章節 3574: Chapter 2704: Hollywood Rhapsody (27)
In the blink of an eye, a dark figure charged into the bushes, and Shiller, pulling Strange along, rushed back through the rear door, across the chaos, to the other end of the bar, and then burst out the door from which the shadow had come.
"Did you drive?" Shiller asked.
Strange, stumbling and gasping for breath, shook his head, "No, I took the bus here."
"Great, me too, find a car."
Shiller looked around and spotted a car by the roadside, quite a nice one at that. He turned back, grabbed a chair from the chaotic bar, ran to the car, and with a couple of bangs, smashed the window open and got inside after opening the door.
"You don't have the keys," Strange said after getting into the car. "I don't know how to hot-wire!"
Suddenly, Shiller pulled out a set of keys from his pocket. The passenger Strange turned to look at him, and in that instant the car had already roared to life, Shiller flooring the accelerator and the car shooting out.
"You had this planned all along!" Strange said through clenched teeth.
"Right, this is Alex's car. Guess why he suddenly came after me?"
"You planned this so far ahead?!"
Shiller chuckled, his gaze shifting to the rearview mirror. Unsurprisingly, a black and a gray car were wobbly chasing after them.
Strange strained his neck to look back and glared at Shiller, "What kind of trouble have you stirred up? I saw someone with a rifle!"
"I told you, I killed a man, the boss of this area, who was recently in charge of an important project."
"Why did you kill him?!"
"Would you believe me if I said it was for the good of the people?"
"He should be the one killing you!"
"Don't worry," Shiller said calmly, "that day may come in the future, but you'll be the one driving. Remember to drive fast when it does," his eyes then shifting to Strange's hands as he continued, "for your career's sake."
"What are you talking about, you lunatic?" Strange kept glancing back as the car sped on, his body pinned tightly against the back of the seat, tension causing him to twitch.
"Obviously, they are not alone; what's your plan?"
"Like I said, no need to rush," Shiller smiled and replied, "someone will take care of the problem for us."
Shiller pressed harder on the accelerator, gripping the steering wheel firmly; the roaring in the streets meshed with the thunder in the sky became the violent beats of rock music, the car shooting forward like an arrow and blending with the fleeting lightning.
Suddenly, a deeper and more agitated rumbling came from above. Strange looked up, ignoring the cold raindrops slapping his face, and between droplets on his eyelashes, he saw the outline of another massive object.
"Helicopter, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's helicopter!" Without hesitating, Strange stuck his head out the window, following the path of the helicopter. Indeed, more uniformly painted cars below were converging on them.
Turning back to Shiller, Strange said, "What kind of big trouble did you stir up? There must be at least a hundred agents here!"
"Instead of worrying about that, think about your career," Shiller said, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a cigarette, "So many saw me taking down Alex, I definitely can't continue here. What about you?"
Strange clenched his fists and roared at Shiller, "What does all of this have to do with me?!"
"Why did you chase after me then?"
Strange was at a loss for words. He kept glancing outside and said, "The agents are already here, why don't you stop the car?"
"How do you know those inside are agents?"
"That's from the Federal Bureau of Investigation…"
"Helicopters and cars might indeed be the property of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but not necessarily the people inside them," Shiller said as he turned another corner. "Guess why the first gang dared to chase after me so openly?"
Strange thought of the worst possibility but still couldn't help glaring at Shiller, "Knowing that, why did you provoke them?"
Shiller shook the hand holding the cigarette, pale and emaciated like a ghastly claw, smoke curling around it, looking like some sort of captivating magic.
"I had a gun, there was a man in front of me."
"So what?"
"I shot."
"And the reason?"
"The reason is that I had a gun in front of me, and there was a man, and I had the right to do so," Shiller said, grinning as his fingers suddenly tightened.
Bang!!!!!
The tire burst, and the car flew sideways, Strange unable to grab hold of anything as he was jostled about and bloodied by the car's shaking.
The car slowly came to a stop.
Blood also trickled down Shiller's cheeks, until it covered his entire face, giving it the appearance of a fresh, red devil's mask. His hair had come loose, bloodstained strands sticking to his face, creating a disheveled and sinister yet beautiful visage.
"Why did you run after me?" Shiller asked.
Strange bowed his head,dizziness overwhelming him from the pain, but he still clung to the edge of the seat and said, "Did you see 'hope'?"
"I am not a kidnapper," Shiller opened the car door on his side and said, but then turned to look into Strange's eyes with grave sincerity and told him, "But there is one 'me' who is."
