Chương 1960: Chapter 1322: Interstellar Grand Stage (29)_1
"During China's recent era of turmoil, a boy was born in a small village in the north. He lost his mother at a young age and studied traditional Chinese martial arts under his father. His father was Mongolian, therefore the boy always claimed to be a descendant of Genghis Khan. Along his journey of mastering martial arts, he encountered many unusual people and events, which led him to acquire a power far greater than martial arts."
"He emerged too long ago for his records to be explicit. Only the scriptures of certain mysterious Eastern organizations offer a brief account of him, referring to him as the 'Mandarin' (a transliteration of Man Da Ren)."
The voice of Stick seemed to originate from a faraway place, his English dialect tinged with an Oriental layer, allowing listeners to feel a sense of ancient charm. He continued, "People only knew that Mandarin's tremendous power originated from the 'Ten Commandments'."
"The so-called Ten Commandments refer to ten powerful rings. They emboldened Mandarin with ambition to rule the world. From that era onwards, he began amassing his own power, rallying people to his cause and establishing an organization, which eventually became known as 'The Ten Commandments'."
"For a prolonged period, The Ten Commandments was a renowned mysterious organization in the Eastern Continent, notorious for being evil, fiercely venemous, and powerful."
"However, this didn't last long. After the turmoil in that country came to an end, Mandarin – and his Ten Commandments organization – faced the same fate as the majority of other mysterious organizations on that ancient land: they could either retreat into their dens, or face total annihilation."
"Mandarin refused both options, still desiring to seize control of the country. Using his ten remarkable and powerful rings, he was not the only one with such an ambition. Regrettably, they all were ultimately forced to choose the latter."
"Indeed, Mandarin's Ten Commandments were exceptionally formidable, allowing him barely to chart out a third path — fleeing. The Eastern Continent was vast; if he ran far enough, the chase would no longer be cost-effective. With China in that era not concerned about a fleeting, beaten soldier, Mandarin's pursuit was not prioritized."
"In recent times, that country's growing power – along with its strengthening control over border regions – caused Mandarin to retreat, time and time again. Undoubtedly, both we and he understood that one day he would be expelled from this land, a prospect he was not willing to accept."
"But regardless of his dissatisfaction, an organization like SWORD wields ten or even a hundred times more control over its territory than S.H.I.E.L.D. With the relentless onslaught from SWORD, Mandarin was unable to ensure his safety and hence, began planning his escape."
"So, if he can't beat SWORD, is he trying to flee to S.H.I.E.L.D's territory?" Xu Shang-Chi summarized the story briefly. "Where is his ambition of ruling the world? Has he ever ruled? Without a territory of his own, living the life of a wanderer and fugitive, isn't he merely a felon?"
Stick, the storyteller, looked surprised at the young man's perspective. Seldom do Westerners consider territory. To them, the focus was on the sheer power of the rings.
However, the Chinese youth before him had a very typical Eastern mindset — what's the use of the Divine Artifact in ruling the world?
Some see Liu Bei as a wise ruler, others view Cao Cao as a powerful lord. But does anyone regard Lv Bu, with the Sky Halberd and Red Rabbit Horse, as a world-conquering overlord? Without territory or a populace, what use are these weapons and his steed?
Since the time of the Zhou Emperor, territory was essential when granting fiefs. Only those with land could be feudal lords. The fight for world dominance was like a game of chess; land and people were the prerequisites to join the table. One could vie for domination without wealth, power, or even righteousness, but having one's own territory was absolutely necessary.
From Xu Shang-Chi's point of view, Mandarin had been playing a risky game along the fringe line for a very long time. Without steady territory, he couldn't farm, resulting in a lack of food and resources. If all goods had to be purchased, wouldn't he be done for if no one sold to him?
Isn't all this just the life of a vagabond?
"You mean, if Mandarin can't beat SWORD, he's planning to stir up trouble in S.H.I.E.L.D's territory?" Riley asked with a furrowed brow. "And his method is to incite protest movements in the Bronx?"
"Mandarin has been scheming for years, and there's a shadow of The Ten Commandments in every nation around the globe. No one knows to what extent they've infiltrated." Stick shook his head, "Perhaps, they even have people inside S.H.I.E.L.D."
Xu Shang-Chi's mouth hung open; he wanted to say that there were likely more than just members of The Ten Commandments inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
Just then, he realized a serious problem. Stick's words served as a reminder: even if he just watched the movies, he still knew that there were a lot of Hydra members inside S.H.I.E.L.D., and the phrase "Snake Shield" was notorious.
Upon this realization, Xu Shang-Chi became tense. The doctor was the person who had treated him the best since he came to this world. Now the doctor was stationed at S.H.I.E.L.D., which was infiltrated by numerous Hydra agents. Was the doctor in danger?
"Worry about him, rather than yourself," came Venom's voice in Xu Shang-Chi's mind.
However, this sentence had a different implication to Xu Shang-Chi. Venom had previously dwelled within Eddie, who was currently working in S.H.I.E.L.D. Thus, did Venom's words confirm his previous thought that Hydra was inside S.H.I.E.L.D. and the doctor might be in danger?
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