Chapter 165: Chapter 165: The Awkward Ebony Maw
"Alan, did you know about what happened last night?"
Gwen sat across from Alan, looking at him with a face full of surprise.
Alan nodded and continued, "Yes, I knew from the moment Mystique entered the house."
"And I knew that later, the Emperor showed up and dealt with Magneto."
"Even Red Queen didn't tell me," Gwen said with a look of dissatisfaction.
Seeing her expression, Alan explained, "It was my decision for Red Queen not to inform you."
"Your decision?" Gwen looked at Alan, astonished. He continued, "Magneto's ability is to control and manipulate magnetism."
"Your new suit is made of Vibranium. If you encountered Magneto, you would have no chance of winning."
"That's why I instructed Red Queen not to tell you."
Gwen, being reasonable, understood that Alan had her best interests in mind. Still, she thought for a moment and asked, "Alan, what if the Emperor hadn't appeared last night?"
"Wouldn't cousin Anna have been in danger?"
Alan smiled, gently reached out, and tapped Gwen's high-bridged nose. "No, I wouldn't let you or your family be harmed."
With Alan's reassurance, Gwen felt completely at ease. She didn't even know when it began, but she trusted every word Alan said implicitly. To her, he seemed almost omnipotent.
"Is there a way to upgrade my suit so that it won't fear magnetic forces?"
"Even though Magneto is dead, what if another mutant with the same power appears in the future?"
Alan couldn't help but smile at Gwen's forward-thinking nature. "Don't worry, the new suit is already being developed."
"However, this time the suit involves an entirely new technology."
"So, it will take a bit of time."
Gwen nodded happily and exclaimed, "Alan, I'm hungry."
"I want to eat your dumplings!"
Looking at the cheerful little foodie, Alan smiled warmly and said, "Alright, I'll go make some for you now."
"You and Pikachu play for a while, and I'll prepare some food."
"Okay!"
"Pika... Pikachu!"
Gwen hugged Pikachu and played joyfully.
Meanwhile, at the NYPD:
George, who had just received a call from Anna, stood up excitedly from his desk. "Are you sure?"
"That homeless man has recovered and can testify in court?"
"Great!"
George's mood was elated. After so many days, there was finally progress on a case. "Alright, Anna, just follow your plan."
"If he's fit to move, bring him to the precinct for protection."
"I'll send someone over right now!"
After hanging up, George immediately dialed the intercom.
"Get a few reliable men, and follow me now."
"Wear plain clothes and avoid attracting attention."
Ever since Ivan Vanko's jailbreak, George had been investigating the mole inside the police department.
Though he had some clues, he still lacked substantial evidence.
And with the homeless man's recovery being a significant matter, any leaked information could bring the Green Goblin and Oscorp down on them, complicating things further.
After preparing, George left the precinct and drove toward the medical center.
At the medical center:
After hanging up the call, Anna returned to the hospital room and nodded at Peter. "Uncle George said we can move to the precinct."
"He will personally come to pick us up shortly."
"Let's get ready."
Helen patted Anna's shoulder. "Be careful on your way back."
"I have a flight to catch, so call me if you need any help."
"I've informed the staff here, and you can return at any time to use any of the medical equipment."
Anna nodded. "Thanks, Helen."
Peter also expressed his gratitude. "Thank you for your help, Dr. Helen."
"You're welcome, Peter."
"Your research has been invaluable to me, and with it, I believe my molecular treatments will reach new heights."
"Good luck, Dr. Helen."
Peter said sincerely.
Helen checked the time and said her goodbyes to the two.
Not long after Helen left, Anna glanced at the time, estimating when George would arrive.
She then said to Peter, "Peter, let's get ready."
"We'll move John to the underground parking lot and leave in Uncle George's car."
"All of this is to prevent John from being discovered by the Green Goblin and Oscorp."
John was the name of the homeless man.
Anna had learned it from him after he regained consciousness.
Peter nodded solemnly. "Understood!"
With the help of a nurse, they transferred John into a wheelchair and wrapped him in warm clothing.
Only John's eyes and nose were exposed.
"Mr. John, if you feel unwell at any moment, be sure to tell me immediately!"
John's slightly clouded eyes met Peter's as he nodded.
"Let's go!"
"Alright!"
The two pushed John away, praying that no further incidents would occur on the way.
Oscorp Industries.
Inside Norman's laboratory.
Norman, dressed in a white lab coat, stood before a hospital bed to which a frail man was strapped.
The man's face filled with terror as he saw Norman approaching with a syringe in hand.
He shook his head repeatedly, making muffled, fearful sounds.
Clearly, the frail man could not speak and could only express his fear through these noises.
Seeing the man's terrified expression, Norman's face showed a look of pure delight, as if the fear was a delicacy he relished.
"Relax, sir."
"This is a newly formulated enhancement serum. Once it enters your system, you will become a powerful superhero."
Norman meticulously sterilized the area, his demeanor focused and precise.
If an uninformed bystander were present, they might have assumed Norman was performing a routine medical treatment.
The syringe's contents were soon fully injected into the man's arm.
Norman stepped back, observing intently and muttered to himself, "I've modified the molecular reactions."
"This new enhancement serum should be more compatible with the cells."
"I believe this time, it will work."