"There is one 'you'?"
"Yes, there are many 'mes' inside this body, and the one you're seeing now is just one of them. You don't need to understand what that means, you just need to remember, being a hostage nurtures a kidnapper."
Strange shook his head in confusion. As he looked up, the flashlights summoned by the agents dazzled his eyes.
In the blinding light, he saw a figure raising their hands, as numerous agents surrounded them, their armed limbs converging like the unfolding petals of a flower.
His vision began to blacken from the periphery, the darkness spreading toward the center, yet a single point in the middle remained lit.
Strange's eyes focused downward and saw the cane pressed against his Adam's apple. Looking up, he saw the face that was both familiar and strange to him.
"Listen, I don't have time to waste words with you; one of my friends is seriously injured and is being treated at Elders Council Hospital..."
Strange took two steps back, slightly lifting his head, with the cane now pressing against his throat, fragments of past memories resurfaced.
"If I ever have trouble, you owe me a favor..."
That wasn't the point, the point was the latter half of the sentence, especially the "Perhaps you'll also get quite a bit of compensation."
Under Shiller's threat, Strange got in the car and the moment he closed the door, he caught a glimpse of his own smirking reflection in the rear-view mirror.
Sitting in the Kamar-Taj Meditation Room, Strange suddenly felt a disturbance from the Eye of Agamotto. He turned and saw the Divine Artifact floating mid-air, and amid the chaotic and intermingled timelines it displayed, he spotted an anomaly, so he stepped forward and took the gemstone into his palm.
The phone rang suddenly; as Strange kept his gaze on that point, he picked up the phone and said, "Hello, what's up?"
"Yes, I'm about to leave. I won't be the first to arrive in Los Angeles, but definitely not the last. Although seeing Stark's face any sooner wouldn't be particularly delightful, I just want to check on Wanda and her child."
"Of course, I'm aware..."
Strange saw the anomaly darting back and forth within a short future timeframe, and the figure in the resulting image looked familiar.
Suddenly, the anomaly jumped far into the past, at least 20 years ago.
Hanging up, Strange stared at the Eye of Agamotto, apparently understanding something; he couldn't help but reveal an inner smile.
The scenes that floated before him retreated rapidly until they came to a standstill.
With a 'swoosh,' a sharp blade sliced through the air ten centimeters below Strange's right elbow. There was no blood, no severed limb, no pain, or screams—in that instant, Strange saw Shiller's shocked face, but he told no one that it was Shiller's voice echoing in his mind at that time.
"...I am ashamed of my inability, and for this shame, I often feel endless depression, even filled with self-destructive tendencies, making them save me more, because for my initial repayment, they can only anticipate an endlessly deferred greater return."
"I am not a kidnapper, but there is one 'me' who is..."
"...Being a hostage nurtures a kidnapper."
Standing in front of the banquet hall, Strange shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight, eager to know if the truth matched his suspicions as he saw a figure approaching him.
When Shiller saw Strange waiting at the door, there was a moment of confusion, but he quickly walked up and stood beside him, turning to ask, "Why aren't you going in?"
"Nothing, I just don't want to see Stark's face too early."
Shiller sighed in resignation, his head throbbing at the thought of Stark's forthcoming comments about the Hand of God. Despite having settled his identity issues from before, the daunting challenge of these two headstrong 'turkeys' remained before him.
"Let's go inside," Shiller walked ahead, and as Strange didn't move, Shiller couldn't help but stop and look back, asking, "What's the matter? Why are you just standing there?"
Strange hesitated for a moment but then started walking towards Shiller, saying, "Remember the first time we met?"
Shiller's expression stiffened slightly, then he said, "It was so long ago, you're not still holding a grudge about me threatening you with my cane, are you?"
Strange raised an eyebrow, his gaze sliding over Shiller's face, and after a smile said, "I know, you were in a tight spot. How did I drive that day?"
"Not bad, at least pretty fast," Shiller replied as he looked back at him, "Would you like a medal for it?"
"No need for that," Strange's smile faded as he watched Shiller's retreating figure, deep in thought.
Within the Tower of Thought, above the stacked files in the memory bank, a hand appeared, taking out a folder and leafing through it with just a few words inside.
Another figure in a black suit stood behind, asking, "So you actually erased all the parts about Strange? Leaving only a chase with the agents?"
Superego turned and said, "The way of those, treat them with their own medicine."
Arrogant smiled and said, "Being a hostage nurtures a kidnapper. Strange did well."
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