Sorcerer Ancient One died.
There were no final words, no last-minute ramblings, and certainly no melodramatic farewells.
In that quiet room, bathed in slanted sunlight, she, like the last flicker of a burnt-out candle wick, trembled with a faint breath and then completely succumbed to death.
Her eyes closed, and the clear smile on her face froze, like a black-and-white photograph fixed in time.
The air was heavy with silence.
Chen Tian stood by the bed, his gaze fixed on her gaunt, peaceful face.
Before he could even give an order, Wang, who was standing nearby, had already moved.
The future librarian's face was uncharacteristically flustered at this moment.
He abruptly pulled up the wide sleeve of his right arm, revealing his strong bicep, took a deep breath, and with his right hand, five fingers pressed together like a blade, a dazzling golden energy instantly condensed in his palm, buzzing.
Without the slightest hesitation, Wang slammed his palm, striking Chen Tian's chest!
"Ugh!"
A muffled groan.
Chen Tian stood rooted to the spot, not moving an inch, not even a wrinkle in his brow.
Instead, it was Wang, whose usually stern face twisted instantly, sucking in a sharp breath and recoiling his hand as if shocked by electricity.
His hand, which had just struck, visibly swelled rapidly, his palm a fiery red, with even faint bruises showing beneath the skin.
Wang shook his hand, wincing in pain, looking at Chen Tian as if he were an unbreakable Vibranium lump.
"Mr. Chen… you… " Wang's voice was trembling, from pain and from shock.
Strange and Wanda, standing nearby, were dumbfounded. Strange's jaw nearly hit the floor, and Wanda covered her mouth.
"Together." Chen Tian's voice was low, breaking the awkward silence.
Wang gritted his teeth, ignoring his swollen hand, and once again gathered his magic; this time, his left palm also lit up.
Wanda reacted extremely quickly, scarlet magic instantly swirling between her hands, while Strange, looking utterly bewildered, like "Who am I, where am I, why am I doing this," fumbled to mimic Wang's actions, trying to conjure an orange Seraphim Shield energy blade, but the light flickered on and off, the energy surging like a loose light bulb.
"Strange! Concentrate!" Wang growled.
Strange jolted, frantically stabilizing the energy, almost tripping over himself.
"Three, two, one!" Wang barked.
Three people, three palms glowing with different lights—golden, red, and a barely maintained orange—almost simultaneously, slammed hard onto Chen Tian's front and back in three spots!
Boom!
An invisible Impact exploded from Chen Tian's body, making their robes flap wildly.
This time, Chen Tian's body finally swayed, and a translucent, extremely solid and tough Shadow was forcibly "blasted" out of his body!
Soul out of body.
Chen Tian instantly felt lighter, freed from the heavy physical restraints. His first glance went to the stone bed…
Sure enough.
Sorcerer Ancient One stood not far from the stone bed.
She was no longer the gaunt, dying figure, but the one Chen Tian remembered most clearly from the depths of his memory—bald and gleaming, with a clean monk's robe, clear eyes shining with a gentle light, and a mischievous, amused smile playing on her lips, as if watching a show.
She even made a "slow down" gesture, teasing, "Oh, you're out? The resilience of your soul… tsk tsk, any Dimension Demon God who's foolish enough to sneak into your sea of consciousness will probably have their teeth knocked out on the spot. A natural dimensional firewall, how convenient!"
Familiar tone.
Chen Tian's subtle feeling of parting sorrow was instantly halved, and in his soul state, he rolled his eyes exasperatedly: "Convenient? I think you're just dying to see me make a fool of myself. You're dead, and your mouth is still so annoying?"
He instinctively wanted to retort, to ask her if she had planned this scene all along; her "everything is under control" expression just irritated him.
"Do you have any last words?" Chen Tian saw Sorcerer Ancient One's smile and knew it was a pointless question.
"What do you think? I have nothing to let go of. Even what kind of Sorcerer Supreme Kamar-Taj will have in the future, I'm not worried. Instead, I feel an unprecedented sense of relaxation." Sorcerer Ancient One waved her hand, then looked at the sunlight outside the window.
"Yes, you're already impatient…" Chen Tian hadn't finished speaking when an irresistible, terrifying suction suddenly descended! Like a black hole in the depths of the Universe suddenly opening its giant mouth, or an invisible steel cable suddenly tightening around his soul, pulling it back violently!
It was his body!
His unreasonably powerful body gave him no opportunity for "out-of-body sightseeing and remembrance"; it was forcefully summoning him back with an overwhelming dominance!