Clenching his fists, Norman felt a wave of nervous anticipation.
Even though the 'New Captain America Project' had lost military support and previous trials had failed, Norman, as a scientist, had never given up on the experiment.
He firmly believed that he could develop a serum rivaling Howard Stark's super-soldier serum.
At that moment, the voice of the Green Goblin echoed in Norman's mind, "Norman, you're so boring."
"Our master has already granted us immense power, yet here you are experimenting with these pointless serums."
"Why not focus on weaponry, developing more destructive armaments?"
The Goblin's sinister laughter rang out, "That way, when we face the Emperor again, we might actually kill him this time."
"Goblin, put that thought away," Norman sneered. "The two of us alone can't defeat the Emperor."
"Master has made it clear: we act according to his plan."
"Do you want to act recklessly?"
Chastised by Norman, the Green Goblin fell silent. After a moment, it spoke again, "Norman, what exactly is that black rod the master gave us?"
"Ever since I integrated it, I've noticed our power increasing daily."
Norman frowned.
Of course, he couldn't possibly know what it was. Mephisto's powers were already beyond his comprehension.
After pondering, Norman could only say, "I think it's some kind of mystical artifact from the master."
"But regardless, getting stronger is a good thing."
"When we confront the Emperor again, our chances of victory will be greater."
"Ah…!"
Their mental conversation was interrupted by a sudden scream of pain.
The frail man on the bed had transformed, with muscles swelling and bulging with incredible strength.
Veins as thick as drinking straws stood out across his body, which had turned a deep red, his face contorted in agony.
"Help… help me…"
To Norman's surprise, the man, driven by extreme pain, had regained the ability to speak and was now pleading for help.
Norman, however, looked on expressionlessly, waiting for the serum to take further effect.
Snap…
A sharp sound came from the man's arm.
One of the veins burst like an overinflated balloon, spraying blood everywhere.
The sudden change made Norman frown.
More cracking sounds followed, and soon the entire bed was stained crimson.
The man's body withered rapidly, becoming a dried-up corpse in no time…
Norman shook his head and waved his hand, summoning a green flame that engulfed the bed.
In moments, it had burned to white ash.
Norman looked at the file in his hand, which had a photo of the frail man and the label:
Subject 004.
Turning the page, a photo of a black-haired, dark-skinned woman appeared with the label:
Subject 005.
...
On the other side of the Earth.
Coulson sat in an office, quickly organizing the documents in front of him. These documents detailed new weapons developed from the residual energy of the Cosmic Cube.
However, most of them were failures. They either couldn't withstand the immense energy and exploded, or leaked energy that harmed the user. Some were even more absurd, only capable of emitting thin beams with less power than a basic handgun.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Coulson spoke with disappointment, "It seems that mastering the power of the Cosmic Cube in the short term is impossible."
"If the Thor of Norse mythology truly exists, does that mean Jesus also exists?"
Not long ago, Coulson had witnessed the heroic figure of the Norse God of Thunder firsthand.
In the end, they even managed to establish a sort of informal alliance. But to his surprise, when he reported this to Nick Fury, Fury wasn't particularly pleased.
Instead, he assigned Coulson to oversee the 'New Pegasus Project' to supervise the development of new weapons and evaluate their effectiveness.
Compared to the power of Thor's lightning, these new weapons were insignificant.
"Still as paranoid as ever," Coulson said with a sigh. From his perspective, Thor didn't seem like a bad person—or rather, a bad god.
As Coulson was tidying up the files, his body suddenly froze. Even the insects fluttering around the light fixtures came to a halt, their wings suspended mid-air without falling. A female agent holding a cup of coffee at the door remained in the posture of preparing to knock. Down the hallway, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were frozen mid-stride.
The entire testing facility appeared to be locked in time.
Only one thing continued to move—the Cosmic Cube in the underground chamber. Pale blue waves of energy rippled from its surface. At the center of the Cube, a deeper blue pulse glowed and dimmed rhythmically, as if it were breathing.
All the researchers were frozen in various poses. At this moment, a red mist slowly formed beside the Cosmic Cube, coalescing into the massive face of Mephisto. His eyes fixed not just on the Cube itself but at its very center—the glowing and dimming point.
"Finally found you, Space Stone," Mephisto said with an unmistakable excitement. A small limb formed from the mist at his side and gently tapped the center of the Cube.
The pulsing blue light abruptly dimmed.
A trace of blue energy appeared in Mephisto's palm, solidifying into a small, stone-like object.
"This fragment of spatial power will suffice," he murmured. "Too bad I can't take you with me; otherwise, that Sorcerer Supreme would go to war with me."
"But you'll fall into my hands sooner or later," Mephisto added with a maniacal laugh.
With that, Mephisto disappeared from the underground lab, leaving no trace.
As soon as he vanished, life in the facility resumed. Agents continued their tasks without noticing anything amiss.
Meanwhile, beyond Earth's atmosphere—
Ebony Maw chanted incantations under his breath while Loki stood by, wielding the Scepter of Mind, ready for action.
Suddenly, Ebony Maw shouted, "Open!"
The space before them remained dark.
Ebony Maw glanced at his hands and shouted again, "Open!"
Still, nothing happened.
Loki: "-_-"
Ebony Maw: "…"
…
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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