A Showdown Between New Love and Old Flames / The Aether Appears

As for now, the two estimated that once Director Nick had recovered, he had most likely begun to suspect someone.

But the two of them pulled off a brilliant switcheroo, leaving no evidence behind.

Unless Nick is completely stupid, he would at most investigate secretly; he would never dare to openly and aggressively pursue Kevin and the others.

After all, the SCP Foundation is both an external supporter and a victim, and now they've added another stain on S.H.I.E.L.D.; revealing it would benefit no one.

Since we can't fight a losing battle, we can only pick on the weak.

In order for S.H.I.E.L.D.. to save face, the Department of Defense and Hydra will have to take the blame, whether they want to or not.

As for dangerous things like the Cosmic Rubik's Cube, it's best to leave it to the former chairman of the SCP Foundation, who truly understands the subject, for containment.

Of course, these ruthless choices to sabotage S.H.I.E.L.D.. were made not only because the Space Stone was crucial to Kevin's future plans, but also because...

A petty man like that might also harbor thoughts of personal revenge.

After all, anyone with a brain could see that Nick's inclusion of Jill and Shirley in Blackwatch was clearly a ploy to infiltrate the organization.

I've said it before, he's a petty person. If you mess with someone close to him, be prepared to receive a return gift.

However, although Kevin obtained the Rubik's Cube, he was unable to glimpse its many secrets in a short period of time, nor could he break through the Space Stone's external protective structure.

The man propped his chin up with one arm, tapping rhythmically on the table with his right hand. He frowned deeply as he recalled the scene behind the Spatial Rift before the biological laboratory collapsed.

Rune Lands... yet another civilization destroyed by the Ultimate Fear...

Moreover, based on the palpitations that had been lingering since before, the thing above the void is far more dangerous than Cthulhu in the deep sea.

The Nameless Mist... the One Who Unites All Things... Yog-Sothoth?

It's ironic that the truth you sought would ultimately bring you this...

Kevin's thoughts raced, and he secretly shook his head. As he analyzed the intelligence, a purple-skinned bald man carrying a scroll and holding a large book of runes came to mind.

Aeon God Kieran and survivor of the Divine River Civilization; Ryze the Wandering Mage and heir to Rune Lands...

You two are not only in cahoots, but you also keep your true intentions very secret...

Unfortunately, the nameless fog reacted too violently, and coupled with Lara's "Anti-Ancient Ruins Buff," Kevin was unable to explore any further secrets before the place completely collapsed.

The man's mind flashed back to Lara's seemingly innocent smile afterward, and he felt a vein throbbing on his forehead and a throbbing headache.

The saying goes that even supernatural powers cannot defy Schicksal. He even suspected that the collapse of the biological laboratory was mostly related to this building destroyer that caused everything to collapse wherever it went. This kind of causal law was too terrifying.

Just as Kevin's thoughts were drifting off-topic, his pupils reflected Ada's outstretched, pale fingers and her smiling face.

"Since the cooperation has been so pleasant, then bye! The final payment is $400,000 USD. Will you be paying by card or cash...?"

"We're already so close, talking about money will hurt our feelings..."

Kevin pressed down on Ada's hand without making a sound, his eyes filled with deep affection.

"Trying to renege on your debt?"

However, Ada, who was extremely professional, narrowed her eyes, clearly not buying it.

"I've always upheld the Eastern virtue of thrift and hate overspending. When have I ever owed anyone money?"

Kevin blinked, looking completely innocent.

"Should I send this to S.H.I.E.L.D.."

Ada smiled and pulled out a pre-prepared voice recorder from her pocket, waved it in front of Kevin, and pressed a button at the same time.

"Stop fooling around..."

With lightning speed, Kevin opened a Spatial Rift behind Ada, unexpectedly snatched back the recording pen, and threw it into the imaginary world to destroy the evidence.

Ada looked at her empty right hand, rolled her eyes in disdain, and responded irritably.

"I forgot to tell you, what I just pressed was the sync transfer function of the voice recorder. The original recordings are all in my computer's backup. How many do you want?"

"Paying back debts is a matter of course! I hate those deadbeats who refuse to pay back their debts!"