"… F**k!" Chen Tian only had time to utter a single expletive on the soul level, and Sorcerer Ancient One's figure instantly became blurry and distant in his vision.
In the last fleeting moment before he disappeared, he saw her raise her hand, not in a sorrowful farewell, but with her usual carefree and unrestrained manner, waving casually at him, her smile as pure as the sunlight on a snow-capped mountain.
Immediately after, her entire figure transformed into billions of tiny, sparkling specks of soft white-gold stardust, silently dissipating and completely merging with the light in the quiet room, leaving no trace.
Return.
Chen Tian abruptly opened his eyes, and the heavy sensation of flesh and blood instantly returned.
He found himself still standing in place, his chest seemingly still retaining the lingering force of the three human "soul pile drivers" from just now.
"How was it?!" Wang was the first to rush over, his voice urgent and hoarse, his eyes bloodshot, "Sorcerer Ancient One… she… what did she say in the end? Did she leave any instructions?"
Wanda also stepped forward nervously, looking at Chen Tian with hopeful eyes. Even Strange forgot his previous embarrassment and the frustration of feeling "sold out," perking up his ears.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on Chen Tian's face, eager to hear even a single last word, a single instruction, an answer sufficient to mourn, from the person who had last conversed with Sorcerer Ancient One's soul.
Chen Tian expressionlessly scanned their faces, each filled with anticipation and sorrow, and shook his head.
"Nothing."
His voice was dry, devoid of any emotion.
"Huh?" Both Wang and Wanda were stunned.
Chen Tian paused, as if stating the simplest fact, his tone flat: "She ran faster than a rabbit being chased by hungry wolves, not wanting to stay an extra second, rushing to punch in with Eternity."
Silence.
A deathly silence.
The grief on Wang's face froze, the tears in Wanda's eyes instantly stopped, and Strange's mouth twitched a few times.
Sorcerer Ancient One, Sorcerer Supreme, the great individual who had protected Earth's Dimension for thousands of years, her curtain call… so decisive, so swift, so… Sorcerer Ancient One.
Sadness? Of course, there was. But more than that, there was a sense of absurdity, choked by this extreme nonchalance.
Chen Tian no longer paid attention to the varied expressions on their faces, his gaze sweeping past them to the completely lifeless body on the stone bed in the quiet room.
At the head of the bed, the calligraphy scroll with the words "Heaven Rewards Diligence" still hung, vigorous and powerful.
The sunlight still slanted onto the stone bed, but the person who lay there had already turned into stardust, bound for Eternity.
Chen Tian felt no sadness, nor any reluctance, only marveled at Sorcerer Ancient One's decisive nature.
"Thank you, Sorcerer Ancient One. If not for you, I might not have grown so quickly."
After leaving this whisper, Chen Tian turned to look at the three silent individuals.
"Wang, Strange's training is now in your hands. Wanda, thank you for staying at Kamar-Taj a bit longer, until Strange can bear the heavy responsibility of Sorcerer Supreme of the Dimension. When that time comes, I will come to pick you up."
Wanda pouted, then took Chen Tian's hand, "Okay, I'll train Strange with Wang."
Chen Tian smiled and kissed her pouting lips, then looked at Strange, "Strange, I hope you don't disappoint Sorcerer Ancient One's high regard."
Strange's lips moved, wanting to retort, "I haven't agreed yet," but when he met Chen Tian's calm, unruffled eyes, the words caught in his throat.
He looked at his hands, healed by magic, still stiff but no longer trembling, then glimpsed the mysterious runes swirling on the open Book of Cagliostro at the head of the bed…
In a corner of his deepest self, the cold sharpness of a surgeon's scalpel seemed to be quietly swallowed by the dazzling vortex of dimensional magic.
The vastness and mystery of magic, those rules that defied physical laws, were in themselves a captivating ultimate challenge. But he ultimately pressed his lips together, firmly suppressing this unconscious excitement, and said nothing.
Chen Tian said no more, turning to leave.
The heavy quiet room door closed behind him with a dull thud, as if completely shutting the door on Strange's return to the operating table.
Wanda watched the direction he disappeared in, letting out a soft sigh. Wang, meanwhile, folded his arms and expressionlessly looked at Strange: "Five o'clock, meditation courtyard. One second late, one hour of extra physical training."
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Arbitrator Tower.
Tony saw Chen Tian step out of the portal, barely lifting his head, and casually said, "Oh, finally back from your 'Kamar-Taj three-day tour'? Was the food at Kamar-Taj bad, or did your Wanda get tired of you?"
