor's surprised shout reached his ears: "Tony! You're back!"

He was actually standing firmly on the rooftop platform of Stark Tower!

Meanwhile, high in the sky, klein held the nuke with one hand and flashed into the space portal. Below, Thor thrust the Mind Stone scepter hard into the energy core of the portal device.

The Tesseract erupted with a final brilliant light, and the space portal device instantly overloaded and shattered!

The massive wormhole vortex began to shrink inward at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"We did it..." Captain America leaned on his shield, panting, as everyone looked up at the sky, watching the space portal close.

klein looked at the big guy in his hand, capable of destroying a city, and a playful smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He used the Phoenix Force to penetrate the missile's interior, forcibly terminating the detonation sequence. Then, with a thought, he directly threw the now-harmless nuke into the depths of the Kamui Dimension.

"I'll keep this. Maybe I can set it off as a big firework later."

Having finished all this, klein clapped his hands. Standing in the void of space, he looked at the Chitauri Mothership and the frantic soldiers.

"The real show is just beginning!"

Chapter 146: Return to Earth

Having broken free from the shackles of Earth's atmosphere and standing in the cold, silent depths of outer space, klein felt his whole body lighten, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

"Phew!! Finally, I can cut loose and have some fun."

klein cracked his neck, his joints letting out a series of crisp pops.

"Which one should I start with?"

klein grinned, a flash of excitement in his eyes. All the power within his body began to erupt like a volcano.

His figure vanished instantly, leaving only an afterimage behind. In the next second, he appeared directly in front of the cockpit of a Chitauri scout ship.

A jet-black fist punched out without any flourish!

The alien alloy bulkhead, capable of withstanding machine-gun fire, was pierced instantly like it was made of paper.

klein's arm punched straight through, grabbing the terrified pilot inside and ripping him out with a violent tug!

Both the pilot and his seat were forcibly dragged out of the ship and tossed into space like trash.

The out-of-control ship tumbled and slammed into its allies, exploding into a brilliant fireball.

klein floated in the void, his hands forming seals.

"By my decree: Let the Thunder Ancestor proclaim his might, and all evils be banished!"

In the pitch-black backdrop of the Universe, countless bolts of purplish-red lightning exploded without warning! These bolts, like sentient thunder dragons, rampaged through the dense Chitauri formation!

With every flash of lightning, dozens of Chitauri soldiers, along with their equipment, were instantly vaporized.

This sector of space seemed to transform into a hellish pool of lightning, the blinding flashes illuminating klein like a deity wielding divine punishment.

After unleashing his Thunder magic, klein shifted his focus. Using Vishanti magic, he condensed a colossal hand that blotted out the stars in the vacuum, and clenched it tightly around the swarming enemy fleet ahead!

Hundreds of Chitauri soldiers and ships were crushed into scrap metal by the magical hand before being hurled into the depths of space.

klein raised his right hand again, spreading his fingers.

An invisible yet supreme power of rules spread out.

Wherever his gaze fell, those hideous alien creatures rapidly disintegrated into ash, starting from their heads, as if they had never existed.

Fighting with increasing fervor, klein used his various abilities with ease—at times using the String-String Fruitto slice enemies into pieces, at others using Hado to blast warships into fragments.

The numerical advantage the Chitauri army took such pride in became an absolute joke before klein, this humanoid natural disaster.

Alone, he unleashed the firepower density of an entire interstellar fleet!

After a hearty venting of power, klein turned his gaze toward the massive mothership in the distance.

"Time to wrap this up."

He slowly raised his hands; in his left palm danced the Crimson-Gold Phoenix Fire, representing destruction and rebirth, while his right was wreathed in the Vishanti magicthat forms the essence of all things.

Two forces capable of shaking the laws of the Universeconverged before his chest, ultimately forming a highly unstable energy singularity.

klein slammed the energy singularity toward the Chitauri mothership.

The energy singularity expanded rapidly as it flew, instantly turning into a torrent of destruction that spanned the stars and slammed into the mothership's energy shield.

The shield couldn't even hold for a second, popping like a soap bubble.

Immediately after, the mothership's thick armor began to melt. Its massive hull, like dough kneaded by invisible giant hands, erupted with billions of blinding rays of light from within.

Finally, in a silent yet magnificent explosion of fireworks, it illuminated this dark region of space.

The Chitauri command center, along with the thousands of soldiers inside, was completely reduced to cosmic dust.

Earth, Manhattan, New York.

