Hearing Natasha's exclamation, everyone quickly gathered around.
On the documents in her hands, the HYDRA emblem was clearly printed.
Natasha's expression darkened as she looked at Steve. "I didn't expect these vampires to be working with HYDRA."
Steve took the file and scanned it. The first few pages detailed a collaboration between a HYDRA faction known as the Elder Council and the vampire clans.
The documents mentioned human experiments—in exchange, HYDRA provided the vampires with protection, shielding them from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hunts.
As Steve continued to read, his expression grew more and more severe. When he finished reviewing the accompanying experimental footage on the computer, he finally clenched his fist.
"I thought that seventy years ago, after I dealt with Johann Schmidt, HYDRA had been completely wiped out under Peggy and Howard's leadership."
"I didn't expect HYDRA to still be alive."
Turning to the last few pages, Steve frowned. The text was filled with strange characters and symbols he couldn't decipher.
He handed the documents to Tony Stark and Dr. Banner—the two most knowledgeable members of the team—but even they couldn't make sense of it.
"This doesn't look like it belongs to any known civilization," Tony Stark said after studying it for a while. "I had Jarvis run a scan—no matches in any global language, script, or symbol database."
Hearing that, Steve turned toward Lynn.
Lynn, still munching on dried blueberries, noticed Steve's look and casually held out the pack. "Want some?"
"Thanks.. but no." Steve shook his head. "Lynn, can you make sense of this? If it's not from Earth, given these strange symbols, I suspect it might be magical in nature."
As soon as Steve said that, Tony's eyes lit up.
He plucked a few dried blueberries from Lynn's hand and passed the documents over to him.
Lynn took one glance at the pages—and instantly recognized them as Dark Magic runes.
"This is a form of Dark Magic. Learning these runes could…"
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Wait—he'd never seen this kind of Dark Magic before. So why could he read it?
Then it hit him.
The "gift" Mephisto had given him before disappearing.
Lynn fell silent, lost in thought.
But what exactly was Mephisto's purpose in doing this?
"Why did you stop talking?" Natasha asked, stepping closer when she noticed Lynn pause.
"This Dark Magic," Lynn said slowly, "is a fusion of vampiric secret arts and Dark sorcery. It's used to refine obedient undead monsters."
"Undead monsters?" Tony Stark frowned. "You mean those things that attacked us—the ones that kept moving even after we blew holes through them?"
"More or less," Lynn replied calmly. "But those undead blood slaves we fought were the lowest tier. According to these Dark Magic records, the highest level of undead is completely immune to both physical and magical attacks."
At that, Lynn ripped the Dark Magic section from the back of the documents and pulled out a lighter.
The papers caught fire instantly.
Natasha moved forward to stop him, but Steve caught her arm. "If what Lynn says is true, then this kind of knowledge can't be allowed to exist in the world."
Hearing that, Tony nodded firmly. "Agreed. We don't know if anyone besides Hall can read those symbols. If this ritual ends up in the wrong hands, the threat could be even worse than HYDRA."
As the documents burned to ash, Lynn crushed them under his heel.
Now he finally understood why Mephisto had winked at him and implanted that unfamiliar knowledge into his mind.
That devil definitely wanted to use him—to make him practice those Dark Magic rituals and eventually turn this dimension into his own domain.
If that ever happened, Lynn could already imagine the Sorcerer Supreme personally imprisoning or even banishing him.
No way. He might crave power, but he preferred enjoying life a whole lot more.
Stretching lazily, Lynn said, "Alright, it's getting late. If there's nothing else, I'm heading out."
"Natasha, don't forget to transfer today's payment to my account. And by the way, I won't be joining your next mission. Tsk… HYDRA's mess isn't something I want to get dragged into."
Without waiting for anyone to respond, Lynn turned and left without hesitation.
Watching him go, Natasha sighed and shrugged. "I told you—Lynn's a smart man. He knows exactly what he can handle and what he shouldn't touch."
"All of us here carry responsibilities and obligations," she added quietly. "But Lynn? He's.. just different."
Tony Stark gave a half-smile and shrugged. "Alright then, let's get back to work. We'll back up these documents—one copy for my and Banner's research, and another for S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Since HYDRA's involved, letting S.H.I.E.L.D. handle it is the best choice."
After leaving the Underground City, Lynn went straight back to the hotel.
After a long, hot shower, he sat on the bed and began tallying up his gains from this mission.
First—money.
With six million already in his account, plus the future orders Tony Stark would place for the rationality potion, Lynn could easily consider himself temporarily financially free.
And when he started producing higher-grade secret potions, his wealthy client Tony Stark would definitely keep buying.
Which meant he'd never have to worry about money again.
Next—knowledge.
Mephisto's so-called "gift" had completed the notes that the Dark Warlock had once stolen from him.
Now Lynn had fully mastered the cultivation methods for various forms of Dark Magic.
It could be said Mephisto's gift was truly comprehensive—if he wanted to, Lynn could absolutely become a renowned Dark Mage in the future.
However, as everyone knew, Dark Magic in the Marvel universe came with a catch—it was more like a loan than a power.
And since he already possessed the identity of the Harbinger of Death—though not yet fully awakened—he had even less reason to rely on Dark Magic.
Think about it: one source of power came from Mephisto, whose motives were still uncertain and likely full of traps.
The other came from the God/Goddess of Death himself, one of the five great cosmic entities.
When faced with the laws of the universe, even immense power could easily crumble.
Naturally, Lynn knew which path to choose.
Besides, he already had the system granting him various powerful abilities.
Without absolute strength that could let him defy everything, Lynn had no intention of biting into that tempting red apple—a fruit that promised power, yet hid deadly poison and endless trouble beneath its skin.
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(づ￣ 3￣)づ
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