Ethan Voss placed Bullseye in charge of monitoring the group sent by Madam Hydra. According to their own explanation, the purpose of their mission was to track down Domino. As for Ethan's involvement, they only needed him to intervene if something truly important happened.
Several days passed quietly.
Ethan spent those days waiting at Typhon Manor, but as time dragged on, his patience gradually began to wear thin.
Mephistopheles was moving far too slowly.
At one point, Ethan even began to suspect that the devil might be deliberately playing some kind of psychological game with him. Perhaps the delay was meant to create pressure, forcing Ethan to make the first move.
Or perhaps the Lord of Hell had genuinely run out of ideas.
Eventually, Ethan decided he wouldn't continue waiting at Typhon Manor forever. He would give Mephistopheles a final few days of opportunity.
If the devil still didn't appear by then, Ethan would simply take the initiative himself.
After all, holding the contract in his hands was equivalent to gripping the devil's Achilles' heel.
If you refuse to show up, I might really hand the contract over to your son.
Thinking about the demonic heir made Ethan frown slightly.
He had already tricked that foolish demon into entering the Divine Kingdom earlier, fully intending to brainwash him. However, the result had completely stunned him.
The brainwashing didn't work at all.
Only later did Ethan realize the reason.
Every brainwashing technique he had used previously targeted the soul.
But that particular demon didn't actually possess a proper soul.
When facing such a soulless creature, the methods he relied on were naturally useless.
Still, even though the demon could resist brainwashing, he couldn't escape analysis.
After studying him carefully, Ethan discovered that if he truly wanted to control the creature, he would need to rely on external methods similar to those used by Dr. Faustus—verbal suggestion, psychological manipulation, and hypnosis.
Unfortunately, that approach came with another problem.
This kind of brainwashing wasn't thorough enough.
With Wu Xinmo's abilities, he could easily break free once he realized what was happening.
Ethan sighed quietly.
Aside from killing you, imprisoning you, torturing you, humiliating you, or forcing you into submission, it seems I have absolutely no way to deal with you.
Truly impressive.
Even the Eye of Judgment couldn't scare this demon.
Arrogant creatures like that were rare.
Since the demon was still necessary for absorbing the vengeful spirits later, Ethan didn't harm him. Instead, he quietly released him back into the outside world.
Later that evening, Bullseye submitted a detailed report.
The document summarized everything he had observed about Madam Hydra's people over the past few days.
The group consisted of nine individuals in total—three women and six men.
Among them, an elderly woman who used a wheelchair appeared to be the leader. She introduced herself as Madam Spiderweb.
Ethan frowned when he saw the name.
It sounded vaguely familiar, though he couldn't remember where he had heard it before.
Perhaps he was confusing it with Spider-Man.
Two of the women traveled closely with the old woman. One was named Blanche Stelski, who served as her secretary. The other was Teresa Vázquez, who acted as her personal bodyguard.
The remaining six men were all bodyguards as well.
Their leader was a tall man with an unusually long neck and striking purple hair. According to the report, his name was Burcher Clemens.
Ethan studied the report carefully.
Among these people, was there anyone whose value exceeded that of a Wolverine-level unit?
The Bewitching Demon was extremely expensive to use.
Wasting it on low-level soldiers would be pointless.
Using the Temptation ability so casually almost felt disrespectful to Wolverine.
He sighed quietly.
Stirring up trouble proactively wasn't as easy as it sounded.
Continuing through the report, Ethan noticed several suspicious actions over the past two days.
The group had acquired a van containing a large and complex machine. Inside the vehicle was a sophisticated control panel connected to a dense network of golden pipes and cables.
After that, they drove the van through numerous streets and alleys without separating their search team.
Bullseye suspected the machine was some kind of tracking device designed to locate specific individuals.
That meant someone in the group likely possessed a special power.
However, they were deliberately hiding that person's identity.
At the moment, even Bullseye couldn't determine who it was.
After reading this part, Ethan gave a simple order.
If normal circumstances made it difficult to identify the target, then they should simply create abnormal circumstances.
After all, this was America.
Gunfights happened every day.
If this group suddenly encountered a gang shootout on the street tomorrow, no one would consider it unusual.
And if the situation became sudden, unexpected, and dangerous enough, their reactions under pressure would reveal useful information.
By analyzing those reactions, they would certainly uncover something.
That night, Ethan left the estate with Johnny for a late-night meal.
Naturally, he carried the contract with him.
Wu Xinmo followed behind them like an obedient lackey, complaining nonstop along the way.
"They said you're way too arrogant," he muttered irritably. "You don't respect my father at all."
Ethan sighed helplessly.
A few days earlier, he had genuinely taken the warning seriously.