The Chitauri soldiers who had been firing wildly just a moment ago suddenly stiffened, collapsing to the ground like puppets with their strings cut, and a strange silence fell over the battlefield for a second.

"What's going on?" Captain America guarded himself with his shield, looking around warily. "They all seem to be dead?"

Hawkeye peeked out from behind cover, looked at the motionless corpses covering the ground, and lowered his bow. "Looks like we won."

"Whew..." Tony landed on the rubble, his faceplate flipping open to reveal a weary but relieved face.

"It's finally over. But isn't this delay a bit much? Was it because the distance to space is too far and the signal was bad, so it took this long for the command system's shutdown order to transmit?"

"Perhaps it's some kind of neural network based on quantum entanglement," Dr. Banner adjusted his glasses, having reverted to human form, and spoke cautiously while wrapped in tattered clothes.

"Distance shouldn't affect it; it might have been the mothership's final backup system struggling in its death throes."

Thor shouldered his hammer, walked over to Loki, who was tied up like a zongzi, and gave him a kick. "Regardless, this farce is over."

"Over?" Natasha walked over, frowning as she looked at the spot in the sky where the portal had long since vanished. "But mr. klein hasn't returned yet."

As soon as she said this, the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

"He said he had a way." Thor said this, but his hand gripping the hammer tightened instinctively.

After all, that was deep space; no one knew what might happen.

Tony sighed, plopped down onto some rubble, and began to use his characteristic sharp tongue to try and ease the tension.

"Sigh, that guy klein just had to go play the hero. If he really doesn't come back, he'll leave behind such a huge mess! Tsk tsk. Though that little girl Wanda in his shop is quite lovely,"

He shook his head, saying with a look of feigned reluctance,

"Can't be helped, who told me to be the great Tony Stark? If something really did happen to klein, I'll just have to take on the heavy responsibility of looking after his family for him.

"Especially Wanda. I'll take good care of her like she's my own little sister, ensuring she has no worries about food or clothing and stays in high spirits!"

Just as Tony was getting more and more carried away, immersed in his self-indulgence, a familiar voice suddenly rang out behind him with a hint of playfulness.

"Oh? Really? Then how do you plan on 'taking care' of her? Tell me so I can hear it; I might even thank you in advance."

Tony stiffened all over, his neck turning like a rusty gear, notch by notch.

He saw klein standing behind him at some unknown point, staring at him with a half-smile that made Tony's scalp tingle.

"Cough! Cough cough cough!" Tony nearly choked on his own spit, instantly switching to an expression of pleasant surprise and jumping up to give klein a hug.

"Hey! klein! I knew you'd make it! I was just talking! We're the best partners!"

klein extended a finger, pressing it against Tony and pushing him away in disgust. "Cut it out. Who was just saying they were going to take over my shop?"

"A hallucination! That was definitely your hallucination!" Tony promised solemnly, then immediately changed the subject, pointing at the devastated city.

"I know a Shawarma joint near here. How about we go there and talk while we eat? We can leave the cleanup to S.H.I.E.L.D. We should take a break too."

Everyone readily agreed upon hearing this; they were both tired and hungry after the big battle.

klein also wanted to taste what that legendary Shawarma, which could allegedly grant immunity to Thanos's Snap, actually tasted like.

The group followed Tony toward the Shawarma shop.

Chapter 147: The First Time with Thanos

The time goes back to before klein returned to Earth.

Having just crushed the Chitauri mothership, klein seemed to sense something and did not return to Earthimmediately.

He stood quietly in the void, his eyes like torches, piercing through the endless galaxy to look deep into the Universe.

At the end of that deep darkness, a massive figure sitting on a floating throne was staring back at him across a distance of hundreds of millions of light-years.

Thanos, in fact, had been paying attention to this Battle of Earth all along.

On his chessboard, Loki was just a pawn that could be discarded at any time.

Success was certainly welcome, but failure was not regrettable either.

Leaving two Infinity Stones on this remote Planet, Earth, was originally the safest way to keep them.

After all, there were two great deities, the Ancient One and Odin, presiding there.

However, these two Guardians were already like candles in the wind, with not much time left.

Thanos had originally intended to wait quietly for the end of their lives, at which point Earth would be his for the taking.

But klein's sudden emergence had completely disrupted his plans.

"Where did such a monster come from?" Thanos rubbed his forehead, his brow furrowed.

The aura emanating from klein actually made him feel a long-lost pressure, even faintly surpassing Odin and the Ancient One in their prime.

This posed a huge variable to his plan.

At this moment, klein's gaze seemed to pierce through dimensions, precisely locking onto Thanos's hiding place.