Chen Tian walked directly to the bar, poured a glass of Water, took a sip, and then calmly said, "Sorcerer Ancient One is gone."
"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!" Tony nearly choked on his own saliva, spinning around abruptly, the playful look on his face instantly freezing. He opened his mouth, but for a long time, only managed to stammer, "Uh… this… sec… uh…"
He rubbed his hands, the usually eloquent Tony Stark now like a clumsy comedian, unable to find a single appropriate word.
Chen Tian put down the glass, patted his shoulder, "Alright, if you can't think of anything, don't force it. Your mouth is better for roasting people, not for hospice care. How's your 'intern' doing?"
This remark accurately hit Tony's sweet spot; he immediately threw his awkwardness to the winds, quickly walked over to Chen Tian, and with a swipe of his finger in the air, brought up a holographic projection of Peter's real-time training data and action brief.
"Spider-Man? A potential stock! He's quick-witted and absorbs things like a sponge, it's just… "
Tony frowned, pointing at the screen showing Peter tying up a convenience store thief in Brooklyn with three different web-slinging modes, "Too green! Too by-the-book! Constantly dealing with small fry like bicycle thieves and old lady purse snatchers, when will he grow up? This 'intern report' is almost turning into a community volunteer diary!"
Chen Tian stroked his chin, his eyes thoughtful: "Hmm… small skirmishes won't build real skill."
Tony's eyes lit up: "You have an idea?"
"How about we set him up with a proper opponent?" Chen Tian said, his fingertips quickly sliding across the screen, bringing up an encrypted file.
A clear personal profile and several high-resolution photos instantly popped up, filling the screen in front of Tony.
The photos showed a man with dark, fierce eyes, and the data displayed:
Adrian Toomes
Former Damage Control engineer
Scope of business: Active in the New York black market, smuggling advanced weapons
Remarks: Extremely skilled at modifying weapons using alien technology debris and salvaged materials.
Tony looked at the photos in the file of Toomes's iconic, wildly modified "Vulture" flight suit, raising an eyebrow: "This bald bird? Plays with junk recycling?"
"Yes, 'plays with junk'," Chen Tian smiled and nodded, "He previously used Chitauri technology debris to turn himself into an 'alien tech arms dealer.' His craftsmanship is solid, his methods are wild, and his ambition is not small. Most importantly…"
Chen Tian's finger tapped on Toomes's ruthless face, "His heart is black, and he's ruthless. Perfect for giving our sunny, cheerful Spider-Man some intensity. Just catching small fry isn't enough for an 'intern report'; we need some serious stuff."
Tony stared at Toomes's file, especially the highly intimidating flight suit, his eyes gradually brightening as if he had discovered a new toy: "Ha! Interesting! Friday, dig deep into this 'Vulture' for me! I want to know where his next 'junk recycling' spot is! For Spider-Man's practical 'gift package'—" He looked at Chen Tian, their eyes met, and Tony showed his characteristic, somewhat mischievous smile, "—It needs to be packaged with a 'surprise'!"
Chen Tian said nothing, just picked up his water glass and took another sip. It seemed Peter's novice protection period was over.
"Uh... no, you couldn't have kept someone like that for so long. Did you anticipate this earlier?" Tony suddenly remembered something.
Chen Tian smiled mischievously, "Indeed, this kind of small fry was kept by me as a test for our intern. The weapons he sold have long since been recovered."
Tony pouted, "You insidious fellow."
Chen Tian chuckled, then walked towards the door, suddenly stopping before leaving and turning to look at Tony.
"Going?"
Tony raised an eyebrow, then nodded heavily, "Going."
The two walked out the door, arms around each other's shoulders, until Tony was pulled by Chen Tian to the garage, still not knowing where Chen Tian's 'going' meant.
At the same time, in a dimly lit alley in Brooklyn, Peter, who had just used a web bomb (low-yield) to blast three thugs attempting to pry open an ATM, leaving them covered in dust and screaming, felt his AI wristband vibrate.
Friday's gentle voice sounded: "Mr. Parker, a comprehensive evaluation of your recent combat performance: tactical choices were efficient, weapon usage was reasonable, no additional property damage was caused. Rating: A. Also, a new message from the Boss: 'Bombs are not fireworks. If you blast the fire hydrant crooked again next time, your salary will be docked.' Please continue to work hard."
Peter looked at the fire hydrant spraying water not far away, his face under the mask falling: "...Mr. Stark, you're monitoring a bit too closely!"
