"Its full name is the Terrigen Crystal."
"It's a substance that releases in vapor form. As long as it's exposed to the right temperature, comes into contact with water, or is shattered, it can undergo a chemical reaction and produce Terrigen Mist."
"And that mist can alter the biological genetic traits of Inhumans."
"The energy source you detected is the vapor sealed inside it. It only works on people with Inhuman blood. For ordinary humans, though, it's completely lethal."
At that moment, Killian explained it to Baymax.
"Understood."
After hearing the explanation, Baymax seemed to reach an immediate conclusion, then added both the object and Killian's description of it to its database.
Killian, meanwhile, began thinking about how he could use what was in front of him.
There were seventeen Terrigen Crystals in the bag.
Which was awkward.
It was not a lot, but it was not exactly a tiny amount either. For Killian, though, there were still very few targets worth using them on.
This amount was nowhere near enough to let him dissolve them into water, dilute them, and then spread them worldwide to awaken every human carrying dormant Inhuman blood.
By his own estimate, even if he used them the way it happened in the original story, the total amount would barely be enough to affect a single city.
And one city...
For Killian's current scale, that was almost meaningless.
The amount was too small, and he also needed a portion of the crystals for experimentation.
"Still not enough."
Looking at the Terrigen Crystals in front of him, Killian shook his head and sighed.
The problem was that almost all Terrigen Crystals were still under Diana's control, and outsiders could not find them no matter how hard they searched.
And unless Killian took the initiative to go looking for Afterlife...
"Though that doesn't seem impossible either."
At that moment, Killian stroked his chin and revealed a thoughtful, amused expression.
After all, Diana's Afterlife was a massive organization in its own right.
Leaving aside the fact that it had awakened the powers of countless Inhumans across the world and earned enormous prestige among them, the permanent members within Afterlife alone carried considerable weight.
And if Killian remembered correctly, Diana had only ever wanted two things, to find her daughter and take revenge.
The man who had once killed her and transplanted all her organs into himself had lived well past a hundred years. In Killian's estimation, if that man had not been killed midway through his own story, Daniel Whitehall, the man who received Diana's organs, could have gone on living for a very long time.
And that was exactly what Killian wanted.
Since Diana was Afterlife's leader, and since he had no direct conflict of interest with her, exchanging what each side needed did not seem difficult at all.
Once that thought settled in his mind, Killian looked down toward the village below.
And there, plainly visible, were an Asian woman and a man with no eyes, both quietly watching him.
In the very next second, they vanished.
"Diana... Gordon..."
Watching the two disappear, Killian spoke their names under his breath. But in his eyes there was only excitement.
Those two had powers any ordinary person would dream of.
Diana had the terrifying ability to absorb the life force of others and preserve her own life indefinitely.
Gordon had the ability to teleport anywhere in the world.
And for Killian, he wanted both.
"Baymax. Global target search. Daniel Whitehall. Former HYDRA leadership."
"Cross-reference image data and facial records. I want everything on him."
"And notify the Phantom Unit to remain on standby. The moment there's a lead, move immediately."
At that moment, Killian did not want to wait even one second longer. If he had never seen this, that would have been one thing. But now that he had run into it, and now that this enormous fortune was sitting practically within reach, he could not restrain himself anymore.
Under Killian's orders, the Phantom Unit on the experimental island near Miami emerged from the training room, suited up in combat gear, and boarded a transport aircraft before taking off into the night sky.
"Sir, information retrieval complete. Daniel Whitehall appeared multiple times this year on the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico, inside San Juan Bay. Based on surveillance footage and movement-pattern analysis, his current probable location is a villa in that area."
"Apologies, Sir. I cannot refine the search any further at the moment. I recommend launching the dedicated satellites as soon as possible. That will significantly improve my tracking capabilities."
In less than a minute, Baymax had already located Whitehall's trail through large-scale data comparison.
"Heh. Found you."
"Move out, all units."
"And don't worry, Baymax. I'm already having your eyes prepared. In just a few more days, you'll have a pair that can see across the world."
The moment Baymax confirmed the target, Killian stood up in obvious excitement and gave the order.
Baymax's later suggestion also struck a chord with him. He had already prepared the satellite launch program long ago, but the project timeline had delayed it.
Still, by Killian's estimate, it was only a matter of another week or two.
Once Baymax had high-power orbital satellites to work with, that would be the true beginning of worldwide, zero-blind-spot monitoring.
"Thank you, Sir."
Baymax sounded genuinely pleased about the upcoming upgrade to its "body."
Then, under the king-class fighter's acceleration, the aircraft tore through the sky toward its destination at incredible speed.
"Sir, the combat squad has reached the designated area and is awaiting further orders."
As Killian neared the target zone, Baymax relayed the latest update from the strike team.
"That fast?"
Killian was briefly surprised, but then remembered that Miami was not all that far from San Juan in the first place.
"Begin the operation."
"Make absolutely sure the target stays alive. This time I want a complete capture."
The reason he had sent the Phantom Unit was because that team consisted entirely of enhanced operatives, with the Purple Man units being especially important.
As long as they seized control of the scene, that would practically guarantee total victory. It would also prevent Whitehall from disguising himself as a soldier and slipping away, or from being accidentally killed in the chaos.
Escape would have been annoying enough.
If one of his own people killed Whitehall by accident, that would have been a real tragedy.
That was why Killian's standing order for this mission was live capture only.
Even the Phantom Unit's weapons this time were set to a stun-output mode only.
Then, after the squad leader heard Baymax relay the operation order through his earpiece, he immediately signaled the team to move.
At once, several Purple Man units sharpened their gaze.
Several groups vaulted straight over the outer wall and dropped inside.
