Kamar-Taj

"How have you been lately?" Rebecca's concerned voice came through the laptop video.

"Pretty good. My mood has settled a lot recently, and I'm not having nightmares anymore. How's your work at S.H.I.E.L.D. going?" Shen Fei said with a smile.

At Kamar-Taj, Shen Fei hadn't cut off contact with Rebecca. Back when he was attending Midtown High, the two had stayed in touch, and now they were good friends. Shen Fei often asked Rebecca for knowledge about bioweapons.

As for Shen Fei's stay at Kamar-Taj, it was easy to explain: after experiencing the horror of Raccoon City, he had frequent nightmares and came here seeking peace of mind.

Rebecca didn't doubt this much, since she too had suffered from nightmares at first—the Raccoon City experience was simply too terrifying.

"Not bad." Because S.H.I.E.L.D. had confidentiality rules, related information couldn't be disclosed.

The same went for Sherry. Shen Fei only knew that Sherry was doing well, but nothing specific.

Still, even though S.H.I.E.L.D. matters couldn't be discussed, other things could. Shen Fei's news from Kamar-Taj was very outdated.

Through Rebecca, Shen Fei learned that during his time at school and after arriving at Kamar-Taj, the aftermath of Umbrella Corporation had only intensified.

After the compensation was settled, Umbrella quickly declared bankruptcy—several years earlier than in the game world. Perhaps because of this, large quantities of Umbrella's biochemical viruses flooded underground black markets worldwide, and governments found traces of bioweapon use in many countries.

Chris and Jill, along with eleven other relevant personnel, established the BSAA—the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. Because Chris had faced major obstacles when seeking help from the military, he had little trust in government attitudes, so the BSAA started as a civilian organization.

Civilian organizations naturally had no law enforcement authority. The BSAA's initial work was limited to helping local police establish anti-bioterrorism units, training officers on how to deal with bioweapons, and running public awareness campaigns on bioweapon prevention.

It had to be said that the BSAA's efforts were highly effective. Many biochemical crises in various regions were snuffed out shortly after they began, preventing tragedies like Raccoon City from recurring.

However, as bioweapon incidents escalated, and with pressure from the Global Pharmaceutical Alliance, the BSAA was soon officially recognized by the United Nations, taken over, and restructured to combat biochemical crises worldwide.

Although the truth about the Raccoon City incident was never made public, the public wasn't stupid. Combined with testimonies from many survivors, the result was that most ordinary people no longer trusted pharmaceutical companies' products.

This blow was devastating to the Global Pharmaceutical Alliance. Umbrella had been able to settle compensation and declare bankruptcy so quickly not only because of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s involvement but also because the Alliance played a major role.

Making the BSAA official was the Alliance's attempt to salvage the market.

During this period, something very interesting happened: traditional Chinese medicine became wildly popular. Unlike finished drugs, where ordinary people couldn't tell what ingredients were mixed in, Chinese medicine allowed them to see the raw materials at a glance.

Since civilians had formed organizations to fight bioterrorism, the authorities couldn't lag behind. The FBC—the United Nations Committee on Bioterrorism Incidents—was born under these circumstances.

The BSAA and FBC had no hierarchical relationship, but the FBC's authority was higher than the BSAA's.

On the surface, this seemed no different from the game, but in reality, the FBC was under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s command, using that name for secrecy.

The FBC had always wanted to absorb the BSAA, arguing that it was wasteful to maintain two anti-bioterrorism organizations. However, due to strong opposition from Chris and the other founders, and because some countries didn't want S.H.I.E.L.D. to monopolize power, both organizations coexisted.

When Shen Fei heard this news, he regretted that S.H.I.E.L.D. still hadn't recruited Chris. As for Leon, he had joined the FBI.

Don't underestimate Leon just because he was a small-town cop. His surname was Kennedy—his rapid promotions came not only from ability but also from backing.

This was roughly what Shen Fei learned from Rebecca. There were also things he didn't know, like Claire being kidnapped, a biochemical crisis breaking out on a certain island, and the destruction of some genius girl's dream of world domination—all within just a few days. It was probably fate.

That person was Alexia Ashford, a genius girl who graduated from a top university at ten, invented the T-Veronica virus at twelve, injected herself with it, and needed fifteen years of cryogenic freezing to fully integrate the virus. But Claire and Chris's sudden intrusion, just days short of completion, ruined everything.

Of course, since this was a Marvel world, even if she had fully integrated the T-Veronica virus, she couldn't have conquered the world. But at that point, she would have been extremely difficult to deal with.

The combat enhancement from the T-Veronica virus was one thing, but the key was that the virus incorporated genes from the Ancient Queen Ant, forming a social structure like an ant colony. That was the truly terrifying part.

Powerful as it was, if the queen ant died, everyone else would die in a chain reaction.

While the outside world was bustling, Kamar-Taj remained very peaceful. For the Ancient One, unless a dimensional monster attacked, she didn't care about human society's development.

To be honest, if Shen Fei didn't have other plans, staying at Kamar-Taj permanently wouldn't be a bad choice. Apart from Kaecilius, the mages of Kamar-Taj had no other enemies, and dimensional monsters were handled by the Ancient One. Even after her death, there would be Doctor Strange.

With the Time Stone, even if Dormammu came, he would still have to retreat.

Unfortunately, it was too dull here. The Ancient One had lived so long that she was indifferent to life and death, but Shen Fei wasn't.

"So this is Mount Everest." Using the Sling Ring to open a portal, Shen Fei arrived at the highest peak of Mount Everest, feeling extremely excited. This was the world's tallest mountain—a place he'd never even dreamed of visiting before, now accessible at will.

Kamar-Taj's portals and Mirror Dimension could only be used with the Sling Ring. As one of the most important Mystic Items, the Sling Ring was kept under tight security. One rule of Kamar-Taj was that anyone leaving could not take any Mystic Items with them.

Under the Ancient One's watch, stealing a Sling Ring was impossible. Even if someone did, once the Ancient One came looking, it was over.

Thanks to his earlier soul travels through Dimension Space and the Op-Op Fruit's abilities, Shen Fei had made rapid progress in magic, learning many spells. The only thing he lacked was power—or rather, magical energy.

"Still don't have Strange's nerve." Strange dared to casually touch and use the Time Stone, but Shen Fei really didn't have that courage.

The Ancient One usually seemed kind, but that didn't mean she wouldn't kill.

"The Sling Ring's material is too rare. I've never heard of it—could it be from Dimension Space?" Shen Fei had analyzed the Sling Ring with the Op-Op Fruit, but he couldn't understand it at all.

When he asked Wong, he was told that all Sling Rings were made by the Sorcerer Supreme. How they were made, no one knew.

There were Mystic Items at Kamar-Taj that Shen Fei wanted, like Strange's Cloak of Levitation, which could automatically defend its wearer and fly—incredibly powerful. But it was prepared for Strange by the Ancient One, so no point thinking about it.

Other Mystic Items had their own uses, like the Magic Shoes that allowed high jumps.

But the most important was still the Sling Ring. A mage with a Sling Ring was a true mage; without one, all they could do was swing blades.

The Ancient One's rule was truly ruthless.