But what happened?
Nothing.
They never came.
He had given them a chance, and they had wasted it completely.
Now that the opportunity had passed, Ethan would simply create another one himself.
If Mephistopheles still refused to appear, Ethan planned to expose the entire situation publicly tomorrow.
He would put the Lord of Hell on television and in newspapers across the world.
Let's see how the ruler of Hell explains himself when the entire world is watching.
Eventually they arrived at a small Turkish kebab restaurant.
Ethan put down his knife and fork after taking a few bites, his expression turning strangely conflicted.
Looking around the restaurant, he felt an odd sense of familiarity.
Wasn't this the same kebab shop where the Avengers once ended up eating after that chaotic battle?
If that memory was correct, then the food here was…
Well.
Depressing.
The flavor reminded Ethan of several bizarre dishes he had encountered in the past—things like tomato mooncake stir-fry, banana potato stew, and watermelon winter melon sauté.
But there was something even stranger happening in front of him.
Two people were sitting across from him, devouring food as if they hadn't eaten in days.
Ethan stared at them.
"The two of you…"
Johnny, who looked like someone desperately trying not to lose control of his bladder, suddenly blurted out, "I'm… holding it in… trying not to transform!"
Ethan shook his head.
Johnny had actually improved a lot recently after spending time with Blade hunting vampires. The experience had helped him understand how to control his powers much better.
Unfortunately, true mastery of his transformation was still far away.
Sure enough, the next second Johnny suddenly rushed out of the restaurant and sprinted into the alley beside the building.
Boom!
A burst of flames illuminated the narrow alleyway.
Ethan shrugged casually before turning to look at the other person still sitting at the table.
"You demons actually eat human food?"
Wu Xinmo swallowed the last mouthful and wiped his lips.
"Normally we don't," he admitted. "But this restaurant is different."
"Oh?" Ethan asked curiously. "What's different about it?"
Wu Xinmo sighed with satisfaction.
"It reminds me of the taste of Hell."
Ethan blinked.
Alright.
I'll take that as a compliment.
The three of them walked back toward the Typhon Building in silence.
Late-night streets in America were usually quiet, and Johnny's flaming skull didn't cause much panic.
Johnny himself remained silent during the walk, likely embarrassed by his inability to control his transformation.
Meanwhile, Wu Xinmo burped contentedly, his previously pale face showing a healthy hint of color.
When they returned to the lobby of the Typhon Building, Ethan immediately noticed something unusual.
Someone he had been waiting to see for many days was sitting calmly on the central sofa.
Mephistopheles.
The devil wore a perfectly tailored suit. His appearance suggested an older gentleman, but his posture was straight and vigorous, his black hair neatly combed.
Both hands rested on the head of his cane, which he held horizontally across his knees like a king holding a ceremonial sword.
The aura surrounding him was regal.
A faint smile appeared on Ethan's lips.
"So," he said lightly, "you've arrived."
"I have," Mephistopheles replied calmly.
"You shouldn't have come."
"I had to."
Ethan spread his arms slightly.
"Then shall we begin?"
Before answering, Mephistopheles spoke again.
"Before we begin, there's something I'd like to say."
His voice remained calm and confident.
"I have always enjoyed making deals. In my experience, there is nothing in this world that cannot be traded."
He tilted his head slightly.
"It only depends on how large the stakes are."
"Don't you agree?"
"I agree," Ethan replied without hesitation. "So can we begin now?"
Mephistopheles chuckled softly.
"Since you agree with me, why don't we discuss a deal first?"
"The price you want is too high," Ethan said. "You can't afford it."
"As long as it remains within a reasonable range," the devil replied smoothly, "I'm willing to compromise. Feel free to name your terms."
Ethan shook his head.
"This isn't within a reasonable range."
He leaned forward slightly.
"So shall we begin?"
Mephistopheles remained silent for a moment before shaking his head with a helpless sigh.
"I truly want to understand something," he said.
"Why are you so confident?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Even Odin might not be able to protect you."
"Don't be so naive."
At that exact moment, far away in Asgard, the All-Father suddenly sneezed.
Odin frowned and muttered to himself in confusion.
"How strange. Could I actually be catching a cold?"
Back in the Typhon Building, Ethan walked forward and sat down across from Mephistopheles.
Leaning back against the sofa, he crossed one leg over the other.
"Don't misunderstand," Ethan said casually. "I just wanted to—"
He paused for a moment before finishing the sentence.
"Either kill you…"
"…or be killed by you."
Mephistopheles smiled faintly.
"As you wish."
.....
Join my p@treon and read ahead by more than 60+ chapters.
Link : [email protected]/InfinityWeaver
Free members can read the next two chapters for free on my p@treon