"Have I been discovered..."

Thanos felt a chill in his heart and decisively cut off his spying.

Before collecting all the Infinity Stones, it was by no means wise to start a full-scale war with such a powerhouse prematurely.

His presence receded like a tide, quickly hiding in the shadows of the Universe.

"Tch, runs quite fast."

Feeling Thanos quickly leaving, klein curled his lip, his face full of disdain.

In his eyes, the current Thanos was just an underdeveloped small fry, not even qualified to make him interested in hunting him down.

He had to wait for Thanos to develop a bit; only when he collected the six Infinity Stones would Thanos be qualified to die before him.

...

Back on Earth, in the Turkish kebab shop in New York that Tony had chosen.

"Ugh!"

If it weren't for the hardworking and simple nature of the Chinese people, klein almost spat the meat out of his mouth; he put a lot of effort into swallowing the grilled meat.

Then he picked up a beer and gulped down a bottle before he could swallow that bad taste.

In klein's eyes, this cow died in vain; how could someone make grilled meat so unpalatable—fishy, dry, and hard!

And it was actually made by a Turk? There's no justice!

klein glared at the expectant Tony across from him and threw the table knife at Tony.

"Stark! Are you bankrupt and have no money to pay the bill, so you deliberately brought us to eat this stuff? It's better to go eat burgers! Are you trying to poison us?"

After hearing this, Tony didn't believe it and chewed a couple of bites himself. His features instantly wrinkled into a ball, and then he spat the meat back onto the plate.

He apologized to everyone awkwardly, "Cough cough! I also heard others praising it to the skies. Who knew the actual thing would be so different from the legend?"

"A mistake, purely a mistake! Let's go, let's go, change places! I'll treat you to real Michelin three-star food!"

In the corner, Captain America looked at the remaining meat on his plate, his brow furrowed.

Having lived through an era of scarcity, he ultimately couldn't bear to waste it. He forced himself to stuff all the meat into his mouth, swallowed it with difficulty, and stood up.

"Next time. The damage caused this time is too great, and the aftermath work is piling up. I have to go meet up with S.H.I.E.L.D. first."

After saying that, he put on his helmet and left with Black Widow and Hawkeye.

"I'm out too. I'll make up for the big meal next time." klein didn't bother to deal with Tony anymore; with a flash of his body, he disappeared directly from the spot.

Thor, holding the bundled-up Loki in one hand and the container with the Tesseract in the other, bid farewell to Tony and Dr. Banner.

"My friends, I should also return to Asgard to report. Until we meet again."

The beam of the Bifrost Bridge descended from the sky, taking the Thor brothers away.

In an instant, only Tony and Dr. Banner were left in the noisy kebab shop.

Tony looked at the messy table, then at the somewhat cramped Dr. Banner beside him, his eyes flashing with excitement.

Having experienced this great war and witnessed the invasion of alien technology, a crazy plan was taking shape in his mind.

"Dr. Banner," Tony leaned in closer and lowered his voice, his tone full of temptation, "if you're not busy, how about we collaborate? I have a wonderful idea, a concept sufficient to protect the whole World. You'll definitely be interested."

klein returned to Chinatown. On the outer streets, S.H.I.E.L.D. task forces were nervously and orderly cleaning up the remains of Chitauri soldiers and crashed aircraft debris.

Wanda and Pietro had tactfully retreated back into klein's shop as soon as they saw the personnel in uniform moving in.

After the pursuit in Sokovia, they instinctively remained wary of such official institutions and were unwilling to reveal their identities.

When klein pushed the door into the shop, he saw a wisp of dark red energy lingering around Wanda's fingertips, wrapping around a porcelain vase on the shelf like a thread, making it suspend and rotate at a constant speed.

"Klein!" Wanda's eyes lit up when she saw klein return. She dissipated the energy, immediately ran to klein, jumped onto him, and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"You're back! Are you okay? Those alien soldiers moved as slowly as snails. When I used Chaos Energy to restrain them, I could clearly feel their movement trajectories and even predict their landing spots in advance!"

Pietro also jumped over, "Brother-in-law, me too! Some guy tried to sneak up on my sister. Before it could act, I predicted it and kicked that alien away with a flicker!"

klein smiled and rubbed their hair: "You two did well. Practical combat is the best teacher. Today, you've truly touched the threshold of your abilities."

His gaze swept across the busy S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles outside the window, his voice becoming a bit more solemn.

"But remember, power is not for showing off, but to allow you to protect yourselves and the people you care about in any situation."

