"This time, I really have to thank you. The director asked me to give this to you." Coulson gratefully pushed a case in front of Shen Fei. "S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have much Vibranium either. A hundred kilograms is simply too much. This is the absolute limit of what the director can offer."
There were twenty-five kilograms of Vibranium in total, exactly one-quarter of the amount.
The discovery of Captain America—and the fact that he was alive—meant far too much to Coulson.
"Being able to find him was your achievement too. I merely said a few words."
"Sometimes, a piece of intelligence matters more than anything else."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Coulson hurried away. It was clear that the discovery of Captain America, alive and still young, would have an enormous impact on S.H.I.E.L.D.
Precisely because of that, there was no news of Captain America anywhere in the media. If they had found his corpse, the news would have been plastered everywhere, followed by widespread mourning. But since he was alive, it could only be handled discreetly.
It could be said that if not for the Battle of New York, Captain America would likely have remained hidden behind the scenes forever.
"Carter." After Coulson left, Shen Fei did not immediately inspect the Vibranium. Instead, he thought about Carter. The young Captain America and the elderly Carter had missed an entire era together.
"It would be such a pity for them to miss each other like this. Maybe I can help them." As Shen Fei spoke, he glanced at the drink on the table beside him.
While S.H.I.E.L.D. had been searching for Captain America, he had not been idle. He had been fully focused on researching the Stairway of the Sun, the G-Virus, and the other viruses acquired from Umbrella Corporation.
It had to be said that William Birkin was a genius. If one ignored the uncontrollable nature of its mutations, the G-Virus could be called the best virus there was. G stood for God—a god.
Creating a new human race had been William Birkin's ambition. No wonder he had joined Wesker in killing their own teacher, Marcus. Their ideas had been so alike.
Spencer, Wesker, and William Birkin had all wanted to become gods. Shen Fei truly did not know what to say about that. Real people never considered themselves gods, yet every random human believed they could become one so easily.
The Ancient One had also once been called a god.
William Birkin could not control the direction of the G-Virus's mutations, but Shen Fei could do so through the power of the Op-Op Fruit. After completing the perfected G-Virus, Shen Fei faced two choices.
The first was direct injection, just as Captain America had received his serum, immediately gaining the abilities of the G-Virus. The second was to drink it—turning it into something like a beverage or tea and gradually allowing the body to acquire the G-Virus's abilities over time.
No matter how one looked at it, the first option was much more convenient. The second wasted far too much time.
For ordinary people, the first option was the simplest method. But for the mages of Kamar-Taj, it had one drawback.
That was the purity of the soul. The soul could repair the body, and likewise, the body could affect the soul. Ordinary people would never consider this issue, because there was no need to. But for the mages of Kamar-Taj, it had to be considered.
In the original work, after Wesker's body collapsed due to the multiple viruses injected into him, he turned into a gigantic monster. Normally, this was seen as Wesker's body reaching the upper limit of what it could withstand from the viruses, causing it to collapse.
But from another perspective, it could also be said that injecting multiple viruses had made Wesker's soul no longer pure, leaving his body unable to bear the various viruses and causing it to collapse.
Of course, this was not impossible to solve. Kamar-Taj's magic absorbed dimensional power to strengthen the soul, allowing one to use magic and even extending one's lifespan.
For Kamar-Taj's mages, purifying the soul was not impossible, but it required great strength.
The reason Kamar-Taj forbade the absorption of dark power was that dark power's corrosion of the soul was far too severe. It was nothing like ordinary Dimension Space, which had no Side Effects.
However, if one possessed sufficient strength to resist dark power, it was possible to absorb it. But accomplishing that was extremely difficult. The Ancient One could do it, but precisely because she could, she understood the power of darkness even better. That was why she forbade contact with dark power.
After Kaecilius absorbed dark power, his strength greatly increased, but he himself became a slave to it.
For Shen Fei, who had no urgent need to increase his strength, the gentler second method was better. The first could directly enhance his power, but it would require time to purify his soul afterward.
Matters of the material world could also be explained from the perspective of the soul. For example, when humans took medicine or ate food, those things theoretically affected the soul as well. It was simply that the human body's own capabilities quickly purified those effects.
The body fed back into the soul, and the soul fed back into the body.
"If this were sold outside, it would definitely be priceless." Since Shen Fei had already created the perfected G-Virus, he naturally made derivatives of it as well—something that could preserve youth forever.
The principle was the same as viral enhancement. Because it had only a single function, it was simpler instead. Still, calling it eternal youth was an exaggeration. It could only greatly slow aging.
After all, it was not the true G-Virus.
"So this is Vibranium. Its properties are somewhat like gold's, except its attributes are vastly stronger. It could be considered an enhanced version of gold."
Since he needed to make an Ant-Man Suit, Shen Fei had learned something about the properties of various metals. Vibranium truly was remarkable. No wonder it was so expensive.
Considering that the Black Panther suit was somewhat similar to the Ant-Man Suit, Vibranium was the most suitable material for an Ant-Man Suit.
Of course, Vibranium had far more uses than that. Wakanda's technology could be said to have been developed on the foundation of Vibranium, but Shen Fei had no research in that area.
"Even if I want to help Carter, where she is remains a problem. Looks like I'll have to trouble Ada again." As a former S.H.I.E.L.D. leader, Carter's residence was top secret.
"I wonder whether Ada is carrying out that task now."
Norway National Park.
Deep within an uninhabited forest, Ada wore casual clothes and carried a backpack. She compared the map in her hand with the book she was reading, then changed direction once more. After changing directions several times in a row, she stopped beside an utterly ordinary-looking tree.
"Looks like this is the place." Ada set down her backpack, took out her tools, and cut down the tree. After splitting it in half, she finally discovered a strange metal rod inside.
"So it really exists." As Ada watched her portable electric saw become completely ruined against the rod, surprise filled her face. She knew exactly how capable her tool was, yet it had not left even the slightest mark on that rod.
"Seems like I can't touch it." Just as Ada's hand was about to touch the rod, she seemed to suddenly recall Shen Fei's earlier warning. After hesitating for a moment, she ultimately gave up on touching the mysterious metal rod.
After placing the rod into a prepared bag, Ada surveyed the surroundings before immediately starting a fire.
Though this was somewhat unfair to the national park, there was no easier way to keep the matter from being discovered than setting a fire. At most, it would later be considered a forest fire. Furthermore, Ada had calculated the rangers' patrol routes before starting it, allowing her to conceal the secret while causing minimal damage.
Only that brainless man and woman from the original work would obtain just one section of the Berserker Staff and impatiently publicly declare themselves gods. They were indeed gods, but two more words had to be added: mentally ill. Put together, they were goddamn lunatics.
How could a Berserker Staff meant for Asgardians be used by ordinary Earthlings? If someone only touched it once in a while, they would at most feel unwell for the next few days. But prolonged contact meant trading one's life for power.
Even if Coulson did not deal with them, within a few days, those who had touched the Berserker Staff would pay a terrible price. The most immediate cost would be the depletion of their life force, accompanied by illnesses.
By taking the Berserker Staff in advance, Shen Fei could be said to have saved their lives.
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