Hill certainly didn't have a fever; rather, the water she had drunk contained an aphrodisiac that could evade detection by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special instruments, which was now taking effect.
Normally, given Hill's resistance to drugs, it shouldn't have come to this.
But when Clark transferred his energy into her to keep her warm, he inadvertently accelerated the absorption of the drug.
Something was wrong with Hill!
Noticing Hill's abnormal condition, Clark quickly stepped back and pieced together the cause and effect in his mind.
Their target was not Hill, but himself!
Given Hill's condition, had it not been for his energy accelerating her blood flow for warmth, she wouldn't have been so affected. After all, as a top agent, she should have some countermeasures for such situations, likely even undergoing specific training for them.
Had Clark drunk that water, he wasn't sure he could resist the body's natural reaction.
Moreover, since the drug wasn't poisonous, Clark's heightened sense of danger would be of no use.
If he lost control after being drugged, against someone as powerful as Clark, Hill's resistance would become irrelevant.
The enemy could seize the opportunity to assassinate him, and even if unsuccessful, could ruin Clark's relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D., possibly causing Nick Fury to turn against Clark for his subordinate's sake.
Troubles would surely follow.
What a malicious scheme!
The person capable of orchestrating this likely was...
Without further ado, realizing Hill's condition was worsening, Clark quickly released the "Serenity Chant" background music to calm her down.
He then shook the healing artifact, spreading it out on the ground, and helped Hill sit down before sitting behind her. Placing a palm on her back, he slowly transferred his energy into her once again.
In such a place without an antidote, and unwilling to use himself as one, Clark could only hope Hill's willpower would help her overcome this ordeal.
However, to prevent any mishap due to the unreleased drug effects, he could only protect Hill's vital organs like her heart and brain with his energy. The rest was up to Hill.
With Clark's assistance, Hill used her willpower to fight the drug's effects, her body sweating profusely and involuntarily writhing in struggle.
Vibranium is a peculiar substance, one of its properties being the ability to absorb and then release energy.
Waves of tremor-like energy acted upon the cloak, and the vibranium cloak amplified these forces onto the mountain below.
The mountain, made of rock, though sturdy, lacked any flexibility. As force after force was directed into the mountain, many rocks began to crack to varying degrees.
When this damage accumulated to a certain extent, it finally burst forth.
Rocks shattered, and the mountain collapsed! ...
Under the glow of the setting sun, Hill sat on the ground, supported by Clark, who stood proudly, his gaze slowly turning towards the direction of the United States, his eyes revealing endless killing intent.
The chilling aura startled Hill, prompting her to ask, "What's wrong?"
Just as Clark was about to respond, he suddenly sensed another, even more vigorous and terrifying, aura coming straight from beneath the ruins of the White Stone Wasteland towards their location.
Startled, Clark quickly stepped forward, shielding Hill behind him.
Simultaneously, a violent explosion sounded from beneath the stone mountain, blasting a large hole in what had already become a ruin.
Following that, a skinny Middle Eastern elder floated up in the blowing wind, looking down at Clark and Hill from above, his killing intent palpable! And more terrifying than the elder himself were the ten rings on his hands, each emitting an aura that made Clark feel a deadly threat.
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