The two nodded obediently, "We know."

"Tonight, the three of us will have a big meal ourselves to celebrate your first victory!" Seeing that they understood, klein changed the subject to the big meal tonight.

"Grilled meat!" "Hot pot!" the siblings shouted almost simultaneously, then looked at each other and laughed.

"Okay, okay, we'll have both!" klein gave them money to prepare the ingredients.

He then took out his phone to call Mei; Mei had taken the day off and didn't come.

The phone rang twice before being picked up, and Aunt Mei's excited voice came from the other end.

"Klein? I was just about to call you. How is it on your end? I'm with Peter. It's a mess outside, so we're hiding at home and haven't gone out. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, everything is good at the shop."

Mei had the protective talisman he gave her, and with Peter by her side, ordinary trouble couldn't get close to her.

"You and Peter stay safe. Try not to run to the city center for the next couple of days."

"Okay, I understand."

Hanging up the phone, he rolled up his sleeves and jerked his chin toward the kitchen: "Come on, I'll cook personally tonight!"

Chapter 148: Three-Party Secret Talks

The Battle of New York was painful for the people of New York. But for other places and other countries, not only was there nothing wrong, they even felt a bit like laughing.

Just as the people of New York were secretly licking their wounds, the Avengers also ushered in a short rest period.

Thor Odinson escorted Loki back to Asgard to face trial, and the Tesseract was subsequently sealed deep within the vault of the Heavenly Palace.

The Mind Stone was brought back to S.H.I.E.L.D. as a trophy, and Captain America officially joined S.H.I.E.L.D., busy assisting with post-war reconstruction and trying to find his footing in modern society.

Although Dr. Banner was invited to cooperate with Tony to develop new technologies, due to a lack of specific creative sparks, the Ultron project progressed slowly, with most of the time spent on basic theoretical research in the Stark Tower laboratory.

Meanwhile, klein returned to a salted-fish-like life in his shop.

Under klein's arrangement, Wanda and Pietrosuccessfully enrolled at New York University.

Wanda majored in psychology, trying to understand the source of the chaotic energy within her heart.

Pietro showed a strong interest in mechanical engineering; although he looked unreliable, his grades were very good.

During the day, klein watched the shop and cooked with Mei, and at night, he studied how to play games with Wanda, how to push to the high ground, and go straight to the crystal.

Occasionally, he would guide the siblings on how to refine their superpowers, living a carefree life.

However, the Marvel Universe had already begun, and peaceful days were not the norm.

Just as everyone was enjoying the hard-won peaceful life, three dark forces were already secretly conspiring together.

California, the medical isolation ward of San Quentin State Prison.

Obadiah Stane lay on the hospital bed, his face withered, but his eyes still revealed greed and resentment.

Due to a sudden severe heart attack in prison, he obtained the qualification for medical parole.

In fact, this was a deal he had reached with Killian, the leader of Advanced Idea Mechanics.

The ward door was pushed open, and Killian walked in.

Who would have thought that Killian, now in a high-end custom suit and dressed like a successful person, had such a loser look in front of Tony back then.

It seems that hatred can indeed make a man mature.

"Mr. Stane, how do you feel?" Killian smiled and handed over a document, "Your new identity and funds are ready."

"Cut the crap, Killian." Obadiah Stane took the document coldly, "What I want is Stark Industries, and Tony Stark's life. Where is the enhancement you promised?"

Killian snapped his fingers, and the assistant behind him carried in a black metal box.

After opening it, inside the lining of the black metal box lay a syringe loaded with orange-red liquid, which flowed slowly like molten magma under the light.

This was the Extremis serum that Killian was proud of.

Obadiah Stane stared fixedly at the vial, a flash of desperate madness in his turbid eyes.

He knew that injecting Extremis was a life-or-death gamble, but compared to lingering on his last breath in prison, he would rather bet his old life.

So he used the technology of the iron monger to cooperate with Killian, asking him to get himself out of prison and prepare a tube of Extremis for him. Whether it succeeded or not, Obadiah Stane was going to take a gamble.

"Inject it into me!" Obadiah Stane said decisively.

As the orange-red liquid was slowly pushed into his veins, intense pain instantly swept through Obadiah Stane's entire body.

His body convulsed violently, as if magma was surging under his skin, and his protruding veins emitted a terrifying red light.

Perhaps it was because Killian's improved technology worked, or perhaps the will to survive that erupted from Obadiah Stane's body, which was filled with hatred, was too strong, and the self-explosion he expected did not happen.

