บท 391: Hmm...
The meeting with the Divine Master didn't go the way Charlie had imagined. The information he got was shocking, completely different from what he expected.
Even though he wasn't sure if the Divine Master's story was entirely trustworthy, he knew that if even part of it was true, then the so-called "technological truth" was a real threat that couldn't be ignored.
Charlie suspected that this group might try a sneak attack on Jaeger. Jaeger had only recently awakened and hadn't yet fully recovered his divine power. He was still far from being in top shape, and even though his strength had returned, his mind was sluggish and slow to react. That made him vulnerable. If these people targeted Jaeger, his situation could end up worse than the God Lord's.
The God Lord, after all, had been attacked and was now barely alive. If Jaeger became their next target, things could take a turn for the worse very quickly.
To make matters worse, Earth itself might already be on their radar.
At first, Charlie's main concern was hiding Earth's coordinates from the God Lord and his organization, the Eagle Claw. But now, his priorities had shifted. The technological truth seemed to have found Earth before the Chosen Ones, which made things even more dangerous.
From what had happened recently, it looked like they had already tried to reach out to Earth, though their true motives were still unclear. Charlie didn't want to make a hasty judgment about whether they were friends or enemies, but he also knew he couldn't assume the best. He had to stay cautious.
If what the Divine Master said was true and the Church of Science and Technology had developed tools that could rival the power of the gods while avoiding detection from the Chosen Ones, then their level of advancement was terrifying.
Charlie realized he needed to upgrade Earth's monitoring systems immediately. The current setup wasn't enough if they had to face enemies this advanced.
But before Charlie could even begin making those improvements, the second contact happened.
This time, it wasn't subtle.
---
It was a quiet night in Riverton City.
The streets were lit by rows of streetlights, casting a warm glow on the pavement. A tall, thin man dressed in a loose black suit walked along the sidewalk, moving slowly and deliberately. His sharp eyes scanned the bustling city around him.
A street vendor was busy at his food cart, the smell of grilled snacks filling the air. A small speaker next to the cart played a recording to attract customers. The tall man stopped near the cart, drawing the vendor's attention. The vendor, noticing the stranger, greeted him cheerfully.
"What can I get for you?" the vendor asked with a smile.
"Stark," the man said in an odd, flat tone. His pronunciation was slightly off, as though he wasn't used to the language. "Tony Stark. Iron Man."
The vendor blinked, clearly caught off guard. Then, with a laugh, he replied, "Tony Stark? Iron Man? You've got the wrong place, buddy. This is Riverton. Stark doesn't hang around here. If you're a fan, you've got the wrong city."
He chuckled and added jokingly, "Now, if you're looking for Batman, you might have better luck."
"Batman?" The tall man tilted his head, as if seriously considering the idea. "How?"
The vendor laughed again, thinking it was all a joke. "Oh, that's easy. Just cause a little chaos. Stir up trouble. If the police and the Ninth Special Service Division can't handle you, you might just meet him eventually."
The tall man nodded slowly, as though he were carefully thinking it over. "Hmm. Simple but logical. I'll try that."
Before the vendor could say another word, the tall man reached down and grabbed the cart with one hand. Without warning, he hurled it into the air with an unbelievable amount of force. The cart spun several times before smashing into the hood of a nearby car, the loud crash echoing down the street.
The vendor stood frozen in shock, his jaw dropping as he stared at the destruction.
The tall man wasn't done. He strode into the middle of the street and punched the air in front of him. Somehow, an invisible force shot forward, hitting a parked car several meters away. The car flipped over, tumbling end over end, before slamming into the front of a shopping mall. The sound of shattering glass and panicked screams filled the air.
Several cars collided in the aftermath, honking horns and crunched metal creating chaos on the road.
The vendor could only watch, wide-eyed and speechless. "I was just kidding…" he mumbled to himself.
---
The man's actions didn't go unnoticed. A drone flying overhead immediately captured the scene, identifying it as a high-level threat. Instead of alerting the local authorities or standard agencies, the drone sent the report directly to Charlie.
But it wasn't Batman who showed up first. Tonight, someone else was on duty in Riverton.
Another car soared into the air, sent flying by the man's invisible power. It spun several times, passengers screaming inside. Just as it seemed the car would crash to the ground, a white line shot through the air. A web stretched between two buildings, catching the car gently and holding it like a trampoline.
"There!" a passerby shouted, pointing upward.
A white figure swung into view, speeding toward the chaos on a thin strand of webbing. It was Spider-Gwen. She swung down toward the tall man, muttering, "Let's calm down and talk this out," as she dived into a flying kick.
The kick was perfect, fueled by Gwen's superhuman strength and speed. It was a blow that should have been impossible to dodge.
But the tall man didn't even flinch. He didn't move a muscle, and somehow, Gwen's attack missed entirely. Instead, her kick smashed into a mailbox on the sidewalk, reducing it to a pile of twisted metal.
Gwen landed and quickly fired webbing at the man, but he dodged with ease, moving faster than her webs could reach.
In a blur of motion, he was suddenly right in front of her.
Gwen's spider-senses screamed a warning. She barely had time to raise her arm in defense before the man's punch connected. The force sent her flying backward, slamming her into the side of a building with a thunderous crash.
Charlie, watching through the drone feed, was stunned. Gwen's reflexes were fast enough to dodge bullets, but this man's punch had been even faster.
"Who is this guy?" Charlie muttered, his voice full of disbelief.
Meanwhile, the tall man frowned slightly, watching Gwen recover. He seemed almost impressed that she'd managed to block his attack at all.
"Hmm," he said softly, his smirk fading into a cold, calculating expression.
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