He scratched his head, completely unaware that his real "internship grand exam" paper had already been signed for by a ruthless junk dealer and was on its way.
Peter's life suddenly became "exciting."
First, during a patrol, he "accidentally" stumbled upon a black market deal, and the Chitauri mark on the parts of the ray gun in the buyer's hand, which could melt police car doors, was blinding; then he "casually" tracked down an abandoned factory, filled with deadly weapons modified from alien wreckage; then he "happened" to hear the name "Vulture" and his subordinates discussing a certain "big fat sheep."
Driven by a sense of justice (or was it Peter's curiosity?), Peter followed the clues and finally locked onto his target—Adrian Toomes.
That iconic, ferocious flight suit practically had a "I'm the villain" label attached to it.
The most crucial intelligence came from a tense eavesdropping: Vulture's next target was a Stark Industries transport plane loaded with cutting-edge prototype weapons, which would be flying at low altitude near Kennedy Airport!
Peter's heart tightened, and he immediately called Tony: "Mr. Stark! Major discovery! There's a arms dealer named Vulture, he's modified Chitauri wreckage, and now he's going to hijack one of our transport planes! Tonight!"
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the communicator, followed by Friday's calm voice: "Mr. Parker, Mr. Stark and Mr. Chen are currently not on Earth. Today is the Watcher Platform's routine deep inspection and maintenance day. They need to personally supervise in outer space, and communication is temporarily blocked. Expected return in 48 hours."
Peter was dumbfounded: "48 hours?! The yellow cauliflower will be cold by then! Friday, can you contact anyone else? Captain? Or Dr. Banner?"
"Captain Rogers is currently on a joint operation with Interpol, and Dr. Banner is in 'do not disturb' research mode. Currently... you are the only available local combat power."
...Damn it! Peter's face under the mask turned green. The big shots are all offline? This script isn't right!
Unable to rely on external help, Peter could only grit his teeth and go for it.
He grabbed Ned, who was munching on potato chips and browsing forums in the classroom: "Brother! Emergency! I need technical support!"
Ned looked at Peter's crude hand-drawn map and the Vulture wing suit structural sketch, dropping his potato chips in shock: "You're going to solo that... alien junk king?! Peter, are you crazy? He'll dismantle you and sell you for scrap!"
"No time! The plane is about to take off! Ned, you're my only hope!" Peter's eyes were firm (or perhaps desperate?).
"Alright, alright!" Ned took a deep breath, instantly switching to "tech geek god" mode, "Listen, based on the flight wing parameters you described and the limited data I hacked... ahem, retrieved, his core thruster is in the lower center of his back, where the protection is weakest! Also, the plasma cutting blades on his wingtips have very strong energy fluctuations, don't get scraped! Finally..." Ned swallowed, "His weapon system seems to be voice-activated, the keyword might be..."
"Ned! You're my brother!" Peter gave him a bear hug, grabbed the simple tracker, and swung out the window.
Outside the airport at night, the roar of the massive transport plane's engines was like a giant beast's low growl. The Vulture's flight suit tore through the air, carrying a group of well-equipped subordinates, like a flock of vultures descending on carrion, heading straight for the target!
"Little bug? It's you again!" Toomes's voice came through the loudspeaker, full of malice, "Get lost! This isn't your little play game!"
The battle erupted instantly!
Peter frantically dodged amidst the furious barrage and high-speed cutting wing blades, like a spider thrown into a blender.
He tried to use web-shooters to interfere with the Vulture, but the opponent's hard wing suit and rich combat experience repeatedly frustrated him.
Ned's voice anxiously directed through the communicator: "Dodge left! Peter! His right wing energy is spiking! Watch out for the cutting beam!... Yes! Shoot his thruster! Now!"
Peter seized an opening, and several enhanced web shots accurately splattered onto the Vulture's back core!
Sizzle! The thruster sparked, the Vulture staggered, letting out an angry roar.
"Nice job!" Ned cheered.
However, just as Peter thought he had the situation under control, one of the Vulture's subordinates, in desperation, picked up an energy cannon and fired a shot at the transport plane's cargo door!
Boom!
A large hole was blasted in the cargo door, and a violent airflow instantly swept through the cabin!
What was even more critical was that the Impact of the explosion caused the already partially powered transport plane to tilt sharply, plunging uncontrollably towards the warehouse district on the outskirts of the airport!
"No!" Peter and the Vulture exclaimed simultaneously.
Peter's mind went blank, with only one thought: he couldn't let the plane crash! He flung out all the webs he could use, even employing the newly unlocked traction web, desperately gripping the out-of-control transport plane's nose, trying to lift its front.
