I'm Cracking Apart

Heisenberg clearly remembered that in Doctor Strange comics...

How should he put it?

Doctor Strange had used magic so often that he would sprout tentacles at the slightest provocation.

Nearly ninety percent of his gastrointestinal tract had vanished, and his internal organs were missing to varying degrees. He was also constantly affected and eroded by hallucinations—or rather, by the power of other dimensions.

Especially the tentacle-growing part...

Heisenberg couldn't help connecting Marvel's magic with the myths of Cthulhu.

And myths like that...

No matter whether he was a Kryptonian or how strong he was.

The farther away he could stay, the better. There was no downside to it.

As they spoke, The Ancient One extended a hand, inviting Heisenberg to sit.

There were only two stools in the room, completely identical, so he picked one at random and sat down.

The Ancient One first took some tea leaves from a tea cabinet nearby. Then she went over to the fireplace, lit it with a lighter, and set a kettle on top.

By the time she had finished that whole process and sat down, Heisenberg felt as if the flowers he'd been waiting on had wilted.

If it had been Doctor Strange, then for such trivial everyday matters, he would definitely have solved everything with magic in an instant.

And that was precisely the difference between The Ancient One and Strange.

One treated magic with caution, never abused it, and lived at ease.

The other acted as though dogs were chasing him from behind, using the Time Stone's cheat mode to frantically learn and master every kind of magic. Anything magic could solve in daily life, he absolutely would not solve by mortal means.

Heisenberg remembered a line from the movie. The Ancient One had once said that Strange was the finest among the Sorcerer Supremes.

That didn't mean Strange was stronger than The Ancient One. It was like how both of them were academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

One spent his days fishing, walking birds, and peacefully enjoying his retirement.

The other spent his days conducting frenzied experiments and scaling new heights.

Their achievements might have been roughly equal, and the former's ability and contributions might even have far surpassed the latter's.

But without question, the latter's professional attitude made him far more dedicated than the former.

However, Strange's excellence in magic came with consequences.

For example...

As Sorcerer Supremes, they each had their own ascetic orders.

These ascetics took pride in tormenting themselves. They linked their souls to the Sorcerer Supreme and bore all, or at least most, of the magical cost for them.

In The Ancient One's era, most of her ascetics met peaceful ends.

Though every one of them was covered in wounds, they could still smile as they died of old age in their beds.

But by the time Strange became Sorcerer Supreme...

Well, sorry...

By the era of Avengers Three and Four, that whole group of ascetics had already been worked to death by Strange.

It was precisely because of that that the later Strange had to bear magic's price himself.

"What are you thinking about?"

Seeing Heisenberg deep in thought, The Ancient One brought him a cup of tea and placed it in his hands.

After taking a sip of hot tea, Heisenberg smacked his lips in utter satisfaction.

"I was thinking about what you thought of my arrival, Master The Ancient One!"

"My thoughts? You don't need my thoughts. You are a qualified protector of humanity. Although your attitude toward humans is somewhat fierce and cruel, you can lead them toward a better future. I have seen that day with my own eyes."

As she spoke, The Ancient One took a sip of tea herself.

Warm steam rose from their mouths, and the entire room was soon filled with the fragrance of tea.

Heisenberg drank his tea and nodded thoughtfully.

"So you really do understand my circumstances?"

"Of course. Vishanti has always watched over the balance of the universe. When a guest from the origin arrived, Vishanti had already informed me."

"Vishanti, the trinity progenitor of white magic? He's the one watching me? I thought you were the one observing everything."

"Me?" The Ancient One smiled and shook her head. "I am not an observer of the universe. Every day, I only need to deal with trouble from the Dark Dimension and Hell. Even that alone has long made me weary of my current life."

As she spoke, The Ancient One raised her right hand and pressed her slightly aged yet still pale, slender palm against Heisenberg's cheek.

"I truly wish you could become my disciple. Then I wouldn't need that chatterbox—troublesome, disrespectful toward magic, toying with time, arrogant, proud, contemptuous of everyone else, and especially stubborn and single-minded fellow—to succeed me as Sorcerer Supreme!"

"HAHAHAHA!!!"

Heisenberg was immediately amused by the bald little old lady.

God knew whether the veins on Strange's forehead would burst if he ever heard that assessment.

But after laughing, Heisenberg suddenly thought of something.

So he asked softly.

"You... must have seen many different futures, right?"

"Indeed. Out of every three thousand futures, I become your mentor seventy times, and your lover twice. You once told me everything about yourself!"

"Pfft!!!"

Heisenberg actually sprayed the tea from his mouth.

"What the hell do you mean, lover? You're already...!"

Before he could finish, Master The Ancient One smiled. A green glow slowly flashed around her neck, and the traces of time vanished from her body in an instant.

She had actually returned to the appearance of a girl just coming of age!

Even her formerly bald head had sprouted a full head of dark hair once more.

And The Ancient One like this...

She was full of an ethereal charm—or perhaps the aura of an artistic goddess...

Unfortunately, after only a moment, The Ancient One returned to her old-lady appearance. But that fleeting image could no longer be erased from Heisenberg's mind.

And because of that...

Heisenberg suddenly felt like throwing up. He no longer wanted anything to do with Kamar-Taj.

He wanted to go home. No one was stopping him!

