Several hours later, on a hill outside New York City, Wang Nanxuan covered the sleeping Susan with a blanket and gazed up at the stars.
"More than three thousand Soul Pacts—quite a bit more than last time. My strength has improved again. Heh, given New York's terrible luck, in a few years, every citizen's soul will belong to me."
Wang Nanxuan was in a good mood. "Also, when things were nearly over, two new worlds merged into this one. World Fusion itself is nothing unusual, but isn't the timing a little too coincidental?"
Each time, the fusion happened after an incident ended. Could there be some connection between them?
"The first four worlds weren't like this. Huh, wait, The Ancient One said World Fusion began a year ago."
Thinking of something, Wang Nanxuan frowned slightly. A year ago was exactly when he had descended into Rebirth Hell.
"So World Fusion is related to me? Interesting. Very interesting."
After a noisy night, the whole of New York was discussing last night's events the following morning. The headlines of countless newspapers and news broadcasts read: "Vampires Are Real!"
One newspaper was an exception: the Daily Bugle. Its front page was split into two sections. On the left was a photo of Spider-Man being sent flying, titled: "The Completely Unreliable Spider-Man."
On the right was a photo of Ghost Rider smoking a cigar amid raging flames, titled: "Angel Descends, Saves New York City."
"They're both superheroes, so why is the difference so huge?"
Peter Parker stared at the two headlines and could not help complaining. At that moment, a press conference appeared on the giant screen overhead.
The spokesperson said into the microphone, "There are no vampires in this world. Several years ago, an evil doctor developed a virus. Those infected with it fear sunlight, silver, and garlic, and survive by drinking blood...
"The military will clear out virus carriers across America. Everyone, please do not worry too much. Also, if you encounter a virus carrier, please take note of the following points..."
"Is this what they call spouting nonsense with a straight face?"
Peter complained. The reporters were also dissatisfied and questioned the spokesperson one after another, but the spokesperson remained unmoved, looking as if he did not care whether they believed it—as long as he did.
How the authorities defined the matter was unimportant. What mattered was that America had decided to completely purge the Vampires. The Vampires now faced utter devastation and had no choice but to flee to other countries or return to Europe.
Although S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operation had been a complete mess, it had basically achieved its objective. From now on, Americans would no longer be threatened by Vampires.
"Europe is the Vampires' nest. Blade, we'll clear out the Vampires in North America first, then storm Europe."
Whistler, whose arm had already been repaired, said, "Boss will provide us with enough money and weapons."
The cool-looking Blade adjusted his sunglasses. "Good. With Boss's support, we'll definitely wipe out the Vampires completely."
Master and disciple set out once more. They would not stop until the day the Vampires were extinct.
Amid the hustle and bustle, more than a month passed. One morning, Black Widow Natasha, who had returned to work at S.H.I.E.L.D., knocked and entered Nick Fury's office.
"Fair warning: don't mention my eye, and don't mention my eyepatch. Otherwise, don't blame me for throwing you out."
Nick Fury said with an unhappy expression. Over the past month, his colleagues and even his superior Pierce had mocked and sneered at his eye every day, thoroughly exhausting his patience.
"I have no interest in your eye."
Natasha impatiently asked, "Fury, did you find what I asked you to investigate?"
Hearing that it was serious business, Nick Fury became earnest. He said, "I don't know how Ghost Rider knew that Match Girl was still alive. Over the past month, S.H.I.E.L.D. searched for Drakov around the world, but found nothing.
"I believe Drakov and his daughter were killed in your bombing. What Ghost Rider said isn't true."
"No, he was telling the truth. I can feel it."
Natasha stubbornly said, "They're hiding. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. can't find them."
"Unless they're dead, there is no one S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot find."
Nick Fury proudly said, "Natasha, I think you feel too guilty. I suggest you take a vacation, or go speak with a psychologist."
"Someone like me can feel too guilty?"
Natasha gave a bitter smile. She shook her head and said, "I'm requesting a month of leave. I want to investigate this personally. I hope you can have every department cooperate with me."
Nick Fury sighed. "Fine, but I hope that in a month, you'll return to normal and become the Black Widow whose mission completion rate is nearly one hundred percent.
"Your performance over the last month has been very unprofessional. You even assaulted a colleague."
Natasha shrugged. "I'm not as professional as you are—deceiving everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D."
Nick Fury angrily said, "I told you not to bring that up."
Natasha shook her head and turned to leave headquarters. No matter what, she had to find Drakov and Antonia and bring everything from the past to a complete end.
That evening, Wang Nanxuan, who had kept Natasha in turmoil for an entire month, took Gwen to Manhattan Park for a picnic.
Seeing Gwen looking somewhat troubled, Wang Nanxuan asked, "Gwen, what's wrong? Was the dinner I ordered not to your taste?"
"It was fine. Other than the parts that were so spicy they made me want to cry, there was nothing wrong with it."
Gwen complained. "I'm worried about my father. Those people at City Hall keep pushing the blame onto him. He might get fired."
The Lizardman and the Vampires had wreaked havoc in New York, causing enormous damage and a number of casualties. Someone had to take the blame. Since S.H.I.E.L.D. was a spy organization under the United Nations and could not appear before the public, Director George had unfortunately become the scapegoat.
"Nothing serious."
Wang Nanxuan smiled. "The main reason Director George became the scapegoat is that no one stands behind him. In fact, even without this incident, his political career would not have lasted much longer."
Gwen said, "My father just refuses to curry favor with the powerful."
"Your father is a tough man, but New York citizens don't know that."
Wang Nanxuan said, "I'll write an article praising your father and build momentum for him, rallying public support behind him. I've even thought of the headline: 'Do You Want a Tough Director or a Bureaucratic Director?'"
Gwen asked, "Will that really work?"
"Of course. I looked into your father's records. His résumé is extremely impressive; it's just that no one knows about it."
Wang Nanxuan said. How could someone without connections become police commissioner without an impressive record?
Of course, reporting alone would not be enough. The Rebirth Group also needed to step forward and support Director George. America was a capitalist society; capital could accomplish anything. Still, there was no need to tell Gwen any of that.