After the high heat and severe pain receded like a tide, they were replaced by an unprecedented sense of fullness.

Obadiah Stane felt the surging power in his body; he could clearly control the high temperature capable of melting gold and breaking iron, and could even feel the deformed vitality radiating from his cells under the effect of Extremis.

Killian looked at this scene with satisfaction, "Congratulations, Mr. Stane, you have been reborn. And your iron monger, we have prepared it for you as well."

He waved his hand, and a holographic projection unfolded, showing a heavily modified iron monger armor.

The original bloated body was optimized to be more capable, and most importantly, the groove in the chest that was originally used to accommodate the Arc Reactor had been completely sealed.

"It no longer needs a reactor for power." Killian's voice carried a trace of fanaticism,

"The lining of the armor will be directly connected to your nervous system. The Extremis in your body will become its inexhaustible power furnace. You are the energy itself."

Obadiah Stane felt the power of Extremis surging in his body, and looked at the brand-new iron monger armor in the projection that used himself as the energy source, the flames of revenge in his heart burning even more fiercely.

But he forcibly suppressed the hatred that was about to lose control, turned his head and asked Killian: "How is the talk with The Mandarin going? Did he agree to join forces with us?"

A smile of control appeared on Killian's face, and he answered calmly,

"Don't worry, Mr. Stane. That The Mandarin's intention to cooperate is more positive than we imagined.

The messenger he sent has arrived, not only bringing recognition of us, but also sending a group of loyal dead soldiers trained by his secret arts. Everything is ready, and we can launch an attack on Stark at any time."

There were still too few Extremis carriers under Killian, otherwise he would not have introduced Obadiah Stane and The Mandarin.

"Very good." Obadiah Stane smiled grimly, revealing a satisfied look,

"With that guy who pretends to be a ghost attracting the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers in front, our success rate will be much higher. I want to take back everything that belongs to me!"

Meanwhile, in a hidden ancient castle somewhere in the Middle East, an old man wearing robes with white hair and beard was wiping a ring that emitted a ghostly light.

He was the terrorist leader known by Middle Eastern believers as The Mandarin, and his true identity was an ancient mage who had lived for hundreds of years.

He was listening to his subordinate's detailed report on the cooperation with Killian.

"My Lord, the Extremis samples and modified Steel Soldiers technology provided by Killian have all been put into storage.

But please forgive my stupidity, that Killian is clearly trying to use our name and power to be his pawn against the U.S. government, why should we follow his wishes?"

The Mandarin gently stroked an emerald ring on his finger,

"Killian thinks he is using me? Little does he know, I am also using him. He thinks he is a chess player, but in fact, he is just a conspicuous chess piece on the chessboard."

He stood up, walked to a huge World map, and his eyes fell on the territory of Afghanistan.

"Our warriors are brave, but under the heavy firepower suppression of the U.S. military, they suffered heavy casualties. And the Extremis sent by Killian combined with my spells can create true Fire Element warriors.

Coupled with Obadiah Stane's Steel Soldiers, it will be a sharp weapon to clear obstacles. It will help me reunify the entire Arab World, and then radiate to the Eurasian continent, casting the glory of the Mongol Empire again.

By then, I will use this as a springboard to radiate the World, and this Planet will eventually tremble under my will."

The Mandarin turned to look at his loyal subordinate, a cruel arc curling at the corner of his mouth,

"As for Killian and that Obadiah Stane? When my great cause is achieved, if they are sensible enough to surrender, I can spare their lives. If they have a heart of rebellion, they are just ants to be crushed."

The confidant heard this, and a fanatical worship erupted in his eyes, kowtowing,

"My Lord's grand strategy, this subordinate can never compare! Willing to go through fire and water for My Lord, and offer my life!"

The Mandarin nodded with satisfaction and looked towards the direction of New York.

Chapter 149: Tony Is Captured.

These three forces each had their own ulterior motives, but their goals aligned at this moment: to take down Tony Stark first!

Killian and Obadiah shared a pure personal vendetta, wishing nothing more than to grind Tony's bones to ash.

The Mandarin, however, was more pragmatic; he looked down on Killian's unstable biochemical technology and was also prepared to keep a wary eye on him.

He wanted to seize Tony's new reactor core technology to achieve energy independence.

In his view, only by clutching the core technology in his own hands could he truly hold the initiative.

With the plan set, the operation began.

Los Angeles, Malibu Beach, Tony's iconic cliffside Villa.

Several modified attack helicopters formed a tactical formation, quietly circling to the closest range of the Villa's defenses before beginning to frantically pour Rocket fire onto it.

