Chapter 13: Ch-13 A great gift.
Upon entering the cave, Russell saw Mordo hanging from vines. The portal was still open.
Mordo's body swayed in the strong wind, blood dripping from his toes and his eyes wide open in death.
Using the magical knowledge he had just acquired, Russell immediately recognized the protrusion on the rock wall next to the back door as the switch for the portal.
Mordo had lured him here on purpose! Otherwise, Russell wouldn't have been able to catch up to him so quickly, even with the triple speed boost from Spell Fury.
It was a shame that Mordo had planned this for so long, but he hadn't expected his opponent to not play by the rules.
Mentally thanking him for his selfless assistance, Russell grabbed an empty bottle and hit the switch with precision.
The portal closed instantly, and the strong wind in the room disappeared.
Now it was time for the sweep!
Russell searched Mordo's body and found a defensive ruby weapon, but it was shattered, clearly a one-time use item.
He didn't feel bad about it. The thing was too weak, and now he could make such items himself.
The most important find was the sling ring. After searching for some time, Russell discovered it hidden in the lining of Mordo's cloak.
With the Sling Ring and the Reality Stone, Russell was finally able to leave the Void.
Whether or not he could find what he was looking for, he had to try.
Russell changed into fresh clothes and packed all the steel armor parts, three small reactors, and a computer among the various junk in the Void.
He also collected batteries, light bulbs, canned food, two cases of wine, and other necessities.
He had no intention of walking with all these things - that would be unrealistic. He wanted to take them out first to avoid any potential damage.
Next: a big gift for the two remaining people.
For example... two high energy bombs!
His plan is to detonate the arc reactors!
With the Curse of Knowledge entry he received from Iron Man, Russell couldn't build a reactor himself, but he could definitely detonate one.
And since Tony Stark is out, everything needed for remote detonation was available in this base.
Whether the two would survive the explosion was a matter of fate. After all, a reactor explosion hadn't killed Killian in Iron Man 3.
Having hidden everything he wanted, Russell set to work building remote-controlled bombs. The process was simple, as long as he had the right parts.
In just over twenty minutes, he had the bomb constructed. He placed it in a cardboard box and stuffed it under the sofa.
Then he moved Mordo's body onto the sofa and arranged him in a sitting position with his arms hidden under his robe.
Finally, he grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a note thanking them for finding so many supplies for him.
With everything ready, Russell left the cave and found a nearby high spot to hide and wait.
He didn't dare get too close in case Spider-Man's spider-sense detected him.
As time passed, the false sunlight dimmed and finally disappeared, giving way to night. Russell remained hidden, lying on a branch, patient and motionless.
Two hours later, the sound of a car engine broke the silence.
They were back!
Russell didn't look directly at the car, afraid of Spider-Man's spider-sense, so he watched the headlights out of the corner of his eye. As soon as the car stopped, he flipped the switch without hesitation.
The detonator had already begun its countdown.
...
Bang!
Tony Stark slammed the car door shut, cursing:
"Damn it! That fire guy!"
"I'll burn him to ashes sooner or later!"
He hadn't been able to buy Pepper Potts at the auction. Instead, a mutant named Pyro had won her.
But the real reason he hadn't tried to steal her was because he was afraid the crazy woman behind Pyro would come after him.
Peter Parker groaned in frustration.
"All right, Tony, everybody knows! Now hurry up and get your stuff, it's late and I want to sleep!"
He was also frustrated that he didn't get a chance to mess with Iron Man's wife.
Tony didn't argue. Despite not getting what he wanted, he had traded the reactor for some broken steel armor parts that were more advanced models than his own.
As they approached the cave, Peter stopped suddenly and sniffed the air.
"It smells like blood."
"And there's no breath in the cave!"
"Something's wrong!"
His enhanced senses had already detected the situation.
Tony's expression darkened. His mask closed over his face and he charged into the cave.
"My stuff!!!"
Peter wanted to warn Tony that it might be a trap, but when he saw that nothing happened after Tony entered, he followed suit.
The cave was illuminated by the reactor in Tony's chest. As soon as he stepped inside, he wanted to curse.
Except for the sofa and some scattered junk, the cave had been completely looted. It looked so barren that even a mouse would weep.
Well, except for Mordo's body, which looked particularly ugly - he'd been shot.
"Pathetic," Tony muttered.
Then they noticed the note attached to Mordo's body. Peter grabbed it and showed it to Tony, who was furious.
The message, written in a messy scrawl, read:
"Dear Mr. Tony Stark, Mr. Steve Rogers asked me to give you his regards.
He said things weren't working out between the two of you, so he decided to part ways.
He took a small loss and left you the house.
'Oh, and Mr. Mordo has agreed as well. We put him in a prominent place. You can ask him if you don't believe me.
Finally, a special thank you to Mr. Iron Man for his selfless contribution. Rest assured, we'll put the reactor to good use."
Peter looked at the bloody bullet hole in Mordo's body and sighed.
"That's a Glock bullet hole... Looks like our man Steve did the deed."
Tony's anger flared even more.
"I can't believe it! That thick-browed, honest-looking bastard double-crossed me!"
"Damn it! I should have been suspicious when he didn't come back last night!"
"And this guy Mordo - what a joke! A wizard shot to death? Pathetic!"
With that, Tony kicked Mordo's body in frustration, knocking over the sofa.
They both froze as they saw the bomb hidden underneath. The countdown had reached 00:01.
In an instant, both men felt a wave of fear.
"Fuck!"
"Damn!"
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Spider-sense is not foolproof - it can detect danger, but not traps that do not alter airflow, affect animals, make sounds, or involve the movement of objects.
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