The moment they spotted the patrol guards, they pushed their consciousness directly into the soldiers' minds. In an instant, dozens of perimeter guards had their will crushed and were fully assimilated.
Inside the villa, several other guards were still pacing back and forth as they patrolled the interior.
One Purple Man unit then directed two controlled soldiers toward the main entrance. Under the confused eyes of the guards inside, they stepped forward and calmly forced one of them to unlock the villa's doors.
In one smooth motion, the entire interior was exposed to the squad.
With the Purple Man units leading the way, the team surged inside at high speed and headed straight for the underground section of the villa.
But when they finally reached a steel security door, even the controlled soldiers had no answer.
This door was Whitehall's private access point. No one but him had the key.
Still, according to the guards, the room beyond it contained at least as many defenders as the floors above.
At that point, the squad leader, Adam, made the decision instantly.
Break the door.
The next second, with Jessica's clone at the front, a thunderous crash exploded through the villa.
The power inside her small frame was so overwhelming that even the guards under Purple Man control were momentarily stunned.
Ignoring every stare, she slammed into the steel door again and again, shaking the whole villa.
Then, with one final blow, the entire metal door was kicked inward.
It smashed straight into the prepared defensive line on the other side, pinning several guards under it.
Broken chunks of stone and metal blasted everywhere with the impact.
The HYDRA soldiers behind it, already panicked by the sudden breach, began firing wildly in every direction.
The Purple Man units and Jessica's clones outside immediately rushed through the gap and launched a crushing assault.
Before the HYDRA forces inside could recover, walls were smashed inward, collapsing directly onto the soldiers behind them.
The remaining HYDRA men tried to organize a counterattack, but the Phantom Unit under Adam's command moved with practiced speed and perfect combat coordination.
Their attack and defense cycles were smooth, efficient, and ruthless.
They fought like true war machines, cold and focused on completing the objective with maximum efficiency and minimal damage to themselves.
At that moment, the Phantom Unit looked more like a pack of starving beasts than a normal strike team.
Their assault swept through the underground section like a storm.
The HYDRA soldiers simply could not stop them.
Men dropped one after another, often without lasting even a single exchange.
By the end, the walls, doors, furniture, and most of the underground structure had been torn apart by the sheer force of the attack.
"Report. Target not found."
After sweeping the underground area, one of the Purple Man clones returned to Adam and reported.
"He ran. He has to still be here somewhere."
"Search everything. Move."
Adam did not hesitate for even a second.
Given the resistance they had encountered, he was certain someone important had been hiding here.
So his first assumption was obvious.
There had to be an escape route.
And sure enough, after a careful search, the team found a hidden shaft in a utility room. The rope hanging down it was still swaying, meaning the target had escaped only moments earlier.
Adam grabbed the rope with one hand and dropped down at top speed without hesitation.
Just before reaching the bottom, he tightened his grip hard enough to bleed off the remaining momentum and landed cleanly on the ground.
Farther down the tunnel, he saw his target.
A frantic, disheveled Daniel running for his life.
At that moment, Adam smiled.
Then he drew the large-caliber stun blaster from his back and fired one shot.
It hit Daniel squarely, hurling him off his feet.
The other team members quickly followed down into the tunnel, walked straight over to the fallen target, restrained and secured him with practiced efficiency, then began heading back the way they had come.
But as they did, Adam began noticing that something was off about the underground structure.
There were strange symbols, odd statues, and all kinds of ancient-looking features.
Everything about it suggested this place was not normal.
And that raised another question.
Had Daniel really come down here just to run?
Adam doubted it.
So after sending one team to bring Daniel back to the fighter, he led the remaining members deeper into the underground ruins.
The place was huge.
It was practically an underground city.
Even with Baymax's guidance, just exploring it took a full hour.
And toward the end, Adam began noticing strange magnetic interference affecting signal transmission.
He stopped immediately and sent one of the squad members ahead to scout.
One useful thing, though, was that the whole city had been built in concentric circular layers. As long as he kept moving straight, he would not lose his way.
"Sir, based on current progress, a massive underground complex exists beneath the villa. Should I dispatch robotic soldiers to assist with exploration?"
Back on the fighter, Baymax spoke again.
Through the trackers on Adam and the resulting 3D mapping, the size of the structure had already become obvious. It was entirely possible that Adam had not even explored half of it yet.
"Send one unit of robotic soldiers down."
After a brief moment of thought, Killian gave the order.
He knew this place was an ancient Inhuman awakening site, but it also contained traces of old Kree technological influence. If that part of it could eventually be studied and understood, it would be a worthwhile gain for him too.
A robotic unit was immediately activated inside the fighter and launched straight toward the villa under Baymax's control.
Through the live projection feed, the robots entered the underground structure and split up, moving at full speed while scanning and mapping everything.
Back aboard the intelligent fighter, a complete 3D model of the underground structure gradually began forming.
Only then did Killian truly understand how massive it was.
If Adam had been left to continue alone, even if he just followed one straight route, it would have taken him days.
And the interior was huge. If he chose the wrong tunnel and ended in a dead end, there would be no quick way out.
"Possible point of interest detected."
In the end, after more than half an hour of high-speed robotic scanning, the whole squad converged at the very center of the city.
Under Baymax's direction, a blurry, flickering image appeared in the projection feed.
At the center stood six towering stone doorframes arranged in a ring, each separated by about two meters, supporting an inner chamber. In the middle was a stone platform about one meter high.
And above it, through several angled openings, a narrow beam of light reflected down and landed directly on the stone platform.
"Sir, there is heavy magnetic interference in that location. It is greatly affecting the robots on site. Video capture is unstable."
Baymax's voice sounded as the projected image continued flickering like static.
(End of Chapter)
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