Kevin spoke with righteous indignation, gently stroking Ada's right hand with tender affection, while also winking.

"How about... paying with your body?"

Chapter 852, Section 890: A Battlefield Between New and Old Loves

Even with her professional composure in the face of adversity, Ada's cheeks still trembled slightly at the employer's offer to take her away as payment for the debt.

"Is that not allowed? I should be worth quite a bit..."

Kevin clicked his tongue, somewhat puzzled as to why his second brother's flesh was increasing in value year by year, while his own had depreciated. He still couldn't understand the laws of the market, and the man felt a little sentimental.

"Sorry, I don't usually order room service..."

Ada noticed that the guy in front of her was becoming increasingly shameless when it came to money, so she couldn't help but roll her eyes and make a sarcastic remark while pulling a document out of her Chanel handbag.

"If you don't have cash, you can sell your fixed assets. Your Hyperion, if you dismantle it and sell it for scrap metal, should be able to raise 50% of the remaining payment..."

"If there's still not enough, we'll work together to find a way to make up the difference..."

The female agent put on sunglasses, and although Kevin couldn't clearly see the expression hidden behind them, he was certain that the woman's eyes were full of mockery, waiting for him to embarrass herself.

"Although I don't need sexual favors, I can help introduce someone out of friendship..."

Sure enough, it's both black and poisonous!

Even if you sold the Hyperion metal, it would be worth more than $200,000, right? It has quite a few weapons forged from Soul Steel, and any one of its technologies would be worth at least $400,000.

Moreover, not only have you squeezed all my fixed assets dry, you also want to pimp me out and help me sell myself!

Auntie, you've gone bad. You used to be so easy to fool. Kevin secretly curled his lip, somewhat nostalgic for their first reunion.

Nalan Xingde's poem was indeed true. "If life were only like the first meeting, how about we pretend we don't know each other and have never met?"

Kevin pondered for a moment, but ultimately swallowed the tempting suggestion under Ada's ambiguous gaze.

He was certain that if he really said that, Ada would have served him a rocket launcher instead of coffee.

"I need to think about this separately..."

Kevin spoke seriously, his expression somber, as if he were considering Ada's suggestion.

"So, could you get me another cappuccino when you get out..."

The female agent smiled slightly, turned gracefully, and left Kevin alone to struggle with his thoughts.

A moment later, Ada, carrying her cappuccino into the room, stared at the open window and the empty seat, her lips twitching violently.

What a scumbag! Fine, you won't pay the balance, but at least settle the bill for the coffee!

Sure enough, when people lose all sense of decency, she really has no way to deal with them.

They can't exactly record their conversation and hand it over to S.H.I.E.L.D.. to expose them, can they?

If she really dared to do it, Ada believed that, given that bastard's character, he would either deny it to the death or be the first to betray his accomplices.

The female agent, feeling agitated, squinted as she reviewed someone's recent travel records and current activities. A slight smile played on her lips as she dialed the number of an old friend.

"At the tournament hosted by [World Tree] game company, he plans to exploit his privileges and rule loopholes to rake in funding for the Hyperion group?"

On set, after hearing Ada's account, Alice paused slightly, as if considering the veracity of her words.

"You can guard against anything day or night, but it's hard to guard against a thief within your own family. I've never seen anyone use money from their own organization to support a bunch of mistresses before."

"I think we should crack down on this unhealthy trend."

Ada not only pinned a fabricated charge on Kevin, but also took the opportunity to warn the guy who dared to actually stab his boyfriend last time.

Since we can't get any money from you, we'll just rob you of any money you might have. Isn't that fair?

"Since you want to join in the fun at the event, the more the merrier. Shall we go together?"

After the phone call, Alice's lips curled slightly, as if she had thought of something interesting, and she earnestly extended an invitation, or rather, made a decision.

Immediately, the War Goddess turned off her phone, chuckling and shaking her head as she flipped through the script.

She was well aware that Ada's instigation was clearly a form of revenge after someone had been upset with her.

Previously, what needed to be vented had already been vented, and what needed to be verified had already been promised. Alice wasn't that unreasonable.

However, when someone's work focus shifts, those close friends who have been through life-and-death crises with him are essentially abandoned, which will inevitably lead to some resentment.