Under the saturated bombardment of Rockets and heavy machine guns, the bulletproof glass shattered piece by piece, and the high-tech fortress teetered on the brink of collapse.

Inside the Villa, Tony was operating at full capacity with Jarvis's assistance.

While using the remaining defense systems to fight back, he protected Pepper Potts and his secretary, struggling through the explosions and collapses.

After a series of thrilling maneuvers, Tony successfully moved Potts and the secretary to a relatively safe external area.

But the price was that he himself was blasted away by a violent explosion's Impact, falling into the cold sea along with his battered armor.

Relying on the last trace of residual energy in the Markarmor, Tony struggled to fly out of the ocean.

However, the armor had completely shut down, turning into a pile of scrap metal.

While Tony was unprepared, Killian's Extremis soldiers tracked him down like maggots on a bone.

After a period of resistance, Killian used the captured Pottsas bait to force Tony to surrender.

For Potts's safety, Tony had no choice but to give himself up and be taken away by these thugs.

Meanwhile, The Mandarin did not follow Killian's main force.

He appeared to cooperate on the surface, but in reality, he had other plans.

Using misleading intelligence, he lured the United StatesPresident and his motorcade to a remote air force Base.

Subsequently, his suicide squad, enhanced by Secret Artsand wearing new armor, launched a surprise attack on the U.S. President's motorcade.

The Secret Service guards were defenseless against the triple threat of iron armor, Extremis, and ancient spells.

The Mandarin struck personally, clearing out the President's entourage with thunderous force before easily kidnapping the helmsman of America and locking him in a pre-prepared mobile prison.

Just before Tony was escorted into the vehicle, he quietly activated an emergency contact on his phone and sent a voice message to klein's cell.

At this time, klein was slumped in a lounge chair, watching news reports of Tony's death at sea, while Wanda fed him fruit. The vibration of his phone roused him from her smooth thighs.

He opened the recording, and Tony's suppressed, urgent voice came through.

"klein! Killian and Obadiah have teamed up. I've been set up. Potts is in their hands. The location might be..."

The signal cut out, and the recording stopped abruptly.

After listening, klein tossed the phone onto the table, rolled his eyes irritably, and complained to the ceiling.

"Damn it, before I couldn't get a single job in three months, but now that the Marvel Universe has opened up, I'm doing three jobs a day! Even a donkey in a production team isn't worked this hard! This is more exhausting than being a beast of burden!"

Despite the complaining, klein still stood up from his chair, stretched, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

He remembered the promise he made to Wanda in Sokovia.

To let her and Pietro personally finish off their enemy from years ago.

"There's a path to heaven you won't take, yet you barge into hell where there is no gate. Obadiah, since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep this time, don't blame lord klein for being ruthless."

klein directly commanded the Red Queen, "Red Queen, find the exact location of those bastards Killian and Obadiah for me."

In less than ten seconds, the Red Queen sent a set of detailed coordinates and a topographical map to klein's phone.

"Done." klein put away his phone and turned to Wanda, who was snuggling beside him. "Go, get dressed, and come with me."

Wanda sat up, tidying her messy pajamas while asking in confusion, "Where are we going?"

"To find the man who killed your father."

Wanda's movements paused, her green eyes instantly turning sharp. "Is it that man named Obadiah?"

"Yes, that's him." klein nodded. "That old geezer escaped from prison on medical parole and is now mixed up with a bunch of Terrorists, causing trouble.

This is the perfect chance to take him out quietly. No one will ever come looking for answers later."

The flames of revenge ignited in Wanda's eyes as she quickly stood up to get dressed.

klein also put on his coat and took her hand. "Let's go. We'll pick up Pietro first and take him along. You two siblings should settle that old score together."

The two of them flickered and teleported to the apartment Pietro was renting near the university.

No main lights were on in the apartment; only the computer screen flickered with a dim light.

Pietro was wearing headphones, staring intently at the screen with his hand in a place it shouldn't be, completely unaware that two people had appeared behind him.

Not until klein coughed loudly.

"Holy shit!!"

Pietro jumped in fright, nearly launching himself out of his chair.

He scrambled to close the page, but in his panic, he hit the volume key, and suddenly, an indescribable sound echoed throughout the quiet room.

Hearing the unspeakable sounds from the speakers, Wanda's face instantly flushed red, then turned to anger. She stepped forward, grabbed Pietro's ear, and began slapping his back repeatedly.

"Pietro! How old are you?! Watching this kind of stuff! I think you've given up on studying! Letting you live alone was a huge mistake!"

