Russell had seen Killian spew molten blood and kill Tony Stark.
The blood, like magma, could easily melt flesh and bone.
Just like now!
He slowly rose from his chair, walked around the table and looked down at Mr. Paradox, who had collapsed to the floor.
The superior man, who had been so high and mighty just moments ago, now had a fist-sized hole melted through the left side of his neck.
The dark brown wound continued to gush scarlet blood with every heartbeat.
"What... huh... huh..."
Mr. Paradox managed only a single word before the blood choked his throat and left him unable to speak.
Right Now, his eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.
He could not understand why an ordinary person with no power, a mere time prisoner, could suddenly spew magma-like blood, just like Killian!
It had clearly been discovered when the other party was captured!
But it was too late to think about that now.
He felt his thoughts growing heavier, his body becoming numb, and the world around him fading into darkness.
In the last moments of his life, he caught a glimpse of mocking eyes from the corner of his vision.
It seemed to silently convey how arrogant and foolish he had been!
Damn it, I had other means... With a deep sense of regret, Mr. Paradox's eyes lost all of their sparkle.
Suddenly, the alarm began to sound loudly!
Russell wasn't surprised.
The TVA probably had a way of monitoring the vital signs of its executives and would sound the alarm if one of them died.
He remained calm and composed, showing none of the fear, terror, or excitement that would normally follow a first kill.
Quickly, he leaned over and searched Mr. Paradox's pockets, finding a foldable tablet and a controller.
At the same time, the looting system prompt reappeared.
[ Looting completed ]
- [ Healthy Body (White) ]
Its ability is that it prevents the user from getting sick and ensures that there are no hidden diseases.
Seeing this entry, Russell was speechless.
This TVA Agent was truly a nobody, with no abilities other than a healthy body.
Even with the Extremis virus upgrade, he didn't bother to load it.
Russell stopped looking at the system and concentrated on the controller.
Since Mr. Paradox had demonstrated the device's functions earlier, Russell quickly identified the correct button.
Beep.
The time control collar was deactivated.
Russell couldn't help but feel a rush of relief as he regained his freedom.
Next, he turned his attention to the TemPad.
With his 'Curse of Knowledge, ability, he felt confident in navigating the TemPad's functions.
Meanwhile, the sound of running footsteps outside the door grew louder.
Russell wasted no time in opening the TemPad, which resembled an outdated electronic dictionary from ten years ago.
Swish!
A red light suddenly flashed and erupted!
A creature resembling a clock ghost jumped out of the TemPad, growing larger as it hurtled toward Russell.
"Wow, wow, wow~"
"He Who Remains said you would be trouble, and he was right."
Miss Time laughed as she grew in size, her dial contorting into a fierce expression.
Russell hadn't expected this sudden turn of events!
How did Miss Minutes end up hiding in Mr. Paradox's TemPad?
And it sounded like the Kang at the End of Time had noticed him!
This was not a good news!
Surprised, Russell pretended to be completely shocked by Miss Minutes gigantic form.
Seeing this, Miss Minutes laughed even louder and gestured theatrically:
"Human, how did you get the power of the Extremis virus? Tell me and I won't kill you."
But before she finished speaking, she noticed something strange - Russell was completely ignoring her.
Russell had already put things together.
Though this was unexpected, he knew that without a mechanical body, Miss Minutes had no fighting power.
He continued to work on the TemPad, trying to initiate a time-space jump.
However, despite setting the time and coordinates and pressing "confirm" to open the time gate, nothing happened.
Miss Minutes, though puzzled by Russell's sudden disregard, remained cheerful as she explained:
"Oh, oh, oh~"
"Too bad. My access level is just a little higher than that of Agents~"
"You can't run away~"
She wore a cartoonish grin as she shrank back to her normal size, hovering in front of Russell's face:
"Just give up. You're special - He Who Remains will find a use for you~"
Her words were pure lies.
In truth, He Who Remains would likely dissect this fascinating time prisoner.
Having seen the TVA's methods in Loki, Russell knew the cartoon clock was bluffing.
He made no further futile attempts. Instead, he pocketed the TemPad, looked directly at Miss Minutes, and suddenly said:
"You must have failed to warn Mr. Paradox."
Miss Minutes laughed nonchalantly:
"Let him die. There are plenty more where he came from."
Russell shook his head:
"No, not death."
"But... you shouldn't have let me remove the time collar."
The words were barely out before the door burst open and a team of Minuteman burst in, Time Sticks in hand.
Miss Minutes hovered in midair, not warning the Minutemen of Russell's abilities.
She simply crossed her legs like a human, ready to see what this seemingly desperate time prisoner would do.
As for the fate of the hunters, as she'd said before - there were plenty more where they came from.
Russell's eyes had turned to molten gold, and the iron-like veins under his skin glowed faintly, radiating intense heat!
The next moment, he seemed to be charging at the Minuteman with deadly intent!
But just before making contact, he suddenly changed course and lunged at the Minuteman!
In mid-air, Miss Minutes calm, confident cartoon expression changed to one of fear and sweat.
She screamed:
"Don't attack!!!"
"Stop at once!"
But it was too late.
The leading Minuteman heard the order and tried to stop, but the Time Stick couldn't be retracted in time.
The glowing orange tip of the Time Stick made direct contact with Russell's chest.
**Zzzt!**
Russell looked down at his chest as it began to disappear, seemingly unaffected.
He waved his hand and smiled mockingly at Miss Minutes, who was now wearing a panicked expression:
"Goodbye, cartoon clock~"
With that, he disappeared completely, as if he had never existed.
All that remained were the bewildered Minutemen's and Miss Minutes, her expression flickering between anger and panic.
...
In the void.
Russell rose from the ground, brushing dust from his pants, feeling much lighter.
Although Plan A had failed, escaping Kang's attention still counted as a success.
And he had also secured a supervisor-level TemPed. With the Curse of Knowledge entry, he might still be able to break through its restrictions.
Even if that didn't work, he still had the Infinity Stone Ring as a last resort, giving him a small but tangible hope of leaving this place.
At that moment, Russell noticed something out of the corner of his eye and turned his head.
On a distant hill, a figure resembling Captain America was sprinting, head down.
Was that... the Human Torch?