If you want to take money from home to maintain your own luxurious warship, then you'll have to see what you can do.

So, let's just treat it as entertainment and have a go. After all, the life-or-death struggle on the field won't hurt our friendship.

Alice stretched and sent the message to the O5 Council group. Her phone immediately started buzzing with replies.

Meanwhile, the people who signed up as a team were constantly active and posting, clearly indicating that there were quite a few members of parliament who were determined to cause trouble for the opposing side.

To ensure everything went smoothly, they began to devise tactics in groups of three or five, even seriously checking strategy guides and inviting professional substitutes to help them out; a joyful atmosphere filled the air.

Interestingly, everyone tacitly invited old friends from before the Moonlight War.

Ling, leaning back in a deck chair eating fruit, scrolled through her phone's records and couldn't help but smirk with schadenfreude.

An old flame versus a new love—this drama is going to be interesting; let's add fuel to the fire.

Immediately, the World-Ending Diva took a screenshot of the message and anonymously sent it to an old friend who was also obsessed with money, suggesting that she be the most suitable person to connect the newcomers.

Meanwhile, at the Super God Academy, while gritting his teeth and cursing the debtor Arms Dealer, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Haha, fire! Fire! You've finally met your match!

Koko glanced at the records, wrinkled her nose slightly, smiled broadly, then snapped her phone shut with a "snap," a gentle smile playing on her lips.

[World Serpent]? That's clearly the name of my team in the game, and they didn't even pay for the naming rights! Shameless plagiarism!

A $30 million prize? You want it? Ha! You'd better pay up the hole you owe me first!

The Arms Dealer's smile was somewhat sinister, his teeth grinding together, and he immediately booked a plane ticket to New York.

Of course, Koko wouldn't be foolish enough to go alone. She immediately opened the chat group of the [World Serpent] team and, in the name of the guild leader, sent an invitation to her former teammates.

In a short time, Jill Hera in the deep-sea area, Tifa and Thunder in the Tokyo Heaven Bar, and others all responded.

In the underground control room of the [World Tree] game company in Tokyo, Hatsune Miku, who was monitoring the flow of information from applicants, rolled her eyes as she looked at the string of familiar names in the electronic data column.

Why is everyone joining in the fun? Oh well, the purpose of this competition is to gather more information so that I can use the trump card I've prepared later.

Do whatever you want, the more the merrier, just don't cry if you lose.

Hatsune Miku chuckled coldly and immediately increased the difficulty of the preliminary rounds, preparing to show these amateur players who were just there for the fun what real professionalism was.

However, while the competition between the old and the new had already begun, Kevin, the instigator, was looking at the messages on his phone in a small town thousands of miles away.

The message came from Tony, and it was very simple: Jane Foster, Thor's girlfriend, seems to be sick...

Chapter 853, Section 891: The Appearance of Ether Particles

In a somewhat messy room, a brown-haired woman dressed in pajamas served hot coffee to a white-haired visitor who was sitting on the sofa reading the journal Nature.

"Are you Thor's friend?"

"That's right, Avengers foreign affairs agent, and he's worked with your old acquaintance, Dr. Erik..."

Kevin shook hands politely, smiled and nodded, giving a half-truthful answer while glancing meaningfully at a certain piece of information in the newspaper.

Recently, Tokyo has been experiencing frequent minor Spacequake, and the city has been appearing as a ghostly silhouette in the sky.

Someone familiar with the situation naturally understood that this was a sign that Amamiya City was about to rise. Perhaps soon he would be able to go to this emerging city to see old friends and catch up.

"When will Thor be back?"

Dr. Jane was about to put the cup in her mouth, she couldn't help but ask a question, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"While I can't give you a definite answer, your meeting should be soon."

Kevin chuckled reassuringly, and based on his precognitive understanding of the "script," gave a "divine oracle."

Upon hearing this answer, Dr. Jane appeared somewhat reserved, but her eyes revealed an undisguised joy, and the atmosphere of their conversation became very warm.

Seeing that the warm-up was complete, Kevin took out a pen and notebook from his pocket, pretended to take notes, and then earnestly asked a question.

"Doctor, we are investigating some unusual phenomena and hope you can truthfully recount your experiences."