"Ugh ah ah ah—!" Peter's muscles bulged all over, his face under the mask turning crimson. Ned frantically yelled coordinates through the communicator, helping him stabilize the direction.
Finally, with Peter's desperate tugging, the huge transport plane scraped the warehouse roof, like a drunken steel giant bird, and plunged into an empty logistics parking lot.
Boom—!!!
An Earth-shattering roar, dust everywhere. The transport plane wreckage smoked heavily, lying belly-up in the center of the parking lot, completely scrapped.
Peter lay exhausted on the twisted wing, gasping for breath, looking at the mess before him, wanting to cry but unable to.
The Vulture and his henchmen were arrested by the police who arrived shortly after, and Peter, dragging his nearly falling-apart body, slipped away quietly (and miserably).
Back in his Queens apartment, Peter collapsed onto his bed, looking at the mission debrief Friday had sent to his phone.
The operation successfully prevented the arms deal and hijacking, and the main culprit, Vulture, was captured alive. Rating: S (Mission difficulty exceeded expectations).
But below it was a cold red note:
Internship Salary Deductions:
1. Stark Industries N-77 Advanced Transport Prototype damaged - Estimated value: 98 million USD
2. Kennedy Airport Logistics Area Parking Lot Repair Cost (partial) - Estimated: 5 million USD
Total: 103 million USD.
Note: Given intern Parker's current salary level, estimated repayment period: approximately 258 years (excluding interest).
Peter's vision went black, and he wailed, burying his face in his pillow.
"Ned! My good brother! We're bankrupt! We'll have to sell our kidneys to pay off debts for the rest of our lives!"
From the next room came Ned's equally desperate voice: "Peter! I just hacked into the system and saw! It even charged me for my 'assisting in crime' call logs! Ten thousand USD per hour for technical support! My potato chip money! Wuwuwu..."
The intern's first grand exam came at a heavy price.
Peter and Ned cried inconsolably, heads in hands, separated by the wall, wailing about having to sell their kidneys to pay off debts for the rest of their lives.
What they didn't know was that in a warehouse near the airport, two mischievous instigators had been watching the entire time.
In the warehouse, a holographic projection screen clearly showed the Earth-shattering crash at the Kennedy Airport parking lot and Peter's final expression of utter despair as he lay on the wing.
"Pfft—hahahahahaha!" Tony pointed at Peter's collapsed face on the screen, laughing so hard he was bent over, tears almost coming out, "Look! Look at our intern's expression! Hahahaha, 'internship report'? This report is worth over a hundred million! Friday! Highest resolution screenshot! Save it to the 'Pajama Baby Growth Diary' folder! Name it 'Bankruptcy Moment.jpg'!"
Chen Tian, beside him, was also chuckling mischievously. He looked at the disheveled Peter on the screen and the Vulture being escorted away by the police in the distance: "But I have to say, the effect was outstanding."
"More than outstanding!" Tony wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes from laughing, his fingers flying across the virtual keyboard, "This 'tuition fee' was Earth-shattering! Let him catch small fry? Now he's directly caused a sky-high mess! Enough for him to remember for a lifetime! Friday, slow-motion replay of the part where he dragged the plane at the end, yes, that grimacing expression, save that too! A classic for the ages!"
On the holographic screen, Peter's distorted expression under his mask as he desperately dragged the plane was frozen and magnified, full of the young hero's stubbornness and... a hint of despair.
"Perfect." Tony snapped his fingers contentedly, looking at Chen Tian, "Your test was brutal enough, sending him a sky-high bill directly."
Chen Tian shrugged, "To grow, one always has to pay some tuition. Practical combat is the best teacher, especially... expensive practical combat." He glanced at the long string of compensation numbers displayed on the screen, "This 'teacher's' appearance fee is enough to make him sober up. Next time he throws a bomb, he'll at least aim better."
Tony nodded mischievously, then brought up the sounds of Peter and Ned wailing through the wall (of course, Peter didn't know his AI wristband had this function), their desperate conversation clearly audible.
"'My potato chip money! Wuwuwu...'" Tony mimicked Ned in a high-pitched voice, then exchanged a look with Chen Tian, followed by another round of heartless laughter.
The space station monitoring room was filled with cheerful air, with only Peter's "one-hundred-million-dollar" bewildered face frozen on the holographic screen, silently narrating this meticulously planned, brutally costly "internship grand exam" by the two big shots.
-----------------------
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