"Ouch! Sis! Gentler! It hurts! I'm an adult! This is a normal physiological need!" Pietro wailed, clutching his ear.

Seeing this, klein hurried forward to pull Wanda away. "Alright, alright, Pietro is grown up now. He just needs a girlfriend. Let's focus on the important business."

At the mention of 'important business,' Wanda huffily let go and glared at her brother. "Go wash your hands! Get dressed! We have something important to do!"

Pietro rubbed his reddened ear. "What is it, Sis? Why the rush?"

"Stop talking so much! If I tell you to hurry, then hurry!" Wanda urged irritably.

A few minutes later, the three of them, now fully dressed, teleported away again.

According to the information provided by the Red Queen, Killian's hideout was located in an abandoned Lordstown Industrial Park in Tennessee.

It was once a Cold War-era military-industrial Base with a complex network of underground facilities, now converted into a secret stronghold for AIM.

The three of them appeared in a wooded area on the outskirts of the park.

klein pointed to the brightly lit factory area in the distance and assigned tasks to the siblings.

"Listen, Obadiah and Killian's main forces are both inside. Tony is being held in the Maintenance Area on the east side, and Potts is in the Main Control Building on the west side."

"You two go save Potts, and I'll go get Tony out. Finally, we'll meet up in the largest Assembly Workshop in the middle to find Obadiah and settle all our old and new scores with him!"

Wanda and Pietro exchanged a look, their eyes filled with both nervousness and irrepressible hatred.

"Understood!" the two replied in unison, then transformed into two dark shadows, using the cover of night to stealthily head toward the west side.

Chapter 150: 3vs3

Seeing the siblings vanish silently into the darkness, klein straightened his collar and strolled toward the East Sector with a swagger, looking like a leader coming to inspect the work.

"Stop! Who goes there?!"

Two guards patrolling the perimeter spotted him immediately, shouting a sharp warning as they raised their rifles.

klein acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, not slowing his pace as he barged straight through.

"Fire!"

With the warning ignored, the guards pulled their triggers without hesitation. Tongues of fire spat out as several bullets whistled toward klein's chest.

However, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Half a foot away from klein's body, the bullets slammed into an invisible wall, suspended in mid-air and frozen in place.

klein extended his right index finger and gave a light flick toward the dense cluster of warheads hanging in the air.

"Giving these back to you."

As he finished speaking, those bullets suddenly recoiled at a speed even faster than they had come!

Puchi! Puchi!

The two guards didn't even have time to react before they were riddled with holes by their own bullets, falling into a pool of blood without even a groan.

The sharp gunshots were particularly piercing in the silent night sky, instantly shattering the Base's tranquility.

"Enemy attack! In the East Sector!"

"Everyone, assemble in the East Sector!"

Piercing alarms blared, and the guards originally scattered everywhere began to swarm toward the east side.

The defensive strength in the West Sector visibly thinned out.

Meanwhile, near the West Control Building.

For the current Wanda and Pietro, dealing with these ordinary guards was like an adult bullying children.

A dark red light swirled in Wanda's eyes as her slender fingers tapped the air, her invisible Chaos Magic coiling around the necks of several guards like silken threads.

Before those guards could react, their necks were snapped at bizarre angles by the invisible force, and they slumped limply to the ground.

Occasionally, a few stragglers in blind spots would just raise their guns when their vision blurred.

Pietro's figure swept past like a ghost, the pair of Alloy Daggers specially made by klein flashing with a cold, metallic gleam.

After klein's training, Pietro's speed was now beyond imagination; he was no longer the boy who could be easily hit by stray bullets.

He had already begun to Master the technique of slowing down the local flow of time. In the eyes of his enemies, his movements were as fast as lightning;

In his eyes, however, his enemies' movements were as slow as a snail's.

The daggers precisely slit the enemies' throats, blood spraying out.

Under klein's guidance, he had already grasped the essence of being an assassin.

If you can win, stab them to death; if you can't, use your speed advantage to kite them to death.

Now, he could slightly interfere with the local flow of time. Coupled with this pair of armor-piercing daggers, even a defense of Hulk's level would get stabbed a few times if caught off guard.

The siblings coordinated with perfect chemistry, moving as if through uninhabited land. They quickly cleared the obstacles along the way, slipped into the main control room, and found the imprisoned Potts.

"Let's go!" Wanda used Chaos Magic to melt the restraints and pulled up the startled Potts. "Come with us, we'll meet up at the Central Assembly Workshop."

