Return to Marvel

"Five seconds left. Almost there."

After Kino left, Li Chuan looked at the return countdown on the panel, swiftly opened the box in front of him, and tossed a black pill from inside into his mouth, swallowing it just before the final second ticked away.

When the countdown ended, a wave of dizziness washed over him. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his company office in Sokovia.

"Come out!"

The moment he woke up, he did not hesitate. He struck his stomach with his palm, forcing the black pill he had just swallowed back out through his mouth.

"So it really worked."

Looking at the black pill on the desk, still covered in his saliva, Li Chuan wore an expression that said he had expected as much.

According to the panel's instructions, nothing could be carried when traveling between the main world and a Minor World. Even clothing would change.

When he was in Marvel, he wore a suit. When he went to Naruto, his clothes became the attire of the Prince of the Land of Fire.

It seemed there was no loophole to exploit, but Li Chuan had suddenly come up with an idea.

If he had just eaten something and was digesting it when he crossed between worlds, surely it could not separate the food in his stomach from his body.

With that thought in mind, he had Kino buy a Ration Pill in advance and swallowed it before returning.

To fool the panel, he had deliberately eaten plenty of other ordinary food before taking the Ration Pill.

Sure enough, it was exactly as he had expected. The panel did not forcibly expel the food he had already eaten, allowing him to vomit it back up after returning.

Ration Pills were a special kind of food and medicine that ninjas kept on hand during missions and battles.

Not only could they rapidly restore Chakra and stamina, but they were also excellent at satisfying hunger.

Li Chuan had brought the Ration Pill to Marvel because he wanted the scientists at his company to study it, analyze its ingredients, and create an imitation, just as they had previously done with the Reinforcement Cream. They could also make a simplified version suitable for ordinary consumers.

With an imitation, even if it was less effective than the Ration Pill, he would effectively have an extra potion for temporarily restoring Chakra and stamina when fighting in this world.

The simplified version could remove the Chakra-restoring effect and retain only the stamina recovery and hunger-satisfying effects. It could even be marketed as two new products.

If handled well, they might help him break into the New York market during this trip.

As for the specifics of marketing and promotion, those would have to be left to the company's professionals. He was not good at that sort of thing.

"Xiao Liu, have Dr. Smith come to my office."

After wiping the Ration Pill clean with a tissue and putting it away, Li Chuan pressed the phone on his desk and gave the order to Xiao Liu outside the office.

Xiao Liu was one of the men Li Chuan had trained over the past few years. On the surface, he was Li Chuan's male secretary, but in reality, he secretly protected Li Chuan's safety.

Although Li Chuan was a powerful martial artist, he could not withstand modern firearms head-on. When facing assassination attempts by professional killers, especially in numbers, he still needed men to help him.

Dr. Smith, meanwhile, was a somewhat well-known biology PhD whom Li Chuan had poached from the United Kingdom at great expense.

The company's current best-selling and most profitable health supplement, the Power Pill, had been developed by Smith after studying and analyzing the Enhancement Ointment Li Chuan provided.

The Enhancement Ointment could increase the body's strength when applied all over. Its effects were even better when combined with stance training and breathing techniques.

The Enhancement Ointment had played no small role in allowing Li Chuan to recover his former body's peak condition within three years.

The Power Pill could not achieve such remarkable results, but long-term use could still slightly improve physical strength and make the body more robust.

Of course, compared to the Power Pill's long-term health benefits, it also had an immediate short-term effect after being taken.

It was precisely this effect that had made it sell so explosively, even reaching overseas markets and earning the company enormous profits.

That was, within half an hour after taking it, even if you suffered from impotence, even if you were already past fifty, you could turn into a fierce beast in bed and conquer in every direction.

However, you could take at most one pill a day. Otherwise, your body would not be able to handle it afterward.

"Boss, Dr. Smith called and said he wasn't feeling well today. He requested three days of leave," Xiao Liu replied over the phone.

Li Chuan frowned when he heard that.

"Send some people to Dr. Smith's house and check."

Taking three days off at once was not something that old man Smith would do. The man practically wished he could stay in the laboratory twenty-four hours a day without resting.

As the company grew, it was inevitable that it would infringe upon certain people's interests. Though he had resolved them all with ruthless measures, it never hurt to be cautious.

Half an hour later, a sturdy young man respectfully reported to Li Chuan.

"Boss, Third Brother just took some people to Dr. Smith's house. The doctor wasn't there, and there were signs that outsiders had entered and left the place. Our preliminary judgment is that the doctor may have been kidnapped."

"Someone in Sokovia actually dared to touch one of my people!"

Li Chuan narrowed his eyes and instructed the young man before him.

"Xiao Liu, notify Uncle Li. Have him use every connection he has to investigate. We must find Dr. Smith and determine who did this."

In the eyes of ordinary people, Li Chuan was Sokovia's greatest philanthropist. But among Sokovia's upper ranks, everyone knew that he was a lion that truly devoured people.

Especially anyone who dared set their sights on the Power Pill. By now, not even their bones could be found.

"Yes, Boss!"

Xiao Liu nodded and respectfully withdrew.

After putting away the Ration Pill and slipping it into his pocket, Li Chuan rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.

"Could it be you?"

"Ding-dong. A new side mission has appeared nearby. Please check it!"

As Li Chuan pondered, the panel's notification suddenly sounded in his ear. He hurriedly opened the panel and checked the newly appeared side missions.

Mission: Rescue Dr. Smith, who has been kidnapped by Hydra.

Reward: Five Explosive Tags.

Mission: Kill Baron Strucker of the Hydra Base.

Reward: C-Rank Ninjutsu—Fire Release: Great Fireball.

Mission: Eliminate the Sokovia Hydra Base.

Reward: B-Rank Ninjutsu—Shadow Clone Technique.

"So it really was those Hydra bastards!"

Looking at the newly appeared side missions, Li Chuan's expression turned cold.

He had always known that there was a hidden Hydra Base in the mountains outside Sokovia. He also knew that quite a few high-ranking Sokovian government officials were Hydra agents.

But since neither side had interfered with the other before, and he did not want to provoke them, he had pretended not to know.

Now, it seemed that the long-term effects of the Power Pill had gradually begun to show, drawing their interest. That was why they had kidnapped the company's chief scientist, Dr. Smith.

Hydra had always been devoted to researching super soldiers and enhanced individuals.