But before he could stand, The Ancient One continued.

"My apologies for the laugh. I do not consider youth beautiful, and there will no longer be any connection between us.

"I merely wished to prove that I understand you better than you think, so there is no need to worry that I will obstruct your plans.

"What I protect is the Earth beneath our feet, not the humans living upon it.

"What I protect is all living things. In my eyes, humans are no more precious than carp.

"If you lead humanity outward, then so be it. Once they leave for the universe, Earth will become cleaner instead.

"I am not your enemy, Heisenberg. Go do what you wish."

"Okay, enough talk. Someone invited me for drinks. I'm off, I'm off!"

Heisenberg hurriedly nodded, then vanished from before The Ancient One with a whoosh.

In Kamar-Taj's courtyard, every sorcerer saw Heisenberg leave.

That figure, brimming with power and extreme speed, left them utterly stunned.

And Heisenberg, who had stunned them all...

Was now lying back in the lounge chair on his rooftop, rolling his eyes in disgust.

The Ancient One definitely had no reason to deceive him. In some of the futures she had seen, he must really have become her lover.

Was The Ancient One old?

Of course she was old—and bald, too.

But thinking about it carefully, was The Ancient One actually beautiful?

Just look at the actress who played her. She was also a goddess with extraordinary poise.

She had the Time Stone. It was impossible for her to truly age to the point where even the Time Stone could not conceal it.

She had deliberately made herself look decrepit for her disciples to see!

If The Ancient One had not brought this up...

Heisenberg had considered what he would do.

Compared to The Ancient One, Earth's guardian, Strange was more like the guardian of the United States—or rather, the guardian of the Avengers.

A Sorcerer Supreme like that was naturally destined to stand against Heisenberg.

Therefore, there was a very high chance that Heisenberg would save The Ancient One, leaving Strange unemployed.

Besides, The Ancient One had been seeking death herself. As long as he convinced her otherwise, she could live for several thousand more years.

So in some of the futures The Ancient One mentioned, had he done something indescribable with her during that process?

"Motherfucker!"

Heisenberg could not help cursing.

He was cursing himself.

Because when he entertained that possibility, he actually found The Ancient One a little tempting...

He really was a shameless bastard!!!

Meanwhile, the Avengers' plan was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Jane Foster had already been pulled into a café by Natasha for a conversation.

No one knew what they would manage to work out.

As for Purple Man—

Under the joint encirclement of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, and the Nuke Gang—

In just a single day, Purple Man's whereabouts had been completely identified.

However, only S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra had that information. As the Nuke Gang's representative, Eliza had yet to get any news from the agents.

At around 9:20 that night, in New York's Three-Winged Building, Captain America and Barton set out with Coulson, Crossbones, John Garrett, Melinda May, and elite operative Grant Ward.

The group moved silently through the streets and alleys until they reached Hell's Kitchen.

That's right—Purple Man was actually in Hell's Kitchen!

Jessica had never known. She had thought she had escaped Purple Man's clutches.

But in truth, even her escape had been arranged by Purple Man.

And Purple Man had been watching his little pet all along.

Watching her gave Purple Man immense excitement and satisfaction, but that satisfaction had finally vanished after Heisenberg appeared.

For some reason, Purple Man enjoyed watching Jessica drink herself into oblivion because of her psychological trauma. He enjoyed it even more when drunken Jessica was picked up by all sorts of scumbag men.

Unfortunately, Jessica was too strong. Nearly every scumbag who tried to pick her up had been smashed apart by two punches from the woman.

That had always left Purple Man deeply regretful.

But after Jessica was thoroughly claimed by the incredibly powerful Heisenberg—

He realized that he could still taste jealousy!

Heisenberg intended to use Purple Man to carry out his plan against Hydra, right?

What a coincidence.

Purple Man also wanted to find an opportunity to use his power to completely control and toy with Heisenberg.

So when S.H.I.E.L.D. located Purple Man, he was actually in an apartment less than eight hundred meters from Heisenberg.

Because of that, Captain America had specifically instructed the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents not to say Heisenberg's name.

So they wouldn't draw Heisenberg out.

As time passed, more and more vehicles converged on the apartment building where Purple Man was staying.

First, the nearby homeless people were driven away. Then the residents were forced back into their homes.

By the time the arrest operation was about to begin, the unnatural silence finally put Purple Man on alert.

Heisenberg Mansion, in the center of the nightclub.

Heisenberg and Jessica went back and forth, madly wiping out the hundreds of bottles of liquor laid out on the table.

Around them, countless drinkers cheered excitedly. It had been far too long since they had seen a drinking contest this wild.

In the end, Heisenberg crushed Jessica by a margin of thirty-two bottles.

As he ordered his men to take Jessica back to her room to rest, Heisenberg returned to the sofa.

At that moment, Eliza quietly approached him.

"Boss, S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't share much information with us during the day, but our people found that many vehicles suspected to belong to special agents are gradually gathering beneath an apartment building not far from here."

"Hmph, that should be Purple Man's location. I didn't expect him to be so close to me!"

Heisenberg nodded to show that he understood.

But Eliza continued to press the matter.

"Do I need to take people over to intervene or join them? They won't get Purple Man before us, will they?"

"Go. But don't rush to the front. Purple Man isn't a toy—he won't let them catch him so easily."