Meanwhile, in the East Sector, klein was advancing at a leisurely pace. Wherever he went, the ordinary soldiers trying to block him fell like wheat being harvested.

Until a group of figures blocked the end of the corridor.

On the left, several people had lava-like crimson patterns glowing beneath their skin, radiating waves of high heat; these were Killian's Extremis Soldiers.

On the right, several people wore robes, their ritual implements shimmering with an eerie light as they chanted incantations; they were the Arcane Sorcerers under The Mandarin.

"Oh, is this a circus meeting?" klein stopped, crossing his arms with interest to enjoy the show.

The Extremis Soldiers roared and charged, their arms transforming into Lava Blades; the sorcerers waved their implements, sending Ice Spikes and Arcane Missileswhistling through the air.

"Whoa, quite a variety of tricks." klein crossed his arms and watched their talent show with great interest for a moment.

But he soon lost interest.

"All flash and no substance."

He shook his head, and his figure suddenly blurred.

In the next second, he appeared directly behind an Arcane Sorcerer who was in the middle of casting.

The sorcerer had just raised his staff and hadn't even finished chanting when klein slapped him on the back of the head. The man flew out like a tattered sack, hitting the wall and turning into a pile of mush.

"A squishy mage dares to stand in the front row? Getting close means getting wrecked." klein curled his lip in disdain.

Against these small fry, he didn't even bother using skills, relying purely on physical strength to crush them. In a few moves, he had slaughtered them all.

Seeing that no one else was coming to stop him, klein kicked open the iron door of the Holding Cell and walked in.

Inside, Tony was tied to a rack in mid-air by special Energy Chains, and in front of Tony stood three figures.

Obadiah, clad in the new iron monger armor;

Killian, with a sinister face and arms glowing with a lava-like sheen;

And a strange old man dressed in traditional Arabic robes, holding an Emerald Staff, with a cold aura.

"Look who's here?" Obadiah sneered at the entering klein. "Tony's lapdog has come to die."

The old man stared at klein with a grim gaze, thumping his staff on the ground. "Intruder, you will die..."

"Alright, stop the self-introduction to pad the word count." klein interrupted him impatiently, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.

"Killian, Obadiah, and this guy? Who are you? Who let you appear in this chapter!"

The Arab man took a step forward, thumping his staff, and said haughtily in heavily accented English:

"Ignorant mortal, I am the Chief Mage under the great The Mandarin. By my Master's command, I have come to take Stark's..."

"Alright, alright, shut up."

klein impatiently interrupted his self-introduction, but he was secretly pleased.

"The Mandarin? That ancient mage who supposedly possesses the Ten Rings? I didn't expect Killian to actually hook up with him and even have a real sorcerer sent over."

He was starting to get interested. It was the perfect chance to study the difference between The Mandarin's magic and the Vishanti's.

"klein! You bastard, you're finally here!" Seeing his savior, Tony cursed, but he was clearly relieved.

"Stop talking nonsense, I'll get you down now."

As klein spoke, he pointed casually, and the steel cables binding Tony snapped.

Tony fell to the ground, scrambled up while grimacing, and rubbed his sore wrists as he looked at the three menacing figures opposite them.

"Be careful, that old guy is really creepy!"

"Creepy? I like creepy." klein grinned and pushed Tony to the side.

"That tin can is yours. I'll leave Obadiah to you."

"What?!" Tony's eyes widened. "You want me to fight that iron monger barehanded? Do you want me to die?! I don't have my armor right now!"

"What's the panic?" klein said calmly, pointing to the ceiling. "The Mark 42 is already on its way."

"How is that possible?!" Tony looked skeptical. "The network here is jammed, and I haven't cracked it yet. How could you summon it remotely?"

"Because Jarvis and I are good friends!" klein patted his shoulder. Could he tell Tony that the Red Queen had bypassed Jarvis to give the order to the Mark 42? Obviously not.

"Good luck, don't get turned into a meat patty."

A red and gold part crashed through the ceiling and attached itself to Tony, followed by armor pieces flying in one after another.

"Oh! No, gentler! Damn you, Number 42, I'm dismantling you when we get back!"

Meanwhile, the iron monger didn't care if Tony had finished putting on his suit and charged directly at him.

On the other side, klein ignored the two tin cans and instead shouted to Wanda, who had just arrived from the other corridor.

"Killian is yours, Wanda!"

klein then blurred and took the initiative to meet the Arab sorcerer who was waiting in readiness.

"Your opponent is me. Let me see what a sorcerer trained by The Mandarin is made of."